I’m eager to read Eric Weiner’s book, The Geography of Bliss. But not because of this op-ed he wrote for the Washington Post, titled “Why Republicans Are So Darned Happy.”

He says of “liberals,”

If this isn’t depressing enough for liberals, it turns out that some of their own pet policies are to blame for their unhappiness. Once in power, Democrats tend to focus on issues that, according to the science of happiness, have little effect on our contentment — income equality, for instance, and racial diversity. Neither is linked to greater happiness. Countries with large disparities between rich and poor are no less happy than more egalitarian ones, studies have found. And the happiest countries in the world tend to be homogenous ones, such as Denmark and Iceland, not the ethnic melting pots that liberals celebrate.

Well, Eric, all I can say is, it’s tough work advancing the human race, but someone’s got to do it. I mean, that’s an old argument: “Weren’t we all happier when the races were segregated?” And it’s an ugly argument that has new currency as desegregation policies are struck down in court.

Sure, it’s rough going, changing the mindset of a culture. But seeing kids in mixed schools happily playing together gives you hope that we might actually one day free ourselves of old provincialisms and prejudices. I’ll take the discomfort of fighting the good fight over happiness tinged with the shame of not even trying.

I just signed up with Kiva. Kiva matches people like me with business owners in developing countries. My $25.00 will help Autotronica Alvarado, an auto-repair shop in Bolivia, purchase a vehicle for providing roadside assistance.

Here’s how Kiva describes themselves:

Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can “sponsor a business” and help the world’s working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates from the business you’ve sponsored. As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back.

Each lender contributes $25.00 toward the amount the business needs - usually about $1000.00. When the loan is fully funded, the business gets the money. You can choose the business you want to help and keep up with them through their journal entries.

My kids are going to do it too, pooling their allowance money to come up with the $25.00. I think it’s a great way for kids to learn about life in other places and do some good in the world. It would make a great class project.

I’m having fun making my way through the archives of Rethinking Schools. This 19-year old publication has remained through its history,

“firmly committed to equity and to the vision that public education is central to the creation of a humane, caring, multiracial democracy. While writing for a broad audience, Rethinking Schools emphasizes problems facing urban schools, particularly issues of race.”

And so we come to algebra. So juicy a topic. First, this is where math gets “hard,” meaning more abstract. Second, algebra has traditionally played a gate-keeping function — kids who take algebra tend to go to college and get higher-paying jobs. Third, there’s a line of ugly thinking that goes, “Why bother teaching algebra to poor kids? They won’t need it to flip burgers.”

All up-ended by this article from the Spring 2006 issue, “Living Algebra, Living Wage.” The author, Jana Dean, is an 8th grade algebra teacher. She wanted her low-track students, who tended to be from low-income families, to see algebra as relevant and stick with it.

She uses real wages from her community’s service sector to teach graphing of linear equations. Students graph equations for different wages (y=7.95x) over time and see how an extra dollar an hour effects monthly and yearly income. Then she teaches y=mx-b, where b stands for things like housing expenses. Throughout, students use their newly-acquired math to address questions of what constitutes a living wage and what kinds of jobs provide it.

This is a fine example of algebra in the tradition of The Algebra Project, where algebra is considered both a civil right in itself and a means for advocating for change.