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World Teacher's Day | Leander ISD math teacher engages students in fun ways

Eighth-grade math teacher Kyla Kalugdan's first year of teaching brought many obstacles, but she said she plans to stay in education for a while.

LEANDER, Texas — In honor of World Teacher's Day, KVUE takes you into one of Leander ISD's classrooms. Kyla Kalugdan is an eighth-grade Algebra I teacher and said, in her classroom, she makes math fun. 

"We're going to use this whether you go into a STEM field or not. This is something that you're going to use. Growing up, being an adult, you have to pay bills and you need to know the math for it," said Kalugdan. "How can we actually have conversations, have fun with it? And then, a lot of these small things are just good ways to kind of help memorize and do all the small math, actual formulas and things."

This is Kalugdan's first year teaching and she said math isn't just about solving equations.

"Just getting to hear their stories is always the best part and seeing how can we point them towards the right direction. I think that's why I'm so happy to have them all back in person, because it's really hard to make those small connections, build those relationships with the students and also with each other," said Kalugdan. 

"She has a great personality. She makes a lot of jokes," said King Nicholson, an eighth-grade student at Danielson Middle School.

"She lets us break off and she does little activities," said Julia White, another LISD eighth-grader learning under Kalugdan.

Kalugdan just graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and she studied math and linguistics. She said she heard great things about Leander ISD and that's why she applied to work with the school district. 

"It's been really great having a lot of support and just seeing how much focus is emphasized for the students, how much everything is student-centered is really what drew me in," said Kalugdan. "It's been a really good experience. I know it's definitely challenging, and this goes for everybody, whether you're a first-year teacher or not, but just knowing that we are here for the kids and the kids really do need a sense of normalcy."

Kalugdan said the best part of her job is the students and the most challenging part of her job is helping out all her students depending on their needs. 

"Every student is different. They all have their own stories. They have their own path that they want to follow and just finding ways to make teaching interesting. How do I make the math interesting to them sas always been a challenge, just because I always want them to feel like that they're not just here because they have to be here but I want them to actually get something out of it that way. They're excited and are eager to come back every day," said Kalugdan.

Do you know a teacher you would like to recognize for World Teacher's Day? Share a photo or video on social media with #WorldTeachersDay and #TeachersCan. Teachers are also encouraged to upload and share a video to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram about why you teach, what you wish others knew about teaching and how teachers can make a big difference for students using the hashtag #TeachersCan.

You can also show your support for teachers by tying a light blue ribbon around a tree or front porch or something in front of your house.

This is sponsored content by TeachersCan.org.

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