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I hope you never have to go to court. But if you do, you’ll appreciate folks like Amanda Tuttle, who is completely dedicated to accuracy and details. As a judicial assistant, her main responsibility is to keep court records, including video and audio recordings. And that takes a little bit of basic math. 

Can you explain what you do for a living? 

I have been in this role for five years, and I keep the court records of all court proceedings by video and audio.  In addition, I run the equipment. I also hold evidence during trials, and I am responsible for transferring that evidence to the property room once the trial or case is complete. I do a lot of data entry.  This entails typing to file for public record and mailing notices as well as orders and entries to individuals and/or attorneys. 

When do you use basic math in your job?

The only basic math I use is telling time and reading the times in my video log to find a portion of a court hearing. [Editor’s Note: This is not as simple as it sounds, since time is in base 60, while we’re used to managing numbers in base 10.]

Do you use any technology (like calculators or computers) to help with this math?

The technology used for this math is on the computer.  However, I do not use it as an aide to read the time.

How do you think math helps you do your job better?

Being able to read time helps me do my job better because I can easily tell time to look for specific portions of the record. I have to do this in order to provide a copy to the judge to make a ruling or to provide a copy to the transcribing company.

How comfortable with math do you feel?

I feel comfortable with basic math. This math does not feel different to me, because I learned how to tell time in early childhood and use it everyday.

 What kind of math did you take in high school?

I took algebra and geometry in high school. I liked algebra, and I did feel like I was good at it. I actually enjoyed it. However, I did not like geometry and was not very good at it.

Are you intrigued by the role of judicial assistant?  I found it interesting to hear about what goes on behind the scenes.  Any questions for Amanda…let me know!

My daughter just bought a hot-pink slap watch. She thinks it’s cool because it’s a slap watch, that’s pink–with tiny Diamonique stones encircling the face.

I think it’s cool because it’s not digital.

Like most middle school kids, my daughter is not so good at reading an analog clock. In fact she resists it like crazy. But today, as I sit in the Philadelphia airport waiting for my 5:55 pm flight to Seattle, I’m thinking about how useful her new watch will be.

Read the rest of my guest post at www.TravelSavvyMom.com.  Then share your opinions on digital vs. analog clocks. Which one helps you calculate time fastest?