Solving Algebraic Equations

Life lessons learned from math… not.  Well, it does make me question.  On the one hand, many people out there believe math is difficult.  The truth is, it’s not.  We think may be true because we will often “memorize” a zillion math facts and fail to put them together.  The trick to math is grouping the ideas together so that you can reconstruct the question into something that looks familiar.  For example, solving algebraic equations in high school mathematics is somewhat straightforward if you know the rules and how to use them.  If implemented correctly, you will always come out with an answer (well… most times, but that’s not the point).  The method to solve algebraic equations is universally understood by everyone from around the world.  There may be some minor differences, but generally it’s the same.  Procedurally, the same steps are used over and over again.  The trick is to identify the nature of the problem and set out with a strategy with your pocket full of rules to solve the equation (i.e. isolate for x).  Once fluency, solving rational equations or quadratic equations is a small step forward from solving linear equations.  In the end, calculus and finding derivatives is easy-peasy.  So, what’s the lesson?  Life is not as straightforward.  There are rules, but not necessary understood by everyone.  Not everyone lives by the same rules or believe that the rules actually work.  Some of us may not even know all of the rules.  That gets even more frustrating.  As a result, a finite solution like x = 3 is not easy to find.  Whenever you think that math is hard, think about “What do you want to do with your life?” or “How can we achieve world peace?” or something else BIG that seems impossible to solve.  Considering these questions will make you want to do math… for fun.  Consider this… The best thing about math is, most times there’s an answer to the problem.  Sometimes, there’s “no solution” and that’s OK. 

Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day – “Best Mom Ever” (inside card)

I love how my kid is a bit delusional about my role as a mom and how I compare to other moms.  I am the “best mom ever.”  As moms know, there are good times and bad times.  What I do appreciate about my kid is that she keeps me on my toes.  I am always learning.  The rules keep changing.  No one sends you a memo to inform you these changes.  They just do and all of a sudden your kid is someone else.  I love my kid to bits.  I was inspired to write this blog when I heard my kid “play” the recorder downstairs as she “composed” a song.  Very admirable.  Life as a kid.  Love it.  She keeps me humble.  Mother’s Day.

Back to the BOC

Saturday was the first day of the DIET… it was also the day that I’ve returned back to the BOC (Bag of Chips).  This is very bad. As it turned out, it was also a day of stress.  The day begins with me rolling out of bed and getting ready to chauffeur my daughter to swimming lessons.  It was the beginning of a beautiful day… hot and sunny.  My daughter capitalized on the good weather and headed out on her bike to find friends to play with.  Reminded several times of swimming, she reassures me that “she knows” and will return home soon.  Tick tock.  Tick Tock.  One minute before swimming lessons begin, there is no kid to be seen.  “Where is she?”  In short, not a good scene and off I go in my car to find her.  “She’s at the park,” I’ve been told.  After going to two parks and heading out to a third, I saw my daughter riding beside her buddy heading away from our home.  Not a good sign.  And so, the riot act begins.  Is this a good thing?  Not really, but we were going to lessons in one way or another.  We had missed a couple of sessions earlier in the month and we were not going to miss a third.  Starting the day with a ‘fight or flight’ mentality, it was a natural progression to head to the BOC.  I could not help myself.  And you know what, it tasted good too.  Soothing the soul with a BOC… as you can see, Miss Vickies – Original is my go to.  Not a good start with my DIET intentions.  According to Weight Watchers, the BOC is worth 28 points.  I am allowed 20-25 points (with the Winning Points program).  Oh ya, the BOC is more than a days worth of food.  Well, there you go.  Back to the BOC is not pretty, I will admit.  The day ends with a bit of guilt and a huge nap.  Mental note to self: Start the day “stress-free” to avoid the BOC.

Cleaning Out My Closet

My house is a complete mess (well, at least the top floor).  I am overwhelmed with all the “things” I have accrued over the years and have been inspired to go through my closets, shelves, and any storage spaces to get rid of stuff I no longer use or need.  This is not an easy task.  Apparently, I am somewhat attached to some of these “things” that I have not used or seen in years.  Why is this?  I pick up an item and I can remember when I bought it, why I bought it, and about how much it cost.  Then, I look at my closet and get totally obsessed with losing 30 lbs in hopes of fitting clothes I wore 5 years ago.  I was so close to pressing OK on the Weight Watchers Online website.  Weight Watchers… again… successful twice, but thrice?  Is it really success when you have to keep returning to WW to lose weight?  I don’t think so.  In the end, what started as a ‘purge the clutter’ process has evolved into a ‘spiritual cleansing’ process.  Just let it go.  I am questioning my wishful thinking of what could be, when I should be celebrating what is.  Life is full of shoulds.  I should vacuum the floor.  I should eat fruit and vegetables.  I should take the dog out for a walk.  Blah, blah, blah.  I get overwhelmed with the shoulds that cleaning out my closet does not seem like a daunting task… but it is.  Ugh.  I don’t like looking at my size 8 pants thinking to myself that those were good times… and, will they ever come back again.  The pain.  The anguish.  I need is Stacey and Clinton from TLC’s What Not to Wear to come fly to Sechelt from New York City and help me out.  I need a complete $5000 clothing intervention.  What’s my size?  What’s age appropriate?  What style looks best on my body type?  My inquiring mind wants to know.  I just hope that I’m not the only one out there who struggles with this.  Here’s a clue. The only reason I am blogging is to take a break from the purging process (aka. classic avoidance).  That was 30 minutes of ranting and no progress with my closet.  Maybe I will have a bowl of ice cream before I look at another piece of clothing.  Mmm… ice cream.

The Canoe

Pulling Together Canoe Journey 2010

I feel so fortunate to be invited to be a part of the Pulling Together Canoe Journey 2012 (Powell River).  I did not expect to be invited to paddle for a third time with the SD46 s-yéwen s-néxwílh – Spirit Canoe, but I feel honoured to be asked once again.  I have paddled with the SD46 canoe in 2010 (The Salish Sea) as a teacher and in 2011 (The West Coast) as an educational consultant.  This year I will be journeying as a school trustee.  The canoe has been with me throughout my transformation as an educator and look forward to the lessons I will learn.

s-yéwen s-néxwílh (The Spirit Canoe) entered my life at a critical point in my teaching career.  I was a mid-career secondary mathematics teacher.  I had taught Science 8-10, Earth Science, 11, and Chemistry 11/12.  My undergraduate degree is majoring in chemistry with a concentration in mathematics.  As I navigated through my teaching career, I found passion in mathematics education.  I love how students are so candid with their learning in mathematics.  They get frustrated and elated in such a short period of time.  I found teaching mathematics extremely rewarding and reworking my practice so that students can learn mathematics was super fun.  Best Job: teaching math.

I was reaching a turning point in my teaching career.  At that time, I felt like I had nowhere to go.  My family loves living on the Sunshine Coast, I had 18 more years until full-pension, and I was secure with my job with seniority and subject specialty but had little mobility for a job change in my school district.  Something had to change.  I joined many committees, took on the role of staff rep, and entered the world of academia with a doctoral program in educational leadership.  What was I thinking?  Doing more did not equate to happiness in the workplace.  Although I loved working with kids and teaching mathematics, I felt like this was “the end” (a disappointing realization).

The Spirit Canoe was been instrumental to my transition.  It brought me hope, once again.  I learned about teamwork, trust, and respect.  It is a metaphor for systems and working together to achieve a common goal.  We all have a role, we all have a purpose.  The Canoe does not suggest that things remain static or that we are all the same.  It acknowledges our differences and our strengths.  Sometimes change is needed so that the canoe can move swiftly in the water.  Changes can look like changing seats or changing paddling partners.  On the 2011 journey, I volunteered to be part of the grounds crew.  This was an amazing experience.  As much as I wanted to be in the water, the work that is done behind the scenes matter too.  Setting up tents and ensuring that the canoes arrive safely to shore was just as memorable as paddling through rough waters.  There is always something to learn and we are all a part of the canoe family.  No crew member is more (or less) important than the other.  We all have a role to play, we are all in it together, so that the canoe can perform its best.

It was from my experience with the canoe that I have learned many life lessons.  I learned more about the Aboriginal culture, I learned more about Aboriginal students, and I learned more about myself.  The canoe symbolizes “work to be done.”  Initially when I thought I was not going on the 2012 Journey, I believed “my work” was done.  This was a good sign.  When asked to return, I had mixed feelings.  I love the Spirit Canoe and wish that everyone has the opportunity to experience the power of the canoe.  On the other hand, returning back to the Canoe meant that I have “work to do.”  The transition into my ‘new’ life has not been a swift one.  There are calm waters and rough ones.  What I do know is, my heart is open.  Thank you s-yéwen s-néxwílh for inviting me back.  All my relations.

Level 8 Swimming

Here is my kid… swimming in the ocean.  Ever since she was a blob, she loved swimming.  To support her with her passion, she is enrolled in junior lifeguard, swim club, and swimming lessons.  It’s pretty amazing what she has achieved considering I am not a swimmer.  I can float and drift, but that’s it. I’m pretty proud of her.

I want to share a story with you about my daughter and swimming lessons.  It is not a story to judge others or seek justice, but it’s something to LEARN from.  One year ago, my daughter was enrolled in swimming lessons that met once a week.  I believe that she had attended all of the classes and she enjoyed the swimming nonetheless.  At the end of the 8 or 10-week session, she got her “report card.”  She failed Level 8.  To be truthful, I support that kids should pass all competencies before moving onto the next level.  On her report card, she had everything checked off except backstroke.  No biggie.  Next time.

When the swim students were given their report cards, the swim teacher huddled with the students to give them feedback on their performance and report cards.  My daughter returned to the change room a little annoyed and angry.  I tried to reassure her that there is always next time.  Don’t worry about it.  She replied, “I did not know that I was doing bad with my backstroke until my report card.”  What?  Really?  I can see why she would be annoyed and angry with the situation.  How can you get better at something if you were not told that you needed to improve on it?  I ask this question disregarding those who may have been told and refused to listen.  It’s situations like this where the individual genuinely did not know what was going wrong and was not given an opportunity to make it better.  By the time my daughter got her report card, it was too late.  She’s repeating Level 8 Swimming.

What is the moral of the story?  This is about justice, honesty, and courage… Alasdair MacIntyre’s (1984) three virtues.  Without one, two, or three of these virtues, the system is in dysfunction.  There would be no trust, no respect, and no potential for change.  Formative feedback matters.  A final evaluation is the worst time to find out you could have done better.  There should be no surprises.

A Moment to Reflect

The Sunshine Coast – Sechelt, BC

A moment to reflect… life is full of decisions.  I often wonder what motivates each of us to venture forwards into a direction that composes our lived experiences and ourselves.  We are all on a journey trying to navigate through the complexities of life.  I remember the first time I came to the Sunshine Coast.  It was 1994.  I just finished my Bachelor of Education from UBC and I was in the midst of finding employment.  At the time, I managed to get an interview with a school district on Vancouver Island (I came in 2nd), I was hired to be a teacher-on-call in Coquitlam (a metro school district), and I got another interview with School District No.46 (Sunshine Coast).  When I applied for the position, I asked my brother if the Sunshine Coast was in the Lower Mainland.  He said, “yes.”  I applied but had no idea I had to catch a 45 minute ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale and drive 30 minutes to get to my interview in Sechelt.  The interview process took all day.  It was a rainy day.  That day, I met with the school principal, a senior science teacher, and the assistant superintendent.  I recall being between meetings and headed to downtown to grab a lunch and latte.  I remember wanting the job so bad that I stood at the waterfront looking out into the Georgia Straight begging for things to go my way.  Well, I got the job.  I feel fortunate to have worked full-time as a high school mathematics and science teacher in SD46 for 15 years with one-year on maternity leave.  My family and I continue to live on the Sunshine Coast because we love it here.  I am no longer teaching and I remain involved in education as a school trustee, educational consultant, and graduate student.  Once my thesis is complete, I will be faced another decision… job opportunities vs. desirable place to live.  In Davis Bay en route home from the ferry, I would predictably say, “We live here.”  My husband mocks me sometimes, but it’s true.  I take great pride in living on the Sunshine Coast, as you can see with the picture above.  I think about that day standing in front of Pebbles Restaurant begging to win the external job posting.  What would life like had I pursued my teaching career in Coquitlam?  The moons were aligned that day.  With good times (and bad), I was meant to be here on the Coast.

A New Story

It’s time to make another leap into the unknown.  As mentioned in a previous blog, it is soooo easy to get into a place of comfort, familiarity, or habit of the mind.  Now, I don’t mind if this place of being brings you happiness and joy.  I can see why returning back to what is tried and true would be worthwhile.  On the other hand, if this place of being brings you sadness and discomfort… get out, get out now!  There is no shame to acknowledge that things may not be right for you… and leave.

The place of being is evident in our surroundings, experiences, or thoughts.  Personally, they go hand in hand.  What you see is what you believe.  So, if things are no going “right” in your life, things will not go right, and you will need to assess what’s going on in your head.  For me, I am done with the ‘old’ story I tell myself.  “I am not worthy.”  It’s a lie.  What a bunch of crap!  I can see that now.  Because of this belief, I hold myself back from my true potential. These false thoughts protect us from what what we fear.  It could be a fear of failure, a fear of disapproval, a fear of non-acceptance.  We obsess ourselves with our false-story so much that it actually comes true.  That’s the freaky part.
 
I have taken a shift with a new story: “I am worthy.  I am deserving.  I am able.”  No more self-doubt, second thoughts, or what ifs.  Life is about taking risks, taking chances.  There is no failure, just something new to learn.  You never know, unless you try.  I was kindly reminded of this by one of my tutoring clients.  It stings a little when you hear advice that originated from yourself.  I call it “the 180.”  OK.  I will take my own advice and venture forwards.  Worst case scenario, nothing changes.

First, I would like to thank all those who believe in me and recognizes my full-potential.  It reminds me of one of my mantras:  “You can’t tell a drunk, they’re a drunk.”  Not the nicest saying, but it seems to resonate with me. You can’t tell someone how great they are, unless he/she self-acknowledges his/her own greatness.  I have much gratitude to all those who paid me a compliment, gave me a recommendation, or loved me unconditionally.  It has not gone unnoticed.  BTW: “I am great.”

Having a Voice

One the the most liberating things I have done as an educator was creating this edu-blog.  I may have a million readers or none.  Who really knows… (Well, I do check the “stats” but…)  What I do know is that blogging is much more than writing a personal journal.  It’s about having a voice.  For many years, I did not have a voice.  OK.  I may be loud and edu-rant from time to time, as mentioned in an earlier blog, but I felt muted.  I had no voice.  I had no power.  I lived an inauthentic life.

I was thinking, speaking, and feeling what someone else dictated or expected from me.  I was misaligned.  Before leaving the teaching profession, I felt disconnected, depressed, and physically ill.  This is not normal.  I had 4″ cyst, anxiety attacks, and severe hip pain.  I went to counseling, Reiki therapy, and the doctor looking for help.  When you are not able to recognize that “things” are not right, your body certainly tells you so.  I needed a time out, so I quit.  I spent months redefining myself, replenishing my spirit, and rekindling my love for education.  I was done pretending.

This is my voice.  I could be worried or overly concerned that someone would read this blog and judge me.  It’s OK to be judged.  It’s OK to have an opinion.  It’s OK to get feedback.  Taking a leap of faith and venturing into a new direction has been one of the best things that I have done for myself.  First of all, my health is much better and I have challenged myself to take risks, be honest, and do things for the right reasons.  For those following my blog from its meager existence months ago, my voice has changed (as many times as the name of my blog).  I am much happier.  I am joyful.  I am excited about education.  I could not realize this without making the decisions I did.  No regrets.

However, the mind is a fragile one.  I am not about reliving my ‘past life’ but it only takes one incident to return back to the way things were.  That just happened to me the other day.  One conversation and I’m back to feeling fearful, depressed, and disheartened.  I have been trying to make my way back to a place of fullness.  This is not easy work.  So many hurt feelings, so many unanswered questions, so much pain.  I have no desire to return back to the way things were, but I feel muted once again.  My heart feels heavy.  My thoughts seem bleak.  My feelings are uninspired.  Why does this have to be?  Is it about power?  Is it about saving face?  I don’t know, but I feel sick.

I share my experiences not looking for pity or judgement, but as something to learn from.  In this case, FEAR stops me from having a voice.  I feel threatened and scared.  My chest feels tight and I can’t seem to relieve myself from the pain.  Back to bad times… I can keep this to myself and suffer quietly.  Or, I can share my thoughts in hopes of feeling restored seeking help from others.  I opted for the latter.  This set back will not stop me from blogging or living my life to the fullest.  Fear will not get the best of me.  I have many things to be grateful for: my family, my friends, my health, my safety, and respect from my colleagues.  I love teaching, learning, and leading.  Onwards and upwards…

Nurturing the Learning Spirit

May 3, 2012 – I was honoured to be a part of the “Nurturing the Learning Spirit” Forum as a school trustee from the SD46 Board of Education.  The forum was held on the traditional land of the shíshálh First Nation at the Sechelt Indian Band Hall facilitated by Kerry Mahlman, District Principal of Aboriginal Education.  Principal Mahlman welcomed the participants and briefly described the nature of the day and protocol.  Elder Teresa Jefferies welcomes the participants with inspirational words and wisdom on behalf of the shíshálh nation.  Principal Mahlman acknowledges Teresa with a blanket.  Kristi Haavisto, Aboriginal Education Teacher, followed the welcome by leading the group with a song.  Ms. Haavisto described the origin of the song and it’s meaning before we drummed and sang.  I had the pleasure of joining those at front with my Wolf drum.  It was a great way to start the day. 

The “work” portion of the forum involved students, principals/teachers, and community members.  The focus was achievement and Aboriginal education.  Students participating in the forum had Aboriginal heritage. With their supervising principal/teachers, they were grouped according to school.  I was fortunate to work with the students and teachers from Davis Bay Elementary and Gibsons Elementary.  Elementary students, secondary students, and community members were given thought provoking questions appropriate for each group.  Students answered the questions individually then regrouped to report out ‘big ideas’ that best reflects the group.  Forum participants were offered food and drinks before having to present their ‘big ideas’ to the whole group.  At most tables, students presented their group’s ‘big ideas.’  They did a great job.  Once all school groups and community groups were heard, the forum concludes with the “Warrior Song” led by Terry (Coyote) Aleck.

The “Nurturing the Learning Spirit” forum was a wonderful SD46 event that involved Aboriginal students, school principals/teachers, and community members to collaborate, have input, and share ideas about student learning, student success, and achievement.  Thank you Kerry Mahlman and the Aboriginal Education Teaching Team for coordinating and facilitating this event.  Much gratitude.

District Principal Kerry Mahlman addresses the forum attendees

Students from SCAS present their ‘big ideas’ to the collective

Trustee Lori Dixon, Elder Barb Higgins, and Trustee Greg Russell

My ‘Dragonfly’ Wolf drum with “Gib-Dave” Group‘s work