The "What Are You Doing This Moment" Thread

[EspaDa]

Sitting at work and browsing forums. 5 hours remaining, eh.

 

[Phylactery]

Christ knows how you'll be when you hit 30. Tea and slippers and backgammon.

Haha, I'm not that bad! For my 30th birthday I plan to be so drunk that I don't wake up for it. That way it never happened.

But seriously, I'm a maths teacher and it's already headache inducing teaching classes with no interest in the subject and little aptitude for it. Doing that shit with a hangover would be unbearable. Friday is like the only night I could go out and then I might be recovered for Monday morning but all my lessons would be shit because I wouldn't have used the weekend to plan. Of course I could go out and not get absolutely shitfaced but where's the fun in that?!

Back in my late teens and up to my mid 20s I used to go out at least twice a week most weeks and sometimes 3-4 times, so I feel like I've already been there and done that and I'm over that lifestyle now.

 

[Talos of Atmora]

I'm just browsing the forums as well.

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

I drink bourbon just about every night, but I never get drunk.
We usually just marathon shows

 

[Vilden]

Non-alcoholic beer ftw.

 

[Baroque]

Haha, I'm not that bad! For my 30th birthday I plan to be so drunk that I don't wake up for it. That way it never happened.

But seriously, I'm a maths teacher and it's already headache inducing teaching classes with no interest in the subject and little aptitude for it. Doing that shit with a hangover would be unbearable. Friday is like the only night I could go out and then I might be recovered for Monday morning but all my lessons would be shit because I wouldn't have used the weekend to plan. Of course I could go out and not get absolutely shitfaced but where's the fun in that?!

Back in my late teens and up to my mid 20s I used to go out at least twice a week most weeks and sometimes 3-4 times, so I feel like I've already been there and done that and I'm over that lifestyle now.

What level do you teach?

 

[Phylactery]

11-18 which is GCSE through A - Level. GCSE maths has recently undergone a big change and has been made harder. The top end topics will now be basic calculus (didn't do that until A Level before) and composite and inverse functions (also was an A level topic). A-level they choose to take at 16 and isn't compulsory and is designed to prepare them for degree levels maths. Top end topics include: implicit differentiation, integration (by substitution, by parts and volume of revolution), negative and fractional power binomial expansions, proof by induction, complex numbers and simple differential equations (generally solvable by separation of variables).

 

[Internally Deformed]

Glad it wasn't like that when I took my GCSE's. All that stuff is precisely the point at which maths stops making sense to me.

 

[Phylactery]

Maths doesn't even properly begin until calculus imo! It's strange how a relatively new development (17th century) absolutely changed the focal point of mathematics. I'd say 80+ percent of my degree modules contained some calculus. I don't know what the fuck maths degrees looked like before it was discovered.

I strongly dislike teaching things like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division because I find them to be incredibly boring. If I had my way they could just use a calculator for that shit, but alas the government has other plans. Some people when I tell them I did maths for my degree do think I went and did sums at Uni for 3 years lol! I guess they never got to the point where maths was anything more than that.

 

[Internally Deformed]

Yeah, my memory of maths is that you learn some technique without really understanding why it works, then you sit there applying that technique to the same problem with minor variations over and over again until you're ready to kill yourself.

 

[Phylactery]

You'd get crucified for teaching like that these days. Everything has to be interactive, full of activities and real life applications. It's generally advised to show why things work as well (unless it's way beyond their level). Personally I liked going through an example and then working through questions but I can understand why that wouldn't engage many learners, especially those not interested in maths.

 

[Baroque]

What country is that/ what would that be considered in the USA I wonder.

 

[Phylactery]

This is the UK. I don't know what the equivalent is in the USA as I've never really studied the education system there. When do you typically start a degree in the US? Here you go at 18 until 21 for a normal degree with honours, an extra year for a master's and like 5 years + for a PhD. So the A-Level is designed to prepare you for the degree and potential master's PhD (although you generally don't do a master's in maths and you go straight on to PhD).

Edit: found this.

"A levels are equivalent in terms of content to APs, Collegeboard Advanced Placement exams, (however getting into specifics, their content do vary slightly), however in terms of usage, the A level according to US unis is equivalent to the SAT II but some of them can be cashed for some credits"

It might be easier to just look at the exams they do at A -Level. For maths, there is a standard maths A Level and then one called Further Maths (no other subject has this).

Hardest exam for standard is: Core 4 http://qualifications.pearson.com/c.../2013/Exam-materials/6666_01_que_20150616.pdf

Hardest exam for further maths is: Further pure 3 http://qualifications.pearson.com/c.../2013/Exam-materials/6669_01_que_20150622.pdf

and mechanics 5 http://qualifications.pearson.com/c.../2013/Exam-materials/6681_01_que_20150612.pdf

I don't teach further maths.

 

[Baroque]

Ok then in the UK system I teach about 18-20 level I think. The US system is like:

Kindergarten
1st through 5th grade
2-3 years of junior high
4 years high school
4 years university or 2 junior college 2 uni
2 years for masters
5 more for Ph.D.

I teach math at the junior college level, moving to university level next year.

 

[Funerary_Doom]

I agree with teaching and being hungover. I can't do it, I never tried to but just know i can't. I usually have one beer, glass of wine or drink per night not enough to get drunk. I actually like the taste of alcohol, and if I just sip it it makes me work on my lesson plans pretty easily or when i'm watching Star Trek or a show I decide to watch before going to bed.

haha, making you carry shit? @Funerary_Doom

His bag was really big to be fair. I carried the food and my stuff. Like he used a military long bag to pack his shit. I forget sometimes that when people are bigger their jeans and stuff don't fit into a bookbag like mine does. Also, I was just busting balls because I didnt want to carry 4 big bottles of coconut water. We're going camping man, let go of your comforts!

Also camping was sooo fun. But my tailbone, hips and shoulder blades are killing me. Sleeping on that floor is not a fucking joke at all. Hail to the bed and AC. Also, starting a fire is probably one of the most frustrating shit I've done in awhile. No bears but definitely saw a shit ton of deers. Never seen a deer in person before that.

 

[The Butt]

You'd get crucified for teaching like that these days. Everything has to be interactive, full of activities and real life applications. It's generally advised to show why things work as well (unless it's way beyond their level). Personally I liked going through an example and then working through questions but I can understand why that wouldn't engage many learners, especially those not interested in maths.

I was always terrible at math, but that was because I learned by being taught the general framework of an equation and how everything functions, then being given different problems built upon that framework or me to calculate. Which teachers in high school never did for me.

 

[The Ozzman]

I love how I know that if someone uses 'maths' in a sentence they aren't from the US.

 

[CiG]

Bone Tomahawk.

The film? Any good?

 

[The Ozzman]

Went to order some parts for my car. The main part is 41 dollars and only weighs a few pounds. Add in fasteners and it's roughly 60 bucks. Reasonable right? Wrong: Shipping is as much as the main part.

I'll see if the dealer can order it for me this weekend.

 

[Carpe Mortem]

Also on our way back from camping. Got a lot of compliments on our new truck bed tent, we just got it and this was the first trip using it. Really fucking nice being up off the ground, and the view is a lot better with that extra few feet. Plus you have the sides of the truck as a beer/ashtray/glasses ledge. Highly recommended.

Didn't find any mushrooms, I did keep an eye out.