Melissa Cribby, a 6th grade math teacher at the Maine School Administrative District 75 (ME), has been named the Open Up Resources Teacher of the Month for March. Cribby is being recognized for her outstanding work in her classroom and ongoing support of teachers across the country as a member of the Open Up Resources National Professional Learning Community.
Cribby’s work with Open Up Resources 6–8 Math makes her one of the most innovative teachers in the country. The Open Up Resources 6–8 Math curriculum inspires a new way of teaching math by transforming classrooms into hives of activity focusing on discussion, questioning, debate, and the deeper conceptual learning of mathematics that follows.Meg Marks, a colleague at Mt. Ararat Middle School, nominated Cribby for her amazing work with her students. Marks shared, “Melissa cares deeply about her students and goes above and beyond to meet their individual needs. She is a fabulous math educator. Her delivery of mathematics education is innovative! She makes sure that her lessons are both rigorous and fun. I am in awe of her contributions to the profession. I wish I had Mrs. Cribby as a math teacher!”
Cribby shared a reflection about the impact of the curriculum on one of her students. She told us, “I remember one year a student who had very little math confidence. By the end of the unit, they were using vocabulary and concrete reasons to back up their thinking. By the end of the year, this child was a leader in our math discussions and I loved to see how they grew as a mathematician that year.”
And she offered some advice: “Just try it, trust the process, and it will make sense! You will see how it benefits kids’ learning immediately. Also, make sure to use the cool-downs to help adjust your pacing. Don’t panic, and reach out to the other teachers in your building as well as the learning communities on social media. They are a huge help!”
Open Up Resources is a non-profit on a mission to increase equity in education by making excellent, top-rated curricula freely available to districts. You can learn more at www.openupresources.org.