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
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Douglas says he’s on vacation
Douglas says he’s on vacation, so it’s time to lie back and relax:
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Here in the Northeast it’s not Virginia — or is it?
Virginia was the home of the capital of the Confederacy, so the recent events in Virginia might not have surprised you, but could they happen here in the Northeast? What follows is a lightly edited version of a true account… Read More ›
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Teaching and coaching
One of my former colleagues gave up teaching — at least for a while — to become a “math coach.” “What does that mean?” you may well ask. That’s what I asked, at any rate. We all know what an… Read More ›
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The Temptation of Forgiveness
Looking closely, you will notice that the image here is a scene from Venice. I’ve read all 19 — can it really be 19? — of Donna Leon’s novels, all of which center on Venice. I’ve reviewed four of them before,… Read More ›
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The Colors of All the Cattle
Review #8 here about Alexander McCall Smith’s Botswana series! I’ve been writing about these 19 charming books for a long time, most recently three years ago but going back to April of 2006 for the first post — almost 13… Read More ›
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“Does verbing impact the language?” he asks.
I’m just starting to scenic my model railroad. Yeah, I know, using the adjective “scenic” as a verb is startling at first. I still don’t like it, though it has become standard. But let’s look at it in context. My… Read More ›
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Five-Minute Linguist Competition
You may well wonder what a five-minute linguist might be. I’ll leave you to ponder that question. Before you do that, here are some of John McWhorter’s opening remarks to the third annual five-minute linguist competition: You try to explain… Read More ›
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Computational thinking — but where’s the beef?
Do we believe what the Wolfram Blog says about computational thinking? Maybe. I’m suspicious of the very title of the post: The Computational Classroom: Easy Ways to Introduce Computational Thinking into Your Lessons. Anything that promises “easy ways” is automatically… Read More ›
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Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show
I suppose it would be Amhersteisenbahngesellschafteisenbahnhobbyausstellung if you spoke German, but fortunately we don’t have to do that. What we did have to do was go to West Springfield, not Amherst, since this annual show had outgrown all available facilities… Read More ›
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The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.
Neal Stephenson is the best. As a long-time fan, I can assure you that this conclusion is an objective fact, not a matter of personal opinion. Your mileage may vary, but I doubt it. Up to this point I have reviewed… Read More ›
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Are you Gen Z?
What’s Generation Z? I’m just starting to hear that terminology being used. We’re all familiar with the Baby Boomers (I’m near the older end of that generation), and I grew up hearing about the preceding ones, the Silent Generation and… Read More ›
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Welcome, Flicka!
Please welcome the newest member of the Davidson-Bean household. Flicka was an abandoned cat who has lived on our front porch for two years now, and today’s weather report was enough to convince Barbara and me that it was time… Read More ›
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Three cats
Three of our cats cuddled up together: do they love each other, or are they just heat-seeking mammals?
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All the King’s Men
For some reason I had never seen the classic film All the King’s Men (nor have I read the novel, for that matter, although I’ve owned a used copy of it for decades). But I finally got around to watching… Read More ›
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Shell Game
If you like Donald Trump, don’t bother reading Shell Game, Sara Paretsky’s newest mystery novel: it will only irritate you. For the rest of us, it’s definitely worth reading. For a long time I always read every Paretsky book, but… Read More ›
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Am I related to George R.R. Martin? What does Skip Gates say?
George R.R. Martin Larry Davidson People have often claimed that I look like George R.R. Martin. I always thought that they were just paying attention to the beard, the suspenders, and the physique — but now I know of another… Read More ›
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Can an introverted teacher thrive?
John Spencer writes: My dog is also an introvert. I didn’t realize that was possible with dogs, but it is. She likes to have “me time.” If things get too loud and crazy, she will walk into the other room…. Read More ›
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William thinks he’s a hamburger.
William thinks he’s a hamburger:
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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 ›
Learning Strategies 