Mr. Michael Carden
Math Teacher at UP Academy Dorchester

Congratulations to Mr. Carden, UAD Math Teacher, who was named Open Up Resources Math Teacher of the Month. Mr. Carden is being recognized for his outstanding work in his classroom and ongoing support of teachers across the country as a member of the Open Up Resources National Professional Learning Community.
Open Up Resource is a non-profit on a mission to increase equity in education by making excellent, top-rated curricula freely available to districts.The Open Up Resources 6–8 Math curriculum inspires a new way of teaching math by transforming classrooms into “hives of activity” focusing on discussion, questioning, debate, and the deeper conceptual learning of mathematics that follows.
Nominated by his colleagues, they shared:
“Mr. Carden is an extremely thoughtful educator who works to always balance high expectations with high support. As a team lead, Mr. Carden thinks often about how to support all students and ensures grade team meeting time is used for alignment and thought partnering around student support. Mr. Carden’s class builds strong academic habits and pushes students to articulate their Math specific questions and thinking.”
Lyndsea Arikian, DCI, UAD
Carden said he is enjoying coming up with new ways to use the curriculum to engage students and make learning fun. He said, “The inquiry-based approach to understanding and internalizing math concepts instead of drilling into mechanics with rote practice,” is his favorite part of teaching with the curriculum.
“Mr. Carden constantly thinks about the student experience and aims to ensure all students feel connected to their UAD learning community and the material they’re learning. Whether brainstorming ways to include enriching opportunities for students during remote learning or reflecting on and implementing feedback, he demonstrates his passion for teaching and working with students.”
Erica Andrew, Principal, UAD