Adjust The Angle: Learning Isn't Linear

What if silence isn't a behavior problem?

What if it's an access problem?

One of the biggest mistakes we make in virtual classrooms is assuming we know why students aren't participating. Sometimes the cameras are off, the chat is quiet, and the response is... crickets.

But what if students aren't disengaged?

What if they simply don't have an entry point?

At Tarleton State University's Empowering Online Educators Conference, I'll be sharing practical strategies to make student thinking visible through intentional questioning, color, visual supports, and real-world tools.

Because when we change the angle, participation often follows.

📍 Tarleton State University – Fort Worth
📅 June 16, 2026

💯 this idea shifts our approach to math that many have a hard time recognizing.

Problem solving IS a creative adventure. When we sterilize the problem solving process only to rigid, procedural steps - we rob kids of what math actually is.

The act of noticing, trying, reflecting on how that helped and adjusting for your next move IS math.

Our traditional approach to math emphasizing memory recall and rigid procedures cripples the curiosity and creative thinking that is the backbone of real-life problem solving!

The best advice I’ve gotten as someone who creates: make it exist first, make it better later.

A rough version of something is more useful than a version that lives only in your head.

A lot of people wait until they feel fully ready before they start creating, myself included.

Unfortunately, creativity usually doesn’t work that way. The act of making the thing is often what HELPS you figure out what the thing is supposed to become.

You cannot improve something that doesn’t exist.

Kid: I am sorry teacher. I know I am too much to handle.

Me: Nope. You are not. I've got you.

Kid: You shouldn't have to be here helping me though. I just can't do this.

Me: I am exactly where I want to be. I have confidence enough for the both of us... and the tools to actually help. Watch me.

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers and women who show up to support children every day! I am fully committed to toddlers and teenagers both personally and professionally around the clock. Honestly, I would not have it any other way. Each stage of life presents challenges as well as joy! I hope today all women feel supported and encouraged in their roles as caregivers.

Curiosity cannot grow in survival mode.

I am so sick of this! I do what I can to not get sucked in to debates and things.

I have seen MULTIPLE posts on my business feed that pretend they are educational/math sites and have either been hacked or are intentionally grooming.

Here is one from this morning (I intentionally cut off the top of these minor's heads in case it is a real picture to protect their faces).

The prompt was "One of these is not a female. See if you can pick him out."

My response is clear: 📣Adults, you have no business being in or even thinking about what is inside a CHILD'S pants/skirt. Period.

I show up to help kids learn in a safe space.

The silent auction is open! Adjust The Angle is a local business dedicated to serving our community here in the Lake Highlands/Dallas area. We support the PTA at Hotchkiss's first fundraiser. You can participate in the silent auction for a variety of things such as a 3-session tutoring package from Adjust The Angle, Cedar and Vine gift card, or a Perot Museum family membership and much more!

The silent auction closes soon!

Hotchkiss PTA launches push to raise funds for student programs - Lake Highlands Photo courtesy of Hotchkiss Elementary PTA. The L. L. Hotchkiss Elementary PTA will host “Hawks Night Out,” the association’s first annual auction and raffle event, on Saturday, April 18. The PTA is asking families and community members to support ongoing fundraising efforts aimed

I get asked all the time what I think the cause of the rise in Autism is (and other learning differences). As a Learning Specialist to those with huge instructional gaps for over 20 years, let me tell you a story. 📖

Let me tell you the story that rings true for so many families. A family of 4: dad, mom, older sister and little brother. The little brother is struggling in 2nd grade and they begin testing which reveals he has Autism and Dyslexia. The family is confused! They didn't think the struggle was THAT bad, they just wanted some extra support for him. The results of the testing is confusing, more questions than answers arise.

The revelation of the son's diagnoses begins a chain of events that show that the oldest daughter also has Autism, but she just has been able to mask so much better than her younger brother. When the mom hears the term 'masking' she realizes that this is how SHE has coped in her life... When all is said and done this family of 4 now realizes that dad has Dyslexia, mom has Autism, sister has Autism, and the little brother has both Autism and Dyslexia.

20 years ago, the mom and dad (as kids) had 0 diagnoses. Now, this family finally has access to real information and support! Did these learning differences 'get worse' from our medicine, politics,...society? Or does this story play out as all other hereditary situations that families share with schools and a medical community that is more informed?

Conspiracy theories help no one.

I choose to be a supportive voice for families navigating so much uncertainty. I choose to collaborate with schools and the medical community to have accurate and complete information for the whole family. Accurate information provides the nevessary instructional support where REAL learning finally happens.

I have lost count of how many clients have tried tutors and programs with NO progress (for years), until I came in the picture. Learning happens once you know how you actually learn! Learning differences need different learning strategies.

More of the same gets you more of the same.

You aren't just 'bad in math.' You just didn't have the right instruction. You deserve to learn how YOU learn. All people are math prople. 🌻

I caught my son, again! Those aren't toys, they are tools! My toddler grabbed the number blocks I use with my clients who have dyslexia and dyscalculia for intense math intervention. 🤦‍♀️

Toddler: Mommy, find match to-geh-ver?
Me: Ok, you can play with them.
🤩❤️

Math is about exploring patterns and connections. From toddlers to teenagers it is so important that their is play and exploration built into your math instruction.

For the littles: match the color, size, and value is invaluable and sets them up towards a framework for pattern seeking strategies in math.

For elementary: a 6 is the same a three 2s! What other ways can we build numbers? Bringing in repeated addition and subtraction (compose and decompose) is the gateway towards successful understanding of number sense that grounds math facts in understanding (not just memorizing them).

For middle school: leveling up the patterns to exponents and factors is crucial! Factoring polynomials! 🤪 Yet, it all comes down to the relationship of numbers (beyond memorized facts).

I am so excited!! I will be a judge for a CEF You Be The Solution competion here in Lake Highlands!

I can't wait to see what these 5th-8th graders have been working. Saturday can't come soon enough!

More info to come!

The Challenge - CEF in STEM Free Collaborative STEM/Science Competition for Elementary and Middle School Students where they compete on teams for scholarships