Last week I started writing on here again & I gave myself the goal of taking some time to write on here at least once a week, so here I am. I must say, since starting this back up again, I found found myself making mental notes throughout the day of "oh I should write about that" just because it is something that I get excited about and want to dig more into. The challenge is finding (or rather making) the time to do it. Teachers are extra busy this year. Parents are extra busy this year. We all have a lot going on, and especially now, we all need to remember that "Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always." So here I am, choosing to make this a priority, at least for right now.
Like I said last week, I was inspired to start writing on here again after working on and submitting my Master Teacher II+ Fellowship application for Math for America last week. Fellow Master Teacher, Brian Palacious, who I've been lucky enough to take some courses with over the past four yeas, also submitted his renewal application and said it best in a Tweet last week...
@MathforAmerica Master Teacher fellowship applications trigger so much deep reflection for me. At the end of them, I'm always in a much better, more thoughtful place than when I started. #mfaproud
— Brian (@_b_p) January 16, 2021
And it is so true. Applying the MfA the first time was intense, but working on my renewal application this time around really made me think about where I currently am as a teacher, how far I've come, and where I want to go next as a professional. Currently I am in my 14th year year teaching math in NYC public schools. I have two Masters degrees, my School Building Leader certificate, and my Gifted Education certificate. I have taught in three different public schools, and in addition, have, at times, taught visual art, led advisory classes, been a graduation advisor, yearbook coordinator, and NJHS advisor. I would be lying if I said that I haven't thought about leaving the classroom at various times throughout my career, but at the end of the day, I like being a classroom math teacher. I like teaching middle school students. It is not always easy, but I am very fortunate that I like my job and being a Math for America Master Teacher these past four years has definitely played an important role in inspiring me to continue working in the classroom, while at the same time working to change the way we talk about teachers and teaching.
A large part of my MTII+ application focused on my work in various professional learning teams (PLTs) on analyzing free formative assessment lessons in math for 6th-12th grade. I have been a part of this PLT for three of my four years at MfA, and am currently on a year long PLT about it. It has probably had the most direct impact on my teaching because as a result I have used the resources that we have been analyzing from the Math Assessment Project in my classes, I have contributed to the Teaching & Learning Exploratory at the University of Michigan, and MfA's Remote Learning Resources, and have begun to reflect on my teaching practice using the Teaching for Robust Understanding (TRU) Framework. What makes this PLT so great for me is that not only do we explore math together, but we analyze quality resources and reflect on our own teaching practice. Our work within the TRU Framework has also helped me reflect on my own math classroom within the dimensions on content, cognitive demand, equitable access to content, agency, authority and identity, and formative assessment. One way that I have been thinking about recently about how to address these areas in my virtual classroom is through the 2nd Annual NY Times STEM Writing Contest. I hope I can continue to make the time to write more about these dimensions in future blog posts.