In celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week, two of TCTM's executive board members presented the Educator of the Year award to one of Portsmouth Public School's Division Mathematics Specialists, Ryanne Richardson. Her nomination, written by one of her colleagues, stated the following:

Ryanne is a division specialist and is awesome at her job! With the teacher shortage, she has taken on the role of classroom teacher 4 days a week, and on Fridays she visits with her other schools to make sure that her math teachers are okay. With every resource, new idea, and different way of teaching the students, Ryanne brings excitement to the classroom! She has adapted her role, but never left us teachers behind---even with all that she has on her plate. From supporting teachers and being behind the scenes, to being front and center in her classroom-- handling students, conferences, lesson plans, and more, Ryanne does it all; and that says a lot about her character! Ryanne is beyond deserving and is a rockstar for our division!!

Congratulations, Ryanne! 

Today, B. Jackson from Norfolk was announced as the winner of the 2023 Math Problem-Solving Lyric Challenge! We are looking forward to working with them in the music studio to record their song!

We are so proud of all of the Hampton Roads students who submitted lyrics for this year's contest. All contestants are to be commended on their creativity.

Mark your calendars for next year's lyric contest, which will be announced in January 2024!

Did you know that pi is used all of the time by NASA scientists and engineers to explore other planets? The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory has many engaging STEM lessons related to pi for students in grades 5-12.  Try some of them out with your students and let us know your thoughts.

The lessons can be found here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/teach/tag/search/Pi+Day 

Congratulations to the following students, who are semi-finalists in the Problem-Solving Lyric Challenge:

• R. Dizon, Virginia Beach
• B. Jackson, Norfolk
• Jolin Jiang, Virginia Beach
• E. Joyner, Virginia Beach

The grand prize winner will be announced on March 17, 2023. Stay tuned!

The Problem-Solving Math Lyric Challenge

Sponsored by 

   

Show Us Your Lyric-Writing Skills!

How do you tackle math problems? What strategies do you use? We're looking for Hampton Roads students to write song lyrics outlining the math problem-solving process. The grand prize winner(s) will have the opportunity to have their song professionally recorded! 

What?

For this challenge, individuals or groups of students will write and submit 8 or 16 bars (lines of text) outlining their problem-solving process. This infographic can be used to guide lyric writing.

Students can write either a hip-hop, pop, or rock song using the tracks that have been provided. Click here to listen to the three tracks available for the contest.

Who?

We are seeking submissions from all grade levels of students: Elementary, Middle, High, and Postsecondary. Semifinalists will be selected from each level of students.

How?

Lyric entries should be submitted via this form.

All submissions must include:

• First & Last Name(s) of contestant(s) [If submitting as a class, include teacher's name]
• City
• School
• Grade Level
• Track Used
• Original Song Lyrics

When?

Submissions Accepted Until: February 24, 2023

Semifinalists Announcement: March 10, 2023

The Grand Prize Winner Announcement: March 15, 2023

Do You Know Students Who Would Love to Participate? Please Share!

This contest promo video contains more information about the competition.

This contest flyer can be shared with teachers and students who would like to participate. All needed links are embedded in the flyer.

NCTM’s position statement on Access and Equity reads:  

Creating, supporting, and sustaining a culture of access and equity require being responsive to students' backgrounds, experiences, cultural perspectives, traditions, and knowledge when designing and implementing a mathematics program and assessing its effectiveness. Acknowledging and addressing factors that contribute to differential outcomes among groups of students are critical to ensuring that all students routinely have opportunities to experience high-quality mathematics instruction, learn challenging mathematics content, and receive the support necessary to be successful. 

Along these lines, one of TCTM’s goals is to promote a climate that respects and values diversity. 

We want to hear from you Tidewater:

When fostering an inclusive math community,

what does differentiation look like in your classroom?

Share your thoughts with us in 2,000 words or less for a chance to be published in this month’s TCTM  blog posts, and for a chance to win a prize just for sharing your thoughts. Feel free to include images or other evidence of your work.  Submit your response via email to tctmsubmissions@gmail.com.

You Spoke, and We Listened!

In September 2022, we sent out a professional learning survey for you to provide us with insight on how TCTM can best meet your professional learning needs. The results from the survey showed that an overwhelming majority of you would like professional learning to focus on the following areas:

• Differentiating mathematics instruction
• Implementing evidence-based mathematics instructional strategies
• Engaging students with instructional technology tools
• Engaging families in math to build support for mathematics learning

To help address your needs, we will provide you, as well as your students, with several exciting learning opportunities this year, all focused on Building an Inclusive Mathematics Community.

We are also thrilled to announce that we will be honoring our inaugural TCTM Teacher of the Year in 2023! More information about the nomination process will be forthcoming. 

Please visit the TCTM website regularly to stay updated on professional learning sessions that will be offered, as well as math-focused contests for your students.

Not a current member of TCTM? Join now to stay informed about and participate in all of these wonderful opportunities!