During a discussion with NCSM members, I was enlightened by all that is involved when one thinks about "equity" From my point of view as a teacher in an urban school district, one observable feature of equity was whether I solicited responses from African American students as much as Caucasian students. Or, a visitor to my classroom might note whether students were grouped heterogeneously or not.

I never thought about all I do on a daily basis that involves equity. It is about the opportunities I provide or fail to provide my students. For example, pacing-not getting to that last chapter in the curriculum limits my students' exposure to math content. Did I ask higher-level questions? If not, my students may not have seen the connections with previous math content. Did I provide high-level tasks with multiple entry points so all students could engage in them at a suitable level for their knowledge base? If not, I've limited their learning. My list could continue.

NCSM addresses equity by providing education leaders and educators a network to deal with these issues to guarantee all students have the best opportunities to learn and excel.

When I made the transition from classroom teacher to district resource teacher, I realized that I needed additional resources to deal with the widening impact I was beginning to have on math education in my school district. My supervisor recommended that I join NCSM and attend the next NCSM annual conference. The sessions at the conference helped me prepare to participate on and sometimes lead committees making decisions involving curriculum, textbook adoptions, professional development, technology, etc. Because the sessions were very engaging, I learned from both the speakers as well as from the experiences shared by other attendees at the conference. Since that time, I have continued my involvement with NCSM as a way to enhance my own professionally growth.