“A penny for your thoughts.” Does anyone say that anymore? Probably not. Part of being retired is that I get to do more sitting and thinking than usual. (“Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits,” to quote… Read More ›
Weston
Wear Red for Ed
Today would be our first day back. Although I am no longer in the classroom, I still Wear Red for Ed to support public education.
Weston alum blogs about Ireland and Tanzania.
Take a look at Studying abroad in Ireland and Tanzania, a wonderful travel blog by Weston alum Izzi Lambrecht, currently a rising senior at Holy Cross. For example, read her recent essay “Soooo How Much Agency Do We Have? Pondering in… Read More ›
Thinking (back) about Trig?
Why did somebody recommend to me a blog called A Portrait of a Math Teacher as an Aging Man? Are they trying to tell me something? I’m not sure that I should be thrilled about that 😀. Nevertheless, the recommended blog… Read More ›
Why do Asian-Americans excel at math?
Stereotypes, data, statistics, racism, tiger moms… what is this issue really about? Unless you want to be an ostrich and hide your head in the sand — hoping that the assumption behind this question is untrue — you really need… Read More ›
APs for all?
“Who am I to tell a student you can’t be in honors or AP?” said a guidance counselor at New Mission High School (a charter school in Boston) in a fascinating WGBH report. The gist of the report, titled “The… Read More ›
Adieu, Weston
Cliché Central calling: “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” Yes, it’s a cliché, but it makes a point. Over the last couple of weeks, people kept asking me how I felt (not my favorite question,… Read More ›
Egyptian Hieroglyphics
Just completed the second week of Weston High School’s June Academy, in which I taught a course on Egyptian Hieroglyphics. In the photo below you can see two posters that showcase some of the students’ work, including carefully drawn name… Read More ›
Five languages in five days?
“Five languages in five days” is the name of the four-day course I have just finished teaching. Yes, you heard me: despite the name, it’s a four-day course. So which is it, five days or four? Let’s see what Lewis… Read More ›
Famous alums Josh and Anne
While clearing out my personal belongings from my office and my classroom (it’s amazing how much stuff one can accumulate in 21 years) I came across a copy of The Scarlet Letter that some miscreant had abandoned in our office. (That’s the… Read More ›
How do you get teachers to smile?
Do you smile when taking or grading final exams? Not likely. Those are two different activities, of course: when you take a final, at least it’s over in two hours, but grading dozens of them can get… well… tedious at… Read More ›
We have a winner!
Congratulations to Weston sophomore Andrew Yao! Andrew has achieved the rare distinction of being a winner of the American Math Competition — one of only two underclassmen nationwide to reach this exalted rank (and one of only 12 students altogether,… Read More ›
Problem solved
While cleaning out my desk, I came across this copy of our high school newsletter from 14 years ago. Notice the headline on the lead article. Fortunately, that problem has been solved. Right?
Powerful K–12 art show at Weston
You have one more week to see the powerful art show by Weston K–12 students. (If you click on that link, you may need to wait a minute for all the images to render.) I particularly want to single out the… Read More ›
Godspell at Weston
Go see tonight’s performance of Godspell at Weston High School! The Theater Company really outdid itself in this terrific ensemble-based production of the famous musical. As I’m sure you know, gentle reader, Godspell is superficially the story of the time before and immediately after… Read More ›
New England Math Championships
Please congratulate the Weston High School Math Team for their outstanding performance at yesterday’s playoffs for the New England Medium-Size Schools Championship: After a close-fought contest, Weston is now #1 in all of New England! It was all very much… Read More ›
Campaign posters
Randomly chosen campaign posters for candidates for class officer positions as seen on the walls of Weston High School this morning (identifying images have been deliberately blurred to protect student privacy):
State Math Champions!
Congratulations to the Weston High School Math Team for their extraordinary performance yesterday in the medium-sized high schools’ playoffs for the Massachusetts state math championship! Weston finished #1 among all the medium-sized schools in all the state math leagues, and far… Read More ›
Finally… the 16th Annual Fractal Fair
Our plans for the 16th annual Fractal Fair at Weston High School looked good. All was supposed to go smoothly, just as the previous 15 fairs had. Why not, after all? But the weather did… Read More ›
Bach’s Big Birthday Bash
I’d like to give a well-deserved shout-out to my students Laura and Thea for their excellent performance at yesterday’s Boston Bach Birthday Bash celebrating J.S. Bach’s 333rd birthday! Yes, it’s a few days early for Bach’s actual birthday, but that’s… Read More ›
Learning Strategies 