A Co Cavan woman is in the running to be crowned ‘Maths Teacher of the Year’ at a national awards ceremony organised by the Irish Mathematical Trust.
Mieghan Duffy is originally from Shercock, but has worked as a maths teacher at Athlone Community College since graduating from NUI Galway in 2014.
Speaking to Northern Sound, the Cavan native said a recognition of this kind is “absolutely huge” and that she has been “humbled” by the comments she has received from peers and students following her nomination.
As the first ever female chairperson of the Irish Applied Maths Teaching Association, Mieghan wants to use her influence as a teacher to break away from pre-existing stereotypes and to show girls that they can be just as successful in the mathematics arena as their male peers.
According to the Athlone-based teacher, it is important for her to act as a role model and to show students that maths is “inclusive to all” and that it is possible to achieve anything in life when you work hard and believe in yourself.
"I always really enjoyed maths when I was younger, but I found that when I studied higher level maths for my leaving cert everything got quite intense and procedural. From that experience, when I decided to become a maths teacher I just knew that I wanted to make the subject as interesting as possible for students, especially for girls.
"I think there can be a perception especially amongst girls that they're just not as good at maths, and I'm just really passionate about giving everyone the most confidence that they can have in a subject. I teach in a mixed school with boys and girls, and to see the increasing number of female students studying the likes of applied maths and achieving results that they never dreamt was possible is really what it's all about for me, especially when they leave school with a positive experience."
