The Tam News
Zeeman Stuns Students With Departure
By Madeline Reilly and Skye Schoenhoeft
March 13, 2018
Math teacher David Zeeman did not show up to teach on the morning of February 2, and will not be returning to Tam for the remainder of the year, after administration told him he would not be offered a tenure contract for the fall semester of 2018. An email was sent by Zeeman to the parents of his studen...
It Doesn’t Add Up: Why Does 39% of Our Student Population Pay for Math Tutoring?
By Hannah Chorley, Willzie Connelly, and James Finn
April 27, 2016
Senior Kayla Blair describes herself as a driven student. When Blair needs academic help, she is proactive and seeks assistance from her teacher. Yet, halfway through her junior year, Blair started to fall behind in Advanced Algebra and, after attending multiple tutorial sessions with her teacher, she still...
Honors Advanced Algebra’s Future is Uncertain
By Sarah Asch
June 5, 2015
The math department re-tested all eligible Geometry students to explore forming an Honors Advanced Algebra class next year. This test comes on the heels of the original entrance exam, which eligble students took after school on April 8. After the results of the first entrance exam came back several weeks...
Eliminated Math Classes Lead to Controversy
By Marina Furbush and Marina Furbush
April 10, 2015
This school year, Tam’s math department didn’t offer Algebra P1-P2, Geometry 1A-2A, or Intermediate Algebra, despite resistance from math teachers. A high number of students who were supposed to be in the canceled courses received failing grades first semester, resulting in teacher and parent pushback...
A Failed Experiment: Intermediate Algebra Examined
By Daniel Zwiebach
September 30, 2014
As I sat in Intermediate Algebra last year, all I could think about was why I was learning the order of operations again. During class, as my teacher rambled on as if we hadn’t learned the material before, I kept thinking about what I could I have done to prevent this? The real answer to this question,...
Eric Best Appreciates the Diversity at Tam
By Jordan Blackburn
September 11, 2014
Eric Best was hired as a teacher for the Tam math department for the 2014-15 school year. “I teach algebra and advanced algebra and I have an academic workshop [class],” Best said. Best taught math at Drake High School the year before and taught math at South City High School in the San Francisco are...
Melissa Newcomb Encourages Student Success
By Jordan Blackburn
September 11, 2014
Math teacher Melissa Newcomb was hired as an Algebra and Geometry teacher for the Tam math department for the 2014-15 school year. Newcomb previously taught at Jesse Bethel School in Vallejo for eight years. “I taught at Bethel for eight years, it was time for me to try something different,” Newco...
Marcus Jamison: Math Teacher and World Traveler
By Sarah Asch
September 11, 2014
Math teacher Marcus Jamison realized he wanted to be a teacher during his junior year of college. “I wanted to become a teacher, one because I like building confidence in others,” Jamison said. “And, also, I just enjoy seeing kids learn, and seeing the ‘Aha’ moments.” This is Jamison’s s...
Protests Continue for Second Day
By Sarah Asch
March 14, 2014
Students and parents continued to gather in the front of Tam before school for a second day on March 14 to protest the non-reelection of three math teachers. The decision to designate Ryan Federoff, Juan Vidal and Anders Fairbanks as non-reelects for next fall was announced on February 28 and upheld by...
