As a kid, I looked forward every week to watching particular shows on television with my family as after-dinner (and after-homework) entertainment. I’m pretty sure that the only reason I finished my homework some days was to be able to watch the particular show with my family. With our on-demand, binge-watching tendencies these days, I’ve found alternatives to keep my curiosity alive with regular releases and cliff-hangers that consistently prod “what will they do next?”
One of these weekly releases is (confession time) the NY Times Modern Love column. Before you apply any labels to me, I probably need to explain why this column is so intriguing to me. The premise, if you’re unfamiliar, is writers get 100 words to tell their love story. It’s important to note this isn’t just romantic love, this is familial love, self-love, love of a particular meal or location and more. The definition of “love story” is as widely interpreted as the diversity of the readers. But what intrigues me the most is that writers get only 100 words.
You may be used to such stringent word counts - between short bios about our careers and brief social media posts - but to tell a story in 100 words seems like an impossible feat. And yet, every week there are more stories to read, with lives, experiences and perspectives all described in a few sentences. Each word seems to be strategically and purposefully chosen.
I'm curious - what is your math story? Would it be a love story?
Sarah Strong first introduced me to the idea of Dear Math letters, and I've found them incredibly useful in getting to know colleagues and students, and reflecting on my practice as a math educator. [If you'd like to learn more, she's coming out with a book on the insight she's gained from them, soon!]
If we remixed the idea, with a NYTimes-column-twist to it, what would your math story be if you were limited to 100 words?
Reflect in writing - challenge yourself to draft something up and submit it in the comments.
Reflect in doing - ask students or colleagues to create Dear Math letters (word limit or not) and see what you learn about yourself and others.
And if you're curious - come back next week to see if I can pair it all down to 100 words.
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