President's Message - September 2009

Refreshed and renewed

BEVERLY FARAHANI

farahanib@limestone.on.ca

I hope that everyone enjoyed their summer. I used my time to physically and mentally rejuvenate, get caught up on some reading, and do some professional development. I also found some factoid that might cause some interest in my math classes. I discovered that the biggest prime number in a song is 8675309. Some of you may remember it as the song "Jenny" by Tommy Tutone. At the time, the person with that phone number would get many calls asking to speak with Jenny! They couldn't get rid of the number fast enough. This year a DJ from New Jersey paid $186853 (not a prime number!) US to own the number! When you share this information with your class, don't be surprised when a colleague, who doesn't teach math, asks if this is true.

Some of you will have had the opportunity to attend Math CAMPPP or some other summer PD. The ideas that you are exposed to and the people you meet will impact what you do in your classroom this year and change how you approach some topics.

While participating in summer PD, I often reflect on how students might feel in my class. It can be overwhelming, when being introduced to something for the first time or looking at an idea or concept that has proven difficult in the past. The presenter is eager but the participant might be approaching the activity with some trepidation. As the session progresses, the participant feels more comfortable. This could be mirrored in the classroom. During your lesson, your excitement and enthusiasm is infectious but the student may feel overwhelmed or out of their comfort zone. Hopefully, your students, too, will begin to have more confidence in their ability and move forward on their journey through mathematics.

As I write this, it is very early on in my summer vacation, and I have embarked on two new summer readings, Descartes' Bones and Einstein (His Life and Universe). Both were recommended to me by two different colleagues - one who teaches math and the other philosophy. (I'll leave it the reader to decide who suggested which book.)

I hope you find yourself strengthened by your summer activities and have found new energy to inspire our future leaders.

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