Title: Teacher

Company: Murry Bergtraum High School for Business

Location: Brooklyn, NY, United States

Joy Thompson Smith is a Teacher of Mathematics at the Murry Bergtraum High School for Business. With a well refined background in mathematics instruction, she is responsible for providing valuable resources and strategies to students to help them to achieve academic success in the area of mathematics. She prepares prospective teachers in mathematics methodology and content, and coaches teachers; in addition, Ms. Smith assists the assistant principal in the area of mathematics. Ever passionate about teaching, Ms. Smith was inspired to pursue teaching by a long-standing love for helping children to learn and accomplish their educational goals. She earned a diploma in teaching in mathematics and general science from Sam Sharpe Teachers College, a Bachelor of Education in Mathematics from The University of the West Indies, and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Central Connecticut State University. While pursuing her own education, she was awarded a scholarship by the Ministry of Education in Jamaica. She has also earned a Professional Certificate in the State of New York, as well as a Life Space Crisis Intervention Skills Certificate.

Ms. Smith marks the highlight of her career as taking place in 1999 while lecturing at Sam Sharpe Teachers College, when one of her students asked, “How do you do it? You are so soft spoken yet you command the attention of the class.” At the time she had no answer for the question, however throughout the years that question has been asked of her several times. She gives credit to her love and passion for teaching and learning. Throughout the years mathematics has had such a negative connotation therefore as an educator she thinks it is her responsibility to develop a positive attitude in her students, hoping it will change some of the negative stigma that surrounds mathematics.

Contact Joy Smith