NTHF
Happy New Year
A letter from our Executive Director
Dear Hall of Fame Community,
It is undeniable that we are navigating a season of profound difficulty. Across the country, the weight on our educators feels heavier than ever. We are witnessing immigration raids that strike fear into the hearts of our students and schools; we are feeling the strain of rising costs and shrinking school budgets; and we are even contending with volatile weather patterns that disrupt our days.
And all of this comes on top of the "usual" load that educators carry with such grace: navigating complex parental dynamics, adapting to shifting school policies, and caring for students facing homelessness and mental health crises.
Historically, teachers have always been the ones to stand up. You band together with colleagues, families, and communities to meet every need. But as we stand in the gap for others, we cannot dismiss our own needs. We need our educators to stay in this profession, to grow, and to build their skills. That is only possible if you are given permission—and support—to take care of your physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
I recently read "To the Ones Who Are Tired: A Message for the Cathedral Builders," and it significantly shaped my perspective on the moment we are in. It reminded me that many of the problems we face are systemic issues that have exacerbated over time; consequently, the solutions will also take time.
While the article is filled with wisdom, there was one passage that resonated most deeply with me:
"Find your people. Cathedral builders worked in crews. They weren’t out there alone with a trowel and a pile of stones. You need people who understand the scale of what you’re building. People who won’t judge you for being tired. People who can hold hope when yours runs thin. This might be a formal support group, or it might be a friend you text at two in the morning when you can’t sleep because you’re carrying too much. But you cannot do this work alone. The work is too big, and you are not required to carry it by yourself."
When I read those words, I immediately thought of this community.
You are my people. The staff, leadership, and inductees of the Hall of Fame are the crew I look to. You are the like-minded educators and advocates who endeavor every day to make the world a better place, while offering grace, support, joy, empathy, and forgiveness when the work gets hard.
I am so very thankful for each of you. Thank you for holding hope when it runs thin for others, and for allowing us to hold it for you. You are building a better, stronger society—you are cathedral builders.
With gratitude,
Maddie
From East Coast to West Coast, Brain-Based Strategies that Improve Your Students' Writing Skills
Get students writing and KEEP them writing by explicitly teaching them self-regulation, how to endure past their frustrations, and gain confidence. These brain-based strategies make the skill of writing relevant and motivate the students for personal and academic success. Discover proven methods and techniques that build a growth mindset and increase their productivity beyond what you could have ever imagined! You will be amazed at how long your students can and WILL write with these powerful strategies. This workshop will include tons of practical strategies and also be highly engaging for participants. This mother-daughter teaching team will fill you with inspiration and ideas that you can use no matter where you teach, East Coast to West Coast, and everywhere in between!
Erin Walsh, Keynote Speaker
Erin Walsh is co-founder of Spark & Stitch Institute and author of It’s Their World: Teens, Screens, and the Science of Adolescence (Free Spirit Publishing). She has worked with communities across the country who want to better understand child and adolescent development and cut through conflicting information about kids and technology. Her signature down-to-earth approach and sense of humor helps families and educators engage in complicated topics and leave feeling capable and motivated.
Math Esteem: Helping Students Believe They Belong in a Future-Ready STEM Classroom
The future of STEM is not only shaped by what students can do. It is also shaped by what they believe they are. Math Esteem is the culture shift that moves learners from “I’m not a math person” to “I belong here.” In this keynote, I share my journey from struggling with dyscalculia to becoming a Hall of Fame math educator, and the classroom framework that helped thousands of students trade fear for ownership. Through story, brief video snapshots of student projects, and clear takeaway practices, I show how identity and rigor grow together. You’ll see how one high-energy routine, two AI-supported teacher workflows, and immersive tasks like Prisms VR create confidence, deepen conceptual understanding, and make productive struggle feel safe and meaningful. This isn’t a talk about tools for tools’ sake. It’s a celebration of what great teachers already do: build belief, shape culture, and open doors to futures students may not yet see for themselves.