By Madina Toure
A woman from Broad Channel who teaches math and physics at a College Point high school spends her time trying to motivate her students to be interested in the sometimes intimidating subjects.
Anne Forde, 38, serves as chairwoman of the Math Department at St. Agnes Academic High School at 13-20 124th St. in College Point, schedules classes for the faculty and student body, and records and reports institutional data for the all-girls school, where she has been teaching since September 2000. She has been involved in the Science Olympiad and served as yearbook adviser for seven years.
She also is an adjunct instructor for Allied Health and Science majors at St. John’s University’s College of Liberal Arts and Science.
Forde tries to demonstrate how the subjects play out in everyday life. For example, in physics individuals can see a car accelerating as the driver drives down the street.
“(What can be) challenging is trying to blend the teaching that I have to do even when it’s a subject they don’t like with trying to keep their interest,” she said. “So many times, I lose their interest that way, but I try then to at least keep the class environment exciting even if the topic might not be.”
Forde is a graduate of St. Virgilius Roman Catholic elementary school and Beach Channel High School in Rockaway Park. She received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from St. John’s University with minors in physics and secondary education as well as a master’s degree in mathematics.
She has one sister and two brothers. Her father is originally from Ireland and her mother is a first-generation Irish American.
She became head swim coach for the Broad Channel Athletic Club swim team in 1998. She then became the Parish Athletic representative for St. Virgilius and later the combined parishes of St. Virgilius-St. Camillus. In July 2012, Forde was inducted into the BCAC Hall of Fame.
She is a member of a bronze-level Relay for Life team in Middle Village.
This summer she will be chaperoning six of her students from St. Agnes on a trip to World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland, to meet Pope Francis as part of a group of more than 400 pilgrims from the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Forde thrives on the personal connections she makes with students and even makes it a point to go to their sports games.
She noted that some of her students have been inspired to become math teachers or teachers in other subjects.
“The greatest part of teaching, I think, is the appreciation that the students express,” she said. “It doesn’t happen often, but you’ll hear it from them at times.”
Reach reporter Madina Toure by e-mail at mtour
