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Middle school math teachers have a challenge-they need to help students become mathematical thinkers who truly understand concepts and don't just memorize. One way we recommend doing this is by using the new Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMP) to help students build a foundation of thinking and communicating math. We find it most helpful to think of the standards as a door.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to serve as a discussant after a group of panelists, all teachers in the "spring" of their careers (even one first year teacher), spoke on transforming classrooms and schools. The panel discussion was part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Education's symposium called "Education for a New Era." This particular session was entitled "Teaching Along the Edge," and the moderator, Dr. Jocelyn Glazier (a former high school English teacher and current associate professor at UNC), shared that she wanted "to find the places where there is light" in education. She shared that "education is a practice of freedom," and she hoped the panelists would look at current inequities and move students "beyond basic skills."

Hi, my name is Elise, and I am an affirmation addict. Wow. That was hard. But, hey, they say the first step toward recovery is admitting you have a problem. Okay, lets be honest, an affirmation addict isn't an actual disease but at this point, it should be. Google's secondary definition of the word affirmation is "Emotional support of encouragement." As human beings, this is something essential to survival, however, my generation has taken it to another level. As a direct result of social media, we crave affirmations from our peers in the form of likes, favorites, shares, retweets, reblogs, and revines. Its almost as if we become irrelevant without loads of internet attention, and with all these new social network apps popping up left and right, keeping up with it all is exhausting. At what point do we draw the line?

We are reflective teachers who embrace the CCSS Standards for Mathematical Practice. We are committed teachers who want to take the magic out of mathematics and focus on the beauty of sense-making. We wish for teachers everywhere to seek coherence and connection rather than offer students memorized procedures and short-cutting tricks. Students are capable of rich conceptual understanding; don't rob them of the opportunity to experience the discovery of new concepts.

Computer users with messy desktops are more likely to be liberal, educated city-dwellers who are career-minded and good at math, while those that keep their computer icons neat and tidy are more likely to be young tech-savvy suburbanites that say their personal life is more important than work. At least according to a new survey.

People who continually change gears to do different tasks may find it reduces their concentration and self-control in other areas of their lives. Findings from a new study show that frequently switching your mind-set or focus uses a lot of self-control. This may leave you with less ability to control your temper, to resist cheating on your diet or to continue your exercise routine, says Ryan Hamilton, assistant professor of marketing at Emory University in Atlanta.