The Unexpected Advocate: Tackling Inequity One Equation at a Time!

  The Hidden Barrier to Math Success: Confronting Learned Helplessness in Our Classrooms As a math educator with over 20 years of experience and more than 2,500 students passing through my classroom, I’ve seen the education system from many angles. I’ve taught in affluent and underserved schools, engaged with parents, collaborated with educators, and debated with college professors about what works and what doesn’t in education. One common thread runs through all these interactions: the urgent need to address why so many students struggle with math and, more importantly, what can be done about it. Lately, I’ve had more meetings with parents frustrated that their child is struggling with math, convinced the issue lies with my teaching. But as someone who has worked to refine my curriculum, instruction, and scaffolding strategies, I have to ask: What’s really going on here? The truth is sobering. It’s not just the curriculum, standards, or even the instruction. It’s learned helplessn...

  Rethinking Math Instruction: Addressing the Amygdala Hijack in Underserved Students After reading chapters 4-6 of Zaretta Hammond's Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain , I began questioning whether my struggles with underperforming, traditionally underserved student populations stemmed not from a lack of effort, but from brain chemistry. Partnering with Central Washington University and my student teacher, we have explored what research says about effective mathematics instruction. The principles from Peter Liljedahl's Building Thinking Classrooms are a significant focus in my College in the High School program. These strategies emphasize student-driven learning through real-world, relevant problems. Additionally, our NSF grant this year highlights project-based learning (PBL) with a similar focus. While I have found some success, particularly with financial literacy projects, challenges persist. One memorable project, "The Good/The Bad/The Ugly/And Holiday Spe...

  Empowering Underserved Students to Build Positive STEM Identities Creating positive STEM identities in students—and in educators—is a challenging task, especially when working with underserved student populations. As students enter STEM classrooms with limited content knowledge, often several grade levels behind, they carry an inner dialogue of not being enough. This self-doubt can be particularly prevalent among language learners, who often perceive themselves as significantly worse at math and science . For many, their early years in these subjects were spent focusing on decoding and language acquisition, rather than content knowledge. This gap in instruction, particularly in their heritage language, not only affects their academic knowledge but also shapes their self-perception of ability. The Challenges of Language Learners For language learners, the process of becoming academically proficient takes time—usually around five years to become fully proficient in an academic lan...

  The Power of Perseverance: Lessons Learned from the Court to the Classroom Life always seems simpler when viewed from the outside. Throughout my teaching career, I thought I had all the answers, guiding parents on how to nurture their children's academic growth. But it wasn't until I became the parent of teenagers that I truly understood the challenges and complexities of fostering resilience and determination in young minds. As a teacher, I've always emphasized the importance of pushing students to tackle difficult tasks, urging them to embrace challenges with grit and perseverance. Yet, despite my best efforts, I've often found it challenging to instill this mindset in my students. I've wondered why they struggle to see the benefits of persevering through tough problems, even when it's clear to me that this is precisely what they need to succeed beyond the classroom. Ironically, I faced a similar struggle as a parent when my younger son encountered obstacles...

   The Power of Perspective: Allowing Others to Tell Their Story The Influence of Perspective The longer I teach, the more I realize how much perspective shapes the way we view the world. As a tall, white, educated, athletic, economically advantaged male, my experiences have been vastly different from many of my students . This privilege has shaped my perceptions of how the world works and what challenges look like. For me, obstacles can often be resolved with a conversation or a swipe of a card. When I speak, I expect to be heard and respected. I don’t worry about how authority figures or the government might treat me because, more often than not, I resemble them and have connections that smooth the way. The Realities My Students Face But what about my students? Over the past two years, through my work with Central Washington University’s STELLAR project—a multimillion-dollar grant aimed at bringing equity to underserved learners in STEM—I’ve uncovered stark realities for my ...