My hope is that my students will leave my classroom with a greater ability to use logic and critical thinking to tackle complex challenges they may encounter in life, and that they develop a steadfast belief in their own self-efficacy as learners.
Holden’s Story
Teaching Discipline
Math
Why Math
I believe that there is an immense amount of beauty and creativity in mathematics, and I want to be able to share this with my students. Further, studying math fosters critical thinking and problem-solving, both of which are critical skills in the real world.
I’m also passionate about teaching students about data literacy and financial literacy so that they can learn to make informed decisions in their futures.
Professional Experience
During the summers from 2020 to 2022, Holden taught at Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM), which is a summer camp that provides advanced mathematics instruction to gifted students from underserved communities in Los Angeles. At BEAM, Holden taught a class about fractions and a class called “Big Questions, Big Answers” which was primarily about estimation, basic probability, and working with very large numbers.
In the 2022-2023 school year, Holden taught at IES Valle del Cidacos, a secondary school in La Rioja, Spain, as an English Teaching Assistant on a Fulbright Grant. About half of the students at the school were enrolled in the bilingual program, where they take the majority of their courses in English. Holden was fortunate to be able to teach some of these bilingual classes, such as biology, PE, philosophy, and business communication. He also taught English classes, teaching English grammar and also fostered cultural exchange by teaching students about American culture, traditions, holidays, and government.
In the 2023-2024 school year, Holden completed a teaching residency at the Eastvale STEM Academy at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Eastvale, California. He taught Integrated Math 3 and AP Calculus AB under the guidance of a Mentor Teacher. He also served as a sponsor for the school’s AMC team and served as a judge for the Science and Engineering Research projects that all sophomores and juniors have to complete.
Holden is excited to find his next teaching position.
Hobbies
In his free time, Holden enjoys sitting down with a cup of coffee and doing the crosswords in Games World of Puzzles magazine. He also loves cooking and hiking, and plays the saxophone.
Academic Background
- University of Southern California (Bachelor of Science in Applied & Computational Mathematics, Economics and Musical Studies Minors)
- Claremont Graduate University (M.S. in Mathematics and M.A. in Education)