Louis Bookbinder Tutor/Substitute Teacher 4081 Middlefield Rd Palo Alto, CA 94303 650-494-1589 (leave a message) E-mail: booky1@earthlink.net

The Past

Born during WWII in Spokane, Washington. Been in the San Francisco Bay Area most of my life (I LOVE this place!) and now live in Palo Alto. Public school in San Mateo. BA in Mathematics from UC Berkeley. 5.5 years in the USAF as a commissioned officer, navigating B52s over Viet Nam. Married Donna in 1973. 4 years and bits and pieces of grad school at SFState, Cal State Hayward, Foothill College, and San Jose State University. I came to Stanford (to work) in 1981. We had a daughter, Lyra, in 1982.

Once a software developer, then a teacher, now a substitute teacher, private math tutor and handyman. I have been a stock clerk, a busboy, a dishwasher, a shoe salesman, a house cleaner, a data-entry person, a handyman, a gardener, a lab rat, a telemarketer, a tool salesperson, a tutor, a teacher, and a computer jockey. Jack-of-all-trades, master of none.

Professional Interests

Students - a Haiku We think we have learned How best to teach children, yet They are teaching us.

Current Title: (?) Maths Tutor/teacher

I was a software developer/programmer/systems engineer for half of my working life.

Then I changed careers.  Look at my rèsumè For three years I studied Secondary Education at San Jose State. I did student teaching at Gunn HS in Palo Alto.  I did another semester at Homestead High in Cupertino. I was riding my bike to Gunn, but to Homestead I had to take the car. Bummer. After a small mixup about one class and a quickie on-line course through National University, I obtained my credential in September 2004.

18 January 2005 - I was offered a full-time teaching job at Sequoia High School in Redwood City. In June, that brief stint at Sequoia was over. It was both much harder, and more inspiring than I imagined. I then taught summer school at Carlmont (same district).

Aug 2005 - I got a job the last day before school! Not enough prep time to actually do first day of classes (and I had a previous appointment) but the next day started teaching full time in Junior High math in a school in east San Jose - August Boeger. It was rough. I loved the kids but they were a challenge. My biggest complaint was the 15 hr days I put in. And weekends. And because of the long commute, I had an expensive accident in rush hour one day. I HATE commuting. Then on 10 February 06, my classes were given to a new teacher. In June my tenure as a regular teacher ended. The entire next year I worked as a substitute teacher.

In 2007 I started again as a sub, still looking for a job - several interviews - then in November my "little sister" Elaine told me about an opening in Sacramento, so I applied, interviewed, and got the job at Hiram Johnson HS. A disaster! I ended up with an awful lot of kids who decided there was nothing they could do to pass the class by the time I got to them, and like all self-fulfilling prophecies...... I had 2 double classes (a class and a tutoring - all on the same subject) and one single class, all on Algebra 1. The single class was a failure - I had 2 pass from more than 30 to start (but many dropped out - some actually transferred out but most kept coming but did no math). And all year long kids would be dropped and new ones added and one or two I NEVER saw in class! Half the kids in my period 1-2 passed, a third of my 5-6 class. This last one was pure hell - even the best kids didn't really want to do math.  But that year is over. Despite the lousy experience at Hiram Johnson, I somewhat enjoyed living with Elaine in Sacramento. But I enjoy more living in Palo Alto.

I think I have decided to semi-retire. Teaching full time is too much like regularly shooting myself in the foot. And from the results of 2008, I no longer feel I am very good at this. Tutoring, sure. Substituting, no problem. Now I just have to worry about money.

Personal Interests .I square dance and am learning to round dance (Waltz, currently). I joyfully share my life with my wife, Donna, and my daughter, Lyra, (right) We have a big black cat to keep life interesting. I enjoy beer, popcorn, chocolate, cookies of any kind, asparagus and just about anything else (but now have to be careful of my blood sugar! By cutting out almost ALL desserts, I lost 20 lbs!). I collect stamps (if you see an interesting one, any country, save it for me!). I listen to classical music, and rock and newer stuff, too. I read Science Fiction and a lot of math & science. I solve puzzles. I bicycle pretty much everywhere. In the spring I hunt wildflowers. I garden vegetables and flowers and have taken a ton of gravel out of my yard in the process. I make lousy puns. Laws of life (an on-going creation): We are all in this together. Nobody gets out alive You can't expect others to give you what you won't give them (Golden Rule) Cosmic Justice? Sorry, that would be your department! Thou art god.  You better start laughing or you will have to start crying Do your best - why settle for less? You are in charge of your own happiness. Your mom was just there until you learned this for yourself. In most endeavors, you have only failed when you give up. Murphy's Law (if anything Can go wrong, it Will!) TANSTAAFL (There Aint No Such Thing As A Free Lunch) 90% of EVERYTHING is crap. That leaves enough good parts to enjoy the day. Offer expires at midnight. Everything is subject to change.

Please look at my Math Puzzle of the week. (1st puzzle this year, 1st puzzle ever)AND some Math slideshows

I invite your comments. Please indicate the title, so I can get your message past my spam blocker.

See past opinions (some of which I still hold!)

LIVE LONG, AND PROSPER!