NEW ORLEANS, LA—First In Math Online Program representatives—including program creator Robert Sun—attended the 2014 NCTM Annual Meeting & Exposition April 9-12 in New Orleans. This year’s meeting theme was “Number and Operations: Be Radical and Get Real” and included more than 700 presentations covering a wide range of areas.
Robert Sun poses with old friends and new, including Jabali Sawicki (far left), Principal of Excellence Charter School in Brooklyn, NY. Middle photo (l to r): Representing Council rock SD in Newton, PA, are Math Specialist Anna LaForgia Kane, Elementary Math/Technology Integration Specialist Charyl Kerns and Mary Petetti Doherty, Math Specialist. Far right: Dr. Lya Snell, Math Coordinator for Henry County Public Schools in Georgia and Founder/CEO of Math Innovation, LLC.
“We are always excited to attend the nation's premier math education event,” says Sun, who explains that his goal this year was to talk with teachers about the need for students to learn to ‘Speak Mathematically’.
“The educators who attended were very focused and committed,” says FIM Customer Service Project Coordinator Nancy Kane. “We had a lot of quality conversations. It was nice to see loyal customers, and also share information about the 24® Game and FIM with potential customers. We saw educators from almost every state, and also met a fair amount of people from Canada.”
“It was also great to talk to current users who really understand the program,” says Suntex VP Barbara Asteak. “One teacher from Arizona could dissect the whole program and gave a very thorough analysis of—and insight into—our assessment features.”
“Of course, people always enjoy meeting Bob,” adds Kane. “He posed for photos and signed lots of autographs, many for teachers who played the 24 game as students. One person, Jabali Sawicki, founder of Brooklyn’s Excellence Charter School, even came to the booth and told Bob that the 24 Game was the best gift under the Christmas tree when he was in third grade.”
On Friday, Sun and FIM Ambassador Cred Dobson spoke to a crowd of more than 50 educators during one of the last afternoon sessions. “Closing the Achievement Gap with Deep Practice” was the topic of discussion. It was a busy week for Dobson, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Benjamin Banneker Association at a breakfast sponsored by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on April 11. (BBA Award) Sun also received recognition and a special plaque for providing support to the association; his FIM web designers created and implemented an updated interface for the BBA website.
The First In Math program is headquartered in Easton, Pennsylvania, and four days in Louisiana was a refreshing change for the group of winter-weary northerners. “The beautiful weather was certainly welcome, and New Orleans is such a fun city to explore,” says Kane. The festive spirit and southern hospitality were evident everywhere—inside and outside of the conference setting.”
Planning for the 2015 conference, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is already underway. The theme, Reaching Today’s Students Through Innovative Teaching is a perfect fit with our First In Math philosophy and approach to education.