A Presentation!

  Maths in our everyday life!

Once, a math teacher was asked by her department in- charge, to submit a presentation paper on topic, 'Maths in our everyday life.' For a second, the math teacher was surprised at her senior's sudden demand. Then she smiled and politely replied, 'As you wish, ma'am'! The project was in three days.

Early the next day morning, the math teacher called her senior, inviting her to tag along for a field visit. The senior couldn't understand her request. She was confused but eventually agreed. An hour later, they both met on the school campus and headed out in a cab, having secured formal permission from the principal.

On the way, the senior asked her repeatedly where they were going and what this was all about. But the math teacher simply smiled and requested her to be patient. After a short drive, she asked the driver to pull over near a hospital. Reluctantly, the senior followed her inside, straight to the maternity ward. They saw beautiful newborn babies with their mothers. The math teacher walked up to a bed and asked, 'When was the baby born?' After a small chat, she led the senior back to the cab.

The car started moving on the road again. Just near a health center, she asked the driver to stop. They stepped inside, and after a brief discussion with the caretaker, they came back to the cab again. Their next halting point was near a public park. A massive giant wheel loomed over the playground, surrounded by other amusement rides. The senior looked at her in disbelief and asked, 'Hey! Don't tell me you want to play right now?'

'Just one round, ma'am, please!' the teacher pleaded. So, they took a ride.

After returning from the park, she took her senior to a beautiful, tall building whose infrastructure was mind-blowing. Although the main structure was complete, the finishing work was still going on. Hundreds of labourers were busy handling their specified tasks. The senior, seriously couldn't understand her teacher's intention of visiting so many random locations. But, however, she accompanied her, wherever she went. Next, they visited a clothing store in a shopping mall where a massive discount sale was going on. Finally, she took her to a private clinic and lastly to a graveyard, pointing silently at the tombstones.

It was already 5:30 p.m. when they reached at school. By that time, both of them were utterly exhausted. The senior was almost disgusted with this type of absurd journey. She was annoyed and could no longer contain her irritation. 'Miss, you have completely wasted your time today,' she said sharply. 'Make sure your paper on assigned topic is ready the day after tomorrow. I will accept no excuses!' The math teacher simply nodded her head silently.

On the day of submission, all the subject teachers were busy submitting their work. When the in-charge head asked the math teacher to submit her work, the teacher requested permission to present her paper using the classroom projector.  Although the supervisor was angry, she quietly arranged the equipments. The Principal with all the faculty members took their seats in a classroom, and the lights were turned off, and bright glow of the projector illuminated the whiteboard. Suddenly, the buzzing sound of the teachers instantly died down as the presentation began:

The slides were beautifully arranged with seamless audio-visual effects, making the presentation incredibly lively. The very first slide featured a video clip of the math teacher herself.

Speaking through the presentation, she addressed the audience, 'What I am going to present is nothing fundamentally new, as my colleagues have already done an excellent job using audio-visual methods. I have done the same, but slightly in a different prospective. The truth is, we are entangled with maths every single moment of our lives. But, the only problem is that we rarely account for it. However, this is my sincere attempt to present my paper with real-life examples of 'Maths in our everyday life' rather than giving a dry lecture. That's the concept, I have prepared the this slide show, just to prove how maths work out in our everyday life. If there are any shortcomings, I beg your pardon!'

Slowly, her introduction gave way to the footage she had captured.

The presentation of 'Maths in our everyday life' began its glow on the whiteboard! With slow background music, the first slide came, where the in-charge head herself standing in the maternity ward, asking a delivery patient when her baby was born.  

The math teacher's voiceover explained- 'The very day a child is born, the mathematical chapters 'Time and Measurement' are attached to it. We record the exact 'hour', 'minute' and 'weight' the moment a baby is born.

The second slide transitioned to a local health centre, showcasing a spread of balanced, healthy food. A healthy food for a normal human being. But, usually in what amount balanced diet is eaten by a person in his / her food.' There the voiceover explains- Even the food we consume, the mathematical chapters of 'quantity, mass and proportion are included'. Without a fixed proportion of different spices, the food will never become tasty.

The third slide captured their ride on the giant wheel. Knowingly or unknowingly, we are deeply involved in maths in our enjoyment and fun. For example- We ride the Giant Wheel! A single revolution covers the circumference of the giant wheel and at the same time the height from the ground! So, circle, circumference, and height, all at a time, are included in our fun!

The classroom remained pin-drop silent, completely spellbound by the colourful professional slides, awaiting the fifth slide to come. The principal leaned forward. The senior stopped tapping her pen! The other teachers stared at the board with eyes wide open. The slides were so colourful and presentable, that made the onlookers dumb!

The fifth slide revealed- the beautiful building they had visited! The outside look of the building was really amazing! The square glass window, curved porch, and huge rectangular-shaped transparent sliding glass door, everything was revealing the skill and workmanship of the workers!

The teacher explained, 'Here- Geometric shapes with perfect measurement, and complex calculation come alive. Construction work was still going on at one side of the building. The supervisor of the building was paying the daily wages to the laborers as per their work. Thus, the amount they received was different from person to person. More work, more money, that was the concept! So, see! Time and Work, Ratio and Proportion, estimation, and even unitary method, all were included.

'Oh, wow!' a slow sound mixed in the closed AC room. What's next?'

The sixth slide was loaded with pictures of an overcrowded shopping mall. People were rushing to the shops only to save some money. 'Discount,  flat 50 % Off, and 80 % price Drop!' flashed on screen that made them crazy. So, who was a gainer, who was a loser? Anyhow, Profit and Loss, Cost Price, and Selling Price with the Discount and Percentage chapters are they not actively ruling this marketplace?'

For every two-minute video clip, she was relating the picture with the chapters of the math.

The seventh slide was dealing with their brief conversation with the doctor, regarding a critical patient. The doctor told them that it was a '50- 50 chance' of survival of the patient. So, she expressed the theory of 'Probability'.

The final slide was a picture of the graveyard, where both of them were keenly watching the dates of 'birth and death', carved into a stone pillar. Now, the math teacher looked directly into the camera, then said, 'I believe, this is enough for anyone to understand the impact of mathematics on human life! What more proof do we need? When a person dies that 'time'  is also recorded. So, from the beginning, till the end of our life, we are closely associated with math, math, and more math! Am I right? I have merely named a few chapters for our convenience'

The show was over! The presentation concluded, and the classroom erupted into a loud applause and appreciation! The senior in- charge smiled, her previous anger completely disappeared with this wonderful presentation!

She was different from others. Sometimes, she danced, and sang in the class, if the children wished. Not only to mold them but also to make them happy. According to her, if the children are satisfied with the teacher, then the teaching will automatically become easier. She was always in favor of practically present examples. That's the reason why, she insisted her senior to join her, on her visits and took a video photograph of her whole journey on her iPhone.

She believed in one principle, 'Math is fun! Win the hearts of the children, the class will be yours!'