my camera & my day job & some numbers

my camera goes a lot of places with me, including to my "day job"- the one that involves kids - lots of them.
i love my other job, don't get me wrong, but there are days & situations i'd rather not ever re-live!

there are a LOT of numbers involved in that job too - not numbers associated with money mind you, but things like individual scores, averages, means, medians, modes, and lots of standardized numbers!!

there are also a lot of headaches created by too many politicians who think these numbers & statistics can tell you all you need to know about children & their level of learning.

unfortunately while i usually disagree with them, i often get caught up in all the stress these numbers create.

and then, tonight, as i began editing pictures i took at my "other job", i came across some numbers that made me smile & reminded me why i do love it.

take a look :



these numbers are "statistics" some of my girls recorded at a minor league baseball game we took them to earlier this week.

(now before you get on your soapbox & ask what a baseball game has to do with school, i'll politely inform you that it's the real life component to a creative math project involving statistics & probability - so there!)

you can see the selected players' numbers & batting average - apparently warren schaeffer has been more successful at the plate than the other two, but i digress....

more importantly, these numbers have heart(s) - literally & figuratively.

the players who are featured here obviously caught the eyes of these girls, who are at the age when boys are noticed and innocent crushes are developed.

they were recorded by some sweet & intelligent young ladies who strive to do what's expected of them, but are also widening their eyes searching, for their place in a society that changes daily at breakneck speed.

they are curious, compassionate, conscientious, and silly - everything you'd want your young teen daughter to be.

the expectations they face today though, are no laughing matter.

the information society has determined young people should master is staggering.

it is no longer just reading, writing, and arithmetic.

to be "proficient" today requires knowledge in more areas than most grown adults i know could handle. (just ask any parent who's tried to help with algebra homework or had to create a power point presentation!)

yet these girls, and many other kids like them, handle these expectations with grace, poise, and some very age-appropriate laughter & giggling!

they work hard and i feel so privileged to watch them have their light bulb moments as they learn.

so while i will agree that sometimes the numbers don't always add up, i'm also thrilled to report that there are occasions when you get lucky and the total is far more than the sum of the parts!!