News from the Eastern 2 Region
Sue Vohrer, Eastern 2 Regional Director
Fall 2018
Greetings from Eastern Region 2!
Thinking about… that "one thing." Remember that scene in City Slickers? The movie is about three city fellows who take a vacation out west to become "real" cowboys. Of course, there are many hilarious events as they learn about how to be "real" cowboys! And they learn other things about life as well. In one of the most memorable parts of the movie, Curly, the wise, old, hardened cowboy, has a meaningful conversation with Mitch (played by Billy Crystal.)
Curly, holding up his pointer finger, asks: "Do you know what this is?"
Mitch: "Your finger?
Curly: "No, it is the one thing that is important in life."
Mitch: "What is the one thing?"
Curly: "That’s what you got to figure out for yourself."
What is your "one thing" for teaching and leading in mathematics? This year, take some time to contemplate your one thing. Could it be growing yourself to grow others? Could it be professional reading that energizes you to try new ideas with your students? Could it be working with a new colleague? My "one thing" was to develop new ideas for connecting math to the real world for my elementary students. For example, I developed a business plan for a snowball (shaved ice) stand. My students sold stock in the company to raise capital, developed market plans, bought materials, determined pricing for a profit, and then sold snowballs in the cafeteria. The profit was used to buy books for a neighboring school that had a fire. The real world learning was terrific, and involved plenty of math as well as other disciplines.
We all have our own "one thing" that matters to us. Beginning a new school year is a wonderful time to find the "one thing" that keeps you energized with enthusiasm for making math matter!
Save the Date!
- NCSM Fall Leadership Seminar: Coaching: October 4, Hartford, CT.
- Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics: "It’s Time to Act: Using Research-Informed Practices to Meet the Needs of Every Learner", October 19, Dundalk High School, Baltimore County, Maryland
- Pennsylvania Association of Math Teacher Educators: Pre-Teacher Symposium, October 20, Shippensburg, PA.
- Delaware Math Coalition: Equity Conference, April, 2019, Location TBA
- Delaware Council of Teachers of Mathematics: "Kids Just Don’t Know Their Math Facts", November 3, 2018, Dover, DE.
- Association of Math Teachers of New Jersey have several upcoming conferences.
- The Annual Two-Day Conference: October 25-26 in East Windsor New Jersey
- October 25: Effective Teaching Practices
- October 26: Creative Assessment for the Classroom
- Special Education Conference: December 5, Monroe, New Jersey
- Annual Winter Conference: "Math Sense Making for All Students", February 7, Monroe, New Jersey
- The Annual Two-Day Conference: October 25-26 in East Windsor New Jersey
Get Connected! Sign up for eNews, a brief and informative electronic communiqué, for anyone interested in receiving updates and tips about opportunities and resources.
Check out the NCSM Grants! Don’t miss the opportunity to apply for the Iris Carl Travel Grant or the Teacher Leader Professional Learning Grant. In addition, you may know a wonderful colleague that you would like to nominate for the Kay Gilliland award or the Ross Taylor/Glenn Gilbert Award.
Stay in Touch – Your Eastern Region 2 Team Leaders
We are so appreciative of having these dedicated team leaders working in your state! Feel free to contact them (or me!) if you need information or have questions.
- Delaware: Crystal Lancour ( ) and Jamila Riser ()
- Maryland: Ed Nolan ( ), Andrew Todd ( ) and Amanda Salveron ()
- New Jersey: Jill Perry ( ) and Dianna Sopala ()
- Pennsylvania: Please contact me if interested.
- Washington DC: Michael Barnhart ( )
- West Virginia: Please contact me if interested
All the best,
Sue