Heide Trask math teacher named WWAY Teacher of the Month

ROCKY POINT, N.C. — For some students, math can feel like a foreign language. Numbers, formulas and equations do not always seem to connect to real life.

But for this month’s WWAY Teacher of the Month, Heide Trask High School math teacher Emma Clark, making that connection is exactly the point.

WWAY’s Jessica Keasling surprised Clark at the school with the Teacher of the Month honor.

Inside Clark’s classroom, math is about more than finding the right answer. It is about figuring out how to get there.

“I always remind my students that all the difficult things in life they can overcome with their critical thinking,” Clark said. “And every big problem can be solved with small solutions and small steps.”

Clark has always loved the puzzle of math, but her path to becoming a teacher was also influenced by someone who once stood on the other side of the desk.

Clark said her AP calculus teacher in high school made a lasting impact on her and later became her mentor during her first year of teaching.

“She was one of the best teachers I’ve ever had,” Clark said.

Now, Clark is trying to give her students that same experience.

Her students say what makes her special goes beyond the classroom. They say Clark takes the time to make sure they understand the material and is there when they need help.

“If we need the help, she comes. She explains it,” one student said. “If we don’t understand, she stays right there.”

That dedication caught the attention of Matt Gould, who nominated Clark for WWAY Teacher of the Month.

“When the lesson is over, they have a good grasp of what’s going on, or they can come back and ask if they need to,” Gould said. “She’s very approachable. She just does a great job.”

For a math teacher who sees the subject as one big puzzle, perhaps the most important piece has nothing to do with numbers.

It is connection. Long after her students forget a formula or equation, they may remember the teacher who took the time to make sure they never felt like just another number.

Nominate a Teacher of the Month

To nominate someone for WWAY’s Teacher of the Month, visit WWAYTV3.com. Scroll to the bottom of the homepage, look for “Contests” and click “Teacher of the Month” to recommend a teacher in the Cape Fear.