Spotlight 4 Success
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Spotlight 4 Success
Journey to Elevate Math Education
Unlock the secrets to mathematical success with Dr. Eugene Bellamy Jr., president of the South Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics. With an impressive turnout at the 48th annual SCCTM conference, Dr. Bellamy shares behind-the-scenes details and innovations introduced to elevate the experience, like updated name badges and interactive ribbons. Explore how the conference is embracing national standards and fostering a collaborative environment to help teachers and students navigate the ever-shifting educational landscape.
Welcome to Spotlight for Success by American Book Company. We are here at the South Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics with the president of SCCTM, Dr Eugene Bellamy Jr. Welcome.
Dr. Eugene Bellamy Jr.:Thank you for having me.
Devin Pintozzi:Eugene, it's such a pleasure to have you here with us. Can you tell us about the things that are going on at SCCTM here this conference?
Dr. Eugene Bellamy Jr.:Yes, so this is our annual conference, our 48th annual conference, and we're excited. Some key things that I would like to highlight is for the Columbia area we've made a record in terms of the number of attendees we have over 850 attendees and also for the number of vendors we have 67 exhibition booths with 49 companies. So that's exciting. We've also added a couple of new elements with the new name badges and the ribbons that they can place on their name badges. So we're trying to up the ante with our conference so that it can resemble our national affiliate, the NCTM conference. So we're excited about all of those things.
Devin Pintozzi:That is wonderful. I know there's got to be so much swirling around and there has been this whole conference dealing with the changes in the standards. Would you like to speak to any of that?
Dr. Eugene Bellamy Jr.:It's just a work in progress. You know it comes with the territory. We know that this is coming about roughly every five years, and so you just got to kind of wrap your heads around it to make sure that you are looking at resources and tools. That's going to best position your teachers to teach well, as well as your students for success. So I think, as long as there's a collaborative effort with all voices being heard, we'll get through this rough patch.
Devin Pintozzi:Yes, absolutely Well. It's wonderful Every time you know there's a progression, there's an improvement in mathematics, and that improved success. That's the goal. So that is so wonderful what you're doing there. Eugene, can you share with us a little bit about your other roles? I understand you're not only the president of SCCTM, but there are some other roles you have.
Dr. Eugene Bellamy Jr.:So, yes, in the past I have been the vice president of middle schools, I've been the nominations chair and the president elect, so now I'm serving as president, but I also serve as president of the South Carolina Leaders of Math Education for our state as well, and so working so that these two organizations can function more like our affiliates that complement each other, and so that's been one of my big pushes as president of both organizations bringing the leaders of math and the teachers of math together, because we all have the same purpose and that is inspiring math in every child in the state.
Devin Pintozzi:That is wonderful. Is there anything new in terms of a strand, maybe for next year, you'd like to share?
Dr. Eugene Bellamy Jr.:I'm not sure if there's anything new. I know that we're going to make a more concerted effort to make sure the conference is balanced so that we have roughly the same amount of primary sessions as we do for elementary, middle and secondary, and even envisioning bringing in some collegiate-level courses for our pre-service teachers to kind of get their heads wrapped around what education is becoming in the state of South Carolina and preparing them for that shift. So I think we're always seeking to provide more balance so that those who attend both days feel like they actually have sessions to attend both days that relate to them.
Devin Pintozzi:Wonderful balance that's so important, such a great thing to have for next year as well. Can you tell us anything else you'd like to share with the SCCTM community?
Dr. Eugene Bellamy Jr.:Just excited. We invite you to our 49th conference in Greenville, south Carolina, where the theme is Making Math Matter. It's a way of life with infinite possibilities and if there's anything you need from us as the board of SCCTM, anything that you would like to see throughout the year outside of the conference, please contact us and let us know. You can reach us at scctm. org and all of our conference. Sorry, all of our email information is there for you to reach out to us. We are here to serve you.
Devin Pintozzi:Well, Dr Eugene Bellamy Jr, thank you so much for participating with us today.
Dr. Eugene Bellamy Jr.:Thank you so much for having me.
Devin Pintozzi:All right, have a great day
Dr. Eugene Bellamy Jr.:You too.
Devin Pintozzi:Bye-bye.