President's Message - March 2020

Infinite Hope

"We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope." ~ Martin Luther King A recent vignette from my classroom: At lunch, students invade my classroom to eat lunch, discuss whether the Lakers or Leafs have a real shot at success in the post- season, and to ostensibly play games. My classroom had been advertised as the chess club at lunch, but has slowly transformed itself into a games and socialization club. Games of chess do break out, but you will just as likely find ten students playing UNO, a Connect 4 tournament, or an intense Stratego battle ensuing. There are moments when students come into the room to chat and sometimes it is about math. On a recent Friday, a student was asking for some help with exponential relations, and we had a good discussion about the way to model relationships where the period is something other than a single period (e.g., one year, one hour). After exploring the effect of changing the period on the growth or decay of an initial amount, the student looked at me and jokingly said, "I understand that. You explained it well. You should do something like teach math." After a week of dealing with what seemed like endless crises, including spending one day completing a four-hour picket, it was a much-needed laugh and reminder of the reason why I love to teach and, in particular, love to teach mathematics. Regardless of the periodic (maybe even constant) maelstrom that surrounds us in our profession, I never lose hope in the work that we do as educators.

Looking back on what seems like the proverbial blink of an eye, but is in fact over 20 years of teaching, it is hard to remember a more turbulent time. Not only has it been a tumultuous school year in terms of the relationship between teachers and the province, but specifically in math education. Changes to what we teach, how we teach, and possibly who will teach math in the province are in the offing. It is in these trying times that we turn to the communities that sustain and help us through all of our days. I am fortunate to work with a stellar group of teachers at Fletcher's Meadow Secondary School in Brampton. From the administrators to the teachers and support staff, we focus on the work that we do so well—being the stewards of an education system many jurisdictions look to as an example of how to teach and prepare students for the challenges that will come in the remainder of the century. In particular, I count myself blessed to work with a department of committed math teachers. They continue to challenge the conventions of what "teaching mathematics" looks like and, in the process, make me look good as the department head of a progressive group of teachers. Most importantly, they make me laugh, especially when I need a boost. I am certain that as you read these words, you will reflect on the community (they may be just a couple of teachers or range to many) that sustains you in the work that you do day to day and that gives you infinite hope.

My hope is that many members look to OAME/AOEM as a community that helps sustain them professionally, regardless of the challenges faced by the provincial community. OAME/AOEM remains dedicated to its mission of promoting, supporting, and advocating for excellence in mathematics education throughout the province. Those words are pulled directly from the OAME/AOEM mission statement, which was updated after the annual general meeting in October of 2019. I am pleased to report that in our continuing effort to serve our membership, that the guiding principles for OAME/AOEM have been translated into French and can be found on the website. It is hoped that this is just the start and, in the future, OAME/AOEM will make more content available in both English and French.

One of the dates that provides us with an opportunity to come together and exchange ideas and best practices is the OAME/AOEM Annual Conference. This year's conference, OAME 2020 In Focus, is taking place May 7-8 at Ontario Tech University in Oshawa. At the time of this message, registration will have been open for some time, and if this year is like those in the past, sessions are quickly filling up and the anticipation is growing for another exceptional professional development event. I hope to see you there. Please don't be shy about coming up and starting a discussion about what we can do to improve your experience as a member of OAME/AOEM.

In addition to the conference, OAME/AOEM will have wrapped up the second season of OAMEtalks. The second season provided an excellent lineup of speakers from last year's conference, and an opportunity to hear them speak about what they presented at OAME 2019. The podcast and webinar series is another way that OAME/AOEM is expanding opportunities for learning to the membership. A big thank you to all those involved in the planning and production of the series.

I would also like to give a shout-out to our Gazette Editor, Tim Sibbald, and his team, who continue to put together the Gazette. Although the publication has been around for some time, Tim and his team have ensured that the quality of the work continues from issue to issue. The Gazette (and Abacus) is another way that we strive to serve the math community in the province.

A quick reminder before concluding this message: Voting for OAME/AOEM Board of Director and Executive positions is open. Voting is open to all OAME/AOEM members. Please visit the website to view the candidate biographies and to cast your vote!

I want to finish with a mention of a podcast I was listening to that hit on mathematics and the impact it can have on lives. I am a faithful listener of Heavyweight. The podcast is the brainchild of Jonathan Goldstein. I have been a fan of his work from the time of the Wiretap show on CBC Radio. The subject of Heavyweight is rarely mathematics. The stories are a mix of humour and poignancy as someone tries to go back and resolve a moment in their past. The episode that relates to math is "#31 Marie-Claude." Marie-Claude is 50 years old, and her problem, as Jonathan points out, is a "math problem." Marie-Claude then starts relating her history of disappointment and failure with school mathematics. She now wants to confront that problem and, in particular, pass a math exam that would allow her to become a registered realtor. What struck me was the familiar feeling of hearing many stories from adult friends and family about their negative experiences with school mathematics. But what also gave me hope (spoiler alert for those who will want to listen to the episode) is the sense of triumph and validation when those past demons are conquered. I constantly tell my students that they may not understand YET, but they will if they persevere and persist in their desire to learn. It is their persistence and perseverance that gives me hope. Infinite hope.

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