Jered Bright, M.S. (he/him)

All of my teaching centers on two core principles: building strong relationships with students and recognizing the creativity within mathematics. I find that both my students and I succeed when we can share how we’re experiencing the learning process. That kind of openness depends on trust and connection.

Equally important is acknowledging that mathematics is often creative—and sometimes messy. There’s rarely just one correct solution method, and embracing that flexibility helps students engage more deeply with the subject.

What advice do you have for first year students?

Be curious. In high school, too many questions go unasked. At UMR, we value questions—they lead us to fascinating places where exploration and growth happen. How do we find the right questions? By staying curious and wondering about what’s possible.

Share a bit about your education journey. What did you take away from it?

I struggled with calculus in high school—ask me about it sometime. That experience led me to pursue astrophysics in college, but after one semester of university-level physics, I realized it wasn’t the right fit. While completing my general education requirements, I discovered my passion for teaching through volunteer work in a bilingual Spanish-English geometry class.

My takeaway: the right path doesn’t always appear right away. Sometimes it takes time, reflection and a few detours to find where you’re meant to be.

While my role at UMR does not formally include research, I regularly collaborate with faculty and students to explore a range of topics. These include investigating mental health through patient voice using both quantitative and qualitative methods; artificial neural networks and artificial intelligence; cryptology and number theory; and non-Euclidean geometry.

Selected Publications

• Taniguchi, Y., Schlief, M., Bright, J., Simon, S. and Leffler, J. (2022). Implementation of an expressive writing intervention for adolescents during inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. Adolescent Psychiatry, 12(1), pp. 23–37. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/2210676612666211222104647
• Ayebo, A., Bright, J. and Ballam, C. (2019). Examining the factor structure of the Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics among undergraduate health science students. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 15(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/5942

Selected Presentations

• “Intentional Lies and Errors,” author and presenter, Minnesota Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Duluth, Minn., April 12, 2024
• “Using Mathematical Autobiographies to Support Students,” author and presenter, Minnesota Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Duluth, Minn., April 12, 2024

• University of Minnesota Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education, 2024
• Presidents’ Civic Engagement Leadership Award, 2022
• University of Chicago Outstanding Educator, 2021
• UMR Faculty of the Year, 2019 and 2014