Taking a break from grading, my husband and I drove down to Salem, OR to pick-up our youngest from his first semester at college. On the way, we stopped by Sunnyside Piazza because I wanted to see its new intersection art. Three months ago to the day, I celebrated completing the manuscript for my laborContinue reading “December 18 Day 650: Return to the Sunnyside”
Monthly Archives: December 2021
December 17 Day 649: Realistic or Out-dated ?
I am pleased to report that all the papers submitted in support of group projects have been graded. What distressed me was what students thought were appropriate sources for references. I use Wikipedia and Wolfram MathWorld as much as the next person. They are great places to start answering questions and have good science/math entries.Continue reading “December 17 Day 649: Realistic or Out-dated ?”
December 15 Day 647: Interview Marathon Part II
My first academic term teaching face-to-face since March 2020 is close to completed. Continuing my COVID practice of assessing students through oral examinations, I recently finished two long days of interviews. This reflection will detail the process and lessons learned (much as I have done in the past as documented in all these posts.) TheContinue reading “December 15 Day 647: Interview Marathon Part II”
December 13 Day 645: Interview Marathon Part 1
I spent 7 hours (plus a few breaks) administering interviews for individual final oral assessments today. I’m halfway done and will complete the rest in another marathon session tomorrow. Every term has one or two students that just give up. The stress and pressure from school, family, and work take their toll. Today, I feltContinue reading “December 13 Day 645: Interview Marathon Part 1”
December 12 Day 644: Procrastination
I thought I would be further along in my grading by this time of the weekend. I had big plans. First I would grade presentations, then projects, and then portfolios. Ideally having it all done before the marathon interview sessions start tomorrow for my students’ in-person oral final exam. Instead, I have graded last homeworks,Continue reading “December 12 Day 644: Procrastination”
December 10 Day 642: Daydream Believers
We can dream up idealized solutions to a problem. Others can agree it’s a good solution and want to implement. But please don’t present your daydreams as real solutions until you have confirmed with all parties involved and understand the limitations. Just saying. Cover image created using one of my own photos and DeepArt.io.
December 9 Day 641: Behind the Mask
I was so happy to have my students attend class on campus this quarter. It was easier to build community in person than through a screen. I cherished the ability to use group activities at a moments notice without interrupting the energy of the room. Masks kept us safe. But as someone who is notContinue reading “December 9 Day 641: Behind the Mask”
December 8 Day 640: The Key is Flexibility
It’s the last class meeting of the quarter and students presented their projects in small groups. I reserved three study spaces/meeting rooms that were in close proximity to each other. Everyone had the schedule, the presentation rubric, and knew when and where they had to be. It felt like attending a mini-conference. I’m glad thatContinue reading “December 8 Day 640: The Key is Flexibility”
December 4 Day 636: The Wisdom of Presidents
Today in the White House Visitor’s Center, I spied these words from Chester A. Arthur. Little did he know that these words would be relevant to every person living through the 2020-2021 Corona Virus Lockdown. I was grateful for the chance to explore my country’s capital on a beautiful fall Saturday before flying home toContinue reading “December 4 Day 636: The Wisdom of Presidents”
December 3 Day 635: Mathematics, Art, and Long Distant Friends
Today I participated in the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences meeting, held at 600 Pennsylvania Ave. While planned as a hybrid meeting, most participants chose to attend in person. So much so, that the space was too crowded. But it was delightful regardless. People who had been collaborating virtually for more than a yearContinue reading “December 3 Day 635: Mathematics, Art, and Long Distant Friends”
Math Belongs to All of Us 