David Dai

Mobile, AL | 7-12, Mathematics, 2023

What motivates you to contribute to excellence in STEM teaching?

What motivates me is the opportunity to empower students, especially those underrepresented in STEM, by making math relevant, rigorous, and inclusive. I strive to create learning environments where every student sees themselves as a problem solver, and where curiosity and community drive discovery. As a Vietnamese teacher, I’m driven to be a role model (as a teacher of color) I never had, and to help reimagine what excellence in STEM can look like for all learners.

What has been the most transformative moment that affirmed your impact on STEM education?

Serving on the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Board of Directors was a deeply affirming experience. As someone who never had a teacher of color growing up, having a seat at the table (as an early career, Vietnamese teacher) where national decisions about math teaching and learning are made was powerful. I brought the voices of my students, my community, and countless underrepresented, marginalized educators into every conversation with the goal of high-quality math teaching and learning for all students. When fellow teachers told me they finally felt seen because someone like them was helping shape the future of STEM, I knew the impact was real. It reminded me that representation isn’t just symbolic, it’s transformative.

Using your platform as a Presidential Awardee, how do you hope to advance our nation in STEM?

As a Presidential Awardee, I hope to inspire a more inclusive vision of STEM—one where every student sees themselves as a thinker, a creator, and a leader. I will use my platform to elevate teacher voices, promote equity, and advocate for innovative, culturally responsive math instruction that empowers all learners. By building bridges between classrooms, communities, and policy, I aim to help shape a future where excellence in STEM truly belongs to everyone.

Biography

David Dai has taught Math 8 Accelerated and Geometry with Data Analysis at Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies (Mobile, AL) since 2021. He designs meaningful, relevant math experiences that prioritize deep conceptual understanding as the foundation for procedural fluency. Through high-level tasks, student discourse, meaningful technology integration, and project-based learning, his students actively explore and make sense of math ideas, collaborate to solve real-world problems, and build lasting confidence in their math thinking. David’s work led to his selection as the 2019 Alabama Council of Teachers of Mathematics High School Teacher of the Year (TOY); the 2020-2021 Alabama Secondary TOY; the 2021 Southern Alabama Air Force Association STEM TOY; and a 2023 University of Alabama College of Education Top Alumni Under 40. He served on the Board of Directors for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2022-2025) where he helped steer the organization’s policies and direction for math education. To help diversify the teacher pipeline, David established the Look Like Me Scholarship to remove financial barriers and provide mentorship to students of color pursuing a career in education. David mentors pre-service and in-service math teachers. David has presented sessions at local, state, and national levels on culturally and linguistically responsive teaching and learning, project-based learning, math technologies, and artificial intelligence. David earned a B.S. in math with a concentration in statistics, an M.A. in secondary math education, and an educational specialist degree (the state's first cohort of math specialists) from The University of Alabama. He is National Board Certified in Early Adolescence-Mathematics and is a certified PK-12 administrator.

High-resolution version of the teacher profile photograph

The views expressed in awardee profiles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF or the PAEMST program.