Hi! I'm Jean
from Flamingo Math
I’m here to help bring balance into your teacher life by providing relevant and rigorous content, engaging activities, and comprehensive assessments for your secondary classroom.
DOES YOUR TIME TO PLAN FLY AWAY? Tell me...
- Do you need more time in your workday to actually plan amazing, engaging lessons?
- Do those minutes disappear with countless other tasks you are asked to do each day?
- Are you in need of a better way to help your students “chunk” rigorous lesson content or fully-editable presentations?
- Have you been searching for a new cooperative activity to liven up old routines?
- Do you want to provide your students an opportunity to participate in learning?
- Are you teaching a high-stakes math class for the first time?
Why Flamingo Math?
I know a flamingo can do little in the computational world of mathematics. I’ve always fancied these graceful creatures and the whimsical art that surrounds them. But, to be honest FLA-MI-NGO became an acronym for my life as an educator. Being a Florida native (FLA), I began my teaching career in 1995 in Merritt Island, FL (MI) and taught three different levels of algebra at a Junior High School. My first three years were spent pushing a rolling cart to four different classrooms each day. I was a 41-year-old beginning teacher, at a school of seasoned teachers, who did not believe in sharing their knowledge
or their resources with newbies. This was a shocking eye-opener into the
“sink-or-swim” world of education. I quickly sought out a “younger version of myself” at the school and found that we both shared a love for developing engaging lessons and activities that engaged our students. Little did I know
that a second career was being birthed from this struggle.
at Jefferson Junior High School and was released from my temporary contract, along with 800 other teachers due to budget cuts. But I found
a new job at a high school close by my home. This new job offered me
a permanent classroom and a sharing, caring group of teachers. My curriculum writing grew stronger with a colleague, as we developed lessons to help low-level students master algebraic concepts for the upcoming statewide Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (F.C.A.T. ,1998). I taught two different levels of algebra known as 1A and 1B, a section of Advanced Math Topics, and two sections of Precalculus Honors. That was four different preps but I did have a great support team.
It was here that my new venture FLAMINGO MATH was finally born.
Our district decided to switch the teaching order to provide Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and then Geometry. My school was about 2800 students with 24 math teachers. There were 17 of us that were assigned to teach Algebra 2 with no student textbooks, no teacher textbooks, and many with no experience with the content. Having been a seasoned Algebra 2 teacher, as well as a big fan of Dinah Zike’s Foldables, my colleague and I worked tirelessly each night to create a foldable that teachers could use for the next day’s lesson presentation. Students were able to create their own interactive notebook for reference materials. It was a challenging year, but we all survived.
I also learned that I could climb any mountain and either win or learn in that journey. I was blessed to be given 2 sections of AP Calculus AB, in 2001. My colleague was going to retire at the end of the year, and she was my “guide on the side,” preparing me to become an AP Calculus teacher. What a different experience from my first year of teaching. When I was lost with limits, derivatives, or integrals, she would help me see the light! That first year, I learned volumes and found I understood what she meant to give myself grace for three years. I was honored to be named Orange County Math Teacher of the Year in 2006. When I retired, I found that 25 years of creating resources and activities shouldn’t be left in a filing cabinet to be thrown away. So, I continue on, in my journey to share my experiences, insights, and resources with thousands of educators around the world.
