Category Archives: math

At the intersection of exercise and nerdiness

Posted on June 21, 2017 by José Iriarte

[CW: exercise, fitness, possibly diet, possibly body image] [Please don’t give me unrequested advice. Talking about exercise, fitness, and body image in a public setting is incredibly vulnerable-making for me, and well-intentioned advice is more likely to prove damaging than … Continue reading →

Posted in assorted nerdom, blargety-blog, first world problems, math | 1 Comment

Your AHCA Math Lesson

Posted on June 8, 2017 by José Iriarte

Every year at some point I end up teaching about mean versus median as measures of central tendency. The mean has the advantage of representing all the data points, but that same advantage can be its weakness, of there are … Continue reading →

Posted in math, rants | 1 Comment

So let’s talk about teacher unions

Posted on July 20, 2016 by José Iriarte

As the Republican National Convention lurches on, teachers are once again under attack as one of the Republican party’s favorite whipping boys. In his speech Tuesday night, Donald Trump Jr. claimed that schools are currently set up to serve teachers … Continue reading →

Posted in lists, math, teaching, this I believe | 2 Comments

Just for Functions

Posted on April 7, 2012 by José Iriarte

This school year our first cohort of IB students began working its way through the junior year of their two-year course of study. One of the things I’ve found interesting about the experience is teaching with international materials and textbooks … Continue reading →

Posted in math | 7 Comments

Knowledge for Its Own Sake

Posted on January 7, 2012 by José Iriarte

Several weeks ago I stumbled across this interesting interview with Professor Brian Cox, who hosts the BBC/Discovery Channel show Wonders of the Universe. I haven’t watched the show itself—while there’s a lot of excellent programming on television, it’s just not … Continue reading →

Posted in assorted nerdom, math, teaching | 5 Comments

No Test Left Behind

Posted on December 20, 2011 by José Iriarte

Over the last couple weeks or so, many people in my circles were abuzz over this Washington Post article by Marion Brady relating the experience of a school board member who took a high-stakes test designed for high school students. … Continue reading →

Posted in math, teaching | 5 Comments

Bad Teacher, Terrible Movie

Posted on July 10, 2011 by José Iriarte

We don’t get out to see movies as often as I’d like. They’re really expensive these days, especially for a family of four, and times are tough. The other day my wife suggested that for about the price of us … Continue reading →

Posted in math, movies, storytelling, teaching | 3 Comments