There's someting about this class...

There is something about this class I'm teaching this Summer. This may be the most unresponsive class I've ever tuaght. It's almost kind of scary.

I ask, "Are there any questions?"
No response.
"Would you prefer I do A or B?"
Silence.

There are times when I feel like I will face the class, to see no one in it - they are that quiet. It's almost kind of scary. There are the few (very few) students who speak up, and I'm sure those students are getting the most out of the class, but the rest of them.....who knows?

I do this thing when I teach, where I ask the class to give me a number to use in an example. In most classes, I say "Someone, give me a number?", and I hear 5-6 different numbers. I often just go with whatever voice seems to catch my ear at that second. In this class, I ask the same question, and stand, with my hand holding chalk against the board, not knowing what to write; not becuase I have so many numbers to chose from, but because no one gave me a number. It's almost kind of scary.

I've tried to loosen them up, and some of them get into a random story I tell to kill time, to give everyone a chance to catch up to my manic board writing. But I honestly feel like I could stand up and stare at the room, and they would just stare back. Like I said, it's almost kind of scary...

The Injuries Continue

I took a tumble yesterday, playing in a soccer game that I should not have been playing in. My feet and ankles held up no problem. My right shoulder, however, did not make it through the game healthy.

I took a spill and landed on my shoulder, and have been in (at times, extreme) pain ever since.

I can't point foreward, because it hurts too much, I can't use my right hand to start my car, because it hurts too much. The pain is right on top of my shoulder. I can type, because my arm is straight down, until it gets to my elbow.

It feels better today than last night, but I'm worried that I will not be able to write on the board on Monday. I may have to use the overhead.

We tied the game 0-0. It was frustrating, because we were playing the worst team in the leage, but they were playing with ringers (people who aren't actually on their team). We outplayed them, but couldn't get a goal in the net. Even with the tie, we ended up second in our division, which is a lot better than the last place we got last season.

Ankle update

Turns out my ankle is not broken, but sprained. This is good news.

The bad news is, I won’t be playing soccer for a while.

To those of you who don’t understand the mild obsession I have with playing soccer, this might not seem as anything so bad. For me, it’s horrible. There is a part of me that wishes it were broken, because then I would feel that at least I wasn’t playing because I broke my ankle. A sprain sounds kind of wussy.

I know that I can play on the bad ankle (I’ve done it in 4 games, and even scored with the foot that has the bad ankle, in two of them), but I shouldn’t. Playing on the ankle, I felt much slower than I usually am (not to brag, but I have yet to meet anyone in our league who is faster than me), so I should get healed, and get back into top form.

The thing that sucks is that I’m going to miss the last game of the Spring/Summer season, which is on Friday.

Getting licked

This is what happens when you spend too much time with a cat....



He was pawing at my face, which I thought would be cool picture, but right after I turned on the camera, he started licking my forehead. I now smell like cat breath.

My ankle and the summer so far

I've been told that there is a remote possibility that I fractured my ankle 3 weeks ago. I turned my right ankle 3 weeks ago, and the swelling never went down. I have played soccer on that ankle several times since then, so it's possible the swelling never went down, because I keep aggrivating it. I'm going to have x-rays done on Monday, and we'll go from there.

We are 1/3 of the way through the summer session. It has been going well so far. I like having Fridays off, but at times I feel like I have too much time on my hands, over the weekends. I've watched quite a few DVDs over the past few weekends. I'm currently watching Quiz Show, which I have been meaning to watch for years.

Facial hair and other stuff

So I had this plan to not shave until Lauren gets back to town (in 4 weeks), but a minor problem has arisen. I need to have some passport photos taken, because I need to renew my passport. I feel like, the way I look now, I look like some kind of terrorist looking guy. It's sad that having a partial beard can lead to people thinking you look like a terrorist, but that's the way the country is these days. For those of you who haven't seen me in a while, here is a facial hair picture for ya...



I also don't know if I want a partial beard on my passport for the next 10 years! I had dreadlocks in my last passport, but when I shaved my head 6 years ago, I don't think I looked anything like the person in the passport photo. Of course, now I look like that guy again, but I have no idea how long I'm going to grow my hair.

I also wanted to post this picture of me...



It was taken at our last soccer game. It was an eventful game that had the return of a former player, and another player missing the rest of the season due to injury. You can read more about the game on the team website.

Questions from 1B class

On the first day of class, I have students ask me whatever questions they chose, on a piece of paper I pass around the room. Here are the questions (and my answers) from my 1B class.


Why do you have your own flag?
I’m half Ghanaian, and proud of my heritage.

Why did you give a quiz on the first day?
To get students thinking about math again.

Which College did you go to?
Michigan State University and UC Berkeley (for one semester).

What motivated you to teach math?
Grad school (it’s a long story).

Why are you so hot?
I am what I am.

Where were you born?
Zaria, Nigeria.

When are you getting married?
December 2006.

Do you like any soccer clubs?
I like the one I play on, FC Redstorm.

How old are you?
I’m 30.

Are you 100% black?
No. I’m 50% black.

Why don’t you add people who are trying to add on the first day?
Because there are other sections that have more space, and run the risk of being cancelled, if I take people. Also, a class at this pace should have no more than 25 people in it.

Who is your favorite soccer player?
Myself.

What’s your favorite color?
Forest green.

How long have you taught math?
8 years.

Do you give extra credit?
Not a lot.

Do you like Chinese girls?
My fiancée is part Chinese, so that answers the question for you.

What is your Zodiac sign?
Gemini.

What do you dislike about teaching?
Having students who don’t care about anything in the class, not even their grade.

Why did you stop getting a PhD from Berkeley?
It’s a long story. It was not what I wanted to do with my life.

Do you ever get excited students?
I get at least one excited student in every class.

What part of math 1B do you like the most?
I really like the applications of integrals.

What do you see yourself doing 5 years from now?
Probably teaching, but I don’t know.

How many extra points do you think you will give?
Not too many.

What music do you listen to?
Yesterday, I was listening to Kate Bush. Today, who knows…

Are the tests open book and open notes?
No.

Why do you give a quiz everyday?
To make sure students are keeping up with the work.

What type of car do you drive?
A Volkswagen Golf.

Do you know Hermes Conrad from the cartoon Futurama?
I never watch Futurama.

Why do you rarely teach Math 1A and 1B classes?
I usually teach them 1-2 times a year, which is not a rarity.

How old are your 2 sisters?
One is 41 and the other is 25.

Are you Jamaican?
No. See the first question I answered.

How do you manage your hair?
I twist it everyday.

How heavy are you?
I haven’t weighed myself in about 6 months, so I actually have no idea.

How did you end up here?
De Anza?? I ended up here when I decided it was time for me to leave Michigan.

Favorite Food?
Red-Red. Fried plantain in bean stew. It’s from Ghana.

Do you have Friendster?
Technically, but I never go on there.

Can I call you?
Here is my office number: 408 864-8392, although I’m not in my office very much in the summer.

How often do you cut your hair?
I haven’t cut my hair in about 3 years. It was shaved before that.

How tall are you?
5’8”

Do you like dogs?
They are alright. I have a cat though, his name is Geordi, and here is his picture.