Inspiration! Editor

(2020-2021)
Gwen Zimmermann

Gwen Zimmermann

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Personal Message

I am honored and humbled to be able to serve NCSM and its members. Having had previous opportunities to serve as Journal Editor and Central 1 Regional Director, I know firsthand how dedicated the board is to creating and sustaining the premier mathematics leadership organization.

The board is committed to providing its members with the means to network, learn from each other, and have access to high quality, innovative resources to support leaders who, in turn, are growing others in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Personally, I will use my experience, collaborative approach, and feedback from our constituents to give our members a newsletter that is timely and informative. All of this is predicated on a belief and passion that each of us has a responsibility, individually and collectively, to ensure every student is provided with rigorous and relevant mathematics curriculum and instruction taught by highly qualified teachers who care about their students as individuals.

Member Story

Like most of you, I entered teaching with the hope and intent of having a positive impact on student learning. In the early years of my career, my time and energy were consumed with improving my very rough and rudimentary craft of teaching while at the same time making sense of student learning. I am and will always be a learner at heart. So, throughout my professional journey I have sought to gain as much knowledge from "experts" and respected colleagues about the teaching and learning of mathematics as I possibly could. I have long collaborated with peers and recognized that through those collaborative dialogues, I could share my evolving knowledge and expertise with others influencing their craft and practice. As it would turn out, NCSM encapsulated all of these attributes I valued!

At some point along the way, I was encouraged to attend an NCSM Annual meeting. I remember going to my first conference where I couldn’t stop smiling the entire time. I had found my people! The joy and energy I experienced in learning from and conversing with other like-minded people who all were seeking to ultimately have a positive influence on the teaching and learning of mathematics was exhilarating. Because of NCSM, I have learned from and with dedicated, passionate educators and created powerful networks of professionals who continuously seeking to grow themselves and others. Because of NCSM, I made the transition transition from a mathematics teacher focused on "my" students to a mathematics educator working for the betterment of "all of our students."