James Cleveland-Tran
@jclevelandtran.com
Math Educator, Writer, Wonderer #MTBoS, he/him/his
Into making math games and political change
Into making math games and political change
Every trash day I wonder as I look around how people make so much trash.
November 13, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Every trash day I wonder as I look around how people make so much trash.
Reposted by James Cleveland-Tran
I wrote about shallow, vague, fuzzy definitions of "conceptual understanding" and a better way to think about it. pershmail.substack.com/p/understand...
"Understanding" Shouldn't Be Vague or Mysterious
Let's do some pedagogy.
pershmail.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:42 PM
I wrote about shallow, vague, fuzzy definitions of "conceptual understanding" and a better way to think about it. pershmail.substack.com/p/understand...
I'm always happy in the fall when the temperature drops, but I forget then that that means it's actually hotter inside most buildings then it would be if it were warmer outside. No winning.
November 11, 2025 at 3:58 PM
I'm always happy in the fall when the temperature drops, but I forget then that that means it's actually hotter inside most buildings then it would be if it were warmer outside. No winning.
Reposted by James Cleveland-Tran
All across America last week, Dems showed up and generally kicked the piss out of the Republicans who are hellbent on destroying our country and our freedoms.
To have a bunch of squishy, out of touch Senators completely sell us out just as the Republicans were starting to crack sucks.
To have a bunch of squishy, out of touch Senators completely sell us out just as the Republicans were starting to crack sucks.
November 10, 2025 at 3:05 AM
All across America last week, Dems showed up and generally kicked the piss out of the Republicans who are hellbent on destroying our country and our freedoms.
To have a bunch of squishy, out of touch Senators completely sell us out just as the Republicans were starting to crack sucks.
To have a bunch of squishy, out of touch Senators completely sell us out just as the Republicans were starting to crack sucks.
Reposted by James Cleveland-Tran
Lesson about averages
T: So if I tell you that a company has a mean salary of $50k, what does that tell you about the employees of that company?
S: They’re underpaid.
T: So if I tell you that a company has a mean salary of $50k, what does that tell you about the employees of that company?
S: They’re underpaid.
November 6, 2025 at 12:06 AM
Lesson about averages
T: So if I tell you that a company has a mean salary of $50k, what does that tell you about the employees of that company?
S: They’re underpaid.
T: So if I tell you that a company has a mean salary of $50k, what does that tell you about the employees of that company?
S: They’re underpaid.
Reposted by James Cleveland-Tran
I knew it would take less than a day for a tiktok dj to make something.
November 5, 2025 at 12:13 PM
I knew it would take less than a day for a tiktok dj to make something.
Reposted by James Cleveland-Tran
We have our live tracker for tonight's MANY big races!
The Downballot's live tracker of key races for election night 2025
Bookmark this post to stay on top of dozens of Tuesday's most important contests
www.the-downballot.com
November 5, 2025 at 12:10 AM
We have our live tracker for tonight's MANY big races!
Reposted by James Cleveland-Tran
Just in: Zohran Mamdani says he's voting yes on ballot questions 1-5 and no on 6.
November 4, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Just in: Zohran Mamdani says he's voting yes on ballot questions 1-5 and no on 6.
Today 3 of my coworkers in math department have their birthdays, which is a good extension, perhaps, of the Birthday Problem to 3 people - what are the odds of that? (Our department is 15 people, so quite lucky, I think!)
November 3, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Today 3 of my coworkers in math department have their birthdays, which is a good extension, perhaps, of the Birthday Problem to 3 people - what are the odds of that? (Our department is 15 people, so quite lucky, I think!)
One problem with teaching this democracy course is that I’m way more likely to get stuck in a Wikipedia rabbit hole about various topics that are interesting, because I don’t know everything as well as, say, geometry.
November 3, 2025 at 4:32 AM
One problem with teaching this democracy course is that I’m way more likely to get stuck in a Wikipedia rabbit hole about various topics that are interesting, because I don’t know everything as well as, say, geometry.
Reposted by James Cleveland-Tran
It also points, therefore, to the level of potential causalities if children always had the freedom to walk their streets.
A big part of the decline in child road deaths over the last century is the result of the removal of children from their streets, not any actual safety improvements.
A big part of the decline in child road deaths over the last century is the result of the removal of children from their streets, not any actual safety improvements.
October 31, 2025 at 3:06 PM
It also points, therefore, to the level of potential causalities if children always had the freedom to walk their streets.
A big part of the decline in child road deaths over the last century is the result of the removal of children from their streets, not any actual safety improvements.
A big part of the decline in child road deaths over the last century is the result of the removal of children from their streets, not any actual safety improvements.
Reposted by James Cleveland-Tran
i made a helpful reference
September 24, 2025 at 3:23 PM
i made a helpful reference
Eek, starting to fall behind, but here's Weeks 5-6 of Discrete Math & Democracy, including that tournament problem I previously posted: jclevelandtran.com/2025/10/24/d...
#MTBoS #iTeachMath #iTeachCivics
#MTBoS #iTeachMath #iTeachCivics
Discrete Math & Democracy, Weeks 5-6
This time I did purposefully combine two weeks – we had 3 days of no class between them, with the PSAT, a PD day, and a holiday. We started week 5 with another quiz – they asked for thi…
jclevelandtran.com
October 24, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Eek, starting to fall behind, but here's Weeks 5-6 of Discrete Math & Democracy, including that tournament problem I previously posted: jclevelandtran.com/2025/10/24/d...
#MTBoS #iTeachMath #iTeachCivics
#MTBoS #iTeachMath #iTeachCivics
Reposted by James Cleveland-Tran
Long Island deserves a Representative who fights for working families and stands up to Trump’s attacks. Meanwhile, Andrew Garbarino can’t even wake up to vote.
I'm running for Congress because I know we can fight our way out of this. Be a day 1 donor: secure.actblue.com/donate/garre...
I'm running for Congress because I know we can fight our way out of this. Be a day 1 donor: secure.actblue.com/donate/garre...
October 21, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Long Island deserves a Representative who fights for working families and stands up to Trump’s attacks. Meanwhile, Andrew Garbarino can’t even wake up to vote.
I'm running for Congress because I know we can fight our way out of this. Be a day 1 donor: secure.actblue.com/donate/garre...
I'm running for Congress because I know we can fight our way out of this. Be a day 1 donor: secure.actblue.com/donate/garre...
Reposted by James Cleveland-Tran
the president has destroyed the east wing of the white house without so much as a word of input from anyone else to build a royal ballroom paid for with bribes
NEW: After The Washington Post reported Monday on the demolition of the "East Wing facade," a new picture obtained by Law Dork that was taken on Tuesday shows that a substantial portion of the entirety of the East Wing has been demolished.
October 21, 2025 at 8:27 PM
the president has destroyed the east wing of the white house without so much as a word of input from anyone else to build a royal ballroom paid for with bribes
I just realized that, because I call my assessments "celebrations of knowledge," I can then call the work I give them to do when they finish "afterparty."
October 21, 2025 at 1:26 PM
I just realized that, because I call my assessments "celebrations of knowledge," I can then call the work I give them to do when they finish "afterparty."
Reposted by James Cleveland-Tran
white house has joined bluesky
click here to block all official us government accounts instantly
bsky.app/profile/did:...
click here to block all official us government accounts instantly
bsky.app/profile/did:...
October 17, 2025 at 10:08 PM
white house has joined bluesky
click here to block all official us government accounts instantly
bsky.app/profile/did:...
click here to block all official us government accounts instantly
bsky.app/profile/did:...
Behold, the quotient rule:
October 17, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Behold, the quotient rule:
Reposted by James Cleveland-Tran
I recently worked on a fun problem involved the Pokémon TCG. Here's a post about the problem and my thought process/solution. jclevelandtran.com/2025/10/15/s...
October 15, 2025 at 8:10 PM
I recently worked on a fun problem involved the Pokémon TCG. Here's a post about the problem and my thought process/solution. jclevelandtran.com/2025/10/15/s...
I recently worked on a fun problem involved the Pokémon TCG. Here's a post about the problem and my thought process/solution. jclevelandtran.com/2025/10/15/s...
October 15, 2025 at 8:10 PM
I recently worked on a fun problem involved the Pokémon TCG. Here's a post about the problem and my thought process/solution. jclevelandtran.com/2025/10/15/s...
We did a fun problem today. Suppose you have this Pairwise Matrix. (How to read: each cell shows how many points the row player gets against the column player. So in a match of A vs B, A gets 54 points and B gets 51, so A wins.)
Can you seed an 8-player bracket such that A will win? What about C?
Can you seed an 8-player bracket such that A will win? What about C?
October 14, 2025 at 7:20 PM
We did a fun problem today. Suppose you have this Pairwise Matrix. (How to read: each cell shows how many points the row player gets against the column player. So in a match of A vs B, A gets 54 points and B gets 51, so A wins.)
Can you seed an 8-player bracket such that A will win? What about C?
Can you seed an 8-player bracket such that A will win? What about C?
Reposted by James Cleveland-Tran
you have to tell people what you want them to do. stop whining that "no one cares" about x, y, z.
October 14, 2025 at 1:44 AM
you have to tell people what you want them to do. stop whining that "no one cares" about x, y, z.
Reposted by James Cleveland-Tran
🧵
THREAD. Did you know that at about 1/3 of all stranger homicides in the U.S. are perpetrated by police? But there's something hidden here that is important to understand in this authoritarian moment.
October 12, 2025 at 6:00 PM
🧵
Reposted by James Cleveland-Tran
UNTIL IT’S DONE, Ep. 4: Sylvia Rivera
In the 1970s, queer New Yorkers had been pushed to the margins of NYC. Our trans neighbors faced immense cruelty. But in Sylvia Rivera, they found a champion.
As we combat Trump’s politics of darkness, her legacy can light the path forward.
In the 1970s, queer New Yorkers had been pushed to the margins of NYC. Our trans neighbors faced immense cruelty. But in Sylvia Rivera, they found a champion.
As we combat Trump’s politics of darkness, her legacy can light the path forward.
October 11, 2025 at 12:33 PM
UNTIL IT’S DONE, Ep. 4: Sylvia Rivera
In the 1970s, queer New Yorkers had been pushed to the margins of NYC. Our trans neighbors faced immense cruelty. But in Sylvia Rivera, they found a champion.
As we combat Trump’s politics of darkness, her legacy can light the path forward.
In the 1970s, queer New Yorkers had been pushed to the margins of NYC. Our trans neighbors faced immense cruelty. But in Sylvia Rivera, they found a champion.
As we combat Trump’s politics of darkness, her legacy can light the path forward.