The Math department is always doing arithmetic; in particular this year has been doing some addition in the form of its newest staff members, Ms. April Sexton. Ms. Sexton is currently teaching grades 9 through 12 in the subjects of Algebra l, Geometry and Algebra ll.
Ms. Sexton grew up in Bay Shore on Long Island, attended Bay Shore High School and went on to major in Math Education at St. Joseph’s University. She enjoys being part of small communities such as Hampton Bays because it reminds her of her own hometown as it was also a smaller community. She enjoys being involved in events and participating in school activities, such as attending the school’s football games and pep rallies. She likes how it gives more opportunity to get involved and to get to know others.
Ms. Sexton had always worked hard in school and loved studying and learning. She realized she wanted to be a teacher when she was a sophomore in high school. Mrs. Sexton was always the person her friends could go to for help with their schoolwork to the point where she felt as if she was teaching the lessons and she really enjoyed playing this teacher role. Math was her favorite subject as she saw it as a calm space and it helped her relax. It was a relief from all her other work. When she was stressed out in school she always did her math homework first. When asked why she liked it so much, Ms. Sexton said,“I liked how concrete it was.”
Now that she is a teacher, Ms. Sexton strives to create a positive and informative classroom environment for her students. She wants to create a safe learning environment in which her students can “be free to express themselves.” She consistently interacts with her students and likes to frequently have conversations with them. When asked about the type of teacher Ms. Sexton is, senior Daphene Sequeira says, “She is a very kind and considerate teacher when it comes to situations where a student doesn’t understand something while also teaching the class important lessons in a way which we can learn.” She encourages mistakes and wants her students to learn from them. She reminds her students to be respectful to themselves, peers and their supplies.
When not in the classroom Ms. Sexton enjoys going to coffee shops and catching up with friends to play volleyball which she played throughout high school and college. She has set goals for herself to build her new routine adjusting to her new lifestyle making sure to make time for friends, family and herself.
