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  • December 4Jefferson Jubilee on Dec 8
  • December 4Vocal Candlelight Processional Field Trip Dec 6 – 7
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Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts | 501 S. Sapodilla Ave, WPB, FL 33401

THE MUSE

Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts | 501 S. Sapodilla Ave, WPB, FL 33401

THE MUSE

Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts | 501 S. Sapodilla Ave, WPB, FL 33401

THE MUSE

Dodging his opponent, vocal senior Zidane Guerrier sprints towards the end of the court to score against the Riviera Beach Preparatory Gladiators. Guerrier was later named player of the game, as he made two free throws, spent 40 minutes in the game, and had a final point total of 13. The Jaguars beat 	the Gladiators 52-40 at the Nov. 30 game.
Photo of the Week (12/4)
December 3, 2023
A small choral group performs “Vuelie,” from Disney’s “Frozen”, at the 2023 Prism concert.
A Snapshot of the Concert
November 30, 2023
Strings sophomore Petra Dababneh practices with her bandmates in a backstage storage room before going onstage at the Prism dress rehearsal on Nov. 28. Before each song, performers gathered there to collect themselves and rehearse their music.
Behind The Curtains
November 30, 2023
The Save Our Musicians Foundation partnered with the School of the Arts Foundation to host a fundraising concert for Bak Middle School of the Arts and Dreyfoos Nov. 18 at Tiki 52. Students, teachers, and their families had the opportunity to attend the concert. “I would consider myself one of the biggest country (music) fans at Dreyfoos. I’m actually not even going to meet the man (Luke Bryan) and I am freaking out,” digital media senior Cynthia Mondragon said before the concert.
“Play it Again”
November 19, 2023

New Vests and New Faces

New math teacher Timothy Freeman fosters an engaging classroom environment
New+math+teacher+Timothy+Freeman+helps+band+sophomore+Gianna+%E2%80%9CGigi%E2%80%9D+Mendelson+with+homework+problems+at+the+end+of+his+fifth+period+precalculus+class.+Her+classmate%2C+band+sophomore+Ryan+Brown%2C+believes+Mr.+Freeman%E2%80%99s+spontaneous+style+of+teaching+better+%E2%80%9Caccommodates+the+needs+of+the+class%E2%80%9D+by+going+at+the+pace+of+the+class.+%E2%80%9CIf+you+have+a+more+rigid+system%2C+you+can%E2%80%99t+be+that+flexible%2C%E2%80%9D+Brown+said.+%E2%80%9CYou+can%E2%80%99t+be+that+adaptable.%E2%80%9D%0A
Caitlin Villacrusis
New math teacher Timothy Freeman helps band sophomore Gianna “Gigi” Mendelson with homework problems at the end of his fifth period precalculus class. Her classmate, band sophomore Ryan Brown, believes Mr. Freeman’s spontaneous style of teaching better “accommodates the needs of the class” by going at the pace of the class. “If you have a more rigid system, you can’t be that flexible,” Brown said. “You can’t be that adaptable.”

“Math teachers have to be both sadists and masochists.”

This wasn’t your typical perspective for a precalculus class: Math teacher Timothy Freeman, equipped in one of his hallmark vests and ties — a style he describes as “pseudo-business casual” — walked to the SMART Board and began teaching a class he had grown to know over the course of the past three months. 

Since November 2021, Mr. Freeman has taken on precalculus and AP Calculus BC classes, learning the campus culture as he goes.

“The atmosphere, the hype, which was lived up to, was really what helped with the transition,” Mr. Freeman said. “The focus on actually doing your academics as students is really what has helped make it such a smooth and easy transition.”

Mr. Freeman began his career in mathematics serving as a graduate assistant in Florida Atlantic University’s Master’s Program. After serving as a substitute teacher for both precalculus and AP Calculus BC classes in November, he took a permanent high school position. 

“I haven’t faced as big of a struggle as most people would anticipate in high school because it is Dreyfoos,” Mr. Freeman said. “Most of the students here, both from what I’ve been told and from what I’ve seen, tend to pay attention.”

Mr. Freeman seeks to bring stability to student learning and offer the same level of energy he exhibited from his earliest days of teaching in his new position.

“I remembered all the teaching, all the experience, and all the fun times I had recalled at the college level,” Mr. Freeman said. “I brought that with me walking in, even though I was walking in the middle of November, having no idea what any of the classes were doing or if I was even going to be staying with them for more than a week or two.”

When not on campus, Mr. Freeman codes, games, and writes to help him with his “logical” teaching style. His varied interests contribute to what his students say is his “chill” personality. 

“He’s really relatable because you see him humming while he’s writing the math questions down,” vocal junior Gabriela Hernandez said. “He’s not this strict person you can’t mess with.”

Mr. Freeman follows a less rigid structure and a more spontaneous flow to the classroom. He believes the style “always opened up more doors and allowed more thoughts to be expressed.”

“I know what I want to teach,” Mr. Freeman said. “I have everything ready to go, but when it actually comes time to step up from the board in front of the class, it’s more free-form. I allow the class to guide the speed and what we focus on. So even though I teach four classes of Pre-Calculus, each lecture, even though it covers the same material, has its own life from the others.”

Band sophomore Ryan Brown finds Mr. Freeman’s interactive teaching system can be beneficial to stay engaged and actively participate during class.

Brown calculates the answer to the last problem of a question set written on the SMART Board after a crowd of students ran from their desks to participate. Between lectures and examples, Mr. Freeman gives students a chance to practice and interact with each other through such questions. “He allows more student opportunities to chime in and to give answers,” Brown said. “For me, I get to know my peers a lot better than I did previously. Before the first semester, I didn’t know half of their voices.”
(Caitlin Villacrusis)

“The free-form style appeals to me a lot better as a student because you have more chances to ask questions,” Brown said. “You can change it up as you go to accommodate the needs of the class if there’s only one part that they’re struggling with.”

Mr. Freeman continues teaching to witness “light-up” moments: when struggling students finally “click” with hard material. 

“They’re more excited about ‘getting (hard concepts)’ than I ever was,” Mr. Freeman said. “It’s that whole recognition that they ‘get it’ no matter what it took. That’s really what it is.”

While students practice precalculus problems independently, Mr. Freeman listens to a student’s question. Mr. Freeman often encourages questions during his class, believing that “bottling” them up keeps students from understanding content. “I can’t stand that. I can’t stand the silent classroom,” Mr. Freeman said. “I don’t like just me talking (toward) a room for 100 minutes. The free-form (style) allows students to ask questions more openly. It just feeds into more free thinking.”
(Caitlin Villacrusis)

 

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About the Contributor
Arik Karim, Multimedia Editor
Arik Karim is a second-year staffer and multimedia editor on The Muse. Within the school, he also serves as the debate captain of the Dreyfoos Speech and Debate Team and outreach officer of A.R.T.S. Club. In his free time, he enjoys listening to music, spending time with friends, and reading books. Overall, he is extremely excited to produce content and delve deep into untold stories through journalism!
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