Do you have a vivid memory from math class? One that has stuck with you for years. There are a handful of distinct memories I have from when I was in the third grade. I loved my teacher…truth be told, I loved all my teachers except a couple from high school…and I loved school. Yes, I was that kid. A first…
Are you a musician? Meaning, do you play a musical instrument? I remember learning to play piano when I was a young child. I think I was five or six years old when I started lessons with the music director at the church we attended. She taught me how to sit properly on the piano bench, where to place my fingers…
If you are anything like me, you make endless lists, mostly of things that need to get done. I love a good list for a few reasons: Have you ever written something on your list that you did before you made the list just so you can cross it off? Tell me I’m not alone here! Would you be surprised to…
I think it’s time to clear some things up. I talk about “math people” a lot. LIke a lot, a lot. I have conversations with students, with friends, with people I meet on the street or on the airplane, and even with the guy who sold me my car. Here’s how it usually goes with strangers. Someone will ask what I…
It is no secret that the only thing I truly enjoy about food preparation is the eating part. I love to eat all kinds of foods from all around the world, but I don’t love the cooking part. Not even a little. It’s one of those areas of my life where I don’t necessarily exhibit a growth mindset. I cook meals…
Everyone loves a good deal, right? I remember when I was a kid, any time my parents wanted to make a specific purchase, they would look at the options and compare prices at different stores. Now, mind you this was before the internet, so that meant actually visiting multiple stores to see the options and then checking the newspaper for sales…
Do you love to play board games or card games like I do? I am always asking my husband if he wants to play a game and I love all kinds. I especially like games that involve some kind of strategy or skill. The truth is, though, most games involve some kind of mathematical thinking, so the message in this episode…
As far back as I can remember, I’ve always been determined to do well and succeed. When I didn’t get something right, I made adjustments to my approach and tried again. And again. And again. Until I was satisfied with the outcome. Or, until I ran out of time and had to stop working. This was true for nearly everything I…
In the last few years, I’ve seen a lot of people habit tracking. Sometimes they use a paper chart to keep track, as a printout on the fridge or drawn out in a bullet journal. Sometimes, it’s in an app…there are tons of tracking apps out there. Some focus on one thing, like exercise or food, and others are sort of…
My husband I recently visited Hawai’i as a celebration of 30 years of marriage. We have been trying to get there to celebrate milestone anniversaries for 20 years and this year we finally made it happen! There’s a whole lot I could say about the trip, but I’ll stay on topic here and give you the run down on where the…
Have you ever been driving along and realized the car is running low on gas? You start looking for gas stations and you choose the one with the lowest price on the sign, even though it only saves you a couple of cents. What you are actually doing here is comparing unit rates. How much the gas will cost for each…
Today, instead of talking about a specific way you use math every day, I’m going to take you through a bit of the backstory of the podcast. I’ll share why I’m so passionate about the topic of math people and why I believe it’s important to see yourself as a math person. Back in 2008, I did something I never, ever…
When I say the phrase “problem-solving” what comes to mind? Does your mind immediately jump to math class and the dreaded word problems? Or do you think about how you navigated the situation when you got a flat tire on a road trip? If you are like most people I talk to, I bet you think about word problems. As a…