4 + 15 =

Math teacher retires after 19 years

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
   When Helen Furman first joined the Lawrence Township School District in the 1970s at Lawrence High School, she taught sophisticated math concepts, like algebra, to high school students.
   As she closed her lesson plan book for the last time this week at Lawrence Middle School, Ms. Furman observed those concepts have trickled down to the younger set.
   ”What I taught at the high school is filtering down to grades 6 and 7,” Ms. Furman said. “Kindergarten (students) get elements of algebra. I think we realize that for children to be successful, they need pretty extensive math knowledge.”
   The 56-year-old Ms. Furman, who lives in Hamilton Township, began her teaching career at LHS, teaching there for four years. She left the school district to raise her family and returned to the district 15 years ago, and has taught at LMS ever since.
   ”I wanted to be a teacher since I was a little girl,” she said. “I had a chalkboard. I was going back and forth between math and English, but I always had a flair for math, so I decided to go for that. I enjoy the subject matter.”
   Ms. Furman, who has three grown children, said she enjoys working with young people. She added that having raised her own two daughters and son, she has more insight and a deeper understanding of what middle-schoolers are going through.
   Noting her three children were each different in their abilities and interests, Ms. Furman said she can “relate to all kinds of children.” She said she can relate to those who like school and those who do not, as well as those who have interests and skills in the fine arts, math or science.
   ”It’s a very difficult time emotionally and physically,” she said. “They don’t fit in — their height, their weight and their hair. I see my job as twofold. One would be to teach the fundamentals of math, but the second part is to help them through a difficult time.”
   ”My job is to help them get through this tough grade, to nurture them and give them a shoulder to cry on,” said Ms. Furman, who teaches 7th grade math. “Children are still children. A 12-year-old is still going through the same things. They want to try to fit in.”
   But there have been some changes, she said. The children’s exposure to nursery school and video games means they are more “hands-on,” she said. They are good with computers, and they need stimulation in the classroom, she added.
   Ms. Furman said she has learned to use the computer, calculator and math activities. Change is good, she said, adding “you can’t do the same things the same way all those years without getting burned out.”
   Asked what she’ll miss when September rolls around, Ms. Furman quickly said the aspect she would miss most is working with her colleagues, whom she called a “phenomenal group of people.”
   ”I’ll also miss the children,” Ms. Furman said. “They keep you young. I do get excited over solving equations. It’s fun. I like textbooks and writing on the board. It has been my life for the last however many years.”
   But at the same time, Ms. Furman said, she is looking forward to spending time with her husband and grandchildren. She also plans to enjoy the family’s beach house on Long Beach Island.