A little bit of sunshine sprinkled with some Martha

Yesterday afternoon, my bruised and battered shins and I took a break from boxes and decided to enjoy the sunshine, poolside of course, and catch up on the latest Martha Stewart Living.  I know this may sound silly, but this may be the very best issue of Living I've read, and it gave my spirit that jumpstart it needed.  It's not that my life has been particularly difficult lately, just a bit chaotic and not at all grounded.  I'd like to acknowledge right now how blessed I am.  I'm blessed with a wonderful husband who works hard and appreciates that I love to cook him dinner, a family who is willing to use what little spare time they have to help me complete the annoying moving tasks of packing up those odds and ends of "stuff" and cleaning (and I admittedly have more of that "stuff" than most - what can I say, my parents blessed me with many talents), and currently, I'm not accountable for much more than continuing to make the boxes in the apartment disappear.

But, I needed to escape the boxes.  So, after swimming some laps, which may be my new favorite way to "work out", I settled into a lounge chair and immersed myself in Martha.  Each story made me want to call/text/email a friend or family member to say, "I'm reading this article in Martha Stewart Living, and it made me think of you."  (How's that for "text to self" connections, reading teachers?)  This means the next couple of hours were saturated with memories of the people I love, the places I've visited, the things I've learned from those around me, AND of inspiring things to try to create.  This is why it's the best issue of Living to date for me.  It made me feel as though I was spending the afternoon with those I love. 

It's been awhile since I've been able to spend quality time with some of those I love.  Geographical distances and conflicting schedules have made that afternoon together or on the phone difficult.  But, as the boxes slowly start to disappear and as I start to feel grounded in my new life in Omaha (finally living with my husband!), I look forward to catching up with all of you and your families and your lives.  And, to sharing that article from Living that made me think of you. 

It's only been 3 days, and I'm exhausted!

Students came back to school this week, but not until Wednesday.  That means that I only saw them for 3 days and the beginning of school generally means going through routines (pretty general), but I AM EXHAUSTED!  I got home last night after junior high volleyball practice and then working the football gate, and I was asleep by about 9:30pm. 

While I'm tired, it was a good week.  And, I'm happy to report that I think incorporating the mathematical reflections on the photographs is going to be a success!  Friday, while describing the assignment in class, we got into some good discussions about whether or not the columns in a photograph were truly parallel because of the shape of the columns.  They also debated what might be the best term to describe the columns.  They weren't cylinders because the diameter changed throughout the column, but they weren't "shape" that would be. 

In another class, I got great participation and a wide spectrum of ideas, all about the same photograph.  Needless to say, I'm excited!!!

Now it's on to less exciting things like taking recycling to the drop-off, scrubbing my floors, and trying to get my apartment super clean!  Because I know it won't happen again until the end of October when volleyball season is complete!  Hope you all have a good weekend!

MathFest 2011 Presentation

I know this won't share the whole experience with you since you won't hear the presentation that goes with it, but here are my presentation slides.

Outdoors with Math in the National Parks, MathFest 2011

There is much more to be developed and detailed with this project, but I've got a start!

MAA's MathFest 2011: as nerdy and wonderful as it sounds

Yesterday, I traveled to Lexington, Kentucky, to attend MAA's MathFest 2011.  MAA is the Mathematical Association of America in case that's an acronym with which you're not familiar.  Mathematicians from across the country (and some internationally), and mostly from colleges and universities, come together to talk math, all kinds of math.  Because I'm one of them, I can comfortably say that mathematicians have a style all of their own.  Actually, there are about 2-3 styles, but they all very much scream, "I live for math!"  Let's just say it wasn't difficult to spot which individuals in the airport were headed to MathFest.  And now I'm wondering how easy I am to spot.

Today, I went to a variety of presentations.  One professor used the popularity of zombies to grab his students' attention and practice using the SIR model (Susceptible-Infected-Recovered) which is typically used with infectious diseases.  Another discussed research on how teachers' mathematics content knowledge explains their teaching practices.  And, I have to say I experienced that "student" feeling today: when it came time for questions in some of the presentations, I wasn't even sure what I would need to ask to begin to understand!  A great reminder to put yourself in your students' shoes once in awhile.  My favorite way to do this in junior high is to ask for a volunteer to be the teacher for an example problem.  I take a seat and ask every single question I can think of to be sure they explain each step, especially the ones I know are out there but just aren't being asked.  The students think it's fun, maybe because I tend to play it up and be borderline ridiculous.

The very best part of my day was seeing my undergraduate college advisor, Dr. Lisa Townsley.  She's at the University of Georgia now, and I haven't had the chance to see her in person since shortly after graduation.  She continues to be an inspiration and mentor for me, and I'm hoping I'll have the chance to see her (or at least talk with her) much more frequently in the future.  I have her to thank for encouraging me to submit an abstract to speak at MathFest.  Thank you, Lisa!

After a few more presentations, I walked into "Thursday Night Live" in Lexington's Fifth Third Pavilion where I listened to some live music and grabbed crepes from a local restaurant for dinner.  And then back to the hotel to look up my students' MAP (standardized tests) scores from last year, and possibly start planning a new hair color if they did well....

Overview of the Trip

I am blessed.  The past month has been an experience about which most people only dream.  I feel invigorated about heading into my classroom and about my career as a teacher.  I am excited to begin work editing photographs, writing lesson plans, outlining a plan for the year, and putting together a presentation for the Mathematical Association of America’s 2011 MathFest.  Thank you to all of those have supported me and those I know will continue to do so.

I am going to continue to blog, though I’ll admit it may be more hit and miss than I’d like as the school year begins.  Maybe I’ll surprise myself and be regular!  In the meantime, keep an eye out for the math around you and don’t underestimate your math skills (or how much you’re using them and need them)!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Stats for the day:

·         Daily miles: 546.3

·         Total trip miles: 4629.2

·         Temperature on the side of the I-70 tollway: 102°F

·         Tow trucks needed: 1

·         Miles I was from making it home with no drama: 81

After saying goodbye to the Brooke and the kids, I started my trip across Colorado and the state of Kansas to make it back to Weston.  Most of the drive was uneventful.  Kansas raising the speed limit to 75 on I-70 helped a bit, and the weather was great (just super hot!).

And then, I reached the Kansas Tollway on I-70, just east of Topeka.  I grabbed my ticket, tried to accelerate, sawing my RPM needle drop to zero, and lost any engine power.  I pulled to the side of the road and had a car that wouldn’t start.  Seriously?!?!?!?

So, after talking with the rental company, there were a couple of options. 1) I could be towed to the closed location in Topeka and have a family member pick me up from there.  OR, 2) I could be towed to a location that was still open and be put in a new car, but it’d be a much longer tow.  Because I have a wonderful family, I voted for option 1.  I was supposed to turn in the car early tomorrow morning, anyway. 

I’m thankful the tow truck company arrived quickly and that overall it was the best scenario for a car breaking down that I could imagine.  I’d traveled 4,500 miles over 4 weeks and was only an hour and a half from home.  The best part is that when I arrived at the rental car location and the tow truck driver, Sam, tried to start the car (he said he always tries before and after towing), it started!!! He shrugged his shoulders and said I’d be surprised how often it happened.  But advised me to take the ride with my family and not risk it!

Math thoughts for today:

·         A higher speed limit (or even driving faster) always makes people think they’re going to get somewhere so much faster.  But, it’s impact, and whether or not it really makes one, really depends on how far you are traveling.  My students can do some simple calculations to determine the amount of impact. I happen to know of someone who got a speeding ticket when he first got his license – the faster speed would have saved him less than 5 minutes if he hadn’t been caught.  But, he was.  And it therefore took him longer, and cost him more!

Shout-outs:

·         Happy Birthday, Alexia Norris!!!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Matt flew back to Boston today.  After getting to spend 3 weeks with him, it’s going to take me a little bit to adjust to not being in the same state as him.  He seemed to think that driving across the state of Kansas wouldn’t be all that interesting.

I headed to the home of a childhood friend, Brooke, and spent the evening meeting her husband, Frank, and their wonderful children (Blase, Caroline, Michael).  I haven’t seen Brooke in well over a decade, but our moms get together once a year with two other “babes.”  I’ve stayed updated on what she’s doing because of our moms, and it was such a blessing to get to spend time with her.  And to eat the wonderful meal Frank prepared.  And to play with the kids!  They all made me feel so at home, and I’m hoping I don’t have to wait a decade to see them again!  Thanks for welcoming me!

After our walk home from the park in the rain.

And then the silly pictures began!