This week's Student of the Week is Autumn I (a photo would be most appreciated).

Ms. Basketball herself! If you haven't seen Autumn play before, you should really make an effort to go see her over the next few weeks (season ends in February!). I'm actually not sure when Autumn's basketball career started (must have been pretty early) nor how she honed her skills (summer camps?) but she is one excellent basketball player. She never looks too animated (no yelling and screaming on the court) but she's a stone-cold killer out there. And I bet it took a LOT of hard work (which you know I love) to get so skilled.

Autumn has helped out a lot with school sports over the years: lots of scorekeeping and reffing. In fact, I HAVE to share something that Autumn did this week (the only other student I remember doing this EVER was Jade so kudos to her too): she was scheduled to scorekeep a basketball game but it turned out that she could not do it. So, instead of just coming to tell me "Can't do it", Autumn found someone to REPLACE her (thanks Chanelle) and then let me know. I LOVE it! Now that's integrity!!

I wish you well, Autumn. I know Math wasn't your favourite thing but I am proud of you for going from Math 8 Core all the way to Foundations 12! Nice work! 

 This week's Student of the Week is Maria D! (Thanks for the photo, Jade!)

So many Maria memories. Better make another list...

1. Maria started in my class part way through grade 8. I always feel kind of sorry for kids who switch schools part-way through the year (I never had to do it and it seems scary to me) and Maria was very quiet so she quickly became someone I tried to keep close tabs on.
2. Then she disappeared!! I think it was the start of grade 10 and when we came back to school, Maria was nowhere to be found! It took months to figure out that she had moved to France. How sad! It seemed me teaching Maria was over... but no! One day she walked back into my class like nothing had ever happened. She'd moved back to Vancouver and back to KG! Yahoo!!
3. And now I have taught her all five years. What a pleasure! Though I must say, I have always had the fear that she would just disappear again one day. I STILL have that fear. Only six more months Maria. No moving anywhere until after then!!
4. I believe that Maria has sat in pretty much the same seat all five years I have taught her: right at the very front, facing my desk. Perfect position for me to provide assistance with her many math questions (hehehe). And if I am not fast enough, I am sure to hear the following: "Mr Wadddddddgggggeeeeeee". Then I know I better bee-line it over there or there could be trouble.  :)
5. Maria admitted to me one day that she is not a big fan of the sometimes-inauthentic question: "How are you doing today?". She has a point - most people just say "good" or "fine" no matter HOW they are feeling. For this reason, Maria and I never (or seldom) ask each other how we are doing. Instead, we greet each other with questions like: "what is your favourite ice cream?" or "would you rather be a famous actor or a successful musician?". I have learned so much about Maria thanks to these questions. I recommend we all switch over to the Wadge-Maria-Greeting style.
6. Pablo the Penguin!! Do you know him? He's amazing! And he was a gift from Maria (thanks, M.D.).
7. Maria's birthday is March 5. That's 05/03. My birthday is October 6. That's 06/10. So if you multiply her month by 2 you get my day and if you multiply her day by 2 you get my month. When we first figured this out we were quite excited. We then proceeded to figure out a bunch of other number facts. For example: I was born in 1972 and Maria was born in 2002. That's 30 years difference. If you multiply our days of birth together you get 05 x 06 = 30! If you multiple our months of birth together you get 03 x 10 = 30!!! It's too good!
8. I'm very envious of people who speak two languages WELL. What a wonderful skill (which I know many of you have). But how about speaking three or - in Maria's case - even FOUR different languages!!! It's true!!! Maria speaks English, French, Spanish, and Italian... fluently!! I am soooooo jealous! This girl should become a high school language teacher in a BIG school. She could teach every language at the school (might have to learn German or Mandarin, Maria).
9. Maria drinks a LOT of bubble team. Like LOTS!
10. She also eats a lot of McDonalds. I am doing my best to shame her out of this habit but, so far, I'm failing miserably. If you are ever with Maria, do NOT take her to any fast food establishments. PLEASE!
11. Somehow in the past five years Maria and I started some weird fascination with zebras. I think it may have been when she did her Animal Slope project (grade 10) of a zebra (still hangs in my room). Anyway, I own a shirt with zebras on it and now I wear it on (most) test days for Maria for good luck. I think it works well! Zebras are very powerful animals!
12. Maria has had some decent jobs: Shoppers Drug Mart, Indigo. But her desired job: dishwasher! I'm not joking! You can do it, M.D.! Live your dream, Girl!

I can't believe how fast I came up with these 12 memories, Maria. And I know I could come up with 112 more! We have had soooo many good talks together (the current political situation in Venezuela, life in the South of France, classic rock bands, etc). You have ALWAYS been so kind to me, so supportive, so engaging. I feel very, very lucky to have taught you the past five years and to have gotten to know you over that time. I will miss you so much next year but I will always have so many happy memories of you. Love you, Maaaariiiiaaaaa!!!!

Scarlett Howard teaches math to honeybees. She began with a few hives on a concrete balcony at RMIT University in Melbourne, when she was a doctoral candidate in zoology. Today, at the University of Toulouse, where she is a postdoctoral fellow, her lessons take place in a small field with approximately 50 hives.It might seem a little strange — bees are insects, after all; what do they know about mathematics? A lot, it turns out. These eusocial flying insects can add, subtract and even comprehend the concept of zero.

This week's Student of the Week is Rain S. I used to have a great photo of Rain wearing a funny toque but now I can't find it? Anyone got something else I can use?

I have so many memories of Rain. Thus, there is only one thing to do... LIST TIME!!

1. I feel like I have taught Rain every year since grade 8 but maybe there was one year that she was not in my class. Grade 10? Is that right, Rain? But why? Whose class were you in that year?
2. Ever since she started in my class in grade 8, I always called Rain by her full name: "Rain Stevens". I don't exactly know why but, for some reason, I always liked the sound of it. It has a nice flow: "Rain Stevens". Sadly, after a few years of this, I got the sense that Rain had grown tired of my foolishness so I switched over to just "Rain". But, rest assured, she will always be "Rain Stevens" to me!
3. Quite possibly the highlight of the 2015-2016 school year: the day a limousine showed up at school to pick up Rain Stevens!! By this point, I can't even remember what is true and what is mere myth regarding this occasion. Was the driver really standing outside the car with a sign that read "R. Stevens"? Did Jess really come on the announcements and say: "Uh... Rain Stevens... there is a limousine waiting for you at the front of the school". I can't remember all the details but it WAS amazing. And I do remember Rain telling me that she was going to "the hockey match".
   
4.  One thing I associate with Rain is her copious note taking. While the rest of class would be working diligently on their homework there would be SO MANY TIMES when I would check in with Rain and she would proudly declare "I am just making up my notes". Sometimes she would be taking notes of the notes I had just given in class! Pretty funny.
5. Rain has an amazing sense of humour. We have shared many, many laughs over the years. Whether it's some kind of YouTube/ Snapchat / TikTok video she is showing me, or the two of us basically trying out our best random-weirdness-humour on each other, most of my interactions with Rain include at least a LITTLE laughing.
6. Rain's birthday is VERY important. I believe the aforementioned limousine was a birthday event. And there have been other birthdays (including this year's) where Rain takes an ENTIRE WEEK off of school to celebrate her big day (to be fair, it's her Dad's birthday too).
7. Rain is a very thoughtful and kind person. Right now, she is our school's Anti-Racism organizer and is preparing for a student forum in February. It is something that she believes in very passionately and she invests a lot of time and effort in order to do a good job.
8. Speaking of the Anti-Racism Forum, Rain will miss my class that day. Every event in Rain's life that causes her to miss school seems to occur on the day she has Math class. So sad...
9. Rain buys me Kit Kats from time to time!!! I told you: she's super nice!
10. Rain never seems to have a bad day. I know we ALL DO feel lousy some days but Rain always arrives to class with a smile on her face and a kind word to share with me. What an amazing trait!
    
    

Rain, you are a unique and special person. It has not always been easy to teach you stuff (those darn notes in grade 8!!!) but I have ALWAYS appreciated you for your sense of humour, your amiable nature, your resiliency, and your positivity. I wish you happiness and success in the years ahead. Don't lose your slightly-bizarre sense of humour and keep on laughing. Love you, Rain Stevens!!