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| 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.
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| Done, and |
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| Done. |
The pie was declared a success, as
the plate came back empty. A triumph of
American values!
6 comments:
I especially love that YD had to actually make the pie herself. Go, Mom!
Also, I really want some apple pie now.
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!
No doubt she'll get an A!
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 :-)
Brilliant! Both the pie idea and the chart. Your kid is so dang clever!
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?
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