About the Episode

Vanessa McLeod is the founder and CEO of MMMathMania, an online math teaching resource that utilizes games as a learning tool for children. She has been teaching for almost 20 years, mostly at the grade 2 or 3 level, but has taught everything from grade 1 to 5. She’s the very proud Mom of an 8 year old son named Desmond, who both love being active and spending time sledding and exploring nature outside together. Vanessa is the founder of MMMathMania, but she couldn’t be doing any of this without her amazing team: Ashley Elford, Nadine Taylor Wilson , Silvia Greco, Jamie Whalen and Erin Radloff are all a HUGE part of the magic. As much as Vanessa loves math and as good as she is at it, she claims to be equally bad at art, and her students know it. In fact, she got a note from one of her students one day this year that read “Dear Ms M. I like math just like you. But the thing that is different about me is that I am also good at art.”

Vanessa has been a self-proclaimed math geek for as long as she can remember (well except for that year in high school, she never did pass Math 31). Her love for all things math started early. In kindergarten one of Vanessa’s “show and tells” was demonstrating how she could add dice together as soon as they hit the table. One of her favourite Christmas presents ever was an analogue watch, so she could learn to tell time! Besides numbers, a few of her other favourite things include spending time with her family and friends, Orange Theory Fitness, reading, hot tubs, animals, and eating Indian and Vietnamese food.

Vanessa’s passion for teaching, appreciation for her team, and excitement for math all shine through in this heartwarming episode. Getting children involved in math and learning in a way that resonates with them is something every parent will find helpful, and Vanessa’s outlook on teaching, learning, and encouraging children at their own pace is an invaluable lesson for those who live and work with children.

For more on MmmathMania and how to get involved, visit their website, or follow them on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube.

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