From the classroom.

When I sat down to write Tessa Tate, I had one question driving every word: What would have changed for my students if they'd seen themselves in a math story? The research is clear Children perform better in subjects where they see characters who look like them succeeding. It's not just about warm feelings; representation shapes the belief that "this is for me." For too long, math has not felt like it was for a lot of kids. Who is Tessa? Tessa Tate is curious, sunflower-brigh

The summer slide is real, but it's also reversible. You don't need workbooks or a structured curriculum. You need 10–15 minutes a day and a little creativity. Here's a two-week plan. Grades K-5 Week 1: Number Sense & Counting Days 1–2: Count everything: steps, spoons, cars in the parking lot, blocks, sticks, even fingers. Days 3–4: Play "One More, One Less." Say a number, ask what's one more and one less. Days 5–7: Practice skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s using clapping rhyt

As I enter year eight in the classrooms, I've landed on the single most powerful phrase a teacher or parent can say when a child is stuck on a math problem: "Let's talk about what you know" Not "Let me show you." Not "Look, it's easy." Not "You learned this last week." Tell me what you know. Here's why it works: When a child is stuck, their brain is flooded with what they think they don't know or understand. That feeling of not-knowing not only shuts down higher thinking, but