Digesting a Math Conference

I am trying to digest and process my experience from an IB Math conference this past weekend. This was also my first time in a small room with so many other math teachers (Scary!).

Comments, ideas and the like that surprised me or caught my attention:

• Teachers are most scared of "Inquiry" because of time constraints. 
• We discuss "speed" or "efficiency" in a classroom with no clear definition of those terms. 
• We need (successful) Inquiry and Student-Centered classrooms to be modeled, not simply written about.
• Many teachers are concerned about "cheat sheets" and students NOT memorizing.
• Teachers seem to attribute significant importance to memorizing.
• Many teachers talk negatively about student abilities. 
• The IB has goals for students beyond getting high marks yet, many teachers seem heavily focused on (internal/external) assessment results. 
• Teachers seemed hungry for a recipe to "write labs" or to "teach an idea" suggesting discomfort with vagueness. 
• Teachers have a knee-jerk reaction to "why are we doing/learning this" and to "when will we ever use this?"
• While the IB is very aware, I was not aware of the apparent divide or conflict between the IB Learner Profile and the way IB Math is (often) getting taught.

Well there you have it. I will readily admit that I am reading into many comments and conversations making quasi-conclusions based on my own biases and preferred lingo. I have no way of knowing what these teachers classrooms are really like, but still I left feeling discouraged.

If nothing else the conference got me thinking.