President’s Message, April 2022

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1066, 29, 22, 5, and 3

One activity I like to do with my new classes during back-to-school week is “Me By theNumbers”. I project a slide with five numbers that are about me, ask students to discusswith their group what they think the numbers represent, give them hints, and then we discuss. I choose ideas related to school (25 = # of years teaching in the same classroom) or ideas to help us get to know each other better (42 = # of states I have visited) and include some pictures. The next task is for students to create their own “Me By the Numbers” for our class slideshow. If I have students back in class as seniors, we look back on their slides and reminisce.

The numbers in the title of this article are My MCTM version of Me By the Numbers. Feel free to guess what they represent. Here’s a hint: they all relate to the Spring Conference.

As of April 1st , it has been 1066 days since we last got together at the 2019 Spring Conference. It feels like a lifetime ago. I miss our Duluth math party!

Similarly, it is 29 days until this year’s Spring Conference. (Yes, I am a math person so I needed that balance.) I have started a countdown on my phone.

22 is the number of MCTM Spring Conferences that I have attended. I remember the close quarters at Cragun’s and love seeing how we have grown.

The 5 represents the number of session time slots for our format this year. There are so many great options for each time slot, I don’t know how I will decide what to attend. With the morning kick-off keynote by Raj Shah and afternoon closing session by Trena Wilkerson, the day will be packed with learning.

Last but not least is the number 3. A special feature this year is a three-hour networking event during Friday night registration. This will be a great chance to renew friendships, make new connections and visit with vendors. As a bonus, Raj Shah and Trena Wilkerson will be there and are eager to share ideas.

If you haven’t registered for the conference yet, it’s not too late. Early bird registration rates are good through April 20 th . Make plans to spend the weekend in Duluth today. Registration and hotel information are on our website (mctm.org).

Karen Hyers
MCTM President