Kerbie Reader

Years ago, I had the opportunity to work alongside Kerbie Reader, and to this day, she remains one of the most thoughtful math teachers I have ever worked with. She has a remarkable ability to reach students who find mathematics challenging while also teaching advanced courses, including IB Mathematics Higher Level. So I was delighted to learn that there was a time when mathematics gave her a real challenge, and that it became a turning point.

Kerbie shared that she failed her first semester of high school calculus. For the first time, she had met material she couldn't simply absorb intuitively. At first, she felt stuck, but soon she got curious and decided to approach learning differently. She began asking why things worked, how ideas connected, and what she was missing. It took time, but she learned how to identify gaps in her understanding and work through them, and she found real joy in doing it.

That experience continues to shape how Kerbie teaches mathematics at Bronx Community College, CUNY. When students get stuck, her focus is not simply on explaining a procedure again. It's on finding what they don't understand yet and helping them build the knowledge they need to move forward. She also takes great care in creating and curating resources that support that process, including guided notes, instructional videos, and other materials students can return to whenever they want to go further.

Kerbie is especially passionate about reaching students who say they used to love mathematics until they hit a wall. As mathematics becomes more abstract, students need thoughtful teaching and resources just as much as they did when they were younger. With that support, a wall becomes a worthy challenge, and students discover that they aren't the problem. They just need a different path to learning, and that path is within their reach.

Kerbie believes more students can enjoy challenging mathematics when they have the right support. That belief extends beyond her classroom. She recently developed an app for her students that supplements instruction with interactive learning experiences and opportunities to check their understanding. I had a chance to try an assignment on correlation. Students plot points, draw a line, and work through the task with access to an example problem and a "Teach me" option when they want help understanding the underlying concept. Rather than simply telling students whether they are right or wrong, the experience gives them the tools to work through what they need to learn and the satisfaction of figuring it out.

What stands out about Kerbie is the consistency between her own experience as a learner and the way she approaches teaching. She knows what it feels like to meet mathematics that doesn't come easily, and she knows the thrill of mastering it. She understands that wrestling with a concept is often the first step toward owning it. Her work reflects a simple but powerful idea: students need more than facts and procedures. They need opportunities to build understanding, recognize gaps, and take charge of their own growth.

Kerbie and I recently reconnected when she was looking for a video to use in her statistics class and discovered Simpler Math. She has since shared that she began incorporating our resources into her teaching.

Kerbie embodies the philosophy that making rigorous mathematics accessible doesn't mean making it easier. It means giving more students a meaningful path to learning and the confidence to follow it. We are honored to spotlight Kerbie and the work she is doing with her students.