March 2, 2025 – Learning Math on Saturdays

What can I say? I’m still just as passionate for Professional Development when I was teaching in K-12 and now in teacher education in higher education. I can’t help myself. And, being on both sides of the professional development stage, as workshop facilitator or presenter and workshop participant, my preference is being the learner. Don’t get me wrong… I love to share what I have learned, but I don’t like being the “expert.” I don’t think I’ll ever get there even though I have my doctorate. I don’t have to prove myself to anyone or impress anyone. I used to think that was true. What I need to do is to love what I’m learning. That’s it.

When I was teaching in K-12 and now in higher education, I was allotted a lump sum annually for professional development. My balance was always ZERO with many claims to be had. Some were funded through professional development, but most likely it was personally funded. I just can’t help myself. Although I have just purchased a new home and the economy is currently unstable, I am still delving into professional development. In January, I flew to Vancouver to go to UBC for a community beading event. In February, I went to WestCAST at SFU. Next week, I am going to see Gabor Maté live with special tickets to meet him.

I also attended the Interior Math Conference online and this week, I just ended a 6 session event learning about building confidence in elementary mathematics. Wow. I learned so much from that online class. It was kind of serendipitous. I attended a free workshop shared by one of my friends/colleagues and that turned into me joining a 6-week session. It was a pilot session for the facilitator, but also a new experience for me to engage in professional development in math that extended longer than one event. I learned so much about problem strings, math resources, and ways to create a community in my math class.

The math class was so aligned to my values and I was so appreciative of the facilitator/educator. They are trying something new with supporting teachers in teaching mathematics, and I needed an opportunity to sit and learn about how to teach mathematics in the elementary years. Although I taught secondary mathematics for 16-years, I felt that my fire was stoked each Saturday morning to get back into the classroom again. So much that is learned in the elementary years are used and needed in the secondary years. And, it goes beyond the algorithm. I loved how math fluency and flexibility are developed for all learners.

My curiosity is provoked and I am very excited to learn more about teaching math. Sounds strange for me to say that, but I think that math can be fun, engaging, and community oriented. What I appreciated most about the workshops was how the learning was designed so that the students had agency and that they would come to their own conclusions about math algorithms, efficiency, and play. I am grateful to professional learning and professional development opportunities. I love learning, especially when when I can CMT (change my thinking). It feels great!!