Dan Sweigart, a “beloved math teacher” at Glen Burnie High School, didn’t always have algebra and calculus on his mind. He originally attended the University of Maryland before dropping out, saying he went to college for the wrong reasons. He uses this experience to teach his students life skills that will prepare them for higher education.
Sweigart later graduated from University of Maryland, Baltimore County, with a bachelor’s degree in math and a concentration in education, and then earned his master’s in education. He has been teaching for five years.
Sweigart lives in Annapolis with his wife, Christine, who is also a teacher, and their two daughters, Aurora (2) and Marilyn (7).
Have you always been interested in math?
I’ve always liked math—it’s always made sense to me, and I’ve liked the puzzles of it. [After working a bunch of different retail jobs and managing restaurants]…When I realized I wanted a family and didn’t want to work until four in the morning anymore, I thought about it with my wife and realized how much I’d like to teach math. It’s something I really enjoy and see a lot of people struggle with.
You’re a beloved teacher at Glen Burnie. How have you garnered this favoritism?
Mainly, it’s a mindset. It’s recognizing that I’m not teaching math, I’m teaching children, and recognizing them as people and putting them as my priority, not the curriculum. You can feel that in my [classroom]. It’s about relationships; we do community circles, I get to know them, [and] I get to know their parents. I make sure they’re alright. I talk to them when I see them feeling low.
How do your teaching skills transfer to being a dad?
I think it goes both ways. I think what I learned from parenting helps me teach; what I learned from teaching helps me parent. When you go to school, you learn a lot about child development—how their brains work, how to engage them and keep them engaged. My wife and I do a lot of Montessori-style upbringing. We try not to do any screen time for either of our kids until they’re 2 so they can explore the natural world and understand everything around them.
How do you balance your job with your parental duties?
I’m failing at that. (laughs) You never can do enough in this profession, but I have to prioritize my family first. If my kids need me, that’s where I’ll be. My wife jokes that my daughter gets confused because I refer to my students as “my kids,” too. As attached as you get to all these [students], they’re somebody else’s kids, and I have my own.
What does family time look like?
It can range from your classic sitting around the dinner table, playing games on the floor, doing a puzzle. One of our favorite activities is to get down to the Smithsonian museums or the aquarium—it’s a little harder to do that with a 2-year-old.
We venture out to the grocery store, and I talk about what I’m doing and the decisions I’m making while we’re shopping. With a 2-year-old, it’s more like, “Yes, that is green!” but with [my 7-year-old] it’s like, “I’m buying this one instead of this because it’s cheaper per pound,” having her work out math problems while we’re shopping.
How do you get involved in your community?
Over the summer, my wife and I come up with activities for the neighborhood kids. One of our favorites is we hang a piñata in our yard and all the kids in the community come to whack at it. The first year we did it, we had eight families. This last year, I think we had about 35. It’s a fun community-building activity.
Family Favorites
Meal: Chicken tacos
Dessert: Chocolate ice cream
Family activity: Visiting the National History Museum
Local spot: O’Loughlin’s—It’s actually one of the restaurants I used to manage. It’s always a fun spot.
