“Am I Not Enough?” Navigating the Teacher-Tutor Power Struggle in Hong Kong The first time it happened, I was reviewing a calculus problem on the whiteboard. I was midway through explaining the conceptual derivation of the chain rule—passionate, animated, trying to get that “lightbulb” moment—when a hand shot up in the back. It was Jason, […]
Mathematics
Posted inMathematics
Math is Beautiful
As my tutoring sessions with Jaylen happily show, how educators view the subject they teach can have a wonderful effect on how their students feel and think about that subject, even one as superficially unwelcoming as math! I’ve volunteered at an elementary/middle school as a tutor for the last eight years, although last school-year was […]
Posted inMathematics
From Truman to Trump: Lessons in statistical humility in math applications
I created a class called “Math Applications.” It is designed as a course for students that have completed their math requirements but are not interested in taking pre-calculus or above. Before I teach any principles of descriptive statistics, I show students this famous picture of Truman holding up a newspaper titled “Dewey Defeats Truman.” I […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Unveiling the roots of math phobia: A journey toward joyful learning and equity
Math phobia: Let’s begin by reiterating one of my favorite phrases as a math teacher, “Everyone’s a math person.” Individuals who appreciate puzzles, sports, video games, and problem-solving can’t genuinely harbor a dislike for math. What breeds disdain is the culture surrounding math which creates such distress that many prefer to avoid it altogether. Renowned […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
Lebron James’ I Promise School: Test Scores Don’t Always Tell the Whole Story
With the recent headlines about the failing state test scores of students in Lebron James, I Promise school, many point their proverbial “blame and shame” fingers. There is so much to unpack in the negative light painted in the focus on the fact these upcoming eighth graders “hadn’t passed the math portion of their state […]
Posted inPedagogy
Combine the World Cup and Learning in Your Elementary Classroom
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Students have been buzzing in my fourth-grade class since the World Cup began on November 20. It was evident this was an event they were interested in, but knowing very little about soccer, I was unsure how I could share […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Elementary School, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Coach Files, Instructional Strategies, Literacy, Mathematics, Middle School, Pedagogy
They’re Not Lazy: A Closer Look at Students Who Refuse to Try
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! As teachers, we’ve all seen it before. You’ve taught a lesson, modeled the practice together, and then all the students get started. Or, at least most of them do. Sitting there quietly, hoping not to get noticed, is a […]
Posted inInterviews
Voices from the 2%
An Interview with Black Male Math Teacher Jason Lee Morgan Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Nationally, only two percent of America’s teachers are Black men. Veteran Philadelphia Educator and Director Shariff El-Mekkii established the Center for Black Educator Development to “dramatically change the face […]