If I have discovered but one thing on this planet, it would be that teaching mathematics is an intricate affair where one

is constantly in opposition of the status quo. Ive heard it everywhere Ive gone ever since I declared a major in the subject, Math!? Why would you ever want to do anything with math?! and I just love to hear that. Having math viewed from a negative social lens is an awesome motivation, tremendous challenge, and an even more terrific opportunity to help empower students. Mathematics education is truly a great American underdog story. One that is still being written, and one that I am proud to say I am an author of.

Chapter 1 The First Hurdle

It all starts from this pervasive, and irritating, misconception that, some people are just born good at math and others are not. A phrase once used as compensation for those who were still struggling with math now has transcended the realms of folklore to be deemed as fact. This, as research by the likes of Dr. Carol Dweck and Dr. Jo Boaler has shown, couldnt be farther from the truth. Enter the creation of hurdle number one, the negative Fixed Mindset. A large part of who I am and identify with as a teacher revolves around this negative Fixed vs. positive Growth Mindset. There is no such person I have yet met that is completely incapable of understanding and using Mathematics. But under the guise of this incapability there are, in fact, many people who do not try to reach that goal, believing that they

somehow have a genetic predisposition to be poorly skilled in the subject. Combating this hurdle is the first and perhaps most difficult step. Discussing the differences between Fixed and Growth Mindsets with your class will only have so much impact. They need to feel the benefits of a Growth mindset to understand it. Challenging the minds of my students takes top priority because I want them to see and feel a difference in their mathematical ability. I want to help them build their mathematical intuition and supplement their mathematical confidence through trial and error, arguments and rebuttals, and individual and group-work scenarios, all complete with varying levels of frustration and confusion or passion and success, to lead to that illustrious Eurika! moment. Go forth boldly and make many meaningful mistakes, my children; for your brain grows.

Chapter 2 Math is Boring and for Nerds If the idea that you had a fixed limit to the amount of math you were capable of understanding wasnt tough enough to deal with, let the idea of math being uncool, painful, and rigidly, inexpressively boring sweeten the pot! As an educator, my mission is to use Student Lead Discussion, Formative Assessment, and Open Tasks to make math and feedback on achievement more personal, enjoyable, and reachable. Math isnt something handed down to you by your elders (or at least I wont give them a reason to believe that). Math is something that is meant to be explored for the sake of enjoyment; to create some beautiful piece of artwork from a mess of thinking. It is a skill and a hobby with room to improve very similar to

playing guitar, yet the applications of such exercise lend themselves to great use in the real world. It is here, in this understanding of what math actually is and in the pursuit of enjoyment from mathematical models, that math often leads to these trivial postulates and equations we expect our students to internalize before graduation. For instance, instead of memorizing the quadratic equation, which is something that seems to just appear out of nowhere to students, why not create a task that scaffolds their understandings to lead them through quadratics via purposeful exploration? Why not open the floor for students to raise their concerns and ideas to be discussed by more non-teacher minds in the room to root out any truths or inaccuracies? Why not make the students use proper vocabulary to describe the patterns they are seeing and then let them generalize their thoughts to create a meaningful definition? Why not let them discover this equation so that all of this hard math is something THEY came up with and something THEY can make their own? I cant imagine a single teenager who wouldnt be beaming with pride, confidence, and a smile after they, on their own, defined a formula that all their friends were told to just memorize. How empowering an affair. If you give students high expectations and a reasonable route to travel, they will meet those expectations.

Chapter 3 Student Motivation is the Real Estate of Teaching: Context, Context Context! Recently I read an article (found at the end of the chapter) on how bad decisions are a result of being poor and not the other way around. The profound

thing that these findings had on my teaching philosophy was a paradigm shift in the way in which to view my students and their families; context is key. You have no idea what any one individual you encounter in the hallway is personally dealing with. Having the privilege to attend a Challenge Day was anecdotal evidence that cemented that in my mind. As such, the age-old adage of, If you work hard in school, you can get into a good college and get a great job in life, becomes a moot point. It doesnt cover the dynamic of each individuals life and lends to the often difficult-toanswer question I have often experienced in my classroom, When will I EVER need to know this in real life? Well, considering you want to be a painter, the number of radians in a full circle will be a tough sell for your self-identified context of worth. The study from the article I read summarized to the Fixed Mindset-esque nature of socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals decision making process and how their view of themselves as poor led them to devalue the notion of saving up for the future so-to-speak. The take home message is this: for individuals who value the here and now, a cry for trust of future benefit is a weak strategy that accomplishes only to set that student up for falling through the cracks of the system. You need to know this for the test, You need to pass this class to graduate, and the favorite Savior saying, If you want to get a good job and get out of this neighborhood, you need to know this days lesson, are familiar explanations of the value of the material, but once a kid believes that it doesnt matter what they do, theyll never go to college or get a good job, these pleas only fall on deaf ears. It leaves the student want for purpose, allows them an easy avenue to fail, and leaves the teacher falsely believing that, they did everything that they could. If one is to

be an effective teacher that can actually reach the vast multitudes of learners one will encounter, one must have a better strategy in addressing the motivation behind learning the craft they are offering. Context is key. In the context of the socioeconomically comfortable or advantaged, the investment intended for future gain is a realistic approach. Although perhaps not an easy endeavor as we discussed in Chapter 2, for those that are economically disadvantaged (and statistically more likely to struggle in achievement), creating an atmosphere (and therefore context) of math as an enjoyable retreat from the day-today struggles is a much greater way motivate. Have you ever noticed how many kids think that their only way into monetary independence is through singing, playing sports, or other activities that INTEREST them and make them feel VALUABLE to their peers? The end result is, without your teaching matching the context of your students beliefs, a proper context of your classroom being viewed as a safe environment, and without a proper context in the view of mathematics in general, the best lesson plans in the world will do little to reach many of your most needy learners. At best youll manage to attend to the needs of those who have been traditionally advantaged academically.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/11/your-brain-on-povertywhy-poor-people-seem-to-make-bad-decisions/281780/

Chapter 4 Investigations of a real-life classroom

The story continues to be written and there are many pages left to be filled. In my time teaching students, I have had the unique privilege to see how genuinely caring for you students leads to achievement. By being up front with them since day one of my high expectations, they have worked hard and more or less corrected the damaged-state many math classes of the past have left them in. Seeing kids go from fearing that one hour-of-the-day to walking in with a smile is a beautiful thing. Having gifted students working with students struggling with the content lead to both parties benefiting and feel like their contribution was valuable is awe-inspiring. Building personal relationships with the students you work with every day and adjusting the context of your instructional intentions to meet their specific paradigms is a daily treat to accomplish. In essence, teaching in a thoughtful manner with your students best interests in mind is the purest of all professions. I couldnt see myself doing anything else with my life.

Epilogue When can a teacher finally rest their weary head? One could argue that the job of a teacher is never over just as the responsibility of a learner is to never rest on your laurels. My experience in this teacher preparation program has not only created dissonance in which professional improvement is needed, but it has also provided me with ample resources with which to help me reflect on a lesson with a wider lens. Professional development is an aspect of teaching I enjoy just as much as working with the students. Any opportunity to create more Ah-HA! moments is a titillating possibility occasion. The question

remains, if a teacher is always improving and reflecting on how to be better, when can a teacher finally be satisfied with the work theyve done? As was stated before, one could argue that the job of a teacher is never over just as the responsibility of a learner is to never rest on your laurels. While I believe that this is a true statement, I know I have done my job well once my students have grown up enough to no longer need me.