Saturday, January 9, 2016

Best Scholastic Use of Pie

Working on extra credit requires using Mom's markers
“Create something American, and bring it in to class, and you can earn five extra credit points,” said Younger Daughter’s U.S. history teacher to the class.

When we at the Common Household heard this, naturally our thoughts turned to apple pie. Any excuse to make a pie is a good excuse. 

This time, it was up to YD to make the pie.  I could use some extra credit points in some subjects, but the points were offered to the students, not the parents.  I sweetened the deal for her by offering to drive her to school, if she made a pie for her class.

On Wednesday night, I found YD’s pie plate, the one with her name on it that she received as a party favor at a friend’s birthday (one of the more inspired party favors I have ever seen).  I pointed YD in the direction of the pie ingredients.  Then my husband and I went out for a few hours, leaving YD in the kitchen alone, and her older brother lurking about in the house.

When we returned home, the pie was in the oven, and YD was coloring a pie chart of 2014 US fiscal spending, because, next to apple pie, nothing is more American than arguing over the federal budget.  She had enlisted her brother’s help to cut the apples – I hadn’t realized that YD had never done this step on her own.  YD has made plenty of pies with me, but none by herself. 

In the night, I lay awake trying to calculate how big a piece of pie each student would get.  Is the circumference of a circle 2πr or πr2?  I decided it had to be the former, because the latter number was too big.  Before drifting back to sleep I concluded that for an 8-inch pie plate, simplifying π to a value of 3.0 (scandalous, I know, but I’m not swift at arithmetic and I was mainly trying to fall asleep), and further assuming 24 students in the class, each student could get a piece of pie measuring about 1 inch at the outer edge.  Just a taste, but not enough to ruin anybody’s appetite for the healthful school lunch that they eat at about 10:30 AM, a great lunch time for people who have to get up at 6 AM.




Done, and

Done.

The pie was declared a success, as the plate came back empty.  A triumph of American values!

6 comments:

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

I especially love that YD had to actually make the pie herself. Go, Mom!
Also, I really want some apple pie now.

smalltownme said...

Pies are wonderful. I have pie plates with my name on them, because there used to be a pie shop of the same name. I would buy pies from them and never return the plates!

Angie said...

No doubt she'll get an A!

Cassi said...

I love that making a pie wasn't enough for her --she made the pie chart as well. That is the kind of student you value --someone who is engaged, not just working for the few points :-)

Anonymous said...

Brilliant! Both the pie idea and the chart. Your kid is so dang clever!

The Crislers said...

Apple pie and pie charts, I love them both. And her apple pie looks scrumptious.

Did she say whether or not anyone else brought pie?