Let’s talk. Send me a message with your email and I’ll get back to you!

This week, we're kicking off our summer book study of Math Therapy by Vanessa Vakharia.

Rather than providing a chapter-by-chapter summary, this series is designed as a conversation around the ideas that resonate most, the questions they raise, and how they might influence our classroom practices.

In Chapter 1, one idea kept surfacing again and again:

The stories we tell ourselves about mathematics matter.

From cultural stereotypes and family messaging to our own classroom experiences, students often arrive carrying beliefs about who they are as math learners long before we ever meet them.

In This Episode

• Why the "math person" myth is so persistent
• The surprising connection between Teen Talk Barbie and productive struggle
• The difference between math anxiety and math trauma
• How family experiences influence mathematical identity
• What intervention students have taught me about confidence and resilience
• Questions I'm beginning to explore about math trauma in honors classes

This Week's Reflection

Consider these questions:

• Were you told you were a math person growing up?
• What messages about mathematics shaped your own identity?
• How do stress, anxiety, and math trauma show up in your students?
• Does it look different in intervention classes versus advanced courses?

Community Challenge

This week, start noticing how mathematics is portrayed in everyday life.

Look for examples in:

• Television
• Movies
• Social media
• Advertisements
• Conversations with friends and family

Then share your observations inside our Facebook group. Let's see what patterns emerge when we start paying attention to the messages surrounding mathematics.

Read Along With Us

📖 Physical Book: https://amzn.to/42VJRl6

🎧 Audiobook: https://amzn.to/49nV55D

Next Time

We'll dive into Chapter 2 and begin exploring what math therapy actually looks like in practice—and why it might matter more than we realize.

Until next time, keep reflecting, keep learning, and remember that math is Moore than just solving for X. 🎙️📐

This podcast is a member of the Teach Better Podcast Network. Better Today. Better Tomorrow. And the Podcasts to Help You Get There.

Connect with Kristen:

• Follow on Instagram @moorethanjustx
• Join the Facebook Community: The Modern Math Teachers Movement

More About the Modern Math Teacher Podcast

Kristen Moore, classroom teacher and instructional coach at Moore Than Just X, empowers modern secondary math teachers to transform the student experience with the strategies and the confidence to implement project-based learning, mastery-based assessment, and student engagement strategies in their classrooms.

Whether you're a math education newbie or a seasoned veteran, you'll find something new and inspiring in every episode. You’re already a listener, why not join the Movement inside ✨The Modern Math Teachers Movement Facebook group. Join the community of math teachers who are not afraid to shake things up and make math class the best part of the day for our students. So tune in each Tuesday, have some fun, and let's elevate our math teaching game together!

*Amazon orders may provide a small affiliate payout at no extra cost to you. These payouts help keep the podcast free for all!

Let’s talk. Send me a message with your email and I’ll get back to you!

You asked, I answered!

In this special Listener Q&A episode of The Modern Math Teacher, I'm tackling some of your biggest questions about project-based learning, Building Thinking Classrooms, real-world math connections, and professional learning.

Whether you're just getting started with PBL or looking for new ways to make your math classroom more engaging, this episode is packed with practical ideas you can use right away.

💡 In This Episode:

• How to get started with Project-Based Learning (without overhauling your entire curriculum)
• Can Project-Based Learning and Building Thinking Classrooms work together?
• Why I love the Gift Wrap Challenge as an anchor activity
• Real-world connections for rational and irrational numbers
• My favorite places to find authentic data, graphs, and statistics for math lessons
• Book recommendations to reignite your passion for teaching math and explore instructional best practices

✨ Resources Mentioned
Project or Practice? Free Guide
👉 https://moorethanjustx.myflodesk.com/practice

Join us for our July Math Therapy Book Study!

📖 Physical Book
https://amzn.to/42VJRl6

🎧 Audiobook
https://amzn.to/49nV55D

🌊 Poolside PD Reflection

What's one question about your teaching you've been avoiding because you thought you "should already know the answer?"

Sometimes the best professional growth starts with asking better questions.

Until next time, keep it real.

This podcast is a member of the Teach Better Podcast Network. Better Today. Better Tomorrow. And the Podcasts to Help You Get There.

Connect with Kristen:

• Follow on Instagram @moorethanjustx
• Join the Facebook Community: The Modern Math Teachers Movement

More About the Modern Math Teacher Podcast

Kristen Moore, classroom teacher and instructional coach at Moore Than Just X, empowers modern secondary math teachers to transform the student experience with the strategies and the confidence to implement project-based learning, mastery-based assessment, and student engagement strategies in their classrooms.

Whether you're a math education newbie or a seasoned veteran, you'll find something new and inspiring in every episode. You’re already a listener, why not join the Movement inside ✨The Modern Math Teachers Movement Facebook group. Join the community of math teachers who are not afraid to shake things up and make math class the best part of the day for our students. So tune in each Tuesday, have some fun, and let's elevate our math teaching game together!

*Amazon orders may provide a small affiliate payout at no extra cost to you. These payouts help keep the podcast free for all!

Let’s talk. Send me a message with your email and I’ll get back to you!

Struggle Is Learning. Drowning Is Not.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned this year is that not all struggle is productive.

As math teachers, we want students to wrestle with ideas, persevere through challenges, and make sense of mathematics. But there's a fine line between productive struggle and overwhelming frustration.

In this episode, we're exploring what productive struggle actually looks like, why support and rigor aren't opposites, and how to challenge students without leaving them stranded.

Because struggle is learning.

Drowning is not.

💡 In This Episode:

• What productive struggle really means in a math classroom
• Why not all struggle leads to learning
• How my thinking evolved through teaching an inquiry-based curriculum
• Why support structures don't reduce rigor
• The difference between students who are struggling and students who are overwhelmed
• How relationships help us know when to push and when to support

✨ Key Takeaways

✨ Productive struggle is essential for deep learning

✨ Support and rigor work together—not against each other

✨ Good teaching requires knowing when to step in and when to step back

✨ The same task can feel very different to different students

✨ Student confidence and math identity influence how struggle is experienced

📥 FREE GUIDE: Project or Practice?

Want help creating meaningful learning experiences that balance rigor, engagement, and student thinking?

👉 Grab the free guide:
https://moorethanjustx.myflodesk.com/practice

📘 JULY BOOK STUDY: Math Therapy

Next week, we're kicking off our July Math Therapy book study!

We'll be exploring:

• math identity
• confidence
• productive struggle
• math anxiety
• student mindset
• emotional experiences in mathematics

Grab your copy and read along with us:

📖 Physical Book:
https://amzn.to/42VJRl6

🎧 Audiobook:
https://amzn.to/49nV55D

🌊 Poolside PD Reflection

Think about a student who struggled this year.

Did they need more challenge?

Or did they need more support?

And how do you know the difference?

🎧 What's Next

Next week, we begin our Math Therapy summer book study by exploring why so many students believe they're "bad at math"—and what we can do about it.

Until next time, keep it real.

This podcast is a member of the Teach Better Podcast Network. Better Today. Better Tomorrow. And the Podcasts to Help You Get There.

Connect with Kristen:

• Follow on Instagram @moorethanjustx
• Join the Facebook Community: The Modern Math Teachers Movement

More About the Modern Math Teacher Podcast

Kristen Moore, classroom teacher and instructional coach at Moore Than Just X, empowers modern secondary math teachers to transform the student experience with the strategies and the confidence to implement project-based learning, mastery-based assessment, and student engagement strategies in their classrooms.

Whether you're a math education newbie or a seasoned veteran, you'll find something new and inspiring in every episode. You’re already a listener, why not join the Movement inside ✨The Modern Math Teachers Movement Facebook group. Join the community of math teachers who are not afraid to shake things up and make math class the best part of the day for our students. So tune in each Tuesday, have some fun, and let's elevate our math teaching game together!

*Amazon orders may provide a small affiliate payout at no extra cost to you. These payouts help keep the podcast free for all!