Mary Christensen-Cooper is a textbook content creator focusing on mathematics textbooks and specifically for English language learners. I decided to ask Mrs. Christensen-Cooper questions to find out more about her career and how she ended up in such a specific and unique job path.
How did you decide to do this career?
I never thought I would be a teacher! I just knew I really liked math and I was gifted at working with children, particularly children who struggled to manage their behaviors and emotions. I went from being a child psychology major to thinking I would be a pediatric dentist to finally landing on education. I ultimately decided to go into education because of a course I took in college that helped me to explore different career pathways. I begrudgingly participated in a school visit with others who thought they might go into education, and after watching the teacher teach the content while simultaneously engaging a struggling learner, I knew that I wanted to try and master that art. I wanted to work everyday to make sure all students feel included, and that all students feel like they can be successful with math.
Once I started teaching, I thought I would never do another job in education besides being a classroom teacher. Then, after about 3 years of attending meetings that seemed pointless, I decided I wanted to lead teachers. I was motivated to lead teachers in a way that was productive and empowering (no more boring meetings!).
What kind of education did you have to go through in order to pursue this career?
I started off with my undergraduate degree in education with minors in mathematics and Spanish. That degree has the teaching certificate requirements built into the program, as do most education degrees. I have my master’s degree in teaching the linguistically diverse learner with an emphasis on the secondary math classroom. That degree has an additional teaching certificate built into the program, which is a certification to teach English as a second language. Since then, I’ve gotten several other endorsements to teach, and teach teachers about, specific math programs.
Do you love your job?
YES! I love working every day to empower teachers to reach every single one of their students. I have always loved going to work everyday.
What does your job entail?
I currently have three jobs: I am a curriculum designer and specialist for multilingual learners for a math textbook, I am a teacher trainer and math curriculum specialist, and I run a math tutoring program. For my math textbook job, I am writing a textbook! I don’t actually write the lessons and the math problems, but instead I research and architect supports for multilingual learners to better understand the math concepts. Then, I train lesson writers to write lessons that are designed to support multilingual learners. I review the lessons and give feedback to ensure accuracy.
I also work with the sales and marketing team to make sure our users know about all of the awesome language supports we have. For my teacher trainer and math curriculum specialist job, I work with local school districts to teach teachers how to better teach math and reach all students. I also work with district leaders to provide them with guidance on systems and structures to better support math teaching and learning. For my math tutoring program, I find and train teachers to tutor students. I assess the students and determine what they need to work on and how they can best work on it, and I communicate that to the teacher tutors. I then monitor the teacher tutors and students for progress, helping them along the way. I also do all of the bookkeeping, taxes, payroll, etc for the business.
Whew, I guess I am busy!
Would you recommend your job to others?
I would definitely recommend teaching to anyone with a passion for working with children and anyone with a patient demeanor. Teaching takes a lot of patience and a lot of grace. I would recommend working in educational leadership to anyone who wants to try and make a difference in the whole system of education. Being in educational leadership takes a lot of big-picture thinking and a lot of visioning, and it is not for those who have a negative outlook on life.
How does this job allow you to still spend time with your family?
Being a classroom teacher does allow for you to spend a TON of time with your family! My husband was a teacher for a while, and he’s not now. He has to work during times when the kids are off of school, like winter break and all summer. As a classroom teacher, you have those times off just like your children! But, as a classroom teacher, it’s difficult to take time off of work if one of your children is sick – and when you have a lot of children, that could be a lot of time!
Being in educational leadership does come with a schedule that does not have those long times off of work. But, there are various work-from-home positions in education leadership which allow you to build whatever schedule works for you. Currently, my textbook writing job gives me a ton of flexibility. I don’t start work until the last kids are off to school, and stop work when they get home. I can take time off any time I want to care for a sick child.
What advice would you give someone just starting out in this career?
I have seen so many teachers give up on teaching because they can’t reach every child. They carry the weight of every child’s trauma with them, and it’s too much to carry sometimes. My biggest piece of advice is to work to reach every child, but know that it’s impossible to “fix” every child. All you can hope is that something you have done will inspire every child at some point to find their own greatness.
Did you have any mentors?
I had two professors at Michigan State University that really became my mentors when I was first starting off with student teaching. They sat with me when I cried when one of my students wasn’t in school AGAIN because their parents didn’t wake up in time to bring him. They guided me when I had to determine if I would give a test even though I knew some students weren’t ready for the test yet. I still think about the different pieces of advice they gave me!
When I first started teaching, the English teacher on the team I was paired with became my mentor very quickly. She had been teaching for 25 years when I first met her, and she was a master at engaging students who simply did not want to learn. I learned how to give grace and not hold all kids to the same expectations – that learning looks different for every child. She also taught me to honor the time I take for myself and to not let teaching overtake my entire life. She is retired now, and I still keep in touch with her!
How is your typical day structured?
For my textbook writing job, I spend most of my time at the computer – on Zoom calls and virtually chatting with others. As I mentioned above, I can decide when I take meetings in the day, how many meetings I want in any particular day, etc. For my other jobs, my days are always different!! Which is something I like a lot. Sometimes, I go into schools and meet with small groups of teachers for short periods of time in small meeting rooms. Sometimes, I teach lots of teachers all at once. Often, I work during the day when the teachers can get subs. But, as we have a substitute teacher shortage in the nation, I’m doing more and more of that work in the evenings and during the day in the summer.
