GRCS Staff

Please select a Gold Rush Charter School staff member from the list to read a little about them, get their contact information and the subject(s) they teach. For student grades and assignments visit www.mygradebook.com. Contact the student's teacher to obtain the user name and password to access this site.

MICHAEL SWEELEY

Phone (209) 533-8644 ext. 546
Fax (209) 532-9234
Email msweeley@goldrushcs.com

Instructor:
Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Geometry

About Me

My name is Michael Sweeley, and I have lived in Sonora all my life. I was one of the kids at Sullivan Creek who gathered around the flagpole for the first time.

I have known since high school that I want to teach math. As a student at Sonora high school, I was an academic tutor for an algebra class and also began to tutor privately. While I attended Columbia College over the next two years, Sonora’s math department continued to refer me as a tutor.

For my next two years of college, I transferred to U.C. Santa Cruz, where I got my B.A. in math in 2002. After graduating from college, I soon began substitute teaching and felt a special connection with the middle school students. Knowing that I want to be a teacher, I enrolled in a credential program at National University. As a student teacher at Sonora high school, I also liked the high school environment.

After completing my credential program, having the thirst to learn more math, I went back to school at Montana State University in Bozeman, where I got my master’s degree in math last year. I liked Montana, but couldn’t imagine living anywhere else than the foothills I grew up on. This last year, since returning to Sonora, I’ve been an adjunct math instructor at Columbia College.

I’ve been successful in the collegiate system, but my heart was always with the middle school and high school. Kids seem to have more genuine enthusiasm for learning that adults. Also, as a college instructor, I see the consequences of deficiencies in students’ basic math and algebra skills. I often wonder if I could have helped these students more, had I taught then earlier on. This is something I will now find out.

I am an avid runner and tennis player and enjoy participating in extracurricular activities and field trips. I look forward to being a big part of Gold Rush.