Math Clips from Lamma Island

These are wooden clips with foam numbers and math operations. They are from Lamma Island, Hong Kong (南丫島 - December 2013).  I purchased these from a street side vendor of this remote island.  I recall the day to have been beautiful; I enjoyed a short hike with my two aunties Francis and Martie in this peaceful and quiet island.

Xmas Gift 2014

Student Celine gave me this chocolate brownie on the day before Christmas break. I only had Celine for a few weeks in the beginning of the school year before she was switched to another teacher. She continues to stop by to talk to me on occasion.

PS - The sad reality was that this brownie was stolen from my desk later that day. I never found out who did it, I only found the wrapper in the trash can at the end of the day.

Thank you, Paul and Trish

This is a large hand-made wooden decor. It was made by the talented Mrs. C. for me as a Christmas gift (2013). Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Ciccoianni. I will try to keep it real (and rational).

School Pin

My private student, Erin, gave me a pin of her boarding school. Its mascot is a Teddy Bear.

Spirited

The crowd showed spirit and class in defeat.  Some students formed a large "G" using butcher paper from the stands.  Good luck to our football team for the rest of the season.

GHS vs. AHS

GHS vs. AHS
Oct. 18th, 2013
7pm @ Citrus College Stadium

New Water Bottle

Supporting our outstanding Dance Team. Are you like me and spend too much money buying items from students?

Apple Tree

In 2009, Maritza gave me this wonderful card.  It's still one of my favorites.

Mid-Autumn Festival

Two of my private students and their mom gave me a box of fresh moon cakes today in celebration of next week's Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival (9/19/2013). Thank you, Katherine.
中秋節快樂!!!

More on the tradition...

Rediscovered Gift

I found this gift, a postcard-sized art work, while cleaning my classroom. It's from Paula (one of the Twins, c/o 2011). She gave it to me during the Chinese Year of the Tiger. The Twins and their gifts also include an Mexican turtle, an UNM jacket, and an cartoon version of my head from this Facebook album. Thank you again, Paula and Maria.

Keychain from Kyrgyzstan

This is truly one of the coolest gifts ever. I've had the pleasure of tutoring Tim for the past two years. He's currently taking Calculus AB. Tim is a well-rounded scholar athlete with a great sense of leadership. This summer, he led a missionary project for his church by volunteering his time to coach badminton - in KYRGYZSTAN!!! He told me that he stayed at a run-down apartment and coached two 3-hour sessions of badminton each day to 90 players. The group didn't always have enough equipment, but Tim said he had the experience of his life. Today, Tim gave me this model key chain of a traditional Kyrgyzstan hut. What an amazing young man!  Thank you, Tim.

From Boston

On August 20th, 2014: I enjoyed a wonderful first day of school. To top it off, I received a beautiful gift from teacher-friend Major Merz. He brought this back from his visit back home over the summer. Thank you so much Major Merz; I will add this to my classroom in 2014.

TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition

I just picked up a new tool for the 2013-2014 AP Statistics class. It's a graphing calculator with color/backlit display and a built-in rechargeable battery.

Link Crew 2013-2014

Link Leader shirt 2013-14. I designed the shirt this year. Again, Mr. C. led an amazing freshmen orientation this year. Our Link Leaders are the best!

Lucky Keychain

I'm fortunate to have been tutoring many great students this summer.  One of my newest students, Erin, was a national level figure skater from Beijing.  She gave me this elegant keychain that she brought back from Taipei. She said that the red symbolizes having good luck in finding love. The keychains also come in yellow (for money), brown (for inspiration), and orange (for wisdom). Erin said to me: "When you have lots of money, you'll also have love."  So funny.  Thanks, Erin.