A Joyful Math Season!

2025 is wrapping up, and there is still so much mathing to be done. Whether you are shopping for gifts, counting down the days until break, planning for family celebrations, mapping travel plans, or calculating how many hours of napping you will enjoy, you are mathing. That said, let’s also capitalize on the many math moments left to experience with our students as the year comes to a close.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of math conferences, keynotes, sessions, and lots of mathing together. A favorite session of mine was at the NC-CTM conference led by Pamela Mabry focused on Reclaiming Joy in math class. It was all about how we must balance fun with rigor to cultivate engagement. To quote Pam Mabry, “Let’s disrupt the myth that rigor and fun can’t coexist.” By balancing fun and rigor, maybe we can end the year with a little less stress and a bit more joy. 

I remember all of the snowman math puzzles, winter themed games, and holiday movies in the afternoons we relied on to press towards the finish line. Teachers were tired, children were wired, and we were all ready for winter break. But what if instead of passing the time by just keeping the peace, we found ways to turn fun activities into meaningful math adventures? What if we put a holiday spin on math tasks that are aligned to the standards and keep students thinking? What if we write holiday math stories that include math problems that need to be solved? 

During this joyful math season, let’s look for ways to balance rigor with fun so students can continue thinking and learning right up to the last day before winter break. And maybe instead of just counting down the days until break, as the last day of school gets closer, have them count down the hours. Whatever you come up with, let’s make it meaningful and joyful.

For some light holiday reading, check out my book for ideas for building a community of mathers by balancing joy and rigor. 

Happy Holidays to you all!