DAY IN THE LIFE
instructed to “trim” the chapter to 60 pages. That was probably the
After a brief stint in independent school administration, I accept-
most painful editing task I have ever undertaken! (There was one
ed an endowed chair position as Master Teacher in Mathematics at
consolation: Nearly all the trimmed material ended up in a supple-
The Lawrenceville School this past fall. This unique position allows
ment somewhere.)
me to team teach with a different member of the department each
So, my second career as a writer was launched. I teamed with Yates
trimester. By planning, instructing, and assessing collaboratively,
and Moore on a second venture—Statistics Through Applications, a
we are able to improve our individual teaching practices. Our stu-
high-school textbook for non–AP Statistics courses—that was com-
dents also benefit from the distinct approaches and perspectives of
pleted in 2004. With both of my coauthors now retired, I’ll have my
their co-teachers. Other responsibilities as master teacher involve
hands full with future revisions.
curriculum design, technology training, and professional develop-
In 2004, I was appointed to the ASA/NCTM Joint Committee
ment. Much of my time outside the classroom is spent in pro-
on Curriculum in Statistics and Probability by then NCTM president
fessional growth activities involving other teachers, either here at
Johnny Lott. Over the years, the joint committee has been respon-
Lawrenceville or across the country at meetings, conferences, and
sible for several significant projects to develop materials that promote
workshops. Distilling that collective wisdom into better learning
K–12 statistics education, including the Quantitative Literacy Series,
for students is at the heart of what I do on a daily basis.
the Elementary Quantitative Literacy Series, the Science Education
If I have become a teacher leader, it is because I have followed in
and Quantitative Literacy Series, and Data-Driven Mathematics.
the footsteps of the many great mentors and role models who have
The joint committee also has assumed responsibility for designing
shaped my thinking. As my career has evolved, I have drifted from
teacher workshops to support effective classroom use of these materi-
my origins as a pure mathematician into the realms of data analysis
als. With the ASA’s recent publication of Guidelines for Assessment and
and statistics. All the while, my primary focus has remained square-
Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE), the committee has begun
ly on how to help students learn mathematics (including statistics)
developing materials and training to help teachers implement the cur-
in ways that will ensure their ability to use what they have learned
ricular framework described therein. Roxy Peck and I just completed
to solve important problems today, tomorrow, and in the distant
a capstone module for high-school students, titled “Making Sense of
future. After all, if students see no potential to do anything produc-
Statistical Studies,” which began as an ASA Member Initiative sev-
tive with what they’re learning, why should they bother? ■
eral years ago when Peck, Henry Kranendonk, and June Morita were
members of the joint committee.
SEPTEMBER 2008 AMSTAT NEWS 27
SEPTEMBER AMSTAT FINAL.indd 27 8/20/08 2:26:58 PM
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