My Journey
I have found that embracing and celebrating my queer identity has helped me to foster a more positive and productive mathematics identity.
-B Waid, PhD (Independent Math Coach, QMT)
I am originally from Lake Wales, Florida, where I attended public schools from grades K-10 (at the end of my sophomore year, my high school transitioned out of the public school system to become a charter school). After high school I attended The University of Tampa, where I became a first generation college graduate obtaining my BS in Mathematics and Mathematics Education.
My time at UT would prove significant in two ways. First, in UT's undergraduate education program I was one of only three mathematics education majors. By design, the small numbers of students in each content area lead to all of my education courses (even my methods courses) to be a mix of students studying to become ELA, SS, Math, and Science teachers. In some ways, this put me at a disadvantage, given that I was being trained in more generalized pedagogical knowledge (and content knowlege through my double major in mathematics), with little reinforcement of my pedagogical content knowledge. In other ways, the design of UT's program put me at an advantage. Given the cross-disciplinary nature of the program, I was being trained to think "outside the box," so to speak, and to find creative solutions to make connections between my content area and that of my peers. The second way in which my time at UT was influential is that it was during that time that I began to understand that I was queer.
Upon completing my undergraduate studies, I returned to Lake Wales to teach at my alma mater and later at nearby Bartow High School. During this time, I remained firmly "in the closet," mostly out of denial, but also because I knew that acknowledging my queerness would likely result in my being dismissed from my job. I also feared rejection by the people in my life and community.
In my work at Lake Wales High School (and later at Bartow High School), I was involved in a number of curriculum initiatives. As a result, I became very interested in curriculum design and I began to take night classes at UT to obtain my MEd in Curriculum and Instruction. After completing the MEd program I was invited to teach the Teaching Reading Across the Content Areas course as an adjunct in UT's undergraduate education program. This would be my first forray into teacher education and served as a turning point in my carreer. I found that I enjoyed working as a teacher educator and I began researching PhD programs in Mathematics Education, specifically those that had a strong emphasis on pedagogical content knowledge.
In 2012, I enrolled in the Mathematics Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University, packed my bags, and moved to NYC. As I completed my doctoral program at TC I worked in a number of roles, serving as a research assistant, mathematics teacher supervisor, edTPA coordinator (of sorts), and teaching assistant in the Mathematics Department. I was also part of a team tasked with creating and implementing an enrichment program in a local Harlem middle school and eventually went back to full time teaching as a middle and high school mathematics teacher at an all girls private school in Manhattan.
My time in NYC, as well as my supportive network of friends, also gave me space to fully acknowledge and eventually embrace my queer identity, which would have a significant impact on many areas of my life, including leading me to develop a more productive and positive mathematics identity. This is when I began to reflect on the intersections between my queer and mathematical identities and to explore the ways in which I could better support queer students in K-12 mathematics. This is also when I met my partner, the love of my life.
Upon graduating from TC with my PhD in Mathematics Education, my partner and I moved to New Jersey, where I had been hired by Drew University as an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education. At Drew University I specialized in the teaching of K-12 mathematics and science, with a focus on equity and social justice and served as the edTPA Coordinator and Masters of Education Program Coordinator. While my doctoral dissertation was focused on the relationship between mathematics teachers' mindset and their teaching practice, while at Drew I began shifting my research focus to explore the ways in which students' intersectional identities manifest in mathematical spaces, particularly that of LGBTQ+ students. I currently am contining my work in this area through my teaching, research, and coaching.
Outside of my professional work my hobbies include spending time with my wife, reading YA literature, listening to podcasts, writing parodies to popular music (often to explain mathematical concepts), queer activism, and eating all things sweet.
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