Hubbard (‘15): Becoming an educator a product of his ASMSA experience

For Reed Hubbard (’15), ASMSA was an opportunity to connect with a group of like-minded peers that offered a sense of belonging.

“A sense of community drew me to ASMSA,” Hubbard said. “As a young person, I felt like an outsider for my academic interests and the social realities of a typical high school. At ASMSA, I found peers who accepted me socially but also a place where academic success was the norm, not the exception.”

Now Hubbard is once again a member of a special community of learning similar to ASMSA. Hubbard is a mathematics instructor at the North Carolina School for Science and Mathematics’ western campus in Morganton, N.C., where he recently completed his first year. It was also first year of existence for NCSSM’s Morganton campus.

It is an exciting career opportunity — helping establish the curriculum and the culture of a new campus. He is combining his ASMSA experience with his education — a Bachelor of Science in math from the University of Arkansas and a Master of Science in math from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — to try to help his students have a great experience.

“The chance to develop a new culture is so exciting! I have loved having the opportunity to use my experience from ASMSA along with my mathematical training to build new experiences for students. My boss (Dr. Beth Bumgardner, chair of mathematics at NCSSMMorganton) has given me and my team a great amount of flexibility in developing our curriculum. In turn, we have been experimenting with new avenues like project-based learning,” Hubbard said.

Hubbard has always wanted to be in an environment where teaching was prioritized. Faculty members in a traditional university environment are expected to focus on their research. Traditional high schools have limitations on the courses they can offer.

“That’s why schools like NCSSM and ASMSA provide such an enticing opportunity: a rigorous academic environment where the faculty’s main responsibility is teaching,” he said.

Hubbard has been interested in math for quite a while, even before attending ASMSA. That interest bloomed while at the school and its mathematics faculty encouraged him to develop it. He learned math is a way of making certain communication techniques simpler.

“Mathematics is not only beautiful but presents a compact language by which scientists can communicate their work. Math is also a convenient way to teach people the subtle reasoning necessary to succeed in the modern economic landscape. The appeal of teaching these skills to the next generation of problem-solvers was too much to pass up,” Hubbard said.

He is applying what he learned from ASMSA faculty members as a student to develop his own teaching style. Hubbard mentioned several instructors across the faculty — from mathematics to physics to Spanish to literature — whom he calls professional role models. They taught him how to incorporate math and active learning into projects, how to facilitate a warm classroom where students were comfortable learning, the importance of faculty office hours in student learning, and how to manage student relationships in a one-onone setting.

“I’m so appreciative of my time at ASMSA because it equipped me with an excellent education and excellent professional role models,” he said.

It also helped him develop another skill for his professional career at NCSSM — an understanding of what his students may be experiencing while attending school in Morganton. Both NCSSM and ASMSA are residential campuses, drawing students from large regions of their respective states. For many of those students, it will be the first time living away from home for an extended period.

“My experience at ASMSA has helped me to relate to my students. I can recall experiences such as living in a dorm, challenging coursework, and peers who are highly motivated. This has allowed me to empathize with my students and develop the relationships necessary to be effective in my teaching goals. This has laid a bedrock of trust which has positively impacted my relationships with students,” he said.