Math 30-1 Diploma Exam

In January, my grade 12 math students wrote their diploma exam, a provincial requirement and a university placement helper. They did superbly! I have to brag a little since I had a class of 24 with wide ranging skills and because of a schoolwide scheduling change 15% less instructional time to deliver the course than … [Read more…]

Zaakistan 2013

January Sick Day. Snow Day. Gaming weekend in Canmore. Concerts: Living with Lions, Whitehorse. Semester 1 ends: Math 10C, Math 20-2, Multi-Media February Dragonfly Cohousing Social Media Blitz. Man Scouts Beer Tasting. Demitor Visit in Edmonton. Peter turned 80 in High River. Semester 2 begins: Calculus, Math 30-2, Multi-Media.  March Mother-in-law visit. Turned 37. Fundraising … [Read more…]

K-12 Unsolved Math Conference

In November, I attended a math conference with another 24 people at the Banff International Research Station for a weekend. The conference was organized by my friend Dr. Gordon Hamilton of MathPickle.com fame (visit his site for more info on the conference). It was meant to discuss and identify 13 unsolvable math problems that could … [Read more…]

A Personal Update: Zaak aged 37 and 1/4

I’m involved in a lot of stuff. A lot. So I haven’t been a mental state to articulate thoughts on my experiences in Africa, recent beer tasting, cohousing activities, educational philosophy, political musings, musical tastes, and Christian thought. At least not on this blog. I have been in conversation about all of these things on … [Read more…]

Educational Measurement

The top number is the class average of the course work (assignments/quizzes/tests) of my calculus class. The bottom number is the class average of the final exam. As a teacher, besides ensuring that my students are receiving the best instruction I can provide, the thing I worry about most is whether I am assessing their … [Read more…]

Saga: Man vs. Toilet

November: Amber alerted me to a pool of water in our family bathroom (we have 1 1/2 other bathrooms). The leak appeared to come from the toilet and it was a substantial pool of water, so action had to be taken. Amber mopped up the water and I turned off the water supply. Not wanting … [Read more…]

Mailbox Treat

I found this in my school mailbox. Someone evidently found this in the photocopier and thought the would return it to me.