Ms. Gorsuch’s geometry students (via Zoom) met and worked with high schoolers in Kathmandu, Nepal to find a common problem in each country and use mathematical thinking to explain and solve it.

In our five meetings, we exchanged introductions to our school, country, and daily life. Then in smaller groups, we solved small mathematical problems, followed by brainstorming an idea for a five- minute presentation, involving graphs and statistics. During our final zoom interchange, we asked questions in breakout rooms.

It was not easy with the nine hour and forty-five minute time difference. Yet, we learned how to problem solve, not just in math, but in life. After spending a week on our presentation, Aarohi Paudel had shared something that struck me. When reaching out to clear up final questions, she expressed, apologetically, how hard it can be to communicate with people you have never met, and especially in your second language.

Mutually, we marveled at the work we accomplished in experience. Though it was brief, I learned more than just math skills from the Kathmandu students.