Dr. Debbie Crocker is a Mountaineer through and through, and she’s passionate about helping her students succeed. She graduated from Appalachian State University with her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. After finishing her Ph.D. at The Ohio State University and teaching at Miami University of Ohio for several years, Crocker made the decision to return to Appalachian.
“I was ready to return to North Carolina,” she said. “I knew the philosophy and direction of Appalachian and the Department of Mathematical Sciences. They fit my own philosophy well.”
Crocker joined the mathematics faculty in 1995 and has taught a variety of freshman-level math courses and courses for mathematics education majors.
“Each group of students brings a different dynamic to a course. I like the variety I see teaching the different classes I teach,” Crocker said.
Crocker originally planned to become a high school math teacher. Deciding to seek a Ph.D. and teach at the university level came later in her plan, she said.
Crocker interacts with students in class, in meetings of the Prospective Teachers of Mathematics club, in her office and around Boone. She hopes that her students will see that she is the same in and out of class, and that she is always willing to talk with and listen to them.
“My favorite part of teaching Appalachian students is that they have such positive personalities, strong work ethics and good senses of humor. They are a joy to teach,” Crocker said.
“If I have to choose one takeaway, I hope my students can leave my classes with the knowledge that they can succeed and continue to learn and grow throughout their lives.”
