Ms. Brown has been and will be my favorite math teacher. She calls herself strict, but I don’t think so. I think she wants everyone to learn something new. She’s taught me so much this year, and I’ve learned a lot of math that I’ll need in the future from her over the past year as well. She made me love math more, as I didn’t really enjoy it due to my past teachers’ teaching methods.
This is the first time I’ve been able to learn something without being confused. She highlights the notes, which, for me, makes it easier to learn. She’s very funny; I’m truly grateful to have her with us again this year! She taught me so much that I didn’t know I could do it. I wasn’t always good at math, but now that Miss Brown teaches me, I can say she truly helps me with my work. She taught me things I thought I would never be able to do. She has been supportive of me throughout the years, being here at New Way.
From what I know about her, she has a boyfriend, loves anime, and enjoys making Mexican food with her boyfriend’s mom. She enjoys teaching kids math, and she loves seeing growth when a kid learns something new. She loves art with a passion. She also likes watching tv shows, movies, and anime. Her top TV shows are House, Hazbin Hotel, Regular Show, and Arcane-like shows that either prompt her to think deeply (House), feature strong visual storytelling (Arcane), or are just chaotic and entertaining (Regular Show). She also enjoys darker animation styles like Hazbin Hotel and historical drama like Queen Charlotte. Now her favorite movies include The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Kpop Demon Hunters, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and Rio. She loves visually creative films. The darker Tim Burton style in Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride fits her aesthetic, while Spider-Verse has incredible animation and storytelling. And Rio? That one is just fun and colorful.
Her top anime include Kill la Kill, RWBY, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Demon Slayer, and Chainsaw Man. Ms. Brown says, “I enjoy action-heavy anime with strong characters and intense visuals.” She especially appreciates stories where characters grow stronger through hardship.
There are also a lot of things that Ms. Brown can do; she’s not only just a teacher, but she also does stuff outside of school. Many people only know Ms. Brown as the math teacher, but not everyone knows how strong her art skills are. If you give her a photo of something, she can draw it. If you give her a portrait of someone, she can recreate it. Drawing has always been a natural skill for Ms. Brown. Before fully committing to mathematics, art was a huge part of her identity. It still is. She explains, “Even though math is my career, creativity never left me. In many ways, math and art connect — both require precision, patterns, balance, and attention to detail.”People often see her just as a “math person,” but there’s definitely an artist behind all those equations.
She’s always been creative with her art skills, and with her math skills, she has always been the most incredible math teacher. I always got the support from her that I always needed. She’s never there to judge me for my homework; instead, she helps me get my work done and tries her very best to teach the other students in her other classes. After high school, she actually wanted to become a tattoo artist. She was very into art and even won first place at an art show. Her friends loved her designs and encouraged her to pursue the idea of being a tattoo artist. This type of creativity really inspired her. However, her family wanted her to pursue something they considered more stable and traditional. Since she also loved math, she decided to major in mathematics and minor in fine arts. That way, she could honor both passions.
There was one moment in middle school that shaped her and built her confidence. She was in an advanced math class and consistently earned 100% on her tests. One day, she received a 95%, and a boy in her class told her, “It’s okay, Kimberlee, you can always be a model if math gets too hard.’’ That comment stayed with her. She didn’t want her beauty to define her. She wanted her math intelligence to define who she really was. She didn’t want to be seen as just a “pretty face,” she wanted to be respected for her mind.
From that point on, she pushed herself even harder in math. As the classes became more advanced, there were fewer girls, and sometimes she was the only one. But instead of discouraging her, it motivated her to prove that she belonged there.
When she was in high school, she wanted a teacher who connected math to real life, someone who made it feel practical, welcoming, and engaging instead of just reading from a textbook. She tries to be that teacher for her students. She wants them to feel confident, comfortable, and excited to be in her class.
Ms. Brown says when a student is learning math, she notices the struggles first. When a student is struggling, their body language changes; they might avoid eye contact, get quiet, or hesitate to start. She pays attention to those signs because that’s where growth begins. She steps in and asks questions like, “What would you do first?” or “What’s the next step?” Instead of just giving them the answers, she guides them through the thinking process. As they begin to understand, she can see their confidence build. Their posture changes, they start speaking up more, and they engage differently. She explained, “The biggest sign that a student truly understands the material is when they begin helping others. When a student can explain a concept to a classmate, that’s when she knows they really get it. That’s real growth.”
Ms. Brown knows teaching math can be challenging because it’s a subject that many students already think they dislike. What makes it fun for her is changing that mindset. When students start to recognize patterns, make predictions, and realize math actually makes sense, that moment is powerful.
She also believes learning should have balance. When students work hard, she likes to reward them with fun activities like loteria ( Mexican bingo ) or math-based games that still challenge their thinking. Games create healthy competition and make learning memorable.
Her classroom environment matters too. She plays music softly in the background because she doesn’t like complete silence, as it makes the room feel tense. She also doesn’t want her classroom to feel like a prison or a “match dungeon.” She decorates with color, characters she enjoys, and visuals that make the space feel alive. A colorful, welcoming classroom helps students feel more relaxed and open to learning.
In conclusion, Ms. Brown believes teaching is fun when students feel safe, supported, confident, and ready to try.
“More than just a math teacher.”
