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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Plato at the Googleplex
Some people like to read bestsellers. In fact, lots of people must like to read bestsellers. Otherwise they wouldn’t be bestsellers — right? And then, at the other extreme, there are many people who don’t like to read at all…. Read More ›
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The South Korean education system
South Korea has one of the best education systems in the world, right? After all, even President Obama thinks so. But not so fast. Read the “rest of the story” in an excerpt from Amanda Ripley’s book, The Smartest Kids… Read More ›
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Worcester
“Worcester????” That was the reaction of almost everybody when they heard that Barbara and I were going to Worcester for a micro-vacation a few weeks ago. Not anyone’s idea of a vacation spot, after all. But we had a great… Read More ›
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Louise Penny
By this point I’ve read Louise Penny’s entire oeuvre to date. Obviously I like what I’m reading, or I wouldn’t continue. You can get a full list of her novels at her website, or you can just pick one up at random… Read More ›
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The importance of letting students stumble
One consequence of being away from blogging for over six months is that I’ve let some interesting posts from other bloggers just lie hanging without commenting on them. So, let’s look at two KQED essays on almost the same topic,… Read More ›
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Back from the void
So…it’s been months and months, and I’ve totally gotten out of the habit of blogging. Time to resume! My new goal is five posts per week for the next n weeks (value of n to be discovered).
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88 Wharf revisited
A little over a year ago, I wrote a post in which I speculated about whether 88 Wharf was going out of business. I had liked this Milton restaurant a lot back in 2009–2011, but by 2012 it had gone downhill…. Read More ›
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“Off-track geometry”
JD2718 is always worth reading. I used to know his real name, but I’ve lost track of it. No matter; he teaches geometry, studies cryptography, and just turned 50, so we know he’s a good guy. A few months ago… Read More ›
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Voynich
“A mysterious document that has bedeviled scholars and top cryptographers for more than a century,” says the Boston Globe. Is it written in code? Is it art? How old is it? Read the article for some tantalizing information — and lack of… Read More ›
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What do teachers do?
Must reading: The Teachers, by Sarah Blaine. Click on the link. Go read it before you get any further in this post…. … Finished? Read Blaine’s last paragraph again: The problem with teaching as a profession is that every single… Read More ›
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Why private schools are better than public schools…or are they?
Everyone knows that private schools are better than public schools, right? Of course that’s a gross generalization — for instance, no one would claim that a third-rate private school is better than Weston High School — but surely it’s true… Read More ›
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Don’t keep calm.
A refreshing change:
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The Outer Limits of Reason
Science and math can tell us everything there is to know about the universe, right? There must be people who believe that. If such people exist, they should definitely run out and read Noson Yanofsky’s new book, The Outer Limits of… Read More ›
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Yes, that's the problem.
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What works in education
It’s hard to know where to begin this post. Perhaps I should simply ask you to read “What works in education” by Grant Wiggins — including the comments. Wiggins discusses John Hattie’s extensive statistical studies that compare the effectiveness of… Read More ›
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William in a box
I guess William wants to be sent by Priority Mail.
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Bring Your Own Technology: A brief progress report
Six months ago I wrote a post about the “Bring Your Own Technology” initiative at Weston (BYOT). It’s time for an informal progress report (from my own point of view — which of course is objective and completely unbiased). On the… Read More ›
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Come to the Fair!
Come visit Weston’s Twelfth Annual Fractal Fair, which is being held on Valentine’s Day this year! That’s Friday, February 14, 10:05-12:15 in the Weston High School Library. The exhibits and presentations by 70 Honors Precalculus students (mostly juniors) will focus on… Read More ›
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Affluenza
I’m uncharacteristically speechless. As Dr. Boyce Watkins puts it, “Rich, white kids have ‘affluenza,’ poor, black kids go to prison.” Here’s the story: A wealthy teen who killed four people in a Texas drunk driving accident will not go to… Read More ›
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Jamaica Plain: No comment.
So I’m in the lobby outside Bella Luna Restaurant in the Brewery Small Business Complex in Jamaica Plain, looking at the bulletin board, and I spot the juxtaposition of these two notices on their community bulletin board. I’ve drawn blue… Read More ›
Learning Strategies 