It is Back to School Time, which is always both exciting and exhausting for me. Each year I reflect upon how much I accomplished over the summer, yet I also find myself thinking about unresolved issues and work left to be completed. This year has been no different. However, I felt renewed and inspired when the teacher candidates in my course this semester shared thoughts from their summer readings. Hearing ideas about assets-based thinking, the joy in mathematics, the importance of productive struggle, making connections, learning from lived experiences, and thinking of others made my heart sing. As inspiring as these conversations can be, I also recognize that the teachers we work with and are preparing are faced with challenges that can easily leave one hopeless, hence the great resignation and teacher shortage we are seeing. These challenges extend beyond P-12 education into higher education and our lives beyond the profession.

That is why I believe organizations like AMTE are so important. AMTE works to consistently put forth a stance supporting diversity, equity, and empowerment in publications, our annual conference presentations and sessions, our strategic priorities, advocacy, and collaboration with other organizations. As I read the latest issue of MTE, a joint AMTE/ NCTM publication, I was struck by an article by Drs. Christopher Jett, Cathery Yeh, and Maria del Rosario Zavala, From Argumentation to Truth-telling: Critical Race Theory in Mathematics Teacher Education. On page 223 they state, “As MTEs we cannot continue to narrowly focus on mathematical practices that value argumentation without a broader analysis that questions For what? By whom? And who benefits?” In this article, each author shares personal experiences and collectively call MTEs to engage public discourse through education and advocacy. AMTE is an organization that works to provide a space for personal experiences and collective action toward equitable mathematics teacher education.

Currently we are preparing for our Annual Conference in Louisiana, a state for which California recently banned professional travel due to its discriminatory legislation (for information about legislation in the state see this link). At the conference, we will strive to support the rights of all mathematics learners, through presentations at the conference, opportunities to donate to an equity-oriented education non-profit, sharing our resources and position statements, and sharing information to enable members to support equity-oriented local businesses. We ask members of AMTE to take advantage of the opportunities both at the conference and beyond the conference, to be a part of the conversation and community supporting effective mathematics opportunities for all. We also continue to work with our affiliates and sibling organizations to advocate and elevate our colleagues and all mathematics learners.

As we prepare for this semester, I ask you to consider the following and consider discussing these questions with colleagues and students:  

1. How does the joy of learning, teaching, and mathematics show in my daily life?
2. What am I doing to advocate and elevate colleagues and learners?
3. How can I volunteer my time and expertise with organizations (such as AMTE, AERA, or NCTM) to support the collective work?
4. What ways am I finding and creating joy and community?

Let us stand together as MTEs to support the important work of making mathematics accessible to all so they can see the joy of mathematics. At the same time, let us support and encourage each other and our P-12 colleagues who are engaged in this challenging work.

Listening and Learning,