You can imagine my surprise at the end of last school year when, on my tutoree’s final online examination, the imaginary number i was everywhere. “WHAT?” I thought, “There was just one small section of one small chapter on i in the textbook and here it is, on my students’ final exam, EVERYWHERE.” At best, it was frustrating. Sure, math is math, but different publishers tend to focus on different topics, and i was not on of those topics Glencoe included much of.
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For five years, I had taught Algebra 1 and loved it. The kids loved me and I loved all of their “ooooh, I get it!”s. But this year had been different because I was moved up to Algebra 2. So I set my mind to teach this slightly more advanced Algebra (at least with Glencoe it’s only slight), brushed up during the summer, got my curriculum down pat, taught a rough year right up until the final exam and….
BOOM! i!
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Patterns are everywhere, especially in math. The imaginary number i is no exception. The number’s value follows an interesting and very distinct pattern, repeating itself every fourth iteration. The pattern it DOES NOT fit is into a regular one in Glencoe’s Algebra 2 textbook. I was mad that my students and I had worked so hard only to be sidelined by a final exam not connected to Glencoe at all.
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So this year I changed. I taught i first! We wouldn’t be stopped! If the “patterns_of_i.xls” sheet over there in the margin for you to download and use in your classes is not enough, I’d be more than happy to email you more. You can reach me at sdonohue@post.harvard.edu.
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I quit this year, jumped a sinking ship, really. It was horrible leaving the kids- like I was going on maternity leave and never coming back. But it was the decision I had to make so that I could focus on my thesis, my health and on finding a job where I would be respected. What they say about finding happiness first before you can pass it on is true. What they also say about not doing school part-time unless your job is also part-time is also true.
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Now I’m finishing my thesis and looking for a new job, oh, and emailing you files to use in your classes. I have thousands that I’ve made over the years that I’d love to share with you.
Go i!
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