Alynn Eggert is a dedicated member of the South Central Jr.-Sr. High School's math department. She teaches various courses, including AP Calculus AB and AP Statistics, and dual-credit courses such as College Algebra and Trigonometry.
With over 15 years of teaching experience, Eggert brings a wealth of knowledge from high school and college-level teaching. She has a background in biomedical engineering, medical research, and information technology.
Her interest in biomedical engineering stemmed from her grandmother, who contracted polio at just 9 months old. When Eggert was around the age of 6 or 7, she asked her grandmother about the scars on her arms, legs, and abdomen. To help her get out of an iron lung, breathe independently, and regain the use of her hands, doctors had to move muscles from her grandmother's legs to her arms and abdomen.
“I’ve always had a teaching component in my career, whether it’s in technology, medicine, or education," Eggert said. “I’ve experienced two or even all three aspects in everything I’ve done. When I worked in engineering, I often had to teach others to help them understand the concepts. In the medical field, whether I was doing research or directly working with others, I had to explain complex, technical processes.”
Her math skills developed through previous jobs at hospitals and her education at Purdue University, where she earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Engineering and a Master's in Education. It blends seamlessly for her when teaching her students.
“Everything works together very well because I can use what I learned in engineering as real-world examples. I don’t have to look up how things are applied in the real world. We use imaginary numbers in Algebra 2 and Pre-Calculus but apply them in engineering when processing signals. It’s all connected to me—like a handshake between everything I do and my interests,” Eggert said.
Eggert doesn't feel there is a difference when teaching students at different school levels. The process and approaches remain the same for her.
“The approach to teaching is similar across all levels, but your vocabulary and examples change based on the audience," Eggert said. “The biggest difference I see is maturity. Seventh graders are still figuring things out as they transition from elementary to middle school, and their interests are becoming more defined. High school students, especially underclassmen, are still exploring their paths and may not be sure what they want to do. When students reach the collegiate level, they are typically more focused as they understand its importance and are determined to do their best to complete their goals.”
She uses real-life examples to teach her class, particularly when discussing the volume of grain bins. Each bin has rings, with each ring based on the radius and height of the bin. There is a conversion that helps estimate how much corn is in a bin, providing students with a practical understanding of area and volume.
“We’re in a rural school surrounded by cornfields, so I use examples relevant to our environment when I teach geometry,” Eggert said. “When discussing area or conversions, I can ask, ‘How do you know how much land is here? Well, that’s 250 acres.’ We practice a lot of conversions as well. For concepts like area and volume, I use real-world examples, such as silos and grain bins. It’s important to select meaningful examples, but I must also remember that not all students live on farms.”
Outside of work, she enjoys sewing, building Legos, learning new things, and spending time with friends and family. She also has a special love for quilting.
“My kids got into quilting first. When COVID hit, I found it relaxing to put things together,” Eggert said. “I’ve been doing it since I was young, as my grandmother taught me. Quilting involves a lot of geometric shapes—rectangles, squares, triangles—which ties directly into the math I teach. It also gives me a great way to illustrate symmetry, rotation, and other geometric ideas. A quilt block is a perfect example of these principles in action.”