At PHS, measuring spaghetti brings math to life

Math class is not just a calculator for Mrs. Kimberly Killen’s classes at Philadelphia High School.

When it comes to teaching math, Killen knows how to engage her students — even if it means stepping outside conventional methods.

Last week, her geometry students tackled a creative challenge by constructing similar and congruent triangles using uncooked spaghetti.

Killen, now in her 13th year of teaching and her fourth at Philadelphia High School, has taught a range of subjects from algebra to pre-calculus. This year, she teaches pre-calculus, Algebra II, and geometry across all grade levels.

“Geometry is a different beast when you think about math,” Killen said. “You take shapes and figures and then you put math into them.”

Her geometry students studied triangles for three weeks, so Killen decided to shake things up. She brought spaghetti noodles to class and turned the lesson into a hands-on experiment.

“I went home and tried it myself,” she said. “I cut up spaghetti noodles for different lengths and measurements. I used rulers and protractors to find different angles, and the more I did it, the more fun I was having.”

When Killen introduced the idea to her class, their curiosity piqued.

“I knew I hooked them,” she said. “I put them into groups and explained it to them. Anything I ever do with my students, I show them first, and it clicked with them.”

The class quickly embraced the challenge, racing to see who could solve the problems correctly first.

“Sometimes I like to feed into that because they will do a little bit extra,” Killen said. “It’s always good to have them think outside the box.”

News of the spaghetti activity spread quickly. Students in her other geometry classes started asking when they could try it; some even stopped by just to watch.

“The more excited they got doing the activity, the more excited I got,” Killen said.

Many students benefit from interactive, hands-on learning compared to traditional methods.

One student told her, “Mrs. Killen, I will never look at spaghetti the same again.”

Killen laughed, adding, “To know that 20 years from now, when he sees spaghetti and remembers that crazy geometry teacher who had him measure it, I’ll know that I helped him.”

This isn’t the first time Killen has used unconventional methods to help her students grasp math concepts. When her pre-calculus class struggled with constructing and deconstructing functions, she took them outside to the football stadium, where they solved problems with sidewalk chalk on the concrete stands.

“They loved it,” she said. “I still have that same class ask me, ‘When are we going to go back outside?’ It was a different atmosphere that made them excited about what they were doing.”

Killen believes breaking out of the classroom’s four walls can inspire students.

“When I was younger, we got to go outside and read books under the tree, and it meant a lot to us,” she said. “If we can get kids outside of the four walls in the classroom, I think they will learn more.”

Killen has also used activities like gallery walks, where her students collaborate in teams to solve problems displayed on posters around the hallway.

“As I’ve done more and showed them that math class is not just a calculator, a piece of paper, and a pencil sitting at a desk, it’s no longer just, ‘Oh, I have to go to math class,’” she said.

Even over Thanksgiving break, Killen is keeping things engaging. Her students are tasked with watching clips from “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” to gather data for math problems involving percentages, distance, and time.

“They’ve come to know that just because they go to math in Mrs. Killen’s room, it’s not a math class—it’s Mrs. Killen’s class. It’s where they get to do extra,” she said.

For Killen, teaching is a calling, not a job, as she proudly invests her time and resources, like buying spaghetti, to ensure her students succeed.

“I may not get any type of award, but I don’t do this for awards,” she said. “If my students can go out in the world and succeed, that’s all the recognition I need. I want them to do the best they can.”