Failure is not an option in Linda Jarzyniecki’s math classes. If Jarzyniecki needs to give a pep talk or threaten to call parents to get the job done, then so be it.
“Students come into my class hesitantly,” says Jarzyniecki (Jar-za-NEEKY), or “Mrs. J.,” who teaches advanced algebra, trigonometry and calculus at Greenville High. “I want to challenge my students, but I want them to experience some success so they don’t become discouraged and they remain in mathematics.”
Mrs. J. faces challenging demographics. Greenville High is a school with about 750 students in a rural central Alabama town of about 8,000. The median income for a family of four is about $25,000 a year, according to Census figures, and 69% of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
“Despite the high poverty rate our children live with, many students are diligent, industrious young people who have a goal to complete a two- or four-year college or technical school,” she says. But they often feel pressure to work to help support the family.