Racing to the Top Using Mathematics and Science

By Dr. LTC RET. CHET Goodwin

Racing to the Top Using Math and Science is the true story about how the author used wisdom, Math and Science in and outside the classroom to become valedictorian of his high school class.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 27, 2012
• ISBN: 9781449740634

Dr. LTC RET. CHET Goodwin

Dr. Chester Goodwin, retired lieutenant colonel, US Army, knows it’s best for students to always use mathematics and science to help reach their goals. After retirement, he returned to the church near what remained of the high school where he made that special valedictorian speech, and taught the men’s Sunday school class. Moverover, he also returned to the county’s high school and taught Algebra I, Algebra II, and Probability and Statistics. Dr. LTC. Ret Goodwin is currently writing "Racing to the Top Using Mathematics and Science / COLLEGE DAYS."

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Copyright © 2012 Dr. Ltc. Ret., Chet Goodwin.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is available for special use, only after the proper approval from Chester Goodwin.

ISBN: 978-1-4497-4063-4 (e)

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WestBow Press rev. date: 3/21/2012

CONTENTS

Pre-School

Primary School Days

The 1st Grade

Primary School Days

2nd Grade

Primary School Days

3rd Grade

Primary School Days

4th Grade

Primary School Days

5th Grade

Primary School Days

6th Grade

Junior High School Days

7th Grade

Junior High School Days

8th Grade

High School Days

9th Grade

High School Days

10th Grade

High School Days

11th Grade

High School Days

The Senior Year

For Students and Others

About the Author

Effective Teaching:

Peer reviewed Article

***

How did you do it?

One evening, before exiting the school bus that I drove to school each day, the question above that many asked is answered throughout this book.

This book is dedicated to the legacy of My Daddy Clifton Goodwin Sr. and Ma Alice Hooks Goodwin.

This book is also dedicated to My Oldest Brother Clifton Goodwin Jr.

Moreover, this book is also dedicated to My Older Brother Dennis Goodwin.

This is the true story told by Chester, sometimes called Check.

***

Pre-School

The first time I can remember using Math & Science was as a baby, listening to my mother sing a song over and over again to me. As, I recall she said, one little piggy when to the market, one little piggy stayed at home, one little piggy ate roast beef, and one little piggy had none. She was trying to teach me how to use Math to count to the number four. But as I recall, this was my first crawl toward several other steps that would lead to my racing to the top using Math & Science.

The second time I can remember using Math & Science at an early age, was watching My Daddy performing surgery on a hog. After the hog had been cleaned and place upside down from a weight horse, the surgery procedure would start. So, I would always ease my way up as close as I could to the lower part of the hog to get a close view of what was being done. Then, as he opened the hog and performed the procedure without touching the bile organ or any other organs, I could hear him call out their names. At this early age, I begin to store the names and images in my brain. Years later, I would always wonder why he would look at me but never pushed me back. Well, he was trying to teach me how to use Math and Science to remember all the organs inside a body. But as I recall, this was my second crawl toward other steps that lead to my racing to the top using Math & Science.

The third time I can remember using Math & Science at an early age was watching My Oldest Brother, use an axe to cut wood. During the Fall Season, our family would store wood for the cold days ahead. This would require a wood stack be built and filled before the cold winter months set in. To build the wood stack, first, based on what My Daddy had done in previous years, without any exact measuring tools he would set two poles a few feet from each other. Then, he would cut wood and place it in stacks between the poles. However, one day I noticed how far he would swing the axe up before he would drop it down into the wood.

Well, as I watched him take the axe way up in the sky and drop it down into the wood, it seemed like a lot of fun. So, early one morning, for whatever reason, I went to the wood pile and tried to imitate cutting wood. I took the axe up as high as I could into the sky, then dropped it the first time at the same angle he did producing a great cut in one stroke.

All of a sudden, I noticed, he was trying to teach me how use Math and Science to form the correct angle to place the axe at impact. But as I recall, this was my third crawl toward other major steps that would lead to my racing to the top using Math & Science.

Before I went to school for the first time, I experienced several events and activities around the home that were somehow related to my race to the top using Math & Science. Most of these events and activities were lead by my parents.

Early one morning when I was the baby, I heard my father called My Daddy by all my older brothers and sister. My mother was called Ma by them too. When I was able to talk, I did the same. Even now, when I talk or write, I refer to them as My Daddy or My Ma.

The next time I observed counting was in our living room. I remember watching My Daddy as he gathered everybody in the house into the living room or what we called the front room for Bible reading and the family prayer. As I recall, this was my first introduction to order and counting. I notice the order was, every Sunday morning in each month of the year, including December, when Santa came to town. I also noticed the total count of my brothers and sisters in the front room was the same each time. Well, My Daddy taught me early, what to put first in my life.

Soon after everybody in the house was in place, he would make a visual count of all present before calling on someone to read. He would never start until everyone in the house was in placed and counted. This was the most significant