Random thoughts on a Saturday evening

• So, my big activity over the past week has been attending the regional NCTM conference in Cleveland on Thursday and Friday. For those of you who don't know, NCTM is the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Basically, it's a big old geekfest. I attended said conference with three of my colleagues and we had a pretty good time. I enjoyed sitting in sessions where I got some new ideas I can use in the classroom as well as some confirmation that what I've already been doing is right. I've always been the type of math teacher that refuses to dumb-down the material. And I sat in multiple sessions where the speaker urged us to continue challenging and pushing our students for deeper understanding. That failing to do so will handicap those students in later math classes.
• Why does Rich Rodriguez still have a job? Seriously? His Wolverines were doing a fine job against Penn State. Were leading 17-14 going into halftime. Then, for reasons known only to him, he chooses to change quarterbacks. Never a good idea. Particularly when you're changing to the single worst QB in recent Michigan history, Nick Sheridan. Sheridan singlehandedly took a safety which led to PSU running off some serious points in the second half. As I type this, PSU is up 36-17. That's right...22 straight points by the Nittaly Lions (as Obama would call them).