The Big Bang Theory

Math, science, history
unraveled in the mystery
that all started with a big bang!
I’m watching my favorite show, The Big Bang Theory. (Seriously, I don’t know how anyone can not laugh at this show. I heart Sheldon.) When the (awesome) theme song (by the Bare Naked Ladies!) came on, it reminded me of the questions my students [...]

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Wiki-tastic

You know I made a Wiki space for my classroom. A few kids jumped right on it. (You can tell they are Internet junkies.) A few more checked it out when they heard me talking about what the first kids had written. Now that they’ve had to use it for the last two weeks at [...]

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I Heart Math

I think I used this as a title before, but I don’t care because it’s true: I love Math. I love to do math, and I love to teach math. What I love even more is when they ask for hard problems, and when I say, “Do you want another one?”, they shout, “YES!”

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Please Excuse This Interruption

Sometimes as a joke I say, “NO”. But only when it’s an all-call announcement – not when they call the room. (If I’m annoyed then, they get a drawn-out, “Yeeeeess?”) The kids laugh.
Today it was one interruption after another starting at 9:30. Special Ed Barbie and Sped Aide switched classrooms so now I have [...]

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Rockin’ around the Christmas tree

I’ve been making fun of people for listening to Christmas music already. (Sorry, SunSpray. ) It’s just too early. But I really did not want to come into work today. I had my last conference at 1:30 yesterday and spent the rest of the afternoon prepping and talking. When I went home, it really [...]

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I could get used to this

Had my first six conferences today, and they went swimmingly well. I am not accustomed to receiving compliments. (And not just because of last year.) Professor’s mom is thrilled about the penpals with SunSpray’s students. Historian’s mom went on and on about how much they both loved the Veterans’ Day project. (They had to interview/research [...]

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Report Cards are DONE

I’m done report cards two whole days before conferences. YAY! Don’t know how that happened. Usually I am scrambling to finish and get just the ones needed for each day copied in time. (We stopped using the NCR paper kind, and there are rumors of computer-based ones coming in the near future. One can dream…) [...]

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Grading Tests

I have to be in the right mood to grade tests.  When I don’t want to, I don’t, and just put it off.  Then one day, like today, I’ll sit and grade for hours.  I get in a zone and don’t seem to mind.  Surely it would be better to do them a little at [...]

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A Stalled Classroom Economy

I’m trying the Classroom Economy System that Asbestasican and Rafe Esquith use. To tackle it at first was more than a little daunting, but once they picked jobs and I figured out bonuses, it got much better. I didn’t do any kind of special event the first month, and I really think they would’ve been [...]

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wowsers

I actually graded a test the same day they took it. And it was not multiple choice. AND it is a quiz I absolutely HATE grading because it usually gives me a headache, but not this year! They understand how to do long division! YAY!!!!!!!

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