Just ran through the Lattice Multiplication video. This is a completely new approach to me. When did this show up?

My brain keeps going "You know how to multiply! You are perfectly capable of carrying numbers." But I keep reminding myself that I need to scout out the floor of this stuff and remember where all the trip hazards are before I get adventurous and start climbing. If I hadn't skimmed over this stuff 40 years ago, I wouldn't be having to do it again now.

And it's appalling how often I'm using my fingers on basic addition. Though considering how rarely I actually have to do basic addition in my head, I shouldn't be too hard on myself.

On the heels of the academic discussion, I just had the following conversation with a student:

Student: Ms. M. You're a really lucky teacher.

Me: Why?

S: You don't have to teach anything.

Me: What? You think I don't teach anything?

S: You don't.

Me: Really? You don't learn ANYTHING in here?

S: Well, yeah. But it's fun stuff. So it doesn't count.

Dear me. I don't know if I should be offended or sad that he thinks learning can't be fun.

I am on jury duty. The jackson dr trial is here as is occupy la. Its a zoo outside. Essays? Ive written two collections and i have no idea how they are supposed to be structured. Start at beginning finish at end. Middle is a lot of bullshit.

My sister comes up against so many students that don't want to learn. As a university student, would you ever tell your teacher you didn't like reading? An anthropology teacher?

She wouldn't let me mark in red pen, because she says they find it dispiriting. Is that common practice?

Also, why the fuck shouldn't they be dispirited? They were wrong.

Okay, perhaps it's possible I shouldn't take the lead in anyone's education.

Green is easier to read. They made me rewrite my juror survey. Because it was in green. I filled it out online days ago. If you make me fill out redundant paperwork i get to choose the ink i think.

Omg so bored. So bored.

Just ran through the Lattice Multiplication video. This is a completely new approach to me. When did this show up?

About 10-15 years ago, I think. I hate it -- it's the sort of thing that would be interesting to teach as an extra thing to kids who already know multiplication, but most of the teachers teaching it don't actually understand it well enough to explain correctly why it works, and so they just teach it as a series of steps to follow, which leads to all sorts of problems down the road.

I took that test Kat linked to, but it irked me. I do believe you have a certain innate amount of intelligence and some people have more than others. That doesnt mean that there aren't lazy geniuses who never learned how to do calculus, or that an average person can't work hard and understand it better than a smart person who didn't.

I think my coffee this morning must have been decaf - I have a pounding headache and I'm about to fall asleep at my desk.

Maybe a burrito will wake me up. Only one way to find out.

They made me rewrite my juror survey. Because it was in green.

I filled out my immigration papers for Jamaica in green, and they made me fill them out again in black. And the woman at the counter very blankly told me she only had a red pen, so I was SOL with her.

It's a requirement to fly with a black pen now? That's not in the documentation I got.

Allyson, are you at the courthouse downtown, near the Walt Disney thingummyjiggy?