It’s hard to say when I discovered that I loved math because I always loved math.
But I think that one of the earliest times when I started seeing the possibilities in math was
in Mr. Montanio’s first grade class when we did something called Motor Math. We would put squares of carpet samples all over the gymnasium floor and move them around in groups of, say, five or ten. That was when I discovered that we can use math to describe things specifically. How else can we describe 10 squares of carpet samples? Two stacks of five. Five short stacks of two. One tall stack of 10.
Math helps us describe things. How much does a toy cost? How many movie tickets are
left on my gift card? How many days until the weekend? How much time will it take to do
my homework? How long until summer? How many miles to go until we reach Sea World?
What is our strategy for winning the football game, field goal or touch down?
I think I might have been the only kid in class who loved word problems because it helped
me see how I could make the real world work for me. For most kids in my class, math was an abstract, but it came alive for me when I could use it to choose which dream to chase.
I was never interested in math as an abstract. I wanted to know about math and
its possibilities. Five wasn’t just 5. To me, 5 was five quarters. It was $1.25. It was five
days in the school week. Four wasn’t just 4. It was 4 quarter notes, or two half-notes, in music when I was learning to play the piano. Three quarter notes would mean that I would
be playing a waltz.
And then I saw how math helps us choose our dreams. The dreams we pick are important and math helps us choose which dreams we’re going to commit to. We can’t chase all our dreams. But when we translate our dreams into math, we can see which dreams stand the best chance of coming true and how much time and resources we will need to make those dreams a reality. And for me, when math translated my dreams into reality, they
came out as businesses.
I had my first business when I was 12 or 13. It was during the nitrate scare and I raised pigs that were fed all natural feed. I put an ad in the local newspaper to sell my pigs. My Dad and I came up with the headline: GO HOG WILD! Here was the magic profit formula: 3 months, three weeks, 3 days. That is the gestation period of pigs. So knowing that, I knew how many pigs (piglets are an invention of Disney) I could expect from each of my two sows (two sows multiplied by 10 piglets, which was the typical size of a litter, would equal 20 pigs times three a year, which would yield about 60 pigs every year). That told me how many customers I needed, how big the pens would have to be, how much all natural feed I would need, and the amount of profit I could expect. This was math wholly removed from the abstract.
This was math in the real world- math in my pig pen!
When I was 15, I started a photography business. I took pictures at the local livestock shows. The kids in the show had to give a photo of their animals as a "thank you" for their sponsors. I remember thinking, "1000 animals at $5.00 per photo—that’s a business!
Then, all I needed was to learn photography and get a camera! By translating my ideas
into math, I was able to judge quickly whether or not my idea would be a good one.
Bigger numbers make bigger dreams come true. One of the young founders of Rackspace showed me a simple spreadsheet of numbers that showed me how Rackspace could grow and how customers could add up month-to-month. I remember the number 100 was a big deal for me when Rackspace installed its 100th server after three months in business! Wow! Now, that was a business! Today, Rackspace manages 35,000 servers for our customers, but that 100th server still stays in my mind as a landmark moment.
And now I see that I can use math to help other people make their dreams come true.
That’s what business is all about. Businesses not only make money for their owners and participants, which we all need in order to survive, but they also create a lot of meaning in our lives and our customers’ and employees’ lives. Thanks to the basics of math, business
is a complex mosaic of people, skills, talents, creativity, dreams, and innovation wrapped around a customer’s need. Because of math, business becomes a place where dreams
get hatched and people come to work every day to make those dreams come true.
Math is one of the raw materials of great ideas.
Here are a few of my favorite numbers:
13: The number of years I’ve been married to my wife Elizabeth
3: The number of children I have
43 :How old I am
3: How many dogs my family has
5: How many cats we have
5: How many computers we have at home
5: How many bottles of water I drink every day
4: How many countries I’ve visited in the last 2 years
5: The number of people who started Rackspace
2,179: The number of people who work at Rackspace today
62%: The rate of growth that Rackspace experienced in 2007
32: Our ranking on Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list in 2008
Math has helped me create a life that is the story of my dreams.
Biz Kid$
Airs Mondays at 5:30 p.m. (KLRN Channel 9/10 KLRN-DT 9.1 HD)
Do your students have what it takes to be Biz Kid? Fast-paced and fun, the new Biz Kid$ series teaches boys and girls ages 6 to 12 about managing money. Each episode features compelling stories about kid entrepreneurs and reinforces the importance of budgeting, saving, and giving back to the community. By interspersing elements of direct education with real-life profiles, comedy in sketches, kooky characters, animation, and music, Biz Kid$ appeals to both kids and their parents. These elements work together to support the learning objectives of each episode, which were developed in partnership with Junior Achievement Worldwide.
What is a BizKid?
(click twice to view)
Ready to get a jump start on a successful financial future? Let’s get down to business!
Go to www.bizkids.com to view parent and educator materials for Biz Kid$.
CYBERCHASE Airs Tuesday through Friday at 5:30 p.m.(KLRN Channel 9/10 KLRN-DT 9.1 HD)
Produced by Thirteen/WNET New York and Nelvana International, the Award-winning series CYBERCHASE is the only mathematics series for children on American television. Designed for kids ages 8 to 12 and packed with mystery, humor, and action, each episode delivers positive messages about math by teaching concepts in a fun way that kids can understand.
Each episode takes our heroes on a thrilling adventure driven by a different math concept.
From tackling time in ancient Egyptian tombs to cracking codes in creepy caves, kids learn that
math is everywhere and fun to use! And even more important for grown-ups, each episode is centered on a core math standard developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).
PBS interviews Bruce Ellis (Dallas Independent School District) and Miguel Guhlin (San Antonio Independent School District) regarding the PBS TeacherLine programs they've implemented in
their districts.
PBS TeacherLine courses are approved by the Texas State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) and count towards required CPE hours.
District course licensing and ELL/ESL courses are now available! Contact us for more information: hcustard@klru.org, 512-232-9406.
Special station pricing is available for individual course registrations. Call Malinda McCormick at
210-270-9000, to register for your course at lower rates than nationally advertised!
PBS TeacherLine Courses for Mathematics
Math120: Fostering Cooperative Learning, Discussion, and Critical Thinking in
Elementary Math Subjects: Mathematics, Instructional Technology, Instructional Strategies Grades: Kindergarten-5th Hours: 30
Highly developed collaborative and critical thinking skills are what your students need to meet standards and perform in high-stakes testing. Expand your collection of strategies for sharpening these skills using classroom technology. Discover activities designed to support collaboration and problem solving within the curriculum while addressing National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics (NCTM) standards.
MATH181: Math in Everyday Life for Grades K-5 Subjects: Mathematics, Instructional Strategies Grades: Kindergarten-5th Hours: 15
Make mathematics "real" for your young students with a fresh look at problem solving, calculators, and the Internet in the classroom. Review the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Calculator-Usage and Problem-Solving Standards for a framework to design lesson plans, address content, and meet state standards. Then, develop a "walking field trip" through tasks found in students' daily lives.
MATH165 Enabling Students with Special Needs to Succeed in Math Class Subjects: Mathematics, Instructional Technology, Instructional Strategies Grades: 3rd-8th Hours: 30
Make mathematics accessible and understandable for all students, including those with disabilities.
In this course, you will learn how to adapt your own curricula and work with special needs teachers to help your students succeed in the classroom. As your final task, you will develop a plan that builds accessibility strategies into your daily teachings.
MATH455 Seeing Math™: Data Analysis Subjects: Mathematics Grades: 6th-12th Hours:30
What do the measures of central tendency (mean, median, and mode) tell you about the data?
Teach your students how to answer that question and encourage them to look beyond calculations and individual data points. Explain how the measures are related to the whole set and see the data
as an aggregate; help students perform higher-order statistical thinking.
RDLA230 Teaching Writing in Mathematics Subjects: Mathematics, Reading/Language Arts Grades: 6th-12th Hours: 30
Integrating writing into mathematics presents both challenges and opportunities. Discover the tools you need to make it work. Use a mathography lesson to gain insight into your students' attitudes and learn how to help your students organize and communicate mathematical concepts, and interact
with others. Then, develop a plan of action for implementing writing in a mathematics program.
PBS TeacherLine Peer Connection
Get Connected!
In the drive to improve teaching practice and student achievement, many schools and districts are turning to instructional coaches to support school-wide improvement and enhance classroom
practice. Coaches need high quality resources and professional development so they can lead the way in reform initiatives and deliver on specific district instructional and student performance goals.
At PBS TeacherLine, we support professional development from the classroom forward. Our new
PBS TeacherLine Peer Connection service will help you build a customized, practical professional development program for your teachers by providing sustained and targeted support for coaches.
KLRN Connect
Click and Engage Log-in to KLRN Connect and start using these great classroom resources today! (In order to view you must be logged in to KLRN Connect) Not a subscriber of KLRN Connect? Click here
K-12 Thematic Focus: Mathematics
Discovering Math
How has the study of mathematics changed the world? How did the knowledge of mathematics contribute to the evolution of music? Investigate the progress of humanity through the discovery
of mathematics.
Geometry
From the patterns of nature to the forms created by humans, investigate the many ways geometry shapes our world.
Math Solutions
If you ever meet a problem you think you can't solve, try math. Math reasoning trains brains to find solutions to real-world problems.
Math and Measurement
From buying shoes or lumber to driving across country or across town, we rely on standard measurement. Investigate how the inch, meter, and other crucial units were devised through
trial and error.
From new ideas to encore presentations, you can count on the DEN team to bring you webinars that will stretch your thinking.
Lesson Plans and other resources for the classroom
Count Your Chickens Source: Curious George
Practice counting and number recognition with this online interactive game. NOTE: A self-leveling feature reinforces new learners and challenges more advanced students. Grade Level: PreK, K-2 Subjects: Math Topics: Numbers and Operations. Resource Type: Interactive/Online Activity
Symmetry Mystery Source: WBGU: MathTek
Learn to recognize and describe symmetry, repeating and growing patterns in nature and the world around us. Grade Level: K-2, 3-5 Subjects: Math, Science & Tech Topics: Geometry and Spatial Sense. Patterns and Algebraic Thinking. Classification. Resource Type: Lesson Plan Watch The Video(Quicktime | 52 MB)
Don't Buy It: Get Media Smart
Don't Buy It: Get Media Smart is a media literacy Web site for young people that encourages users to think critically about media and become smart consumers. Activities on the site are designed to provide users with some of the skills and knowledge needed to question, analyze, interpret and evaluate media messages.
Rovers on Mars
Calculus Lesson Plan
9-12
Investigate the nature of communications with the Rovers, including the use of Mars Orbiters as
relay stations. Calculate transmission times and problems associated with sending and receiving messages with the probes.
Money in America
PBS helps you and your students look at math and economics through multiple disciplines, with activity ideas and online and print resources.
Mathematical Problem Solving: A Journey toward Meaning
by Cindy Newton
(click twice to view)
I don’t know about you, but after watching this video a few times, I could almost agree with Ma and Pa’s conclusions. Where the Kettles and so many others falter in math is in viewing math as a set of facts, instead of as a way to make meaning of the world around them. Yes, there are certain mathematical facts that must be memorized, but if the facts have not been built on a foundation of trial, inquiry, and discovery, then math becomes no more than a routine set of calculations, where errors may go unrecognized. Rote memory cannot be transferred as a way of thinking that leads
to active, purposeful problem solving. Continue reading
Would you like to write the next Spotlight article? Contact: Malinda McCormick
Director of School Services
Upcoming Topics:
April: Science
May: Technology
