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Alex Kajitani

Alex Kajitani

Teacher of the Year, Author of the acclaimed book, Owning It: Proven Strategies for Success in ALL of Your Roles as a Teacher Today

Alex Kajitaniis the 2009 California Teacher of the Year and a Top-4 Finalist for National Teacher of the Year.

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Bio

Full Bio

Alex Kajitani is the 2009 California Teacher of the Year and a Top-4 Finalist for National Teacher of the Year. He is the author of two acclaimed books for educators, including Owning It: Proven Strategies for Success in ALL of Your Roles as a Teacher Today, named “Recommended Reading” by the U.S. Department of Education.

Alex is also known across the country as “The Rappin’ Mathematician,” and his CDs and workbooks are being used in classrooms and homes around the world. He has been honored at the White House, has a popular TED Talk, and has been featured in many media outlets, including the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.

However, it wasn’t always this way

Ten years ago, Alex Kajitani was a struggling new teacher at a tough, inner-city school in one of San Diego’s poorest neighborhoods. As the students came in each day unable to remember simple math concepts from the day before, yet singing every word to the new rap song on the radio, Alex realized he needed a new approach.

Fed up with the students coming in rapping lyrics about violence, drug use, and mistreating women, Alex began performing rap songs about the math he was teaching. He used authentic rap beats similar to what was on the radio, and interjected messages about making good decisions and living a positive life.

The songs quickly became legendary throughout the school, and the district. Test scores soared, and Kajitani’s “at-risk” students began outperforming their more affluent counterparts on district-wide tests. Since then, Kajitani has turned a new teacher’s desperate attempt to connect with his students into a nationwide teaching tool.

A tireless and innovative advocate for our schools, Kajitani now speaks across the country to educators of ALL levels and subjects. He delivers powerful keynotes that are honest and real, and capture the essence of what it means to be a teacher today. Through heart-wrenching stories, thought-provoking ideas and immediately implementable strategies, Alex inspires us all to teach, not only for the world as it is, but for the world as it can be.

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Topics

Topics

  • Owning It: How To Be Highly Effective & Love What You Do
  • Kajitani’s “Six in the Mix”
  • The TurnAround Teacher: Real Classroom Management for Real Students

Videos

Videos

Alex Kajitani ("The Rappin' Mathematician") with Katie Couric CBS News
Teachers Leading: Alex Kajitani

Books

owning IT
owning IT
THE Teacher of the Year HanDBOOK
THE Teacher of the Year HanDBOOK

News

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