072 | Welcoming the Magic: Building a Connected Math Journey with Ann Elise Record | May 20, 2026

What does it really mean to build a connected math journey — for students and for teachers? In this episode, Pam sits down with Ann Elise Record, elementary math consultant, coach, and co-author of Fluency Doesn't Just Happen series, for a conversation that is equal parts inspiring, honest, and deeply practical.Ann Elise shares her own math story: from being a memorization champion who "thought she had the math brain," to a fifth-grade teacher who unknowingly kept her students stuck in counting — and the pivotal moments that cracked open her understanding of what math teaching could truly be. From a week-long intensive with Dr. Mahesh Sharma that took her from multiplication facts to polynomial division using the same area model, to discovering flexible, relational strategies through Dr. Nicki Newton, Ann Elise's journey is a testament to what happens when educators put themselves in the room and stay curious.Together, Pam and Ann Elise explore:Why fluency isn't about speed — it's about flexibility, efficiency, and accuracyThe power of Cuisenaire rods and manipulatives at every grade levelWhat Math Running Records reveal about student reasoning (and how to use that data well)How to navigate teacher resistance — and why experience, not information, changes beliefsThe critical difference between counting, additive, multiplicative, and proportional reasoningWhy intervention must be coherent with Tier 1 instruction (and what gets in the way)The role of belonging, consistency, and coherence in accelerating student growthHow family math nights can turn frustrated parents into powerful alliesRules that expire — and why what we say in first grade matters in fifth grade and beyondThis is a conversation about the magic and the messiness of math education — and why both are worth showing up for.🔗 Connect with Ann Elise Record:Instagram: @ann.e.recordBluesky: @anneliserecord.bsky.socialLinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-elise-record-86329991Website: anneliserecord.comsignup for newsletter - https://ann-elise-record.mykajabi.com/signupFacebook Groups: Math Running Records (18K members) | Math Intervention Matters (25K members)🔗 Connect with Dr. Pam Brett:Instagram: @BlueGlassesMathBluesky: @pambrett.bsky.socialLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-brett-23b56675/Website: https://www.blueglassesmath.org/Subscribe to Pam's newsletter! https://shorturl.at/OTTwo