What do you do when you see a six foot eight human dressed in a giraffe costume to tell students to hang in there and that they’re missed? You invite him onto the podcast.
Nathaniel Lackey is a first-year math teacher who first dressed as a giraffe to say hi to students and give words of encouragement. In the days that followed, Nathaniel dressed up as Spiderman, T-Rex, Bob Ross, and an alien to help engage students in his math lessons.
He does this to help maintain a sense of normalcy for his students as well as showing them it is okay to be yourself and have fun. Since this episode, Nathaniel has also delivered a Star Wars themed math lesson.
About Nathaniel
Nathaniel Lackey is a mathematics teacher and basketball coach at Fairfield Community High School. He graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 2018, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics with Teacher Licensure. After graduating, Nathaniel moved back home to teach at his former high school.
On some level, Nathaniel always knew he wanted to be a teacher. The most influential people in his life have been former teachers, and these people drew him into the profession. Becoming a teacher would allow him to be in a prime position to make a difference in the lives of many young adults.
Pedagogically, Nathaniel is interested in researching student-centered instructional techniques as well as non-traditional forms of assessment. Currently, he is developing an action research project to study how non-traditional homework impacts student perception of mathematics as well as academic achievement.
Outside of teaching, Nathaniel is passionate about music, writing, sports, board and video games, and editing videos. He has a varied set of interests, which he feels is quite beneficial to establishing relationships with the students in his classroom.