Juan Soto and the Trouble with Progressive Education
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of keynoting the Progressive Education Network’s National Conference 2024 in Columbus, OH. The theme…Building The Bridge Between Old and New Math
During my sixth year of teaching, I asked the class to divide a five-digit number by a two-digit number. For…Something Bigger Than Me (Recruiting Teachers with Students and Teachers)
Recently, I saw an interview with a celebrity that floored me. In the interview, Wilmer Valderrama on CBS Mornings talks…On Being Haitian and What We Teach Ourselves
Note: Thanks to the thousands of you who’ve subscribed to my newsletter thus far. I’ll be writing more regularly here,…Juan Soto and the Trouble with Progressive Education
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of keynoting the Progressive Education Network’s National Conference 2024 in Columbus, OH. The theme…Building The Bridge Between Old and New Math
During my sixth year of teaching, I asked the class to divide a five-digit number by a two-digit number. For…Something Bigger Than Me (Recruiting Teachers with Students and Teachers)
Recently, I saw an interview with a celebrity that floored me. In the interview, Wilmer Valderrama on CBS Mornings talks…
Juan Soto and the Trouble with Progressive Education
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of keynoting the Progressive Education Network’s National Conference 2024 in Columbus, OH. The theme…
Building The Bridge Between Old and New Math
During my sixth year of teaching, I asked the class to divide a five-digit number by a two-digit number. For…
The Bigger Math
This newsletter isn't just about math.
It's about the work we do for and with schools to illuminate the math. Subscribe to my work as I share stories, insights, and advice that (hopefully) transform and inspire people to do the math now and forever.
Join 10.5K other subscribers
A Brief Reflection on My Dissertation and Teachers’ Labor
A few weeks ago, after skimming through the formatting of my dissertation one last time, I said a little prayer. The last call was, “God,
They’re Still Not Like Us (Math and Our Values)
In 2015, C-SPAN’s Washington Journal invited me to discuss education reform and my book, This Is Not A Test: A New Narrative on Race, Class,
Critical Race Theory Is About You, and All of Us
Recently, Christina Cross, a Black woman sociologist at Harvard, found her work at the crosshairs of the same person who brought us the bastardization of
![Featured image for “What Choice Do We Have? [On School Choice]”](https://i0.wp.com/thejosevilson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/pexels-photo-4631066.jpeg?fit=1880%2C1253&quality=80&ssl=1)
What Choice Do We Have? [On School Choice]
Here’s something I never got to tell you. About seven years ago, I wrote this post that went viral. I didn’t expect to see some
Professional Development Done With Us, Not To Us
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending my fourth SXSW EDU in Austin, TX. As Ron Reed mentioned before introducing scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw as
Professional: A Word That Means Nothing and Everything to Teachers
Sometime in the summer of 2020, a small, vocal set of parents and advocates decided that teachers should get back to work. They overshadowed the
![Featured image for “Educators Get To Imagine Bigger, Too [On TED]”](https://i0.wp.com/thejosevilson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ted-world-theatre.webp?fit=1300%2C866&quality=100&ssl=1)
Educators Get To Imagine Bigger, Too [On TED]
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the latest celebration of TED-Ed Educator Talks at the TED Headquarters in NYC. For those who are
On Professional Development and The Places We Don’t Have Yet
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend EduCon in Philadelphia, PA. Principal – and friend – Chris Lehmann asked me to participate in
![Featured image for “Scenes from an Unopened Curriculum Binder [Pt. 1]”](https://i0.wp.com/thejosevilson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/pexels-photo-171183.jpeg?fit=1880%2C1253&quality=80&ssl=1)
Scenes from an Unopened Curriculum Binder [Pt. 1]
The following text is a combination of things that never happened, but may feel familiar. But if they feel familiar, it probably did happen, but
Are You More Savvy Than a Third Grader?
A few weeks ago, I had no intention of doing anything outside of my regular family/work duties. No meetings. No calls. Nothing. But last week,
Shine On, Diamond (Patience)
This past Saturday, I was doing some mindless scrolling through Instagram when I saw an announcement from one of my former students. Diamond – yes,
You Couldn’t Sit With Us (An Observation about Teachers)
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a special professional development session on a snowy and icy day at PS 20 in the Lower East
![Featured image for “What It Means To Stick With Love [About King and Us]”](https://i0.wp.com/thejosevilson.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/pexels-photo-10449794.jpeg?fit=1880%2C1254&quality=80&ssl=1)
What It Means To Stick With Love [About King and Us]
It felt like a typical night for a Black student activist at Syracuse University back in 2002. In addition to the keynote speaker that the
Why I Changed My Mind About Teachers and Education Theory
“But you can’t divide a fraction by another fraction unless you find the reciprocal.” “Yes, you can and here’s how.” It was a typical math
Who and What Will Colleges Defend? (On Claudine Gay and The Rest Of Us)
Claudine Gay was the first Black president in Harvard University’s history, and, as such, stewarded the work of the world’s most prestigious university over a
American Dreams, Wraiths, and Asylum Seekers
About a decade ago, my former school’s parent coordinator introduced me to a new student. This wouldn’t be a remarkable event because my school opened
![Featured image for “What I Get To See In Us [2023 Year-In-Review]”](https://i0.wp.com/thejosevilson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/C2377DE8-7B93-4BA6-B870-42D09C4A7D4A_1_105_c.jpeg?fit=768%2C1024&quality=80&ssl=1)
What I Get To See In Us [2023 Year-In-Review]
There were about six minutes of silence in my house while I stared at my computer screen. This time, my advisors were on the other
A Note on Nikki Haley, Slavery, and Teacher Professionalism
There are complex answers that deserve interrogation through all their interwoven facets and there are complex answers that converge toward a simple response. The cause
Tired of Being Tired (Towards A Better 2024)
Have you ever taken a ride on Kingda Ka roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure? You get in a seat with the high-velocity harness,
‘Origin’ and Teaching Our Son Before The World Does
A few weekends ago, ARRAY Inc. invited EduColor to a screening of Origin, a movie based on the events surrounding and within Isabel Wilkerson’s best-selling
What Does A Good School Even Mean?
Recently, I saw a meme suggesting what school should have taught us as opposed to what it teaches us. The setup usually lists a set
Learning Loss and the Lessons Americans Refuse To Learn
The United States of America has spent the last three years arguing about the pandemic’s effects on students’ academic and socioemotional well-being. Of course, this
For Educators Who Get In Trouble But Want To Stay In Their Professions
Last night, I was asked to speak virtually to a group of student teachers who read my book This Is Not A Test for class
Death By Millions of Cuts (In Defense of NYC Public Schools and Beyond)
Last year, when I dropped my son off at school, my first question to the staff was “What’s changed?” After the cuts came down, students
Difficult For Whom: A Conversation about Conversations and Systems
Recently, my son did an active-shooter drill at his school. I asked him how it went. He mentioned how it was fine, but a few
Middle School Prepares Us For Social Science Thinking, Too
I got a story to tell. Yesterday, I was running errands when one of my former students stopped me at the local supermarket. She’s a
A Brief Reflection on My Dissertation and Teachers’ Labor
A few weeks ago, after skimming through the formatting of my dissertation one last time, I said a little prayer. The last call was, “God,
They’re Still Not Like Us (Math and Our Values)
In 2015, C-SPAN’s Washington Journal invited me to discuss education reform and my book, This Is Not A Test: A New Narrative on Race, Class,
Critical Race Theory Is About You, and All of Us
Recently, Christina Cross, a Black woman sociologist at Harvard, found her work at the crosshairs of the same person who brought us the bastardization of
What Choice Do We Have? [On School Choice]
Here’s something I never got to tell you. About seven years ago, I wrote this post that went viral. I didn’t expect to see some
Professional Development Done With Us, Not To Us
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending my fourth SXSW EDU in Austin, TX. As Ron Reed mentioned before introducing scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw as
Professional: A Word That Means Nothing and Everything to Teachers
Sometime in the summer of 2020, a small, vocal set of parents and advocates decided that teachers should get back to work. They overshadowed the
Educators Get To Imagine Bigger, Too [On TED]
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the latest celebration of TED-Ed Educator Talks at the TED Headquarters in NYC. For those who are
On Professional Development and The Places We Don’t Have Yet
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend EduCon in Philadelphia, PA. Principal – and friend – Chris Lehmann asked me to participate in
Scenes from an Unopened Curriculum Binder [Pt. 1]
The following text is a combination of things that never happened, but may feel familiar. But if they feel familiar, it probably did happen, but
Are You More Savvy Than a Third Grader?
A few weeks ago, I had no intention of doing anything outside of my regular family/work duties. No meetings. No calls. Nothing. But last week,
Shine On, Diamond (Patience)
This past Saturday, I was doing some mindless scrolling through Instagram when I saw an announcement from one of my former students. Diamond – yes,
You Couldn’t Sit With Us (An Observation about Teachers)
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a special professional development session on a snowy and icy day at PS 20 in the Lower East
What It Means To Stick With Love [About King and Us]
It felt like a typical night for a Black student activist at Syracuse University back in 2002. In addition to the keynote speaker that the
Why I Changed My Mind About Teachers and Education Theory
“But you can’t divide a fraction by another fraction unless you find the reciprocal.” “Yes, you can and here’s how.” It was a typical math
Who and What Will Colleges Defend? (On Claudine Gay and The Rest Of Us)
Claudine Gay was the first Black president in Harvard University’s history, and, as such, stewarded the work of the world’s most prestigious university over a
American Dreams, Wraiths, and Asylum Seekers
About a decade ago, my former school’s parent coordinator introduced me to a new student. This wouldn’t be a remarkable event because my school opened
What I Get To See In Us [2023 Year-In-Review]
There were about six minutes of silence in my house while I stared at my computer screen. This time, my advisors were on the other
A Note on Nikki Haley, Slavery, and Teacher Professionalism
There are complex answers that deserve interrogation through all their interwoven facets and there are complex answers that converge toward a simple response. The cause
Tired of Being Tired (Towards A Better 2024)
Have you ever taken a ride on Kingda Ka roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure? You get in a seat with the high-velocity harness,
‘Origin’ and Teaching Our Son Before The World Does
A few weekends ago, ARRAY Inc. invited EduColor to a screening of Origin, a movie based on the events surrounding and within Isabel Wilkerson’s best-selling
What Does A Good School Even Mean?
Recently, I saw a meme suggesting what school should have taught us as opposed to what it teaches us. The setup usually lists a set
Learning Loss and the Lessons Americans Refuse To Learn
The United States of America has spent the last three years arguing about the pandemic’s effects on students’ academic and socioemotional well-being. Of course, this
For Educators Who Get In Trouble But Want To Stay In Their Professions
Last night, I was asked to speak virtually to a group of student teachers who read my book This Is Not A Test for class
Death By Millions of Cuts (In Defense of NYC Public Schools and Beyond)
Last year, when I dropped my son off at school, my first question to the staff was “What’s changed?” After the cuts came down, students
About Me
I'm José Vilson, educator, author, and sociologist, among many other roles. This blog documents how everything I've learned, documented so people can steal these lessons. I'm still the educator that Gotham deserves. It just looks different now. Find out how we got here.
