Please, teach our children math!

As all of my friends and family can certainly attest, math is not exactly my strong suit. I never truly mastered basic math skills (especially in multiplication and division) and struggled with my tutor to get through Alg. II to graduate high school. Trust me, the first time I ever got a B in math, I cried. Then somehow I got an A in college math, but perhaps it was because it was 5th grade level math without a lot of computation and certainly no factoring, trinomials, or proofs......

All my faults in math aside, kids today cannot be short-changed in basic skills. Listening to the stories of my best friend, middle school math teacher, I am heartbroken to hear that children are still lacking in their basic skills. Reading articles from TIME and The New York Times , I am reminded that I am not the first person to realize the need to traditional math instruction. I am here to jump on the bandwagon in the resurgance of basic drills. They are so necessary for the future success of our children no matter what area they study, or which field they choose to work. They are essential life skills. No child's creativity has ever been squashed forever because they had to do timed skills drills. We aren't going to scare them for life by teaching them math. We are going to give them tools for success. We are build the foundation not only for future learning in math, but also for living life.

Got a few minutes? Test a 3rd grader on his times tables. Ask a 2nd grader to subtract two digit numbers for a while. They will thank you twenty years from now.

What I learned yesterday

Yesterday was my fifth marathon. I ran my first in May of 2003 and have subsequently run in June 2004, October 2005, June 2006 and yesterday. Each race has brought me a variety of emotions; joy, pain, pride, humility, and thankfulness just to name a few.

Yesterday's race taught me more than anything about humility and friendship. Going into this race I had quite lofty goals of reaching a PR of 3:50. My last race was a 3:57 and I was under the impression that this course would be easier. (It certainly was not easier) After a very stressful first few miles, I became aware that my 3:50 pacer was neither going to keep even splits nor going to avoid weaving (to get around people in the very tight crowd). My estimates are that in the first 8 miles, I did an extra .5 miles just of weaving. As I have excellent coaches through my club, I know this is a BAD choice, but I wanted to stay with my pacer. Alas, I paid the price. By mile 13, I knew it was going to be a bad day.

I was blessed to have my dear friend and running partner join me at mile 14. She is an amazing example of unconditional friendship (as is her husband who was out on the course cheering for us vehemently.) She picked me up when I was already down and we were ahead of 3:50 for about a mile. Then as the 3:50's came and passed, she continued to encourage me. She kept me strong, telling me stories, getting me GU and water, even advil! She helped me to keep moving even if it was at a turtle slow pace with a very bad 'tude. I have not fallen into such bad shape ever in a marathon and she did not let me quit. As the 4:00 pacer came and went, she pushed me to join the pack, led cheering for the whole crowd around me, and even invoked Jesus' struggle on the cross to get me moving. She is an amazing example of friendship. All this only two weeks off a very sucky ankle sprain to boot. I have so many amazing friends in my life who lead me, inspire me, and call me out when I've done wrong. But yesterday was a keen example to me of how to be a true friend. Forsake your own pain, your own needs to lift up and guide another, even when they seem ungrateful at the time. I am so grateful and only pray that I may do the same for her or another on another day.

Yesterday was a truly humbling experience. I have been on an upward track since undertaking running four years ago. In 2002, I got up off the couch and started running. I ran a marathon a year later and finished in 4:48, without a lot of training and I was proud, hit by the running bug. I have not stopped running since and I have made huge improvements. I have cut 51 minutes off my marathon time, 7.5 minutes off my 5k time, and recently ran a 1:47 half marathon, these are quite good for a "mid packer". I've been proud, growing in speed and success. Yesterday was a true indication that running does not always go up. That things cannot always go the way you plan. I was humbled by my loss. Humbled by my lack of improvement. Yet, given the grace and God's gift of a friend, to help me cross. I did not quit, I did not give up, I finished yet with a sense of humanity that I had not quite ever encountered before in long distance running. I was no longer a competitor; hungry for the PR, but a weak participant, praying for the finish. I am a humbled runner. But I am still a runner.

Marathon Number Five

This afternoon, my husband, friends and I will leave for Philadelphia where we will run the marathon on Sunday. This is my husband's first marathon so I am very excited for him. It is my fifth marathon and that takes on a whole new ball game.

I have reached that point in my running life where I have to make significant changes; get faster, run harder, change my focus, try something new. It is at this crossroads, where my path decision is not as easy.

I refer to the running article in Runner's World this month on heroes, specifically Paul Tergat and Mike Huckabee. Paul Tergat is a world class runner from Kenya and he is a national hero, inspiring others and essentially using his winnings to educate his entire town. Mike Huckabee, Governor of Arkansas, lost over 100 pounds, changed his lifestyle and now uses his marathon running lifestyle to inspire children in the United States to eat healthy and exercise. He has introduced sweeping legistlation to get the junk out of the lifestyles of children. (He also, by the way, is an amazing arts education advocate!!)

I have run every race for myself. I have talked about my marathons with my students, but have never inspired anyone through my own running. I have enjoyed it, hated it, loved it, laughed through it, cried during it, and grown through it, but what have I given to benefit others through it?

Perhaps in this fifth year of my running life, I must search out opportunity to use my love of running to benefit others. To be a local voice for living a healthy lifestyle and attempting to stay fit.

RunSingTeach gets hip to the electronic world

So here we have finally entered the blogging world. A place to deposit thoughts about running, singing, teaching, politics, religion, and other things you shouldn't talk about at fancy parties. I used to have a spot called the SoapBox on my old website, but this should do nicely.

No soapbox topics for the day.

Just a thankful heart for students who are willing to take direction and are starting to take risks.