Objective Proficiency p 119. A World Champion

It’s 10 o’clock in the morning. The camcorder is turned on and pointed at Alex. The image is shaky. “Why don’t you tell us the story?” “I’m going to tell you the story,” says Alex as he cleans the board in preparation with a wet sponge. “This is something that I do in my spare time. And then one day I discovered that there is an annual world championship held in Las Vegas. Now, as a previous winner, I automatically get invited back every year.”
Alex prepares to demonstrate his talent. He warms up by doing a special exercise with his right arm. Alex is tall and thin – perhaps the ideal build for doing what he does. He is wearing loose clothes. Perfect. He doesn’t want to restrict his upper body. Perhaps he came to work prepared? The board is still wet. Alex attempts to make it dry faster by flapping his hands at it comically. This seems to entertain his audience. It makes them laugh. Alex picks up a piece of chalk. He takes a deep breath and stands tall beside the board. He is focused and ready. His audience is silent. And then ... ... the movement is perfect. The audience applauds. The video finds its way onto YouTube and goes viral. Alex gains internet fame.

Watch the first few seconds of the clip with the sound down.
Pause the clip and answer the fol lowing questions:
Where do you think this man is from?
What do you think he does for a living?
What do you think he teaches?

About him:
Alex Overwijk is a Canadian maths teacher from Kingston, Ontario. At the high school where he works, Alex is well-known for a special skill that he possesses. In 2006, with his permission, a student decided to film Alex demonstrating his skill for the school website. The video clip that he made found its way onto YouTube and quickly went viral.

What do you think he is a world champion of?
What do you think he is going to do?





Watch the video here



Self-Portrait with Two Circles is an oil on canvas painting by the Dutch artist Rembrandt

The circles symbolize perfection of artistic skill, as in the story of the Italian master Giotto being summoned by the pope to demonstrate his artistry and responding by drawing a perfect circle in a single motion.