As I was deep into my creative thinking process, I was fortunate to have a reliable, highly talented educator with whom to bounce off my ideas: my wife, Jamie Cohen. As I focused intently on the development of the first product, her enthusiasm furthered my motivation.

The first FloorMat Number Line was used on the sidewalk of Washington Square Park in New York City. I was working with the student directly, while Jamie served as the pre- and post-session collaborator. As the student rolled a 1 and a 5 with specially prepared dice to develop an addition problem, she stood on the Number Line at 1 and jumped 5 spaces to land on 6. First, she was quiet in thought. Then, she beamed. Next, she yelled, “1 + 5 = 6! 1 + 5 = 6!” She ran to the pad and wrote down the number sentence. The student had trouble understanding addition up to that point. But at that moment, she finally understood the meaning of the number 6, and she knew what it meant to add 5, because she experienced the process herself. She saw the relationship between the numbers. She lived the relationship between the numbers! The spark of curiosity had been ignited. Her pride and confidence began to grow. She smiled increasingly as we worked together. She wanted to study more and more. She and I were both motivated to learn. The approach was working. Jumping Joey’s Number Line was born.

Later, I developed the PlaceMat to see how a desk-size version of the FloorMat would work. “Could there be a transfer of knowledge from working on the floor to working at a table?” I thought with slight angst, “It is a risk, I will have to take.” Fortunately, Jamie was there to provide the necessary support that all inventors need when building on to their work. As it turned out, much to our delight, it worked beautifully! Our student utilized the PlaceMat readily and continued to ask for more challenges. Here, I began to incorporate other curricula and the product integrated seamlessly. “Our product can work with existing materials and enhance them! What a tool!” We were excited. As my work completed with the student, she was ready for first grade math, both academically and emotionally.
Over the next two summers, this approach was used in an institute for 1st and 2nd graders of varying mathematical abilities. Students were quite interested in the FloorMat and PlaceMat models and their aptitude increased, as did their interest. One parent approached me with tears saying that her child did not like school before the summer, and is “now skipping the Number Line in his head. He now loves math and now loves learning.” She even hugged me. Other parents were also enthused. The various feedback gave us a sense of pride.

The following year, the PlaceMat and FloorMat were used with students in various elementary grades and they all found it helpful. Parents were grateful. As I assessed student need in different age levels. I started to design more products, including the Multiplication & Division Book, Arithmetic PlaceMat, Supplement, and GameSet. I made sure that all of the products were aligned with National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards in order to meet requirements of today’s pedagogical environment.

“Could my interests merge together?” I asked Jamie. With nothing but positive feedback for so many years, I wondered how could we make this available to more people. “Let’s make this work. This dream of helping others through inventing educational products could be real,” I said to Jamie. Sometimes, when you have been working on something for so long you believe in and you are about to take a leap of faith, it is helpful to leap with someone you love. “Let’s make this work,” she replied. With that, we were in business.

In 2008, we started a company, PsySoEd Dynamics, LLC, while working full-time as teachers. I serve as the creative developer and Jamie the editor. Every morning, I woke up to work for two hours on the business before going to the classroom and spend hours after school as well. Jamie did the editing in the afternoons and evenings after work. We were always very dedicated. I used my art background to draw Jumping Joey in the room that has since become a nursery. I sourced the materials, developed the products, and used them in various classrooms and with students of differing ages, all to success. I launched the line at the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics National Conference in 2009 to great reviews.

In May 2009, after only 11 months in business, PsySoEd Dynamics received a Success Story Award from the New York City Department of Small Business Services for our dedicated work, entrepreneurial spirit, and commitment to growing the business. While many people helped transform this idea into reality, a wonderful phenomenon continues to transpire in that whenever anyone comes in contact with Jumping Joey’s Number Line, they are eager and happy to help and are inspired by the product line for its ability to guide children to scholastic success.

Many more products are in development and we seek to utilize our passion in fostering a better learning experience for all children. We are turning our dreams in to reality and hope to inspire others to do the same.