Since I started freelancing, it’s been rare for me to publish more than one story a day. Hell, it’s been rare for me to publish one a week! But it’s happened today, with a blog entry in the American Mathematical Society on my calculus struggles (the calc dementor is likely a member, but I wonder if he would recognize me or remember me), and an article on Noodle about the Nation’s Report Card.
I have another story in Mental Floss, on the not well-known fact that NASA hired a bunch of women to do their math for them in the ’40s and ’50s. They called them “human computers,” and more interesting, quite a few of them were African-American. One such computer was honored today by President Obama. It’s so great to see women doing math!
I am all about STEM to STEAM programs these days, so I wrote this story for Noodle.com on programs that teach math through dance. Oh, how I wish that had been around when I was a kid. Or better, math through swimming, since I was really into that.
Also, I have been remiss in my shameless promotions. Here are two more Noodle stories, one on helping parents deal with Common Core Math Standards, and one on the perils of parental math anxiety.
I’m back in Paste magazine again, this time with a feature on deep-fried food at the Orange County Fair. We didn’t try the frog legs, because my husband used to have frogs as pets. It’s just as well. I had digestive issues for a while. Oh, what I do for journalism…
Absolutely thrilled about having an essay in the Washington Post today, on me, my mom and the math phobia we shared for years. Glad we both overcame it, and I am, as ever, so proud of my mother for going to college later in life and making a career. Stor kram, Mamma!
I have another story in Mental Floss this week, and it’s making me itch. It talks about fleas, which have beset my house and yard since March. It’s an endless war, but at least I get to write about it?
I’ve written a story this week for an educational website called Noodle on creating a math-friendly home for kids. Growing up, I always had lots of access to books (and bought many), but neither of my parents had much interest in math. I now know that can make a big difference. Noodle also ran a Q&A with me back in May, which exposed my big math crush on Prof. Steven Strogatz. The web being what it is, Strogatz knew within minutes. Eep.
I am honored to write an entry on my math experiences for the American Mathematical Society. This is the oldest such organization in this country, founded in the 19th century. They have a section called teaching and learning, and I got to write a piece about my frustration with instructors skipping steps when explaining problems. I was very impressed by their professionalism (I had two editors, which is one more than many publications I’ve written for). Thank you AMS!
I’ve always had some social anxiety, unlike the rest of my very extroverted family. But working from home has made it so much worse. Luckily The Write Life, a site for writers, let me get some therapy for it.
Mental Floss ran my story on dyscalculia, the math learning disability that makes it hard for people to do the simplest calculations. While I really enjoy reading all the publications I’ve written for this past year, Mental Floss is where I can scratch that itch that answers questions like: why do my dog’s paws smell like corn chips? Yes, that’s an actual story. I won’t link it, because once you get sucked into the Mental Floss rabbit hole, it’s hard to get out.
A.K. Whitney 