"Wrap Up"

Pella Externship
Days 29-31

The last few days have been very exciting.  We had our meeting with Bart, the in house analyst, to go over our methods of data collection and statistical analysis.  We discussed why we chose to group the data on a monthly basis to smooth out some of the variation in the daily returns.  We also looked a little closer at the correlation coefficients and some of the corresponding P-Values.  In the end, he agreed that we had a tool that had some value to it, as long as they were careful about how they applied the results.

My final presentation was to the Lumber Plant Manager, Raw Lumber Purchase Manager, and Lumber Process team.  I explained the Externship and specific goals given to me when I began this summer.  We went over the optimization tool and users guide.  They were all very excited about the different ways it might impact each of their roles in the plant.  Overall, the presentation went very well and all of their questions were answered.  If anything, we had to reign them back in and remind them that it was just a simulation tool. 

I found this 6 week experience to be one of the most valuable trainings of my professional career.  In the beginning, I was nervous about how the connections to the 21st Century Skills and Eight Standards for Mathematical Practice would be brought back into the classroom.  Now I see the opportunities to tie these concepts in on an almost daily basis.  The majority of my career to this point has been spent in a philosophical tug of war between focusing on the skills and dedicating time to allow students to discover and apply at a slower pace.  After my experience at Pella Corp., I can challenge myself to design units that will bring together the best of both worlds.  We work on building communication, perseverance, defending results, and solving unique and challenging problems skills in class.  The best teachers find a way to engage students in the technical skills of math while building these real life skills as well.