President's Message - June 2007

Welcome!

I am delighted to be your President for the 2007-2008 year! This is an Amazing time in Mathematics! My love of mathematics started as far back as I can remember, from those wonderful math games in early elementary school to the family vacation where we did mental calculations for the conversion of miles to kilometers to find how long it was to the next town. I really have my family to thank for lighting the mathematical flame for me and then for helping me to keep the fire burning throughout my teaching career. I am currently out of the classroom and working out of the board office as the K-12 Mathematics Facilitator for the Durham District School Board.

My OAME career started in early the1990's when I became the Pine Ridge Mathematics Association chapter rep. Since then I have been a Director, VP, President-Elect and now President. I would like to take a moment to thank those fine presidents who have helped to guide my path (Peter Saaramaki, Barry Onslow, Judy Crompton, Ralph Connelly, Mary Howe, Shirley Dalrymple, Marg Warren, Stewart Craven, Gord Cooke, Kathy Kubota-Zarivnij, and Dan Chabonneau.)

I started this President's Message by talking about the amazing time we are having in mathematics. More specifically I am thrilled with the Kindergarten to Grade 12 vision for mathematics that the province currently holds. It excites me to see manipulatives being used in so many ways K-3 classrooms. I love the evolving and growing mathematical maturity in the 4-8 students, and finally students who really are prepared for today's changing world coming out of high school.

OAME has done a lot of work on helping to set the stage for what K-12 mathematics needs to look like (from the Growing Up Mathematically or GUM project) to writing up teacher friendly manipulatives tasks for K -12. I will strive to continue with this vision.

I know our secondary folks are eagerly waiting for more summer writing to be done to help with the revised curriculum. Summer writing is planned for grade 12 courses, and the results of this will be posted on the OAME website before the last week in August.

I would like to congratulate the recent winners of the OAME awards and Union Gas Awards. OAME Awards Life Membership - Bill Morrison Award for Exceptional and Creative Teaching in Secondary Mathematics - Rob McLeish Award for Exceptional and Creative Teaching in Elementary Mathematics - Shelagh McCarthy Award for Outstanding Contribution to OAME - Dr Lynda Colgan Kenneth D Fryer Math Department Award - Fletcher's Meadow Secondary School Union Gas Award Winners... Elementary Teacher - Christine MacTavish Secondary Teacher - Paul Alves Leadership in Mathematics - Bonnie Jaakkimainen

I would also like to take the time to congratulate all of the committees that helped to make the OAME annual conference in Barrie this year a tremendous success!

On the topic of Great jobs! Leadership 2008 will have a two fold structure. We will be looking at Lesson Study as well as Emerging Technologies. The flyer will be out in Sept 2007 and the dates for Leadership in 2008 are the evening of Feb 21, then Feb 22 and half a day on Saturday Feb 23, 2008.

Finally, as many presidents before me have encouraged you, I would like to encourage you all to participate in your local chapter. I am from the Pine Ridge Mathematics Association chapter (PRMA) and we have been tagged with the title "the little choo choo train that could" since even with a small executive we managed to host OAME annual 2003, provincial OMO 2004 and will be hosting provincial OMO's 2008 and 2009. A great thanks to my chapter and all of the other chapters in the province that help to make OAME what it is today.

Yours in Mathematical fun,
Jacqueline Hill

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