Tisha Neupane and Maeve McAlear also contributed to this article.
As the school year begins, Malden High School welcomes Meredith Goldin into the math department as a Math 1 and 2 teacher. Previously, Goldin worked at Community Charter School of Cambridge for four years.
Outside of school, Goldin enjoys hiking and rock climbing. “I run, and I love traveling. I like finding new places to eat. Just anything outside of my apartment,” she shared.
Goldin’s passion for teaching is evident through the way she connects with her students, making them feel supported because Goldin prepares everyone for the class beforehand. Goldin hopes her students will develop a strong work ethic by the time they leave her class. “If you know how to do things that are hard, and how to persevere, and do problem solving, you can figure out anything in life, even if it isn’t related to math,” stated Goldin.
During the hiring process, Brunelli House Principal Ewald Charles recognized Goldin’s ability to work well in diverse spaces like Malden High School. He emphasized that Goldin knows it is important to give students a chance to speak and went out of her way to make sure students knew they had a voice in class and outside her room.
Goldin’s mastery of the subject and overall attitude were important factors that stood out to Charles during the time of evaluating Goldin for the position. “I think her knowledge and desire to collaborate are great. I think she’s just going to connect with a lot of the teachers that are already here, and she’ll learn from them,” Charles noted.
Some students may feel more comfortable communicating with younger teachers who might relate to their struggles. It’s key that Goldin adapts to what each person needs.
Although Goldin has not been at the high school long, she has already created clever strategies and engaging techniques to get her students to participate in class. For example, freshman Rachel Huang stated that at the beginning of class, students vote on “who has asked the most questions, and that person gets a free goat plushie and a homework pass.”
Math teacher and collaborator with Goldin, Jean Jones, expressed that Goldin not only cares about students’ math knowledge but their overall interests. “Every day, she has a question that the students answer that’s not even related to math, to figure out their opinions and ideas about things.” This gives students a chance to reset from other classes and encourages a slow transition into the material at the beginning of class.
Staff at Malden High School observed that Goldin is excelling at quickly adapting to her new position. History teacher Paul Doucette recognized that Goldin “seemed comfortable and already seems like a very good teacher.”
Doucette added that, “Teaching math is super difficult. It’s not always the favorite subject for many students in high school, and I think having a teacher who has patience and is organized makes the moment not as hard.”
Even though Goldin has proven her ability to quickly adapt to a new environment, she highlighted some differences between the charter school she used to work at and Malden High School. The biggest difference that she noted was the much larger class sizes at the high school compared to the Charter school.
Another difference that Goldin has faced has been related to her curriculum. Unlike her previous position as the only ninth-grade math teacher, Goldin now “has the opportunity to collaborate with many math teachers who teach the same course,” which has resulted in her using a universal curriculum that aligns with these other teachers.
For students and staff at Malden High, walking into Goldin’s classroom means walking into a judgement-free zone. Huang feels Goldin is “always willing to help no matter what.” This makes her class a safe place for many students to express their struggles in math and seek out help, knowing that they will walk out feeling more certain about the work they can use during their future high school careers.
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