The stereotype of a math teacher is someone who is monotone, non-engaging and impatient. Eva O’Keefe could not be further from that, supporting students however possible, constantly making jokes and being joyful. She does everything she can to help her students succeed: “No matter what I was dealing with she was always willing to listen and give whatever advice she
could,” junior Maya Halpern said.

O’Keefe is described by students as a passionate and caring teacher who will give up her free time to comfort and support her students. O’Keefe has been teaching for 20 years total and 16 years here. She has taught geometry, algebra II and precalculus. As a teacher O’Keefe gives up her free time to help students. “You need my help, and I will always help students that are trying to do better,” O’Keefe said.

Not only does O’Keefe help in the morning and during advisory but she is also willing to “give up her lunch to help students (most teachers do not help during lunch),” math teacher Suzanne Hosking said.

As a teacher O’Keefe wants to see her students succeed and wants to try improving her teaching style to benefit her students. She is continuing to learn new ways to show more information to reach more students. “When a student doesn’t understand the material she tries to help find resources to help them,” junior Annabel Bunten said.

When a student is struggling, instead of telling students they are wrong, she tries to, “figure out where they are getting confused so that I can explain that part to them,” O’Keefe said.

She also doesn’t have the expectations that every student will understand and she is willing to help you get there. Beyond just helping a student when they didn’t understand the topic “she always related to you rather than judging how you were doing [it]” Halpern said.

Bunten had O’Keefe for the first semester of her sophomore year. Bunten said O’Keefe loves to teach math and she put her students first. Even with personal matters not related to math, “She is always giving good advice and cares about me even though I don’t have her as a teacher anymore,” Bunten said.

Even though O’Keefe is constantly working to try and make her students succeed, she is also willing to help beyond her job as a teacher. “She was concerned with me as a student not only of her class but as a person,” Halpern said.

O’Keefe not only has a great connection with her students but she also has a strong friendship with her co-workers. Since they often plan and work together, “we are great friends inside and outside of school,” Hosking said.

Students often come to talk to O’Keefe because she enjoys being around her students and welcomes them. She will always listen so, “some students make connections with me and visit me to vent about school or life,” O’Keefe said.