Olney Senior Cub Center Chats
Old Sol has decided to extend his stay and sizzle us with those penetrating rays of his. He’s like a little kid who has just learned to count to 100; he wants to dazzle everyone with his brilliance, over and over, and over and over again! Of course, we would prefer for him to stop in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but-- it IS summer! Surely we can endure two more months; we are resilient!
Well, thanks to a friend I’ve made at Cub Center, I am no longer afoot; I am making a hand. A special thanks to J.R. Smith for driving me to Wichita so I could buy a new vehicle! Losing the ability to come and go as one pleases is frustrating and demoralizing --- it’s losing freedom! And, as Americans, we highly value the term “free”; it’s ingrained into our psyche. So, if you have parents or grandparents who have lost the ability to drive, please be patient with them. It is a tough realization to accept or even understand. Be supportive and show kindness toward them, even if they grumble a bit. You may suffer the same plight someday, so treat them as you’d like to be treated.
As I traveled along the highway early Friday morning, I noticed several critters who had failed to successfully navigate their quest to reach the other side of the road. A coyote, an armadillo, and a raccoon met their demise while attempting that feat. Strangely, I thought about a lady I wished they had known, a lady who could have helped them. She was a really smart lady that I assumed was my relative. Everyone called her Aunt Sally. I first heard of her in junior high, but she must have made a mistake or snafu when she was younger because my teacher said, “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally.” But she never told me why we were to excuse her. I later learned that quote was the key to solving a lot of problems. Using the first letter in each word gave us the algorithm for solving complicated math problems. It is fondly known as the order of operations. P ( work parentheses first). E (exponents are to be cleared next).M and D (multiply and divide in order from left to right). A and S( add or subtract in order from left to right). A calculator is only as smart as its user, so many get wrong answers even if they use the Order of Operations to solve complex problems. How is that possible? The numerator is divided by the solution of the denominator -- not by the first number in the denominator. So, teachers, please make sure your students know this. A calculator is a great tool to speed up solving problems, but students need calculator instructions to do that properly. Missing those types of problems can drastically decrease scores on those lovely end-of-year tests. You more experienced teachers, please mentor the newbies! I love math, I love learning, I love teaching and I love teachers! Way to go!!
By the way, I learned that Aunt Sally had NOT done anything wrong! Whew!
Remember that the Cub Center is a cool and safe place to visit. Hope to see you there.