How We Show Up at Looney Math
We believe that all students deserve a joyful and powerful experience with mathematics—and that starts by empowering the teachers who make it happen.
We show up in every school, every session, and every conversation with:
Gratitude for the opportunity to do this work
Humility to walk alongside—not in front of—the educators we support
Kindness as our default approach
Clarity in our communication and coaching
A strength-based mindset, always
A deep respect for the roles and realities of educators, students, and communities
We are not decision-makers—we are partners. We listen more than we talk. We support without judgment. We lead with purpose and with joy.
It’s an honor and a privilege to be invited into your work.
About Dr. Sue Looney, founder
As a new teacher, I became aware that my fifth grade students had significant gaps in understanding mathematics. Thus began my journey to understand how children learn mathematics. Inspired by the work of author Jonathon Kozol (Savage Inequalities, 1991) I became particularly interested in our most vulnerable and under-represented populations and supporting the teachers that day in and day out serve these students with compassion, enthusiasm, and kindness.
This learning journey has taken me to amazing places: from the elementary classroom, to writing materials for preschool students, to teaching pre-service teachers at Boston University, to speaking at conferences from coast to coast in the United States, to writing a children’s book, and to volunteering in the Galapagos Islands! I have been fortunate for these experiences and to have met incredible educators along the way who have been willing to teach and inspire me. I am still curious, still learning, and I have a deep respect for all educators.
Education
Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction with a Specialty in Mathematics, Boston University, MA
Master’s in Elementary Education, Bridgewater University, MA
Bachelor’s Degree in English, Providence College, RI
Global Learning, Local Wisdom
As a member of the advisory board for MathKind, I’ve been honored to support teachers around the globe, in regions rich in culture, resilience, and a deep commitment to learning.
In Nepal, I’ve worked in both Kathmandu and local communities along the border of India—reaching over 1,000 teachers to help strengthen math instruction and expand access to high-quality learning. In the Galápagos Islands, I’ve collaborated with dedicated educators navigating the unique challenges and opportunities of island teaching. And in Guatemala, I was honored to present at a regional conference—connecting with passionate educators eager to deepen their practice and bring joyful, meaningful math learning to their classrooms.
This work is ongoing—and it is part of who I am. It’s not about delivering answers from the outside, but about showing up with humility, sharing what I’ve learned, and working together to uncover better pathways forward. I believe every teacher deserves to feel equipped and empowered, and every student—no matter where they are in the world—deserves the chance to experience the beauty and wonder of mathematics.
Some of Sue’s Recent Speaking Engagements
NCTE-NCTM Joint Conference / / Choctaw Educator’s Conference Math is Everyone’s Story: Celebrating Culture through storytelling, Play and Puzzles, Chicago 2025, Oklahoma, 2025
National Supervisors of Mathematics, Coaching: Breaking through the Difficult Conversation Barrier, Chicago, IL 2024
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Same But Different Math, Washington, DC, 2023
MathKind Conferences, Same But Different Math, Nepal 2023
Maths Teachers Circles: Powerful Routines - Australia, 2022
Puzzles and Play - ATMNE VT, NCTM Baltimore, NHTM 2022
Same But Different Math - ATMNE VT, NCTM: CA and Baltimore 2022
MathKind, Assessment for Learning: 3 Powerful Shifts for the Math Classroom - Nepal online, 2022
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Teaching with Manipulatives: Building Understanding of Addition Facts - NCTM online 2021
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Counting on Number Sense online national conference April 2021
Publications
Farzanah and the 17 Turtles (Natural Math, 2025 Release)
Same But Different Math: A Powerful Routine for the Math Classroom (Mathematics Education Forum, Kathmandu, Nepal, 2023)
Same But Different Math: Helping Students Connect Concepts, Build Number Sense, and Deepn Understanding (Routledge, 2022)
Same But Different Math - (Blurb, 2020)
Ying and the Magic Turtle - (Natural Math, 2018)
High Five for Mathematics - Teaching Children Mathematics NCTM May 2016.
Pre-K Math (Looney, S. Editor.). Exemplars 2006
