“When the student is ready, the teacher appears. When the student is truly ready, the teacher disappears.” ~ Lao Tzu
Welcome parents and scholars to 6th & 8th grade math. My name is Bianca Gentry and I am excited to start my fifth year here at Itliong-Vera Cruz Middle School. I have been working in Education for over 15 years, ranging from public school to Catholic school, as well as private tutoring. I hold a BA in English from the University of California, Berkeley, a Masters in Teaching with a single subject Credential in English from the University of San Francisco. And I am currently finishing a Supplemental credential in Mathematics. I have a history with English, as I love to write creatively, and almost about everything, however, for teaching math is where I continue to fall in love. As a child, I have always seen the world in numbers and patterns and am fascinated how the earth is sketched in mathematical layers and data. For the past 10 years I have been a writing, reading, and math tutor, supporting students from grades K-high school and beyond. Aside from eating ramen, hanging out with my son and k-9 babies, running half-marathons and raising money to support those who suffer from Crohn’s and Colitis, math is what I spend most of my time doing. I love math, simply because everything we do and see is comprised of some mathematical breakdown. Math is either right or wrong, yet there are many ways to arrive at a single answer. I see math as a universal language that has no boundaries or bias. Through the common core standards and Big Ideas Math, it is my mission to impart mathematical practices to my scholars with a fun, energetic, empathetic, and dialogal approach. I LOVE math, and it is my hope that your scholars will begin to understand why, and hopefully experience a glimpse of that love. I am honored to work with you and your scholars, and would like you all to know that my door is always open. I will ALWAYS find time to schedule a conference if you need to talk to me. Email is great for quick questions, as I am very good about emailing back in a timely fashion. Your child is very important to me, so please don't hesitate to share anything with me that you think will help me serve your child and your family best.