I generally don't write milestone blogs, but this is my 20,000th post on TeamLiquid... and in some cultures, writing the equivalent of one post per minute for a whole half-month is revered.
So... yay! I've hit the 20K milestone
Dance.
So first and foremost, feel free to ask me anything I figure an AMA aspect is one way to encourage conversation. I'm a lover of mathematics, education, tennis, StarCraft, and long island iced teas.
As both a math educator and student of math education (I'm currently tutoring privately and at public centers, and I'm also a full-time student working on my PhD in mathematics education), this man- Taylor Mali, teacher and slam poet- has the attitude I wish to emulate (and I wish more teachers would copy) as an educator:
I make a goddamn difference... now what about you?
Now for something a little bit more StarCraft-related... Some of my favorite photos that I've collected at MLGs when I was fortunate enough to meet some SC2 players and personalities:
Saw him after midnight once he finished casting the whole day... and yet he was still running around. If this guy had any more energy, Blizzard would remove his amulet.
I actually killed the person who messed up this picture, for obvious reasons.
And I guess the tradition is to thank those who have been particularly helpful, friendly, or communicative during the time I've spent here on TL... Thanks to:
neoghaleon- for giving me all the explicit details of your future relationship with DRG (invite me to the wedding!) lilsusie- for purchasing an SKT T1 shirt for me <3 Jealous- playing PPL and SSB64 was awesome (and looking forward to your summer tourny!) micronesia- for our conversations regarding math and science education! Azera and Recognizable- for the PMs regarding math problems and education! opterown, Shellshock, and Kristoffer (and others)- for creating amazing LR threads and writing out those live reports! StateofReverie- because why the hell not? Naniwa and Thorzain- For the TSL3 Finals, and this: + Show Spoiler +
On June 16 2013 00:19 Emzeeshady wrote: Nice pic with the IM team! Was that at the IPL team league finals?
Also, the DRG picture is priceless, gratz on 20k.
It was MLG Providence 2011; IM (and Quantic, when they partnered with IM) came to a nearby venue for photos and signatures And DRG is a cool guy ^^ Actually, I found that most pro-gamers- Korean and foreigner alike- are pretty cool people and generally approachable (although perhaps not right after a scathing defeat- they may want a little time away from others then).
On June 16 2013 00:43 docvoc wrote: What kind of a teacher are you DPB? How did you realize you wanted to be one?
EDIT: I realize it's math or science related, but I'm kinda curious as to the subject haha.
(EDIT: Just to be clear, these are my intentions at a future job. Currently I'm not an employed teacher because I'm a full-time student and working as a math tutor on the side.)
A math teacher- either starting off as a high school math teacher and ending my career as a college professor, or just sticking with being a college professor all the way through (which I'm leaning more towards, as there are less politics, bullshit, and immaturity at the college level than in secondary school, and I'd get burnt out less quickly and possibly make more money). Also, the ability to do research on the side is appealing to me, although my first priority is educating others.
There are surely pros and cons to being an educator at each level (primary/ elementary, secondary, etc.). At the youngest levels, the students are still excited about everything. Any task you give them can be the most interesting thing they've ever done, especially if you show emotion and passion. Playing with blocks at the kindergarten level? What a coincidence; they fucking love playing with blocks.
Unfortunately, teaching the youngest kids can be tough to do when you can't really have related tangents because they're only six or eight or ten years old. You get to mold them into great learners, but often you're seen as more of a babysitter than anything else. Also, the basic mathematics at that level doesn't truly interest me, although I tutor it (and most other maths that most people need to take in school, including standardized testing).
At the secondary level, you can actually have more constructive conversations with students in general, but only if you're a teacher they respect. Plenty of them may act like jerks, and some of them are already tired of a subject (input "I hate math/ I'm good at math" whining here). They're already jaded from having *that one bad teacher* that ruined an entire subject for them, and that's a pity. One can work to reform those students, of course, but it's much harder when dealing with those who already think they have enough experience to draw conclusions on what your course is going to be like, before it even really starts. I'm a big fan of teaching secondary level mathematics though- especially the algebras and geometries that all students will take, and act as the building blocks of higher mathematics. Having a strong foundation in algebra is imperative to being successful in high school (and college) mathematics courses. I often say that the hardest part about calculus is the algebra involved, as consistently reformatting and manipulating your equations can be the difference between a straightforward, successful derivation, and being completely lost.
Of course, at both the primary and secondary levels, a teacher has to be prepared for not only ignorant students, but ignorant parents as well. They (possibly even moreso than the faculty), can be the bane of any teacher's existence. ("You gave my child detention? But he can do no wrong!) Ideally, the teachers and parents will work closely together, with the teacher communicating effectively with the parent, and the parent staying on top of her kid's homework and after-school education. But many times, a lack of respect for the teacher or an indifference to their child's education is garnered by the parent (or vice-versa), causing an unfortunate downward spiral at the student's expense. Many cultures (especially the countries that are more successful from an education perspective) often treat their teachers with respect, and that is something that educators generally do not have in the United States.
But that was slightly tangential and a bit of a rant; I only wish to contrast that with what happens at the tertiary/ undergraduate/ college/ university level, where students are actually held accountable and responsible for their actions, and an angry e-mail from mommy means next to nothing. If I could teach basic mathematics (e.g., geometry or precalculus or algebra) to college students, I almost certainly would. Although I might not have as much of an effect as the prior teachers who are first introducing the subject, I've found from working with college students that they still can be impressionable. That's not to naively say that I'll be able to turn every student into a mathematician... but if I could make them more math-literate, then that would be fantastic.
As far as realizing my career path is concerned, I was fortunate enough to essentially always know what I wanted to do in life. I always enjoyed teaching and providing instruction, and I was very successful with- and actually enjoyed- mathematics throughout my career as a student. I had my fair share of useless teachers, but I was raised on fun brain teasers and logic puzzles, and frequently connected them to thinking mathematically. My parents were also high school teachers (my mom is a chemistry teacher, and my dad is a retired Spanish and Italian teacher), so being able to see (or hear) what they experienced shaped my path too.
On June 16 2013 04:57 Kasaraki wrote: Can you share any juicy details of Neoghaleon's future relationship with DRG?
Also, great gallery! I love these collections of pictures taken with various e-sports characters.
And awesome videos too. :o This post has everything, doesn't it!
Thanks
And as far as DRG and neo goes... all I can say is that their love for one another overcomes even the longest of distances ♥ The wedding should be fun... I hope they have a flowergirl queen that spews creep tumors flower petals.
On June 16 2013 07:13 KristofferAG wrote: Unfair, I've never met a single pro.
Grats on the 20k dood!
Thank you And have you been to live tournaments? I've talked to quite a few friends who were too shy or felt awkward approaching players, but as long as you don't act like a jerk and respect them (basically how you should pretty much treat anyone), talking to your favorite pro-gamers and getting a picture is totally worth it!
On June 16 2013 07:13 KristofferAG wrote: Unfair, I've never met a single pro.
Grats on the 20k dood!
Thank you And have you been to live tournaments? I've talked to quite a few friends who were too shy or felt awkward approaching players, but as long as you don't act like a jerk and respect them (basically how you should pretty much treat anyone), talking to your favorite pro-gamers and getting a picture is totally worth it!
No, I haven't had the chance. I think the best option would be The Gathering in Norway, with Dreamhack in Sweden being second. Was supposed to be at DH Summer, but then I got this stupid diagnosis and I had to cancel.
I have nearly been here as long as you, but I don't even have 1k posts
What is so interesting about maths? For now, I have done differential and integral calculus and I'm going to do linear algebra at the next semester, but I still don't have much interest in maths despite the good grades.
On June 16 2013 07:13 KristofferAG wrote: Unfair, I've never met a single pro.
Grats on the 20k dood!
Thank you And have you been to live tournaments? I've talked to quite a few friends who were too shy or felt awkward approaching players, but as long as you don't act like a jerk and respect them (basically how you should pretty much treat anyone), talking to your favorite pro-gamers and getting a picture is totally worth it!
No, I haven't had the chance. I think the best option would be The Gathering in Norway, with Dreamhack in Sweden being second. Was supposed to be at DH Summer, but then I got this stupid diagnosis and I had to cancel.
Ah that's too bad The energy and environment in those live tournaments is awe-inspiring. I hope you can get to one some day!
On June 16 2013 15:26 Rizare wrote: I have nearly been here as long as you, but I don't even have 1k posts
What is so interesting about maths? For now, I have done differential and integral calculus and I'm going to do linear algebra at the next semester, but I still don't have much interest in maths despite the good grades.
It's not a problem that you don't have many posts... Quality > Quantity
I think there are a lot of interesting things about math... the patterns that appear naturally (Fibonacci sequence, golden ratio, etc.), the brain teaser and logic aspects (proofs, math wordplay and paradoxes, etc.), and the fact that math is applicable in life (arithmetic on a daily basis, geometry and algebra and calculus for higher math and engineering and science, etc.), are just a few things I love about the subject
On June 16 2013 04:57 Kasaraki wrote: Can you share any juicy details of Neoghaleon's future relationship with DRG?
Also, great gallery! I love these collections of pictures taken with various e-sports characters.
And awesome videos too. :o This post has everything, doesn't it!
Thanks
And as far as DRG and neo goes... all I can say is that their love for one another overcomes even the longest of distances ♥ The wedding should be fun... I hope they have a flowergirl queen that spews creep tumors flower petals.
On June 16 2013 04:57 Kasaraki wrote: Can you share any juicy details of Neoghaleon's future relationship with DRG?
Also, great gallery! I love these collections of pictures taken with various e-sports characters.
And awesome videos too. :o This post has everything, doesn't it!
Thanks
And as far as DRG and neo goes... all I can say is that their love for one another overcomes even the longest of distances ♥ The wedding should be fun... I hope they have a flowergirl queen that spews creep tumors flower petals.
LMAO
<3 DPB
Hahahaha I figured you'd get a kick out of that
On June 25 2013 09:47 neoghaleon55 wrote: I want to know where does the name DarkPlasmaBall come from? :D
I wish I had a fantastic story behind my name, but I just combined two words I thought were cool back when I was really young (Dark and Plasma) and then added Ball to it because why not... that was my BW, Diablo 1, and Diablo 2 name way back in the day. Unfortunately, it doesn't fit for SC2 so I had to change it -.-' Oh well.
EPT
I figure an AMA aspect is one way to encourage conversation. I'm a lover of mathematics, education, tennis, StarCraft, and long island iced teas. ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/HDVdcHv.jpg)
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