Super Bowl Sunday always makes me think of my mom.
Not because she loved football—she didn’t.
But because she loved teaching.
Every year, she turned the Super Bowl into a math lesson.
How many points were scored?
What was the attendance?
What was the sum of the starting quarterbacks’ numbers?
Did anyone wear a prime number?
Was a number divisible by three?
How many total yards did the winning team have?
For many students—especially those who dreamed of the NFL—it became a favorite lesson. For others, it was simply a break from routine. Either way, she made math feel real.
Years later, when former students showed up to pay their respects after she passed, it was clear how much she mattered. She made learning memorable. She made students feel seen.
Today feels like a good day to celebrate teachers—especially math teachers—and especially my mom, who found a way to make a football game teach something lasting.