Marian Dingle, Community Engagement Manager, Advanced Education Research and Development Fund, was elected President-Elect. Marian's term is for four years, one year as President-Elect, two years as President, and one year as Past President.

Ji Yeong I, Associate Professor at Iowa State University, and Brandie Waid, Mathematics Consultant and Co-director of The Queer Mathematics Teacher / The Radical Pedagogy Institute were elected Directors. The term for a director is three years.

Congratulations to the newly elected Board members - whose terms will begin May 1, 2023.

In Wakanda, they say, “Show them who you are.” The truth is, I never really know what to include in candidate statements. Will my words actually show who I am? Will they capture everything people need to know to make their decision? How do I convey both my desire to lead and my competence without coming across as arrogant and self-serving? I choose to simply tell my story and trust that it is enough.

Two years ago, I wrote my first candidate statement when running for TODOS Director. I was halfway through my 22nd year as an elementary classroom teacher, teaching all subjects, having loved mathematics from an early age. As the daughter of an educator, I’d understood that the high expectations my parents had for me, and that I had for myself, would often exceed those of others who would continually underestimate me. I’d grown up mathematizing objects and ideas, while my father fed my curiosity with late night math magic at the kitchen table. As my love of mathematics increased, unfortunately, so did the need for my mother to fight against the gatekeeping that tried to exclude me from “higher” course placements. She, and other role models, taught me to never settle for less than an excellent education. As a Black woman, I internalized having to be “twice as good” to be considered equal to my peers.

I was a good teacher, creating the same conditions in the classroom that allowed me to thrive mathematically. I assumed the brilliance of children without apology or explanation. Both during the pandemic and before, children thrived. Those traditionally marginalized felt free to be their authentic selves in an environment built on trust. However, just as I was beginning my service as TODOS Director, I was being pushed out of public school teaching altogether. My years of teaching students various truths, of rejecting deficit assumptions about their abilities, and of empowering students and their families with tools to disrupt systemic barriers were rewarded with an abrupt, unceremonious exit. It was the beginning of a personal transformation that has helped me discover a new avenue of leadership capacity.

Letting go of my teacher identity meant that I had to dig deep to discover my worth beyond the classroom. Slowly, I began to shed roles and positions elsewhere that did not bring me joy or fulfillment, many within math education and education in general. I continue to reject putting pressure on myself to be twice as good, because I realize that my own personal standard of excellence is high enough. I am also more judicious with my time, choosing to devote energy into endeavors likely to make a dent into oppressive systems and create true liberation.

My current leadership experience occurs both in TODOS and in my professional life. For nearly two years, I have been working with an education non-profit that is focused on creating and implementing liberatory assessment practices. This role affords me the opportunity to continue to work with young people, ensuring that their vision is included in research and development, and to incubate ideas with adults that will directly decrease deficit narratives of Black and Latinx learners and their families.  My service with TODOS includes guiding two Special Interest Groups, chairing the Advocacy Committee, and being a member of the conference planning committee. These opportunities have taught me to lean into a community of like minds, consistently holding ourselves to high standards of equitable practice, for nothing gets accomplished alone. I am thankful for my circle of advisors from both within and outside of TODOS, who love me enough to candidly correct me when I am wrong. For me, leadership is not about avoiding mistakes, but identifying them quickly, then learning from them. Further, it is an act of love and faith: love that requires honesty, hard conversations and tough decisions, and faith that things work out as they should. True leadership requires commitment and accountability; I embrace both.

Directors

Throughout my experiences as a teacher, researcher, educator, and leader, I have served culturally and linguistically diverse learners and teachers to advance equity in education. I started my educational career as a classroom teacher in Southern California and have expanded my areas to research and teacher education, especially in supporting emergent bilingual students and their math teachers.

I am a strong believer that education can change the world. Throughout my teaching career in the US, TODOS has shown me the most opportunities of making this belief true. If elected, I will commit to continuing to do the excellent work that TODOS has been doing based on my knowledge and experience with Latinx and other BIPOC people/students. Particularly, I support initiating a program for bilingual teachers and teachers of color, both preservice and in-service teachers. Supporting BIPOC teachers can help them retain in teaching careers longer, develop more diverse teacher communities, and help establish a safe learning environment for BIPOC students. Building and involving in a cultural community is essential for these teachers, and TODOS is a great community where they can stay safe and share their experiences, especially for the teachers in the states with low diversity. 

TODOS is uniquely positioned to lead in equity advocacy, and as a leader, TODOS has the expert network to truly support all learners in mathematics learning. I believe that supporting Latinx students is not only for the Latinx community. Although each group of BIPOC has a unique challenge, the challenges are closely connected. To support all educators and learners, TODOS can provide resources in many languages our students and parents speak. I believe language is powerful. My expertise in emergent bilinguals with diverse ethnic groups will help the TODOS goal of promoting support for all students well practiced and manifested.

My focus is always on building practical tools beyond theories. As a TODOS director, I will bring extensive experience in creating practical resources and learning opportunities for educators, students, and parents to think and reason critically in mathematics.

Over the years I have held a number of positions in the PK-16 education system, first as a mathematics teacher (high school and middle school), then as a mathematics teacher educator, and finally as a mathematics consultant and independent scholar. These positions, as well as my experiences within (and outside of) the PK-16 system as a queer, Latinx, White, disabled educator, have shaped my views and commitment to understand how PK-16 institutions reify inequities and harmful ideologies of White supremacy, sexism, cissexism, heterosexism, ableism, Christian supremacy, and nationalism. Such inequities and ideologies leave many individuals (myself included) feeling as though there is no place for us; that we do not belong. An example of how this manifests in my personal life and teaching is that I am constantly engaging in reflection to understand the role of institutional policies and practices and how they contribute to or hinder equity and access, particularly in creating community and belonging for those of historically marginalized, yet resilient, groups. In many instances, this reflection has led to sustained activism to shift policies and practices to be more equitable. For example, during my time working as an Associate Editor for Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12 (MTLT), I advocated for initiatives that would diversify the editorial board and journal authorship, the inclusion of an option to provide pronouns when submitting author bios, and greater attention and training in providing humanizing feedback to authors.

In addition to reflecting on institutional policies and practices, I am constantly engaging in reflection on how my own actions and beliefs contribute to or hinder equity and access. This has led me to implement a teaching style that emphasizes Latinx values of community, collective care, healing, and action.  My teaching philosophy pushes boundaries, resists the temptation to maintain tradition, and is fueled by creativity and co-creation, particularly with students and educators whose identities exist at the intersections of multiple historically marginalized groups. Finally, my reflective nature and rejection of traditional mathematics norms has led me to create liberatory spaces within and outside of the classroom that disrupt the oppressive nature of mathematics teaching and learning. This is evidenced by 1) the summer enrichment I created and facilitate yearly for 2SLGBTQIA+ students, “Camp” of Mathematical Queeries, 2) the professional development institute I have co-founded, Radical Pedagogy Institute, which provides teacher education in anti-racist, queer, culturally responsive, and other liberatory pedagogies, as well as in strategies to engage in teacher activism, and 3) the Mathematical Queeries Framework I developed, which supports teachers in disrupting structures within the mathematics classroom that have historically been oppressive to queer, trans, disabled, undocumented, Black, and Brown students.

If elected as a TODOS Director, my mission and values outlined above will inform and inspire my  leadership. While I believe in collaborative, collective action, and care, I am willing to question and push back against efforts or policies if they are at risk of being a disservice to the communities we are trying to reach. My leadership style will push the TODOS community to consider a greater variety of voices within the Latinx diaspora, particularly those who are monolingual, undocumented, disabled, Black, Indigenous, Asian, queer and/or queer trans, as well as to adopt a larger framework of equity that moves beyond Latinx identity.  Although I have already begun this work with my service to the TOD∀XS Special Interest Group and Advocacy Committee, I believe we can and must do more. I am unwaveringly committed to the fight for justice and would welcome the opportunity to engage in impactful freedom dreaming with the TODOS Board and larger TODOS community. I believe our work has only just begun.

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