Growth and Humility

Arrogance sits at the core of traditional education. The idea that the teacher knows something and the student needs to understand it. One sees this arrogance in many traditional classrooms; an authoritarian adult keeps children in an orderly array and provides tasks...

When Twitter Ain’t Enough

There are dozens of math teachers that I admire from afar, many of whom converged on San Antonio this week for NCTM. I got to sit at the feet of these – my teacher-crushes – and hear firsthand what they may not share in print. That’s the point of conferences,...

NCTM Conference 2017 – Tips

In 2009, I had almost completed my second year of teaching, trudging toward the CST state-wide test in a small charter school in Pomona. The ruthless ass-kicking that was my first year as a [terrible] teacher was replaced with the draconian rule of a plucky...

Betsy Who? Why do I care?

Today, the Senate voted 50-50 to confirm Betsy Devos as secretary of Education. It was so close and so contested that VP Mike Pence was brought in to cast the final vote. Maybe you’re not a teacher; here’s why you should still care and what that means for...

Ten, Twelve, Ten

Dear Claire, This year marks my 10th in education. While the path of an educator’s career is murky and uncertain, I feel quite content with what I’ve accomplished in ten years. Rather than listing the recent wins (see the class Twitter feed and mine for...