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Detroit Jewish News

the article "Akiva: The Roads Ahead"
Jan. 1, featuring among other things
the mathematics curriculum at Akiva
Hebrew Day School. I am, ostensibly,
the "chair" of the "mathematics
department."
It seemed to be an affront to me
and my teaching particularly, as I have
been Akiva's only teacher of Algebra 3,
trignometry, precalculus and calculus.
(The other "high school" teacher,
Janet Clement, teaches geometry,
Algebra 1 and 2, as well as a "problem
solving" course for those students who
are either not planning on going to
college or are not going into programs
requiring calculus, etc.)
However, my anger was assuaged
when I realized that the article could
not possibly have been about the sec-
ondary mathematics curriculum at
Akiva for the following reasons:
• Mrs. Clement and I (essentially
the whole high school mathematics
faculty) have each been at Akiva for
13 years.
• The mathematics curriculum is
standard "college prep," and has been
since it was developed and put in
place beginning in 1993-94; prior to
this, the curriculum did not go
beyond Algebra 2.
• As a full-time mathematics pro-
fessor at the University of Michiga-
Dearborn, I was meticulous in mak-
ing the Akiva coursework "collegiate"
so that graduates from Akiva could
either properly place out of certain
courses or, at least, be prepared for
college courses. Indeed, I have put
into place the same curriculum,
including texts used, as we have at the
University of Michigan-Dearborn.
This is true from Algebra 3 up
through calculus.
• All of the college-prep mathemat-
ics courses are designed and imple-
mented with the latest conventions in
mathematics education I consider
appropriate, including the use of
graphing calculator technology, writ-
ing projects and group work. Indeed,
a year ago, I displayed some of the
students' work at a teaching-with-
technology conference in Chicago due
to the high quality work of these stu-
dents.
• The students at Akiva have called
me many things over the years, but
never once have I, or the courses I
teach, including seventh-grade pre-

algebra up through 12th-grade precal-
culus and calculus, been called "easy.
Quite frankly, that was laughable. If
anything, I've had students want to
avoid me because of my standards,
including some of the students inter-
viewed for the article.

"

Professor Timothy Mckenna
Akiva Hebrew Day School,
Lathrup Village

Mike Young
Well Covered

I would like to take this opportunity
to thank Julie Weingarten for the ter-
rific article ("Lots of Laughs" Jan.
22) she wrote about my son, Mike
Young.
She did a wonderful job and I
wanted her to know that it was cer-
tainly appreciated. Many of my
friends called to comment about what
a terrific article it was.
Gail Young
West Bloomfield

BBYO Coverage
Was Unfair

I am writing this letter in response to
your article on BBYO's regional con-
vention ("BBYO Streaks Kept And
Broken" Jan. 22).
As president of my BBG chapter,
I was outraged to see the minimal
credit that was given to the girls'
half of BBYO. My chapter is Achay-
ot BBG; we were this year's Most
Distinguished Chapter. Since I
joined BBYO three years ago, the
follow-up articles on regional con-
vention have always highlighted the
AZA chapters while disregarding
B'nai B'rith Girls.
The article you printed was not
representative of regional convention
as a whole. Instead of giving much
coor-
due credit to the hardworking coor-
dinators of the affair, Nick Shindel
and Erica Silverstein, or to the com-
mittees that gave countless hours to
making this convention successful,
the piece dwelled on the competition
between Kishon and Greenberg
AZA. Not only were Nick, Erica and
the success of the convention
ignored, every other chapter in
Michigan Region was overlooked'as
well.

LETTERS on page 36

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