I am enjoying my spring break — which has mostly revolved around dogs and some much-needed rest after a busy, busy quarter — but I’m a little disappointed in the timing: We were off school this week, which means I didn’t get to celebrate Pi Day.
The last time I got to do Pi Day activities with a math class, I was teaching in Tulsa, and I went all out. We found the circumferences and areas of various cylindrical objects, drew a giant circle in the middle of the lobby (pictured above), and capped off the lesson with homemade whoopie pies I’d baked the night before. It was a lot of fun, and the timing was excellent: Our building had a visit from the accreditation auditors that week, and March 14 was their last day on campus, which meant they got to see part of my whizbang Pi Day lesson.
I’ll never forget the look on the kids’ faces when they realized I’d baked a special treat just for them. If you want to delight a roomful of freshmen, make them a batch of homemade whoopie pies. Their smiles will light up your memories for years to come.
Maybe one of these years, I’ll be in a math classroom on Pi Day again, and I can do another fun lesson and serve another sweet treat to make my students smile.
Emily
Red Fork Hippie 