So you saw that I wrote a book, Table Talk Math, and you're skeptical. You're wondering if this is really going to be worth your time. You're doubtful that it would help your efforts to improve student learning. Well, lucky for you, I'll make it easy, and say that Table Talk Math isn't for you if you meet any of these criteria:

Look, good math discussions have been happening long before we had social media, and certainly longer than we've had the Internet. Truth be told, these discussions have been happening out of necessity for as long as humans have communicated. The biggest difference that I've seen over the past few years is the speed of life and how it takes a toll on the quality of our face-to-face interactions.

One major advantage of living in today's connected environment is the opportunity to lean on--and learn from--people from around the world about what they are doing to improve. For math teachers, there are so many free resources available online and you've likely heard of most of them. In case you haven't, take some time and head over to classroomchef.com/links and see what the Math Twitter Blog-o-Sphere has been busy creating.

It never hurts to ask and that's exactly what I did when I reached out to Andrew Stadel to share how he uses Estimations with his own children. Next, Fawn Nguyen stepped up and shared how she has used Visual Patterns with her students, knowing that the concepts can easily be taken into the home environment. Mary Bourassa stepped up and shared how Which One Doesn't Belong can be used, and Nat Banting chimed in with the applications of Fraction Talks. Annie Fetter came in strong with her thoughts on Notice and Wonder, then Christopher Danielson topped it all off with a foreword that everyone should read.

If you already know the MTBoS and have taken these six professionals' ideas into account when bringing math to the table with your children, then I will say that Table Talk Math is not for you.

There are plenty of parents out there who are having math-based conversations, and that is outstanding to know. After all, so much research has been done to show the value in positive parental involvement in a child's life and interests. Even with all the good stuff happening, there are times when we run out of ideas and start to look for more. Summer starts to get long, but even the two week winter vacation (if you have it) can wear on a family if there isn't fresh content coming to the table.

​Geoff Krall put together an in-home summer math camp with a whiteboard schedule a couple summers ago and I thought it was one of the coolest ideas. He had mapped out intentional conversation starters for (almost) the entire summer to encourage his children with something math-y and the link above is really worth digging into. 

Summer is the big one because our kids are home for such a long stretch of time, but there are opportunities throughout the year to engage our children in meaningful math chats, and that's what Table Talk Math is all about. If you're already doing that and comfortable with the ideas you're using, then the book is probably not for you.

Even though I'm in my 30's, my parents always call me their kid or their child. WHY?! I'm getting older! I'm a grown man! I have kids and a job and responsibilities and my own toy box!

​Well, because I will always be an older version of that young and energetic kid that my parents still have pictures of on the walls of their home, starring in their home videos stacked on the shelves, and homemade crafts still sitting on their nightstands.

And, because of that, my parents still work with me, talk with me, and learn with me. We still play games, we still solve puzzles together, and we still challenge each other with new ideas. The conversations are a little bit different, a whole lot more complex, and have much fewer right answers, but the premise of conversation as a driving force of bonding is still as strong as ever.

If your kids have grown up to be adults, forgotten how to be a kid, and you treat them as such, then I can tell you that Table Talk Math isn't for you. Or maybe it is if you're reading this and thinking that you want some of those memories back.

Oof, I hear you. Payday is coming up soon, though, right? No? 

Ok, it's all good. So maybe you have to hold off on the book, but did you know that I also send out a free weekly newsletter to parents?

Yup! Sure do! And I think you should sign up, then tell all your friends about it.

tabletalkmath.com

You're welcome.

Yeah, I can't help you there. If you don't like kids, don't buy the book.

Coming off another great NCTM Annual Conference, Dylan shared his thoughts, Matt wrote about his, Christopher blogged about his talk, as did Megan who shared a powerful story, and Michael wrote a strong reflection. All of them are worth reading. Then, the other night, I saw this come across the screen from Jose Vilson:

Going back to the list of NCTM reflections above, I notice a common trend...

I don't disagree with Jose's insinuation of an overwhelming whiteness to the Math Twitter Blog-o-Sphere as he continued his thread, just like the whiteness of education-based Twitter, yet I do have to look at the range for which the MTBoS represents. After all, who is the MTBoS? Is it some distinct and defined group?

Take a look the through the MTBoS Directory (created by Jed Butler) and see the different voices and faces who self-identify.

To me, the MTBoS is a gay man in Connecticut, a "seasoned veteran" woman in Central California, a married black man with two kids in New York, a single latina woman in Illinois, a (pregnant! Yay, congrats!) gay woman in Colorado, a married white woman in North Carolina with three kids, a tall white Christian man in Southern California, an atheist man in Pennsylvania, a very short white woman in Mississippi, a free-speaking Vietnamese woman in Southern California, a new-to-Twitter black woman in Michigan, a very shy man from Canada, and a whole bunch more.

I'm not going to say that "I don't see color" because it's simply not true. I would also assume that the people with whom I associate would feel the same way. What I will say is that I have been much more cognizant of my interactions lately, and learning from others' experiences and perspectives. 

With that, Jose's thread and comments about inclusivity from others has gotten me thinking. THIS EXISTS! So here's an idea, free for someone to take and run with:

The “who we are” section of mathtwitterblogosphere.weebly.com could be turned into something amazing. At the top of the blog page, it would invite people to nominate someone who embodies the MTBoS (maybe through a Google Form?). For each nomination, it would collect a link to the nominee's Twitter profile and a description about why that person represents their vision of the MTBoS. The nominee would then get a personal invitation to submit their bio information, a photo or video, and instructions for how to do so, if they wanted to participate.

Simple. It would take some time to maintain, and I am willing to help, but I'm not going to run it. Tina, Sam, Justin, and Julie are probably going to be onboard with it as well... Oh, and bonus points if you are a non-white and non-dude who steps up to the plate.

Thoughts? Is it worthwhile? Would that make people feel more included?

Happy "We All Belong Here" Fishing

​(Big thanks to Kate for helping with the wording)