What Counts is a limited-series podcast about the narratives that shape math learning, and how changing those narratives can change what's possible in classrooms. In season 1, we speak to teachers, students, and education leaders to ask: What happens when relationships move from the margins to the center of math instruction?

What Counts is presented by Impact Florida and produced by De LeCourt.

Abi was in 10th grade when a teacher disovered something basic that no test had caught: she couldn't add and subtract negative numbers. One number line later, everything changed.

In episode 1 of What Counts, we go inside math classrooms to ask a question we rarely connect to math education: What do relationships have to do with learning math? Teachers share why trust and student voice drive achievement, engagement, and even teacher retention... and why the system still treats relationships like an optional add-on.

What Counts is presented by Impact Florida and produced by De LeCourt.

Why do so many students walk into math class believing they're "not math people"?

In Episode 2, we explore why math is one of the only subjects where students form identity-level beliefs about their abilities and how math anxiety, shame, and past classroom experiences shape participation in middle and high school math.

You'll hear secondary math teachers reflect on:

• Students who carry fear or embarrassment into math class

• How small classroom moments can reinforce or undo math anxiety

• The emotional weight teachers feel when trying to rebuild confidence

• Why math identity often becomes personal in ways other subjects don't

If you teach math in a secondary classroom and regularly hear "I'm just not good at math," this episode examines how teacher-student relationships influence math confidence, engagement, and students' willingness to try.

What Counts is a professional learning podcast for middle and high school math teachers exploring teacher-student relationships, student voice, math identity, and classroom culture. The show is presented by Impact Florida and produced by De LeCourt.

If relationships matter in math instruction, how do you actually build them? Especially with 100+ students?

In Episode 3, we move from belief to practice. Middle and high school math teachers reflect on what intentional relationship-building looks like in real classrooms... beyond slogans like "relationships are everything."

You'll hear practical strategies from secondary math educators, including:

• Using math timelines to understand students' math histories

• Creating daily routines that build connection and trust

• Listening for moments that shift how you see a student

• Strengthening student voice in math discussions

• Building mathematical self-esteem over time

This episode explores how relationship-building in the math classroom becomes sustainable practice (not just philosophy) and how reflective teaching strengthens both connection and instructional decisions.

What Counts is a professional learning podcast for middle and high school math teachers exploring teacher-student relationships, student voice, math identity, and classroom culture. The show is presented by Impact Florida and produced by De LeCourt.

Strong teacher-student relationships matter, but classroom culture shapes math learning just as much.

In Episode 4, we widen the lens to explore peer relationships in the math classroom and how social dynamics influence student participation.

Middle and high school math teachers share stories about:

• Co-creating classroom norms

• Addressing laughter or shutdown without damaging relationships

• Reducing students' fear of looking "dumb" in front of peers

• Building collective responsibility for respectful discussion

• Creating psychological safety in math class

When students feel safe making mistakes publicly, participation changes. This episode examines how classroom culture in secondary math classrooms can shift from control to community, and why peer trust plays a central role.

What Counts is a professional learning podcast for middle and high school math teachers exploring teacher-student relationships, student voice, math identity, and classroom culture. The show is presented by Impact Florida and produced by De LeCourt.

Tafari was a quiet eighth grader in a new, high-pressure algebra class during the first COVID year. He was smart enough to slip through the cracks, and stressed enough to be misread. Years later, he'd become a freshman at Harvard. But back then, one teacher simply saw what others didn't.

In the finale, we follow Tafari's story over time to see how relationships compound through a steady rhythm of attention, a reframe that changes how adults respond to a student, and a network of belief that keeps him on track. It's not just a story about Harvard. It's about the quieter wins happening every day—the moment a student tries again, or starts to believe they have a future they couldn't see before.

What Counts is presented by Impact Florida and produced by De LeCourt.