June 25, 2026 • 17 mins
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)
Summer is officially ON, so it's a great time to hear from YOU in another mailbag episode where Vanessa reads the texts you've sent us!
This batch pulls together a few threads from episodes we've released over the last few months - some will make you laugh, and some might make you tear up just as Vanessa did when reading them out.
And if you want to send us a message about the podcast or about something you'd like Vanessa to discuss over the summer - just tap the link right above/below!
Episodes mentioned:
- May 2026 - text from an inmate with the Prison Mathematics Project
- May 2026 - Vanessa's meltdown over tax season
- April 2026 - our last mailbag episode
Contact us:
- Vanessa Vakharia: Instagram, TikTok, Email
- Math Therapy: Text the Podcast
More Math Therapy:
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Watch
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Vanessa Vakharia (00:03):
Oh my God, guys.
Hello, and welcome to anotherepisode of Math Therapy.
It is now summer for all of us.
We've all caught up to oneanother.
We're all on summer break, whichmeans it feels like the vibe is
writing letters home from camp.
You know what I mean?
I mean, that's a stretch.
This is my fancy way of sayingwe are gonna do another mailbag
(00:23):
episode today.
Our last mailbag episode was inApril, and I loved it so much
because I'm always telling youguys to text the podcast, and
then you do, and I'm like,"Oh myGod, I need to share the
incredible stuff you guys aretexting." So we're doing another
one today because so many textshave come in since April.
So it's time.
Now, I also have to say, like100 of the texts we got last
(00:45):
month were texts to enter the TIgiveaway, so we won't be reading
any of those out.
But a lot of the texts of youguys entering the giveaway, I
mean, a lot of you said somenice things like you were
longtime listeners, youdiscovered the episode because
of the Texas Instrumentsgiveaway and loved it, which is
so cool, so welcome to our newaudience.
(01:05):
And most commonly, everyone isobsessed with the calculator
plushy and would do anything toget one.
Now- I know what this feelslike, okay?
Because the thing with TexasInstruments is they do this
thing where they, like, release,like, merch that you can't buy,
and they do a really good job.
This is honestly part of thereason I'm obsessed with them,
(01:26):
because you guys know I'm allabout, like, making math fun and
cool, and, like, I think veryfew companies actually do that,
but Texas Instruments has alwaysdone that.
I remember one year theyreleased this, like, it was like
a floaty for a swimming pool.
It was like a giant calculatoryou could, like, float on.
I wanted one so badly, but theywouldn't...
Like, I couldn't even enter thegiveaway'cause they wouldn't
ship to Canada at the time.
(01:48):
Then you guys know the TexasInstruments Christmas sweater,
right?
Like, oh my God, I wanted thatthing for years.
Then I finally had, like,someone who, like, worked as an
influencer with TexasInstruments on the podcast, and
I was like,"Listen, you need totell me how to get one of these
sweaters." And she was like,"Ohmy God.
I really, like, don't know how."But I was like,"Okay, this is my
official call-out." And I guessTexas Instruments listened
(02:09):
because I finally got thatsweater in 2021, and it was my
most favorite thing ever.
Anyways, I don't know why I'mstill talking about this.
My point is that now there arethese plushies, and you can only
get the plushy if you win thegiveaway.
Like, you can't buy them, andactually, I really don't know
why.
I'm gonna ask them.
Like, why?
What's the reason?
Like, people want them.
The fans want the plushies.
(02:31):
Anyways, all that being said, wewill be doing another giveaway
for the Oh My Math box nextmonth, so in July on the
podcast.
Maybe it's July when you'relistening to this.
I actually don't know when thisepisode is coming out.
Okay, whatever.
We're doing another giveaway, somaybe you'll win a plushy.
Okay, I should not have talkedabout that for that long.
Okay, anyways, the point is itis so nice to hear from you
guys.
Honestly, with podcasts, younever know who's listening, so
(02:52):
it's really nice to know it'sactual people and to hear, like,
how many different people thepod is reaching, so thank you
for being here.
So let's get, let's get straightto your texts.
I mean, I've now been talkingfor five minutes about a plushy
calculator, so whatever.
Now, I know it's superclickbaity, but the best one is
at the end.
I am saving the best for last.
I am, I am.
(03:12):
They're all great, but the bestone is at the end.
So that might sound clickbaity,but it's true, so listen to the
whole thing'cause I promise itwill be worth it.
Okay, the first text is fromNorthbrook, Illinois, who
actually sent this back inDecember, which is appropriate
for me to read now because I'mseriously in major Christmas
withdrawal.
And that is neither here northere, but it reminds me that
(03:33):
Allison Mello's Get YourWorkshop On conference is
happening at the beginning ofAugust.
I am one of the keynotes, andthe theme is"Christmas in
Summer".
Like, everything is going to beChristmas-themed.
All the sessions areChristmas-themed, like the
decor, the snacks.
Anyways, you can still registerif you wanna come.
It is in Massachusetts atGillette Stadium.
(03:53):
That's right, it's at GilletteStadium.
Okay, anyways, okay, sorry,focus, focus, focus.
Here is the text:"Hi, Vanessaand crew.
I am a special education teacherwho works as a math specialist
in a therapeutic day school.
I love your whole deal, yourprofessional development, going
to one in April, your podcast,your mission, your swag, I got a
sweatshirt, et cetera.
(04:14):
I have noticed all the mathtrauma for years, and I've been
teaching for a while, and I'm soglad you're calling it out.
And my birthday is Pi Day.
Sending you a message becauseyou asked who listens.
I do." That is so-- Okay, well,now, hold on a second.
I feel like I'm not evenconnecting the dots,'cause
whoever you are from Northbrook,you said you were going to a PD
(04:34):
in April.
Which one did you go to?
Did you say hi?
Did you tell me about this text?
I don't think you did.
So hello, hi, welcome.
This is so awesome, and I justlove the idea of a therapeutic
day school.
I love the entire thing because,you know, part of why I wrote
Math Therapy is therapy getssuch a bad rep, right?
You know, we think it's likethis whole big thing, when
really, as teachers, we'rehealers.
(04:55):
We're using therapeuticstrategies every day, right?
We are working on the mental andthe emotional simultaneously.
We're doing that, you know?
And so I love that you areworking at a school that focuses
in on it.
I'd love to actually hear moreabout that, if you wanna throw
me another text.
Um, and I just wanna say thankyou to you and everyone who's
doing this, this work, you know?
Everyone who is noticing themath trauma, working on healing,
(05:19):
recognizing there's a need formore than the cognitive.
You guys are amazing.
Thank you so much for listening,and thank you for this text.
Next, we have a text from theCanadian prairies which reads,
"Thanks for making this podcast.
Made me take stock of how Idefine success and how I wanted
to change it for my futureclassroom.
Keep up the great podcasting,Vanessa.
I hear you might be touring inRegina, Saskatchewan.
Is this true?" Okay.
(05:40):
Well, first of all, I love that,honestly, and I'm so glad that
it landed with you, and Iactually went to Saskatoon to
keynote a conference in April,and this is making me wonder if
the last text, if that personwent to that conference.
But no, they didn't, because Idon't think someone from
Northbrook, Illinois, is goingto PD in Saskatoon.
(06:01):
That being said, I am nottouring in Regina, but for all
of you listening who I met inSaskatoon in April, my band is
playing our first show ever inSaskatoon.
We're flying to Saskatoon July1st, and we are p- which is
Canada Day, everyone, and we areplaying a show at The Green Room
(06:21):
in Saskatoon on July 2nd.
You guys should come.
Tickets are available now.
Go get them.
And then we are headlining afestival in Potato Lake,
Saskatchewan, on July 4th.
It's called Napatak Ramble.
So promo for my band andanswering your question at the
same time, so it's not thatshameless.
Okay, next is an exchange we hadwith Amy Jones from Fairfield,
(06:44):
Connecticut, who gave uspermission to read this out, and
guys, I, I'm so excited to readthis.
She texted us after listening tomy brief episode where I shared
a message I received fromTimothy Jones, who is an inmate
that works with the PrisonMathematics Project, or PMP.
We'll link to that episode inthe show notes if you missed it
because you, uh, honestly, youhave to listen to it and, like
(07:05):
Okay, let me read, let me readAmy's text.
"Thank you for sharing your textwith the inmate who is part of
the PMP.
I was so inspired by theconversation that I reached out
to them, and now I'm going to bea mentor to an inmate who wants
to participate in the project.
Thank you for all you do andshare.
You have no idea how much youare helping me be a better
teacher and math person." Oh myGod, I'm tearing up.
(07:27):
"Also, I spoke to my dad todayabout this, and he's looking to
become a mentor as well.
He's a retired high school mathteacher.
He was so excited." Okay, ah.
Okay, actually, I'm gettingreally emotional.
Um, yeah, I, uh, so for those ofyou who don't know, the Prison
Mathematics Project and I havekind of a bit of a long
relationship because, uh, I,like, I, I, you know, if you've
(07:47):
been listening, you've probablyheard this story many s- story
so many times.
But a long time ago, Iinterviewed Christopher Havens,
who is an inmate who is still inthere serving, and he started
the Prison Mathematics Projectto help other inmates
rehabilitate with mathematics,and it has grown.
They're in prisons all acrossNorth America, they are changing
so many people's lives.
(08:08):
And me and the Math Therapy teamactually went to Michigan to
Bellamy Correctional Instituteon Pi Day a few years ago to do
math with inmates there, and itwas so- such an incredible
experience.
So it's just so incredible tosee that, like to just see what
we can all do as a collective,you know, when we're, when we're
just, like, looking to help oneanother out.
(08:29):
And I think it really justshows, like, Math Therapy is
about the healing that happensthrough math, right?
Like, I always say math is thisgateway.
Yes, it's about the math.
We want kids to learn math, butwe want them to learn what
they're capable of through themath.
I want all of you listening tothis podcast, who have your own
anxiety around math, to learnwhat you're capable of through
(08:53):
continuing to persevere withmath, you know?
To continue to explore what mathis bringing up for you.
So I just think it is sobeautiful to read this.
Amy, that is so cool about youand your dad.
Please keep us posted.
We wanna know everything thathappens.
Um, ugh, this just makes me sohappy, and I continue to work
with the PMP now.
You know, our, this is somethingyou guys should know that's so
(09:14):
cool, is Math Therapy isavailable on tablets in all
American prisons.
So inmates have free access tolistening to Math Therapy.
So many of them listen weekly,like Timothy Jones, which is so
cool, and Timothy Jones himself,he's starting a Math Therapy
group at his correctionalfacility for a bunch of the
inmates there who will beworking through Math Therapy
(09:37):
with him.
This is just really cool.
So thank you so much.
Thank you.
They really do need help.
They need, like, assistancefunding.
It's all volunteer-run.
It's run by inmates and o- andother folks, so, like, I say
that in the sense that theydon't have much access to the
things that those who are notinmates do.
So if you wanna help, text me orreach out to the Prison
(09:59):
Mathematics Project.
That's actually the best thingto do.
And again, just hit the link inthe show notes, and everything's
there.
Okay.
Next is actually a very simpleone we received from Riverside,
California, in response to theepisode in which I had a full
meltdown real time.
You guys might remember that.
The text simply reads, oh myGod.
(10:19):
The text reads,"Beautiful,chaotic energy in this week's
episode." Now, if I hadn't toldyou what the episode was in
response to, you probably wouldhave thought it could be
literally any episode of thispodcast.
But I will just take thecompliment and move on because
David told me to.
And now finally, this is it.
This is the one, this is the oneI clickbait led to.
(10:42):
This one is about the legend ofSister Beth.
And now for those of you whoactually believed me at the
start and decided to listen tothis whole thing, it, y- like,
you're gonna see why.
The last time we did a mailbagepisode, we shared a text, and
I'm just going to read a bit ofit again to refresh your memory.
Okay, because I read a textthen, and that led to a series
(11:04):
of events that take us to rightnow.
So here's the text I'm reallyhoping to get a signed Math
Therapy book for my son'steacher who is that math te"- oh
my God, I'm crying again.
Okay, let me start again.
"I am really hoping to get asigned Math Therapy book for my
son's teacher who is that mathteacher for our whole family.
She has completely turned myson's and my attitude around.
(11:27):
Last year, we dreaded math.
We argued.
I complained.
You could feel the tensionwhenever there was a math test.
In retrospect, I put so muchpressure on this one class.
This year, math is my son'sfavorite subject, and we work
together to figure it out.
We both talk about how far weboth have come and can laugh at
the drama of third-grade math.
It has gone from impossible tofigureoutable because of Sister
Beth.
(11:47):
Yep, the amazing math teacherwho introduced me to your book
and podcast is a nun.
Thank you for everything you do,and if there's any way to get a
signed book for Sister Beth,that would be amazing." Okay, so
here...
Oh, guys, why am I so tearyduring this episode?
I think it's just, like, hearingfrom you guys and Okay, anyways,
fine.
This is about Sister Beth.
This is not about me.
So I get this text, and you guysmight not know this, but in the
(12:11):
early days, as in, like, youknow, three months ago, when the
texting feature was introduced,we would get a text, but we were
unable to respond.
So if the per- if you guys sentus a text and you didn't put
your contact info or your name,there was no way for us to get
ahold of you.
So this person sends this text,and I'm like, I don't know who
this is.
I don't know who Sister Beth is,and I can't write back to be
(12:33):
like,'Sure, yeah, send me heraddress.'" So obviously, I go
straight to Google, and I try mybest to find her.
But I can't.
I'm like, Sister Beth math,like, Sister Beth, Georgia,
math.
Like, I, I couldn't find heranyway, and I'm pretty good at
that stuff, but I reallycouldn't.
So I decided to read the textout loud in our last mailbag
episode, and the podcastdelivered.
(12:53):
So here's what happens.
First, we hear from Sister MaryMargaret in San Antonio, Texas,
who writes this:"Hi there.
I am Sister Mary Margaret, andI'm in the same community as
Sister Beth.
I also taught math for severalyears, SAT, ACT prep and such.
Sister Beth is a real hoot." Ihope you get to meet her in
(13:13):
person someday if you're ever inAtlanta, and if you ever come to
the great state of Texas, lookme up.
Sister Beth is going to treasurethat signed book, and I'll say a
little prayer for you, too."Okay, like, how sweet is that?
And I will definitely be lookingup Sister Mary Margaret next
time I'm in Texas because shesounds like a hoot as well, I'll
be honest.
But it turns out we didn't needhelp because the next text we
(13:35):
got was from the legend herself,Sister Beth, who simply said,
"I'm Sister Beth, and I wouldlove a signed copy of the book."
Can you guys believe?
Like, I d- like, it was my ownpersonal Sleepless in Seattle,
right?
Like, it was like old schoolradio show connecting people
from across the globe, and thenthey finally, like, the book
(13:56):
finally lands on her doorstepand now, now by the way, by the
time she wrote me that text, wenow have the ability to text
back.
So, like, I got her info, I senther a book, and it got there.
So I think you guys know thatthe obvious next step in this
journey is to get Sister Beth onthe podcast.
So I'm manifesting it.
I'm throwing it out into theether.
(14:18):
Let's see what happens.
All right, so, whew.
I know I said Sister Beth wouldbe the last one, but David
insisted I include a bonus textthat we received on January 5th
from Naples, Florida, that readvery simply,"Six times seven
equals 42." And there really isnot much more to say about that,
I guess.
(14:39):
All right, well, that's a wrapon this mailbag episode.
I lo- I mean, I love doing theseso much.
I love doing these so much'causeI have to be honest, sometimes
when I do solo episodes, I'mlike,"Oh, my God, I feel weird
just talking and monologuing atyou guys." Like, I, I understand
that's what a podcast is for,and David tells me I'm being,
like, completely ridiculous,but, like, I do love the
interactions and theconversations, and I love
(15:00):
hearing from other peoplebecause I feel like you guys
have so much wisdom to sharethat I wanna share that.
You know what I mean?
And I feel like so much aboutMath Therapy and about teaching
math and about education andabout healing together, it is a
collective.
We are co-creating theexperience, so I just, I love
when we get to co-create.
Guys, thank you so much forwriting in.
It means so much to me, and it'sso validating to both David and
(15:23):
I that people actually listenand really engage with these
episodes.
Like, it means everything, andeven if you haven't texted us
but you just listen once or, youknow, you listen every week,
thank you.
And if you ever feel inspired tosend us a message about your own
work in healing math trauma orhow an episode has changed your
life or touched you in some wayor meant something or you sent
it to someone else and whatever,that link to text us is always
(15:46):
right there in the episodedescription in your podcast
player.
I think it says,"Send us atext," and you just click it.
Before I sign off, I just wantedto remind you that we have that
Facebook group, and we wouldlove you to join.
We're almost at 500 members,which is crazy'cause we only
started it a couple of monthsago.
You can just head to Facebook,type in Math Therapy, join the
group, and there's lots of coolstuff in there.
(16:06):
It's not, like, too crazy, butit's a great place for community
and collaboration and just, youknow, talking Math Therapy.
I know it's summer, and everyonekinda has different schedules,
so I'm gonna be doing probably alot of solo episodes this summer
just because I'm touring with myband.
We're playing 10 shows acrossCanada, so I'm gonna be
traveling a lot for music stuff,and I'm doing a ton of
(16:29):
conferences as well, so I'll beon the road a lot, which makes
it a little harder to interviewpeople.
Although, you know what?
Anytime you see me, I will havemy mic on me.
So if you run into me, I justmight interview you for the
podcast.
Who knows?
Watch out.
But for real, I'm gonna be doinga lot more, like, solo stuff, so
that's why I'm actually puttinga little call out to you guys.
If you want me to do an episodeon something, you're like,"You
(16:50):
know what?
I really want you to talk aboutthis or that or the other," text
me that, because I'm alwayslooking for ideas of, like, what
can I give to the community?
Like, what are you guys lookingfor?
So I would love to hear from youon that.
As always, you can find me onInstagram@themathguru.
I am very active on there.
My screen time app says I'm tooactive on there, but you can
find me there anytime.
(17:11):
And you know, that's it.
Go enjoy the summer sun whereveryou are, and I'll see you next
week, same time, same place,same channel.
Peace, love, pi.
Text me Northbrook, Illinois?
No, you wouldn't have come toSaskatoon.
Okay, sorry, guys.
Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry.
(17:32):
I'm gonna start again, David.
Okay, let me start again.
Let me start again
Oh my God, guys.
Hello, and welcome to anotherepisode of Math Therapy.
It is now summer for all of us.
We've all caught up to oneanother.
We're all on summer break, whichmeans it feels like the vibe is
writing letters home from camp.
You know what I mean?
I mean, that's a stretch.
This is my fancy way of sayingwe are gonna do another mailbag
(00:23):
episode today.
Our last mailbag episode was inApril, and I loved it so much
because I'm always telling youguys to text the podcast, and
then you do, and I'm like,"Oh myGod, I need to share the
incredible stuff you guys aretexting." So we're doing another
one today because so many textshave come in since April.
So it's time.
Now, I also have to say, like100 of the texts we got last
(00:45):
month were texts to enter the TIgiveaway, so we won't be reading
any of those out.
But a lot of the texts of youguys entering the giveaway, I
mean, a lot of you said somenice things like you were
longtime listeners, youdiscovered the episode because
of the Texas Instrumentsgiveaway and loved it, which is
so cool, so welcome to our newaudience.
(01:05):
And most commonly, everyone isobsessed with the calculator
plushy and would do anything toget one.
Now- I know what this feelslike, okay?
Because the thing with TexasInstruments is they do this
thing where they, like, release,like, merch that you can't buy,
and they do a really good job.
This is honestly part of thereason I'm obsessed with them,
(01:26):
because you guys know I'm allabout, like, making math fun and
cool, and, like, I think veryfew companies actually do that,
but Texas Instruments has alwaysdone that.
I remember one year theyreleased this, like, it was like
a floaty for a swimming pool.
It was like a giant calculatoryou could, like, float on.
I wanted one so badly, but theywouldn't...
Like, I couldn't even enter thegiveaway'cause they wouldn't
ship to Canada at the time.
(01:48):
Then you guys know the TexasInstruments Christmas sweater,
right?
Like, oh my God, I wanted thatthing for years.
Then I finally had, like,someone who, like, worked as an
influencer with TexasInstruments on the podcast, and
I was like,"Listen, you need totell me how to get one of these
sweaters." And she was like,"Ohmy God.
I really, like, don't know how."But I was like,"Okay, this is my
official call-out." And I guessTexas Instruments listened
(02:09):
because I finally got thatsweater in 2021, and it was my
most favorite thing ever.
Anyways, I don't know why I'mstill talking about this.
My point is that now there arethese plushies, and you can only
get the plushy if you win thegiveaway.
Like, you can't buy them, andactually, I really don't know
why.
I'm gonna ask them.
Like, why?
What's the reason?
Like, people want them.
The fans want the plushies.
(02:31):
Anyways, all that being said, wewill be doing another giveaway
for the Oh My Math box nextmonth, so in July on the
podcast.
Maybe it's July when you'relistening to this.
I actually don't know when thisepisode is coming out.
Okay, whatever.
We're doing another giveaway, somaybe you'll win a plushy.
Okay, I should not have talkedabout that for that long.
Okay, anyways, the point is itis so nice to hear from you
guys.
Honestly, with podcasts, younever know who's listening, so
(02:52):
it's really nice to know it'sactual people and to hear, like,
how many different people thepod is reaching, so thank you
for being here.
So let's get, let's get straightto your texts.
I mean, I've now been talkingfor five minutes about a plushy
calculator, so whatever.
Now, I know it's superclickbaity, but the best one is
at the end.
I am saving the best for last.
I am, I am.
(03:12):
They're all great, but the bestone is at the end.
So that might sound clickbaity,but it's true, so listen to the
whole thing'cause I promise itwill be worth it.
Okay, the first text is fromNorthbrook, Illinois, who
actually sent this back inDecember, which is appropriate
for me to read now because I'mseriously in major Christmas
withdrawal.
And that is neither here northere, but it reminds me that
(03:33):
Allison Mello's Get YourWorkshop On conference is
happening at the beginning ofAugust.
I am one of the keynotes, andthe theme is"Christmas in
Summer".
Like, everything is going to beChristmas-themed.
All the sessions areChristmas-themed, like the
decor, the snacks.
Anyways, you can still registerif you wanna come.
It is in Massachusetts atGillette Stadium.
(03:53):
That's right, it's at GilletteStadium.
Okay, anyways, okay, sorry,focus, focus, focus.
Here is the text:"Hi, Vanessaand crew.
I am a special education teacherwho works as a math specialist
in a therapeutic day school.
I love your whole deal, yourprofessional development, going
to one in April, your podcast,your mission, your swag, I got a
sweatshirt, et cetera.
(04:14):
I have noticed all the mathtrauma for years, and I've been
teaching for a while, and I'm soglad you're calling it out.
And my birthday is Pi Day.
Sending you a message becauseyou asked who listens.
I do." That is so-- Okay, well,now, hold on a second.
I feel like I'm not evenconnecting the dots,'cause
whoever you are from Northbrook,you said you were going to a PD
(04:34):
in April.
Which one did you go to?
Did you say hi?
Did you tell me about this text?
I don't think you did.
So hello, hi, welcome.
This is so awesome, and I justlove the idea of a therapeutic
day school.
I love the entire thing because,you know, part of why I wrote
Math Therapy is therapy getssuch a bad rep, right?
You know, we think it's likethis whole big thing, when
really, as teachers, we'rehealers.
(04:55):
We're using therapeuticstrategies every day, right?
We are working on the mental andthe emotional simultaneously.
We're doing that, you know?
And so I love that you areworking at a school that focuses
in on it.
I'd love to actually hear moreabout that, if you wanna throw
me another text.
Um, and I just wanna say thankyou to you and everyone who's
doing this, this work, you know?
Everyone who is noticing themath trauma, working on healing,
(05:19):
recognizing there's a need formore than the cognitive.
You guys are amazing.
Thank you so much for listening,and thank you for this text.
Next, we have a text from theCanadian prairies which reads,
"Thanks for making this podcast.
Made me take stock of how Idefine success and how I wanted
to change it for my futureclassroom.
Keep up the great podcasting,Vanessa.
I hear you might be touring inRegina, Saskatchewan.
Is this true?" Okay.
(05:40):
Well, first of all, I love that,honestly, and I'm so glad that
it landed with you, and Iactually went to Saskatoon to
keynote a conference in April,and this is making me wonder if
the last text, if that personwent to that conference.
But no, they didn't, because Idon't think someone from
Northbrook, Illinois, is goingto PD in Saskatoon.
(06:01):
That being said, I am nottouring in Regina, but for all
of you listening who I met inSaskatoon in April, my band is
playing our first show ever inSaskatoon.
We're flying to Saskatoon July1st, and we are p- which is
Canada Day, everyone, and we areplaying a show at The Green Room
(06:21):
in Saskatoon on July 2nd.
You guys should come.
Tickets are available now.
Go get them.
And then we are headlining afestival in Potato Lake,
Saskatchewan, on July 4th.
It's called Napatak Ramble.
So promo for my band andanswering your question at the
same time, so it's not thatshameless.
Okay, next is an exchange we hadwith Amy Jones from Fairfield,
(06:44):
Connecticut, who gave uspermission to read this out, and
guys, I, I'm so excited to readthis.
She texted us after listening tomy brief episode where I shared
a message I received fromTimothy Jones, who is an inmate
that works with the PrisonMathematics Project, or PMP.
We'll link to that episode inthe show notes if you missed it
because you, uh, honestly, youhave to listen to it and, like
(07:05):
Okay, let me read, let me readAmy's text.
"Thank you for sharing your textwith the inmate who is part of
the PMP.
I was so inspired by theconversation that I reached out
to them, and now I'm going to bea mentor to an inmate who wants
to participate in the project.
Thank you for all you do andshare.
You have no idea how much youare helping me be a better
teacher and math person." Oh myGod, I'm tearing up.
(07:27):
"Also, I spoke to my dad todayabout this, and he's looking to
become a mentor as well.
He's a retired high school mathteacher.
He was so excited." Okay, ah.
Okay, actually, I'm gettingreally emotional.
Um, yeah, I, uh, so for those ofyou who don't know, the Prison
Mathematics Project and I havekind of a bit of a long
relationship because, uh, I,like, I, I, you know, if you've
(07:47):
been listening, you've probablyheard this story many s- story
so many times.
But a long time ago, Iinterviewed Christopher Havens,
who is an inmate who is still inthere serving, and he started
the Prison Mathematics Projectto help other inmates
rehabilitate with mathematics,and it has grown.
They're in prisons all acrossNorth America, they are changing
so many people's lives.
(08:08):
And me and the Math Therapy teamactually went to Michigan to
Bellamy Correctional Instituteon Pi Day a few years ago to do
math with inmates there, and itwas so- such an incredible
experience.
So it's just so incredible tosee that, like to just see what
we can all do as a collective,you know, when we're, when we're
just, like, looking to help oneanother out.
(08:29):
And I think it really justshows, like, Math Therapy is
about the healing that happensthrough math, right?
Like, I always say math is thisgateway.
Yes, it's about the math.
We want kids to learn math, butwe want them to learn what
they're capable of through themath.
I want all of you listening tothis podcast, who have your own
anxiety around math, to learnwhat you're capable of through
(08:53):
continuing to persevere withmath, you know?
To continue to explore what mathis bringing up for you.
So I just think it is sobeautiful to read this.
Amy, that is so cool about youand your dad.
Please keep us posted.
We wanna know everything thathappens.
Um, ugh, this just makes me sohappy, and I continue to work
with the PMP now.
You know, our, this is somethingyou guys should know that's so
(09:14):
cool, is Math Therapy isavailable on tablets in all
American prisons.
So inmates have free access tolistening to Math Therapy.
So many of them listen weekly,like Timothy Jones, which is so
cool, and Timothy Jones himself,he's starting a Math Therapy
group at his correctionalfacility for a bunch of the
inmates there who will beworking through Math Therapy
(09:37):
with him.
This is just really cool.
So thank you so much.
Thank you.
They really do need help.
They need, like, assistancefunding.
It's all volunteer-run.
It's run by inmates and o- andother folks, so, like, I say
that in the sense that theydon't have much access to the
things that those who are notinmates do.
So if you wanna help, text me orreach out to the Prison
(09:59):
Mathematics Project.
That's actually the best thingto do.
And again, just hit the link inthe show notes, and everything's
there.
Okay.
Next is actually a very simpleone we received from Riverside,
California, in response to theepisode in which I had a full
meltdown real time.
You guys might remember that.
The text simply reads, oh myGod.
(10:19):
The text reads,"Beautiful,chaotic energy in this week's
episode." Now, if I hadn't toldyou what the episode was in
response to, you probably wouldhave thought it could be
literally any episode of thispodcast.
But I will just take thecompliment and move on because
David told me to.
And now finally, this is it.
This is the one, this is the oneI clickbait led to.
(10:42):
This one is about the legend ofSister Beth.
And now for those of you whoactually believed me at the
start and decided to listen tothis whole thing, it, y- like,
you're gonna see why.
The last time we did a mailbagepisode, we shared a text, and
I'm just going to read a bit ofit again to refresh your memory.
Okay, because I read a textthen, and that led to a series
(11:04):
of events that take us to rightnow.
So here's the text I'm reallyhoping to get a signed Math
Therapy book for my son'steacher who is that math te"- oh
my God, I'm crying again.
Okay, let me start again.
"I am really hoping to get asigned Math Therapy book for my
son's teacher who is that mathteacher for our whole family.
She has completely turned myson's and my attitude around.
(11:27):
Last year, we dreaded math.
We argued.
I complained.
You could feel the tensionwhenever there was a math test.
In retrospect, I put so muchpressure on this one class.
This year, math is my son'sfavorite subject, and we work
together to figure it out.
We both talk about how far weboth have come and can laugh at
the drama of third-grade math.
It has gone from impossible tofigureoutable because of Sister
Beth.
(11:47):
Yep, the amazing math teacherwho introduced me to your book
and podcast is a nun.
Thank you for everything you do,and if there's any way to get a
signed book for Sister Beth,that would be amazing." Okay, so
here...
Oh, guys, why am I so tearyduring this episode?
I think it's just, like, hearingfrom you guys and Okay, anyways,
fine.
This is about Sister Beth.
This is not about me.
So I get this text, and you guysmight not know this, but in the
(12:11):
early days, as in, like, youknow, three months ago, when the
texting feature was introduced,we would get a text, but we were
unable to respond.
So if the per- if you guys sentus a text and you didn't put
your contact info or your name,there was no way for us to get
ahold of you.
So this person sends this text,and I'm like, I don't know who
this is.
I don't know who Sister Beth is,and I can't write back to be
(12:33):
like,'Sure, yeah, send me heraddress.'" So obviously, I go
straight to Google, and I try mybest to find her.
But I can't.
I'm like, Sister Beth math,like, Sister Beth, Georgia,
math.
Like, I, I couldn't find heranyway, and I'm pretty good at
that stuff, but I reallycouldn't.
So I decided to read the textout loud in our last mailbag
episode, and the podcastdelivered.
(12:53):
So here's what happens.
First, we hear from Sister MaryMargaret in San Antonio, Texas,
who writes this:"Hi there.
I am Sister Mary Margaret, andI'm in the same community as
Sister Beth.
I also taught math for severalyears, SAT, ACT prep and such.
Sister Beth is a real hoot." Ihope you get to meet her in
(13:13):
person someday if you're ever inAtlanta, and if you ever come to
the great state of Texas, lookme up.
Sister Beth is going to treasurethat signed book, and I'll say a
little prayer for you, too."Okay, like, how sweet is that?
And I will definitely be lookingup Sister Mary Margaret next
time I'm in Texas because shesounds like a hoot as well, I'll
be honest.
But it turns out we didn't needhelp because the next text we
(13:35):
got was from the legend herself,Sister Beth, who simply said,
"I'm Sister Beth, and I wouldlove a signed copy of the book."
Can you guys believe?
Like, I d- like, it was my ownpersonal Sleepless in Seattle,
right?
Like, it was like old schoolradio show connecting people
from across the globe, and thenthey finally, like, the book
(13:56):
finally lands on her doorstepand now, now by the way, by the
time she wrote me that text, wenow have the ability to text
back.
So, like, I got her info, I senther a book, and it got there.
So I think you guys know thatthe obvious next step in this
journey is to get Sister Beth onthe podcast.
So I'm manifesting it.
I'm throwing it out into theether.
(14:18):
Let's see what happens.
All right, so, whew.
I know I said Sister Beth wouldbe the last one, but David
insisted I include a bonus textthat we received on January 5th
from Naples, Florida, that readvery simply,"Six times seven
equals 42." And there really isnot much more to say about that,
I guess.
(14:39):
All right, well, that's a wrapon this mailbag episode.
I lo- I mean, I love doing theseso much.
I love doing these so much'causeI have to be honest, sometimes
when I do solo episodes, I'mlike,"Oh, my God, I feel weird
just talking and monologuing atyou guys." Like, I, I understand
that's what a podcast is for,and David tells me I'm being,
like, completely ridiculous,but, like, I do love the
interactions and theconversations, and I love
(15:00):
hearing from other peoplebecause I feel like you guys
have so much wisdom to sharethat I wanna share that.
You know what I mean?
And I feel like so much aboutMath Therapy and about teaching
math and about education andabout healing together, it is a
collective.
We are co-creating theexperience, so I just, I love
when we get to co-create.
Guys, thank you so much forwriting in.
It means so much to me, and it'sso validating to both David and
(15:23):
I that people actually listenand really engage with these
episodes.
Like, it means everything, andeven if you haven't texted us
but you just listen once or, youknow, you listen every week,
thank you.
And if you ever feel inspired tosend us a message about your own
work in healing math trauma orhow an episode has changed your
life or touched you in some wayor meant something or you sent
it to someone else and whatever,that link to text us is always
(15:46):
right there in the episodedescription in your podcast
player.
I think it says,"Send us atext," and you just click it.
Before I sign off, I just wantedto remind you that we have that
Facebook group, and we wouldlove you to join.
We're almost at 500 members,which is crazy'cause we only
started it a couple of monthsago.
You can just head to Facebook,type in Math Therapy, join the
group, and there's lots of coolstuff in there.
(16:06):
It's not, like, too crazy, butit's a great place for community
and collaboration and just, youknow, talking Math Therapy.
I know it's summer, and everyonekinda has different schedules,
so I'm gonna be doing probably alot of solo episodes this summer
just because I'm touring with myband.
We're playing 10 shows acrossCanada, so I'm gonna be
traveling a lot for music stuff,and I'm doing a ton of
(16:29):
conferences as well, so I'll beon the road a lot, which makes
it a little harder to interviewpeople.
Although, you know what?
Anytime you see me, I will havemy mic on me.
So if you run into me, I justmight interview you for the
podcast.
Who knows?
Watch out.
But for real, I'm gonna be doinga lot more, like, solo stuff, so
that's why I'm actually puttinga little call out to you guys.
If you want me to do an episodeon something, you're like,"You
(16:50):
know what?
I really want you to talk aboutthis or that or the other," text
me that, because I'm alwayslooking for ideas of, like, what
can I give to the community?
Like, what are you guys lookingfor?
So I would love to hear from youon that.
As always, you can find me onInstagram@themathguru.
I am very active on there.
My screen time app says I'm tooactive on there, but you can
find me there anytime.
(17:11):
And you know, that's it.
Go enjoy the summer sun whereveryou are, and I'll see you next
week, same time, same place,same channel.
Peace, love, pi.
Text me Northbrook, Illinois?
No, you wouldn't have come toSaskatoon.
Okay, sorry, guys.
Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry.
(17:32):
I'm gonna start again, David.
Okay, let me start again.
Let me start again
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