I am teaching Foundations of Mathematical Reasoning this quarter and it’s all about reading proofs, writing proofs, and revising proofs. It is one of my favorite classes to teach because of the topic and the people. We genuinely build community. Partly because as the students are struggling to develop their proof writing chops, they bondContinue reading “October 11 Day 1312: What are the Odds?”
Category Archives: writing
September 13 Day 1284: Preparing to Meet
Next week officially begins the new academic year for me. It’s later than most as my University is on the quarter system. I have been enjoying my last full week of “summer” working on dueling writing projects. For two days in a row, I started with a modest writing goal for one project and thenContinue reading “September 13 Day 1284: Preparing to Meet”
March 30 Day 1117: Is It Time?
I have been writing this blog for over 3 years—initially contributions were daily but now they are trickling to just a few each month. Is it time to declare Math in the Time of Corona a thing of the past? Evidence in favor of a positive response: Evidence in favor of a negative response: PerhapsContinue reading “March 30 Day 1117: Is It Time?”
July 24 Day 868: Your Opinions May Vary
I am pleased to announce that the opinion piece I authored for the AMS Notices is now available online. I wrote it specifically for academics in mathematics, yet I believe the need to align metrics of merit with institutional mission and values applies to all disciplines (and all institutions.) I share it with you nowContinue reading “July 24 Day 868: Your Opinions May Vary”
March 28 Day 750: Success!!!
I wanted to share some good news. Less than eight hours have elapsed since resubmission. The response has been received: Phew. It’s a remarkable turnaround time. I’ll let you know when it appears. Now on to other projects. Fireworks cover image from 2015 Fourth of July over Puget Sound.
March 27 Day 749: Slow Convergence
Everytime I think I’m done, I get more feedback. Honestly, it’s beginning to mess with my confidence. I’ve just sent in a third revision of my piece–all submitted within the past week. Part of me is flattered that the editor is taking so much time with my writing (she can’t possibly be doing this forContinue reading “March 27 Day 749: Slow Convergence”
March 22 Day 744: Addressing Criticisms
Everybody’s a critic. Nobody likes criticisms–me included. This evening I finished revisions on a piece that I originally posted about January 16 Day 679: Writers Block and submitted last month. The reviewer comments were biting or maybe I read too much snark into them. I had to put them away for a while before I couldContinue reading “March 22 Day 744: Addressing Criticisms”
March 2 Day 724: Gentle Nudges
Sometimes it feels like nagging. Working on a tight deadline but reliant on the input of others. I don’t want my deadline pressures to create stress on anyone else. So what’s a girl to do? Occasional gentle reminders that become more frequent as the deadline fast approaches. Imagine my chagrin, when I received a nudgeContinue reading “March 2 Day 724: Gentle Nudges”
February 16 Day 710: Precision of Language
This is the eve of an important due date: rough drafts of my students’ final projects in Matrix Algebra are due at 8 am. They will spend a good portion of tomorrow’s class in a peer review exercise. I tell students that writing mathematics is like writing poetry–every word has a purpose and is chosenContinue reading “February 16 Day 710: Precision of Language”
February 6 Day 700: Small World
This morning, I received a message from a mathematical friend that made me smile. Apparently her son is in the middle school math class that is reading a current draft of my book. Let me back up. Last Fall I posted September 18 Day 559: A Labor of Love in which I shared that I hadContinue reading “February 6 Day 700: Small World”
Math Belongs to All of Us 