The Rappin' Mathemetician

If my middle school math teacher broke out into a rap about the quadratic formula, I might not know how to handle myself in a classroom. However, for Alex Kajitani's students, a rapping mathematician is exactly what keeps them motivated to come to class.

Frustrated by the poor results of the students he taught in a San Diego inner city school, Alex Kajitani introduced an entirely new teaching strategy that produced incredible results by his students. He noticed that remembering the answer to 3x3 was extremely difficult for his students but remembering the lyrics to rap songs on the radio never presented a challenge for them. So, he decided to take multiplication rules and turn them into catchy rap songs, inspiring his students to love math and more importantly, begin to excel in a subject matter that is extremely important to their future.

The Rappin' Mathematician, Kajitani's first album, introduces core math and algebra concepts, including fractions, decimals, negative numbers math vocabulary, and order of operations. For students struggling with multiplication tables, Multiplication Nation is the perfect tool-using positive lyrics, silly rhymes, repetition, and a specially made workbook to help students memorize multiplication rules.

For his creative efforts, Kajitani has earned several awards, including California Teacher of the Year (2009), San Diego County Teacher of the Year (2009), and Top-4 Finalist for National Teacher of the Year (2009). He has also won the national "Making A Difference Award" in 2007 for his rapping technique and its positive influence on at-risk students. Although it seems that his most prized accomplishment is the "Teacher of a Lifetime" medal, awarded by his Period 7 Algebra Class!

Kajitani continues to teach middle school math in a low-income neighborhood in San Diego, California, using his creative teaching method to close the achievement gap for his at-risk students. He also delivers keynote speeches and presentations about motivating teachers, the impact of positive role models for students, and creativity and innovation during difficult times.