the name that i have been given speaks to a child that doesn’t understand the cruelty of the world as if it is a given as if that is how the world must be as if the child is the one that is broken because they cannot understand you might say it in the space of a heartbeat…
Author: Clio
Functions and Domains: The Other Shoe
I have taught high school mathematics for nearly a decade. I have a BS in Mathematics. The Algebra II curriculum, which I largely built for my school, is based on “the story of functions”. And yet, it was only the other day that I noticed something that was woefully wrong about the way that I’ve…
i have a poem
i have a poem sitting on my tongue like the eucharist and it melts into my skin even as i try to expel it i want to let these tears go but they stick to my cheeks like icicles that crack with my forced smile these words used to matter but they’ve folded into themselves…
Rate of Change and the Power Rule
I’ll keep this one short. Also, it’s on calculus, for whatever that’s worth. The Power Rule for Differentiation says that the derivative of a monomial \(ax^b\) is \(abx^{b-1}\). Last night I noticed a way to derive this for positive integers that I believe I’ve seen before (so I’m not claiming originality), but which is different…
Non-Binary Students and Pronouns
A Guide for Public School Educators In an earlier article, I discussed binarist language and provided some ideas for avoiding it with your students. In this article, I’m focusing specifically on pronouns. First of all, though: Thank you for taking the time to read what follows. For many people, the increasing visibility of non-binary persons and the accompanying…
Seriously, It’s Just Division
Don’t get caught up on the concept of “fractions”. There is one topic students of mathematics consistently struggle with, to the point that it has become legendary: Fractions. I teach Algebra II. Fractions don’t exist. I’m not saying, of course, that \(\frac12\) and \(\frac5{31}\) aren’t things that might occur. I mean that I encourage students…
“O Function! My Function!”
I’m going to build a simple set of functions. This set will wind up being very familiar when I’m done, but let’s pretend for a few minutes first. Function and Operators In case you’ve forgotten what a mathematical function is, there are a few quick ways to refresh your memory. A common way is to…
Summer Taylor’s Pronouns
Respecting someone’s memory includes respecting their entire identity. Summer Taylor, who was nonbinary, was murdered during a BLM protest when a driver illegally entered a closed portion of I5 in Seattle, drove around a vehicular barricade, and sped into a crowd. Summer, like many nonbinary people, used “they” pronouns. Respecting their life fully includes respecting that fact….
Maria Agnesi and the Second Derivative
I’m currently reading selected parts of “Analytical Institutions”, the 1801 edition of John Colson’s translation of Maria Gaetana Agnesi’s 1748 text. Near the beginning of her second book, she presents the following theorem. Consider the diagrams: In each diagram, H, I, and M are points along the x-axis and are equally spaced. A, B, and E…
Being and Nothingness
A reflection. To be, or not to be, that is the question. I am a White person in a male body, 52 years old. I am married to a woman. I have a child, a stable job, and a home. I am so ordinary. I could live the rest of my life out with my head…