Choosing to See: A Framework for Equity in the Math Classroom By Pamela Seda and Kyndall Brown Most of the top jobs for the future require students to have a strong foundational understanding of mathematics. Our failure to mathematically educate most students in general, and students of color in particular, is bad not only for these students individually but also for our society. In Choosing to See, Pamela Seda and Kyndall Brown offer a substantive, rigorous, and necessary set of interventions to move mathematics education toward greater equity, particularly in serving the needs of Black and Brown students, who are underrepresented and underserved as math scholars. The authors' thoughtful ICUCARE equity framework serves as a lens to help teachers see where they are achieving this alignment and where they are not. Through this lens, choosing to see means caring enough about what you see to act. It means accepting that every one of your students can be an expert given the opportunity. It means recognizing negative stereotypes about marginalized students and understanding their effects. It means knowing that your students have rich lives outside the classroom that can inform what you do inside the classroom. And it means recognizing and celebrating their human dimensions, so that all students' strengths, capabilities, and talents can grow. "A provocative and practical read! Seda and Brown remind us that equity is not a destination but a journey we take together with our students, their families, and our colleagues." DR. TRENA L. WILKERSON, professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Baylor University, president, NCTM "It's one thing to embrace Standards for Mathematics Practices (SMP) but quite another to see the human potential of minoritized children and teach them in ways that ensure they actually succeed. The authors of this book share rich personal stories that not only help teachers to see their students but to also perceive who they are and what they can become." JACQUELINE LEONARD, professor of Mathematics Education, University of Wyoming "Choosing to See is the emotional and spiritual journey that all math educators need to embark on wholeheartedly. The book is a timely primer that takes the deep and complex issue of race and systemic bias in the mathematical experiences of Black students and presents them with unflinching clarity and candor." SUNIL SINGH, author of Pi of Life "This book helps close the gap between recognizing that we can do more to make math classrooms equitable and actually having a plan for how to do it. Pamela and Kyndall are respected leaders in the mathematics education community and help unpack the problems we may not be aware of as well as solutions for addressing them." ROBERT KAPLINSKY, author of Open Middle Math

I've told my kids for years that God doesn't make mistakes," writes Mary Beth Chapman, wife of Grammy award winning recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman. "Would I believe it now, when my whole world as I knew it came to an end?" Covering her courtship and marriage to Steven Curtis Chapman, struggles for emotional balance, and living with grief, Mary Beth's story is our story--wondering where God is when the worst happens. In Choosing to SEE, she shows how she wrestles with God even as she has allowed him to write her story--both during times of happiness and those of tragedy. Readers will hear firsthand about the loss of her daughter, the struggle to heal, and the unexpected path God has placed her on. Even as difficult as life can be, Mary Beth Chapman Chooses to SEE. Includes a 16-page full color photo insert.

In this book, Maura Preszler shares her bittersweet journey from pain and trauma to recovery and healing. Growing up in an abusive home, receiving negative and painful messages about her value and worth, Maura was set on a path filled with mental, emotional, and physical suffering. Finding herself battling an eating disorder and a tremendous fear of vulnerability to others, particularly men, Maura was determined to face her demons and do whatever it took to find healing. Through her tremendous faith in God and her determination to persist in the hard work of therapy, Maura has found her way to freedom and the kind of love-filled life for which she once yearned. Maura's story serves as a model and inspiration for those seeking a way forward from trauma and into a future filled with hope.

By a leading writer and thinker. How might Christians look on the world differently if they actually believed that God's love is indeed stronger than our fears? In fresh, confessional language, Roth shares his convictions about Christian pacifism, inviting others to consider this approach, all the while humbly admitting the difficulties. In the face of violence, are there any options open to the Christian believer other than the "default" impulse toward patriotic unity and a steely determination to exact "an eye for an eye"? A must-read for anyone concerned about the endless cycles of wars and violence, and the possibility that God's love is stronger than our society's current answers.

2016 Christy Award Winner! (Young Adult category) 2016 Christy Award Finalist (First novel category) Like all citizens since the Ruining, Carrington Hale knows the importance of this day. But she never expected the moment she’d spent a lifetime preparing for—her Choosing ceremony—to end in disaster. Ripped from her family, she’ll spend her days serving as a Lint, the lowest level of society. She knows it’s her duty to follow the true way of the Authority. But as Carrington begins this nightmare, rumors of rebellion rattle her beliefs. Though the whispers contradict everything she’s been told, they resonate deep within. Then Carrington is offered an unprecedented chance at the life she’s always dreamed of, yet she can’t shake the feeling that it may be an illusion. With a killer targeting Lints and corruption threatening the highest levels of the Authority, Carrington must uncover the truth before it destroys her.

For those times when hard work and persistence just aren't enough, Terri Sjodin offers an inspiring guide to getting scrappy and beating the odds. Terri Sjodin loves scrappy people -- those who beat the odds with a blend of cleverness and fighting spirit. People who see big problems and come up with big solutions. People like the clever Girl Scout who sold 117 boxes of cookies in two hours outside a medical marijuana dispensary, or the entrepreneur who turned his home into an indoor jungle to sell investors on the Rainforest Cafe Restaurant chain. It can seem like these successes are just one-off acts of ingenuity or isolated flashes of brilliance. But today it takes more than just creativity, more than just persistence, more than just a dream to reach big goals -- it takes a mindset and a strategy. Sjodin explains the common elements behind every successful scrappy effort.

Kindig shows middle school teachers how to integrate student choice into a reading program. She outlines principles for identifying books kids will read, why choice will help them meet state standards and developmental needs, and how to make reading social and meaningful, match books to kids, prompt discussions, and help develop readers.