First, let’s celebrate our students. Our students are amazing thinkers and doers of mathematics. They have faced challenges in their lives, classrooms, and in mathematics, especially through the pandemic, and they have persisted and persevered. They want to learn and engage in mathematics. They are powerful problem solvers. We celebrate the mathematical brilliance of all students through valuing their voices and experiences (Yeh and Chao 2019). “At every opportunity, we need to celebrate children’s aha mathematical moments and relish the wonder, joy, and beauty in understanding a mathematical idea deeply” (NCTM 2020a, p. 23). Join me in celebrating our students’ brilliance, strengths, culture, and all that encompasses their mathematical identities!
We celebrate you, our mathematics teachers, administrators, supporting staff, mathematics educators, families, caregivers, and communities. Thank you for working together to create learning environments and opportunities that support students’ mathematical learning, that encourage them as mathematicians, and that give them voice. “A student-centered classroom that encourages and celebrates students’ unique contributions to the collective mathematical knowledge of the class cultivates students’ experience of the wonder joy, and beauty of mathematics” (NCTM 2020b, p. 17).
Together let’s celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15–October 15. National Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes the achievements and contributions of Hispanic Americans who have inspired so many. This is not only an important time of celebration, but also, more importantly, an opportunity for reflection, continuing the journey forward toward making diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) a priority in schools every day of every year. Latinx students are often marginalized, ignored, racialized, and viewed through a deficit lens, contributing to the development and reinforcement of a negative mathematical identity. This is unacceptable. Adams (2018) calls us to listen not only to their voices but also in particular to their stories and support them in developing a sense of power in mathematics that fosters positive mathematical identity. Check out other resources curated from NCTM and TODOS: Mathematics for ALL. Join NCTM in celebrating Hispanic heritage!
This is the time of year when six of our NCTM Standing Committees have member and chair changes. I want to celebrate and thank the chairs rotating off: Brian Shay, Michelle Naidu, Javier Garcia, Spencer Jamieson, Stacy K. Boote, and Amy Parks, along with the members who have completed their terms. Each has provided essential guidance to support NCTM and mathematics education. They have contributed their time and expertise to support high-quality mathematics for each and every student through their respective charges. Further, we welcome the new chairs and members joining those continuing their service. Let’s celebrate each and every one!
This is also a time of the year for transitions on the NCTM Board. I want to celebrate and thank Robert Q. Berry III for his outstanding leadership during his two years as NCTM President. With his term as President-Elect, President, and Past-President and the change in our organization’s calendar for conferences, Robert dedicated four and half years to the leadership of NCTM. Under his leadership, we moved forward as a Board and organization in many areas, particularly those related to equity and access of mathematics for each and every student and in supporting teachers especially through NCTM’s Catalyzing Change series. As an organization we have more to do, but his guidance has moved us in the right direction. I wish him the best on the next part of his journey and will forever remember his positive approach of “truly wonderful and getting better” (Berry 2018) and how much I have learned from him. Let’s celebrate Robert!
I would also like to take this opportunity to celebrate and thank our outgoing Board members: Beth Kobett, Jeff Shih, Jason Slowbe, and Denise Walston. Their commitment to NCTM, its mission, mathematics educators everywhere, our students, and learners of all ages was clearly demonstrated during the past three and half years. They led during a challenging time with the pandemic and were always dedicated to supporting mathematics education. Join me in celebrating them!
We welcome and celebrate our new President-Elect Kevin Dykema and four new Board members who have just begun their three-year term: Kyndall Brown, Zandra de Araujo, Dianna Sopala, and Cathery Yeh. I appreciate their commitment to mathematics education and willingness to devote their expertise and time to leading NCTM. They join a fantastic NCTM Board with Sarah Bush, Lorie Huff, Carol Matsumoto, Jennifer Outzs, Melissa Boston, Dewey Gottlieb, Desiree Harrison, and Jennifer Suh along with our Executive Director Ken Krehbiel. I am looking forward to working together and ask you to join me in celebrating them.
Finally, let’s celebrate mathematics! I enjoy doing mathematics, exploring fascinating problems. Perhaps you have a particular favorite. To that end, readers of Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK–12 (MTLT) have asked about having opportunities to read and write about mathematical problems, interesting solutions, and unique insights gained exploring mathematics problems. So, there is a call for a new article type to do just that! I hope you will consider submitting. See the call description for Exploring Mathematics and let’s celebrate mathematics!
A year ago in October 2020 I shared that “even with so much challenging us now, we have much to celebrate. Together we are a powerful community of teachers and learners of mathematics” (Wilkerson 2020). This continues to be true a year later. So—let’s celebrate, together!
Trena Wilkerson
NCTM President
@TrenaWilkerson
References
Adams, Melissa. 2018. “I Can Solve All the Problems: Latinx Students (Re)Write Their Math Stories.” In Rehumanizing Mathematics for Black, Indigenous, and Latinx Students, edited by Imani Goffney, Rochelle Gutiérrez, and Melissa Boston, pp. 121–33. Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Berry, Robert Q., III. 2018. “Truly Wonderful and Getting Better.” NCTM President’s Message. November 2018. https://www.nctm.org/News-and-Calendar/Messages-from-the-President/Archive/Robert-Q-Berry-III/Truly-Wonderful-and-Getting-Better/.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). 2020a. Catalyzing Change in Early Childhood and Elementary Mathematics: Initiating Critical Conversations. Reston, VA: NCTM.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). 2020b. Catalyzing Change in Middle School Mathematics: Initiating Critical Conversations. Reston, VA: NCTM.
Wilkerson, Trena. 2020. “Celebrating Professional Learning.” NCTM President’s Message. October 2020. https://www.nctm.org/News-and-Calendar/Messages-from-the-President/Archive/Trena-Wilkerson/Celebrating-Professional-Learning/.
Yeh, Cathery, and Chao, Theodore. 2019. “Celebrating the Mathematics Brilliance of All Children.” Teaching Children Mathematics 25, no.7 (May): 448.