NAME:
Don Link (dlink@indiancreekschool.com)
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SCHOOL:
Indian Creek Middle School
CLASSES:
6th Grade Math
IN EMERGENCIES:
mydonlink@hotmail.com, Home Phone: 410-381-8967
In 2001 I decided to bring to a close a long-term technical and management
career in the high technology, software field and to seek a new career
direction — one that would emphasize people over profit and learning over
labor.
I have a B.A. in Math Education from the University of Maryland at College
Park (UMCP). I chose mathematics because I loved it, and I chose education
because I had been nurtured and encouraged along the way by several caring
and competent teachers.
I ultimately pursued a career in computer science, which fostered my
creativity and offered me many opportunities to use my math skills and to
teach, mostly adults. As part of this career, I received an M.S. in
Computer Science, also from UMCP. As part of my professional development as
a technical manager later in my career, I also received an M.S. in
Counseling from Loyola College in Maryland.
I’ve talked with many young people and adults who have had bad experiences
with math in school. They were turned off to the subject, usually because
early on they were either told, or concluded on their own, that they were
not good at math. What a waste! In their common experiences I see several
recurring themes: 1) they fell behind early on and could never catch up, 2)
no one ever explained the whys of math to them, or 3) math was never made
fun nor very relevant to their lives.
Math can be fun and relevant and accessible to all young people. With the
right approach, and with a careful and caring assessment of where
individuals are having difficulty, I believe all students can succeed in
math. I want to make this a reality, especially for those young people who
would otherwise not succeed. I want to make a real difference in their
lives.
"It’s not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It’s
because we dare not venture that things are difficult." Seneca
"Whatever you can do or dream, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and
magic in it." Goethe
These quotes from Seneca and Goethe capture several aspects of my life
experience and personal philosophy — namely, that most of us believe we are
capable of much less than we actually are, and that it takes boldness to
overcome these limiting beliefs. What I find most exciting and fulfilling
in my work is helping others to discover and manifest their full potential.
I’ve done this as a manager, as a corporate trainer, and as a parent. I now
bring this mission to my teaching.
Frederick Beuchner believes that truly good work "is that place where [our]
deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." My deep gladness lies in
helping others succeed beyond their expectations, and I believe the world
has a deep hunger for all young people to be truly successful in life. At
this point in my life, I find these two meeting for me in the classroom
working with middle school students.
I live in Columbia with my wife, Jean, who is a therapist, pastoral
counselor, and spiritual director. We have three children. Matt and his
wife Denise live just five minutes from Indian Creek, where we often visit
our grandchildren Calvin (born Nov 2001), Amy (born Jan 2003), and Jake
(born Dec 2006). Matt is a CPA, stock broker, and a Chartered Financial
Planner. Tom is an FBI agent in Washington D.C. He and his wife, Kellie,
have two children: Owen (born Dec, 2001), and Aidan (born Oct 2003). So
we're in grandparent heaven!
Our daughter, Dawn, lives in Indianapolis with her husband Derek. They both
work in a breast cancer research center at IUPUI (Indiana Univ. and Purdue
Univ. at Indianapolis). Dawn is an administrative director for one of the
research centers, and Derek is a cancer researcher.
John Richardson, Jr. tells us that, “When it comes to the future, there are
three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen,
and those who wonder what happened.” As a teacher, I will strive to help
every student become a person who "makes it happen."
