Oct 9, 2026 · @MrPurdyMath Monday, October 12, is Indigenous Peoples' Day. It's a day to honor the first peoples of this land: their histories, their cultures, and the communities that are still here and thriving today. For a lot of our students, it's also a day off with a name they've never really thought about. That's where we come in. When we take even ten minutes to recognize Indigenous peoples, we're telling students the truth about where they live, and we're showing them that Indigenous knowledge isn't just history. It's math, science, art and language that people are still using right now. If you're anything like me, you've wondered how to fit that into a math class. How do I teach land acknowledgment and explore Indigenous cultures without losing a day of instruction? Here's what I landed on: you don't have to choose. The math is already there. Maya mathematicians used zero centuries before Europe did. Lakota star quilts ar...