Happy Birthday, Shakespeare

Yesterday William Shakespeare was 444 years old and is still recognized as the greatest writer in the English (and perhaps any) language. Many happy returns of the day.

Memorization vs. Inspiration

My friend Maurile sends me this link to "A Mathematician's Lament" by Paul Lockhart. My response to Lockhart's argument is bravo--so long as we are careful not to abandon knowledge in favor of inspiration alone. He is right that memorization without insight is death, though memorization is valuable as the handmaiden to knowledge and understanding. The right relation of the two has always been at the heart of good teaching. So more power to Lockhart and to all rightly inspiring teachers!