Dear Math Assignment

Name:___________________________________ Period: _________

After his second retirement playing basketball, Michael Jordan wrote a letter to basketball. It read as follows:
Dear Basketball, Its been almost 28 years since the first day we met. 28 years since I saw you in the back of our garage. 28 years since my parents introduced us. If someone would have told me then what would become of us, Im not sure I would have believed them. I barely remembered your name. Then I started seeing you around the neighborhood and watching you on television. I used to see you with guys down at the playground. But when my older brother started paying more attention to you, I started to wonder. Maybe you were different. We hung out a few times. The more I got to know you, the more I liked you. And as life would have it, when I finally got really interested in you, when I was finally ready to get serious, you left me off the varsity. You told me I wasnt good enough. I was crushed. I was hurt. I think I even cried. Then I wanted you more than ever. So I practiced. I hustled. I worked on my game. Passing. Dribbling. Shooting. Thinking. I ran. I did sit-ups. I did pushups. I did pull-ups. I lifted weights. I studied you. I began to fall in love and you noticed. At least thats what Coach Smith said. At the time, I wasnt sure exactly what was going on. But, now I know. Coach Smith was teaching me how to love you, how to listen to you, how to understand you, how to respect you and how to appreciate you. Then it happened. That night, at the Louisiana Superdome, in the final seconds of the championship game against Georgetown, you found me in the corner and we danced. Since then, youve become so much more than just a ball to me. Youve become more than just a court. More than just a hoop. More than just a pair of sneakers. More than just a game. In some respects, youve become my life. My passion. My motivation. My inspiration. Youre my biggest fan and my harshest critic. Youre my dearest friend and my strongest ally. Youre my toughest competition. Youre my passport around the world and my visa into the hearts of millions. So much has changed since the first day we met, and to a large degree, I have you to thank. So if you havent heard me say it before, let me say it now for the world to hear. Thank you. Thank you Basketball. Thank you for everything. Thank you for all the players that came before me. Thank you for all the players who went into battle with me. Thank you for the championships and the rings. Thank you for the All-Star games and the Playoffs. Thank you for the last shots, the buzzer-beaters, the hard fouls, the victories and the defeats. Thank you for making me earn my keep. Thank you for #23. Thank you for North Carolina and Chicago. Thank you for the air and the nickname. Thank you for the moves and the hang time. Thank you for the Slam-Dunk Contest. Thank you for the will and determination, the heart and the soul, the pride and the courage. Thank you for the competitive spirit and the competition to challenge it. Thank you for the failures and the setbacks, the blessings and the applause. Thank you for the triangle. Thank you for baseball and the Barons. Thank you for forgiving me. Thank you for the assistant coaches, the trainers, and the physical therapists. Thank you for the announcers, the refs, the writers, the reporters, the broadcasters and the radio stations. Thank you for the Pistons and the Lakers, the Cavs and the Knicks, the Sixers and the Celtics. Thank you for Phoenix, Portland, Seattle and Utah. Thank you for the Wizards. Thank you for the believers and the doubters. Thank you for the education and the experience. Thank you for teaching me the game, behind, beneath, within, above and around the game the game. Thank you for every fan who has ever called my name, put their hands together for me and my teammates, slapped me five or patted me on the back. Thank you for everything youve given my family. Thank you for the moon and the stars, and last but not least, thank you for Bugs and Mars. I know Im not the only one who loves you. I know you have loved many before me and will love many after me. But, I also know that what we had was unique. It was special. So as our relationship changes yet again, as well as relationships do, one thing is for sure. I love you Basketball. I love everything about you and I always will. My playing days in the NBA are definitely over but our relationship will never end. Much Love and Respect, Michael Jordan

Dear Math Assignment

Name:___________________________________ Period: _________ While you are no where near done with your math career (close, but not yet, almost there, I promise) Im sure you have developed some sort of relationship with Math. Be it good or bad, you have had your ups and your down with my dear love, math, and it is now your job to write about it. The purpose of this letter is to provide me with insight into your true feelings about the subject. Its no surprise that my feelings for the subject might not be mirrored . Your letter will follow the following format as a guide (you may choose to add or remove certain sentences use Michaels letter to provide for you a general feel for your letter):
Dear Math, Its been almost ___ years since the first day we met. ___ years since I _______ you in _________. _____ years since ________ introduced us. (Reflect upon your first impressions and experiences with math.) We hung out a few times. The more I got to know you, the more I __________ you. And as life would have it, when I finally got really _________ in you, when I was finally ready to get _______, you ___________. You told me I _________________________. (Reflect upon your first low or high point with mathematics. Describe how you felt and what was happening at this point.) (Choose 2 more experiences (good or bad) and describe what you were learning, how you learned, what you felt, and any other details.) Thank you for all ______________. Thank you for all the (players) who _________________. (While you may not feel the way I do about math, thank a few people who have helped you through this relationship. People and things come and go in your life but regardless, everything has impacted who you are today and have shaped your relationship with mathematics.) I know Im not the only one who _________ you. I know you have loved many before me and will love many after me. But, I also know that what we had was unique. It was special. So as our relationship changes yet again, as well as relationships do, one thing is for sure. I _______you Math. I love everything about you and I always will. My learning days in the Metro are definitely almost over but our relationship will never end. (Bring your letter to a closing and sum up your feelings for math.) Much ________ and ______________, _____________________________

Requirements: -1 page -12 point font -double spaced