In a typical year, summer break is a necessary time for educators to unwind from the school year and focus on filling up their own cup so that they may be emotionally and energetically prepared to welcome a new class in the fall. In the summer of 2021, that break was even more essential, as teachers finally had a chance to catch their breath after three quarters of remote instruction, stress and uncertainty brought from returning to in-person school in a hybrid model, supporting students experiencing extreme disruption and trauma, and a school system that was completely upended by the Covid-19 pandemic. And yet, despite what many have described as “the hardest year of my career,” a cohort of teachers signed up for the Joy and Justice in Mathematics summer-long course, because equity and justice work can’t wait. If anything, the pandemic has made this work even more vital.
The Joy and Justice in Mathematics course was focused on exploring the content held in three books: Cultivating Genius by Gholdy Muhammad, Mathematics for Human Flourishing by Francis Su, and Rehumanizing Mathematics for Black, Indigenous, and Latinx Students, edited by Imani Goffney, Rochelle Gutiérrez, and Melissa Boston. Some of the overarching themes of the course were to examine how educators can integrate criticality (examining power dynamics) in their mathematics lessons, the importance of making space for students to bring their whole selves into their math learning, and how to encourage joyful learning through play and relevant, meaningful work.
The course was structured around a two day live kick-off on Zoom, followed by asynchronous modules in Canvas that teachers were able to move through at their own pace throughout the summer, followed by a closing session where teachers were able to share and receive feedback on their newly designed lessons or units that integrated the big ideas we had learned about in the course materials. There were ample opportunities throughout the institute, not only for participants but for the facilitators as well, to discuss and reimagine what mathematics instruction could look like in elementary school.
We also had a unique opportunity to continue the learning through an optional Professional Learning Community, or PLC. During the PLC, we gathered three times to share ideas around how to implement the concepts we had learned about over the summer. Teachers engaged in meaningful adult-level math tasks, discussed the challenges and successes of implementing some of the concepts of the summer institute, and experimented with ways to get to know their students better through surveys and class discussions. There was also a menu of resources to dig into individually that supported the learning we did together.
As a facilitator, I deeply appreciated the depth of care, expertise, lived experiences and professional brilliance that the K-2 and 3-5 cohorts of educators brought to the institutes and PLC. What struck me the most was the respect for and confidence in young children that was emphasized by teachers throughout the course. These teachers know that students are not empty vessels waiting to be filled with knowledge, as antiquated educational theory would have us believe; they are filled with knowledge, lived experiences and ideas about the world that make classrooms rich and engaging spaces. All of my gratitude goes out to our cohort of teachers who, despite two of the toughest years in anyone’s memory, showed up fully in their quest to continue to make their classrooms rigorous, engaging, joyful and meaningful places to stretch and grow mathematical knowledge for ALL of their students.
Currently, PMSP is in the process of assembling an educator dream team to lead the next iteration of the Joy and Justice institutes. We plan to make revisions to last summer’s course based on participant feedback, as well as the perspectives of our facilitation team, and will launch the next institute in August. We cannot wait to continue this critical work with a new cohort of teachers in the summer of 2022 and beyond!
Leah Plack, Project Coordinator