A Classroom has a Soul
When I was in seminary, I had planned my master’s thesis around the title “Psyche and Spirit in the Classroom.” I see now that this was a skew frame, at an awkw...
Author: Fig Tree
Sonar the Sheepdog and Toad the Terror take a personality test!
It’s summer vacation, so it’s time to think about…personality tests! I was speaking with a colleague a few weeks ago about our Myers Briggs types. I have an int...
My True Teacher
Having a childAfter 18 months I still can't sayWhat it's like 4th Ave & 12th St, Manhattan
On listening in math
I met with a student for extra help. Call her K. K is in 9th grade this year, is new to the school, and has returned her last two math quizzes blank. To her cre...
American Psyche
Originally posted on 10/18/2020, thought I’d share it here. In the ancient Greek used in the Gospels, the word for soul is “psyche”, as contrasted with the word...
Confronting Whiteness with White Students
In January of 2020, I co-facilitated a two-day workshop on whiteness, race, and racism with a group of white high school students. I had designed the workshop w...
Clouds of Witness
I was in Austin, Texas for a few days before I really looked up at the sky. I saw churning clouds under a hot sun, a favorite object of contemplation of mine in...
The Math Koan, or: Zen Problem Solving
I wrote an article that the good people at Lion’s Roar published. You can find it here!
Anxiety and Frustration in the Math Classroom: My NCTM Presentation, Fall 2018
It’s been a while! Playing a little catch up. First: Below is the slideshow I presented at the NCTM Regional Conference this past November in Seattle. It’s spar...
Math as Witness: who counts? who doesn’t?
I ended the school year with a surprising burst of energy after the students left for the summer. I slogged my way through two straight days of comment-writing....