Diana Turner: Grade 8

Q: Why do you love math?

A: I love math because there’s definitely a solution and there’s many ways to arrive at that solution. I also like that I’m good at it. Haha!

Q: What’s your favorite part of teaching?

A: That I get to learn from students everyday. I see ideas that I didn’t even consider or think about, and I also love that I get to shape the future. I see it everyday with my own eyes. I get to see student’s success everyday. I also feel like when they finish a problem they feel like, “Oh, I can do it now!”

Q: What made you want to teach 7th and 8th grade?

A: I like this age group. I like the content, and I also like that I can be myself, like this age group (12- to 14-year-olds). I can already speak to them as if they are young adults. I can make jokes and I don’t have to baby them.

Q: What do you like about Buckley?

A: I like that the students know how to work hard but they also know how to have fun. They put as much enthusiasm as they put into their work in class as they put into there sports or having fun. They’re also just generally nice.

Q: What’s your favorite area of math to teach?

A: Definitely algebra.

Q: Where did you teach before Buckley?

A: I taught at two charter schools and Philip’s Academy Andover. The other two were in Manhattan. I taught the eighth grade there. It’s the same content; it’s just they are split into two years.

Q: I heard you ride a unicycle. Tell me about that.

A: I do. I can’t find it right now, which is very upsetting. I was in a unicycling program when I was in middle school and high school. I did that for six years or so. We used to do competitions. We went to places like Canada, Minnesota. We used to do world competitions. It was very competitive. Unicycling is not like performing arts. It was a lot of fun. I used to do it everyday. I used to have to go to school an hour early to practice it everyday for two years. When I went to high school I had to do it twice a week.

Q: Have you won anything in unicycling?

A: Yes, I only won once. I won a slow race. When riding a unicycle, it is very hard to slow down, because when you stop, you fall over. It’s not like a bicycle. I won a third place medal in that race.

Q: Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

A: Yes, I’ve been doing African dance / Afro rhythms for almost 20 years, since 1995. I also ski.

Q: What was your second favorite subject in school?

A: Science. I don’t like subjects where I have to memorize stuff, so I didn’t like history, because there were too many details and dates.