Interview With Mr. Hirschman
Eagle Eye: How did you get interested in math?
Mr. Hirschman: Well, my father taught me math at a very early age. He would hold up a card and ask me what the number was. I learned that 3 is greater than 2 but smaller than 4.
Eagle Eye: What is your favorite hobby outside of school?
Mr. H: I enjoy playing many types of games, especially board games and card games like Magic and Flux.
Eagle Eye: What was your childhood dream?
Mr. H: My dream always varied by age, but throughout the years, the ones that stayed with me the longest was becoming an astronaut and a quantum mechanic.
Eagle Eye: Did you ever want to become a math teacher?
Mr. H: I never thought of becoming a teacher until I was in high school. At that time, I was already doing that-I helped friends and kids do their math homework daily.
Eagle Eye: What was your least favorite school subject?
Mr. H: I disliked P.E. the most. It wasn't actually the class, but some of the teachers that I didn't like. I never was very athletic. The P.E. classes became boring and not fun when the teacher didn't care when some kids bullied, teased, and roughhoused with me.
Fun Fact: Mr. Hirschman was in the Guinness Book of World Records for the youngest life master of bridge. He was featured in the Sports Illustrated Magazine--it was the magazine when Michigan won the NBA title. He was 11 years, 9 months, and 5 days old when he became the 44,611 life master. His younger brother, Danny, took his place. Danny is the world-record place holder to this day. The link to the April 10, 1989 magazine article is here: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1068272/index.htm
Bonus question!
Eagle Eye: How did you get interested in bridge?
Mr. H: My father was a professional bridge player, and he started teaching me how to play bridge at the age of 2. He held up cards and taught me how to play along with learning the numbers (see first question). Eventually, I lost interest in playing and became a math teacher!
By Olivia and Veronica