Ms. Gina Hughes is coming to Columbia Elementary School to serve as the school’s first ever Math Interventionist. The Math Interventionist was a position created to address learning loss by providing additional support for students and serving as a coach and resource for teachers in Mathematics. Ms. Hughes was previously at Manteca Unified School District First, Second, and Third Grade and Math at the middle school level.
“Believe it or not I was never a fan of Math growing up,” said Ms. Hughes. “One year, our school needed an Eighth Grade Algebra teacher. Teaching Algebra gave me a love for Math despite some of the difficulties I experienced when I was younger. When I saw the opening at Columbia, I felt this was a great opportunity to share my love for Math with others that may be struggling.”
Ms. Hughes went on to explain that she never had a teacher she did not like and knew at a young age she wanted to be a teacher. As a teacher, she wants her students to feel comfortable by first knowing they have a safe learning environment to be in.
“Students at any age want to be engaged and truly want to learn,” she explained. “Keeping a positive attitude, giving a lot of smiles, letting them have a safe place to learn, and letting them know there are no ‘bad questions.’”
Her ultimate goal, she said, is “hoping to turn students who are struggling or have a dislike of Math into lovers of Math.”
In addition to serving as our Math Interventionist, Ms. Hughes will be starting the school year as part of the Fourth Grade team. She feels even with balancing the two (2) positions, it will be a successful school year with “lots of learning an ‘aha!’ moments.”
Ms. Hughes’ transition to Columbia has been positive because of the “friendly campus with lots of staff willing to help out and answer all [her] questions.”
Some of her best memories teaching include winning Teacher of the Year in the 2008-09 school year, and, wait for it, retrieving a student’s lost ring from the toilet. “I put on some gloves and fished it out for her…the principal gave me a huge shout out at the next assembly.”
In her spare time, Ms. Hughes loves to travel and visit different states and spend time in her chicken coop talking to her chickens.
Fast Facts
Favorite Book in Elementary School: “I loved reading Judy Blume books.”
Favorite Book as an Adult: The Glass Castle by Janette Walls
Favorite Movie in Elementary School: “Hands down ‘The Outsiders.’”
Favorite Movie as an Adult: “Monsters Inc.”
Favorite Game to Play at Recess: Basketball
Favorite School Lunch: “Whatever my mom made me. I went to Catholic School and at that time we did not have hot lunch.”