Mr. Purdy Math

April is Arab American Heritage Month—a time to celebrate the rich cultures, histories, and contributions of Arab Americans.

Let’s honor diverse voices, challenge bias, and build a community where everyone feels seen, valued, and empowered.

In my latest blog post, “Unraveling the Mystery of 3.14... and Beyond!”, I explore the joy of π and invite students to experience it through curiosity, pattern-seeking, and mathematical wonder. I also invite students to explore applications in STEM with a NASA Receiver Riddle challenge.

From circles to infinite decimals, this post digs into ways to make π meaningful, engaging, and deeply connected to student thinking. https://bit.ly/4bii43l

Happy Pi Day! 🥧 Unraveling the Mystery of 3.14… and Beyond! March 14th — the day we celebrate the most famous number in mathematics. Grab a slice of pie and explore the infinite wonder of π. My Pi Day Passion: Fun & Philanthropy Pi Day is an event that …

To all of my students, families and friends celebrating Eid al-Fitr, I want to extend my warmest wishes to you today. This special day marks the end of Ramadan—a time of reflection, compassion, generosity, and growth.

As you celebrate, may your day be filled with joy, gratitude, and connection with loved ones. Whether through prayer, sharing meals, giving to others, or spending time in community, Eid reminds us of the importance of kindness, empathy, and giving back—values that strengthen our global school community.

💫 Wishing you peace, happiness, and countless blessings today and always. Eid Mubarak! 🌙💙

I recently joined Nicole Hamilton and Lucas Owen as a panelist in a webinar titled “An AI-Resistant Approach to Teaching Statistics,” which explored how statistics instruction must evolve in a world where generative AI can quickly perform calculations and produce answers. Rather than focusing on limiting AI, the conversation centered on designing learning experiences that emphasize human reasoning, curiosity, and authentic data exploration.

Read full blog post here and access the webinar recording and resources. https://bit.ly/47H3n7D

An AI-Resistant Approach to Teaching Statistics — Webinar Reflection I recently joined Nicole Hamilton and Lucas Owen as a panelist in a webinar titled “An AI-Resistant Approach to Teaching Statistics,” which explored how statistics instruction must evolve in a worl…

I'm pretty sure everybody says this after Thanksgiving

THE THEODORUS SPIRAL
The Theodorus spiral, also known as the square root spiral, is a shape made of right triangles joined edge-to-edge, with each new triangle's base being the hypotenuse of the previous one. It starts with an isosceles right triangle and continues by constructing a new triangle with a height of 1 and a base from the previous hypotenuse, leading to hypotenuse lengths of \(\sqrt{1}\), \(\sqrt{2}\), \(\sqrt{3}\), \(\sqrt{4}\), and so on.

HAPPY FIBONACCI DAY
November 23 is Fibonacci Day, an annual holiday that honors one of the most influential mathematicians of the Middle Ages - Leonardo Bonacci.
Fibonacci Day is celebrated on November 23rd to honor Italian mathematician Leonardo of Pisa (also known as Fibonacci) and his famous number sequence. The date 11/23 was chosen because the digits 1,1,2,3 are the first four numbers in his sequence. Fibonacci is also celebrated for popularizing the Hindu-Arabic numeral system in Europe through his 1202 book, Liber Abaci.

Natural and mathematical significance:
The day celebrates the sequence's appearance in many areas of nature, such as the arrangement of petals on flowers, the spirals in pinecones and sunflowers, and the structure of a nautilus shell. It also has significant mathematical applications.

How do we do this "new" way of dividing?

This is, in my opinion, one of the most important skills in elementary math