“Putting Around” In Class

Hampton - Kittatinny Regional High School teacher Paul Cashen believes in putting around in class. In fact, he counts on both positive and negative results. For certain lessons, the seventh-grade math teacher creates a makeshift putting green inside his classroom. Then out comes the putter for a fabulous day on the links—math links, that is. During a rare spare moment after math camp last summer, Cashen, a novice golfer himself, seized on the idea of incorporating golf into his lessons to help students master the manipulation of integers. On Dec. 19, he set up a lined green with potential scores that ranged from negative four to positive two. Just like golf, the goal is to tally the lowest score possible. In this case, golfing buddies shoot for negative numbers. But in this holy grail of golf, the hole-in-one-cup, which earns young golfers a coveted negative four, lies only inches away from the wall and door. They carry a positive one and positive two respectively. Sometimes, the agony of defeat ends in a clang against the wall, but the class still cheered on each putter. “Everyone, aim for the negative two. You might get lucky and putt a negative four or negative three,” adviseed William Flammer, 13, of Hampton, the class’ unofficial strategist. Cashen complimented Flammer’s mathematical brainstorming. Students Kayt Hodgson, Derek Schweighart, and Gabe Moreno all scored holes-in-one, and Moreno putted frustratingly close to a second. “Gabe, you ought to take up golf,” Cashen said. The class stopped periodically to calculate scores, and finally figures out its average—a negative .97, leaving it with the opportunity to win some bonus points on a future quiz. At the end of class, students have happily hooked and sliced their way through math. Hodgson sums up the lesson as educational and entertaining. It was fun because we’re all working together, and people are cheering you on,” she explained.