K-12 math teachers, welcome to…
The First 30 Days of School:
Building a Classroom of Mathematical Thinkers
Most teachers spend the first month teaching students how to behave.
The strongest math teachers spend the first month teaching students how to think.
It is summer.
And instead of resting, you are replaying last year.
You left wondering why your effort wasn't producing the results your students deserved.
Maybe you heard yourself saying...
"No matter what I do, I always run out of time."
"I thought they understood until I looked at the assessment."
"Why do they still need me for every problem?"
The reality is you are not burned out because you worked too hard.
You are burned out because the results didn’t match your effort.
The problem is that many of us were taught to spend the first month establishing classroom procedures without intentionally establishing mathematical thinking habits.
By October, students know where to sit, when to talk, and how to turn in assignments. But they still don't know how to persevere through a challenging problem, explain their reasoning, question a strategy, or make sense of unfamiliar mathematics.
Those habits don't develop by accident. They must be taught.
That's what this webinar is about.
What if the first 30 days of school determined the next 150?
Imagine walking into October with students who...
Persevere before asking for help.
Explain their thinking instead of guessing.
Listen to understand—not just to answer.
Productively struggle through challenging mathematics.
Participate because they have something meaningful to contribute, not because they're trying to please the teacher.
When the classroom culture changes, the mathematics changes.
And when assessment data arrives later in the year, you'll understand exactly why your students are growing.
In Just 60 minutes, You'll Discover Three Ideas That Could Change Your Entire Year
1. Teaching procedures isn't enough.
Every classroom routine teaches students something.
The question is:
What are your routines teaching students to believe about mathematics?
You'll learn why the strongest teachers use classroom procedures to develop mathematical independence—not dependence.
2. A busy classroom is not the same as a thinking classroom.
Students can be talking all period long without engaging in meaningful mathematical reasoning.
You'll learn how to recognize the difference between participation and genuine mathematical communication—and how to build routines that consistently produce the latter.
3. Confidence is built through reasoning—not by getting more answers right.
Students become confident mathematicians by repeatedly making sense of challenging mathematics.
You'll discover simple instructional shifts that help students value reasoning, persistence, and sense-making over speed and answer getting.
1️⃣The first month is not about teaching students how to behave. It's about teaching them how to think.
There is a difference between a classroom with rules and a math classroom with a sense-making culture. Most teachers build one and wonder why the other never shows up.
2️⃣Participation is not engagement.
You can have every student talking and still have little to no mathematical communication happening. If your students went quiet the moment the math got hard last year, this is why.
3️⃣Students don't build mathematical confidence by simply getting more answers right.
They build it by making sense of rigorous, unfamiliar mathematics, over and over again. It starts by celebrating evidence of reasoning and problem-solving over speed and task completion.
Save Your Spot Now. It’s Free!
REGISTER NOW — Spots fill fast!
Dates:
July and August Sessions Available
Location:
Online (Link sent after registration)
Replay included with
Please use a non-school email address to ensure delivery.
This Webinar Is for You If...
You want students to think more independently instead of relying on you for every step.
You want meaningful mathematical discussions instead of one-word answers.
You want your classroom culture to support rigorous, grade-level mathematics from the very beginning.
You want your students to develop reasoning habits that transfer from one unit to the next.
You want to begin the year with purpose instead of hoping things improve as the year goes on.
Meet Your Host: Nakasha Kirkland
With over 20 years in education and deep expertise in math instruction and leadership, Nakasha helps school leaders bridge the gap between instructional delivery, walkthroughs and real growth. She’s trained hundreds of administrators and math teachers across the country and she specializes in turning theory into tools you’ll actually use.
Ready for a Different Kind of School Year?
September is coming whether you're ready or not.
You can begin another year hoping students eventually become independent mathematical thinkers. You could head into September the same way you left in June...
or
You can intentionally build the classroom culture that makes independence possible from the very first month.
The first 30 days won't determine everything.
But they will determine the habits your students carry into everything that comes next.
I'd love to show you how. You could could spend 60 minutes learning exactly how to leverage the first 30 days of school.