Quick, what number gets its own Special Day and even has schools, families and websites devoted to its celebration?

Why, it’s pi, of course, that versatile, constant number that refers to the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle.  It’s always 3.14 (or 3.14159 if you want to be especially precise about it), so March 14 – 3/14, get it? – is the day when math teachers use the occasion to bring attention to this useful number.  The ones who are obsessive sticklers for precision stage their celebrations for March 14 at 1:59.  The Mr. and Ms. Monks of Math.

Pi is always 3.14 no matter which circle you use to compute it.  It appears as a constant in a wide range of math problems.  The ancient Egyptians and Babylonians knew about pi.  Perhaps in our perpetually changing world we’re somehow comforted by something so constant, so reliable, so invariable, so historic.

There are lots and lots of activities that math teachers recommend for their math colleagues and students’ families to reinforce an understanding of pi.  (An old English teacher unfamiliar with teaching about the ratio of circumference to diameter, I am amazed at the sheer number and creativity of these activities.  You can find scads of them from the Math Forum of Drexel, one of my favorite math websites, at www.mathforum.org.  Another useful site is www.education-world.com, where you’ll find more lesson plans and family activities.)

Here’s a sampler.

1. Compare the volume of slices taken from round and rectangular cakes.  In my mind’s eye I can see children and teens in classrooms all over the country on March 14, 1:59 or not, clustered around cakes of all kinds and eagerly, hungrily, doing the math.


2. Compare the radii of sprinklers in a garden.  Again, I can just imagine kids outdoors on schools’ front lawns or in their own family gardens, moving, measuring, and yes, getting a little wet, as they do the math.


3. How many feet does the tip of the minute hand travel in an hour on the clock on Philadelphia’s City Hall?  Or on Baltimore’s Bromo Seltzer Tower?  Or on London’s Big Ben?  Or on the church steeple’s clock in your own neighborhood?


4. Using colorful beads of many colors, make a pi necklace to reinforce the idea that some numbers never repeat or end.

March is National Math Month, so you’re no doubt hearing a lot about a relatively new acronym in education, STEM, or Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.  (Go to www.stemeducation.org for information.)

Educators everywhere are working to ensure a high quality of STEM education at all levels of schooling, recognizing that students today more than ever need an understanding of science and math principles.  That means a working knowledge of computers – both hardware and software – and problem-solving skills.  As we prepare our kids for 21st century skills, values, and futures, we’re acknowledging and acting on our country’s need for homegrown scientists and engineers to do the technological research and development vital to our economic growth.  We’re providing technologically-proficient workers for a science-based, high tech workforce.  And we’re preparing a scientifically literate populace, not only taking advantage of technology but having a basic understanding of its workings.

So, on National Pi Day (which is also the birthday of Albert Einstein, a fortuitous coincidence that I find deeply satisfying somehow and makes me smile at the occasional aptness of Fate) and during National Math Month, let’s redouble our efforts to be good math role models for our kids, active supporters of their math teachers, and stricter monitors of their homework, study, and testing activities.

Look at the “Archives” section of my blog for more math-related postings.

Recently I took in a presentation on biomedical engineering and robotics at The Johns Hopkins University.  I stood transfixed as I learned about the seemingly limitless field – instruments for physicians and surgeons, fascinating research (including the study of one of nature’s most resilient creatures, the cockroach – yuck), and, truly, the growth field of the future.

Science isn’t only for nerds any more!  (If it ever was.)  Indeed, it’s for all of us, even for us quaint English majors!  If our kids aren’t studying science, if they’re not aware of its significant role in our lives now and in the future, if they’re not curious about the science behind those video games and tech gadgets they rely on daily, then they’re going to be left behind.  Seriously.

So why aren’t we working harder to get our kids interested at earlier ages in the sciences?  If the jobs, careers, and workplaces of the future are increasingly science-related, if the field is so rich in human, medical, economic, and personal potential, why aren’t we purposefully guiding our kids toward where the action is?

Some thoughts.

1. We need science literacy.  Life is complicated, probably more so than ever before.  We make decisions every day based on our scientific knowledge – about smoking, about what we eat and drink, about the cars we buy and drive, about the homes we live in, about the global and local environment, and about the issues we’re asked to vote on, like the space program, nuclear energy, off-shore and mountaintop wind farms, and other complicated topics.  As citizens, we owe it to ourselves and to future generations to have a reasonable understanding of these important topics.


2. Kids are hungry for exciting learning.  Yes, kids love to learn, and the more exciting, the better.  We adults in their lives – their parents, teachers, coaches, clergy, scout leaders – have a responsibility to steer them to new discoveries that capture their imaginations and ignite new interests.  Medicine.  Aeronautics.  Automobiles.  Robots.  Genetics.  Forensic crime solving.  (A confession.  I’m hooked on CSI: NY.) Video game design.  Animation.  Athletics.  (You think those outfits at the Olympics are for style only?  Think again.)  Music.  Movies.  Military.  Fashion.  Theatre.  Weather.


3. Science is for all students.  The sciences can appeal to all types of students, especially those students who don’t get our immediate attention – the bright ones who need special nurturing, the bored ones who need an extra spark, the curious ones who are always asking “Why?”, the fidgety ones who need to be touching and feeling and doing.  A science lab, with the right teacher and equipment, can be every bit as exciting as the sports field, the stage, or the concert auditorium.


4. Science builds many skills.  Besides the important math skills that come with science, don’t forget about the confidence, motivation, perseverance, critical thinking, and teamwork skills that come with the practice of science.  Each of these skills is important for increased learning and also for the jobs of the future.


5. And it’s fun.  Want some cool ideas for science experiments you can do at home, like crushing soda cans, floating bowling balls, slime-making, dancing raisins, and how to “bend” water?  Check out Science is Fun and discover lots of interesting ways to introduce and nurture an interest in science in kids.  I enjoy Bill Nye the Science Guy, too.  He always has an interesting take on science topics.

Science is part of everything we do, and it increasingly takes a prominent role in our lives.  Insist on plenty of science in your kids’ schools, the best science teachers, up-to-date facilities, and an engaging curriculum.  Let’s lead our kids to active involvement in the future and engaging careers that fulfill them and help others.

Someone asked me the other day how to get ready for a daughter’s going off to college in the fall.  Dad was sad.

Sending your child off to college really doesn't have to be an emotional roller coaster.  As a teacher of high school seniors for many years (and talking about this subject to innumerable parents), I've learned a few tips that can ease the way.  The secret -- as in so many other educational challenges -- is in preparation, state of mind, and connections.

1. Learn as much as you can about the school.  Remember when you sent your child to middle school for the first time?  Remember how you took her to the school before the beginning of the school year so she could learn where everything was?  Now it's your time to do the same.  Get to know her new campus either by an actual visit or a virtual one.  Learn about the place where your child will live.  Routines, places, classroom buildings, labs, eating spots, sports venues.  The more you know, the more you'll feel a part of her life.  Buy a tee shirt and coffee mug from the school, so you'll feel connected at home.  Follow the sports teams, the drama productions, the music concerts, the academics, and other activities that are important to your child.  These are all connections.


2. Communicate regularly.  But not too regularly.  Take your cue from your student.  Be open to communication, but generally let him initiate it.  This is a time for him to learn about independence, and he'll be experimenting with increased freedom.  He'll probably call more during his first weeks away, then he'll feel more confident.  It's okay for you to call from time to time, of course.  Have a set time for these calls -- that's best for all of you with your busy lives.  Remember, you're not losing him.  Instead, be proud for him that he's becoming independent.  Besides, he'll always need you, just in different ways.  Be there for him.  The connections continue.


3. Pay attention.  During these calls, learn the names of the kids he mentions, the professors' names, the course titles, and other information he shares with you.  (And if you have to write them down because you'll forget them otherwise, do it.  I’m not ashamed of the increasing lists I carry around with me and rely on.  There are worse predicaments for a middle-aged brain to face.)  This way, when you're talking with him next week you can mention these important names naturally and conversationally.  More connections.


4. Make it social.  Invite roommates, study buddies, friends, and classmates home for weekends or -- if practical -- for home cooked dinners or restaurant meals.  Get to know, without being obtrusive, the people your child hangs out with, studies with, plays soccer with.  Celebrate successes and milestones together.  Connections.


5. Pay attention to your own feelings.  Of course you'll feel a loss when your child leaves for college.  Help prepare yourself for the inevitable by being involved from the earliest days.  Help yourself by helping her keep her high school grades up, by being involved in the college search, by being supportive, enthusiastic, and positive.  Besides, now you'll be able to indulge your long-postponed interests -- those books you've been meaning to read, that project you've been putting off, the hobby you've ignored for eighteen years.

If you’ve been through the sending-your-child-off-to-college crisis, how’d you fare?  Share your thoughts and successes and cautions with us here by clicking on Comments below.