iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 30/09/2026

ABSOLUTELY! Anyone who thinks banning cellphones is not a cost-effective policy has NO IDEA what goes on in classrooms! (And the fact that those college instructors don't think it's a big deal really make me wonder what goes in in their lecture halls....)

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 30/09/2026

Of course, the NYT edu-experts praise "science of reading," "high-quality curriculum," "school accountability," and "fire teachers for underperformance." Are these measures inaccurate or demoralizing? Who knows? These are great-sounding buzzwords! #MTBoS #Edusky

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 30/09/2026

At the same time, the NYT dismisses smaller class sizes b/c of potential trade-offs in teacher quality. As a teacher whose classes are now 25 or less for the first time ever, it is SUCH a game-changer. Everyone gets more attention and I can really monitor everyone more closely. #MTBos #Edusky

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 30/09/2026

The experts' best idea for improving schools is "small group tutoring" but this NYT article acknowledges that finding quality tutors is challenging. Um...where would these magical tutors come from? If only there were a group of people trained to teach children... #MTBos #edusky

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 30/09/2026

@NYTimes.com: There are so many issues with this article. How do you ask 37 experts how to improve schools and NOT ask a single classroom teacher? No wonder their list of ideas is so jarring to anyone who spends time in a classroom. #MTBos #edusky www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/u...

nytimes.com

30 Ideas for Fixing U.S. Schools, Ranked by Experts (Gift Article)

Math and reading scores are in a decade-long slump. We asked three dozen experts: What could turn things around?

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 22/09/2026

I think if we fixed the ridiculous housing inequity and segregation in NYC, we would also fix the educational inequity. Everyone deserves a good neighborhood school.

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 11/09/2026

I'm presenting twice in Denver. :)

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 11/09/2026

And the first day of my 21st year teaching came to an end! I was too busy to take a selfie today, but here is a screenshot of my "What is a sandwich?" opening day activity. Special shout-out to @sneffleupagus.bsky.social, who introduced me to this activity at @nctm.org.😊 #MTBoS #ITeachMath #MfAProud

Screenshot of a PowerPoint slide showing two photos: one with a lettuce wrap labeled "This is a sandwich" and another with a plate of meat and peas labeled "This is not a sandwich." Text below says: "What is a sandwich? Think silently first. Turn to the person next to you. Take turns explaining your definition of a sandwich. Use the following sentence starters: "A sandwich is...""

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 08/09/2026

Dr. Francis Su's online course on the math of large language models, available to @mathforamerica.bsky.social NY teachers, filled up within 30 seconds of online registration. Fortunately, I was one of the 24 lucky ones who got in! ☺️ #MTBoS #ITeachMath

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 11/08/2026

My colleague Larisa Bukalov and I wrote this Edweek article on how we teach math as a language. #MTBoS #ITeachMath

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 11/08/2026

I keep a browser tab open to Twitter and every so often I peek at it to see what’s being posted there. I’m so glad I left that hellscape behind - mostly a bunch of rigid “science of …” people screaming without evidence.

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 18/07/2026

I plan to do that on paper tests that I give but I also plan to give digital assessments like the AP exam, where drawing is impossible. My point is that digital assessments limit the kinds of questions you can ask and there is no real benefit to the students.

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 17/07/2026

One reason why I hate having the AP math exams go all digital is that students can no longer draw graphs. I ask my students to draw labeled diagrams in normal distribution questions. Now they won't have to do that. 😠 #MTBoS #ITeachMath

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 10/07/2026

“Teach Like a Champion Guide to the Science of Reading” is such a mishmash Mad Libs of oppressive edu-gibberish. Might as well throw in “no excuses” and “direct instruction” into the title while you’re at it 🙄

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 10/07/2026

Let’s be real. Why does anyone listen to what Doug Lemov have to say about education? 🙄

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 07/07/2026

I teach HS math. I only give one deadline for precisely that reason. I also give check-ins. For my weekly problem sets I tell them to do a certain number of problems each day. I go around the room and check periodically (I don’t record anything but I don’t tell students that).

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 07/07/2026

I especially like this quote from Rick Wormeli: “teachers should instead approach lateness with curiosity; they should distinguish between a chronic pattern and an occasional lapse, and tailor the response accordingly.” #edusky

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 07/07/2026

Of course some students hand in stuff late (and a few hand in everything at the end of the quarter) but for the occasional lateness I don’t make a big deal of it, and for the consistent stragglers I have separate conversations with parents and students about the importance of practice. #edusky

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 07/07/2026

I sometimes get kids who prioritize other classes with stricter penalties, but I haven’t seen this as a systemic problem. I also don’t assign nightly HW, opting instead for weekly problem sets. This makes makeup easier for everyone. #edusky

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 07/07/2026

I also immediately contact parents of students who don’t hand in work on time, emphasizing the importance of practice and on-time work. (For example, doing practice for a test after the test is pointless.) for me, parent outreach has been the most effective way to combat lateness. #edusky

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 07/07/2026

As a math teacher I typically don’t deal with multiple revisions of student work. I set one deadline for HW and typically don’t have late penalties. I tell them repeatedly that HW is practice so copying is pointless. I try to discourage the mindset of handing in work just for its own sake. #edusky

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 06/06/2026

I’ll send you a private message 😁

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 06/06/2026

I looked through the committee and although I recognized some of the names (and they are good people), I didn’t see any current classroom teachers. Also, what is the point of the report? Who will use it (or even read it)?

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 06/06/2026

Are they actually soliciting ipo ions from math teachers? Their website refers to open (virtual?) meetings but I don’t see any info about how to attend them

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 29/05/2026

I was talking to some other teachers just now who said the College Board is making all exams digital so they can use AI to grade free-response questions and this makes me so angry because that would be so like the College Board to do. 😡😡😡 #MTBoS #ITeachMath

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 28/05/2026

Research shows students use much more of their brains when they write by hand compared to typing. Now I have to spend more time training kids how to type math symbols, which will slow down their thinking. 😡 #MTBoS #ITeachMath

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 28/05/2026

I just saw the email from College Board that the AP Stat exam will be completely digital next year, and I have to say I’m not happy about that. Forcing students to type math symbols is going to be a real pain and fundamentally changes how students process math. #MTBoS #ITeachMath

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 27/05/2026

As an actual teacher in Queens, I totally agree with the mayor.

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 05/05/2026

Equating “academic learning” with test scores is something no classroom teacher would do. #MTBoS #ITeachMath #EduSky

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 29/04/2026

I'm pleasantly surprised to see the #NCTMDEN26 preliminary program posted so early! It makes planning (and justifying going to it) so much easier. Thanks @nctm.org! (But the link to the Friday sessions on the website doesn't work!) #MTBoS #ITeachMath

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 21/04/2026

The snow last winter really exposed how many people in NYC don’t use their cars, register their cars out of state, or both. I saw a lot of cars with out-of-state plates sitting I. The same spot.

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 20/04/2026

“Pre-AP” math is magically vertically aligned to an AP course that all students must take to have a fulfilling life. 😂

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 20/04/2026

Talk about mission creep. The leviathan College Board is now trying to worm its way into MIDDLE SCHOOL by providing an Algebra I. Pretty soon you’ll see the College Board preparing elementary school material. Will the CB produce a pregnancy guidebook? Only time will tell. 🙄 #MTBoS #ITeachMath

Prepare More Students for Advanced Math
Dear Colleague,

Your district’s middle schools now have options for preparing more students for the advanced math that you teach.

Help prepare students for your class by sharing the following information with your middle school colleagues.

Expand Access to Pre-AP Algebra 1 in Middle School

Middle schools can order Pre-AP® Algebra 1 for free if their high school enrolls students in certain AP courses.

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 19/04/2026

Trickle-down in full display: let the ultra-rich get fat while everyone scrapes by on the crumbs falling off their table: “He believes everyone eventually benefits from the wealthy. ‘They pay taxes — a lot more than I do,’ he said. ‘The reason I’m working is that someone has a billion dollars.’”

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 10/04/2026

The AP exam scores might be more precise (detailed) but they are definitely NOT more accurate (truthful). 😂

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 09/04/2026

Cool. I’ll be at #NCTMDEN26 too! When are you presenting?

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 06/04/2026

I tried again five minutes after and was able to accept. Perhaps the system just opened up or was overwhelmed.

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 06/04/2026

The first 2 NYC-related headlines on the NY Post website right now: Sicko stayed coldly silent in sex attack on NYC teen as she pleaded for mercy: sources NYC pizzeria owner slices through threat from knife-wielding hooligan — again Lower crime rates don’t feed the Post’s deceptive narrative.

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 06/04/2026

Were you able to log into the @NCTM.org speaker ready room? I got an error message when I tried...perhaps everyone trying to log in at once overwhelmed their system?

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 06/04/2026

I'm pleased to discover just now that both of our proposals for #NCTMDEN26 got accepted! Thanks to Dr. Kristopher J. Childs and the rest of the @nctm.org program committee for their hard work! Hope to see you in Denver in October. #MTBoS #ITeachMath

man speaking with text above "I'm presenting!" and text on side: NCTM 2026 Annual Meeting & Exposition Denver, CO October 28-31"

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 03/04/2026

I believe a marathon is 26.2 miles because the queen of England wanted the marathon to end in front of the royal box at the London Olympics, this extending the distance a little bit.

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 03/04/2026

I offer infinite retakes on my quizzes, which are one-question quizzes focused on a specific skill. But creating another version of a 15-question math test? I can’t create and grade infinite versions of that. Teachers don’t get enough time to do that. #MTBoS #ITeachMath

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Bobson Wong @bobsonwong.com · 03/04/2026

Unfortunately, this article fails to address a major roadblock to test retakes: creating another test often takes a lot of time, especially for math, unless the problems are all routine (which they shouldn’t be). I can’t easily make up another authentic word problem from scratch. #MTBoS #ITeachMath

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Reposted by Bobson Wong

Sam Ulmschneider @samulmschneider.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

there is no reward or recognition offered at the high school level for trying to stay engaged with your academic field at all. it's a damn shame. Lots of talented folks say "that's because teaching kids is the job, not being a subject matter expert." Hard at times to do one well without the other!

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