Changing me, changing my teaching

Wow, it was a GREAT way to end the week. I bought a new framed art piece last night at Ross.

This corner is absolutely becoming a favorite of mine. I had several learners today tell me they really like it. I can honestly say that eight years ago when  I started teaching I would have never even thought of hanging something like this in my room. Never.

Today, I look at it and realize that without those types of rules, especially the ones like “Say You’re Sorry & Accept Apologies,” “Remember to Laugh” and “Love Each Other” you can’t achieve things like “Try New Things”, “Do Your Best” or, most importantly, “Never Give Up.” The first few years of my teaching were solely about the content, but now I have gotten it through my thick skull that what makes the content actually work, stick, or learnable is the humor, friendliness, and personality that goes into teaching it.

I think I am a better teacher than I was 8 years ago when I started, but most importantly, I think I am a better person because of the realization of how to be a better teacher.

AP Stats:

Today was a little tough. We needed to get through vocab on defining what experiments are. It was tough, and I stopped 1/2 way through. This morning was Senior Sunrise, so my seniors were checked out. They were tired and not focusing.

So, I did some vocab, got through some concepts, and handed out flashcards for Sampling methods and did a quiz-quiz trade and told them there was a quiz on it next class.

No sense brutalizing them with vocab when they had limited sleep. Make it up next week.

Algebra 2:

Still working on parent functions. I think I am also going to give them a Desmos assignment of making their name with equations and domain and range restrictions. The struggle with domain and range is hard, but a half hour playing with Desmos usually solves that.

Thank goodness!

We ended the week with a School Wide Ice Bucket Challenge! Yup, probably 3/4 of the staff on the football field with learners dumping ice water on the teachers, admins, counselors, and custodians. It was pretty cool. We raised a ton of money. The count is not in, but it was school wide, so very well worth it. We also had someone in the school family diagnosed with ALS this year. It was personal. I will link to that video later when we get it posted.