Why I Will Always Be A Guest In Math Education and Rarely A Host
When I was in 2nd grade, newly arrived to Canada from Australia just a year earlier(1970), I had my first birthday party in a cheap apartment in one of Toronto’s poorer areas. As with many first-generation parents coming to a new country, so much sacrifice was done so that their kids could have a better life.
I think I naively sent out invitations to everyone in Mrs. Wilkinson's Grade 2 class.
Only one person showed up. Another kid who looked like me.
When I talk about that story now with my family, there is lots of laughter — like some hilarious slice of awkward childhood that would have made an episode of Leave it to Beaver. However, at the time, it wasn’t funny. Especially since there is a picture of two brown kids standing in front of a table of food enough for 15 kids.
Obviously, much has changed in almost 50 years, any hosting duties for dinner parties and get-togethers always end up close to 100% attendance, with people looking forward to being guests in your home, tasting your cooking, and enjoying your hospitality.
However, when it comes to being a math educator, I am starting to feel memories of my childhood. And, it feels weird to even be making that connection. But, soon as I thought of the imagery of the guest vs. host, I realized that the general theme of authority, power, and control is in the hands of white people, who are really nice, and make really great hosts.
The problem is that, for the most part, many don’t want to relinquish these hosting duties. Many simply don’t want to give up or share their leadership.
They will open their doors for you into their space, but they will rarely come into yours. Leadership is, at best, to be shared by them. At worst, you have to settle for being mere follower, be fortunate to be in their space, and learn from them. When you invite someone, you should not only want to listen to their stories — without boundaries — but make people valued, creating an encouraging space to share hosting duties.
This is why math education remains mired in the 20th century. Some math leaders are eating first, creating an intellectual disparity and unhealthy learning, because equity is a topic to be discussed primarily in the domain of student achievement.
Equity seems to have less stable footing when it comes to who has authority/grants authority to math education ideas and vision.
It boggles my mind how/why math education can operate in such a large silo, impervious to the social/business changes which are happening globally. I mean Simon Sinek didn’t write his books with notes in the Introduction stating “this book is for everyone but math educators…”
What makes things so challenging is that most of these people are very pleasant, cordial, and inviting — enthusiastically welcoming you to their leadership homes. And, staying in this metaphorical world of dinner parties, I have been invited many times.
It’s just that, as I am coming to see, is that there is far less enthusiasm for these people to come to your house, your ideas, and your leadership.
Math education isn’t discriminating so much on color; math education is discriminating on ideas. And, if those ideas come from a POC, then that only gives potential to mute those ideas even more.
While I have met some wonderful math educators through #MTBoS, it has also largely been a test for echo. Test passed.
I like this pinned tweet by Adam Welcome, author and educator.
I can’t change my tone. I won’t change my tone. Everyone’s tone is equally important. In Math Ed, I have found out that some tones are more valuable than others. While some tones just continue to fall on deaf ears.
Sharing power is not quite the same as giving power — especially to ideas that are not aligned to yours. Ironically, I feel that my voice is more valued in the non-mathematical communities. In January of 2018, George Couros, author of the highly acclaimed Innovator’s Mindset, sent me this message on Twitter:
At 55, I am no spring chicken. I have written over 100 articles on Medium regarding math education. I have written 2 books that span the holistic spectrum of learning mathematics. I have reached the bottom of my heart in two talks in 2019. A SXSWEDU presentation and a TEDx Talk.
I am fortunate to be connected with so many vibrant and kindred math spirits in education. But, while I will always be humbled to any invite to speak in any particular medium or forum, I feel like I am missing out on hosting duties — and, all things being equal, I need to attend to them.
The distributive power of ideas in math education is not equitable. There are no South Asian math leaders in the general sphere of education. I can write well. I can speak well. Yet, everyday, in spite of writing articles that get sometimes wonderful traction, I feel like I am talking up — into a glass ceiling…
I still aspire to change the world with regards to math education. And, paradoxically I suppose, I am buoyed by the wonderfully hopeful math educators on social media.
But, being relegated to a guest with one’s inner being is not something any person should be satisfied with. The steering wheel of math education is still in the hands of white educators and/or people who continue to enable a clearly visible, anachronistic system. But, once in a while we are allowed to drive.
However, I am often reminded it’s not my car…
