Desmos has opened the application window for their Desmos Fellowship, and if you are passionate about teaching and math, you need to apply!
When the team at Desmos chose a name for their collaboration with educators, they could not have chosen a more descriptive name than “Fellowship.” From the moment you open the email that you have been selected to be part of this program, you begin to experience a sense of belonging. You gain access to a Slack channel where you connect with other Fellows and share ideas and begin to get to know each other. It’s like a PLC you might have at your school, except it’s a whole group of people like YOU, who are full of passion and ideas and are eager to collaborate and create.
I was overwhelmingly intimidated on the trip out to San Francisco, wondering how in the world I would have something to contribute. These fears may have been very real on the journey out, but every single member of the Desmos team went out of their way to make us all feel valued and appreciated!
Some of my favorite memories from the weekend:
- Dan Meyer met a group of us at the door and welcomed us, and in a heartfelt welcome told us how excited Desmos was to have us there to learn FROM US and talked about how we just needed to be ourselves. This helped put so much anxiety to rest!
- Shelley Carranza modeled how to combine passion and planning when developing activities. Shelley has a gentle soul that just envelopes you and makes you feel so welcome!! She was AMAZING with her organization and hospitality all weekend.
- Eli Luberoff‘s keynote – I first met Eli in Philly during Twitter Math Camp and he spoke of his commitment to ensuring money doesn’t separate a child from having the tools they need to do math. In his keynote he reinforced these ideals; his integrity and commitment are unparalleled, and honestly, have you ever met someone so humble who has done so much for so many?? Love hearing him speak.
- Michael Fenton led us through the Charge! activity and honestly, this presentation had a HUGE impact on my teaching methodology. Michael modeled how to run this activity and showcased Desmos’s pedagogy in creating rich mathematical activities for students.
- Do no harm * Trust Teachers * Design for real classrooms * Design for delight * Works every time One of the most moving moments for me was walking in and seeing these guiding principles on the walls. I do wish I had kept the video going two more seconds as you can just see Eli jumping into the last frame lol.
Fellowship, Fellowship, Fellowship. During the weekend we had breakout sessions (kudos to Julie Reulbach who gave a great session on using Activity Builder in Assessments). We spent time at food trucks and trivia, and learning you can only get an irish coffee to go if the irish part is in a sealed bottle, but I digress. The Fellowship was sooo much more than any one piece….it was the bonding with like minded educators, who share the same passion in making math accessible and fun for students.
BUT WAIT. THERE’s MORE. I left the weekend wanting more, and was thrilled to find that the Fellowship continues well past the weekend. Fellows share and collaborate on the Slack channel, seeking and giving support. There are online discussions and opportunities including presenting. I’m working on that piece now, and have been hosting webinars for our Department of Ed for other teachers. I’m going to continue my Fellowship journey and apply to be a Desmos Certified Presenter.
Are you passionate about math? About teaching? Want to experience incredible Fellowship with others that share that passion? Then apply today – it’s an experience unlike any other!
photo credit to BowTieJoe who gives a GREAT recap of the weekend @ http://bowtiejoe.co/im-in-the-wrong-room
