It's been one month since the 2020-2021 school year ended, and after this past school year, teachers (and students) have never earned more of a break. As someone who does much better with a set plan or schedule, I originally wanted to set out goals for each week of the break, but that didn't happen, so instead we are just going with the flow and enjoying actually being flexible. Personally, I have been keeping up with my daily morning workouts (although not waking up at 5am to get them done has been lovely). And I have been bringing my daughter to weekly toddler soccer groups, toddler dance class, toddler gym classes, the local pool, and the library, as well as our usual playground dates. I've also finished seven books so far this summer (and am currently working on #8), attended the MfA Summer Think Conference, and am reading Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics. Since I only have about ten minutes before my daughter wakes up from her nap (and we get ready to go to the pool again) I wanted to briefly check in about the MfA Summer Think conference & Building Thinking Classrooms book. I know I won't have enough time to write as much as I would like to, but something is better than nothing.
Earlier this month I attended my third Math for America Summer Think Conference. The conference was virtual this year and the themes were healing, recovery & transition and finding a way forward. What makes Math for America such a great professional community is that it is run by teachers for teachers, so the Summer Think Conference was inspiring, practical, and good for my math teacher soul (as is almost every MfA session I have ever attended). This year the sessions I participated in dealt with how to begin conversations around race and identity, reflecting on instructional practices during remote learning, reflecting on social emotional learning during remote learning, the difference between being burnt out & demoralized, and reflecting on assessment during remote learning. Five years ago I applied to MfA for the first time, and despite getting an interview, I did not get in & I was heart broken. I was starting at an (almost) new school (literally), teaching three different grades, and was the only math teacher, and was so discouraged to have made it so far only to not get in. A year later (after applying again) I found out on the last day of school that I had been awarded a Master Teacher Fellowship. Fast forward four years later (plus one daughter and a pandemic that would forever change education), to this year, I applied for my Master Teacher II+ Fellowship, and am so honored to continue to be a part of this amazing organization of math, science & computer science teachers for the next four years.
Unfortunately it is time to wake up my daughter from her nap, so I'll have to stop here for now. I do hope to write some more some time this week, especially about Building Thinking Classrooms, because it is absolutely amazing and had really got me thinking about how I have run my class in the past and things I hope to change for the fall, and I want to be able to process & think through things on here. But for now, mom-life (and pool time) calls and as much as I love my job, it's summer break ;)