About Me

My name is Jim Wysocki. I am a mathematics teacher in a small independent school in California. I believe strongly in non-traditional methods of teaching math, although it does not mean (as many might have you believe) that I think facts and skills are unimportant. I just do not see learning facts and skills as the ‘end’ in math. This is not to say I have not tried my hand at all kinds of teaching. When I first came to my present school, in addition to my first couple years teaching, I was very traditional. I just saw my students learn more when I ventured “outside the box.”

Additionally, I was raised Roman Catholic but during my college years ran into several situations that caused me to seriously question my allegiance to this religion. After several years of searching, as I still felt that a spiritual component to my life was essential, I settled into Zen Buddhism. I have considered myself a Buddhist for more than ten years now.

Politically I am an independent with leanings toward the left. I am disappointed in the two-party system because neither addresses all of the things of concern to me and, like religion, there is little communication between the two.

This has become my space to talk about teaching and education topics primarily, but I do weigh in on politics and religion on occasion. My opinions will often come across stronger than I really believe, so feel free to question or challenge me. You may find I am not as close-minded as I may appear at first (although I certainly hope I don’t come across that way at all!).

Welcome to my blog.