Letters April 2006

Publisher's pep talk
I just read Allen Raymond's "Publisher's Memo" in your February issue. I have been going through a period of self-doubt and discouragement recently. You know those times when you wonder why you are teaching, and if Wal-Mart is hiring new greeters? Thanks for the pep talk – sometimes all we need is to know that someone out there understands.
Liz Baughman
via e-mail

Math as a second language
"Making Math Relevant" ("Best Practices," January 2006) by Mary Ellen Bafumo was good stuff, especially the part about math as a language. As a middle school social worker, I work with struggling students on their math deficiencies. I demonstrate that "two plus two equals four," "dos mas dos son cuatro" and "2 + 2 = 4" are all the same information, stated in different languages.

A message students can understand is that being bilingual, I have increased ability to communicate with others. Likewise, being proficient in the language of math gives us all greater ability to communicate and to learn math-related information. I tell students who insist they will never have a need for advanced math that by refusing to learn it, they are closing doors to careers that require proficiency in that language. When my students think of learning math as learning a new language, it gives them a new way to view the work they need to do. Many are ESL, so they already understand the work required to learn a second language.
Mike Beck
via e-mail

Have web, will travel
In the book Charlotte's Web, Wilbur is sad to see Charlotte's babies flying off into the wind. Happily, Aranea, Joy and Nellie decide to live in the barn and keep Wilbur company. Aranea has decided to travel just a bit. She doesn't want Wilbur to be sad, so she will be reporting on her activities. Through Aranea, our fourth grade class will learn about other places.

May Aranea visit you? Please show her around and return her completed journal entry. We will share her adventures in our class.
Mrs. Hill's Fourth Grade Class
Green Oaks Fundamental School
Orangevale, CA

Editor's Note: We indeed gave the patriotically decorated Aranea (above) a tour of our Connecticut offices and told Mrs. Hill's class all about it. In her reply, Bev Hill enclosed Aranea's letters from, and photos with, some of the other people and sites she visited – John Travolta, Laura Bush, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, the California Department of Education and the Ben and Jerry's plant in Vermont. Worldy spider!

April, 2006, Vol.36, No.7