What is your legacy?

Legacy (Google Definition):  a thing handed down by a predecessor.

When I was a new leader, I attended several conferences and workshops to learn about being an effective leader. At one workshop this question was posed;

“What is your legacy? At the end of the school year, what will the students or teachers that you work with remember?” This one question made a difference on what I thought about mathematics leadership. This one question has resonated with me over the past 11 years and has driven my passion for supporting teachers and providing quality professional development that was meaningful for both teachers and students. What will the teachers who I work with remember about our time together?

PUHSD mathematics has been my home for the past 23 years and I have had the joy of working with amazing leaders, teachers and students who have influenced my career, challenged my thinking, and have fueled my love for mathematics education (#lovemath anyone?). The past 11 years have been my favorite! 

Working with 225+ teachers and leaders, impacting the lives of 25,000+ students every year, and developing and supporting a collaborative culture to ensure success for all students has been the most rewarding.  The Mathematics Instructional Leaders over the past 11 years have truly grown into a collaborative team that strengthens our capacity to meet the PUHSD vision for teaching and learning mathematics. 

I am proud of the work that we have accomplished over the past 11 years and know that this legacy will continue even when I leave... Yes, that day has come. I have decided to open the door to new challenges and am excited about new possibilities and opportunities to share my experiences with leaders and teachers outside of the PUHSD borders.  

So.., let’s go back to my original question:  What do I think my legacy is for PUHSD mathematics? Here are my top three and if you have any others, feel free to share.   

Collaboration is important!  We are stronger when we work as a team to answer the four critical questions of a professional learning community. Working as a team is crucial to ensuring academic success for 25,000+ students that we serve every year. We have tackled grading inequities, curriculum revisions (too many to count), and assessment processes with crucial conversations and actions to support each other.

Access to meaningful and relevant mathematics is a priority.  Having rich curriculum experiences for students isn't enough, we have to have high expectations for student learning and we have to provide students something “to stand on” to be successful.  Our actions over the past 11 years have proven this time and time again.  We have exponentially more students in our AP programs and the success in our 4^th year math courses grows each and every year. 

Assessments are not a one and done event, teachers and students engage in the assessment process collectively.  The days of giving an assessment for solely a grade are over!  We have embraced assessments as a tool to provide specific feedback to our students and reflect upon the strengths and challenges to improve our craft so both the collaborative teams and teachers can take action.

I wish the PUHSD Mathematics teachers and leaders the best as they continue the legacy!