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OPT IN! A Manual for Educators Who Want to Make a Difference
Join the Movement. Close the Gap. OPT IN!
Why I Wrote This Manual
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I wrote The O.P.T. I.N! Teacher’s Math Manual because I have spent years sitting with students who believed they were “bad at math,” watching their confidence shrink long before we ever reached the content. Across classrooms, math labs, and college lecture halls, I saw the same pattern repeat itself: students were not failing because they lacked ability, but because unresolved learning gaps—and the fear attached to them—had quietly compounded over time.
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As an educator in developmental and college-level mathematics, I quickly learned that closing the math gap requires more than better worksheets or faster pacing. It requires intentional teaching—teaching that begins with observing student needs, preparing purposefully, and being willing to slow down, reflect, and adjust. Just as importantly, it requires teachers to confront their own gaps in content knowledge, instructional habits, and confidence. We cannot close student gaps if we are unwilling to examine our own.
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My background in mathematics education, literacy, and learning technologies has shaped how I approach instruction. Math is deeply connected to language, comprehension, and sense-making, yet these connections are often overlooked. When students struggle to read a problem, explain their thinking, or interpret mathematical language, the issue is rarely effort—it is access. This book was written to help teachers recognize and address those barriers intentionally.
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O.P.T. I.N. is more than an acronym; it is a mindset. To opt in is to choose purpose over autopilot. It is a commitment to observe carefully, prepare meaningfully, transform learning experiences, inspire confidence, and nurture growth for every learner. This manual is not about perfection, but about progress—one lesson, one reflection, and one student at a time.
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I wrote this manual for educators who believe math instruction can be empowering rather than intimidating, and who are willing to do the work—within themselves and their classrooms—to make that belief a reality.
The Vision
A future where the math gap no
longer exists—where every educator is confident in teaching math, every student believes they can succeed, and every classroom fosters curiosity, critical thinking, and creativity.
OPT IN! Teacher’s Math Manual is both a personal reflection guide and practical teaching resource.
Each section encourages educators to think deeply about their own learning, strengthen foundational math understanding, and plan instruction with heart,intention, and purpose.
The Mission
The mission of OPT IN! Teacher’s Math Manual is to assist and encourage educators at every level—first-year and veteran teachers, substitutes, paraprofessionals, instructional aides, student teachers, and tutors—who teach basic math skills. The goal is to equip educators to use classroom data, research, statistics, and personal reflection to first identify and resolve their own math misconceptions, and then use that growth to strengthen instruction for every learner.
When teachers OPT IN—Observe, Prepare, Transform, Inspire, and Nurture, they step into a process of personal and professional growth that transforms the way math is taught and learned. Through this process, educators become confident, reflective, and intentional—ready to help students not only close gaps but also soar beyond them.
