Herkimer and the Stat Pack Venture Into Money Mathematics
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
A member of the Stat Pack remembered Herkimer and the statistical educational experiences they had received from him. Another wished aloud that Herkimer could somehow return to help them develop an understanding of financial mathematics. This feeling was unanimous. The Pack had a genuine desire to gain knowledge and insight into how money works in a capitalistic society, but they were certain that they had seen the last of Herkimer. They sat in silence for a brief period of time. Suddenly an eerie sense of restlessness gripped the group. For a brief moment they all knew something was about to happen. At that moment, Herkimer reappeared.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
This is a story about 10 students (the STAT PACK) who are working their way through lessons in money mathematics. They are serious students who progress to the point where they can, among many other things, calculate mortgage payments, understand the dangers of making minimum payments on credit card bills, explain a financial retirement savings program, demonstrate how a Ponzi scheme works, and provide illustrations showing the advantages of starting to save early in life. Their leader in this educational adventure is Herkimer, a fantasy character who provides stimulating questions and activities to enhance the learning process. Herkimer is not the teacher, but he is always present when Pack members have discussions relating to the money topics they are studying. He is a Hobbs-like character (Calvin and Hobbs comic strip) who is visible only to the Pack. Herkimer is not unfamiliar to the students since they had worked with him while learning basic statistics in a previous book titled THE STATISTICAL ODYSSEY OF HERKIMER AND THE STAT PACK.
A key reason for the financial crisis that began in 2008 was a lack of financial literacy in citizens of all ages. Author Sanderson M. Smith is a multiple award-winning mathematics teacher (including the California Presidential Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics and a California National Educator Award) who developed a FINANCIAL MATHEMATICS course at Cate School (Carpinteria, CA) many years ago. This entertaining and easy-to-read book includes lessons and activities that were developed for students in the extremely popular Cate course.
About the Author
Sanderson Smith taught mathematics for 40 years at the Cate School in Carpinteria, California where the Sanderson M. Smith Teaching Chair has been established in his honor. During his teaching career at Cate, Smith was the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, the California Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching, a Tandy Technology Scholar Award, a Triangle Coalition Congressional Fellowship, a National Educator Award from the Milken Family Foundation/California State Department of Education, and a SCI-MAT Fellowship from the Council for Basic Education.
Smith is the author of numerous mathematically-related books and articles, including the very popular book Agnesi to Zeno: Over 100 Vignettes from the History of Math. He is a frequent speaker at math conferences. His entertaining and educational presentation Promoting Mathematics History Through Humor is well-received by audiences of math teachers.
Smith has co-directed numerous statistical quantitative literacy workshops for teachers sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation and the American Statistical Association. He has served on the California Presidential Award Selection Committee and the Educational Materials Committee of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). He was appointed Chair of a national scholarship committee that provides financial aid for college students who plan to pursue a career in mathematics education. Perhaps his greatest honor occurred when Presidential Award recipients throughout the United States and U.S. territories elected him to the office of President of the Council of Presidential Awardees in Mathematics (CPAM).
Smith retired as a full-time teacher at Cate School in June of 2004. He now teaches mathematics part time at Santa Barbara City College and tutors at a local elementary school. He and his wife of 47 years, Barbara, devote time each week to community service activities in Carpinteria, where they now reside.