This is my second time attending the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference, the first time in-person. It’s been simultaneously inspiring, exhausting, and humbling. I knew more people than expected including colleagues, friends, and past students from long ago when I lived and worked in Los Angeles. Yet I felt very much alone.
Great talks all day. The big take home for me: it doesn’t matter what level you are teaching, we are trying to accomplish the same thing—creating a welcoming space for exploration, engagement, access, and equity. We seem to be coming up with many of the same solutions.
I talked today at 1:00 pm when there were 40 other sessions for attendees to choose from. The turn-out to my talk was more than the number that came to my virtual session last year but could still be counted on my very own fingers. That, my friends, was humbling.
I did get to meet folks in person that I have only interacted with online.
I got to see friends and colleagues, past and present.
And the evening closed with a high energy INGITE Celebration. Standing room only. Music, dancing, humor, stories, and calls to action. I was glad I went and stayed to catch every last moment. My only request for the future, please respect the advertised time for the event and be sure to end with sufficient time for people to catch the last hotel shuttle run for the night.
Cover image from the Iris Carl Address given by Nicole Joseph titled Making Black Girls Count in Mathematics.
Math in the Time of Corona 