Mathematics-- A Night Game UPDATED

Pope Paul VI has a boys' dorm and a girls' dorm. Last might the girls spent most of the evening, praying and singing. They believed one of the girls in the dorm was set onto by a demon, or an evil spirit. I do not know if the student has some form of seizure disorder, post traumatic stress disease, or a mental health problem, but her fellow classmates were doing all they could to heal her.

But tonight was all about mathematics. Each night, the boarders and I think some from town, sit in the classrooms from after dinner to sometimes late at night (think 10 pm). I decided I was going to take advantage of this captive audience and review some mathematics. I think 2 of the teachers watching over the students were surprised when I showed up, but after understanding what I was trying to do, went out of their way to get me supplies.


I walked into Senior 4 Red (which consists of one third of the S.4. class). I started a problem about length of tangents and area of a triangle less a circle, and students poured into the class from the white and green sections. I think at the end, I had over 100 students asking questions and preparing for the math mock exam ( a practice test to get them ready for the real one in December0... It was an absolutely fantastic night... We discussed problems (the real S4 exam is cumulative over the first four years of their secondary schooling) that they did not know how to do and also some they were struggling with....

After awhile, students started writing problems on pieces of paper and giving them to me to do next. I kind of felt like I was a piano player at an Airport Hilton getting requests to play "Piano Man" or "Candle in the wind." The students are much quieter in this situation than Nerinx girls, but some of that is because of my American accent and American ways.

OH, I ALMOST FORGOT.....One of the problems was a Venn diagram problem similar to one we might attempt in the states. You have to find 3 different sets, and figure out how many are in the overlapping circles...and then maybe find out how many are in none of the sets. At Nerinx, I do this problem with soccer, field hockey, and theater for instance. The problem last night, said this.....In a church group of 125, 80 people are loving, 55 people are giving, 62 people are caring, 15 people are loving and caring, etc. We solved the problem the answer to none of these 3 would have been just as mathematically possible with any number in the neither set...even 0. So not only is the problem funny, but in the end we calculated and found in a church group of 125 people....20 people were not caring, loving, or giving.....too funny.....After calculating that number I commented that maybe those 20 need more church....The joke did not commmunicate well and not one of the 100 students laughed.... Oh well, 12 hours later I STILL THINK THE WHOLE PROBLEM IS FUNNY.


About two problems in, I saw a kid in the back of the room wearing a Mizzou Tigers sweatshirt.... I, of course, singled him out for praise. At the end, I told the students that "I love mathematics."

Truly I do.


still just a big tall math geek,

John