Everglades High School, Advanced STEM Academy, AP Teacher

alberto.dominguez@browardschools.com

A brief curriculum vitae

As an undergraduate I double-majored in physics and mathematics.  I hold a Master of Science degree in physics from Florida International University and am working on the Master of Science in mathematics at the University of West Florida. I am certified as a physics 6-12, mathematics 6-12, engineering & technical education 6-12, and computer science K-12 teacher.

Immediately after college, I taught briefly before moving on to a long career as a consulting actuary. Eventually, I became extensively engaged in the work of the Society of Actuaries in providing both basic education to new actuarial professionals seeking their initial certification and continuing professional education to experienced actuaries. This experience convinced me to return to teaching, and I am currently in my ninth year at The Swamp, as part of the EHS Advanced STEM Academy.

I strongly believe that academic competitions have performance-enhancing effects for students at all levels. Therefore, I supplement my classroom teaching by coaching the Everglades Math Competition Team (we participate in the American Mathematical Competition and the Florida Math League) and the Everglades Modeling Competition Team (we participate in MathWorks' Mathematical Modeling Challenge and the Actuarial Foundation's Modeling the Future Challenge).

2023-2024 Teaching Assignments

• AP Calculus AB 
• AP Calculus BC 
• AP Physics C 
• AP Pre-Calculus 

Two pieces of advice I share with my students to help them get through advanced STEM classes (and life)

• SEEK HELP AGGRESSIVELY. Everyone, no matter how smart or proficient in math, will get "stuck" sometime this year. Perhaps there is a new concept or technique that just won't fit into place in your brain. Tenacity and self-sufficiency are great attributes, but there is going to be a quiz on this stuff tomorrow! Sometimes there just isn't time to be tenacious! Attend help sessions. Ask questions. Get the help you need to succeed. I will be calling on students randomly each class to lead discussions, so make sure that if you get stuck you have gotten the help you need.
• BECOME AS SELF-SUFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE. (Yes, I am aware that this guideline contradicts the previous one. Nonetheless, both principles are valid. Life is full of ambiguity. This is a good time to start getting used to that.) There are many students and just one teacher, and time is too valuable for you just to wait for help. Look in the text and your notes for sample problems that might shed some light on your difficulty. Is there another way to approach the problem? Learn tenacity – don't just "fold" at the first sign of difficulty! (This is an important life skill, well beyond the classroom.) You can do it!