Bye, Bye, Bye

Today is my last day at Whimoon Middle School. It would have been awesome if they had switched Monday's Sports Day with today's Speech Contest, but whattaya gonna do? I'm just glad that my last day happened to be on a Friday instead of a dreaded and awkward Monday.

I've been saying goodbyes to my classes one surprise at a time with lots of mixed reactions from students. Indifference. Anger. Sadness. Joy? Yesterday, I had one student come up to hug me with a bunch of students lining up behind him to shake my hand. I think the box of candy I was holding might have had something to do with that though. But I was really moved when an older student came by my room after school to apologize for his bad attitude and behavior for the past couple of years. A very humble gesture from a very arrogant adolescent. I never saw that coming.

As I went to my last rush hour subway this morning, I reminisced on many of the good times I had at this school. I definitely won't miss certain classes or the writing assessments I had to grade every semester, and I most certainly will not miss my subway adversaries like Mr. Sneeze and Mr. Phlegm. But like a nightmare come true, guess who just happened to want to say goodbye on my last commute to work?

Freaking nasty Mr. Phlegm. :(

Thought of the Day: 10x-20>180

The Beauty of Mount Math

"She said there was comfort to be found in the permanence of mathematical truths, in the lack of arbitrariness and the absence of ambiguity. In knowing that the answers may be elusive, but they could be found. They were there, waiting, chalk scribbles away."

-Pari, And the Mountains Echoed

I just finished going through my entire geometry book that took me exactly one whole month after borrowing it from a former student of mine. I've always had trouble explaining to people why I like math even though I'm not good at it. But I think Pari has come the closest to describing something I feel when I look at the uniformity of all the numbers and formulas that are universally true. It all just "makes sense" even when we don't understand every proof or theorem. But it's especially beautiful when we do understand the concepts presented to us. I hope I can become a great math teacher some day.

Thought of the Day: G2

Song of the Day: Far East Movement-Like A G6

Mount Math

I've been on vacation, but I don't even know what that means anymore. I dream of math problems in my sleep and daydream when I'm awake. I think I'm going nuts here.

I hope grad school is not overrated.

Thought of the Day: 명량
Song of the Day: Lesley Gore-It's My Party