Author Archives
I am entering my 21st year as a math teacher at Weston High School, the sole public high school in Weston, MA. It’s also my 44th year as a teacher altogether. In addition to my day job, I taught for 20 years at the Saturday Course in Milton, MA. I also teach at Harvard’s Crimson Summer Academy each summer; 2017 was our 14th consecutive summer.
Sometimes I work on educational software. I also read, cook, and continue building my model railroad whenever I can. For some reason I'm left with less so-called free time than would be ideal. Nevertheless, I manage to devote time to my wife, Barbara, and to our excessive number of cats as well.
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Murder to Scale
A mystery novel in a model railroading setting? Who could resist? Not I! Murder to Scale, by Debra B. Schiff “with” Mike Blumensaadt, is a good enough story in which the setting plays a major role, not just a background part. When… Read More ›
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Better dead than coed?
“Andover will go coed over my dead body!” That’s what my AP Latin teacher told us at least three or four times during my senior year. His prediction didn’t quite come true, but it was close: in 1973, the year… Read More ›
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What a nice warm location!
Douglas thanked me for moving his purple mat so that it’s right next to the space heater: William says it’s not fair for Douglas to be in so many photos, so he wanted to make sure that I got a… Read More ›
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Lethal White
As everyone knows — everyone, that is, except certain cats — Robert Galbraith is the pseudonym that J.K. Rowling adopted for her Cormoran Strike series of detective novels for adults. Lethal White is the fourth in this series. This is a long… Read More ›
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Happy New Year!
How many of these languages can you identify?
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Should you pay attention to what your English teacher says?
I could answer by saying “no, you shouldn’t” — but my colleagues and friends who teach English would be up in arms. Instead, I can say “yes, but question authority” — i.e., ask for evidence, not just rules that are… Read More ›
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In Prior’s Wood
Wasn’t it Alan Kay who had said the best way to predict the future was to create it? Yes, it was. Having worked briefly for computer scientist Alan Kay at Atari 35 years ago, I was rather startled to see… Read More ›
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The Kosher Wok
Yesterday, as is traditional on Christmas Eve, I had lunch with a friend, a colleague, two of her sons, and two former students at The Kosher Wok in Brookline. The four of us — yes, I said four, not seven… Read More ›
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Weird uses of food
“When my very hairy German shepherd dog got tree sap in his fur we couldn’t get it out. I tried rubbing the sap covered hair with olive oil and the sap came off. Saved a trip to the groomers.” That’s… Read More ›
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A Quaker Christmas Carol
I can’t resist reposting this Quaker Christmas Carol:
