Erin MacDuff
Double the Major, Double the Fun
Due to my ability to speak Spanish as well as my mathematics skills, I was offered a position that gave me the best of both worlds. I am now working as a Bilingual Mathematics teacher at Morristown High School.
"When I began my journey at Marywood University as a timid freshman (to now a confident professional), I was a Spanish/Secondary Education major. I knew that I wanted to teach, and I knew that Spanish was something for which I had a passion that I could share with my future students. I quickly realized that at Marywood you do not have to choose just one field to pursue, and added on another major within the first semester-Mathematics/Secondary Education-because I also felt that I could share my knowledge of mathematics with students. After becoming a part of the Foreign Language and Mathematics Departments at Marywood, which were more like families to me, I knew that I had made the right decision. I also had the opportunity to study abroad in Valencia, Spain for a summer, which was an experience I will never forget.
While searching for jobs, I assumed I would have to choose between Spanish and mathematics, which I had not had to do for the past four years. However, I was offered a job before I graduated thanks to my two majors. In early May 2014, due to my ability to speak Spanish as well as my mathematics skills, I was offered a position that gave me the best of both worlds, and I am now working as a Bilingual Mathematics teacher at Morristown High School! My students are English Language Learners (ELL) who immigrated to the area from various Spanish-speaking countries and need support in Spanish to help them understand the math in English. I am not only teaching mathematics, but I am teaching my Spanish-speaking students to navigate in an English-speaking world. I am very eager to continue using the skills that I learned at Marywood University to educate my students and to help them reach their full potential!"