Teacher Feature- Mr. Winter
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Ever since he started teaching at Waukee High School in 2013, Mr. Winter has been a favorite in the math department.
Mr. Winter teaches one of the schools’ most intimidating subjects: AP Calculus AB/BC. As such, he works extra hard to ensure that his students are not only passing his class but enjoying it too. Mr. Winter discussed the teaching techniques that make his class unique. One of those techniques? Impressing his students with magic and card tricks on the first day of school.
“I love cards, and it seems like a natural thing to do to just kind of impress people with a deck of cards and say, ‘I’ve got your card, I know what it is,’” he said.
While Mr. Winter is known for his card tricks, students can also count on him to be cracking jokes throughout the lesson as well. Mr. Winter undoubtedly has a sense of humor and uses it in his lessons to make them more interesting and engaging. Quinn Fleener, a sophomore in Mr. Winter’s second block AP Calculus 1, agrees.
“Math, no offense, is really boring and so it’s good to get some humor in there,” she said. “Mr. Winter’s magic tricks are lit. I love them.”
Unsurprisingly, his love for cards is not limited to just the classroom. In his free time, when he is not cooking, working on his house or riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle, Mr. Winter is usually playing games.
“I love to play games. I am a game player. I love all kinds. I love card games, I love board games, I play bridge, which is probably my favorite. Love that one,” he said.
Aditya Pethe, a sophomore in Mr. Winter’s third block AP Calculus 1, discussed how Mr. Winter’s unique teaching styles help him to excel in his class.
“Well, normally math teachers just get up there and then they teach it, and by the end of the lesson, you forgot everything because you’re bored. But [Mr. Winter] actually makes the class interesting and engaging so you actually remember stuff and then do well on the quizzes,” Pethe stated.
Along with that, Mr. Winter makes sure to provide his students with numerous practice, study and homework guides to ensure that they have plenty of opportunities to understand the content in class and at home.
Above all, the most important thing for Mr. Winter is making sure his students feel supported and know they are capable of success.
“He does a really good job in providing us with different things to review with. I think he’s really clear with his Canvas pages and with what we should use to review, and he’s really good at making sure everyone’s questions are answered,” Fleener said.
“I want the students to know that I’m approachable if there’s any concern they ever have or any problem that they think they can discuss with me,” he revealed. “I’m happy to listen. I’m happy to help out because want to see you do well.”
