Joel: It is December 11th, International Mountain Day! Mountains are very interesting and have meant so much to so many people and cultures, so it is worth celebrating on this day. I like that I live in an area that has mountains. How do you feel about mountains, Misty?

Misty: Well, Joel, living in a state that is cut in half by mountains, I love them. Except when I need to drive over them… I can actually see FOUR volcanoes from Portland (Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Hood). I’ve never officially “climbed” a mountain, though… Have you? 

Joel: Wow, volcanoes! That is pretty cool. I have climbed a mountain. When I first moved to Utah, I did a lot of climbing, and each summer, a friend and I did a ‘peak a week’. When asked the question would I rather visit the mountains or the beach, I always choose the mountains. 

Learning from the Podcast Experience

Joel: We have been doing the More Math for More People podcast now for four years. We were recently asked ‘what have we learned?’ over our time on the podcast. I can say that I have learned a lot from the production of this podcast, our listeners, and our guests. What stands out to you, Misty?

Misty: Well… when we first started doing the podcast, you and I spent a lot of time brainstorming ideas for the format and wanted to make it fun for our listeners as well as informational. So we started with the “National Day of” segment. And I can tell you, I have learned that there are a LOT of National “celebrations”! Some of them are quite surprising. Do you have any that stick out for you, Joel?

Joel: I have learned a lot too. I liked National Cow Day (Episode 6) because I liked hearing your story about how you had the plastic cow in your classroom. I liked National Paul Bunyan Day (Episode 2.5) because of the song. What I really like about it is that we get to learn some things about each other and, unfortunately for the listeners, we do have some fun conversations after the mic turns off. Does anything stand out to you?

Misty: There are so many national days. I think my favorite part is just discovering a day that I NEVER would have predicted—like National Two Different Colored Shoes Day, or National Bug Busting Day, or National Hole in My Bucket Day. Also, there seem to be a LOT of days dedicated to food items: olives, pizza, slurpees, cakes and pies of all kinds, cereal, cookies, jello —just to name only a few. I really like the days that make me laugh.

90 Episodes of Math Conversations

Misty: Also, we are always talking about who we want to have on the podcast for our conversations. We’ve had quite a few in nearly 90 episodes now. Do you have any favorites, Joel? 

Joel: I do. I have enjoyed all of the conversations we have had, and I really liked talking with Judy Kysh about the beginnings of CPM (Episode 14) and Dr. Leslie Dietiker about the storyline of the courses (Episode 13 and Episode 3.15). Doing the podcast has given me insight into the CPM curriculum that makes me a better coach to the teachers I support. My favorite conversations are when we have had conversations with CPM teachers experiencing CPM in the classroom, like Mindy Karp (Episode 19). I love hearing about what Mindy is doing at her school that uses CPM in a way that supports inclusion. What have your favorites been?

Misty: I really enjoy when we can ask someone a question and they are very passionate about the answer. It makes it fun and interesting as a host. Peter Liljedahl (Episodes 2.17-19 and Episodes 4.14-15), Christopher Danielson (Episodes 4.12-13), and Eli Luberoff (Episodes 3.5-6) were among my favorites. I was so nervous to talk to them—they’re all total math celebrities! And then when we got to talking to them, it was REALLY FUN! Each of them is really down to earth and very passionate about math, students, and learning. I always wished the conversation was longer! 

Joel: Phew! Looking back to all of the fun and people we’ve had on the podcast and the information that we’ve shared in just 30 mins every other week is pretty incredible! I’m always hoping that listeners find it interesting, useful, and occasionally inspiring. 

Misty: Me, too. It is fun to think about all the episodes we have done, and I am also looking forward to all the episodes still to come. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to the podcast, please give it a try. If you are a current listener, thank you. We would also love to hear from you. What stands out to you? What do you want more of? Do you have a favorite episode?

You can email us with any thoughts at cpmpodcast@cpm.org. You can find us anywhere you get your podcasts or at cpm.org/podcast.