TODOS Podcast

In this episode, hosts Teddy Chao, Shari Kaku, and Shakiyya Bland sit down with the editorial team behind Antiracist Mathematics Education: Building a Practice of Equity and Justice, the TODOS publication that anchors this entire season of the podcast. It turns out this is the first time the four editors have been together since the book came out, and that reunion energy carries through the whole conversation. Teddy calls the book a love letter to the TODOS community, and it shows.Linda Fulmore, who led the project and was TODOS president when the work began, traces the book back to the 2020 antiracist mathematics statement, written in the middle of the pandemic and in the wake of George Floyd's murder. Marilyn Strutchens, professor of mathematics education at Auburn University, describes how she pulled the rest of the editorial team together in a single ten minute phone call. Gladys Krause, of William and Mary, led the student section after volunteering with immigrant high schoolers who were not getting math instruction because their schools focused only on English. Dorothy White, University of Georgia, took on the parent section and speaks openly about the risks of doing antiracist work in a state where the word itself has become contested.Along with Jennifer Bay-Williams, the editors walk through how the book is organized, by students, teachers, parents, administrators, and community members, and why they built it so any chapter can stand on its own. Dorothy even jokes that you can read it backwards if you want to, choose your own adventure style. They talk about asking authors to root their writing in the original 2020 statement, about the discussion questions placed at the end of each chapter so readers can use the book in classrooms and book clubs, and about wanting a text that amplified voices rather than smoothing them over.Of course, no TODOS episode skips the food talk. Marilyn has just discovered smash burgers and is trying, unsuccessfully, to stay away from them. Gladys shares the story of her son in Austin smoking a brisket for Mother's Day. Linda is currently devoted to Trader Joe's tofu ice cream, chocolate syrup included, eaten within her intermittent fasting window.The conversation closes on legacy. Linda recalls telling the team that they had simply tried to do their part when it was their turn. Now that work passes to the next generation of TODOS leaders, including everyone listening. If this book has shaped how you show up for your students, your colleagues, or yourself, the editors hope you keep passing it on.Join us at the TODOS Conference, June 25 to 26, 2026 in Garden Grove, California, where this season's Book Club journey comes full circle.

What happens when mathematics, computer programming, and bilingual education come together in an afterschool program for Latine elementary students? And what does it look like when those same kids become the teachers?In this episode, Theodore sits down with three co-authors of Chapter 10: Learning More Mathematics by Cracking the Code: Promoting Algebraic Thinking through Computer Programming from Antiracist Mathematics Education, Dr. Carlos LópezLeiva, Dr. Sylvia Celedón-Pattichis, and Dr. Marios Pattichis. Together, they share the story behind AOLME (Advancing Out-of-school Learning in Mathematics and Engineering), a program born out of the belief that students in Title I, bilingual communities deserve access to the same doors that computer science and engineering can open.The conversation traces a 20-year arc, from the early days of CEMELA and the inspiration of La Clase Mágica, to after-school programs where kids used Legos to understand pixels and came up with their own ways of explaining hashtags and coding syntax, in Spanish, in English, and in their own language. One student, a decade ago, looked at a computer and said, "computer, write me a program." He was right on time with predicting how we use AI to code today.What makes this episode special is how personal it gets. Marios learned to code from an English textbook while he was still learning English. Sylvia and Carlos made the push to bring this work from out-of-school spaces into classrooms, so it wouldn't just reach the kids who chose to show up. The students who went through the program came back as co-facilitators, teaching older students, building identity, and in some cases going on to study engineering. And their daughters were part of the story too.Shari, Shakiyya, and Teddy then reflect on what this chapter means for the moment we're in now, a moment when AI is everywhere and the math education community is still figuring out how to respond. Should students be coding? Should we be teaching them to think critically about the systems being built around them? And what does it look like to use mathematics not just to solve problems, but to create something?Shakiyya closes with a question from page 140 of the book: "How often do your students use mathematics to create something?"Plus, the food! Huevos rancheros, red and green chile, chicken mole enchiladas, Greek salad with New Mexico chili, and piñon coffee!This episode is part of the Season 5 TODOS Book Club series, aligned to the Teachers section of Antiracist Mathematics Education. The next Book Club meeting is March 25. Join us!The transcript.Links to Resources:Web App for Image Generatorhttp://ivpcl.unm.edu/ivpclpages/Research/aolme/app/interactive-img-v2.htmlAOLME/ESTRELLA Curriculum https://aolme.unm.edu/WebsiteModel/template/index.htmlAIML Project: https://github.com/pattichis/AIML https://github.com/pattichis/AI4All-Med

In this powerful episode, Dr. Richard Velasco shares his journey from Guam to the U.S. mainland and back—through teaching, research, and a deep sense of purpose. As a Filipino Guamanian mathematics educator, Richard reflects on growing up in a U.S. territory, navigating racialized spaces in predominantly white communities, and now leading a groundbreaking data science project that centers indigenous values and local knowledge in Guam and Saipan. We talk about military occupation, decolonizing data, the meaning of Inafa’maolek, and what it truly means to give back. Transcripts are available here.

We change things up this episode. Due to the devastating wild fires in Southern California, we take some time to connect with two L.A.-based Asian American Mathematics Teachers. We start our conversation with Eugene Hung, a high school math teacher and advocate for women's rights. Then, we connect with Janet Lee Ortiz, LAUSD’s Teacher of the Year and a middle school math and science educator. Both educators share their deeply personal journeys navigating teaching in Southern California amidst recent wildfires and reflect on how their Asian American identities shape their approaches to math education.Eugene discusses breaking down stereotypes, fostering inclusivity, and emphasizing the historical and cultural contributions to mathematics. Janet opens up about overcoming personal challenges, connecting math to social justice, and building meaningful relationships with students through authentic storytelling and creativity. Together, they discuss their passion for making math human, relevant, and engaging. And finally, they share about their love of food, culture, and community.Transcripts of this episode are available here.

We sit down with Bernadette Salagrino, the first Filipino president of the California Math Council and a trailblazer in mathematics education. Ma Bernadette shares her journey from teaching in the Philippines to becoming a leading advocate for immigrant teachers and underrepresented students in the U.S. Theodore, Shari, and Ma Bernadette discuss the complexities of Filipino American identity, the importance of representation in education, and her inspiring work with incarcerated youth. Through this episode, Ma Bernadette weaves together how her resilience, advocacy, and love for teaching helped her transcend the difficulty of teaching mathematics in a new country, separated from her family. Bonus: Here's a link to the Our Math World project that Ma Bernadette mentions from her work with David J. Purpusa's and Caroline Byrd Hornburg's EF+Math project at Purdue, with books available on Amazon. Extra Bonus: Check out the Our Math World feature of mathematician Eilidh Salgarino, who uses math in her competitive swimming!Shout out to Sunil Singh, who's story gets featured heavily in this episode.

Dr. Linda Furuto is a mathematics education professor at UofH Manoa. She is joined by two teachers who have participated in the Ethnomathematics Certificate program at UofH, Phil Fernandez Brennan and Lauren Nowak. Join cohosts Maria Zavala and Celine Liu to learn about the program, what ethnomathematics means to our guests, and get inside key ideas of ethnomathematics. https://coe.hawaii.edu/ethnomath/ for more on the graduate certification program, open to residents and non-residents of Hawaii alike. Find out more today! For more on Ubi D'Abrosio's passing, please see this blog entry from the CIAEM: https://blog.ciaem-redumate.org/ubi-dambrosio-a-giant-has-died/?fbclid=IwAR1JlRf_5BwNSXgFx36YTDb-DLq9fuahU_Nqeb6c5A1JYOefx2lKalgWqgM

High School Mathematics Teacher and Quetzal Education Consultant Dani Wadlington shares her mathematics teaching story with host Celine Liu. Learn about the work this powerful mathematics teacher does in and out of her classroom, including her contributions to the Equitable Mathematics Toolkit, and how she uses mathematics as the context to teach important lessons for life. Learn more about Quetzal Education Consultinghttps://www.quetzalec.com/ A Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction: equitablemath.orghttps://equitablemath.org/

Do you ever wonder where an organization founded by and for teachers like TODOS comes from? Wonder no more! In this episodes, three people who have been with TODOS since its founding tell us about the origin of TODOS, the meeting, context, and support structures that started it all, and their perspectives of where we are headed. Featuring: Nora Ramirez, Susie Håkansson, and Bob MacDonald – three people whose names you probably see on a bunch of TODOS stuff! References: EMELI (Equity in Mathematics Education Leadership Institute) is referenced by Nora, which is an NSF funded project from Julian Weissglass (UCSB) that influenced founders of TODOS. A little about his work here: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/apr97/vol54/num07/Deepening-Our-Dialogue-About-Equity.aspx We reference Prop 187, an anti-immigrant policy passed in CA in 1994 that influenced AZ and other states to take up anti-immigrant ballot initiatives. For more on Prop 187 see this digital exhibit curated by Max Thogmartin and Noel Albertsen (2019)" https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/looking-back-at-proposition-187-twenty-five-years-later-california-state-archives/DAKSJ8CAUvmiLg?hl=en

You may know Robert Berry from one of his many roles in the field of mathematics education, to name a few: his award-winning middle school mathematics teaching, his research on standards-based mathematics learning and the M-SCAN, his past presidency of NCTM, and the recent publication of a book he co-edited entitled "High School Mathematics Lessons to Explore, Understand, and Respond to Social Injustice." Dr. Berry joined TODOS Live on December 1 to give a talk on Dismantling Microagressions in Mathematics Classrooms. In this episode of the podcast, we share snippets of his talk from TODOS Live and an interview with host Maria Zavala. Follow the link from our website to his talk, https://www.todos-math.org/todos-live Or explore more at our TODOS Live! Vimeo Channel https://vimeo.com/user56336191 Here is a link to a research paper describing the M-SCAN, which is referenced towards the end of the interview: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282326656_The_Mathematics_Scan_M-Scan_A_Measure_of_Standards-Based_Mathematics_Teaching_Practices

How do teachers and families work together towards educational change, utilizing organizing traditions? Melissa Adams Corral, a teacher from Texas who is now in graduate school at the Ohio State University, and who has a background in community organizing, shares her perspective and experiences with us on how to approach genuine collaboration with parents – particularly parents from historically marginalized populations. Read an article she wrote for the Heinemann blog on organizing parents for educational change:https://medium.com/@heinemann/demanding-equity-organizing-parents-to-fight-tracking-6e97e94ce48b And read her chapter in the NCTM published Annual Perspectives in Mathematics Education, 2018: https://www.nctm.org/Store/Products/Annual-Perspectives-in-Mathematics-Education-2018/ Link to TODOS Commentary Papers including the one on parents as Educational Partners here: https://www.todos-math.org/statements

How are you doing right now? What is the moment we are in and what might we reflect on prior to the start of a new school year? Dr. Farima Pour-Khorshid is a teacher, activist, and researcher in healing and wellness. She joined us for a conversation about health, teaching, and learning in pandemic times. Get ready for real talk that is inspirational and deeply reflective. Check out Farima's work here:Farima's Collection of Hella COVID-19 Teaching/Learning/Wellness Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LMJeebStOBVFpey9AnV9OCvU2JuDXXAsTxBfMuhOawY/edit?usp=sharing Keynote for 2020 3rd Annual Central Coast Social Justice Education Conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NchK3Gxuxrg&feature=youtu.be The Flourish Agenda: https://flourishagenda.com/ Her academic profile can be found here https://usfca.academia.edu/FarimaPourKhorshidPhD

Marian Dingle is a mathematics teachers with over 21 years of experience teaching elementary school kids how to love themselves and love mathematics. She conversed with host Maria Zavala about schooling, mathematics, identities, and agency. She blogs at https://www.mariandingle.com/ and is on twitter @DingleTeach

What are the teacher communities that we build to sustain ourselves and each other? A double-length episode featuring two founders of the Nepantla Teachers Community, who speak to the roles of identity, tensions, and finding your people to sustain yourself in mathematics teaching. More about their work at https://nepantlateachers.wixsite.com/website