“The educator has the duty of not being neutral.” ― Paulo Freire

I have returned reenergized from the 2023 AMTE conference in New Orleans. It is always great to see colleagues and friends and attend great sessions. I continue reflecting on the messages from the opening session. It was very powerful to hear from colleagues in other content areas about the impact of efforts to de-professionalize education and about ways in which we can work together to make change. A few quotes that I continue reflecting about follow. Dr. Luz Maldonado encouraged us to think about how we might be the gatekeepers at our institutions and described professionalization of education as including “positioning teachers as experts, giving them the space and autonomy to be creative and find the joy in teaching.” Dr. Betina Hsieh shared that “in English Language Arts, we see de-professionalization clearly in revitalized attempts at censorship of curriculum, including book banning of texts with diverse characters or themes deemed ‘inappropriate’ by those outside of classrooms.” Dr. Hsieh also reminded us about the importance of “keeping close to teachers who are in the field, so we never are too distant from what’s happening in classrooms.”

These messages have reminded me of the quote from Paulo Freire at the beginning of this message. As Dr. Sara Demoiny suggested, “We have the opportunity to unite, as teacher educators across disciplines, in solidarity with teachers and our profession to challenge harmful education legislation and policies while also seeking change that will foster holistic, humanizing education that seeks equity and justice for our students.” It will certainly be important for AMTE members to reflect on how we can effect change. What actions can we take as individuals? What actions can we take as members of an organization? How can we join efforts with other organizations?

Over the past year as President Elect, I had the pleasure of working closely with President Megan Burton and Executive Director Shari Stockero. I have learned a lot from each of them as they are such thoughtful leaders. I am glad that I get to continue working with them this year. I am very grateful to both Megan and Shari for their outstanding work over the past years. Unfortunately, after this year, they will be ending their terms in these positions. Please contact the AMTE Nominations and Elections Committee if you are interested in running for President or would like to nominate someone for this position.

I am excited to have started my term as AMTE President at the end of the 2023 conference. Serving AMTE is a great honor and a big responsibility. I know that what makes our organization thrive is the creativity and dedication of its members, so I look forward to hearing from members about ways in which AMTE can continue supporting mathematics teachers and mathematics educators.

Enrique Galindo

AMTE President