Midwestern State University professor Dittika Gupta, Ph.D., was recognized with an award for her service to the Texas chapter of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE-TX).

Gupta serves as editor of the Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education in Texas (JMTET), supporting mathematics teacher educators and advancing mathematics education across Texas.

Gupta holds bachelor’s degrees in physics and mathematics education and also master’s degrees in physics and mathematics education. She has taught for 17 years, including 12 at MSU Texas. She began her career teaching K-12. She has taught a high school math course for those studying education, and she teaches a math and science education course.

“Every semester, every course is a new experience,” Gupta said. “It’s different every time I teach it. I can bring in some things I know, but every time I get to learn something new about it, and that is very exciting and also reflective.”

Outside the classroom, Gupta has become involved in multiple mathematics and education organizations, including AMTE-TX. She views her involvement as a “two-way thing” that allows her to stay up to date on new education techniques and build connections for collaboration, while also benefiting the learning experience of her students.

“I think what motivates me is that I want to give back to the profession. It is giving back to the profession, but also my own professional growth,” Gupta said. “For me to be a lifelong learner, I do need the growth and professional development.”

Gupta serves on multiple boards and in roles such as editor, treasurer, and secretary. She reviews manuscripts and gives presentations for multiple organizations across the state and at some out-of-state schools. She served as the first vice president of conferences for AMTE before COVID-19. Taking these opportunities is another way she can develop connections with other educators.

For JMTET in particular, what she finds most valuable about the experience is not only the fresh ideas she discovers to use in her classroom, but also the additional skills it provides. Through her role, she’s learned a lot about publishing and the editorial process that she may not have gained otherwise. She finds joy in reading the submitted works of so many educators and is even inspired by the ambition of graduate students who submit to the journal.