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Superheroes at Work: Note from the Editor Dr. Agida Manizade

In this issue, we are celebrating the contri- butions by the community of superheroes, individ- uals with extraordinary skills and abilities: our mathematics teachers. Every day, this group of exceptional professionals engage in incredible activities, such as  Helping young mathematicians to develop deep conceptual understandings of the subject matter through hands-on experiences, as described in Dana Johnson’s piece;  Motivating students to do mathematics, regard- less of existing challenges, as explained by Nicole Joseph’s research;  Finding and analyzing great examples of math- ematics in nature and the world around us, as presented by John Adam in his article about rainbows;  Designing high cognitive demand tasks, lessons and activities that promote mathematics dis- course in the classroom, similar to ideas by Denise Wilkinson; and  Inspiring children to see the beauty of mathe- matics as well as developing their problem- solving and critical thinking skills.

engage on a daily basis while dealing with pres- sures of standardized testing, often the lack of resources, and many other factors, not under their control, that can affect the teaching and learning process. These superheroes also participate in ongo- ing professional development in order to continue improving their own skills and abilities. We en- courage our readers to consider professional devel- opment (PD) opportunities discussed in this issue, as well as grant opportunities that can fund addi- tional PD. Our mathematics teachers are phenomenal individuals that continue their work and commit- ment to excellence in teaching mathematics to our children. We thank them for their invaluable ser- vice in shaping future generations.

Agida Manizade Editor in Chief, Virginia Mathematics Teacher vmt@radford.edu

These are just a few examples of extraordi- nary activities in which our mathematics teachers

Virginia Mathematics Teacher vol. 44, no. 1

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