Saturday 07 February 2004
Today was my birthday. I had a good day and another good week.
During the week I've had the chance to write more of my algebra text. I've been going through a handful of other texts I've accumulated over the years I've taught. It's funny, but I seem to be taking things in an order completely different from them all. The things with which my students have had the most difficulty in the past are being hit hard and heavy early... functions and graphing in chapter two... forms of equations of lines in chapter three. Examples are from real-life experiences of when I've used algebra in the past. I can see that the only way it will ever be published is to write a companion pre-algebra text for seventh grade, covering things I expect my kids to know at the start of algebra... using proportions, fractions, and negative numbers. Still, at the staff meeting this Wednesday, Jody spoke a quiet aside to me suggesting I search the web for possible grant money available for my undertaking.
Over the past week I've shared a little of my past with a couple other teachers at school. I suppose I'm sowing those seeds I wrote about Monday.
Thursday night I made some cupcakes to take to school Friday to share with the staff in celebrating my birthday. I wasn't able to carry out my plan, though, as we had a snow day. From Thursday night into Friday afternoon we got eight inches of snow and the drifting made for hazardous driving. I walked to school anyway, leaving the treats for Monday instead. While there, I updated my home page for February and sent email to each of my former students who'd replied to my "anniversary" email a few weeks ago... just shy of twenty of them.
It struck me a little strange when thinking of my current students (the oldest of whom is 15), how different the level of communication is with my former students as I wrote them. Each of the kids I wrote was between 17 and 19 years old, each of whom I see as young adults. If I were to meet with any of those I'd written, I would gladly hug them with the ease of an old friend. Conversation would range any topic, and I dare say nothing of ourselves would be off-limits or hidden. I feel as close to these young people as anyone I know.
After writing them, I took a moment on my way home to realize the scope of that statement. I haven't talked to Suzanne in a month, haven't talked with my oldest friend Maggie in nearly a year, and so on. I'm unsure into what I'm evolving, but as certain as the sun will rise tomorrow, some change is indeed taking place.
I talked with Mom, Dad, Kevin, and Lori today, each wishing me a happy birthday. Yesterday afternoon I took a city bus up to Appleton and met Catherine at the mall. We had supper there, bought her some new books, played in the arcade together, then took the bus back home for the weekend. We're to reboard a bus to the mall tomorrow afternoon where her mom will pick her up.
