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Dusty Jones: hello, and thank you for listening to the teaching math teaching podcast the teaching math teaching podcast is sponsored by the Association of mathematics teacher educators.

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Dusty Jones: The hosts are Eva anheuser me dusty Jones and Joel amidon and i'm a little sad to say, we won't be hearing from Eva today, she had something else come up, but today I am excited that we're talking with Dr megan Burton.

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Dusty Jones: megan's an associate professor in the department of curriculum and teaching at auburn university and she's also president of the Association of mathematics teacher educators.

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Dusty Jones: And we're talking with her, for a number of reasons, but specifically we wanted to hear about what experiences led her to her current role as President of AMT.

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Dusty Jones: Welcome megan, can you tell us just a bit about yourself and your background.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Her um well i'm just to let you know a little bit my grandfather was a math professor and my father was a math major so math is always been a part of things as I grew up but I growing up, I didn't really care about math is a school Okay, can we start over.

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Dusty Jones: yeah go ahead.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): i'm sorry okay.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): i'm sorry i'm not going to read it i'm just gonna talk.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): It just been mega just go for just do a to count and then start.

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Okay.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): One tick well um it's nice to be here, thank you for having me i'm just to let you know a little bit about myself I grew up.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): With a math family, but at the same time math was my least favorite school subject I was really strong at it, but it just seems so disconnected in the world around me.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): But I loved teaching and understanding learners and how their minds, work and trying to learn with them.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And so I decided to become an elementary teacher and I taught during 1010 years I wasn't inclusive teacher and I taught with a large population of students that English was not their first language.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And discovered this brilliance that wasn't translating to the math curriculum that they were required to do so as a teacher, I started trying to find ways to meet needs and to adjust and.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): After doing my master's program I still felt I needed more support, and so, to be honest, I entered my PhD program to be a better elementary teacher that understand the research to advocate for my learners and such.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): But during my PhD program I started to discover the power we have is teacher educators to impact future teachers and to impact mathematics teacher education so.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): I started really enjoying working with pre service teachers, particularly elementary where math may not be their favorite subject but helping them realize that math is more than perhaps how they were taught.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And so i've really enjoyed that and i've enjoyed seeing them discover the beauty of math and even those that enjoyed math helping them realize it's more than just the way they see it, but how many lenses there are so i'm now at auburn university and i've been here, eight years and.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): I love, what I do.

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Dusty Jones: So what's the best advice that you received when you started as a mathematics teacher educator.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): it's a great question um I think perhaps one of the best pieces of advice that I got came from ED Dickey when I started at the University of South Carolina.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): He told me to go to this wonderful conference called AMT eat and one of the things I learned there was that there were people that were passionate about teaching.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): research as well, but also just about supporting math teacher educators in math education as a whole.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And so, to be honest, I had been in that elementary space where my focus was mathematics.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): But finding AMT helped me kind of look at the broader collaboration and how how mathematics, is so important throughout and through those colleagues have been inspired in my teaching.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): i've gotten to collaborate in outreach and research and that's really where I found my home, so I think it would be a vicki perhaps.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): yeah and one other thing, though, I do want to say is the Dean, when I started talked about the importance of balance and I know that's something right now, a lot of us struggle with.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): To be honest, it's something I struggled with as an elementary teacher and I struggle with today as a math teacher educator is finding that balance of making a difference, but realizing we're not the only person that we need to stay balanced outside of work in order to be effective.

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Dusty Jones: So turning this around what advice would you give someone who was starting out as a math teacher educator.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): I think three things that.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): resonated with me from our last conference, but I also think they're just critical in general.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Is um number one the work life balance being kind to yourself that we're all human and doing the best we can.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): um I think the second would be find Community people that inspire you and push you and also then encourage you, and kind of create that community in your classrooms well.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And the third one, I think I would get to is that we're all learning on this journey and there's always more we can learn and so just keep in mind that I know, sometimes people think when I get that PhD on there, or when I get tenure um there were never there were always still learning.

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Dusty Jones: that's a great quote so i'm gonna i'm gonna write that down so we're never there were always still learning that is.

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Dusty Jones: that's a different perspective, maybe then then someone might have when they're in the middle of their say undergraduate preparation, you know they are thinking you know if I could just get.

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Dusty Jones: Through this class or, if I could just get this degree or, if I could just get this job or once they have a job, if I could just get this other job or this other placement.

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Dusty Jones: yeah so or the tenure track line for those of us that are in the university.

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Dusty Jones: that's a really neat perspective, how do you how do you incorporate that into your own life megan.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): it's something I struggle with, but I think we're in such a society of the destination and it's just like I saw on Twitter, the other day, someone was commenting about.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Students asking is this a graded assignment or not and we're all about that final thing and such a huge part of what we know about math education is that in between park.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And about students, the productive struggle mandy jansen talks about the connecting it to our real world and building on what we already know, and so I think that just applies.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): beyond just our learners and keeping that in mind, as our college students trying to help them see when I grow and learn from mistakes and I share things like last fall.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): We incorporated some mindfulness study with my math methods course i'm Rachel welder and Heidi from Georgia southern we work together on that.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And i'm sharing with my students, I was learning about balance and struggling with it, I think some of those things it's important for our students to see us.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Really learning along the way, and and so that's I guess that's it and then i've just connected with a group that i'm getting to collaborate with.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): called stem rocks that involves krista Jackson and Margaret Schroeder, and a whole large group and i'm learning from them, and one of the things that I love in our writing group is that people say I don't know about this, can you share more so.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): I think that's really our goal is to keep learning and growing.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): It just makes me think like there's these you know, sometimes you think about the the arrival to.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): The doctorate degree or you know even just getting the name of teacher after you graduate you're in this role and thinking like.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): Sometimes there's limitation to those things where Oh, I am the professor, so I need to Professor i'm the teacher, I need to teach and like that gets breaking through and being like, no, no, I.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): it's like breaking beyond those barrier like no no i'm still a learner primarily and.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): That I can learn from this first grade student, just like I can learn from my pre service teacher, just like I can learn from a fellow colleague, just like and learn from the President of my.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): organization this I can learn from anyone and so like having those roles, sometimes it feels like that we need to break through them, I like that you like.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): That arrival like just because we have arrived at certain places, or gotten certain titles, or whatever that there's there's things that we need to always keep learning and just I know that's that's a good that's a good message I like I appreciate that.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): I was on Catherine shovels webinar webinar last night from nc tm and it was teachers and Catherine and a whole group, and she was showing student work and we can learn so much from the students and.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): I think that's just what What helps us so much as a group, and I loved the the no guilt book Club in December we did with Catherine Facebook and.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And it was she talked about the teacher she learned from I really think that's just key and all we do.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): But on the flip side something to be honest, that i've worked on the last couple of years, not continue to work on, is because I do so much see myself as a learner and still a work in progress, sometimes I don't see.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): The strength and privilege and power that I have to advocate for things and.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Certainly in this role, but even as an associate.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Professor or an assistant Professor or a teacher, you know all of those different places, I did have voices that I didn't voice and power and privilege that I didn't always use.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): I would advocate for my students in a small group but i'm realizing more and more helping my learner's see the importance of advocacy because i'm seeing it in what i'm doing now as well.

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that's a good point as well.

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Dusty Jones: And that that kind of leads me to my next question as we you said in one of your early advice that you got from a Dickey was to.

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Dusty Jones: attend a empty, and now you know in in a span of not so many years.

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Dusty Jones: you're now the President so thinking about your role as President of a empty, and I know that you're not thinking like I achieved it, you know I checked the box and now.

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Dusty Jones: we're going, you know we're done with that, but thinking about your role as the President what's the best advice you received when you started out in this role.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Oh there's so many um so I knew a little bit of what I was getting myself into from a committee work to being chair of a committee to I was the affiliate director before the restructuring saw served on the board.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): But I had not been involved in a leadership role i've been on committees, but not really involved in a leadership role until last year when.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): I was elected, it had been a while and so learning about the restructuring was a little overwhelming at that first meeting and.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): I started thinking, how do we keep moving forward, and I remember feeling this doubt and Eva who's not here for me to be able to say this.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): came up to me, without realizing that and said i'm so glad you were elected i'm excited to see what's happening and i'm excited to see what you're going to do in these years, and you were here for a reason and.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): That stood out to me through out the time I know it's not quite advice, but it's what I needed to hear.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And then throughout this year we've been trying to put together information because this next year will be electing the next President elect.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): we've been trying to put together information so people know what these roles mean and what they involve and um and so i've gotten to talk to a lot of past presidents, including our current when Mike steele who has been a wonderful mentor.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And all of them shared, first of all their own self doubts and yet I look at what they accomplished and realize AMT so much more than the President that it's the whole group leading.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And that that we can do this together, but um one of the things that also stood out to me was that idea that you're never alone in this role.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Fortunately, last year Mike and sherry, and I met every week to try to plan what were we going to do during the pandemic to meet.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): people's needs what were we going to do for the conference and now Mike services past President and sherry, and I continue to meet each week to say how do we.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Keep Community circles going in a in an effective way, how do we, you know do all these things.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): So I think that's the Nice advice is that you're never alone remember you've got all these great leaders between those three and then the board, and all of the divisions and committees.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): they're really doing the work my job is just to help make space, so that we actually do move forward and that we are able to meet the needs of Members, and I think a big part of the roles just listening.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): I know that kind of rambled beyond your question but.

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Dusty Jones: Now that's really good you gave me a lot to think about and some some questions that I have now kind of moving forward with that.

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Dusty Jones: So you said you've been putting together information and maybe this is going to be i'm guessing made available at some future time or maybe it's already out there, but what sorts of things can you give us just kind of a sketch about what is it.

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Dusty Jones: An election for President of AMT is is coming soon for the President elect what sorts of things do people need to know to think about Is this something that I should think about pursuing, or is this, you know what what is the role entail what, what do you want to share, about that.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): yeah great question well, the first thing is think of people you feel would be strong in this role that you might want to nominate someone nominated me, you can do it anonymously, I had no idea who it was.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): I would have never thought to put myself forward but someone else did and I hear multiple past presidents who said the same thing so so think about people that that you think might be interested, they can always say no.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): But some of the information we've got going out is I got to sit down with some past Presidents Jimmy by Williams.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Randy Randy Phillips, Christine Thomas and Karen car and we talked on Courtney Miller help lead that discussion, and we talked about what their roles were like, and it was interesting to hear Karen carp say that, as when she was President they started having a budget which.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): I can't imagine that wow before then.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): It was just you have this money let's spend it, you know all of these things just listening to when affiliates got involved when committee started working and how this organization has grown over the years.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): So that's a great it's it's about 1520 minutes a little clip you can watch in addition fran arbor and.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And Maryland stretches have written a great reflection about their time that's going to be in the connections newsletter we also have treasures coming up and.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): We have our current and, most recently passed treasurer share a little bit both on video in in a written article about their experience and then Eva and krista Jackson, who have both been.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): board members that large share a little bit about their experience, because those are the three positions that are available this year so um.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): So I think that helps unpack some of the information so people can see that none of these jobs are an island we're all Community and here to support each other.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): and also what we hope is that it helps people feel comfortable reaching out if they are considering it I hope someone would feel comfortable emailing myself or Mike or anyone else and saying tell me a little bit about this.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): So that's what's coming out.

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Dusty Jones: Great so that's going to be in this upcoming issue of the connections and as soon as that's available we'll put that link in our show notes as well.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And you can actually already see the videos if you click under headquarters there's information about the upcoming election, and you can see those videos there.

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Dusty Jones: Oh great I will will definitely put that link there that's wonderful thanks.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): I mean, I really like that, from a Member when bad that came on and she talked about leadership in in the organizations and just you know, taking that.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): You know, try to find a place that you can serve within organizations and AMT being one of them, but then i'd really like the the picture that you're.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): able to paint of these different positions so that people are like blindly accepting something, but actually going into to see like what are the gifts, I have and do they fit within this role, and I think.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): that's that's outstanding being able to do that because I think sometimes it's like what what am I what am I able to do and how can I fit in and where some people like.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): They really enjoy talking to people and maybe being the you know, to have that sort of conversations about manuscripts that could be one thing versus you know wanting to they like.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): Budgeting and things like that, like the Treasury would be a great spot well, I still can't get over that we didn't people didn't know that with the budget was I was awesome that's a great piece of information.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): That would make me laugh when she said, oh.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): My gosh yeah but there's like my checkbook and college so.

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Dusty Jones: Right there's money.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Okay, oh yeah well and even if people aren't considering running I think these are really useful because it helps people realize, first of all, all of these are volunteer positions and we're still.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Teaching i'm teaching two courses and doing my research and so is everyone else along this but it's because we care about math teacher.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Education, just like you guys doing this podcast and all the different work you do that we're all working together on this and it helps make it a little bit more visible, what the work actually is.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And I know there's certain things I didn't realize all the different organizations AMT he connects with and meets with to try to collaborate.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Yesterday I was just on a video call with nct EMS President and CSM Todos and the Ohio Council of teaching mathematics executive director, as we were talking through some issues and what we could do together on an upcoming things so.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): it's really neat to see how far a mts reach can be in supporting teachers and teacher education.

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Dusty Jones: that's wonderful and I really like how when we're thinking about AMT being an organization.

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Dusty Jones: It actually is an organization of different people doing things and one thing that you can do if you're like why I don't have time or the interest to actually be one of these leaders, and we all can be involved and nominate others.

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Dusty Jones: For these things so that that's still a way to have your voice heard, and I think just personal opinion, I think AMT he.

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Dusty Jones: has been doing a very good job of listening to its members, or at least trying to listen to its Members.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): So.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): I would add to that also please if there are things that you see hey I wonder about this or i'm curious.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): That have y'all thought about this reach out to anyone on the board, and I know all of us are happy to listen and meet those needs i'm excited and yet also.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): I hope people will consider volunteering i'm excited to say that last year we've been keeping track of who fills out a volunteer form and trying to make sure people get on committees and so forth.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Last year we're down to very like it's a minimal number of people who volunteered who didn't get on a committee, and it was their first time to volunteer.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): So if you're at all interested and we're finding more and more ways that we need volunteers, as the organization grows and as we try to reach out to different members and increase.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): The the support that we offer, so please consider that you know you can get involved at any level of commitment, whether it's just sharing your ideas or stepping on to a committee to find out a little bit more about the organization.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And one of the things we're really trying to do strategically is to reach beyond just the math teacher education, higher education community.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): That our classroom teachers that supervisor in terms you're a math teacher educator people in district offices are math teacher educators people at the State Department who helped with some of the curriculum decisions.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): we're also trying to reach out to some of the institutions that currently may not be involved to say what needs, can we can we meet and and what can we do to help have your voice at the table about math teacher education, because we don't want to just be in our higher ED silos.

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Exactly.

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Dusty Jones: So megan thinking about as the as the, as the President of AMT what makes a good day, as the President of AMT.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Oh, you gave some great when you asked that one there's so many things i've got to be honest, the first one just for me, not just as President of AMT but just for me.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): is being in a classroom where there's this community and you're seeing light bulbs and sense, making happen, whether that's my college students graduate class or.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): or my elementary students and also walking away from that, as I empty President, I think.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): One of the things that's really exciting is when we hear from people that say you know.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): We got an overwhelming amount of positive feedback about this conference about people who said they felt Community whether it was their first time or.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Multiple times people that missed face to face because we we do connect but also people that are wanting things beyond the conference, and I remember when I first came on as affiliate chair Maryland stretches was President.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And she really emphasized, we want to be more than just a conference, and so I think a good day for me, is when i'm hearing people that have been impacted by things.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): beyond just the conference when somebody posts hey I heard Theresa wills podcast that was great y'all need to to listen to that or we signed up for this webinar and it really met my needs.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Have loved how the connections newsletter has started sharing more and more so, a good day for me is that, but also, I appreciate the feedback when people.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): may feel their needs, were not meeting, we can always do everything we are a volunteer organization, but hearing those thoughts.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): helps us meet and try them try to figure out what can we do better in the future because, like I said we're always learning and growing, and so I really appreciate when people.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): come to us and say AMT a question this or have you thought about this area, how are we meeting the needs of these scholars.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Those are things that that make it it's sometimes tough to hear when you care about an organization, but it's something you want to hear so you can make it better, just like that productive feedback in the classroom.

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Dusty Jones: So kind of turning the page a little bit megan What do you do for fun, how do you how do you balance things out what are some things that that you do when you're not being a math teacher educator.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Well, in the past, my answer would be travel I love.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): That yes exactly um I love to travel, whether it's whether it's local international just to go find new places and and I love when I can travel in ways that aren't.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): They travel groups, but like renting a house in Ireland or you know and getting to know people are i've spent several summers.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): In Estonia, Lithuania, working with children over there and getting to know them and in China, I got to teach a stem camp I love getting to really get to know people from different cultures and.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And really connect with them, but since I haven't gotten to travel um i've always been involved in pet rescue I tend to be the person that will rescue.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): The rescue will send a foster a dog that may not make it, but just needs 11 home for those last little bit, but I failed enough times and other dogs that i'm now up to three, thanks to the pandemic so.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): So we're not fostering anymore, so I love dogs I love traveling and I do not have kids of my own, so I am definitely the spoiler and.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): That that lives for my nieces and nephews in Virginia in Florida so that's that's an and pottery is my stress relief I don't make great pottery but I enjoy doing it because it helps relieve tension, so I have a wheel that I use for that that's about it.

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Dusty Jones: Joel any any last questions from from you anything that's popped up into your head.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): Well, I just was thinking about the pottery I mean like that's probably.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): Like you're talking earlier about mindfulness I bet you you can't you can't concentrate on I don't know if you have a wheel or wet or however you do your pottery but you probably have to be totally in it dinner to do pottery well I would guess.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): You do I love I picked it up right before the pandemic and when they close i've been doing it for about a year, and when they close down our local pottery place.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): For the pandemic our order to wheel, and I now have it in my house and I am a late night person that's when my writing happens so I have now learned when I get to a block I go and sit in front of the wheel and like you said it's such a release and there's so many great metaphors and.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And things you can find in pottery that.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): The clay gets too stressed, so it needs to rest some that you can always reshape it from the mistakes that you really need to be centered if it's ever going to work so yeah it certainly helps with mindfulness for sure.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): I have you had a sorry one more question about have you thought of a question like a like a math in context question around potter yet have you have you generated one.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Oh that's a great question I wish I had to be honest i've separated those two and I probably should not i'm glad you asked that I did right before the pandemic, we were starting to work on this, I have a friend that's in science, education and does a lot with stem.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Krishna who does pottery and we were going to get elementary students to make whistles that are pretty easy to make with pottery and we were going to incorporate some math and science, with that, and then we had the date set it was April of last.

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Year.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And so, but we hadn't fully realized that before everything else happened, so I need to pick that back up thanks, no.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): That would be fine that'd be fun to see I just I think about that, because for a brief period I was I did the palette of problems in the now defunct math teacher to the middle school.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): Every every context was like oh my gosh I have to write like 10 problems i'm like there's a context, I can write a problem so.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): switch off that part of my brain but.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): yeah so so well I tell you one thing that i'm very thankful for during this pandemic, though, is you mentioned those resources are the things like nc teams 100 days and the total webinars and.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): I appreciate a we did some at the very beginning and are picking them up back right now, but it seemed our Members were so involved in those other.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Other wonderful webinars that you know, we do need to find that work life balance um but i've learned so much from all of those and that's helped widen my Community so that's been a great inspiration.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): Like I said at least one more question megan, and this is something I was thinking about because.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): AMT the virtual conference was over two weekends, and it was it was good, and I have never attended more sessions, and it was just great to see people and interact and I was using the.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): chat back channel and all our zoom rooms and things and I wonder.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): And, have you have you thought about this as an organization like, how do we, how do we balance to make sure like we are providing things, but then, when you provide things, some people may feel obligated to show up like it's that.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): Balance of we don't want to overwhelm people, but we want to make sure they're getting what they need I don't know, have you had any discussions like that.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): yeah we did as a board dusty knows this beforehand and it came after as well um it was this challenge, and we did hear from the membership that.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): While some appreciated the Saturday some did not want them because it's hard to take off during the week.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): so that you can work on Saturday and say hey I can't come in, because i'm working Saturday and so instead a lot of people did you know work that extra six day our challenge was not wanting people to miss two days in a week of classes, or you know things like that and.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): What time zone are men are because we're cost time zones and it was difficult to get an the sessions and and we know so many people, not only do we go to learn from our colleagues and to connect.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Presenting as an important part of a lot of people's work expectations and so.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): it's it was surprising exciting and I also felt a little guilty when I read the feedback, of how many people really wanted to go to every session and so some of the feedback was I didn't have enough time for lunch or I didn't you know.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): The Saturdays were tough and.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And my thought had been before and I don't know about dusty says, as he was there, but, listening from the board perspective, it was.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): These are the days we can offer them and we know people aren't going to be able to make every session but, but if we offer it this way, more people can present and you can find what works for you so.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): It was really a surprise to me how many people did did do just what I did have turn off their camera and eight during a session because you didn't want to miss it says a lot about the presentations.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): yeah I may or may not have empty the dishwasher during one of the presentations or prepared a meal, but you could I mean it's kind of a unique situation, but no.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Mike was on the trend still was on the treadmill.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): But one of the things we have discovered that we want to build on, because the chats dream conversations.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): are so powerful and while I know the APP may have struggled some i'll go ahead and say that's a contract we signed into back in February or March of last year, before we knew where we'd be.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): But um.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): But it does have this great feature when we're face to face of you can chat via the APP.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And so we were thinking at our next conference we might want to make that available so that during.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): During the opening session because Joe while you were sharing and Sandra and Naomi were sharing all your great insights it was also so powerful to hear other people's thoughts on it so.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): Oh yeah absolutely I mean during the fireside chat and I know one of I think the docs one of the Doc students here at university city was in there.

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Joel Amidon (he/him/his): And Rochelle Gutierrez was kept throwing things into the chat and i'm just like you know you mind sending a mind message to the doctoral student like hey just soak up everything Rochelle is saying, because it was pretty amazing.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Oh yeah exactly so, so I think that's neat because that also helps create Community um i'll be honest, when I showed up to my first AMT.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Like I said when I started my Doc program I was planning on going back to the elementary classroom so I taught most of the years, while I was going to class and.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And and finishing up my dissertation I finally took two years off and taught math methods, while I was doing my dissertation but um.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): But at the same time AMT is where I found community and AMT where I felt this connection, but I showed up the first year, not knowing anyone, except for and dickie and.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And I remember Randy Philip was one of the people who first just immediately made me feel welcome and he was.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): Like Rochelle Gutierrez he was somebody I read about and respected so much and to make me feel like a part of the Community was exciting.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): And I think our chats kind of helps those people like myself who might be too shy, I would have never gone up to Randy it took him coming to me that that made me feel welcome the chat helps with that in some ways.

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Dusty Jones: Well megan thanks so much for spending some time with us today i'm really looking forward to seeing what comes next and to hear back from others about this talk that we've had.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): i've really enjoyed it and it's exciting to see how we're expanding to connect.

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Megan Burton (she/her/hers): What math teacher education means and how many people are passionate about it during this critical moment as as we start to re envision what's it going to look like so as we move forward, so please reach out if you want to get involved, so thank you for having me.

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Dusty Jones: yeah you're welcome it's our pleasure.

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Dusty Jones: And thanks again for listening to the teaching math teaching podcast be sure to subscribe to the podcast.

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Dusty Jones: And we hope that you're able to implement something that you just heard and take an opportunity to interact with other math teacher educators.

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Dusty Jones: Also weird wondering what do you want to hear in upcoming podcasts and who do you want to hear from.

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Dusty Jones: Let us know, through the virtual suggestion box, we just set it up, you could find it in several places at the contact us page at teaching math teaching podcast calm or in the show notes for this episode or many other places.