Hello! My name is Josh Bowers and I am a current Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)- Mathematics student at the University of Pittsburgh. When I graduate in June of 2021, I will be certified to teach mathematics for grades 7-12. I also obtained my bachelor's at the University of Pittsburgh with a double major in mathematics and Religious Studies. One day, I hope my students will view my classroom as a brave space to explore mathematics and ignite their desire to learn mathematics beyond the curriculum. Outside of school, I love being outdoors, primarily playing tennis and volleyball (I'm very competitive), as well as spending time laughing with friends and family.

Prior to this year, during the summer of 2019, I spent six wonderful weeks teaching rising 8th graders algebra. I was able to manage my own classroom to see if teaching was where I wanted to end up. I absolutely loved this job, my students made me laugh every day fueling my love for education, and hopefully the rest is history.

During undergrad, I was aware of some practices such as culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP). In my head at the time, it made sense to me, education is more meaningful when you can see yourself in it. As I've grown over the past few years, I've become more aware of statistics of the "white" education students receive (including students of color). I see CRP and the abolitionist teaching movement as imperative for students to have a meaningful education. It isn't enough to keep school to the school building. Education is about equipping and empowering students to be able to challenge notions of society and change the world.

I think my biggest takeaway about abolitionist teaching comes from Dr. Bettina Love. Her book We Want to Do More than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom, discusses how the current state of education for children of color has them simply trying to survive. Our roles as educators shouldn't be for our students to simply get by because they have to. Instead, our goals should be giving students the opportunities our society says they shouldn't receive in order to help them thrive in school and for the rest of their lives.

Hi! My name is Sarah McSweeney and I am a current MOSAIC student at the University of Pittsburgh. That means I am currently earning a Master’s Degree in Special Education with a Mathematics content area. I also earned my Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics at the University of Pittsburgh. I have always loved math and my mom is a speech and language therapist, so that is where my combined love for math and special education come from. As a teacher, my hope is to make school a safe place for students. A place where they can come, be confident in who they are and who they were created to be and feel so loved. It is my dream to never see another student bullied, another student sit alone at lunch or at recess, another student dread coming to school because of what happens there, and another student leave the classroom feeling dumb, unseen, or unheard.

Outside of school, I love all things outdoors - exercising, hiking, kayaking, horseback riding, and walking my dog. I also love spending time with my friends and family. Fall and winter are my favorite seasons. I was born and raised in Pittsburgh and see it being home for a long time.

This is my first year in the classroom full-time. Prior to this, I have done observations at both suburban and urban school districts. I have observed both math classrooms and life skills classrooms. I have observed at the middle and high school levels. Outside of the classroom, I have been leading a group of young girls at my church, seeing them through three years of middle school and their first year of high school. It has been fascinating to see the similarities between teaching at student ministry and teaching in the classroom.

Prior to this class, I had only taken one CRP class and did not really understand the purpose behind these pedagogical practices. I now understand the purpose and importance behind these pedagogical practices. I have had the privilege of seeing first-hand what happens in the classroom when you do not use these practices, and that has only emphasized the importance of using these practices for me.

There have been so many takeaways from this year, but some of the key ones include needing to replace the stereotypical “two trains” problems practiced after direct instruction with cognitively demanding, social justice math lessons and tasks in the math classroom. Needing to create a safe space where students and teachers are their truest selves and needing to look at everything we do as teachers through a new lens.