Author Archives
In 2018 I semi-retired by retiring from Weston High School after my 21st year teaching mathematics there. This was also my 44th year as a teacher altogether. In 2023 I retired fully, adding in my 18 years at Harvard’s Crimson Summer Academy each summer. For 21 years I had taught at the Saturday Course in Milton, MA, and I used to serve on the board of the Dorchester Historical Society.
I read, cook, and spend a lot of time building my model railroad. For some reason I’m left with less free time than would be ideal, considering that I’m supposed to be retired, but somehow I also manage to devote time to my wife, Barbara, and to our varying number of cats (once up to six, but now sadly down to one).
Larry Davidson
ljd@larrydavidson.com
-
Trophy Wives Don't Need Advanced Physics
This is an unsolicited recommendation for the new book published by my colleague, Boris Korsunsky, Trophy Wives Don’t Need Advanced Physics: Dubious Words of Wisdom From Physics Students. Just now I almost said, “written by my colleague…,” but that would… Read More ›
-
88 Wharf
The southern half of Dorchester is becoming known for its new restaurants, especially if you extend the southern edge a bit into Milton. As you know from my brief review of Mrs. Jones, I’ve already written about one of these… Read More ›
-
Weston teens & Boston teens…polite or not?
Earlier today I just happened to make a small remark to my junior class, complimenting them (and indirectly their parents) on how well brought up they were. The context was that two students had gone out of their way to… Read More ›
-
Friday cat blogging
Geometry was never their strong point. It’s hard to get them to understand what “parallel” means:
-
Congratulations to the Math Team!
Please congratulate the Weston High School math team for a spectacular showing at today’s meet. There were three — count them, that’s three — students with perfect scores, an unprecedented event in my years at Weston. Kudos to Marco Alagna,… Read More ›
-
What's wrong with a B+?
Three different freshmen approached me at various times today with concerns about whether they should stay in Honors Geometry or drop down to College Prep. That’s OK. But for two of them the reason was that their current average is… Read More ›
-
What a good day for a test!
Must be a good day for a test. Today three out of my four classes are taking tests — or opportunities to achieve, as some of them like to say. Maybe we are getting close to the end of the… Read More ›
-
Halloween ups and downs
This year’s Halloween was the best and the worst. Let’s save the best for last. So the first question is, “How many trick-or-treaters did we get this year?” For perspective, we need to know that Barbara and I just happened… Read More ›
-
Friday cat blogging
This is Rosalita, commonly known as Rosie but sometimes called the Curmudge-o-cat:
-
Class blogs
Check out the blogs for all of my classes! We rotate each day that a class meets, so that students take turns posting class notes. So far this has led to a number of positive effects: Students who miss class… Read More ›
-
Bullet voting: why it may be a good idea
I was recently asked whether a Boston voter should always vote for the full allotment of four at-large City Council candidates, or whether bullet voting made sense. I unhelpfully replied, “It depends.” It occurred to me that I had already… Read More ›
-
Paper clips: current count
Currently up to 18 paper clips…
-
Little Brother
Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow, is billed as a “Young Adult” Novel. And so it is. But, like several other “Young Adult” adults, it is worth reading by not-so-young adults. This is an homage to 1984 — hence the title… Read More ›
-
Stimulus Package
No, not that stimulus package. This one is the recently released CD from Weston High School’s own à cappella group, the Town Criers. Released in September on Apple’s iTunes Store, Stimulus Package is a flawless collection of eleven songs sung… Read More ›
-
Me? Joining a gym???
Never in my life did I think that I would join a gym. And I especially never thought that I would enjoy being a member of a gym. But all that changed in July when I joined Dedham Health &… Read More ›
-
Mrs. Jones
After several enthusiastic recommendations from friends, Barbara and I decided to try the take-out from Mrs. Jones, a small restaurant at 2255 Dorchester Avenue in Lower Mills, Dorchester. We are pleased to report an enthusiastic thumbs-up. For an exceptionally reasonable… Read More ›
-
Encouraging mistakes with paper clips
This year I’ve been trying something new, and I already love the effects. Back in August I had read this wonderful idea from a math teacher whom I don’t know except from her post: I start a chain of paper… Read More ›
-
Math Explorers Club
I don’t know why I never knew about the Cornell Math Explorers Club before now. Its website is a terrific enrichment resource for high-school math students and their teachers, with a wonderful assortment of slightly offbeat topics that are right… Read More ›
-
Can the right to choose be detrimental?
I always start off each class in September with a seating chart where the students are seated in alphabetical order. This arrangement is the quickest way for me to learn the names of the 75–95 names in all my classes,… Read More ›
-
Pasha
I’ve had lunch twice so far at Pasha, a new Turkish restaurant in Arlington Center. Although I don’t know anything yet about their dinners, I can highly recommend it on the basis of the two lunches. If you’ve never had… Read More ›
Learning Strategies 