News

In his first year at North Shore Country Day, math teacher and coach Don Laackman has quickly found his stride — both in the classroom and as leader of a regional championship math team. A Chicago native with a Ph.D. in mathematics from UCLA, Don has taught at every level, from college calculus courses to enrichment programs for young math enthusiasts. His approach centers on curiosity, collaboration and the idea that the best learning happens through “productive struggle” — a mindset he incorporates into everything he teaches.

What first sparked your love of math? Was there a moment that hooked you?

I think there were three moments. The first was my second grade teacher telling my parents that when I was spacing out, I was doing math in my head. I don’t know if that was true, but it gave me more opportunities to do math, which I enjoyed.

Then in seventh and eighth grade, I had an algebra teacher whose goal was to make sure we were all challenged every day. I had so much fun and grew by leaps and bounds. And in that class, one of my classmates made an offhand comment about a sequence of numbers that were perfect squares and perfect triangles. And the summer after that, I spent hours and days trying to understand that number sequence.

The last big moment was in high school when I attended a summer program called USA/Canada Mathcamp, where for weeks I was surrounded by other students who loved math. That’s where I began to understand how wide the world of math is. I realized math could be not only interesting and challenging, but also weird and beautiful.

You’ve taught everything from enrichment programs to college-level calculus. What do you enjoy most about teaching high school students?

High school students are in a place where you can present them with an idea and ask them to run with it. I can say, “Here’s a new idea — now figure out how it connects to these different problems.”

A core goal at this level is developing critical thinking skills. As students move through high school, more of math becomes about applying what they already know rather than memorizing new things. Helping them on that journey is one of my favorite parts of teaching.

The math team just won regionals in your first year as coach. What stood out to you about this group?

What stands out is the range of engagement. Some students see the math team as their number one activity, while others just think it’s something neat — and those groups really support each other.

We had incredible success, especially from our sophomores — the geometry team had the highest score in the state in our division. But what impressed me most was the breadth of success. Even teams made up of students who weren’t super intense about being a part of math team still placed first or second.

That speaks to how they support each other’s growth, and it makes me really excited for state.

What advice would you give to parents of math-lovers to help encourage and support them?

Students who love math are automatically going to engage with and devour everything that's presented to them by default. So it’s important to make sure they are being challenged — even when they've already worked ahead a week in the homework — because challenge and struggle is where the growth happens. 

You also have to encourage them to understand the “why.” If a student discovers a shortcut or pattern, instead of just accepting it, ask: ‘Why does that work? Will it always work?’ That kind of exploration— testing ideas and pushing on them — is really powerful.

This year’s spring musical was “Mean Girls,” and in the show, joining the math team is jokingly referred to as “social suicide.” How does that compare to the reality at NSCD? Is it like that here?

Not at all. There’s really no downside to being on the math team. While the opportunity to be engaged is high, the commitment is flexible — you can come by every other week for lunch and get to see some fun math problems and be part of it.

It’s also a school where students see each other’s academic interests as a positive thing. I’ve never heard of anyone being put down for being interested in a subject. And I want to make sure students know that the math team is for everyone — not just the most advanced students. There are problems that will be challenging for the strongest student in the room, but there will also be problems that are interesting and accessible for a student who is feeling more tentative. 

What’s your favorite number—and why?

I’ll say eight. It’s been my favorite since I was a kid. Being a power of two is cool, but what I really like is that 23 = 8 and 32 = 9, and those are only one apart. That never happens anywhere else.