I had the honor of writing for Teaching Tolerance, one of the premiere teacher resources for anything related to social justice. They asked me to write a piece about why I still teach after more than a decade at this, and everything I’ve done to move this narrative. Here’s an excerpt:
“Math isn’t just a set of numbers for me, but an approach to solving problems or creating better problems than the ones we’ve been left. The idea that students can find success in math, the great gatekeeper for middle and high school students, gives me life. Even with my rather stoic facial expressions, I hope to project an enthusiasm about teaching students math that becomes infectious. When I see students arguing about the math and making sense of it without my interference, I’m downright ebullient. When they struggle with a concept, but my questions lead them toward their own sense of what’s going on, I’m equally joyous. That’s why I teach.”
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