Real-World Problems

One of my jobs, the one for which I am certified and the one that is my calling, is Math Teacher. When I was offered a full-time position as a professional Data Jockey, I accepted for the salary (after doing the math, it was virtually impossible to say "no'), but I kept a part-time position as an online math teacher so I could still feel like I was performing my math mitzvah. Teacher discounts at office supply stores, craft stores (Michaels!), and J. Crew are just an added perk. Teachers: Here's a list of all the other teacher discounts that you didn't know existed: http://www.giftcardgranny.com/blog/the-complete-list-of-66-teacher-discounts/.

This year, I switched my Algebra 2 and Geometry classes to a Common Core curriculum. Much of the CC content is the same as our previous curriculum, but one major improvement is the quality of the written assignments. Our old curriculum had a single written assignment at the end of each unit, consisting of 20 five-point problems that were basically just straight computation tasks. The new CC problems, though, are far more interesting and teach valuable life lessons. Here are a few of my favorites: How to locate keys accidentally dropped off leaning towers in Pisa, Montreal, or Abu Dhabi; securing a sponsor and entering a sailboat race in San Francisco or Australia; how to make a 3-D printer profitable; calculating the largest TV that you can buy based on your car's trunk size; and being a crime scene investigator. Regarding that last one: No worries. The cow wasn't injured and the driver who swerved to miss her on Highway 2 passed a field sobriety test. Even if you aren't a math geek, you have to admit that these Real-World Problems are kind of fun, right? Right? At the very least, you must agree that they are more interesting and teach more relevant skills than "calculate the volume of a sphere with a circumference of 50π."

Written tasks can be a great way for students to demonstrate a plethora of skills and conceptual understanding...provided that the problems are well-written, engaging, and complex enough to justify a student's written explanation. I know my math teacher friends can attest to how difficult it is to actually create a good problem, so here are a couple of my own to help you out. Feel free to adapt and use them in your own classrooms/lives. Have fun!


1) MathMercy's firewood guy called her out of the blue to ask her out on a date. (Perhaps he felt guilty for delivering the firewood that she was carrying when she tripped and landed on her face back in December.) MathMercy remembered that he was a nice guy and she didn't have anything else going on that afternoon, so she agreed to coffee and a chat in the park. During their conversation, Firewood Guy mentioned that he came from a very tall family, and that at 6 feet 8 inches tall, he wasn't even the tallest. MathMercy comes from considerably shorter stock, and just happens to be the shortest in her short family, at only 5 feet 2 inches tall. Although she is used to being the shortest person in a group, she is pretty sure she has never met anyone quite that tall. She wonders what it would be like to always be looking down at people instead of looking up at them. a) How does MathMercy's height compare to Firewood Guy's height? b) How tall is someone who is proportionally shorter than MathMercy? c) MathMercy's neck is getting sore from looking up all the time, and she realizes that if she places a mirror in just the right spot between herself and Firewood Guy, they can hold a conversation by looking down at each other's reflection in the mirror. If the mirror is 5 feet 2 inches away from Firewood Guy, what must be the distance from the mirror to MathMercy? 

2) MathMercy has observed that the more of something she wants, the less she gets, and the less she wants, the more she gets. Identify the type of variation and sketch a graph demonstrating the relation.

I have created a different sort of problem for myself that I am, unfortunately, unable to convert to an equation and solve. Probably shouldn't say anything, but if I don't it will feel like I am harboring some sneaky activity that I shouldn't be messing with. I agreed to let my ex take my dog and me out to the park a couple of times. I thought it would be harmless if I stood my ground and gently but firmly kept it at a purely platonic, non-romantic level. Maybe we can just be friends, right? Wrong. He isn't ready and I'm not equipped to keep shutting him down. It's too much...I don't know...feeling about something I simply don't feel.

Just to complicate (or perhaps simplify?) things: I have been quite honestly telling the ex that I really just like first dates and that I have no desire to date anyone consistently. Then, I end up meeting someone that I am really looking forward to seeing again. Stupid universe! And that's enough about that. 

Secrets

I am now a member of a not-so-exclusive club, as my divorce became legally final yesterday. It has been over, dead, final, muerto, finito, erledict in my head for so long that Monday was really not that significant. However, it is nice to have the book completely closed.

About a month after he-whose-name-shall-not-be-spoken left me, a friend from high school posted an elegant, yet heartbreaking, status on Facebook announcing her separation/divorce. As soon as I read it, I sent her a private message thanking her for her bravery, as I was still trying to screw up the courage to make my own situation public. Today I was humbled to receive a private message that was virtually identical to the one I had sent a few months before. The sender told me that her husband had left and they were filing for divorce, and she thanked me for writing and sharing my experiences. As I wrote my reply, I started wondering: Why is it that we (women, in my experience, but probably the same for some men) feel we have to keep our separation a secret? I don't have the answers, just my own secrets to tell.

I sincerely enjoyed being a wife, and I thought I was pretty good at it. When my ex announced (pretty much out of the blue) that he didn't want to be married anymore, I felt like a failure. Shame crippled me for a long time. I felt I couldn't confide in anyone that knew both of us (like 120 mutual Facebook friends) because they would judge him or me, and I was still trying to protect him and the image I had of my perfect marriage. Honestly, it was a relief to find out that there was another woman. It helped me to separate myself from the situation long enough to finally get angry. Oh boy, did I get angry. I was furious, and it actually felt pretty great to just let myself go and yell and curse and kick stuff. It turns out processing divorce really does require you to go through all the stages of grief, and I was getting hung up on step 1 (Denial).

If you only know me from reading this blog, you might not know that I am a painfully shy and fiercely private person. I have no problem letting on that I'm happy, but allowing myself to feel and, certainly, to express anger/sadness/depression just isn't done. I believe that you can choose to be happy or not, and I choose to be happy. (Can you say Gemini?) Just slap on a smile, tell a joke, and wait for the shit to roll off your back. It usually works great, but it turns out that some stuff doesn't roll off, it just gets bottled up deep, deep down inside. Our divorce counselor (yeah, most couples go to counseling before one party decides to leave, and that's probably a better idea) gave me an assignment to contact at least one person every day, even if it was just to say hi. It was a challenge and I wasn't really able to do it every day (I just don't like to impose on people that much), but it was honestly REALLY good advice. It took a while for me to open up publicly, but I have been absolutely overwhelmed by the flood of love and support I've received since I started talking. One thing that I've learned through this process is that I have amazing friends and family members who have been waiting for me to open up to them; to ask for help or just tell them when I'm feeling blue. I don't think I would ever be able to do that last bit, but I don't need to. For the past couple months, I have genuinely been happier than I can remember being for a long time. Writing the blog as a public confessional has been pretty damn therapeutic for me. Tough, but therapeutic.

I guess what I'm trying to say is this: Don't keep too many secrets, especially from yourself. You are not alone. Don't feel guilty or ashamed. Let yourself get angry. Reach out to people. You don't have to pour out your soul, but call up a friend that you haven't seen for a long time and ask her out to lunch. Call up a different friend tomorrow. It will get easier. There will come a day when you wake up with nothing but joy in your heart. Embrace it. Confess the dark secrets and keep the delicious ones. I have a couple secrets that make me smile. Those are the ones worth holding on to, really.

Sorry for the downer post. Here's something lighter:

According to this ad from Facebook, there is but one startling secret preventing me from having millionaires begging (BEGGING!) to marry me. What's that you say? Just ONE startling secret stands between me and my lifelong dream of being a gold digger?! Oh wow. Just let me grab a pencil so I can take notes. Whew, the sarcasm is getting thick over here.

I'll end with this because I know the song is already stuck in your head. You are welcome.