I'm going to the South Pole.
I'm a math teacher and I'll be participating in a research project. One of the goals of this expedition is to share my journey with students so they can see math and science being used in the real world. (The actual real world, not the "real world" of textbook word problems.)
Students will follow my journey via a blog and a discussion board. And they're also going to design experiments for me to do while I'm down there. I'll also have a live chat with them sometime during my trip.
And, one of the coolest parts, is that anyone can join in - not just my students. Other classes will be following me but so will business people, pilots, cops, pre-schoolers, grandparents, etc. It's exciting to share my experiences with everyone because I get to show people that it really is possible to do almost anything you want. (Also: Math and science can be really exciting!)
T-37(ish) days and counting.
"If you have the desire for knowledge and the power to give it physical expression, go out and explore...Some will tell you that you are mad, and nearly all will say, 'What is the use ?' For we are a nation of shopkeepers, and no shopkeeper will look at research which does not promise him a financial return... And so you will sledge nearly alone, but those with whom you sledge will not be shopkeepers: that is worth a good deal." — Apsley Cherry-Garrard.
Liz
[email protected]
Spartanburg, SC, USA