Welcome to the first edition of Ask a Math Teacher, which will feature real, live math questions from real, live people. How often will I do this? As often as I can. What kinds of questions can you expect? Whatever people ask. If
When it comes to basic calculations, kids can benefit from knowing math facts cold. When the arithmetic is simple, we can focus on more complex concepts. That’s one reason your children are encouraged to memorize their multiplication tables. But over
Last week, I shared some unpopular opinions about homework. Mostly, here and on Facebook, people disagreed with me that three hours of meaningful homework was not too much. And looking back at that statement — which wasn’t exactly what I said — I
Last week, I heard from many friends and colleagues about Karl Taro Greenwood’s Atlantic.com piece, “My Daughter’s Homework Is Killing Me.” “Amen!” “I could have written this!” “When are teachers going to learn that they’re piling on way too much???” It
Last Friday, my family adopted a sweet, little poodle puppy, named Zipper. The foster mother, Sally, had brought him from a Mexico shelter to her own home in Silver Springs, Md. During the home visit on Friday, we talked about
Behind every author is a great editor. And I was dang lucky to have Jennifer Lawler as my editor for Math for Grownups. What I didn’t know was that I’d helped her out, too. Who says English majors can’t do math? Here’s her story: A
I’ve been talking with grownups about math for more than three years now. Parents, 20-somethings, writers, DIYers, seniors… they all have something in common: a piss-poor relationship with math. This bad attitude is probably your fault. The stories I hear
No. I do not have cancer. But in April and May and June of this year, I thought I might. So that’s the answer to the question in my headline. I’ve been taking a break while I deal with the
Raise your hand if you’re trying to get in shape for swimsuit season or a wedding? (I’m raising my hand!) May is prime time for folks to either get more serious about fitness or fall off the wagon. But fitness
It’s been a long while since I’ve posted a new Math at Work Monday interview. But this feature remains one of the most popular here at Math for Grownups. Perhaps that’s because teachers and parents like to prove to their
Not all of us are parents or teachers, but I’ve long asserted that education is a “public good,” something that each and every one of us should be very, very concerned with. When kids don’t graduate or graduate with poor
Math shares its awareness month with another mission that is very near and dear to my heart: It is also Organ Donor Awareness Month. When I found that out earlier this week, I thought I’d indulge myself a bit and spend