After decades of teaching in Pittsburgh and Chicago public schools and a position as a coach for math teachers in a program at the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC), Miss Kitty decided it was time for a change. Long pursued by Lauren Sugerman (one of CWIT’s co-founders) to join the CWIT team, Miss Kitty finally agreed. Her teaching philosophy is simple: collaboration and validation.
Q: How did you end up teaching math at Chicago Women in Trades?
“For years, Lauren kept asking me to teach here, and I always declined. I felt intimidated by the construction world. I kept saying, ‘You’ve got elevator operators, plumbers, carpenters – I don’t know anything about that.’ But Lauren would say, ‘You don’t have to know the trades; you just have to know the math.’ After COVID hit, I needed to step back from my other teaching work. When Lauren reached out again, I finally took it as a sign. Now when I see Lauren, I tell her, ‘You just never gave up on me, and here I am.’”
Q: What’s different about teaching math in a trades environment?
“The first real hurdle isn’t the math itself – it’s self-confidence. Many students come in carrying negative experiences from past math classes. The math isn’t that advanced – around fourth or fifth-grade level – but it directly applies to construction work. We do activities that aren’t just in the packet. For example, when teaching perimeter, I have them get their tape measures and work with real objects. In the welding class, we examine file cabinets and discuss how measurements might be off slightly and what that means for the work. It’s about making math meaningful and practical.”
Q: How do you help students overcome their fear of math?
“I start by holding up a pencil and asking why math teachers always require using one. It’s because of the eraser. You’ll make mistakes, and that’s where the real learning takes place. If you think you can come here and make no mistakes, you don’t need to be here. I’ll even make mistakes myself. My mentor Margie taught me about how people learn math – there’s a consistent trajectory whether you’re working with children or adults. She showed me that it’s not about memorizing rules or doing endless practice problems, it’s about understanding concepts and making connections.
We had one welding program graduate who struggled with basic multiplication. She was preparing for the ironworkers’ test – one of the most challenging, with over 200 pages of word problems! We worked together remotely over Zoom, and her determination was incredible. The night before her exam, we talked about shutting down that little evil twin in her head saying she couldn’t do it. Through her determination and perseverance, she passed. That was two years ago, and she’s still working as an ironworker today.”
