Meet Pamela Seda: Education Consultant and District Math Coordinator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Pamela Seda and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Pamela, as a parent, what do you feel is the most meaningful thing you’ve done for them?
The most important thing that I have done as a parent is try to “practice what I preach” to the best of my ability. I wanted my children to be fearless and not back down from a challenge. So, I tried to set that example when I started my business. When my district abolished my position, I chose to start my consulting business. I purposely included my children in conversations about my business, because I wanted them to develop an entrepreneurial spirit, as well. It seems to have paid off, since my oldest daughter has a business on the side, and my youngest daughter chose to take extra classes outside of her major to earn her Entrepreneurship Certificate in college. Even though I wanted my children to grow up to be independent thinkers and contributing adults, I wanted them to also value being a part of a community. I adopted the motto, “It takes a village to raise a child.” My husband and I were very strategic about surrounding our children with other adults who could influence them in a positive way. They had aunts, uncles, troop leaders, church members, co-workers, and even civic leaders involved in their lives both formally and informally from a very young age. We were glad they had that trusted “village” to talk to about things they weren’t comfortable talking to us about when they became teenagers.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I started my company in response to the need to support mathematics teachers and teaching. I had been a mathematics educator myself for over 20 years, and recognized how challenging school environments had become. I also realized that while states were increasing the level of rigor of math standards, teachers were really struggling to keep up with all the changes. I also was very concerned about the inequities systemic in our educational institutions, especially for students of color. For too many students of color, mathematics classes make them feel like failures or dummies. I wanted students to experience mathematics as I did, something that was empowering and positive. While supervising the mathematics programs in two metro school districts, I became well aware of the bureaucratic red tape that kept both students and teachers from receiving the help that they so desperately wanted and needed. Therefore, I started my own company to work directly with principals and teachers. At first, it was a bit scary to be an educational consultant full-time without a steady paycheck. My husband was self-employed at the same time. However, he encouraged me every step of the way. He constantly reminded me about the skills that I had to offer, and that I was the best math teacher he had ever known. He said that my passion for students, especially those from marginalized groups, was infectious. Because there is such a high need for support with mathematics instruction, especially in the secondary grades, I had very little difficulty finding clients. The challenge was in securing contracts and payments. It was easy to be discouraged when clients cancelled workshops at the last minute, or delayed payments for months. Staying focused on the needs of the students and teachers in the schools is what provided me the motivation to continually create innovative workshops and educational products. The most valuable lesson that I have learned along the way is to always treat teachers as the respected professionals that they are. Too often, educational leaders believe that it is their job to tell teachers what to do. That is not my philosophy at all. I think it is a privilege to be invited into a teacher’s classroom, and do not take that privilege lightly. Therefore, I work with teachers first as a group, work to earn their respect, build their trust, before communicating my plan for improving mathematics teaching and learning at their schools. I am proud of the positive feedback that I receive from teachers who say things like, “This is the best workshop I’ve attended all year!” or “Everyone in the district should attend this workshop.” The goal of my company is to change how people experience mathematics one moment at a time. There are so many people who have been traumatized by poor instructional practices in math classrooms, with consequences that they carry into adulthood. Unfortunately, many teachers have had many of these negative experiences with math, as well. Through my professional learning sessions teachers get the chance to experience math in positive and empowering ways, making it easier for them to provide these same kinds of experiences for their students. I am also proud of the interactive math card games that my company sells. As a secondary mathematics teacher, I remember how hard it was to find math games that addressed the topics I needed to teach. It seemed as though people felt like high school students didn’t need to have fun practicing math. So, I created the VANG Game to help students make connections between the verbal, abstract, numerical, and graphical representations of the same math concept. Most students are only presented with the abstract and numerical ways of understanding a math concept. When students have the opportunity to see that concept in a real-life context and also see it represented in the form of an image or picture, they understand the math concepts so much better and retain them longer!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would definitely take them to MLK Center to understand the inspiration behind the Black Lives Matter movement. Dr. Martin Luther King showed us how to make an imprint on the minds of Americans. I would then take them on one of the tours sponsored by Food Tours Atlanta based on their tastes . That way they would get to enjoy the best that food that Atlanta has to offer with some other great people. PONKO Chicken is also a must. The best Chicken Tenders in town. Also, I would take them to a cooking class offered by Chef Megan McCarthy: https://www.healthyeating101.com/meet-chef-megan/ 

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a shoutout to all the Black female math ed consultants out there who have been making magic happen for teachers of children of color for a very long time!

@tdhowse_math
@Virtuouscm
@DingleTeach
@My_MathMind
@mathtrust_ed
@LatrendaK
@ShellyMJones1
@lamacgirl
@AfreekaMiller

Website: https://www.sedaeducationalconsulting.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pamseda1/?hl=en
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-pamela-seda-28785911/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pamseda1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sedaedconsulting

Image Credits
Brian Jones