Just Playing with Numbers - Again

Yesterday I came across the following blog entry from my teaching years. At the time, I was teaching the gifted class of 4th and 5th graders. 

The experience I'd shared back then was not atypical for the kids in my classrooms. They were amazing thinkers, year after year.

Read it, think about it, try it, and then be amazed (like me) that a 5th grader figured it out while "just playing with numbers."

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2010

"I was Just Playing with Numbers..."

... began a 5th grade girl this morning as she stood to tell her classmates something during class meeting. (I have learned that when a student wants to say something about playing with numbers or words or science or whatever, that that means something pretty amazing is coming.)

"I was looking for patterns and discovered this. Someone give me a number between 1 and 99 that isn't divisible by 11."

"26!" called out a child.

Teja continued, "I noticed that, if you write the number 26, then reverse the digits and add them" (and she wrote 26 + 62 on the board) "then the sum which is 88 is divisible by 11. And when you subtract them" (now she wrote 62 - 26 beside the first problem) "you get a difference of 36 which is divisible by 9."

We took a moment to absorb that information. 

"I discovered that that always happens. The sum is divisible by 11 and the difference is divisible by 9. But it only works with numbers under 100 which are not divisible by 11."

She took a few more suggestions of numbers, and she was right - they all held true to the pattern she had discovered. Even a single digit number like 5 worked:

5 + 50 = 55 (divisible by 11)

50 - 5 = 45 (divisible by 9)

(Teja explained that there is a zero in the tens place when you write the number 5, so therefore reversing the digits gives you 50.)

I am always looking for interesting Math things to do, especially at the end of the school year when it is too late to start a new unit yet the kiddos still need something valuable to do with their time. I think we will choose number pairs next week and work our way through 1-99 and see if the pattern holds true throughout.

And, I want to find out WHY it works, too. (I did.)

What an interesting puzzle! And even more interesting is that she discovered it while playing with numbers.

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Teja was in my class for 2nd, 4th, and 5th grades and has stayed in touch. Currently she has finished studying medicine at John Hopkins University and is a... neurosurgeon, I think.

Teja and me in 2018. She had heard I was retiring and stopped by my class to thank me for being her teacher and to wish me well in retirement.

Anyone want to make and play with a mobius strip? Or learn how to cut a hole in a post-it big enough to step your entire body through?

Sigh. Sometimes I really miss teaching.

Stay 'tooned.

Everyone Has to Start Somewhere

My mother was quite the seamstress and made all our clothes when we were young.

How about those pom poms?? Leslie and I thought we were terribly fancy.

Both of my grandmothers sewed, with Grandma Martin being a real whiz at clothing and especially costuming.

My aunt and uncle ready to perform for a Red Feather Service Association fund raiser in 1950.

Grandma Honeywell did gorgeous embroidery, crochet, and other fine handwork. 

So, you might think that I had the sewing gene, too, right?

Well... maybe. It wasn't very evident at first. But everyone has to start somewhere.

I began when I was about 8 years old, making blankets for my Breyer 5 Gaiter who I'd named Sham 

 

and a cheap, nondescript plastic Quarter Horse named Apache Joe.

I took scraps from my mother's sewing basket, cut out rectangles, embroidered their names on them, and added yellow wire closures. I still have them and smile when I realize I'd inadvertently done those blankets in Breyer's company colors!

When I was 15, my best friend Shelly was already a very good sewist. 

Shelly (right) and me in high school, twinsing. We were unrelated, but shared the same last name and loved to dress alike.

We both did 4-H, but she was in Clothing Design and Construction and got to dress elegantly and model her creations onstage at the fairgrounds during Fair Week. Meanwhile, I was in Horse and Pony, wearing dusty jeans and boots, and shoveling manure in the livestock barns!

I started playing around with fabrics and my mother's old Singer sewing machine and, with advice from Shelly when I got stuck, began sewing my own clothing. I never had a sewing lesson, not from either of my grandmothers or my mother, but I learned the basics by trial, error, and practice and discovered a life long love sewing.

Shelly is a master quilter now.

She hand stitched every piece of this quilt. Isn't it gorgeous?

Because I helped her a bit with the horses on that quilt, she made me my own quilt block and sent it to me as a surprise. It hangs in my tent for Jolis Chevaux.

As a young mom, I sewed all my maternity clothes and the kids' baby clothes, continuing to sew for them on into high school for Prom and then weddings. 

So, when Breyer asked me what I wanted to teach for BreyerFest this year, my mind went back to my own beginnings. The blankets for Sham and Apache Joe. Some fairly spectacular fails when I made a dress or two for me. And so on.

I felt it was important that any beginning sewist who watched whatever I presented would not feel overwhelmed and could complete a successful project. That they might feel encouraged to continue on their sewing journey. That what I taught included lots of sewing hacks, tips, and general how-tos that would be helpful to them.

I rewatched my 2026 seminar yesterday for the first time since I submitted it in April. I think that there is something for everyone but especially for those who, whatever age they are, are learning how to sew.

I hope it encourages them to keep at it and that down the road, some of them will be part of the hobby sewing community and knocking our socks off with their creativity in pouches, aprons, pads, blankets, and more.

I'm staying 'tooned for that!

Dogs (and Horses) of Our Lives: Back to School!

Second Post of the Day

Welcome back, students! We are going to dig right in and get started with our learning this morning. Do you like animals? I do! I thought it would be fun to use animal examples in our learning this year. What do you think? Would you like to do that?

(pause)

My goodness, such excitement! Please have a seat so we can get started.

(pause)

Sweetie, will you please sit down?

That's exciting that you take cheer and dance classes.

Thank you for offering, but right now isn't a good time to show us how to cheer when we are excited.

Okay, I will think about maybe creating a class cheer. Yes, you can help. Please sit down.

(clearing throat) Today we will learn "up" and "down."

These horses are walking UP to the gate.

I agree; they are very pretty! Please remember to raise your hand if you want to share!

They are coming UP to the gate for some carrots.

Thank you for raising your hand. (Pause) Well, yes, they do like sugar cubes but I only had carrots in my fridge. 

Oh, my! Look at all the hands that are up! Yes, dear?

Um hmmm, you are right. Carrots are better for teeth than sugar cubes.

Oh, wow, more hands! Thank you for remembering to raise them.

No, horses don't brush their teeth.

Yes, horses have very big teeth.

No, I've never had a horse with a cavity.

Flossing? Well, since they don't brush their teeth, they don't floss either.

I'll tell you what. Hold on to those questions and let's talk about horses' teeth later this morning. Sound good?

Wonderful!

(clearing throat again)

This horse has put her head UP and OVER the gate. (We will talk about "OVER" tomorrow.)

Are there any questions about UP? 

What? Oh, yes, sweetie. I gave them all carrots. No one was left out.

Say that again? (pause) You are correct! Carrots are very good for our eyes.

Last question, okay? 

(pause)

I don't know if horses can see as well as bunnies in the dark, but that is a very good question. 

Alrighty, then! Well, UP has an OPPOSITE. Remember, we discussed OPPOSITE last year. Who can refresh our memories as to its meaning?

(pause) 

Well done! I'm glad you remembered that over summer break.

The OPPOSITE of UP is DOWN. Here is an example of DOWN. 

The little dog has climbed UP on the back of the couch. 

Yes, sweetie. I know that is naughty. Thank you for sharing. Hand up next time, please!

The little dog is starting to slide DOWN the back of the couch. 

Honey, no, that big dog is not going to eat the little dog. Don't worry!

The little dog slides DOWN the back of the couch. 

Students, trust me! The big dog is friendly and likes the little dog. Really! 

Oh, honey, don't cry. The big dog won't hurt the little dog. Let me show you another picture of them happy together, okay? And go get a tissue. Where are they? They are on the back table.

(stampede)

Oh, my! I didn't realize so many of you needed a tissue. Does everyone who needed wanted one have one now?

Okay, here is a picture that should make you smile.

The big dog and the little dog are cuddled UP on the couch.

Oops! Hands up, please! Don't just shout out your comments or questions!

Much better! Yes, sweetie?

Aren't you observant! ("Observant" means that you studied the picture and looked for things in it.) You are right, that is a different couch that the big dog and little dog are on.

Yes, sweetie? No, I don't know which couch is more comfortable. The dogs like both.

The blankets are there to keep the dog hair from getting on the couches.

We do, yes. Brushing the dogs is something everybody enjoys.

Well, I put the dog hair in the trash can.

Yes, I have heard that some people spin it into wool. (I'll bet you have been to The Feast of the Hunters' Moon, right? I thought so!)

Now, let's move on.... Horses's teeth? Oh, right! I did say we'd talk about that...

Dedicated with love to Lisa and all the teachers heading back to their classrooms. Have a terrific school year and enjoy those up and down-type discussions when they happen! 

Me with my very last class on our first day of school together. Oh, how I miss teaching!

Happy Birthday, Sis!

First Post of the Day

Happy Birthday, Sis!

This is Lorna, my sister of the heart, former teaching colleague, and one of my closet friends. 

We haven't lived in the same town for nearly twenty years but we still text each other every single day. 

We clicked immediately when we began teaching together, and soon we were so close, she dubbed me her "sister of the heart." We've considered ourselves sisters ever since.

I trust her completely - she is someone I can confide in and know that she will keep my confidence and offer me great advice. (She can also be a bit sassy. Her advice usually begins with a long, drawn out, "Giiirrrrllll..." which always makes us both start laughing.)

Lorna's students loved her, too - she had a no-nonsense approach coupled with a very strong sense of caring. They responded very well to her big heart.

Lorna just retired last May and that is a terrible loss for her students, colleagues, the school staff, and the families whose lives she touched during her career. She will be missed in so many ways. 

Happy Birthday, Sis. It is an honor to share sisterhood with you and I appreciate all the love and caring you have given me over the years. Enjoy your big day!

Well, I *Did* Set a Precedent

 As I continued doing research on the upcoming blog post series I'd mentioned yesterday, I came across another blog post from December, 2010 that made me smile.  

Since I was out recovering from knee replacement surgery for several weeks, I was writing daily emails to my class. Among them many centered on Zeus and his "attempts" to be helpful during my recovery.

 Zeus "helping" me grade their book reports.

Others were just updates intended to reassure them that I was doing well and missing them (both true!)

And as you can see, I guess I did set a precedent on those Math problems that my students wrote and were shared yesterday. The email below was written  several days before they wrote their own story problems.

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Hey, All!

Greetings from the land of the couch and the pillows. (Also from that of the laptop - can you say "online shopping"?? :D)

BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Kathleen for being the Hershey Geography Bee Runner Up! Sweetie, I am so proud of you, even more so for the wonderful sportsmanship I hear you showed. And to our other participants (William, Chris, Matthew, and Noah), a shout out for you as well. Woot!

As for me, I am doing great! Would you believe there is Math involved in my recovery? Really! For example:

If I could only bend my knee 3 degrees right after surgery, and 87 degrees now,  and if I make 12 circuits of my living room on my walker, can I eat an extra piece of pie? ___yes    ___ no   ___ Mrs. I., just eat the pie and quit worrying about degrees!

Or, here's another one:

If I can bend my knee 87 degrees, can I go outside for recess without my coat?  

___ yes     ___ no     ___ Let's just stay inside and play Twister!

You never know where you will find Math, right? :D

Over Thanksgiving we had a family picture taken with the entire Isenbarger clan. (Well, Zeus isn't in it, but everyone else is!) It is attached - I thought you might like to see us all (can you find me among all the family members? I'm in there - trust me!)

Have a great weekend, and enjoy the snowstorm that's coming! I miss you all!

Love, 

Mrs. I.

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I was so lucky to have been a teacher. 

Blast from the Past - Story Problems

I'm working on a series of blog posts (hint: think Christmas count down) and as I did some researching, I came across this post. For background, I was home recuperating from my second knee replacement surgery in December, 2010 and my sub (and former student teacher) sent me an email to keep me updated on my class.

I'd totally forgotten this, and it has nothing to do with horses, but it made me laugh and I decided to share it with you all. 

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Turn About is Fair Play (written December 24, 2010)

When teaching Math, I often make up stories about my family or a couple of students, incorporating them into story problems or whatever. It keeps the kids' attention, lightens the "Math mood" and makes the subject a bit more fun. My sub sent me the following email yesterday morning. Looks like the kiddos turned the tables on me! (Me? Playing Twister?? Eating M&Ms, yes, but NO Twister!!)

Mrs. I,
For a fun math activity on Monday, I assigned the entire class the project of creating 3 of their own story problems related to what we have been studying in math since both groups have stuggled with story problems. It ended up being a great activity and a few of them wrote some about you that might give you a laugh... :)

Emma:
Rudolph and Mrs. I. were playing with dice. There was one dice numbered 1-6. What is the probability of rolling an even number?

Ellen:
Mrs. I. was playing Twister. There were 20 circles on the mat all together. If 2 1/3 of the circles were red, 1 4/6 of the circles were blue, and 5 2/4 of the circles were yellow, what fraction of the circles were green?

Kamryn:
Mrs. I. was playing Twister. 1/4 of the time she spun yellow, 1/3 of the time she spun blue, and 2/8 of the time she spun green. What fraction of the time did she spin red?

Grace:
Mrs. I. set out 8 2/3 bowls of red M&Ms for her Christmas party. Before the party started, Mrs. I. ate 2 1/2 bowls of M&Ms. After the party was over, another 4 2/5 bowls of M&Ms had been eaten. How many bowls of M&Ms are left?

Just thought I'd share with you! :)

Jessica Windsor 

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Some of my students playing Twister during an indoor recess. They LOVED that game! (And it was pretty fun to watch them play, too.)

Sometimes I really miss teaching. 

Graduations

Fair warning - this is a long post. Just remember that my blog also functions as my journal.

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School lets out for summer today, and the graduation fun begins!

High School Graduation

My former students are graduating from the same high school I graduated from. (Look closely - see the horse on the top of the shield?)

My class was a two year class, and when you are together that long, you become very close. (I cried buckets when they moved on the middle school!) Every year some kiddos chose to stay in touch and so I have received several  graduation  announcements and party invitations.

Garrett, a two instrument musician, who now towers well above me at 6'4".

Several years after he left my class, he invited me to attend his Bar Mitzvah at the local synagogue, Temple Israel. 

It was a beautiful ceremony and an honor to be there. That Torah that Garrett is holding was hidden from the Nazis during World War II and then smuggled out of Europe and brought to the United States, landing here in West Lafayette. It is brought out for special occasions like this one.

Ryan, a kind and caring girl in 4th and 5th grade and still today.

Ryan attended my church so not only did she see her teacher on weekdays, she had to see me on Sundays, too! Some kids wouldn't like that, but she never seemed to mind.

Sophia, a horse lover like me. We both enjoyed that connection.

Sophia and her partners with a STEM project - designing a watershed to stop erosion.

Jadyn, an athlete then and now.

Cooking marshmallows in the solar oven she and Gracie designed and showing their reading buddy how it worked. (It did, too. We made s'mores with those ovens the kids designed!)

Carter, an awesome baseball player. I let him have the first turn at our end of the year piñata, and he whacked it so hard with the bat that it launched across the schoolyard scattering candy as it flew! (And with screaming and laughing kids chasing it!)

Carter and Greyson showing me that their solar oven had worked and that their s'mores were delicious.

Carter also invited me to his Eagle Court of Honor. 

University Graduations

I also have students graduating from college.

MacKenna was a horsey girl who invited me out to watch her ride when she was in my classroom. Her older brother Aiden (who is in medical school now) was also in my class. Both of them were great kids to teach.

MacKenna as a fourth grader visiting Abby along with Mya, another horsey girl in my class.

And later in high school riding her own horse in a competition.

Sophie just graduated from Emory University and is headed to Africa to do mission work. Her brother Ben (behind her) was also in my class.

They were part of a group of formers who surprised me with a party when I retired.

Sophie (red dress) caroling to Mr. Scrooge (Beach Son Kyle) at our "Happy New Year, Mr. Scrooge" party.

Katy, who we all called "Katybug," just graduated from Butler University.

Sophie, me, and Katybug at Sophie's high school graduation party.

Albert. One of the deepest thinkers I have ever taught.

A very spiritual young man, he played The Most Reverend Albert Moss, Archbishop of Canterbury, who came to congratulate Mr. Scrooge on his change to a kinder, gentler man. Born during the attacks on September 11, 2001, I think of him every year on that day. I remind myself that not everything that happened that terrible day was awful.

Jessica. One of seven children, she loved that I had a big family, too, and understood what that could be like.

Jessica dropped in to see me on the last day of school a year or so before I retired.

Lilly.  A bright light in the class every single day.

Lilly is now a meteorologist and sometimes I see her giving the weather report when I watch the local news !

Jessica, Sophie, Katybug, Albert, and Lilly at the surprise retirement party they organized for me in 2018.

Well done, formers and best of luck as you move on to the next phase in your lives! I am so very proud of you.

Love,

Mrs. I.

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Second post of the day is coming if I can manage it. Hawkeye Sarah and her family are coming in for a visit today and I have a doctor's appointment this morning. We shall see but...

Stay 'tooned!