Idaho

I had a chance to return to Idaho for a few days.  Spent time with family.  Anna and Mike have just moved from Florida back to Idaho.  There was a birthday party for Tyler, Corbin, and Rylan since their birthdays were the last of September and the first of October and the family was too busy trying to move to celebrate.

I also got to see my mom and Bob for a day.  Thanks to Ginger and Neil for letting me stay at their house.  Jon and Charlotte fed me, Anna, and boys a great dinner.  Mike's mom and family, as always, let me join their family fun.

I was really looking forward to seeing people that I worked with at Frank Church High School.  I talked with as many as I could in the time I had available.  It felt so good to see old friends and colleagues.

A real highlight of my visit was the opportunity that I had to meet with the Math and Science Coordinators at the Idaho State Department of Education.  I talked with them about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in Idaho and the nation.  The President's Council Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) has recently released a report, Prepare and Inspire: K-12 Education in STEM For America's Future .  Lot of topics for discussion; Common Core Standards, revamping AP Computer Science, how to prepare and inspire students, 100,000 new STEM teachers for middle and high school, creating a STEM Master Teacher Corps, electronic text books, virtual schools, and much more.

It all ended with a long day of travel home.  Started at 7 a.m. in Nampa and ended at 9:30 p.m. when I walked in my apartment in Washington, D.C. , filled in the middle with the fun of trying to make plane connections.