Alright teachers, this one’s for you! Today Vanessa chats with Dr. Roger Fischer, an educator from Montana who is not just a hardcore fan of the podcast but also a natural math therapist himself! Roger explains how small instances of math trauma can lead to long-term effects on students, how he incorporates mindfulness and compassion into his lesson plans, and how there is absolutely no such thing as a stupid question.

About Roger

Dr. Roger Fischer loves math. He hasn’t always loved it, though - it took a really good math tutor to show him how passionate he is about making sense of problems and helping others do the same. He has been teaching math for 16 years and developed a unique way to engage learners by first making them feel safe, heard, and validated. You can follow him on YouTube at Dr. Roger Fischer, connect with him on LinkedIn or visit his website compassionatemathtutoring.com.

Show notes

11:53 - “The Teaching Gap”, the book that talks about teaching as a cultural activity
12:45 - Vanessa’s interview this season with teacher/mathfluencer Esther Brunat
14:26 - “Becoming the Math Teacher You Wish You Had” by Tracy Zager, the book Roger gave to his student to help her become a math teacher
27:25 - The John Mighton episode from Math Therapy season 2 that Roger and Vanessa can't stop talking about

Connect with us:

Roger Fischer: @rfischeresq (Twitter)
Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)
Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

Transcript for today’s episode: www.maththerapypodcast.com

S3E08: There are no stupid questions w/ Roger Fischer