“Who would you rather live beside, a person that’s just getting out of prison who just sat in her cell and stewed, or do you want somebody who has transformed, who is educated, who will not be a drain on society?” Tonya Wilson, one of our students, was quoted in the
Seattle Times front-page article,
Behind bars, college is back in session in some Washington prisons. The reporter visited our American Government class last semester taught by Professor Robin Jacobson (pictured below) and interviewed many of our students.
"The break was way too long. Can we start the semester earlier next time?" This was the first thing a student said to us when the semester began on January 5th. Matt Junge,
a Ph.D. candidate in mathematics at the University of Washington, is teaching our first college level Math class,
Math in Society. At the University of Washington, he is responsible for overseeing all of the math teaching assistants. He's won the math department "Excellence in Teaching Award" and taught UW's first-ever online calculus class.
Matt started with FEPPS by creating a math self-study program for students at all levels. More recently he has helped design and teach a three-quarter Math sequence to prepare students for college Math. In the course, students analyze real world data like how to predict oil supply, and discuss how statistical claims are made in everyday life.
Matt says,
"FEPPS enables us to reach a population that otherwise would be passed by. I want to expand their perception of math, both for their future success and for the potential impact it will have when they reenter their communities. I am inspired by their dedication, drive and curiosity. The level of commitment and potential I see has changed my perception of the classroom. These women have made me into a better teacher."
