Kate Smallberg
Leadership in Mathematics Education '18, Childhood General Education ’10, School for Children '00
When I say I’m from Bank Street and I’m in math leadership, that’s my way to find other educators who want to connect over the same ideas. That’s really cool because math is about doing things together, not by yourself.
Kate Smallberg is a three-time Bank Street alumna who graduated from the School for Children and then returned to earn two master’s degrees at the Graduate School of Education. As a math coordinator and teacher, she has worked with students, teachers, families, and administrators to create better systems for math education.
“I inspire a mathematical excitement, a joy, a playfulness with numbers in both kids, teachers, parents, everyone in our community,” Kate said. “I try to bring math to life in a way that is really fun and really playful and exciting.”
Here’s how Kate answered a few key questions.
What motivated you to do the work that you’re doing today?
I think there’s something that I was able to find within myself as a child, which was this natural love of math and this love for numbers and this playfulness. I was always disappointed as a kid in school when I realized not everyone had that joy—I thought it was something that everybody had! By high school, I realized that was not the case; in fact, most girls might actually look at me and say, “Oh, that’s weird” or “Ooh, numbers, that’s not cool. I want to be cool, so I’m going to say numbers are scary.” It really bothered me, and I just wanted to change that. I wanted to give people an opportunity to not be scared by numbers and to tackle really big problems or understand why that formula your teacher just gave you actually works. I wanted to reframe that thinking for people and kids in school who were struggling. I started tutoring, and that was the first moment where I realized I’m actually pretty good at helping others get to the point where they feel good about math, too.”
Now as a teacher, I realize more and more that I absolutely love—and I’m really good at—teaching math to kids.
What brought you back to Bank Street (twice!)?
Bank Street is in our family. My mom, her mom, my dad have all been a part of Bank Street. In the ’80s, my parents worked on Bank Street’s 13-episode PBS television series about science and math called The Voyage of the Mimi, and my mom also earned her master’s degree here to become an arts coordinator. For our family, Bank Street is an institution that knows what education should be like, and it does everything in its power to promote that as much as possible—at the School for Children and the Graduate School and through all of their other outsourcing programs. My family has a commitment to the Bank Street community. There wasn’t a question of going anywhere else. It’s the place to go when you want to learn about and be immersed in education, where you’ll find like-minded individuals in the field to connect with. At Bank Street, I found some of the best friends and relationships that I’ve had in my life, and I still hold on to every single one of them.
What parts of your Bank Street experience do you bring into the work that you do today?
Being authentically me. That’s something that Bank Street really gives to everyone—this understanding that you have to honor yourself and do what makes sense for you. I’ve relearned that in many different ways and through many different iterations and chapters of my life. It’s What’s important to me? What is true for me? What do I believe strongly in? This is something I carry with me everywhere, in everything that I do, especially at work. When you’re advocating for what you believe in, even if it’s not what anyone else agrees with, you just have to hold on to who you are and trust the process, as Robin Hummel likes to say, knowing that everything will fall into place when you are your authentic self.
What were your most memorable Bank Street moments?
Oh, Monique Marshall was my absolute favorite teacher at the School for Children in the fourth grade. That’s when I learned how to spell the word “mountain.” I remember those little moments that are so special—reading a book by her side, staying after class to talk about my homework questions, and just connecting with her. I am still in touch with her.
As a grad student in the Leadership in Mathematics Education Program, there were so many experiences that made absolute sense for who I am, and that was when I became the most authentic version of myself. I grew tremendously and I’m still taking everything I learned from that experience and applying it in my career and also in my life. It opened an avenue for continued learning for me that I always want to take advantage of. When I say I’m from Bank Street and I’m in math leadership, that’s my way to find other educators who want to connect over the same ideas. That’s really cool because math is about doing things together, not by yourself.
Listen to Kate describe her experiences.