This week's Student of the Week is William H (he's the one in the middle. No wait, he's on the left. So hard to tell. Is that him on the right? Why do these people all look the same?).
William is one of those inspiring / nauseating people for whom life seems effortless. This guy is good at... everything! Academics? Check! Athletics? Check! Social graces? Check! Sense of Humour? Yes! Good Looks? That picture doesn't lie (he IS the guy on the left) Fashion Sense? Hmmm. Not so sure about that tie. I think I've found his weakness!! (hahaha) Much like last week's S.O.W. (your reign is over Sara M!), William never seemed to be working particularly hard in my class. And yet, he always performed VERY well on every sort of assessment I threw his way. He was (and still is, I'm sure) a strong Math student. William has a very understated presence. He's not the type to yell and scream to get attention. But when he does speak, what he has to say is often very funny. Or very intelligent. Or very insightful. He's a thoughtful guy. Sometimes he gets this grin on his face (similar to the one in the photo) when you're talking to him and you get this sense that he's not telling you the WHOLE story. Like he knows a little more than he wants to share. So what has William been up to since graduating in 2012? And what's his longterm plan? In his own words: "Since my last days at King George, I began to focus strongly on my career as a musician. I began touring heavily with my band, Childsplay. We have gone on 5 tours within Canada over the past 3 years. Playing shows as far away as Toronto, Ontario, And opening for Canadian punk legends such as 'D.O.A,', and 'Dayglow Abortions'. We have spent this last summer in the studio recording a new album to be released in the new year! We've also started a music education organization based around careers in the music industry as well as being a 21st century musician. I conduct a workshop and we put on a concert featuring all of the above for anyone that'll pay for it. (music academies, highschool music programs etc.) Now, after [a trip to Australia in] 2015, I will begin a career in aviation as a helicopter pilot. Studying at BCIT or in the Canadian Navy in Comox BC to fly search and rescue (still undecided). You know those old Sea King helicopters which keep crashing into the ocean? I'd fly those. I don't mind getting a bit wet." There's that understated sense of humour I was talking about!! Love your plan William! Love how you are taking time to follow a passion (the music) and I love the way you live your life (adventure, travel, fitness, etc). I wish you all the best with all your many interests. Hey, I've never actually been in a helicopter so maybe one day...? (I'm a really good swimmer) You can still fill it out if you haven't yet! For example, NIKOLINA!! https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FXGKM97
And the single WORST comment.
I agree with some of this - but not all! I'd be interested to know what YOU think about this.
There are two obvious reasons why, each year, we are slipping in our ability to do math. The first reason is that we live in a "mathless" society. For most of us the ability to read and write at a high school level is imperative to our work. Many of us read for pleasure. Math is probably not a prerequisite to you obtaining your job. There are five strands of math taught in Ontario. They are: •number sense •measurement •data measurement and probability •patterns and algebra •and geometry and spatial sense. Think about it: How much geometry have you done this year or since you left school? Beyond Grade 3 arithmetic, I am going to guess you haven't done a significant amount of algebra, or problems that involve spatial sense, for that matter. The cashier doesn't do complicated math. The bank tellers have all their tallies, except for basic counting, done for them. Financial advisers have complex calculators where numbers are entered into formulas that do all the work. It is similar with most other occupations. We don't do math for pleasure. We don't do math for fun. What we do for pleasure and fun is "communicate" on social media. Malcolm Gladwell points out in his book "Outliers" that Chinese farmers, as a matter of survival, have a history of using math on a regular basis. It was necessary in order to maximize the production of rice. They became superior mathematicians. Whereas western farmers, who had a great deal more land, never had the need to maximize per acre production and as a result never developed a need for math. Their math skills remained wanting. If we have no reason to do math, then how can we get good at it? The second reason why our math marks are declining is attitude. Many times the attitude of the students mirrors those around them — parents, older siblings, neighbours and friends. Chances are you dislike math and your partner does as well. People are not embarrassed to say they are not good at math, but no one is willing to say, "I'm no good at readin' and writin'." Students, especially girls, come to math class, in many cases, already in a poor position with regards to achieving success due to the negative outlook of those around them. What is the next number in this sequence? And WHY?
92, 74, 46, 22, 18, ... Chocolate /candy / apples / dates for whoever can solve this for me. Thanks! My wonderful Foundations 11 class has learned how to play cribbage over the past few weeks! And - for the most part - they seem to like it! So those of you who are suffering in PreCalculus 11 should have listened when I told you... "Foundations 11 is a great course"! Cribbage-MVP Marla in the foreground. Ali still figuring out that he should only have 6 cards at the most. Petar looking... uh... intense. Toji and Ted showing us their hands (keep 'em hidden boys!!). Lucas trying to pretend he isn't having LOTS of fun. Braque looking at Marla's hand (cheater!!). Martha looking relaxed (VERY relaxed). Nella laughing at Martha. Marcella laughing at Nella. Natasha hiding (not laughing at all).
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