One of the great things about being a teacher during the time of the internet is that you have access to so many resources to help you ensure that your students get the best possible lessons on the standards you are trying to teach them. While there certainly existed state and national organizations with similar goals prior to the internet, I would argue that what the internet has added to these resources is the ability to provide information to their members almost instantly. In addition, if something of great importance occurs, these organizations can now reach a far greater number of their members in a much shorter time frame.
As a new teacher, I have been introduced to many organizations that I know will be extremely helpful over the coming years but here are the two I would like to highlight.
At the national level:
On the national level there is the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). You can find their website at: http://www.maa.org/ You can find the MAA on the following social media platforms:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/maanews?ref=nf
Twitter: https://twitter.com/maanow
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/maavideo
RSS feed: http://www.maa.org/news/rss
There are different levels of membership but the two I will list are student and member. The cost for member is $175/year or $15/month and for that, the benefits you receive are listed at https://www.maa.org/membership/apply as:
“As an MAA Member, you will receive electronic subscriptions to all MAA journals and magazines (The American Mathematical Monthly, The College Mathematics Journal, Mathematics Magazine, Math Horizons, and MAA FOCUS) for only $169 per year! Your membership also includes a print subscription to MAA FOCUS, membership in your local section, deep discounts on JMM, MathFest, and MAA publications, and more.”
The cost for student is $35/year and for that, the benefits you receive are listed at https://www.maa.org/membership/apply as:
“Included with your $35 annual dues investment are electronic subscriptions to all MAA journals and magazines (The American Mathematical Monthly, The College Mathematics Journal, Mathematics Magazine, Math Horizons, and MAA FOCUS), membership in your local section, deep discounts on JMM, MathFest, and MAA publications, and more.”
The MAA has an annual meeting which is called the MAA Math Fest and will be held on August 3rd – 6th in Columbus, Ohio. They have not opened up registration for this event as of 18 January 2016 and so I am unable to provide the cost of registration. The MAA also puts on additional events throughout the year. A schedule for these events can be found at, http://www.maa.org/meetings/calendar-events/future-meetings.
At the state level:
On the state level there is the Michigan Counsel of Teachers of Mathematics (MCTM). You can find their website at: https://www.mictm.org/index.php You can find the MCTM on Facebook at https://www.mictm.org/index.php/home/about-mctm/110-contact/189-mctm-on-facebook.
There are different levels of membership but the two I will list are the MCTM regular membership and the MCTM Joint membership. The cost for the MCTM regular membership is $35/year. However, I had a difficult time finding out what regular membership provides you. However, after some digging around, I was able to find out that members received the following publications, listed at https://www.mictm.org/index.php/mctm-publications/publications:
“• MCTM Newsletter: A 3-4 times per year update to our members on what’s happening in mathematics education around the state
• Mathematics in Michigan: A journal published twice a year with in-depth articles around a common theme, currently the CCSS-M Standards for Mathematical Practice.
• MCTM Annual Report
And of course, as an MCTM Member, you get periodic eBLASTS to your email on the latest events, trends, resources, and more around mathematics education in Michigan and around the country.”
There definitely seems to be an emphasis on the MCTM Joint membership and you can easily find all of the benefits of this membership level at https://www.mictm.org/index.php/memberships:
“Join THREE state-wide teaching associations for ONE low membership rate
• Allow teachers access to information from multiple associations
• Significant savings over individual memberships
• Professional networking across disciplines
• Great source of information regarding changes on state standards and assessments
• Access to multiple conferences at discounted rates
• High quality professional growth
• Receive publications from all associations
• Collective voice at state level
• Less paperwork”
The MAA has an annual meeting which is called the MCTM Institute and Conference and will be held on July 26th – 28th in Traverse City, Michigan. The cost of registration varies but a member who wishes to attend both days of the conference would pay $245. An interesting and enticing aspect of this year’s conference is that the keynote speakers are Dan Meyer,http://blog.mrmeyer.com/, and Cathy Williams, who is a cofounder with Jo Boaler and the executive director of youcubed, https://www.youcubed.org/our-team/.
In closing, while I would certainly agree that there can be a feeling that you are joining a more prestigious organization when you join a national association, the local/state associations seem to be far less expensive and provide you with a platform that is focused on what you and other teachers in your field are teaching on a daily basis. For this reason, while I think that joining both a state and national association is the way to go, if you are looking to make the most impact on your students and the other students in your community, I feel that joining a state association should be your focus.
Thank you for reading,
Jerry
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