BOSTON, MA—Armed with striking new graphics and the mantra Energizing Every Child to Learn, Love and Live Math™, representatives from First In Math® Online Program spent four days at the National Council of Supervisors/Teachers of Mathematics (NCSM/NCTM) annual convention meeting new friends and connecting with current fans.
“Our booth has a totally new, fresh look that created a lot of excitement,” says Suntex VP Barbara Asteak. “The graphics feature enthusiastic young people, and reflect the spirit and importance of our message—that setting and achieving goals will keep students energized to sustain accelerated effort over time.”
Attended by nearly 10,000 people, the conference offered many activities. Asteak, FIM inventor Bob Sun and rep Brock Estes attended meetings with educators from Stafford and Virginia Beach, VA, and Bay County, FL. Several FIM representatives, including Philadelphia’s own Cred Dobson, attended the Benjamin Banneker Awards and silent Auction on Thursday, as well as the Banneker Breakfast on Friday. First In Math was presented with a special award of appreciation.
On Saturday, Dobson, along with FIM Implementation Specialist Shawn Collier, conducted a workshop titled Let’s Talk Mathematics: The 24 Game promotes Classroom Fluency. “There were five stations, each highlighted a different 24® game and strategies on how to use the games in the classroom. Our goal was for teachers to have something to take back to the classroom on Monday morning—and we were able to do just that for the 35 attendees,” explains Dobson.
As always, the traditional 24® game basket raffle generated a lot of interest and fun. Wendy Hamilton from Zachary Elementary School in Zachary, LA was the winner.
“NCTM is one of my favorite conferences. It is a year of planning and work from our team and to me it all came together perfectly this year,” laughs FIM Project Coordinator Nancy Kane, who is eager to share another proud moment that many did not see.
“After the show, when we were breaking down the display, another vendor was watching us and said, ‘Wow, you guys really work well together.’ It was a sweet, unsolicited compliment I was happy to hear.”