Wrapping Up 2020
As I opened the holiday cards, I began to receive in the last couple of weeks, I was inspired to share highlights this year because this year was a LOT. Highlight 1–#BlackWomenRockMath is an online “collective of hidden voices in math education” to empower Black women and girls to share their experiences as students and … Continue reading Wrapping Up 2020
More Talk to Create Equitable Spaces
One of the areas where I focus my work is on creating spaces for students to develop learning communities where they can see themselves as capable mathematicians who learn from each other. In a recent webinar, one of the Talk Moves authors, Dr. Nancy Anderson, and I discuss some specific strategies to support teachers who … Continue reading More Talk to Create Equitable Spaces
Back to School 2020
It’s that time of year again! Going “back to school” this year has a different look and feel because of the pandemic. Many school districts made painstaking decisions to either start school online, in-person, or in a hybrid due to the safety precautions based on the number of Covid-19 cases in their areas. I have … Continue reading Back to School 2020
Talk, Talk, Talk, Talk, Talk
Note: This post was originally published in June 2020. Last week I had an opportunity to share my work on how to engage Black students in productive mathematical discourse as part of #NCTM100 Professional Learning series. In the wake of the recent events following the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, I wasn’t sure … Continue reading Talk, Talk, Talk, Talk, Talk
Connections Matter 2
In April, more governors decided to close schools for the remaining of the school year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. More closings mean that more schools will be moving to remote learning and more time that learners will be learning at home with their families. To support families, teachers, and learners, I would … Continue reading Connections Matter 2
Connections Matter
Some of my favorite memories growing up were when we played games as a family. I loved playing math and word games with my family such as Scrabble, Checkers, and Connect 4. My father and my older brother taught my two younger brothers and me lots of other games with what we already had around … Continue reading Connections Matter
Black Girls Belong
In observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Day this year, I chose to dedicate this post to awareness of the injustice of how Black girls are treated in schools today and how to build safer learning environments for Black girls so they feel like they belong in their schools and classrooms. I attended a screening … Continue reading Black Girls Belong
Supporting Leaders to Create a Culture of Learning
When I became a classroom teacher, one of the first books I received was The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher by Henry and Rosemary T. Wong to help me set up my learning environment and classroom management system. I continued to adopt and adapt many of the ideas as I … Continue reading Supporting Leaders to Create a Culture of Learning
My Summer Break
Just like I did when I was a classroom teacher, I had to take a much needed break this summer to finish some work projects and to get my professional learning on to deepen my learning as I get ready for back to school. My favorite part of my summer were the opportunities I had … Continue reading My Summer Break
Community Matters 2
“You can’t go it alone. We’re neuro-biologically hard-wired for connection with other people. In the absence of connection, love, and belonging, there is suffering.”–Brené Brown from The Call to Courage Netflix special I wholeheartedly feel the same way as Brené about my learning community. I can’t do this work alone! I loved that I had … Continue reading Community Matters 2
Community Matters
When I was in elementary school, I was made fun of a LOT because I earned high test scores and mostly “As and Bs” in most subjects including math. I definitely remember being called a “teacher’s pet” and “nerd”. Nerds were not cool when I was growing up so being a labeled a “nerd” left … Continue reading Community Matters
Representation Matters
Recently, I was in a school bathroom and saw a beautiful painting of an African woman dressed in African garb hanging on the wall. I was immediately filled with awe and joy because the painting radiated beauty and was a positive image in a surprising place. I am often one of few African American women … Continue reading Representation Matters
My Next Chapter Begins
Thanks for joining me on my new project to take a deeper look at connecting culturally responsive mathematics to increase successes for Black students in mathematics classrooms. I will share my own mathematics journey and connect with other educators on this project. I have spent more than half of my 20-year career in education focused … Continue reading My Next Chapter Begins
About Me
Hi, I’m Le’Vada. I became a blogger in 2019 to support educators of Black students with culturally responsive practices in mathematics. Now, I spend my time supporting school districts and speaking at events remotely since I can’t travel!
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