I admit, I was grumpy and feeling down yesterday. But I bounced back after seeing the newest issue of MAA Focus released online. The President’s message that I wrote was about using affirmations to help students address mathematical anxiety, especially associated with assessments. Reading it again, helped relieve my own anxiety of the moment. EvenContinue reading “August 20 Day 530: Affirmations in Focus”
Category Archives: community
August 17 Day 527: A Picture and a Word
I just participated in an inspiring panel called “My Journey in STEM.” The target audience was young women who had performed well in the American Mathematics Competitions. The other panelists were MAA colleagues April Ström, Hortensia Soto, and Emille Davie Lawrence. We each shared a picture that represented our mathematical journey and a word thatContinue reading “August 17 Day 527: A Picture and a Word”
August 6 Day 516: Analogy
I remember practicing analogies when studying for the SATs many years ago. My students don’t seem to have experience with them. So my mathematical analogies like chain rule : substitution :: product rule : parts gain no purchase in their understanding. Today, I was struck by a new analogy: Selfie : Francis Su :: ScreenshotContinue reading “August 6 Day 516: Analogy”
August 2 Day 512: Going for Gold
For me, today was the first day (of six) for MathFest 2021 activities with a meeting of the MAA Congress and a welcome to the 2021 Gold Project NExT Fellows. Congress started on the meeting platform HopIn. It seems great for curating sessions and broadcasting presentations but I believe in active engagement (whether in theContinue reading “August 2 Day 512: Going for Gold”
July 14 Day 493: Always Learning
I have been editing videos for the #TacomaMath workgroup of the STEAM Learning Network of Graduate Tacoma for 5 months. We released the first video on February 5, 2021 and with few exceptions, created a Math Around Town recording every week since. I’ve learned a lot over these five months. I seem to learn somethingContinue reading “July 14 Day 493: Always Learning”
June 29 Day 478: Just a Glimpse
June’s MAA Social Hour was a grand experiment into new technology. And while it was fun (for those that got the technology to work), there were lessons to be learned for sure. It was my first foray into “speed networking. ” I used Glimpse paired with a Zoom meeting as recommended by the post HowContinue reading “June 29 Day 478: Just a Glimpse”
June 6 Day 455: Exploration
This morning’s adventure started by thinking about a special Math Around Town video. Can we simultaneously create a place-based math exploration AND celebrate all Tacoma HS graduating seniors this week? I started at Mt. Tahoma HS where all in-person graduation ceremonies are taking place over the next week. Folks were working hard to prepare. YetContinue reading “June 6 Day 455: Exploration”
May 25 Day 443: We Escaped
More than forty of my MAA friends joined in the Virtual Escape Adventure this evening planned by Julie Barnes, Shih-Wei Chao, Rachel Epstein, Kerri Jamerson, Wei-Kai (Bryan) Lai, Allie Ray, and Laura Steil. Julie and her team have been creating mathematical treasure hunts for the Southeastern MAA Section Meeting for many years. During the SpringContinue reading “May 25 Day 443: We Escaped”
April 27 Day 415: A Mountain Morning
It was a glorious morning promenading across the Wilson Way bridge to Dune Pennisula Park. Mount Ranier shone in all its glory. It makes me grateful for this place we live and the people I get to share it with. I’ve notice on my walks that fewer people are masked. Admittedly, I carry a maskContinue reading “April 27 Day 415: A Mountain Morning”
March 30 Day 387: Stressed? You Are Not Alone
Today’s MAA Social Hour gave me (and the other participants) permission to take a break from the demands of pandemic life to purposefully relax and breathe. It was a refreshing session led by Dr. Hadas Moshonov-Cohavi. She has been leading stress awareness and mindfulness sessions with her students and we collaborated to offer a similarContinue reading “March 30 Day 387: Stressed? You Are Not Alone”
Math Belongs to All of Us 