For the Love of Math

Last year, I wrote that practicing empathy is like going to the gym because it builds muscle that we can use anywhere, anytime. Proximity is an important empathy muscle group and can be a strong problem-solving tool. Getting close to something can help drive deeper understanding, ultimately accelerating problem solving. 

So what happens when a pandemic takes the traditional form of proximity – physical closeness – off the table? Literally every person in every industry is affected in some way by this reality, but none more so than our teachers and students. 

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been reading about the amazing work teachers across the United States are doing to keep their students engaged and excited about learning during these uncertain times. Across academic disciplines, teachers are thinking outside the box to ensure their students continue to receive a high-quality education in this new universally virtual environment. 

I’m particularly keen to learn how math teachers are innovating to achieve this…and not just because it’s Math Awareness Month! I am, after all, a math girl. It’s important to note that I didn’t always love math; I spent my first few years in the classroom terrified of math. But thanks to some amazing teachers who helped me gain confidence in my math ability over time, I leaned into the space and pursued an engineering degree, which ultimately led to a fulfilling career in tech. 

Therefore, I believe I owe a lot to

the world of math! 

And in truth, I’m worried about our math world. The pandemic poses serious challenges for our teachers to be able to closely engage students and build confidence in distance learning settings. But there’s another roadblock that’s been looming over our classrooms for a while now: decreasing math skills of students across the country, coupled with an increasing math teacher shortage. 

In 2019, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics assessment results showed that students who scored over 90% had essentially improved scores from a decade ago, but all others had flatlined or declined. This is key because poor math skills can impact the velocity and direction of a student’s academic trajectory, ultimately impacting her professional aspirations and productivity. Math teachers can (and often do) help reverse this trend – but there just aren’t enough of them, especially in low-income and rural communities, where teacher shortages are most severe. This shortage is exacerbated by the fact that access to high-speed internet isn’t always assured in these areas. 

That is why Microsoft is partnering with educational organizations across the country to empower teachers to keep innovating to overcome these challenges. One such special partnership is with California State University, which is working to recruit and retain a diverse pool of teacher candidates in the state to ensure students in low-income communities have the opportunity to receive a high-quality math and science education. We’re excited to be a small part of CSU’s journey to address the state’s diversity gap and support the education and development of future math teachers. 

It only takes one special teacher to change everything for a student. Have you heard about the math teacher (pictured above) who helped his 6th grade student work through a math problem from her porch to get safe proximity to her while maintaining social distance? How about the teacher who turned her washer and dryer into a whiteboard so she could livestream her math lessons “From the Laundry Pile”! We have so many heroes reshaping the math landscape for our children.

To all of our math heroes, I want to say THANK YOU for your commitment and creativity. To anyone considering this professional discipline, I want to say YES, PLEASE!!! 

For the love of math, help me celebrate math teachers everywhere by sharing your stories below.