Teaching math in 2026 is demanding in ways that are structural, cultural, and relentless — and yet the conversation about teacher sustainability rarely makes space for what math educators are actually carrying. In this episode, Curtis and Joanie get honest about burnout, purpose, and community in the math teaching profession.

Drawing on research from burnout science, teacher identity, and professional resilience, this conversation explores three ideas that don't get discussed enough: why burnout is a systemic signal rather than a personal failure, how math teachers can reconnect with a durable and honest sense of purpose when the hard days start to outnumber the good ones, and why professional community isn't a luxury — it's the infrastructure that makes long, sustainable careers possible.

This episode is for math teachers who are tired but not done. It won't tell you to practice more gratitude or look on the bright side. It will tell you the truth — and give you something useful to do with it.

Books:

● Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski & Amelia Nagoskiwww.burnoutbook.net

● The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life by Parker J. Palmerwww.couragerenewal.org/parker/writings/courage-to-teach

● Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators by Elena Aguilarwww.brightmorningteam.com/onward

● Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students' Potential through Creative Math by Jo Boalerwww.youcubed.org/mathematical-mindsets

Organizations & Communities:

● Colorado Council of Teachers of Mathematics (CCTM)www.cctmath.org

● National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)www.nctm.org

This episode of Room to Grow, Curtis and Joanie reflect on topics about which they have changed their minds. Although their minds have changed about different things, in their conversation, they have captured bigger ideas about what goes into changing one’s mind, and have applied that to what goes into changing a teacher’s practice. Importantly, the recognize that change is a highly personal experience and is an inevitable part of continued growth.

As you listen to Joanie’s thoughts about how students develop conceptual understanding, and Curtis’ thoughts about AI in math education, you may wish to consider these additional resources, referenced in this episode:

· NCSM guidance on AI in Math Education

· Adding It Up report from the National Research Council

· Principles to Actions from NCTM and NCTM’s “Teacher’s Guide to Reasoning and Sense Making”

· Pam Harris’ Math is Figureoutable

Did you enjoy this episode of Room to Grow? Please leave a review and share the episode with others. Share your feedback, comments, and suggestions for future episode topics by emailing roomtogrowmath@gmail.com . Be sure to connect with your hosts on X and Instagram: @JoanieFun and @cbmathguy.

This episode of Room to Grow, Curtis and Joanie welcome Zandra de Araujo to the podcast. Zandra and her colleagues, Sam Otten and Amber Candella created math classroom “Instructional Nudges,” small tweaks to classroom practice that can make a significant impact on student engagement, learning, and sense making of mathematics.

The conversation reveals the origin of the Instructional Nudges project, some specific example nudges and how they work, and the coming soon Instructional Nudges aligned to the Mathematics Language Routines. Everyone will walk away with an idea or two to implement right away in the classroom!

Additional referenced content includes:

· Zandra’s personal webpage

· Practice-Driven PD webpage which houses all of the Instructional Nudges

· NCTM article – Rate and Review nudge

· Incremental PD guide

· Two-minute teacher guide videos

Did you enjoy this episode of Room to Grow? Please leave a review and share the episode with others. Share your feedback, comments, and suggestions for future episode topics by emailing roomtogrowmath@gmail.com . Be sure to connect with your hosts on X and Instagram: @JoanieFun and @cbmathguy.