Remembering John Berray

John Berray was many things. He was first a devoted family man, a loving husband, a caring father, and a good friend.

Professionally, he poured himself into the world of math education. He taught math to a generation of students at West Hills, but his love for learning ran deeper than equations and graphs. He passionately believed every person was capable of learning math. He believed that misconceptions about math abilities stemmed from negative instructional experiences, stereotypes, and the idea of breadth over depth. He practiced this in his classroom for over 20 years. And for the past four years, he directly worked with teachers in the Grossmont district and beyond to help make math instruction more accessible and equitable. Here is an article (http://bit.ly/2TNB0Pv) that captured many of the arguments he would make if you just happened to say you weren’t a math person.

The golden ratio, on the back of the shirt, inspired artists and architects throughout history. It is a math concept John loved because it uses math to explain visual design that captures our attention and imagination. (http://bit.ly/2WbjZAp)

When you wear this shirt, think of our friend who was always encouraging, kind, and wondering. Remember you and everyone around you are math people. His people.