Mathy Math Mom

It is official, I am going to the classroom again. I have been an instructional coach for the past 3 years but the time has come to return to the classroom. When my family was planning to get out of the military and move home to California from Boise in 2016, I started applying for jobs on Edjoin. My previous district (when I was a student) and my mom's current district had a position for a TOSA. I didn't know what that meant, so I figured I wasn't qualified. I applied to other districts but didn't get much in the way of offers. I had completed my student teaching in Alaska and my experience in Boise. Naturally my application was a mess. BUT my mom encouraged me to apply explaining TOSAs (instructional coaches) and I was hired! Now 3 years later, and countless memories and experiences, I have decided to work in a classroom again. But this time, I have this toolbox of ideas and resources from being a TOSA. As I have often said before, everyone should have a chance t...

November 11, 2016 (posted April 28, 2017<---oops) Last weekend I had the amazing opportunity to attend CMC South. It was invigorating ! Not only did meet many illustrious educators, I got to hear them speak about their passions, successes, and failures during their journey. Many sessions mentioned number talks, one of which by Dan Luevanos (@danluevanos) from San Diego, CA. He gave several awesome secondary examples of number talks using clothesline math. Essentially, it is an interactive double number line. He challenged us to decide if we had a true conceptual understanding of concepts such as systems of equations using elimination, distributive property, and sale price. Obviously I do....right? This picture is an example of solving systems of equations by elimination. No calculations, no writing. Mind blown! Anyway, I needed to try this out ASAP. The opportunity presented itself today at a principal's meeting. We were trying to give our principal's an...

November 9, 2016 I am not an elementary school teacher.  I have a mathematics degree and the majority of my experience has been in a secondary classroom. Robert Fulgham I spent 3 years in varying ages from birth to prek. With this wide range of experience, I have always said that high school students are just kindergartners who "wipe their own nose". Although I agree with the obvious that they do more than that, it is important to remember that our primary and secondary students deserve the same, welcoming, highly engaging, rigorous, hands on education. Don't skimp with kindys and don't forget to have fun with big kids. One of my favorite activities is card sorts, arranging cards, find a frame, fill a frame, ... (the list goes on). Recently, I used this strategy with my first grader. He was working on related number sentences . For those of you who are unaware of the math associated with this academic language (myself included until a couple day...

September 6, 2016 Here it goes. Starting a blog has been something I have been considering for a while. Its value seems obvious just as we are told to reflect on our everyday. Why tonight? Well this amazing mathematician once told me that he learned more from his experience blogging for himself than for other people. Now I can't fathom having the same experience as him, but it was worth a shot. He posted on twitter that today was his 10 year anniversary for blogging, so starting today seemed like a valid choice. Who you ask? None other than Dan Meyer! I have recently started my new position as a high school math TOSA in Southern California. After living and teaching in Boise, Idaho for 4 years, California was a change. I am originally from SoCal and have only been gone for 9 years, but my experience in education has only happened out of state. It has been difficult to transition home, but also helpful to have a different perspective. Working in Boise has given me an ama...