I had the chance to sit down with Melissa, a veteran teacher at Arthur A. Libby Elementary in Back of the Yards, after watching her lead a fantastic session during day four of our summer camp. Melissa has been teaching for 29 years and has been running the Math Circles after school program for the past two. This summer is her first time teaching our summer program. It wasn’t my first time visiting her classroom, so I already knew it would be great—but once again, she surprised me. The way she cultivates such a joyful and welcoming community with her students is truly something special. The energy in her room is contagious because everyone is having so much fun. Melissa is such a joy to work with. As the MC2 After School Program Manager, I’m so happy she’s one of our teachers, and that I get to see her shine. Valeria Leiva What initially drew you to participate in Math Circles, and how has your experience lived up to, or surprised your expectations? I was really drawn to the fact that Math Circles isn’t directly tied to standards or traditional curriculum we use during the school day. That gives me flexibility and that freedom meant I could try something different, something more engaging for students that differs from the traditional math class. As long as kids are engaged, I’m interested. And honestly, it exceeded my expectations. It’s given me a rejuvenated interest in math. As teachers, we’re often so focused on standards, assessments, and outcomes that math can start to feel like it’s just numbers—and it can get boring to teach. But Math Circles is different. There’s no pressure. We get to explore math in a way that allows students to be real mathematicians. That’s not just great for them—it’s empowering for me, too. Can you share a moment when you saw a student really light up during a session, especially one who might not normally enjoy math? There’s a seventh grader in my summer camp group, one of only four seventh graders in the classroom. For the first two sessions, she seemed withdrawn, like she really didn’t want to be there. She wasn’t engaging with the group, just kind of sitting on the sidelines. I went over and asked her, “Are you a math person?” She just shrugged. So I told her, “This isn’t about getting it right. Just try. Just give it a chance.” And today? She was totally engaged. Not only participating, but leading her group. We were working on a task that was pretty tough, and she cracked it. Her group picked her to explain the solution to the class. I told her, “Whether you believe it or not, you’re the leader in this group.” She really ran with that. She went around to other groups to explain her thinking and help guide them toward the solution. That moment reminded me how much power there is in giving students the space to lead and be seen. If I hadn’t nudged her, highlighted her potential, she might have stayed that same quiet student from day one. Math Circles doesn’t just reinforce that you’re a “math person”, it welcomes your thinking no matter your starting point. Everyone’s knowledge is valid and useful. Her mom even reached out to me afterward and said she came home talking about how much fun she had. FUN. That same student who didn’t want to be there on day one. I want you to know—my kids are really having fun. Whether it’s the after school program or camp, they show up because they’re enjoying it. It’s not about the stipend or the incentives. They genuinely want to be there. There's freedom in this space. No grades. They can sit wherever they want. I show up ready to play with the kids, and that’s exactly what we do. After 29 years of teaching, it’s refreshing. It’s nice to know I’m not expected to be perfect or have all the answers. What have you personally learned or gained from leading Math Circles? Either about math, teaching, or your students? Leading Math Circles has reminded me that there’s so much to learn about math. It’s connected to nearly every part of life. Looking at the lesson plans and the problems we explore, I find myself thinking about math in ways I never had before. It really is all around us, woven into everything we do. I’ve also come to realize that the people who think they’re “not good at math” are often the ones who surprise themselves the most. Math Circles challenges that mindset. No matter how confident you are in math, there’s always more to discover. I’ve had moments where I truly felt like my students knew just as much as I did, if not more. Watching them play, experiment, and problem-solve has been incredibly rewarding. I bring all this teaching experience and background to the table, and then these kids come in and totally surprise me. Sometimes, they come up with ideas or approaches that are better than mine. And honestly, I love that! Have you found that Math Circles has influenced how you teach during the regular school day? If so, how? Definitely. At least twice a week, I bring a Math Circles activity into my regular classroom. My students who are also in the after school program love it so much that during indoor recess, they’ll actually keep playing the games from Math Circles. I have a little spot in my classroom where I keep some of the Math Circles materials, and students know they can grab them anytime. It’s become something they look forward to. Even during the last couple weeks of the school year, when things usually start to wind down, I used Math Circles activities and the whole class really enjoyed them. What keeps your passion for teaching alive, and do programs like Math Circles play a role in that for you? I’ve been teaching for 29 years, and honestly, it’s the kids. As long as I can keep working with kids, I’m happy. I love teaching. There’s nothing else I’d rather do. Math Circles helps keep that love alive. It’s a break from the norm, a chance to just have fun with numbers, to learn alongside students, to work in cooperative groups, and to explore math in a playful way. What I really appreciate is how rich the lessons are. They connect to music, literacy, art, even the environment. You walk away not just feeling like more of a math person, but like a more enriched person overall. If you were encouraging another teacher to give this program a try, what would you tell them? If you’re looking for something that’s meaningful, fun, and actually makes a difference—and yes, lets you make a little extra money while doing it—this is it. You get all the support you need. There are staff you can reach out to for feedback, the materials are provided, and the kids are engaged. There are so many structures in place to help you succeed. More than anything, I feel valued. I feel like I’m part of a bigger purpose when it comes to math. I’m part of a community that’s working to make math fun, accessible, and exciting for our kids. I’ve been part of a lot of programs over the years. Some start strong and then fade away. But Math Circles has been consistently amazing. It’s made an impact. I carry it with me, and I know my students will too, because I tell them about it, I model that excitement. The enthusiasm and commitment of the Math Circles leadership team is contagious. The way the team shows up, the passion, the attention to detail in the workshops, emails, communication, even the events like the picnics. It all matters. And it shows. I want to carry out their vision because I see all the care and effort behind the work. And I want to reflect that in my own classroom.

When did you get started with Math Circles of Chicago? My parents found the program back when I was in fifth grade. I knew I liked math, and I wanted to explore it, but I just didn’t know how. A lot of math programs are about being quick at math, but math circles are a great way to take an hour or two and really focus on one topic. You were involved with QED, our math research symposium, from a young age. What was that experience like? When I got involved with QED, that especially helped me. I did some pretty cool research just as a sixth grader. It maybe wasn’t the best research I’ve ever done, but I found that it was a lot of fun. I learned from that experience that I wanted to focus on questions and spend months thinking about them. Now I’m studying material science engineering at MIT, but this initial QED experience taught me about the kind of atmosphere I was looking for in college. Our research pathway also encourages students to go to other math programs during the summer. Did you have an experience at a summer math program meeting other young enthusiasts? Math Circles of Chicago encourages you to do more than just pure math and writing things on a board, they want you to use your hands to understand a problem and work it out with other people. I did an international math camp in Poland called Math Beyond Limits. It was taught by math professors with really unique teaching styles, and gave me a lot of perspective on how I wanted to teach. After you finished high school in Ukraine you returned to Chicago to work as a High School Assistant (HSA) in our education pathway. What inspired you to apply for this teaching position? I was tutoring middle school students in a math contest focused camp. This gave me experience working with students of that age. One of the rounds of the contest gave students problems to solve, but they had to present their solutions orally rather than just a pure test. We were allowed to ask them leading questions if they were close to an answer but not quite there. When I saw kids have really smart ideas that they formulated in their own words without formal language, it was really exciting. Math Circles of Chicago encourages students to do the same thing and have agency and ownership of the mathematical ideas they are discovering.

When did you get started with Math Circles of Chicago? I began when I was in seventh grade, online during the pandemic, when a teacher at my school brought it up. I was kind of struggling with math in school back then. I was very pleasantly surprised: I thought it was going to be just another math class for me to stay on track with the same things we were doing in class. When I saw it was more like puzzles and brainteasers I thought “oh, this is interesting!” and it worked my mind in a different way. I honestly didn’t like math very much before I started taking those math circles. What impact did those math circles have on your attitude towards math as you moved from middle to high school? I learned that there’s more to math than just what is being taught in the classroom. It’s interesting how we call both of these things math: the boring subjects that I didn’t like in my traditional class and the fun things from math circles. It helped me be more open-minded, and to look for the interesting angles in subjects I thought I didn’t like. What was most impactful about your experience in the education pathway working as a High School Assistant? Kids see the world a different way, and they all approach problems differently. The 3rd and 4th graders I taught found different ways to solve the problems than I did. As I grew up, my schooling taught me to focus on mostly one way to see a problem, but working as an assistant opened me up to more viewpoints, either from the students or my lead teacher, Ms. Smith. What did you learn about being an educator? Growing up I always wanted to be a teacher. Being an HSA gave me a sense of what it’s like, and I realized it’s a really challenging job. It’s something I wrote about on my extracurricular resume for college applications. I want to keep working as a sub when I’m in college; lots of schools need volunteers in classrooms and that’s something that I want to keep doing in Wisconsin. This experience fueled my passion for teaching more!

Every once in a while we're lucky enough to get a tenured professor to lead math circles. What's even more unusual is when that professor represents MC2 and travels around the city to run math festivals at Chicago elementary schools. Keigo Kawaji recently won the The Center for Learning Innovation Digital Teaching Innovation Award at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He's also MC2's Teacher of the Month! 1) How long have you worked for Math Circles? I have been a member of our Math Circles since 2019. 2) What made you start working for Math Circles? I was part of the math circles organization in my hometown through high school. By my high school senior year, I got to serve teaching in their programs, this then led to my first paid positions in teaching at summer math camps. So it has been quite natural to join our Math Circles of Chicago once I became an educator here. 3) Why do you teach? I have been inspired by mentors who have guided me to this nice recognition. Influenced by three such mentors during my high school years. So I teach to pay forward. (And thank you Steffi, Tom, and Richard). 4) What is your favorite thing about teaching? I see teaching as my own means of performing music, or creating an artistic piece (though I am good at neither). As a college professor, I was just recognized at my home university (Illinois Tech) for my teaching innovations in both digital and beyond digital platforms. Sharing these teaching innovations with similarly minded educators is truly rewarding for me. 5) What is something you wish more parents knew? There is no such thing as the 'only way'; there are many ways to solve a problem. Oftentimes, in hindsight, we realize that this was the only way we knew. This offers some food for thought. 6) What is something you want people to know about Math? When attempting to solve a challenging problem, start by finding one solution. Then, sometime later — or perhaps someday — try exploring a different, alternative solution. 7) How has Math Circles impacted your teaching career and your perspective as an educator? For the past 7 years, I have met many fellow educators, parents, and students through the Math Circles. In fact, I recently tried to count how many, and realized that I connected with almost one thousand people in the greater Chicago area community. I now wonder how many readers here and I might have already crossed paths (I'd be honored!). For each connection that I have made, I have grown as an educator. 8) Should Pluto be given back its title of planet? In fact, I do not know. I am curious as to what sets of rules should be used to define inclusion as planets. Maybe there are more than one defined set of rules for inclusion. And it is okay to say I don't know.

Summer Math Preview: High School For high school students interested in our two weeks of summer programs at Benito Juarez high school , here's a preview of the math content! What is Category Theory? Perhaps it's best to hear about the subject from your instructor, Dr. Eugenia Cheng [ watch until at least 8:25] :

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In February we interviewed Louisa Shannon, who leads an MC2 After School Program at Murray Elementary School and who has been a lead teacher at MC2 summer camps, both at Back of the Yards and in her own school. She's now in her 4th year at math circles! 1) What made you start working for Math Circles? I started working for Math Circles after participating in a Formative Assessment Lesson (FAL) Professional Development Cohort that Doug O'Roark co-organized during virtual learning. 2) Why do you teach? I teach because it is a vocation and a privilege. Being entrusted to provide equitable access, cultivate identities, and prepare community members is an honor of which I aspire to be worthy every day. 3) What is your favorite thing about teaching? Facilitating and witnessing a Eureka moment of clarity when someone synthesizes the pieces of information into a new understanding that they take with them as far and wide as they wish. 4) What is something you wish more parents knew? I wish more parents knew how resilient, capable, creative, and joyful children can be when we empower them to struggle with challenging tasks they find interesting for knowledge's sake. 5) What is something you want people to know about Math? Regardless of our previous academic performance, we are all math people. Math is fundamentally about exploring and solving problems that help us identify patterns and understand relationships. Doing math cultivates problem-solving. Problems are growing exponentially; we need as many problem-solvers as possible. 6) How has Math Circles impacted your teaching career and your perspective as an educator? Math Circles has challenged me to seek, promote, and expect joy for every learner. It has helped me recommit to a career as an educator. 7) Should Pluto be given back its title? Although nine is divine, eight is pretty great! I think Pluto should remain a dwarf planet.

In January, we interviewed Lisa Cash, MC2's most experienced teacher. Lisa led our first ever After School Program at Goudy Elementary (which continues to this day), and also leads sessions at our Lane Tech Hub, along with summer sessions at Payton HS. 1) What made you start working with Math Circles? I wanted to do interesting and engaging math with my students after school. However, I started teaching at the Pilsen Hub first. I brought it to my school later and have been running it there ever since. 2) What is something you wish more parents knew? I hope parents realize how much their enthusiasm shapes their child's experience. It is a joy to teach Math Circles because of this. 3) How has Math Circles impacted your teaching career and your perspective as an educator? I have spent the last 7 years learning and growing with Math Circles. Working with the team at Math Circles has broadened my ability to help students think deeply about math.

Greetings MC2 Folks! While it still feels very much like winter here in Chicago, many families are beginning to think about their plans for Summer math enrichment. There are math programs all over the country, some free, some not. A few admit everyone they can fit, others ask applicants to complete an application, write an essay, or submit a math problem set. The table below can help you make a choice. Some things to note: Camps in Chicago -- MC2, UIC, and UChicago -- tend to have later deadlines than national camps, and the UIC and UChicago websites are usually updated in March or April. If you are on MC2's mailing list you will get updates. If you need any advice, email us at info@mathcirclesofchicago.org or hit the 'Contact' button on this website!