I have been a middle school math teacher for going on 9 years.  Beginning in a 7th grade classroom and jumping up and down from 6th to 8th, then 7th, and back to 6th, I became familiar with the progression of standards and the needs of my students.  Working in 2 underperforming schools, both of which were identified with a School Improvement Grant ( SIG Status ) and one turning into a Rapid Action District (RAD Status) I had the privilege of creating a lot of lessons that got to the meat of what I wanted the students to understand while also having creative freedom to make something that would attract the kids and get them bought in.  I have been a TDG Studio teacher for 4 years and had the honor of working alongside Gini Stimpson who was a huge supporter of my teaching and methodology and pushed me to become the teacher I am today.