The upper three hundred building was always dedicated to Sahuaro’s math teachers, spending their days teaching hundreds of students anything from Geometry to AP Calculus. So, what have these teachers been doing during their time in quarantine when they’re not assigning work on the quadratic formula or finding the value of X?

Mr. Wells, who teaches Algebra II and College Algebra has been focusing on his mental health during this time in numerous ways, such as resting, cooking, and playing guitar. He also said that he’s been spending time with his family, which includes his four cats. When it comes to teaching online, Wells is looking into resources on YouTube to keep variety in his lessons but is still open to suggestions on things to incorporate into his teaching. Most importantly to keep students motivated and happy he is going to give his students “many positive comments.”

Meanwhile, in Ms. Donnelly’s Zoom meetings you’ll find her using her whiteboard and document camera to try and keep her students engaged. “I’m not sure how much fun that will be for them,” she jokes. Grilling and walking for three to five miles every day has helped Donnelly keep her in a healthy mental state throughout quarantine. 

Our beloved Statistics and Geometry teacher, Mr. Jardini, has taken this time to strengthen his mental health as well. “It’s very easy to get depressed from underachievement when you can’t even leave your house,” Jardini says in regards to the COVID lockdown. In order to break this toxic mindset, he states, “We did all go into quarantine with the goal of not getting sick. So I tell myself every day that no matter what happens, if I’m alive and healthy, then that day was a success.” He’s also been watching YouTube, playing video games, and working on his sleep and hygiene.

Mr. Bohland, one of our esteemed Algebra teachers, has taken on a few fun projects over quarantine, like painting the entire interior of his house. As for his classes, technology has been rough for everyone, so it is a lot of trial and error. “I will have to get comfortable with this setup before I can even think about more fun. Lol.” He is still navigating through the obstacles for his instruction, but surely, it will turn out to be successful.

Just like the rest of us, the math department has found new ways to keep entertained and stay positive, especially during the debilitating time that is right now. And amidst all the technology struggles, we will still end up taking our weekly math quizzes. Yuck!