Passing it forward--

Some 43 years ago, when I was about your age, my father who used to travel a lot, wrote me a letter enclosing a small article clipped from a magazine. In that letter, he wished for me a life of purpose and joy. He shared with me the clipping which described such a life and quoted George Bernard Shaw whose words you can read above.

I carried that article with me for years; unfortunately, somewhere in the many moves, it was lost. But not the thought and the power of those words. They have become a part of who I am. I know that my career as a teacher, and the mentoring I do now for teachers seeking National Board Certification are but "drops in the ocean" in this often violent, globalized world of ours but my life has been filled with joy, happiness and love.

I'm sure that my father writing and sharing those thoughts adds to their meaning for me, especially now that Alzheimer's prevents him from recalling what occurred. But his belief in me, in mankind in general, shaped my world. I'm passing that forward --my belief in you, my belief in mankind, and my wish that you find the real joy in life!

Wishing you success ahead!

I am thinking that these days each of you, your family, and your friends are looking to your future and wishing you success. I'd like to do that too!! To wish for you all that Emerson describes-- Would this meaning of success be one you'd be willing to adopt?

Two roads diverged in a wood---

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

This has always been one of my favorites as I've found myself faced with those "two roads diverged" so many times in my life. I'm thinking you may now be viewing "two roads diverged" now as you are about to graduate and I know you will be many other times in your lives.

My choosing ( It wasn't necessarily an easy choice.) Earlham College was one of those times I "took the road less traveled" and it has made "all the difference" in my life. My years at Earlham have had a profound impact on who I am today, how I see the world, and what I believe.

Have you taken/will you be taking a road "less traveled by" and has it/will it made/make "all the difference"? Or does it matter?

Congratulations-- What's next?

Congratulations on completing your AP Calculus exam!! That is quite an accomplishment!!! When you look back on the process, did you surprise yourself? Did you take some time to celebrate?

After celebrating, was your first thought "What's next?"

What will be the next immediate challenge? Isn't that the incredible part of living? That once you complete one challenge, another awaits. More hard work, more frustration, more hard work, always something.

Below is one of my favorite quotes (when I was teaching, we began each class with a quote; often ones that my students suggested; we felt each one captured something essential about living and life) ; Ara shared some of hers and since I've lived my life by a quote as you'll find in a future posting, I'll continue with this one here:

"Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb." --Sir Winston Churchill

Your climb has just begun! Your AP exam was one great step!! What's next?

Kakuro Sunday

'A Kakuro consists of a playing area of filled and empty cells similar to a crossword puzzle. Some black cells contain a diagonal slash from top left to bottom right with numbers in them, called “the clues”. A number in the top right corner relates to an “across” clue and one in the bottom left a “down” clue.

The object of a Kakuro is to insert digits from 1-9 into the white cells to total the clue associated with it. However no digit can be duplicated in an entry. For example the total 6 you could have 1 & 5, 2 & 4 but not 3 & 3. Sound simple? Be warned it gets hard and is as addictive as Sudoku.'

Click here for more Kakuros.

(Thanks again to Think Again!)

Running Up That Hill

Take a look at this:



You're not the only ones using our blog to get ready for tomorrow. ;-)

If you're an AP Calculus student reading this now ... go to bed! You've got to be ready for tomorrow. Your brain is an organ; take good care of it. It needs sleep, a good breakfast tomorrow (like cheese, fruit, eggs and juice) and lots of water. Don't forget to do some exercise when they give you breaks so you can get the blood from your bottom into your brain. ;-)

Lastly, remember that luck has nothing to do with it. It's all about doing your best ... Learn Hard!

Answers to Mini-Exam #6

(1) D
(2) D
(3) A
(4) B
(5) A

free response question

(a) Because g is the derivative of the function ƒ, ƒ will attain a relative minimum at ta point where g=0 and where g is negative to the left of that point and positive to the right of it. This occurs at x=6.

(b) Bcause g is the derivative of the function ƒ, ƒ will attain a relative amximum at a point where g=0 and where g is positive to the left of that point and negative to the right of it. This occurs at x=3.

(c) We are trying to find the area between the graph and the x-axis from x=-3 to x=6. From x=-3 to x=3, the region is a semicircle of radius 3, so the area is 9π/2.
From x=3 to x=6, the region is a semicircle of radius 3/2, so the area is 9π/8.
We substract the latter region from the former to obtain: (9π/2) - (9π/8) = (27π/8)

(d) Because ƒ''(x) = g'(x), we are looking for points where the derivative of g is zero. This occurs at the horizontal tangent lines at x=0, x=4.5, and x=7.5.

Just do it!!!!

On the day that I was to take my "big" test, I was just about to leave for the testing center when I asked my husband to wish me luck. "No," he said, "I won't do that." I was crestfallen. I felt like I needed one last boost before the "big" one.

Then he continued, "You don't need luck. You're smart. You're prepared. You're good. I believe in you. Go out there and just do it!!!! I'll be here when you get back."

It's time for me to pass that forward to you! You don't need luck. You're smart. You're good. You're well prepared (thanks to your hard work and Mr. K). I believe in you. Go out there and just do it!!!!