Walking into the venue for the 2026 BC Home Education Conference, I felt a quiet sense of coming home. Our provincial homeschooling community hadn’t gathered like this since 2017. The atmosphere was focused and welcoming, as the adults mingled and conversed amid a vibrant spirit of shared purpose, while the kids were off and involved in their own special conference activities.
In the early 90’s, my husband and I attended these same conferences as homeschooling parents. We were just beginning to find our footing, not knowing what tools were out there, and had no idea how much the world of hands-on math would shape my life in the years to come. Back then, Mortensen Math wasn’t even on my radar.
In 2016 and 2017, long after my kids were grown, I returned to the conferences as a Mortensen Math trainer, eager to share what I’d learned with others.
This year, I came back for a different reason: the chance to meet Steve Demme, the creator of Math-U-See. His keynote talk wasn’t about curriculum or math. It was a heartfelt look at his family’s journey through homeschooling, and the lessons they learned together. It was honest and relatable, and you could feel the room leaning in as he spoke.
The highlight for me, though, came before and after his talk, when I got the chance to speak with him one-on-one. That’s where the math stories came out. He shared with me how Math-U-See really began, his early days as a local tutor, and some of his experiences with Mortensen Math and Jerry Mortensen. I’m so glad we had that chance to talk. It was an opportunity I’d been hoping for, and it really meant a lot to me. In person, he’s humble, encouraging, and genuinely happy to see other educators carrying on.
It struck me, that we really are standing on the shoulders of giants.
If you’ve followed Anna’s Math Page, you know how central the Mortensen method has become to my teaching philosophy. Steve’s story showed me once more how a single approach can spark a whole network of math mentors.
While my circle of hands-on math mentors is far too large to list in full detail here, these individuals have uniquely shaped my path:
- Marti Mortensen worked tirelessly through the years to keep Mortensen Math going and preserve Jerry’s legacy. It was a profound milestone for me when she invited me into her inner circle, granting me a frontline seat to the heart of this method.
- Crewton Ramone (Ben Rogers) changed how I looked at math through his regular online training and his in-person San Diego training in 2015.
- Geoff White visited my home in 2017 for an inspiring afternoon of playing math together.
- Bob Hazen made tough math concepts feel playful through his Algebra for Breakfast videos.
- Steve Demme built his own hands-on math path, and his curriculum and blocks have been part of my resource collection for years.
- Dale Mason reminded me with her thoughtful words how much these materials mean to others.
- Judith Townsend wrote the “Mortensen Instead“ essay, which I am truly honored to share on my site.
- My own kids, since teaching them is where all of this began, even if we used different methods and materials back then.
- All the students, parents, and educators I’ve learned from and taught to over the years. Every conversation, every question, and every breakthrough aha moment has deepened my understanding and reminded me why this work matters.
From Jerry Mortensen’s original inner circle to the modern curricula inspired by his work, the lineage of hands-on math runs incredibly deep. Each of these math mentors, in their own unique way, champions the philosophy of understanding over rote memorization. They prove that we can help students build genuine abstract confidence, one concrete block at a time.
All these connections have shaped how I see and do math. The Mortensen Math blocks aren’t just a tool; they’re a doorway into a community that truly believes math is for everyone.
Do you remember the first time you saw the Mortensen Math blocks in action, or when math finally clicked for you? I’d love to hear your story in the comments. Let’s keep this circle growing.