by Finley Fallstrom, Bailey Matteson and Kaitley Petersen
You may know her as the crazy math teacher of room 405, or the dedicated head of concessions, but how much do you really know about the history of our lovely, passionate Mrs. Hoffman? However you know her, one thing is clear: Mrs. Hoffman is one of the most devoted, generous, helpful, and spirited math teachers you will ever meet on campus. From being willing to help with math homework anywhere and anytime (and yes, she will even help you in the frozen food aisle of Safeway), she arrives bright and early each morning to school, ready to serve her students in the world of math. Read along for exclusive insight into her decision to pursue the world of education, her background in teaching, and some special surprise anecdotes.
Mrs. Hoffman’s Educational Journey
Mrs. Hoffman narrowed down her career choices at a young age. Her most prominent choices were being a police officer, doctor, and teacher. Mrs. Hoffman lived in Underwood, Washington and she went to school in the next city, White Salmon, which is along the Columbia River. After a less than ideal experience in a vet clinic and an unpleasant experience with her math teacher in 8th grade, she realized she could make a difference by becoming a math teacher. Entering high school with a plan of becoming a teacher, she learned from different experiences and discovered strategies she would want to implement into her classroom as a future educator. She even wrote two essays on educational research in her English class.
After high school, Mrs. Hoffman pursued a Bachelor's degree at Brigham Young University as well as her master’s degree at Walden University. Most recently, she received her Educational Specialist Degree from North Central University during the pandemic. She strives to provide the best education for her students by continuing to learn herself. She first started teaching in eastern Oregon, being the single math teacher for 7th through 12th grade. Her journey next led her to teach in Washington and later Arizona, where we are blessed to have her now.
The Best and The Worst of Times
As an educator, Mrs. Hoffman’s favorite part of teaching is when she sees students “light-up” and say “I get it!” For her, this means when students understand and apply the concepts she’s introduced and where they can successfully complete or redo a problem without her help. This brings her great joy, as does teaching her favorite unit, trigonometry. In an interview with Mrs. Hoffman, she shared with us that trigonometry is her favorite part of math to teach because of its abstract makeup and real life applications, which make it fun to show to students. On the flip side, some of the more stressful aspects of her job include student apathy, life-stressors, and overall learning to navigate a healthy balance between work and life. Everyday is a new experience for her and she strives to find the best learning in every moment.
The Formation of Pythagorean Society and Introduction to Concessions
When Mrs. Hoffman arrived at EFHS, it had been on the department agenda to create a math club. Mrs.Hoffman had recently done something similar at her previous school, so she took it upon herself to start the most legendary club in EFHS history and it’s been going strong for 17 years. The club came up with the name Pythagorean Society as it resembles a historical society built on sharing mathematical knowledge. Mrs. Hoffman was not only known for starting this mathematical society, but for showing her school spirit as well. As her husband excitedly dragged her to every single home game at EFHS, they quickly became known as the familiar figures who were spirited at every single game. The athletic director took notice and offered to pay her for coming to the games by making her the concessions. This is where you can most often find her at EFHS athletic events.
The Story That Has Never Been Told
Mrs. Hoffman has a secret story for those who are still reading along. During her first few years at EFHS, she entered the staff bathroom just as someone was leaving. Unnoticed by her coworker, her coworker locked the bathroom after they exited! This left Mrs. Hoffman in a locked bathroom. Mrs. Hoffman thought she was stuck in the bathroom for a few minutes. Thankfully, she soon realized there was a thumbturn on her side of the bathroom the whole time. She was so embarrassed and vowed to never tell anyone. The story recently came out when interviewing her and we thought it was so funny, we just had to share it with the world.
Love From the Staff and Students
The following are quotes from the students and staff, recognizing what Mrs. Hoffman means to EFHS!
“My favorite thing about Mrs. Hoffman is her openness with the class, and random stories. A fun experience was when we yap about random things like how much grade actually affects driving.” - EFHS anonymous student
“My favorite thing about Mrs. Hoffman is how dedicated she is to her students.” - Mr. Matteson
“One of my favorite things about Mrs. Hoffman is her humor. She always makes really funny math jokes. She also tolerates me and my friend group as we can be a bit crazy together. I joined math club to have more time with my friend Sarah, and I made even more friends, and I just like being able to hang out with my friends after school [in the Pythagorean Society].”- Devlyn Pradel
“Mrs. Hoffman is one of my favorite teachers. I have learned so much from taking her class. She is so funny and I really enjoy hearing her wacky stories.” - Finley Fallstrom
“I can’t think of another person at EFHS who is on campus longer in a week than Mrs. Hoffman. She does so much for our school and our kids.” - Mr. Pritchard
“I Love how Mrs. Hoffman is always sweet when I see her, she loves her students and I’m so glad that she’s been one of the most wonderful teachers I’ve gotten to know.”- Bailey Matteson
Thank you for reading along! Be sure to show your appreciation for Mrs. Hoffman and thank her for being the light that she is on campus.