I have entries from new math bloggers for our New Blogger Initiative! Several wrote about why they teach and others confront pride in math ignorance, why precalculus is such a mess of topics, and even offer a solution to managing homework.

I can’t believe this was already week 3 out of 4. These bloggers are to be commended for writing an entry every week for nearly a month.

Living The Dream

Pam Rissmann | PPerfect Squares

So at 39 I quit my job, took 3 years off, and in addition to traveling, taking cooking lessons, doing stained glass, learning the piano, I went back to school and got my teaching credential.

Living the Dream is “a short reflection on my path from an engineering career to teaching math at 42 years old. Did I really have a choice?”

“I can’t do math, either.” – a parent

Pamela Rawson | rawsonmath

As a society, we seem to accept a self-proclaimed inability to “do math” as a badge of honor – something to wear with pride.

How do you respond to a parent who says that it’s okay if their child is struggling in your math class because, “I can’t to math, either.”? Smile, breathe, and ask some questions. Have a conversation.

Precalculus Stew

Mathaholic | Confessions of a Mathaholic

I always pitch the hodge-podge nature of precalculus as a positive to my students: “Hey, if you don’t like what we’re doing, there’s always a chance you’ll like what we do next.”

Precalc is a hodge-podge of topics. Why?

Homework Conundrum Solution

MathNinjaTeacher | The Education of Future Math Ninjas

Are you picturing my mound of homework, current, overdue and incomplete, toppling over on my desk?

MathNinjaTeacher’s insane approach to homework and how it has not been working. “I also share what ideas I compiled and my final (hopefully) solution to the homework mess I created this weekend for myself.”

Trying to Get Students to Understand Why Math is Important

Erin Goddard (@ErinYBaker) | Math Lessons on the Loose!!

They learn not just about a topic they are interested in, but they also see the force of using math to form facts and backbone to an argument.

From Erin, “I have a class that is notorious for asking the questions “Why do I need to learn this [math]?” In this blog, I post a lesson I do at the beginning of this Algebra class that attempts to get them to see the role math can plan in making decisions and forming arguments.”

Why Do I Teach?

Lori Ferrington (@loferrington) | Shift(ed)ucator

I will do it for the kids…because without them, I wouldn’t be teaching at all.

Troubling times in Lori’s district have prompted her to reassess why she teaches. In the end, she found that the reason has not changed: for the kids.

Math Misconceptions Malady

That Math Lady (@thatmathlady) | That Math Lady

[Math Misconceptions Malady], which commonly impacts a student’s ability to successfully solve math problems and – gulp – like math, stems from years of misconceptions being formed by parents, students and even – bigger gulp – teachers.

The doctor is in! This post discusses 4 common misconceptions in the math classroom and suggests “treatment” for each misconception.

Is this important?

Mary Dooms | Curiouser and Curiouser

Here I thought making up a humanitarian word problem was all that’s needed.

Kids ask “is this important?” when we fail to: 1) connect the curriculum to personal interest. 2) connect it to the students’ life ambitions 3) encourage the application of knowledge with challenging tasks using decision making, problem solving, experimental inquiry, and investigation. Marzano’s research is helping me become a better teacher.

Who else is featuring new bloggers in the Math Blogging Initiation?
Julie, Fawn, Anne, Megan, Bowman, Sam, Lisa, John, Shelli, Tina, Kate, Sue