Application

"And that," said Ms. Chambers, putting the chalk on the tray, "is how you determine the surface area of a rectangular prism. Any questions?"

She turned to look at the class, most of whose eyes had created a kind of film like what you see over queso that hasn't been breached by a chip in a while. There were a couple of students taking notes, a few just writing notes, and one in particular had given up completely and was slumped over on his desk with his hood over his head.

"I know what you're thinking," she said. "When on Earth will you be using this? Why do you need to learn something like this? I mean, you're not going to be an engineer, or an architect, or, God forbid, a math teacher, right?"

The glaze disappeared on some the eyes as they blinked. Someone nudged the hooded kid, but he didn't move. Ms. Chambers plowed on, ignoring this.

"This isn't like algebraic equations where there is still the possibility you'll use it. Interest rates are very important, you know, and you'll have to be able to work those out quickly when you're flooded with credit card companies all vying for you to use their little bit of plastic, and don't get me started on when you're looking at buying a home and you go into trying to figure out variable or fixed mortgages!

"By the way, make sure you get a fixed mortgage, it'll save you a lot of money in the long run."

One recklessly brave student raised her hand. "But Ms. Chambers, you still haven't told us how we'd use geometry in our lives if we're not going to make a career involving it."

Ms. Chambers raised a finger. "Have you ever wrapped a Christmas present?"

A few students shook their heads, and one boy spoke up. "I watched my mom wrap my little sister's Barbie for her birthday last week."

"And how did she know how much wrapping paper to use?" The boy shrugged, and Ms. Chambers tapped the bridge of her nose. "Surface area, kids. Unless you want the gifts you give to look like they were wrapped by a rat on cocaine-laced peanut butter cups injected with espresso, then you'll pay a little attention."

She walked to the desk of the hooded kid. "And if Thomas was actually here, he would know that it would take more than using the skeleton from the science lab dressed up in his clothes to fool me." She removed the hood from the skull laying on the desk. "A linebacker's trouser legs would not be nearly flat on the chair he is sitting in."

---

Most student athletes will never be in the pros, but we don't consider the sport a waste of their time, because of the lessons gained while playing on teamwork and dedication.

Maybe it's because I'm a nerd, but I find learning new things fascinating, regardless of what subject it's in, and I'm always on the lookout to use that knowledge in everyday situations.

Look beyond the obvious. You can't just think there are only a couple of things that one could use from your lessons, even if it's something as obscure as underwater basket weaving.

Thanks to Jennifer, Emily, Erin, Heather, Allison, Michael, Jessie, Renee, Cyndi, Danny, Theresa, Annie, Tom, Daniel, Kim, and Thomas for helping me discover this one of life's most important lessons.

For next week, pick a color out of these four: blue, purple, red, or orange. Post your submissions in the comments section below, and it would mean the world to me if you would show your support by subscribing.