CSAS, Paideia, and Us: I continue to place great value on the CSAS Paideia-themed philosopy as I enter my third year here. Mortimer Adler often stressed that meaningful and valuable understanding comes only through extended work and mental struggle. I owe my past academic and engineering career success to teachers and family who held me and my peers to strong standards of work and understanding. They would not allow us to settle for shortcuts or inauthenticity in thought or demonstration of proficiency. As Adler urges, we'll hold these ideals paramount in our minds this year as we work towards building students' adademic understanding and preparation for the many roads ahead.
Education: Lakeside High School (DeKalb County Public Schools), Atlanta, Georgia; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Major: Computer Science and Engineering, Minor: History
Family: One wife, two daughters, three cats.
Hobbies: Hiking, paddling, running, photography, technology tinkering.
Favorite sports team: CSAS Patriots! Also, MIT track and field, Georgia Tech football, and the Atlanta Braves.
Favorite book: Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell, a book that is witty, sharp, and serious.
Favorite quote: "There is nothing which can better deserve your patronage than the promotion of Science and Literature. Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness." George Washington
Favorite subject when you were a student: Russian and Soviet History
Calculus
Calculus will be offered in the Fall. In Honors Calculus, following the Tennessee standards, we cover content roughly equivalent to the AP Calculus AB curriculum, albeit in a more flexible, Paideia-themed manner. We will also get to explore connections to topics outside the scope of AB. The basic tools of analysis, derivatives, and integrals are covered, as well as some advanced techniques. A heavy emphasis is placed on applications in real-world scenarios.
- You must complete the following review problems this summer before your calculus class begins: Preparation Problems (You should be ready to study the solutions to these problems the first week of class)
- The Calculus outline provides the tentative outline for the scope and sequence of this class (page 1), plus potential enrichment topics (page 2).
PreCalculus
PreCalculus is offered in the fall and spring. We learn how to create and present mathematical models for real-world scenarios, apply trigonometry and advanced concepts to problem-solving, prepare for the ACT and the SAT Math II Subject test, and (of course!) prepare for calculus. The PreCalculus syllabus and expectations documents outline basic policies and expectations, and the outline provides the tentative outline for the scope and sequence of the class.
Preparation for PreCalculus Spring 2012: You must complete the preparation problems in order to review material from past classes. We will have a graded test on this material approximately a week after you return to school.
The following documents may help you review past material:
What's on tap in February in PreCalculus?
We're wrapping up our first unit! Culminating group projects and an individual exam will mark the end of our first work with function models. Next, we begin to work with trigonometric models. Trig ratios on the unit circle, trig graphs, and polar concepts will be key ideas in this unit.
Algebra II
My Honors Algebra II class prepares students for higher-level math. The Algebra II syllabus outlines basic expectations, and the Algebra II outline provides the tentative outline for the scope and sequence of this class.
What are we doing in Algebra II?
We're working on major group projects. Next up is a major study of the basics of matrices, including products, inverses, determinants, and linear systems.
Tutoring Times
Standard tutoring times are before school on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Please note that Tuesday tutoring is held in the library rather than in my classroom. Other tutoring is by arrangement: if it doesn't conflict with cross country, quiz bowl, or other duties, I'll do my best to meet a student at other times.
