My work in education has been deeply influenced by my nearly decade-long experience teaching math in a large urban public school. Through employing a combination of complex instruction, project-based learning, and teaching math for social justice, I sought to create a classroom that not only drew on students’ communities but also created experiences for every student to feel successful. This time has provided the foundation upon which my teaching philosophy is built.

In my secondary mathematics methods courses, I work to cultivate a pedagogy that navigates the dynamics of a math classroom while cultivating a profound understanding of the political forces that shape math education. As a result, I am driven by the belief that future math teachers must be prepared not just to teach mathematical concepts, but also to collaborate with students, families, and communities in challenging the dominant cultures of math classrooms. Thus, my pedagogical approach centers on fostering sociopolitical understanding, cultivating empathy, and taking purposeful action within the math teacher education landscape.

To engage this pedagogical approach, I ask students in my class to do the following:

• Reflect on their own identities and how those identities shape their pedagogical choices

• Examine their teaching practice using tools to detect bias

• Design lessons which draw on aspects from the community in which they teach

• Create space for reflection and emotion following moments of trauma

• Engage in various forms of advocacy in their classrooms and communities