Bobo and I built a kite years ago, a model after the 1899 Wright Brothers kite to scale, a double winged beauty made out of the muslin cloth that the Wrights used on their 1899 kite and the Wright flyer. We worked on the dowel rods over Christmas break. He thought up this little rod jig to slip the rod in that is mounted to his band saw to cut the perfect kite notch. Bobo helps me cut kite notches in the dowel rods. He makes all kinds of things out of wood such as birdhouses, boats, picture frames, furniture, etc. He is retired and works everyday in his wood shop. The students said, “Bobo”! I said yes, Bobo. When her students arrived at school after Christmas break and picked up their kite paper they were ready for their kite history lesson the next day and I told them about Bobo. Well, most students I work on projects with know Bobo. I was given the ¼” dowel rods just before Christmas break so that I could take them home and cut a quarter inch kite notch into each end of every dowel. Kemp and I talked about the kite project before Christmas break and after the break her students were already coming into the Media Center to pick up paper for their kites. With all that in mind I volunteered some of my bulletin board paper for kite making and some glue gun sticks and glue gun. When parents are involved in their children’s education each child succeeds. We’re talking math here and this is a simple formula. I could get on a bandwagon speaking to helping children succeed in school and that it begins with caring parents but all I’m going to say about this is if you want your child to do well in school to please stay involved. This was simply wonderful to see all of these individuals helping out with a school project to see young people succeed. Students do so much better when their parents are involved in their activities and even the teacher’s parents were involved. When parents help out in the schools the classroom thrives. She said that her parents would buy the string and kite reels. Kemp said that the parents would furnish the ¼” dowel rods used for the kites. I really didn’t have anything left in my budget except some supply money and a few dollars to fund my projects until the school year ends. I asked her what to do about supplies for the kite project. It was great that a teacher wanted to apply what was taught in school to something real and see if it works. Kemp said that she wanted to apply math principles to kites and if I would show her classes how to build the kites. Kemp about all this but she wanted to approach kites from a different angle! No pun intended her being a math teacher and all. We would talk about the history of kites and students would look up answers to questions about the history of kites on computers in the library. In art we made kites and students painted their sails with all kinds of designs. I said yes, I thought, I am always good for a kite project. I saw her out in the hall one day while I was doing my hall duty and she asked if I would do a kite project with her classes. She knew about some of the kite projects that I did at Waccamaw in Mr. Kemp wanted to do a special project and apply the math skills learned in class to a real situation. What does congruent mean? What does symmetry mean and what can you do with the knowledge in real life? These are just some of the questions Jackie Kemp hears all the time as a 9 th grade math/Geometry Teacher at Waccamaw High School.
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