Dr. Valerie Camille Jones is a middle school math teacher at Ron Clark Elementary in Atlanta. Dr. Jones’ goal is to combat math anxiety by building math esteem, and going the extra mile to show her students what can be accomplished with a little ingenuity.
Dr. Jones is known for her use of art and video game simulations to connect students to real-world applications of the subject. Teachers from all over the world come to observe and learn from Dr. Jones and bring her methods back to their classroom. She also uses song to get through to her students. In the song Fashion Computation, Dr. Jones sings about all the different outfits you can make out of two shirts, three skirts and two pair of shoes.
Old Navy took notice.
The team at i am OTHER lent their expertise to the project, helping each teacher find their inner rock star through the songwriting and recording process. Darius Scott, a top 20 finalist from Pharrell Williams’ team on Season 9 of NBC’s The Voice, served as the lead music producer on the project and also stars in the ONward! video. All videos will be available on Old Navy’s YouTube page, and the songs also available via Apple Music and Spotify.
The videos celebrate Old Navy’s belief in big dreams and bigger opportunities for the next generation. Through cause platform ONward!, Old Navy partners with nonprofits to empower the next generation with real-world skills, training, and job opportunities to make a difference in our communities and blaze a path forward to a brighter future. For over a decade, Old Navy has partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs to help turn learners into leaders, and has donated over $10 million to support the cause. The brand has also been committed to providing youth from local nonprofits with 10,000 jobs by 2020 through the This Way Ahead paid-internship and training program. Learn more at OldNavy.com/ONward.
“When I received the call that I was selected to be a part of this campaign, I was in shock and extremely excited,” explained Dr. Jones. “And then they told me that I would sing the song I would write and I asked if they knew I couldn’t sing- LOL! You see, I create songs and chants with my students all of the time but it is just for us, our school family, and not the world. I post our songs and chants on my youtube page (drvcjones) and my website (www.drvcjones.com) but it really doesn’t get much reach. My students love the math songs and they help them have fun through some of the harder math topics. I would do anything for my students. Luckily, I Am Other rep, Robbie Wells, assured me that they would support me every step of the way with my song. He explained that I was nominated via Darius Scott who heard about me through some of my past students from 10 years ago. I believe being nominated this way was the best honor because it let me know that I still had an impact on my former students.”
The entire process has been amazing to Dr. Jones, but she has stuck with her roots in math to make it all possible.
“When I heard about the project with Old Navy, I immediately thought about the Fundamental Principal of Counting. This mathematical idea is used for compound events. In my Algebra classes, we had just finished discussing this concept during our unit on combinations and permutations. My students are in 7th ad 8th grade but have the opportunity to take Algebra I for high school credit even though they are in middle school. This topic is a high school standard. We used a similar sorting activity in class as described in the song to determine how many different outfits can be made from a select number of pieces of clothing. I believe this song would help my students tactile the harder content in the future.”
People of all ages struggle with math, but Dr. Jones’ mission is to make math part of our everyday life.
“Far too many kids struggle with math anxiety,” adds Jones. “These kids grow up and become adults with low math-esteem. As a teacher, I’ve devoted my life to making math fun, practical, and approachable. Far too many kids struggle with math anxiety. These kids grow up and become adults with low math-esteem. As a teacher, I have devoted my life to making math fun, practical, and approachable. I want to encourage my students’ self-esteem in mathematics. I want them to know that they should not be afraid to stand up for their convictions and defend their mathematical logic.”
Old Navy has been matching in-store customer donations to BGCA and BGCC, combined up to $350,000. Customers can donate at the register at all U.S. and Canada stores. Old Navy is also adding functionality to their online checkout to allow customers to donate year-round to the nonprofits that ONward! supports.
Old Navy x i am OTHER: Final YouTube Video Links
“Welcome Back to School” by Dwayne Reed https://youtu.be/QYOcsZWBAn4
“A Fashion Combination” by Dr. Valerie Camille Jones https://youtu.be/CeAqkKT7XO0
“Sing Out” by Nathan Myers https://youtu.be/mK4RpuyTTB8
“Strut” by Shani Perez https://youtu.be/t09Rpz7UmZA
“ONward!” by Cedric Gardner https://youtu.be/FbjADtLveW4
“I Chose You” by Craig Duchemin https://youtu.be/5QDhXtnshDs
Familia by Kimberly Vega https://youtu.be/MzIQFW5pT0U
“Be Myself” by Beth Fortune https://youtu.be/SAH6XJGj0SE
ONward! Overview https://youtu.be/EXuDIBqnNqY
ONward! YouTube Playlist http://oldnvy.me/2uwQ2ND
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