TODOS Podcast · TODOS Mathematics for ALL

S4E5: Filipino American Mathematics Leadership with Bernadette Salgarino

·48 min·4 clips

Ma Bernadette left her three young children in the Philippines for four years to teach math in California.

This episode of the TODOS Podcast features hosts Theodore Chao and Sherry Kaku in conversation with Dr. Ma Bernadette Salgarino. Salgarino is the President of the California Math Council, the Assistant Director of STEAM Education for the Santa Clara County Office of Education, and a key leader in mathematics education. She identifies as a Filipino-American immigrant, a mother of four, and a grandmother, which deeply informs her professional perspective. Salgarino arrived in the United States from the Philippines in 2002 as part of a direct-hire program for math and science teachers. She was hired by the Eastside Union High School District in San Jose, California, leaving her three young children behind for her first year. It took four years to reunite her family in the U.S. while navigating a temporary "visiting teacher's visa." She taught at the newly opened Evergreen Valley High School, serving a community that included children of dot-com employees. Salgarino credits her survival and success to the cohort of fellow Filipino teachers she arrived with and the host families provided by the district. A memorable story involves Salgarino collaborating with math educator and author Sunil Singh to lead activities at the Osborne Juvenile Hall. During a puzzle challenge Singh claimed was rarely solved initially, three incarcerated students solved it successfully in their third-period class. Salgarino also discusses co-authoring a series of books titled "Our Mathematical Identity," now available on Amazon, which were created with Santa Clara County teachers for elementary students. Her advocacy extends to providing free professional development for teachers in the Philippines, where educators typically pay to attend such sessions. Salgarino reflects that her immigrant experience, including the hardship of family separation, directly fuels her advocacy for underrepresented students and families. She notes that being the first Filipino president of the California Math Council allows her to showcase cultural values like collectivism and hard work. She emphasizes the importance of leveraging family and community voices in educational decision-making, a perspective shaped by her dual role as an educator and a parent navigating the system for her own children. An interesting tension arises as the hosts reflect on the potentially dehumanizing aspects of the teacher recruitment policy that separated her from her family, which Salgarino herself did not initially perceive as unfair. She shares that her fifth-grade teacher in the Philippines, Misa Sorosalina Ramirez, was pivotal in helping her develop a positive math identity despite a focus on timed tests and recall. The conversation touches on language identity, with Salgarino noting she still mentally translates from her first language (Tagalog) to English, challenging the myth that this stops for learners. The tone is conversational, reflective, and celebratory, blending personal narrative with professional insight into equity and leadership. Listeners interested in immigrant narratives, the intersection of personal identity and educational leadership, or equity-focused mathematics education would find this episode compelling. Those seeking a discussion focused solely on classroom teaching strategies or curriculum might find the broader personal and systemic focus less directly applicable.

As heard by us

A mathematics leader connects teacher identity, classroom practice, and community-rooted educational work.

Ma Bernadette Salgrino's story gives the episode a clear center: a mathematics educator moving across Manila, Eastside Union High School District, the California Math Council, and the Santa Clara County Office of Education while carrying questions of identity into teacher…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

If you want California math leadership braided with teacher identity, classroom connection, and elementary books, you have found your next listen.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from TODOS Podcast