Help Me Think Math

I am a math teacher who has taught all types of high school students and all levels of high school math through precalculus and statistics. I was a high school principal and district math supervisor for years, so I have had the blessing of observing hundreds of hours of math teaching, and learning from many great math teachers. I am now back in the classroom doing what I love most.

I believe math is learned through communication, and much of that is talking. I try to make my class a place where students feel free to think out loud, ask questions, and respond to each other's thinking. Most of my instruction is exploration-based, and nearly all "practice" problems are done in teams of three at team whiteboards. (Thank you Building Thinking Classrooms!). I also have students work individually through concept-building exercises that we discuss at length as a whole class to ensure students understand the underlying "why". I use the "Concept Ladder" activities I've developed to help with this.

The best moments of my career have been the hundreds of hours I have spent watching teachers teach, and the additional hundreds of hours talking with teachers about their instructional practices. I hope I helped them improve their teaching and I know they helped me improve my teaching.

I have been in education for over 25 years as a high school math teacher, principal, and K-12 PD coordinator. I am back in the classroom for my last few years to end my career doing what I love: teaching math.