Radical Math Talk

For this special episode, I was blessed to have not one but two phenomenal educators, Isis Spann and Coach Toni, come on the podcast to share their personal math journeys, the importance of early childhood math development, their math advocacy work, and so much more!  To learn more about Isis work, you can visit her website at isisspann.com or follow her on Instagram & Twitter (@fun_oflearning).  To learn more about Coach Toni's work, you can visit her website at playmathgrow.com or follow her on Instagram & Twitter (@playmathgrow).

BIO: 

ISIS SPANN:  Isis Spann is a mom to Mia(9), Nia(9), Liara(4), Princeton (2) and they reside in Moncks Corner, South Carolina with her amazing husband Terry Spann Jr., she always wants to mention them first because family is the foundation of her work. Her children remind her daily that ALL children are different and they require special nurturing and attention. As a first-generation college student raised by a strong single mother, she knew the value of hard work but also knew it wasn't going to be easy. Homelife at times for her was unstable but her schools and teachers provided that stability that she yearned for. Now as an educator and parent advocate she knows that she also provides that stability for many families, especially those students growing up in low-income communities.  Mrs. Spann sees a reflection of herself in many of the students that she serves and she sees her mother in many of the mothers that come to her wanting better for their children but not knowing where to turn.  Outside of the classroom, Isis is the CEO of FUNdamentals of Learning (FOL), LLC is a company that focuses on narrowing equity, engagement, and instructional practices gaps in Pre-K through 5th-grade learning environments. When the global pandemic first hit schools she would go live every day on Facebook to ensure that children weren't missing valuable instruction. Out of the pandemic FOL birth its first curriculum "Kindergarten Kounts" which trains parents on how to effectively lead the learning in their homes so that their children are proficient in the area of early mathematics.

COACH TONI:  Coach Toni is an educational equity warrior from Harlem, New York.  She attended Hunter College where she received her bachelor's degree in Mathematics and master's degree in Adolescent Mathematics Education. Coach Toni joined the teaching ranks after spending 10 years in the hospitality management industry and taught fourth through twelfth grade physical education classes and sixth through twelfth grade math class in New York and New Jersey. Coach Toni is the creator of Trap Tables, a hip-hop album that helps students memorize multiplication facts. She also founded Virtual Senior Trip where she organized live, virtual, math standards based field trips for middle and high school seniors during the pandemic where they were able to 'choose their own adventure' and engage with entrepreneurs and successful career people from the comfort of their homes/classrooms.  Coach Toni hosts a weekly podcast called The Writing On The Board which discusses the issues that we have leading to the teacher shortage exacerbated by the recent global pandemic. Coach Toni is passionate about educational prowess between the 0-3 age and hosts monthly webinars called Teach Them Yesterday to help parents make the most of their infant's and toddler's brain processing power.

For this episode, I was blessed to have Dr. Kristopher Childs come on the podcast to share his personal math journey and his candid takes on the current state of education from an antiracist and socioeconomical lens.  To learn more about Dr. Childs work, you can visit his website at kristopherchilds.com or follow him on all social media platforms (@DrKChilds).    

BIO: As a teacher, professor, consultant, and member of senior leadership teams, Dr. Kristopher J. Childs focuses on excellence in teacher content and pedagogical knowledge, equity, leadership development, and organizational change. His work is guided by his mantra, “Live life to the fullest; you only get one.”  Dr. Childs is a highly sought-after keynote speaker due to his coaching skills, storytelling, and passion. As a speaker, Dr. Childs inspires audiences to relentlessly pursue their goals and dreams. He seeks to help each find his or her passion and purpose, and his messages have been deemed “life-changing” by clients.   Dr. Childs seeks to create a movement through educating, advocating, and inspiring individuals to pursue academic excellence. Due to his student-centered approach to teamwork, faculty, staff, and students recognize him as a visionary and collaborative leader. Dr. Child’s approach helps both school and district teams that he consults achieve common goals and improve student academic success and students’ classroom experiences.   Dr. Childs is a Life Member in the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University National Alumni Association and a Life Member in the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated.   Dr. Childs earned his doctor of philosophy in mathematics education from the University of Central Florida, his master of science in mathematics education from Nova Southeastern University, and his bachelor of science in computer engineering from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.  He is co-author of Making Sense of Mathematics for Teaching Girls in Grades K – 5 and author of the article Good Mathematics Teaching is NOT Telling, it is Facilitating.

In this week's episode, I'm thrilled to connect with my good friend Dr. Che Smith for a deep dive into personal math journey and an introduction to the world of biostatistics and data science!  To learn more about Che's work, you can connect with her on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chesmith1/).  

BIO: Dr. Che Smith currently serves as the Senior Analytics Engineer for Netflix.  She previously served as the visiting assistant professor of Data Science at Davidson College in North Carolina.  Che's experience spans a variety of settings, including local and federal government public health agencies, academia, consulting and entrepreneurship. As data and computation continue to be pervasive aspects of our lives, her courses introduce students to how data science and statistics are understood (or, in many cases, misunderstood) and demonstrated in our everyday lives.  Her research focuses on modeling data collected from individuals across time with attention to variable choice, bias reduction, and the use of data visualization to communicate complex and high-dimensional data.

In this episode, I chat with Brittany Rhodes to learn about her personal math journey, the founding of Black Girl MATHgic, the importance of literacy in building math proficiency, and so much more! To learn more about Brittany's work, you can visit the Black Girl MATHgic website at blackgirlmathgic.com or follow her on Instagram (@blackgirlmathgic) and Twitter (@blkgirlmathgic).  

BIO: Brittany Rhodes is a math tutor/coach, GED Math Instructor, and Founder and General MATHager of Black Girl MATHgic (BGM). BGM is a movement dedicated to increasing math confidence, awareness, enthusiasm, identity, fluency and persistence in children, with a focus on girls and black children. BGM’s flagship product is the Black Girl MATHgic Box, which is the first and only subscription box designed to increase math confidence and decrease math anxiety in girls on a 3rd-8th grade math level. Brittany received her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Spelman College and her Master of Business Administration in Marketing, Communication and Organizational Behavior from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University. Brittany is a proud native of Detroit, where she lives with her husband, Oscar.

In this episode, I welcome Asia Hines to the podcast to share her personal Math journey, her process for unlocking her creativity as a teacher, and the keys to creating engaging math learning resources for students.  To learn more about Asia's work, you can either visit her website thesassymathteacher.com or follow her on Instagram (@thesassyteacher) & Twitter (@sassymathteachr).  

BIO: Asia Hines a.k.a. "The Sassy Math Teacher" is a graduate of James Madison University where she obtained a Bachelors of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies. While in school, she also obtained a minor in Middle Education with a concentration in math and science. Asia is a driven young woman who strives for excellence in all aspects of her life. She is a very enthusiastic educator who has an eclectic and adaptive personality. Her heart is full as she loves to serve people and communities that are in need of her support and love. She strives to make the world a better place, one bright smile at a time. Asia is currently seeking opportunities in the education sector.

In this episode, I had an entertaining conversation with Math rock star Vanessa Vakharia about her personal math journey, her Math Hack book series, the founding of her company The Math Guru, and the need to dismantle gender stereotypes in Math education.  To learn more about Vanessa's work, you can visit the Math Guru website at themathguru.ca or follow her on all social media platforms (@themathguru).   

BIO: Vanessa Vakharia is the Founder and Chief Inspiration Officer of The Math Guru. She is a teacher with a Bachelor of Commerce, a degree in Graphic Design and a Masters degree in Mathematics Education. Born and raised in Toronto, Vanessa attended the University of Guelph, D’Youville College, Humber College and the University of British Columbia. She is recognized as a leading expert and published author in the field of Youth Engagement and Education. She specializes in teen engagement in STEM, with a specific focus on engaging young women to embrace STEM as a part of their fluid identities.

In this episode, I welcomed veteran elementary Math educator and writer Deborah Peart to the podcast to share her personal math journey, what it means to be a Mather, and the importance of incorporating literacy and practicing mindfulness in the Math classroom.  To learn more about Deborah's work, you can visit the My Mathematical Mind website at mymathematicalmind.com or follow her on Twitter (@debpeart1)   

BIO: Deborah Peart is the CEO of My Mathematical Mind.  As an elementary educator for more than 30 years, and a lead curriculum writer for Illustrative Mathematics' K-5 curriculum, Deborah believes that all students can learn and enjoy mathematics. She has dedicated her career to helping other educators approach teaching in innovative ways that allow students to see themselves as valued contributors to the study of elementary mathematics.   Deborah also recognizes the reality that students, educators and parents have unaddressed trauma when it comes to learning mathematics, causing challenges with math identity and math anxiety. As a certified yoga instructor who has immersed herself in studies of  mindfulness and social-emotional learning, she seamlessly blends these practices into her work with educators. She recognizes the importance of students being able to understand and manage their emotions and advocate for themselves in order to achieve academic success.

In this episode, I had the honor of speaking with Crystal M. Watson about  to talk about your personal math journey, the importance of student voice and identity development, CRT and antiracism in Math, and other topics.  To learn more about Crystal's work, you can visit her website at crystalmwatson.com or follow her on Twitter (@_CrystalMWatson).   

BIO: Crystal M. Watson serve as a Middle School Math Teacher and Instructional Coach for Cincinnati Public Schools.  She is an innovative, passionate mathematics educator, leader, and life long learner who you can count on to always ask “What do the students think?”  Crystal obtained a Masters of Education in Educational Leadership and Administration at Teachers College at Columbia University where she further developed her understanding for school and district leadership. Her work is centered around providing space for student voice and identity development in order for all to experience high quality, deep, and personal mathematics.  As Crystal continues to expand her reach, she has shared and continues to lend her experience and knowledge across multiple platforms including local and national conferences, podcasts, and professional development sessions.  

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Ethnic Studies Math teacher Shraddha Shirude about her personal Math journey and the importance of infusing Ethnic Studies in the Math curriculum.  To learn more about Shraddha's work, you can visit her blog on esmathteacher.wordpress.org or follow her on Twitter (@ESMathTeacher).

BIO: Shraddha Shirude is a high school Math teacher at Seattle Public Schools.  She also serves as a Director & Math Specialist for Washington Ethnic Studies Now, a coach for Seattle's Center for Racial Equity and is one of the authors for the Seatlle Ethnic Studies Math Framework.  

In this episode, I spent some time with Dr. Tarcia Hubert to talk about life as a Math professor, her health and wellness journey, the founding of her organization, Making Awesome Things Happen (M.A.T.H), life as an entrepreneur, and so much more!  To learn more about Dr. Hubert's work, you can visit the M.A.T.H website at makingawesomethingshappen.org, as well as the Greenwood Boutique website at greenwoodboutique.com.  You can follow her on Instagram (@dr.thubert).  

BIO: Dr. Tarcia Hubert serves as an associate professor of Mathematics at Lone Star College, as well as the Founding Executive Director of Making Awesome Things Happen (M.A.T.H.), a community based, not for profit, 501(c)(3), volunteer organization, dedicated to developing mathematical proficiency in economically disadvantaged students. The organization helps traditionally underrepresented students become proficient and confident in mathematics, be successful in academics and life, and increase the number of minorities in STEM related fields.  Outside of her Math advocacy work, Dr. Hubert is a thriving entrepreneur who owns Greenwood Boutique, a women's boutique shop that specializes in regular and plus size wholesale fashion clothing.