Recent Posts - page 68

  • Thinking (back) about Trig?

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    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?

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    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?

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    “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 ›

  • τ > π.

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    Happy Tau Day! Argh, I was supposed to post this yesterday, of course. If you don’t know what tau (τ) is, I could just tell you that it’s C/r, which is approximately 6.28, hence 6/28 is Tau Day. But that… Read More ›

  • Cinquecento etc.

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    For the second year in a row, Barbara and I went to Cinquecento for our anniversary dinner. The high standards of food and service remain (even with a clearly inexperienced server). But I should have checked the review I wrote… Read More ›

  • Adieu, Weston

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    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

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    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 ›

  • Tolkien Exhibit

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    This certainly sounds like an exciting exhibit! Here’s a brief description: Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth explores Tolkien’s amazing legacy from his genius as an artist, poet, linguist, and author to his academic career and private life. The exhibition takes you on… Read More ›

  • Isaac Asimov: The Foundations of Science Fiction

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    Oddly, I had never read James Gunn’s work of literary criticism, titled Isaac Asimov: The Foundations of Science Fiction, before this week. I say “oddly” because Asimov had absolutely been one of my favorite science fiction authors ever since I was,… Read More ›

  • Five languages in five days?

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    “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 ›

  • William thinks he’s a hamburger.

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  • Famous alums Josh and Anne

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    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?

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    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!

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    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

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    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?

  • Progress

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    Time have changed! Remember John Silber? Here is a Facebook post from a few hours ago: And here are some excerpts from a letter John Silber sent out two decades ago: We have received a number of letters questioning the… Read More ›

  • Powerful K–12 art show at Weston

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    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 ›

  • What happened to the ceiling?

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    Came home to find that the ceiling in our den now looked like this:

  • Barbara’s ancestry

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    The day before yesterday, I reported the results of my DNA test to determine my ancestry. Barbara had her DNA tested at the same time. To the surprise of no one who knows us, her results were very different from… Read More ›

  • Godspell at Weston

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    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 ›