Dustin Purdy Blog

As a member of the AMLE Teacher Leaders Committee, I recently had the opportunity to contribute to an article that became the foundation for a larger conversation about one of the most important parts of starting a new school year: building a strong middle school culture. Our Teacher Leaders group began by exploring the question: How do we establish expectations that build culture rather than simply manage student behavior? That conversation led to our AMLE article, Strategies for Building Culture through Expectations in Middle Schools. I was fortunate to contribute alongside fellow Teacher Leaders Megan Balduf, Marri Bayour, Corey Cohen, Ralph Covino, Beth Fabijanic, Laurie Rigg, Cheryl Robertson, and Kate Strein. But what I really appreciated about this process was the article was the beginning of the conversation and launched our first ever AMLE Teacher Talk round table focused on Setting Expectations and Norms in the New School Year. Expectations are more than just rules! Middle sc...

Some of the most meaningful moments in my career have come from learning alongside passionate educators who challenge me to think differently, grow professionally, and ultimately become a better leader and teacher for my students. That’s why I am incredibly excited and honored to share that I have been selected as a member of the 2026 Texas Instruments (T³) Teacher Leader Cadre. This opportunity is more than a professional milestone—it’s an opportunity to join a community of educators who believe mathematics should be engaging, accessible, and empowering for every student. Throughout my career, I’ve been passionate about creating classrooms where students are encouraged to explore, ask questions, take risks, and discover the beauty of mathematics. Technology has always been an important part of that vision—not as a replacement for thinking, but as a catalyst for deeper understanding, curiosity, and meaningful problem solving. As a member of the 2026 T³ Teacher Leader Cadre, I’ll have t...

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.One key takeaway is that statistics instruction should move beyond procedural calculations and instead focus on sense-making with real data. When students investigate authentic datasets, pose their own questions, and interpret patterns, the learning becomes far more meaningful—and much harder for AI to replace. We also discussed how student engagement plays a critical role: when students are working with data that is meaningful and relevant to them, they are far less likely to rely on AI because they are genuinely invested in exploring and understand...

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 I look forward to every year and is truly my favorite event of the year. I love seeing students dive into fun explorations, from digit memorization contests and pie-eating challenges to engineering pi-throwing machines and lively relay races. But most importantly, this time of year marks the St. Jude Math-a-Thon for my classes, a special event where my students engage in service learning. They solve math problems and fundraise for St. Jude, ensuring no family ever receives a bill. St. Jude has help push childhood cancer survival rates from 20% to over 80% and the Math-a-Thon is a way for students to help support that mission. You can visit my schools fundraising page to see our progress or contribute, or learn more about the Math-a-Thon here . What’s All the Fuss About Pi? Pi (π) is more tha...

Every year on 11/23, we celebrate one of the most famous patterns in mathematics — the Fibonacci sequence. What is the Fibonacci sequence? It’s a list of numbers where each number is the sum of the two before it: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21… This simple rule creates a pattern that grows in a beautifully balanced way. The Golden Rectangle & Golden Spiral When squares with Fibonacci side lengths are arranged together, they form a golden rectangle — a shape whose proportions stay the same as it grows. If you draw a smooth curve through the corners of these squares, you get the golden spiral, a shape that expands outward while keeping the same proportions. This spiral models growth found in many natural forms. Where do we see it in nature? The Fibonacci sequence is everywhere! • Sunflower seeds grow in spirals that match Fibonacci numbers. • Pinecones have spiral patterns that follow the sequence. • Nautilus shells show growth close to the golden spiral. • Hurricanes and galaxies swirl in...

NCTM 2025 is a wrap! Attending NCTM 2025 was both energizing and affirming. Passionate math educators came together to explore how we can make mathematics more engaging, inclusive, and relevant for every learner.This year, I had the privilege of co-presenting “Exploring NCTM Classroom Resources for the Secondary Classroom” with David Dai, fellow NCTM CRC Committee Member and Board Member. During the session, we dove into NCTM’s rich library of lesson plans, interactives, and tasks designed to: spark curiosity, foster problem-solving, develop positive math identities, and connect mathematical ideas to the real world. Participants explored how these resources support inquiry-based and problem-based learning, and how they can be used to help students build both conceptual understanding and confidence in math. Key Takeaways and Learnings Beyond my session, I spent much of the conference immersed in sessions centered on data literacy, and data science —topics that continue to grow in import...

As a math educator, I know what it feels like to juggle everything from lesson planning, engaging students, grading, and trying to stay current with best practices. Some days it feels like we are balancing a tightrope of expectations all at once. But over the years, I’ve learned you don’t have to reinvent the wheel, and NCTM is here to helpAt this year’s NCTM Annual Conference, I’m excited to share how NCTM’s Classroom Resources can help transform the way you plan lessons, connect with students, and bring curiosity and belonging into my classroom. These tools aren’t just about saving time, they are about creating a learning environment where all students see themselves as mathematicians. Reimagining Lesson Planning Through Curated Support Like many teachers, I’ve spent countless hours searching for lessons that are both engaging and standards-aligned. What I love about NCTM’s Classroom Resources library is that it takes the guesswork out of that process. NCTM offers ready-to-use instru...