Apologies and Arithmetic

I would be remiss,  if I didn't begin with an apology. Some of the information I gave in the last post was inaccurate. The details surrounding Junior clinic, for the most part, were correct, minus one fact. The clinic didn't take place until 7th grade. So, the time line is a bit screwy, but the people and events were all real. Apologies for any confusion.

Now, I need to wrap up some of the final events of the end of my 6th grade year.

I had been doing pretty well in all of my classes, especially pre algebra. Mrs. Light usually asked me to do the bonus questions from our homework on the board during class. At the time, I wasn't sure why she had singled me out, but I did them accurately and without much struggle. My other classes were the run of the mill standards, not very noteworthy. I remember, about two weeks before the end of classes, Mrs. Light asked me to stay after class for a moment.

I was pretty sure she was going to discipline me for talking too much during class. (That was a "grievance" that almost every teacher I had, shared. Sorry guys and gals.) Instead, she asked me to take a seat.

"Have you given the math competition any more thought?"

"Not really. If you really wanted me to, I guess I could do it?"

"I do. Honestly, I think it would be a waste for you not to."

We talked for a little while longer, and her sage words finally settled in my mind. She had such a confidence in me, that I couldn't help but accept the challenge. I was going to be a mathlete.

When the day finally arrived for the competition, I travelled to the local University and met up with my teammates. The competition consisted of an individual test and a team challenge. Up first was the individual test. The first few pages, I handled with relative ease but, as I flipped through the test, the material became more and more foreign, until finally I was reading mandarin Chinese. The timer went off and my test looked pretty miserable. A few of the final pages were incomplete, but I had done the best I could. I had to shift my focus, quickly, to the group challenge.

Our team grouped up and received our test. Some of the smart brains took the lead on the assignment which, as far as I could tell, was just another of the individual tests with more difficult questions. I peered over shoulders as they worked furiously, wondering what I was supposed to be doing. One of the girls asked me politely to start working on one of the problems, so I did. After about 10 words, I realized there was no way I could possibly even attempt to get the problem started. I panicked and told her I couldn't do it, and for the remainder of the time I was resigned to doodling on my scratch paper.

The proctor came by, thanked us , and took up our test and that was that. We were free to go. My mind had been thoroughly boggled and, all the while, I couldn't help but think about why Mrs. Light had told me I could hang with those geniuses. My parents, being the über supportive force they were, promised me I had done well and took me out for a celebratory dinner. One of the best features my parents have, is there ability to fully jump in and support any wild endeavor we had as children. Whether it was karate or gymnastics or soccer or band, they were right there paying for lessons and going with us to competitions.

The next week at school was the spring concert for the sixth grade band, and I was pretty excited. I hadn't performed on a stage in front of a crowd since I was the mayor of the OK Corral in the third grade Christmas play, but I was ready. We played our tunes and the crowd ate it up. Mr. Brown had a flair in his programs that kept the kids and parents very entertained. He was absolutely excellent at his job. That night after I had packed away my uniform and my tuba, and mother had taken her 3480573048570 pictures, I realized that I was in love with making music.

For tonight, I'll leave off here, but on Monday I will finish this year of my life and move into seventh grade. Spoiler alert: I become interested in girls. Stay tuned!

Today's note: "A goal without a plan, is a wish."- Herm Edwards
You have to set up steps for success, or you will find it very difficult to reach your goals.

My friend DJ Turner is a fantastic human being. He participates in Drum and Bugle Corps or, more commonly, DCI. He is a cancer survivor who is still going to participate in this activity. Go to his site and check him out. The activity isn't free and he could use a little help. You don't have to donate, but you could at least share his story. That's 100% free.

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