By: Alison Bogle, Eanes Education Foundation
There is nothing boring about math if you are one of Gabe Geering’s West Ridge Middle School students. “I love to entertain, improvise, and adapt. There is never one of my lessons that gets recycled because I believe that content can always improve year to year based off of social norms and new technology. My corny jokes, on the other hand, may get recycled from time to time. However, there’s always space to add to or replace them!” laughed Gabe.
In his eighth year of teaching math at West Ridge, Gabe credits his own middle and high school teachers with inspiring him to follow in their footsteps. “I always enjoyed math in school. I majored in math in college so I wanted my career to be math-related, but I also like to entertain people and make an impact in the community. That led me to add the education component to my major,” said Gabe. “I’m grateful to create over 100 relationships every year with new faces. It’s so interesting to learn about everyone and what it is that can get them interested in math.”
Gabe and his wife, Stephanie, moved to Austin in 2016, and Gabe specifically sought out schools that were both technology-forward and highly focused on engaging students. “That’s exactly what I like about working in Eanes. I love implementing technology into the classroom for the sake of efficiency and overall engagement and I also enjoy the flexibility allowed to teach how I want to teach,” shared Gabe. The high school sweethearts were joined by son, Rook, in 2020, and identical twin girls, Olive and Daisy, in 2022.
Like many incredible Eanes teachers, Gabe takes teaching very seriously. “I find it interesting that there is often just one opportunity for me to teach a certain piece of content,” said Gabe. “The content will repeat itself throughout the year and in following years, of course, but I only teach an introductory concept to my students one time each year. The margin of error feels like it must be slim to none, so there’s a lot of pressure to get it right the first time around.”
Even if a student does not particularly enjoy math or may not enter a math-related field after graduation, Gabe finds value in the process of learning math. “Not every single piece of math information that is learned is directly applicable to what a student will pursue as his or her career, but learning, in general, is applicable. Deductive reasoning, which is taught every day, is applicable. The perseverance and hard-work ethic required to succeed is applicable. I think it’s beneficial to be open to possibility and to approach each day as another opportunity to grow,” shared Gabe.
In his spare time, which as a busy teacher with three young children is not much, Gabe loves to write and record music about a variety of topics. “I’ve recorded videos for some of the music, though that takes far more time than the writing and recording,” said Gabe. “I create math raps for class and often record a music video each year with the students. However, I’d like to create a whole catalog/curriculum someday. That requires time and technology that I don’t exactly have. Mixing the music is a challenge at times, but, as stated earlier, editing video takes far longer. I wish that I could outsource some of that work to others, but not pay a heavy price.”
When asked how the Eanes community could support Gabe both professionally and personally, he reiterated how helpful it would be to be able to outsource some of his video editing as it all takes place during his personal time. In addition, he has some digital wish list items that would help him to continue to engage his students. It should also come as no surprise that the father of three would love a little more time to complete a sentence with his wife without being interrupted by their beloved but busy kids.
“Childcare and travel is by far our largest expense. It’s great having the Child Development Center and care on professional development days when the kids require care, however, it can still get quite costly. Gas to travel to and from work during my 40-minute commute adds up quickly, as well. If I’m really digging deep here, my wife and I don’t have the time or funds to do much with just us these days. We’d love a date night here and there that’s kid-free and low-cost or even a trip somewhere if we’re really thinking as big as can be!” shared Gabe.
Gabe makes math come alive in his classroom through his love of laughter and music and his passion for teaching and learning. His commitment to knowing the kids as individuals and working to build meaningful connections is felt by each of his students. In Gabe’s class – and in his life – the equation is simple: passion + perseverance = endless possibilities.