MR. BARGER'S CLASSROOM
THE JOY OF LEARNING
My name is Jonathan Barger, and I am a professional STEM educator. Presently, I serve happily as a public school teacher in the greater Austin area.
ABOUT ME
This is my 4th year as a Texas public school teacher. I am highly qualified in the state of Texas, holding my teaching certification in secondary mathematics. I completed a bachelor of science in management science, also known as industrial engineering. I attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where I graduated in 2011 with concentrations in mathematics and human rights. My teaching philosophy is rooted in the idea that students (adults and children) are most capable when presented with opportunities for expression and individual choice, within an environment built on respect, positivity, structure, and enthusiasm. My personal interests include photography, film (writing, producing, and watching), film history, travel, cooking, and reading. Thank you for stopping by!
-JB
THE CLASSROOM
PROBLEM SOLVING
Create your solution
It is truly a joy to teach young learners that they can brainstorm, test, redesign, and implement their own answers to problems great and small. Just as professional engineers must collaborate and problem-solve to create final products, my students are given challenges and must work together to create their own solutions!
ROBOTICS AND PROGRAMMING
Start Small, Learn Quickly!
One of my favorite parts of the course I teach is robotics. We begin with discussion of the philosophy of robotics - what is a robot? Why do we need them? What are the incentives and drawbacks of using them? We then move on to basic coding, testing this code in a digital environment, then finally, students build physical robots that follow programs they have created.
MATHEMATICS
Where It All Began
Upon graduating university, moving to Austin, and completing my alternative certification (all in less than 3 months!), I began my teaching career as a high school mathematics teacher. I instructed Algebra II and Geometry for two years, before moving into the software world. After a stint in the private sector, I returned to public education as a technology teacher. I am always happy to tutor or help with math whenever possible (both adult students and young students)!