Beyond the Classroom

Today as most days, I heard those words that I hear so often as a math teacher, “What are we ever going to use this for?”  And I usually give the truth, that in fact that are some of you who will use this in your lives, but that most of you will never use this material again after this course.  Now another truth is that if you do understand concepts of mathematics fully, you can have a better understanding of science, business, money, and the world around them, but sadly most will not attempt to explore mathematical concepts further.  I have come to accept this truth, even though it does not make me happy. 

But mathematics is a large part of even more important skills, those of logical thinking and problem solving.  These are the most important skills in the 21^st century marketplace.  These skills drive innovation and invention and are skills every person should aspire to have.  In most jobs that require a college degree, you will be put in situations where you will be presented with a problem and you will have to draw on prior knowledge, and think outside the box to create possible, reasonable, and intelligent solutions. 

It should be a goal of everyone to think more logically.  It can help you in making just about every decision you encounter each and every day.  A fairly new branch of mathematics, called game theory, has been analyzing data to apply to decisions in business, economics, war, politics, and everyday life.  It is amazing how many situations can be approached with a mathematical and logical approach.   So while you may never need to know how to multiply matrices again, there is a good chance the skills you used to multiply those matrices can be drawn upon later in life. 

Tough Mudder Blow by Blow (with pics)

Sorry but this is really long. 

So ran this with my brother this morning. Was really crazy, way harder than I had even expected.




It was in the Poconos at some ski resort and my brother lives closer to there than me so me and the lady headed there after I got done with work yesterday. They did a fantastic job running it. Remarkably efficient. Quick check in, and they staggered the start times so 500 people started every 20 minutes between 9 and 12. We got the 10:20 start. We get into the parking garage at around 9 and I am starting to get a little nervous, I really am not sure exactly what to expect.

Some pictures at the start









so we saunter towards the start at around 10. The start is in the middle of the ski slope





for some reason no good pics of the start but this was essentially one of the first hills (above). So we started in the middle of the a ski slope (snow was on still) and we started going down. Immediately running through mud so a start of things to come. A quick turn around and then up the ski slope. Started trying to run it but shit was way too steep. Was crazy difficult just walking and trying to keep your footing. So I see the one mile marker (whole way was essentially straight up and think the hill is done, but fuck no I turn a corner and about a half mile more up, with snow to boot.

 

legs are already throbbing, and they said it was 10 miles so 8.5 to go, damn this shit is already wayyyy harder than I thought, thank goodness the hills are over with. we jog on some flat land for about 5 minutes thena little downhill to then dive headfirst into to a GIANT slip and slide. This was a huge slip and slide and was really awesome. What a blast and we ended in a big puddle of water. Getting out it wasn't that cold so I thought the water obstacles wouldn't be that bad.

We now go on about a two mile run through the woods, some up, some down but not too bad. Still somewhat recovering from the ski slope. Hit mile 3 still kinda cruising and then get to the "Berlin Walls". Essentially 3 pretty high walls with one foothold about a foot from the bottom. Helped a bunch of people up and then I got up the first one relatively easy. Messed up my hand a bit and the next two were sucessively higher. Needed help for those.

They only got pics of us at some obstacles so I will have to supplement from the Mudder FB page.

Walls



Now we run for a short bit and get to the "Boa Constrictor, essentially just Tunnels to crawl through.



These looked innocent enough, but as we get close we see that the tunnel is longer than thought and half full with water.

Get in and holy shit was it cold. Made me really not look forward to the water shit. So now my shoes are more soaked and I'm freezing. But we push on.

 

So we walk for a bit, dry out some and then its another run through the woods. A lot more hills here so I wasn't happy, and I'm still soaking wet. After about a mile to a mile and a half, we hit the next obstacle, which was a "Suprise Obstacle" It was called "The Blood Bath" Essentially you eat a habenero and then climb up a ladder and into a ice pool with red dye in it to look like blood. Thank goodness I didn't notice the habenero because my bro said he was feeling the effects of for another mile or two. The water was cold but it was quick in/quick out so while still soaked, we were able to get out quickly.

We next climb under a net up yet another damn hill. I almost wiped three or four times trying to go up because this was solid mud. I caught a few people who were about to do the same.

After I see that the next one is the big water one. You climb up a rope and then jump 15 feet into a freezing cold lake.



this is actually me about to hit the water



I hit the water (15 feet deep apparently) and go under quite a bit. When I come up, it is so freezing I start to feel my organs shutting down. I am freaking out a little and I dont freak out often. It is about an 80 yard swim and luckily there are a few medics floating in the water just in case. I am not doing well and it is really  hard to swim when you are wearing sneakers and you can barely breathe. Man I was really messed up here. I got better when a medic asked if I was ok and trying to ask tough I said I was even though I was far from it. Amazingly that calmed me. Luckily about 30 yards into the swim there was a fire hose, and I was able to grab on and pull myself to shore. Not sure what would have happened without that

A little bit of drying out and we think we are free of water for a bit, but the next one is another water obstacle. Essentially just chest high water and a bunch of planks that you have to go underwater to get under. Just when I was starting to dry a bit

I think this is me, not 100% though



Oh and the water is not done, next is a rope bridge, about 100 yards over the water. However with a bunch of people on the bridge at all times, it was taking forever for people to get over and they ended up up to their knees in water, so we followed some people who went on the end and just pulled ourselves across on the bottom rope across. It was still cold but being able to pull myself helps a ton

Now another 2 mile or so through the woods, of course, hilly as hell so I was dying, but at least by the end I dried out a bit.

So now we come up on the "Underwater Tunnels" Fuck more water. Essentially a big pool with some logs, and you went over than under. Not too bad but the last one you had to go underwater to get under the log.

Not me





A short jog and then another big wall. Everyone needed help for this one, was pretty tough. I stayed at the top and helped 5 or 6 people up. Of course with my tremendous upper body strength I was able to pull myself up

A half mile or so to the monkey bars, my brother was worried about this but i thought it would be pretty easy for me.



He falls almost instantly and I am still not worried. But I get about three bars and then completely slide off the bars into waist deep water and wade through for 10 feet or so. At least its still really cold

Next is crawling under the barbed wire through mud. Awesome pics here as my sis in law was right there, and got us both. Most seemed to go hands and knees and I started that way but cut my back on the wire so went army crawl. Here where it got especially messy.







Luckily the wonderful ladies had got us a glass of scotch to down after we got through the wire





Up a ~small hill and then down again, mostly snow here with some grooves so we slide down on our asses for awhile, hella fun

Next was the Firewalker challenge. More for show, but the flames were high and it was hot. No biggie, but sucked witht he smoke in mouth and ash in your eyes.



Next came the last of the big walls. It was called the "Evil Knievel" Really high and nearly impossible to get up without help. We helped a group of girls up and then some heavy guys, then another group of 3 girls. First one just said, "just grab my ass and push up". ALways nice to hear. Then I help my bro up and no dudes behind me. I take some time but get up to the point where I can grab his hand and get pulled up. We stay up top (platform on this one) and help another 5 or 6 up. Then slide down the other side (wood) on our ass. Ow.

We go up another ~small hill and then down. Down had snow and some grooves in it so we took some other lead and slid down on our ass. Was full of awesome. I couldn't stop and went past the snow into some more mud. Doesn't matter at this point though.

Then up another hill and down again. Then we have to grab a log and carry iit up and down another hill. Awesome. Hills really killed me. I grabbed a smaller log, as did the bro, but some were tougher than us.



A little bit of a jog and then we hit a cargo net. Easy up, but I had trouble pulling leg over, and got hella rope burn on the hands. See mile 10, and they said 10 miles at the start, damn liars.

Nice cruise down the hill



then we hit the hay bails to climb over, this was easy.

my bro is up top in blue, I am shortly behind him

Now a quarter mile jog to the thing that scared me most which was the last obstacle. It was pretty much about 70 live wires hanging down that had 10,000 volts running through them. Somewhere in the woods, a guy told us he got shocked last year and it hurt for two days, I was legitimately scared for this. Waiting to go, I hear a lot of OW CRAP from people and right as I am two from running through, I see a girl get shocked and then just bite it. My bro says Forget this and I hear him scream OW. I am right behind him and am beating the wires before they swing down and am happy about it. Right at the end, one comes down and stings me on the shoulder. I feel it course through my body and down to my toes. He has a nice scar, mine is tiny so he must have got it much worse than me.



After that it is a sprint through mud to the finish



Us finishing

Felt awesome to finish, grab some water, a banana and a beer. Beer tastes amazing. They also gave us a gay headband

Our legs at the end



Finished

Spirituality and You

           Now let me just preface this post by saying that I am not a religious person.  I just never really got into the religion thing, it may have been my heathen parents (just kidding guys) being of different religions and it may just be that is it just not part of what I believe.  But I do respect religion and to be honest sometimes I am jealous of those who have a universal belief in something that they believe is true and just.  I think it’s a really cool thing and just because it doesn’t match my particular belief system I do not begrudge it at all.  

           But for us sheep floating astray with nothing to keep our moral centers tied down I think it necessary for us to have something driving us in the right direction.  Early on it can be a parent, guardian, teacher or just a positive adult in your life teaching you right from wrong and trying to let you see the err of your ways, see both sides of the story, and to see people and things in a positive light.  But as you grow and develop as a person, the chimes of one or a few people have less impact on your life, you have cut the cord and you are a free adult, out to fend for yourself, and there is no mother or father or grandparent helping you make the tough decisions that will pave the road of your future.  Many turn to God, and He helps them find their way.  But what about the others of us?  What will keep us grounded and positive and moral?  I really do feel that we need something to keep us on the right path.  For me, in my mid-twenties I discovered exercise. 

           Now I had worked out plenty as a teenager, but then it was something I did, for football, for wrestling, for baseball, for boxing.  But in college, I gained a lot of weight and my weight still does fluctuate a good deal from month to month, week to week, and even day to day.  But I really have no better feeling then when I finish a hard workout, a difficult race, or reach a new milestone.  Now having run two marathons and just recently finishing my ninth half marathon, I recently signed up for a race called the “Tough Mudder” which is essentially a 10 mile obstacle course, in which I will have to run up ski slopes, wade through waist high mud, climb over walls and under barbed wire, and run through fire.  Now any sane person would ask why the heck would anyone want to do this?  But I am so excited for it, for a new challenge, for a new achievement. 

         Wonderfully, following a recent medical scare my brother has been alongside me for some recent races, and I really couldn’t be prouder of him.  He has lost in the neighborhood of 80 pounds, and in the process has extended his life, and now is able to be a better person, father, and husband.  It is worth repeating just how proud of him and amazed at his turnaround I am.   For me, the days I feel worst are the days I go without exercise,and  while some days I wake up and dread that 10 mile run, I feel so much better when I have finished it and would be down on myself and feel terrible if I decided to forego it.  In fact, immediately after I write this I will take my first “Mudder” training run in which I am going to run 2 miles to the local high school, run the stadium stairs for 30 minutes, and then run 2 miles home.  Oh and did I mention its pouring buckets outside.  But I couldn't think of anything I'd rather do on a Sunday morning before football starts.  So please for your own sake and the sake of those around you, find something that keeps you on the right path, keeps you thinking positive, and keeps you making good decisions that will benefit you and the people closest to you. 

Evolution

 One of the key things I strive for every year, every month, and even every day is to grow as a person.   I know it’s a dorky thing to say, but it’s something I truly strive for.  As individuals we go through many times in our lives that change us (hopefully for the better).  I have had a few such times in my life where I have “evolved”.  In high school I knew a lot of people, but I was still relatively shy and a good number of my friends were through my best friend Nick.  But in college, I really broke out of my shell in a big way and went through my “social evolution”.    I think it was a mix of independence, proximity, and meeting a big group of friends on pretty much my first day there.  It really was an amazing time in my life, and I think back of it very fondly on a regular basis. 

In the past 5 years, I have really experienced my “intellectual evolution”.  Maybe its partially been spurned on by becoming an educator, but I am really just trying to learn everything I can.  I read a ton and almost exclusively non-fiction.  There is really just so many interesting things going on in the world that it’s hard to really justify reading about something some random guy (or girl) just made up.  I always hated history in school and it was my worst subject, but there are really so many amazing accounts of the outstanding events in the history of our country and our world.  I feel that history is taught so much better in schools today and I am jealous that I never had some of the history teachers I have had the pleasure of working with.    I also love reading about human and animal psychology, sociology, sports, economics, cooking, fitness, and pretty much anything.  In short, knowing $h*t is awesome.  I mean the old adage “knowledge is power” might be a bit overstated, but knowledge certainly is powerful.  It feels great to be able to answer a question from a student about nearly any topic and not feel like I am reaching for answers out of my anus. 

In conclusion, self improvement and self reflection should be a part of the goals of everyone on a regular basis.  Try to hit some of these “personal evolutions” regardless of your age, intellect, or status.  It may be pretty hard for me, but we can always be better.  Better people, better sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, employees, students, and intellectuals.  Growth is the vessel of the self actualized. 

The Statistical Revolution

There are many things I love, but two things that stick out are sports and mathematics. Call me a dork (you wouldn’t be the first one) but one is my career, and the other has always been a passion of mine. When I was a kid, the math in sports was minimal, and I was calculating batting averages as early as 2nd or 3rd grade. That was about as far as it got. In baseball, all that anyone cared about were the big three, batting average, home runs, and RBI’s. In football, we had yardage, TD’s, sacks, and interceptions. In basketball, it was points, assists, and rebounds.


But behind the scenes, things were changing. This finally started getting revealed with Michael Lewis’ 2003 book, Moneyball, about the Oakland A’s General Manager Billy Beane who had started using statistical analysis more than scouts to evaluate players and draft minor leaguers. Since then statistical analysis has exploded in baseball, and the “new school” way of thinking is called sabermetrics. A few of the earlier stats have made their way into the mainstream baseball lexicon such as OPS and BABIP and there are dozens of others that look far more in depth than the basic statistics can even dream of. It is also starting to take off in other sports, such as basketball. Although it seems as if a lot of the advanced stats there are kept more close to the vest and not shared with the general public. Football has also been awaken, as we now have stats to measure all players, not just the efficiency of the “skill” positions. The guys at football outsiders have been using statistical analysis to predict games for the past few years and do remarkably better than the mainstream analysts.

So it would seem, that the best way to break into the sports world these days is not to work on your jump shot, hit the weight room, or practice your knuckleball, but to find new and exciting ways of using mathematics. The sports world has finally wisened up and realized that the eyes do often deceive us, and that objective evidence is a lot more valuable then subjective analysis and the opinions of people that are always rife with bias. So keep punching on those calculators and you too could be the next big thing in sports!

Change-up

So only about 5% of my students have twitter, so I just created a facebook "celebrity" type page and if my students "like it", then they will get my updates on facebook.  I think this might work better.  I will update in a bit when I get some feedback.

Social Media and the Modern Classroom

So September is here and the kids are bustling through the hallways once again.  I'm still in my early 30's, but the classroom of 2010 looks nothing like the classroom of my youth.  Yes there are still rows of desks, bulletin boards, and textbooks.  But now a smartboard is attached to the wall, a graphing calculator is attached to the projector, and my entire textbook is available online with some amazing interactive features.  But is this enough?  Are we really keeping up with the times in education?  The answer, unfortunately is often, no.  Many are set in their ways and embracing new things is difficult at any age. 

As any good teacher does, I am constantly evaluating myself.  At the end of each lesson, I keep a notebook of what can be done to improve or change each lesson for the following year.  At the end of each year, I look for ways to add to my "toolbox" of pedagogical strategies to better serve my students.  After a lot of great reading and some interesting talks with colleagues, I have decided to try to incorporate social media into my curriculum. 

It is an ADD society we live in and its students are constantly being pulled in a million different directions.  Between school, parents, sports, clubs, work, television, and the internet students are often multitasking and Mr. Waldstein's math homework is unfortunately going to be way down on the list of priorities.  However, if we as teachers can enter that digital network with them, the material being taught can actually relate and fit in with their daily lives.  Crazy Thought!

However, this idea is not without some major problems.  Most schools (including my own) have filters that block facebook/twitter/myspace/etc making it difficult to make it a prominent part of any lesson.   Facebook seems to be the site prominently used by my students so I was thinking of making a profile for homework assignments, educational links, and classroom calenders.  However, facebook is a little too personal and I dont want to exchange pictures and hear about their personal thoughts.  So I havedecided to get my feet wet in this endeavor with a twitter account.  It is quick, to the point, and more impersonal.  I dont see any need to ever use more than 140 characters to get my point across. 

So I just created a twitter account for my teacher alter-ego, and am going to encourage my students to "follow" me.  I will send tweet homework assignments, test-reminders, links to educational and ~educational stories that I think they will find interesting.  This will be my starting point and I hope to expand this use in the upcoming weeks, months, and years. 


Some awesome ideas that I have read about from other teachers of all subjects
*Create a facebook page about your favorite literary character. 
*Field trips using Skype (You dont even have to leave the room!)
* Create a new iphone/droid/insert phone here ap related to the educational topic
* tweet famous speeches or conversations (it's the modern way to paraphrase)

It can also be used for extra collaboration between students, teachers, and parents; speaking to other educators and sharing ideas, create groups, and hundreds of other possible uses.  I look forward to delving into this new pool of possibilities and excited for the positive impact I think it can have on my students.