On Wednesday, they learned how to complete the square, a long-ish process that generally makes the kids’ eyes roll back in their heads. In a few days, we’ll use that to derive the quadratic formula. But first, we need to discuss taking the square root of a negative number. (Quelle horreur!) For this, they’ll need […]
Yearly Archives: 2025
Roadrunner
Tue, 28 Oct 2025, 10:51 PM (-06:00)
There was that Whip-Poor-Will singing outside at dusk the other night. And there were those Monarchs turning circles in the front yard among the blooming wonders in the yard yesterday. And a few days ago, there were the Stag Beetle grubs slowly turning in the compose pile as I buried the kitchen scraps. They’ve returned […]
Monarchs
Mon, 27 Oct 2025, 10:00 PM (-06:00)
With the long-overdue rain we had over the weekend, the front yard is abloom. Fall Asters, Purple Trailing Lantana, Russian Sage, and even Mealy Blue Sage have exploded in purples that complement the yellow and oranges of the rest of the yard. And those yellows and oranges have found new vigor, evidently casting aside the […]
Whip-Poor-Will
Mon, 27 Oct 2025, 07:25 AM (-06:00)
A Whip-Poor-Will called last night. It was that time in the late evening when the gray twilight is vanishing. The call came in thru the back patio door. I sat up and waited for the next. Only a yapping dog in the distance. After some time, it called again. This time thru the screen door […]
Lost Gum
Sat, 25 Oct 2025, 09:56 AM (-06:00)
Someone left behind a package of minty gum. It was sitting on a desk after all the kids had gone. The box was full and wanted chewing. I figured someone might claim it if I put it on my desk in plain sight — next to the left-behind water bottles, headphones, and hoodie. The next […]
Yellow
Sun, 19 Oct 2025, 06:29 PM (-06:00)
The Lindheimer Senna has started focusing on seed pods. The yellow blossoms, after having added reliable yellow color to the yard throughout the blistering days of Central Texas summer, are now gone. But they are certain to return next year. As summer begins to think about winding down, I’ve stopped dead-heading the Cowpen Daisies. The […]
There are Bees
Mon, 13 Oct 2025, 05:48 PM (-06:00)
As the temperatures moderate, it’s possible to actually sit outside. Sit outside and enjoy cool morning and evening breezes. Sit outside and enjoy the profusion of yellow and orange and purple in the yard. And enjoy the bees who especially enjoy the profusion. The bees are impossible to catch in a photo. They buzz quickly […]
Boromir
Fri, 10 Oct 2025, 09:50 AM (-06:00)
It was the end of the day. A four-day weekend lay before us. We were all in a good mood. The bell rang. Most of the kids quickly filed out. A few lingered to avoid the crush at the door and leisurely pack their bags. “Mr. Hasan,” she said, walking up to me. “Yes?” “I […]
No Phones Down Day
Mon, 6 Oct 2025, 07:33 AM (-06:00)
We had a short day last week. Not enough time for a full lesson, and several periods had just come off a legit hard test. I put this up on the monitor at the front of the class. “What’s that?” someone asked when they came into the room, pointing in genuine perplexity at the cryptic […]