The College of Science is pleased to welcome Caitlin Kirk to Teach North Texas as one of their newest Lecturers. With ten years of experience as a high school math teacher, math instructional coach, and district math coordinator, Ms. Kirk is looking forward to bringing her wealth of experience and knowledge to UNT.

"I have spent my entire career working with students who have a patterned history of struggle in math," she said. "In the K-12 setting I followed students on their math journey from 6th to 12th grade and took very seriously the task of removing barriers to their success in math. I could not pass up the opportunity to work with students at UNT and I am excited to help open pathways for their success."

A proud alum, Ms. Kirk attended UNT for both her bachelor's and master's degrees, specifically a B.A. in Mathematics and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration on Social Justice. Her teaching practice intentionally considers race, class, and gender, and their intersections in public education.

"Many barriers that students face originate outside the classroom, but they are perpetuated inside the classroom, and by the larger system of public education," she explained. "I am specifically interested in the role that public education plays in maintaining the status quo responsible for race, class, and gender stratification in society, and understanding the responsibility educators hold to interrupt the norm to create better outcomes for their students."

Ms. Kirk will be teaching Math 340 and 350 (beginning Algebra) this semester. These courses are designed to help prepare students who may be struggling with math so they are able to succeed through the rest of their college career.

"The students that I will be working with are currently experiencing math as a barrier to their next life stage," said Ms. Kirk. "I am most excited to teach them that math is accessible to them, that they are capable, and that they can thrive as mathematicians. I want them to gain confidence as students in a way that helps them flourish as humans."

Before she and her husband had children, they spent their summers in Kathmandu, Nepal, where Ms. Kirk taught beginning English classes to Nepali adults, many of whom worked as sherpas in the Himalayan mountains. Ms. Kirk has lived in Denton since moving here for her undergraduate studies in 2010.

"My family and I love this city, this community, and this university, and I am so excited to be further rooted here by joining the faculty at UNT," she said.

Teach North Texas (TNT) prepares and supports secondary teachers of mathematics and science, addressing the national and regional need for excellence and innovation in science and technology. Learn more at https://teachnorthtexas.unt.edu/