How to get fired up about teaching (even if the system has crushed your spirit) w/ Chase Orton

Vanessa announces her bold move to transform her podcast into a live talk show, mirroring her aspirations for a Netflix-style format that facilitates real, raw conversations with educators. She highlights her recent success in recording the first live Math Therapy interview at Leander ISD’s Math Joy Conference, featuring Chase Orton. This marked a significant step towards authentic, unscripted educator conversations and showcases her vision of elevating teacher voices. The segment underlines the importance of vulnerability, resourcefulness, and community-building to break away from traditional, sanitized professional development.

Chase Orton is introduced as a disruptive force questioning systemic and curriculum-driven practices in math education. In a candid, unfiltered interview, he shares his belief that decades of top-down professional development have rarely met teachers’ needs for equity and growth. Chase expresses disdain for the current curriculum industry, criticizing for-profit companies like I-Ready that blend assessment with curriculum, often perpetuating math trauma and systemic inequities. His advocacy centers on the importance of joy, creativity, and teacher autonomy, emphasizing that meaningful math teaching involves embracing ambiguity, failing forward, and rethinking instructional priorities.

A recurring theme is the significance of embracing ambiguity and risk-taking in the math classroom as pathways to joy, resilience, and deeper understanding. Both Vanessa and Chase discuss how the current emphasis on correctness and standardized testing stifles these facets, leading to teacher burnout and student anxiety. Chase advocates for intentionally designing experiences that prioritize curiosity, perseverance, and meaningful problem-solving over rigid standards. They explore how letting go of strict outcomes can help teachers and students develop a healthier relationship with math, fostering passion and reducing trauma.

The conversation delves into the dilemmas teachers face balancing system mandates—particularly standardized testing and accountability—with their desire to create engaging, joyful learning environments. Chase openly advocates for pushing back against policies that undermine teacher autonomy and student well-being. He encourages teachers to find middle ground, such as incorporating joyful, student-centered tasks within required frameworks or choosing to focus on impactful lessons during give-away periods like post-testing seasons. The importance of community support, peer observation, and shared advocacy in resisting harmful systemic pressures is highlighted.

Vanessa emphasizes that the best professional development often occurs informally—through collaborative peer observations, shared struggles, and mutual support. Building trust and love among teachers is essential to sustain passion and resilience. Chase echoes this by advocating for community and grace, recognizing teachers as imperfect beings committed to growth. Together, they reinforce that systemic change starts locally, with teachers supporting each other, loving their craft, and asserting their professional agency amidst systemic challenges.