President's
Corner: 2008 SCVMA President’s Message
My dear friends and colleagues in the mathematics world, I would like
to welcome each of you to the Santa Clara Valley Mathematics Association
(SCVMA). As a “numbers’” educator in Silicon Valley,
we hope this will be your first source in finding answers to your teaching
needs. We do not have all the answers to your inquiries but we can help
guide you to succeed in training your students to become math achievers.
This is my first year as the president of SCVMA and I am very excited.
I am very much aware that this task demands a lot of work and dedication
on my part, without sacrificing my primary position as a high school
mathematics instructor. Hence, I will rely on your support to make all
of our projects successful.
We have many projects lined up for the next several years and I would
like to share with you my vision on how SCVMA will play a role in each
one of these projects:
Teacher Training Seminars
SCVMA is an organization of mathematics teachers in the Santa Clara
Valley and we support all projects of the California State Department
of Education, as well as those of the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics (NCTM) and the California Mathematics Council (CMC). One
of the issues in the education field is having quality teachers in the
classroom. To complement existing projects of these “parent”
organizations, we give local seminars to elementary, middle, and high
school mathematics teachers to further solidify teaching skills and
math knowledge. I encourage you to take part in these events. It is
in these gatherings that you get to know your neighbors. Your input
as a member of the community is also very much needed to improve all
projects of the SCVMA.
Online Teachers’ Magazine
We are the organization for mathematics teachers in Silicon Valley.
It is only proper that we should be a pioneer in making all of our projects
visible online. Thus we are moving to an online magazine, Math Matters,
for mathematics teachers. In this way, we hope to reach not only the
educators in our area but also interested teachers from different parts
of the globe.
Math Competitions
No doubt, Silicon Valley is a melting pot of talented people. One proof
of this is the composition of the U.S. team that competes in the International
Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) every year. At least one student of the
six members comes from Silicon Valley. We do have a number of interscholastic
mathematics competitions in the Bay Area that help prepare our students
for more rigorous mathematics tilts. SCVMA wants to make sure that our
students are given a number of opportunities to further hone their math
skills. Thus, we want to make our existing contests available to everybody,
especially to those students who come from low performing schools.
Honors and Awards
We must never forget to reward individuals who make a difference in
the lives of someone else. How can we not thank those teachers who make
learning a fun experience, who inspire their students, and who are instrumental
in making mathematics accessible to their students? Likewise, we should
acknowledge those students who make teaching a profession from which
no one wants to leave.
Host an NCTM Regional Conference
The NCTM Regional Conference was once held in San Jose, and it was a
successful event. We want to bring this back to our community
Indeed, my vision is simple and can be summarized as follows:
• to use Silicon Valley in promoting quality education;
• to capitalize on the technological advances in Silicon Valley;
• to make our community known to everybody; and
• to honor our teachers and students who help the world of mathematics.
I need your help to implement these projects, and thus I am appealing
to you to be active in the SCVMA. Be a member and attend our activities.
We are also in need of financial help. To continue our existing and
future projects, we accept donations from generous individuals and corporations.
We shall also be having fund-raising projects. Any help you can give
or share will be highly appreciated.
Together, let us help improve our education field. I remain your humble
servant in mathematics.
Mathematically yours,
Misael-Jose S. Fisico
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