Thursday, August 29, 2013
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Mastery
If I can keep up with my 3 days ahead of schedule, then I will keep Wednesday as my catch up day (before I get started on next week's work. Since I have no catch up to do today, I'll take a moment to blog.
In the last few days, I've discovered a couple of things:
My kids are brilliant.
I'm pretty good at this.
My feet hurt.
Each one shouldn't be too surprising, in my third year teaching, but I am taken aback yet again.
A big challenge I have is that my class is short. As my lessons get stronger, 55 minutes just doesn't seem long enough.
Yesterday's lesson was on purpose and hypothesis. This year, I tried something new with hypothesis. I wanted the kids to learn the standard middle school hypothesis format, which is the if/then/because format. A hypothesis could be: If I drink coffee, then I will stay up late, because coffee has caffeine. (I don't drink coffee. It tastes icky.) The students have no problem making educated guesses, but were having difficulty determining how to use the format correctly (I was getting a lot of: If I stay up late, then it's because I had coffee, because coffee has caffeine). This was a little unexpected for me, and left me with a first class exit ticket average of 74% (very low for a first objective), so I figured out a better way to explain it. The second class scored a 78%, which is not much better, and much lower than what I saw last year, when my expectations were a little simpler.
By the last class, I had figured out a hypothesis template: If [test], then [desired outcome/purpose], because [explanation]. This had the desired outcome - an exit ticket average of 90%. Woohoo! While I didn't see mastery from everyone, especially in my first classes, I was able to redesign my lesson in a way that worked.
This morning, I made a poster which has the hypothesis template on it, and did a mini-lesson in the morning. It was received well.
Since the lesson is so short, the kids don't have a lot of time to practice. Both today and yesterday, there was only 5 minutes left for independent practice, which means either 1) Kids do 1-2 questions and we discuss; 2) Kids do 3-4 questions and I show htem the answers; or 3) Kids do more practice but we don't go over the answers. I chose something between 1) and 2), which is nowhere near enough practice. Fortunately, my kids are brilliant, and fill the gaps on their own. Even though exit tickets were weak, their homework was looking much, much better. I guess the practice on their own was enough.
Once again, today, we were short on practice on independent and dependent variables (there was almost none), but we did exit tickets anyway, just so I can get a number. Well, that number is 88%. Yeah, my kids are rock stars.
In being unclear on my expectations, I've noticed that students are using their notes for their exit tickets, so it is a little more "open book" than I had expected. I think this going to work for me, actually. It will keep me honest in making more skill-based objectives, because I really would rather have them identify an independent variable, than to memorize the definition. Additionally, it gives me the ability to see whether they are having difficulty performing the objective (write a hypothesis, or identify a variable), rather than just having forgotten which variable is which. On the back end, this means that I will have to put more of a focus on memorization on their own time (which will be assessed during Oral Drill and Excellence) and on studying before summative assessments.
And, what makes me most proud yesterday, is that I actually went for a run. I had a cramp, and I felt like my feet were on fire, but I got in my 3.29 miles. It was slow. It was ugly. But I now know I'm capable of running after school (at least, early in the week). My feet still hurt, but I can think it's on purpose. I've promised myself that I am not tracking miles through the end of the calendar year. I think this will help keep my head fresh, so I can start training for a half marathon next year. For now, I'm just focused on getting in miles, getting a little faster, and relaxing after school.
In the last few days, I've discovered a couple of things:
My kids are brilliant.
I'm pretty good at this.
My feet hurt.
Each one shouldn't be too surprising, in my third year teaching, but I am taken aback yet again.
A big challenge I have is that my class is short. As my lessons get stronger, 55 minutes just doesn't seem long enough.
Yesterday's lesson was on purpose and hypothesis. This year, I tried something new with hypothesis. I wanted the kids to learn the standard middle school hypothesis format, which is the if/then/because format. A hypothesis could be: If I drink coffee, then I will stay up late, because coffee has caffeine. (I don't drink coffee. It tastes icky.) The students have no problem making educated guesses, but were having difficulty determining how to use the format correctly (I was getting a lot of: If I stay up late, then it's because I had coffee, because coffee has caffeine). This was a little unexpected for me, and left me with a first class exit ticket average of 74% (very low for a first objective), so I figured out a better way to explain it. The second class scored a 78%, which is not much better, and much lower than what I saw last year, when my expectations were a little simpler.
By the last class, I had figured out a hypothesis template: If [test], then [desired outcome/purpose], because [explanation]. This had the desired outcome - an exit ticket average of 90%. Woohoo! While I didn't see mastery from everyone, especially in my first classes, I was able to redesign my lesson in a way that worked.
This morning, I made a poster which has the hypothesis template on it, and did a mini-lesson in the morning. It was received well.
Since the lesson is so short, the kids don't have a lot of time to practice. Both today and yesterday, there was only 5 minutes left for independent practice, which means either 1) Kids do 1-2 questions and we discuss; 2) Kids do 3-4 questions and I show htem the answers; or 3) Kids do more practice but we don't go over the answers. I chose something between 1) and 2), which is nowhere near enough practice. Fortunately, my kids are brilliant, and fill the gaps on their own. Even though exit tickets were weak, their homework was looking much, much better. I guess the practice on their own was enough.
Once again, today, we were short on practice on independent and dependent variables (there was almost none), but we did exit tickets anyway, just so I can get a number. Well, that number is 88%. Yeah, my kids are rock stars.
In being unclear on my expectations, I've noticed that students are using their notes for their exit tickets, so it is a little more "open book" than I had expected. I think this going to work for me, actually. It will keep me honest in making more skill-based objectives, because I really would rather have them identify an independent variable, than to memorize the definition. Additionally, it gives me the ability to see whether they are having difficulty performing the objective (write a hypothesis, or identify a variable), rather than just having forgotten which variable is which. On the back end, this means that I will have to put more of a focus on memorization on their own time (which will be assessed during Oral Drill and Excellence) and on studying before summative assessments.
And, what makes me most proud yesterday, is that I actually went for a run. I had a cramp, and I felt like my feet were on fire, but I got in my 3.29 miles. It was slow. It was ugly. But I now know I'm capable of running after school (at least, early in the week). My feet still hurt, but I can think it's on purpose. I've promised myself that I am not tracking miles through the end of the calendar year. I think this will help keep my head fresh, so I can start training for a half marathon next year. For now, I'm just focused on getting in miles, getting a little faster, and relaxing after school.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Day 1 #3
This was my third first day of school as a teacher, and my 21st first day of school as a human being. This poster represents how I feel today:
I've never run 18 miles, but I am totally relating to the feeling of being so far into something that everything is fuzzy and sweet and mashed potatoes.
I love this job. If there's one thing I got from today, it's that I'm good at this. My class was unrecognizable compared to last year. It wasn't perfect, but it was pretty darn good.
I love my new kids. I only know their first day trying-to-impress behavior, but I think I'm going to love them. I still miss the old kids, though. I took every opportunity to watch the new 8th graders, just because I miss them.
My classes were smooth. There were no major issues. The tracking was 100% most of the time. 100% of students took all their notes. In the last 20 minutes of the day, the principal came to observe (yay, end of day observation). I didn't think it was perfect, but I got awesome feedback. I was complimented on my CFUs (checks for understanding), which was an area for improvement last year. My one action step was:
I love your push for voice – I think I’m going to use it in Circle tomorrow – give dollars for Leadership to reinforce the behavior.
If that's the biggest thing I need to fix (giving more dollars), I think I'm doing okay.
I accomplished some personal goals, too. I made two positive parent phone calls today. I also returned all student phone calls (5 calls from 3 different students asking whether they are allowed to use highlighter on their homework reading. I <3 North Star). I spoke to 7 different students at lunch (one is a cheerleader, one is a dancer, one went to Six Flags this summer, 2 play basketball, and 2 play football).
There was one dark spot in the day. We have a new student. He reads at about a 2nd grade level and has tics that make him unable to sit in a classroom. I hope we can help him out, although it doesn't look like it right now. The worst part, though, is that when he sat with his class at lunch, a few boys were laughing at him. I had a serious teacher talk with the leader of the bullies. The good part is that later in the day, when the new boy joined the class in English, and others students started snickering, the former-bully-leader was silent. Still, I hope we can help this child.
I love seating charts. They help me learn names by locations, since I certainly can't do faces. I was about 30% by the end of each class, and maybe 10% on the sidewalk. Not bad to start. I'll give myself a month for 100%.
Like I said, it's the excited, proud brain fuzz that occurs 18 miles into the run. I know I'm not perfect, and that there will be things to work on. According to the principal, "We just finished the easiest day of the year. Start getting ready for days 2 through 195." I'm on it.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Transitions
TriRock Asbury Park Sprint Triathlon - Race Report
500 m swim
10 mi bike
5 km run
Pre-Race
I signed up for this race about two weeks ago, which is pretty unusual for me. I was originally signed up for a race on Saturday (TOBAY Triathlon on Long Island), but found in July that I had Relay (science teacher class) that day, and I didn't want to take an absence on my first Saturday class. Fortunately, I had been signed up for the only triathlon I've seen that has full refunds available, and I received a check for the entry fee within a week from GLIRC (good organization). Tim had been asked to volunteer at the medical tent for the TriRock, and I really wanted to get in a third race this year so I can get an official USAT ranking (it won't be pretty, but it'll give me something to work on), so I signed up on a whim.
Of course, I later realized it wasn't a smart idea to do a triathlon the day before school starts. I would be sore and short on sleep. I've been super unmotivated lately and didn't really want to do the race.
A little later, I realized it was a great idea to do a triathlon the day before school starts, because I need something to keep myself busy this weekend.
Communication from the race was...lacking. I checked the website regularly between registration and the last week, but there was no information about race morning - wave times, packet pick-up, transition closing, etc. On Monday night (< one week before the race), they finally posted the information packet (I didn't get an email with the information until Wednesday), and I discovered that they had no race day packet pick-up.
Really? I have never seen a race without race day packet pick-up that didn't mention it clearly at registration and on the website, let alone not mention it until the week of the race. I had class during the entire Saturday expo, an hour away, so there was no way I was picking up my packet. And they wouldn't release it to friends or family.
I spent a night tossing and turning, and called in a panic on Tuesday morning. Oh, they do have race day packet pick-up. They just don't advertise it because they don't want a long line. The all-caps NO RACE DAY PACKET PICK-UP is just for show. I took down the name of the employee I spoke to, just in case, and got ready to race.
Last night, I didn't get my eight hours of sleep, because I was out dress-shopping with my parents (one mother-of-the-bride dress complete), and I didn't get home until 8:30. I spent about a half hour packing and prepping, another half hour relaxing, and was a sleep by 9:30-ish.
Race Day
I beat my 4:30 alarm by 10 minutes (perfect). I threw Tim in the shower, ate an Eggo waffle, and unsuccessfully attempted to use the bathroom. Oh well. I packed some toiled paper in my bag and loaded up the bike in the car.
We arrived at about 5:40. Tim got awesome parking as a medical volunteer, about 20 feet away from transition.
I picked up my packet (there was no line) and labelled my bike. In transition, I convinced a dude with a Sharpie to mark me up, because I HATE TriTats (temporary tattoo race numbers). I had TriTats at NYC, and it took three days of hard work to remove. I didn't want to show up to school with big "57"s on my arms, nor did I want to be relegated to long sleeves and pants for the first week of school.
I set up my transition, grabbed the TP, and tried again. No success. I was a little bit worried, but I really had no time goal in mind (what a terrible way to start a race!), so I could stop during any transition.
It was chilly, and I left my sandals and sweatshirt with Tim as I went to line up at the race start, about a 1/4 mile walk from the medical tent. I dipped my feet in the water, and was happy to discover that the water (74 degrees) was a little bit warmer than the air (62 degrees). I had decided to leave the wetsuit at home for the 500 meter swim. I figured the 1-2 minutes it would cost me in the race, plus transport and washing it, wouldn't be worth the 2-3 minutes it might save me in the race. Unfortunately, it meant I had to be a bit more sly about my usual pre-race pee.
Swim
The swim was nearly soul-crushing. There's always moment in every race that makes me question my life choices. This moment is usually much later in the race, giving me an opportunity to balance it with my successes. Not today. For the first 100 meters, we were swimming perpendicularly away from the shore, with waves breaking over our heads every 10-15 seconds. Each time I caught a wave, it would push me back 10 feet. It hurt. I couldn't see the buoy. I really missed the buoyancy of my wetsuit. It took 3:30 for the first 100 meters - embarrassing. In the pool, I can do 2:15 easy, and in a wetsuit it's closer to 1:50.
I found out later that 3 racers DNF'd in the first 100 meters.
I got into a rhythm for the rest of the race, except for the occasional wave and one big inhalation of salt water. Good for the lungs.
The last 100 meters was interesting. I started moving my legs more, to loosen them up, but about halfway to shore, I saw people standing and running already. I thought that would be harder then swimming, until the waves came. The undertow fought my swimming, and found it was most efficient to stand at the bottom, move slowly, and ride the waves in the best I could. I trudged up the shore at 17:21, or almost 3:30 per 100 meters.
T1 was slow (long barefoot run), but uneventful. I passed Tim, grabbed my bike stuff, ate half a package Cliff Shot Bloks, and got on my bike.
Bike
The bike went really smoothly. I kept up the pace pretty consistently. I passed a few people, and got passed by a few more. The ride was flat and beautiful through the newly gentrified Jersey Shore town of Asbury Park.
The route was marked well and I had a good time. I ended up averaging 14.9 mph (40:23), which is much better than I expected. A few times, I wondered if I could keep up this pace during short, flat training rides. It's almost a reasonable pace!
I ended up ranking considerably lower on the bike than the swim (348/422 compared to 301/422), so I guess everyone had a tough swim.
Run
The run was similarly uneventful. I didn't have a bad time, but I also didn't love every minute like in the NYC run and the entire Tri One On race. It was okay. I hit mile 1 in about 10:30, so I knew I wasn't going to break 30, and I had no time goal, so I just sorta hit a groove and stuck to it.
In mile 2, I met a nice girl who does nutrition research in Maryland. I tried to convince her to be a teacher. This keeps happening. I think I'm really ready to start the year.
I finished the run in a respectable 31:34, or 10:11/mile.
Post-Race
I got some ice cream and a parfait, and sat down on the grass while Tim finished up at the medical tent. His day was, fortunately, pretty uneventful. Mostly scrapes and bruises. I went home, took a nap, went grocery shopping, and then ate everything in the apartment.
My one final thought on the race organization is this: I am not fast. Many races I've done have run out of cups, or coconut water, or something at the finish line. At this race, the Porta-potties still had toiled paper at the end. This is not something you see every day.
The total time was 1:36:30. It put me at the 25th percentile for women, and 20th percentile for my division. Does this mean I can say I've accomplished my goal of being a midpacker this year? Eh. I'm not so sure. I already have a goal for next year: top half of my division. It's a hefty goal, but it means I can work on speed. For this race, that means having a good swim, building the bike A LOT, and building the run a little. I guess I know what that means.
There's gonna be some weekend bike rides this fall.
This afternoon, I watched coverage of the 2012 Ironman World Championship in Kona. Damn. I don't think I could ever do that. Maybe an Ironman, sure, but never a qualifying one. Those people are serious. And have really pointy helmets.
I've come to the conclusion that I can probably run 50 meters at the same speed an Ironman champion (woman) can run an entire marathon after running 112 miles and swimming 2.4 miles. That's something, right?
I did have more fun today than I have had in any recent workouts. It's definitely recharged my triathlon spirit. Pretty good way to end a triathlon season. I think I've kicked my funk and ready for some off-season speed training.
And I'm ready for a new school year.
500 m swim
10 mi bike
5 km run
Pre-Race
I signed up for this race about two weeks ago, which is pretty unusual for me. I was originally signed up for a race on Saturday (TOBAY Triathlon on Long Island), but found in July that I had Relay (science teacher class) that day, and I didn't want to take an absence on my first Saturday class. Fortunately, I had been signed up for the only triathlon I've seen that has full refunds available, and I received a check for the entry fee within a week from GLIRC (good organization). Tim had been asked to volunteer at the medical tent for the TriRock, and I really wanted to get in a third race this year so I can get an official USAT ranking (it won't be pretty, but it'll give me something to work on), so I signed up on a whim.
Of course, I later realized it wasn't a smart idea to do a triathlon the day before school starts. I would be sore and short on sleep. I've been super unmotivated lately and didn't really want to do the race.
A little later, I realized it was a great idea to do a triathlon the day before school starts, because I need something to keep myself busy this weekend.
Communication from the race was...lacking. I checked the website regularly between registration and the last week, but there was no information about race morning - wave times, packet pick-up, transition closing, etc. On Monday night (< one week before the race), they finally posted the information packet (I didn't get an email with the information until Wednesday), and I discovered that they had no race day packet pick-up.
Really? I have never seen a race without race day packet pick-up that didn't mention it clearly at registration and on the website, let alone not mention it until the week of the race. I had class during the entire Saturday expo, an hour away, so there was no way I was picking up my packet. And they wouldn't release it to friends or family.
I spent a night tossing and turning, and called in a panic on Tuesday morning. Oh, they do have race day packet pick-up. They just don't advertise it because they don't want a long line. The all-caps NO RACE DAY PACKET PICK-UP is just for show. I took down the name of the employee I spoke to, just in case, and got ready to race.
Last night, I didn't get my eight hours of sleep, because I was out dress-shopping with my parents (one mother-of-the-bride dress complete), and I didn't get home until 8:30. I spent about a half hour packing and prepping, another half hour relaxing, and was a sleep by 9:30-ish.
Race Day
I beat my 4:30 alarm by 10 minutes (perfect). I threw Tim in the shower, ate an Eggo waffle, and unsuccessfully attempted to use the bathroom. Oh well. I packed some toiled paper in my bag and loaded up the bike in the car.
We arrived at about 5:40. Tim got awesome parking as a medical volunteer, about 20 feet away from transition.
I picked up my packet (there was no line) and labelled my bike. In transition, I convinced a dude with a Sharpie to mark me up, because I HATE TriTats (temporary tattoo race numbers). I had TriTats at NYC, and it took three days of hard work to remove. I didn't want to show up to school with big "57"s on my arms, nor did I want to be relegated to long sleeves and pants for the first week of school.
I set up my transition, grabbed the TP, and tried again. No success. I was a little bit worried, but I really had no time goal in mind (what a terrible way to start a race!), so I could stop during any transition.
It was chilly, and I left my sandals and sweatshirt with Tim as I went to line up at the race start, about a 1/4 mile walk from the medical tent. I dipped my feet in the water, and was happy to discover that the water (74 degrees) was a little bit warmer than the air (62 degrees). I had decided to leave the wetsuit at home for the 500 meter swim. I figured the 1-2 minutes it would cost me in the race, plus transport and washing it, wouldn't be worth the 2-3 minutes it might save me in the race. Unfortunately, it meant I had to be a bit more sly about my usual pre-race pee.
Swim
The swim was nearly soul-crushing. There's always moment in every race that makes me question my life choices. This moment is usually much later in the race, giving me an opportunity to balance it with my successes. Not today. For the first 100 meters, we were swimming perpendicularly away from the shore, with waves breaking over our heads every 10-15 seconds. Each time I caught a wave, it would push me back 10 feet. It hurt. I couldn't see the buoy. I really missed the buoyancy of my wetsuit. It took 3:30 for the first 100 meters - embarrassing. In the pool, I can do 2:15 easy, and in a wetsuit it's closer to 1:50.
I found out later that 3 racers DNF'd in the first 100 meters.
I got into a rhythm for the rest of the race, except for the occasional wave and one big inhalation of salt water. Good for the lungs.
The last 100 meters was interesting. I started moving my legs more, to loosen them up, but about halfway to shore, I saw people standing and running already. I thought that would be harder then swimming, until the waves came. The undertow fought my swimming, and found it was most efficient to stand at the bottom, move slowly, and ride the waves in the best I could. I trudged up the shore at 17:21, or almost 3:30 per 100 meters.
T1 was slow (long barefoot run), but uneventful. I passed Tim, grabbed my bike stuff, ate half a package Cliff Shot Bloks, and got on my bike.
Bike
The bike went really smoothly. I kept up the pace pretty consistently. I passed a few people, and got passed by a few more. The ride was flat and beautiful through the newly gentrified Jersey Shore town of Asbury Park.
The route was marked well and I had a good time. I ended up averaging 14.9 mph (40:23), which is much better than I expected. A few times, I wondered if I could keep up this pace during short, flat training rides. It's almost a reasonable pace!
I ended up ranking considerably lower on the bike than the swim (348/422 compared to 301/422), so I guess everyone had a tough swim.
Run
The run was similarly uneventful. I didn't have a bad time, but I also didn't love every minute like in the NYC run and the entire Tri One On race. It was okay. I hit mile 1 in about 10:30, so I knew I wasn't going to break 30, and I had no time goal, so I just sorta hit a groove and stuck to it.
In mile 2, I met a nice girl who does nutrition research in Maryland. I tried to convince her to be a teacher. This keeps happening. I think I'm really ready to start the year.
I finished the run in a respectable 31:34, or 10:11/mile.
Post-Race
I got some ice cream and a parfait, and sat down on the grass while Tim finished up at the medical tent. His day was, fortunately, pretty uneventful. Mostly scrapes and bruises. I went home, took a nap, went grocery shopping, and then ate everything in the apartment.
My one final thought on the race organization is this: I am not fast. Many races I've done have run out of cups, or coconut water, or something at the finish line. At this race, the Porta-potties still had toiled paper at the end. This is not something you see every day.
The total time was 1:36:30. It put me at the 25th percentile for women, and 20th percentile for my division. Does this mean I can say I've accomplished my goal of being a midpacker this year? Eh. I'm not so sure. I already have a goal for next year: top half of my division. It's a hefty goal, but it means I can work on speed. For this race, that means having a good swim, building the bike A LOT, and building the run a little. I guess I know what that means.
There's gonna be some weekend bike rides this fall.
This afternoon, I watched coverage of the 2012 Ironman World Championship in Kona. Damn. I don't think I could ever do that. Maybe an Ironman, sure, but never a qualifying one. Those people are serious. And have really pointy helmets.
I've come to the conclusion that I can probably run 50 meters at the same speed an Ironman champion (woman) can run an entire marathon after running 112 miles and swimming 2.4 miles. That's something, right?
I did have more fun today than I have had in any recent workouts. It's definitely recharged my triathlon spirit. Pretty good way to end a triathlon season. I think I've kicked my funk and ready for some off-season speed training.
And I'm ready for a new school year.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Last Day
So, it is our last work day until school starts. Everyone is running around like chickens. It's crazy and stressful, but also full of camaraderie. Really, though, I just can't wait until it is 4:45 and we can all go to mandatory happy hour. I've finish my "must do" list, and have no hope of even making a dent in my "should do" list. I need to get out of here and relax a bit before go time.
Principal, at our school logistics meeting, in which we discussed all procedures, duties, and schedules for the year: "There will be a lot of information here. For new teachers, the next two hours will feel like drinking from a fire hose. Well, so will the rest of the first year, but especially now."
My big goals this year include building better relationships with students and their parents. I've started by getting a head start on calling half the parents in my homeroom (my homeroom partner will take the other half). In this process, I've had a total diversity moment; that is, I had one of those moments that you watch in diversity training videos. I made an assumption, and could have potential ruined a relationship.
I called the mother of one of my students. The phone rang a few times, and then stopped. It sounded like someone picked up the phone, but I didn't hear anything. After a couple of hellos, I hung up, and chalked it up to an out-of-service phone or wrong number. I then called her dad's number (this is a new skill - previously, if one number didn't work, I'd call it a day and pat myself on the back for trying). A man picked up.
-Hello, is this Mr. _____?
-No, who is this?
-I'm sorry, I must have a wrong number, this is Ms. Z from North Star, calling regarding Student.
-No, I am student's father.
-Oh, I'm sorry, what is your name?
-Mr. _______ [the same name that I had originally asked].
-Oh, okay.
-I screen my calls.
-I understand. I was calling to introduce myself, and to see if Student had any questions about the summer packet [i.e. don't forget the summer packet!].
-Student lives with her mother, so I don't know about the summer packet.
-Oh. I called her, but the call didn't go through.
-She screens her calls too. I'll call her and let her know that it was you calling. She'll call you back.
-Thank you so much! Do you have any quesitons for me?
-Nope.
-Please feel free to call if you want to know about Student's education. [Ugh, what a horrible thing to say.]
-I know about her education, I pick her up from school sometimes.
-Oh, well, then, I can't wait to meet you!
I spent the rest of the day thinking how weird it was that they were so adamant about screening their calls. Then, sometime in the early hours, it occurred to my why they might screen their calls, and felt horrible for judging them. I sincerely hope that it is a habit they have picked up from others who are harassed by collections agencies, and don't have to screen their calls out of necessity. Or, I could just be making more assumptions, and screening calls is the new thing to do. I'm not really the expert on picking up social trends.
I learn something new everyday. But what's more exciting, is that as a "veteran" teacher, I get to teach something new every day. I get to share my proven methods of organization, classroom decoration, and student management. I may not be an expert, but at least I feel like a rock star.
Principal, at our school logistics meeting, in which we discussed all procedures, duties, and schedules for the year: "There will be a lot of information here. For new teachers, the next two hours will feel like drinking from a fire hose. Well, so will the rest of the first year, but especially now."
My big goals this year include building better relationships with students and their parents. I've started by getting a head start on calling half the parents in my homeroom (my homeroom partner will take the other half). In this process, I've had a total diversity moment; that is, I had one of those moments that you watch in diversity training videos. I made an assumption, and could have potential ruined a relationship.
I called the mother of one of my students. The phone rang a few times, and then stopped. It sounded like someone picked up the phone, but I didn't hear anything. After a couple of hellos, I hung up, and chalked it up to an out-of-service phone or wrong number. I then called her dad's number (this is a new skill - previously, if one number didn't work, I'd call it a day and pat myself on the back for trying). A man picked up.
-Hello, is this Mr. _____?
-No, who is this?
-I'm sorry, I must have a wrong number, this is Ms. Z from North Star, calling regarding Student.
-No, I am student's father.
-Oh, I'm sorry, what is your name?
-Mr. _______ [the same name that I had originally asked].
-Oh, okay.
-I screen my calls.
-I understand. I was calling to introduce myself, and to see if Student had any questions about the summer packet [i.e. don't forget the summer packet!].
-Student lives with her mother, so I don't know about the summer packet.
-Oh. I called her, but the call didn't go through.
-She screens her calls too. I'll call her and let her know that it was you calling. She'll call you back.
-Thank you so much! Do you have any quesitons for me?
-Nope.
-Please feel free to call if you want to know about Student's education. [Ugh, what a horrible thing to say.]
-I know about her education, I pick her up from school sometimes.
-Oh, well, then, I can't wait to meet you!
I spent the rest of the day thinking how weird it was that they were so adamant about screening their calls. Then, sometime in the early hours, it occurred to my why they might screen their calls, and felt horrible for judging them. I sincerely hope that it is a habit they have picked up from others who are harassed by collections agencies, and don't have to screen their calls out of necessity. Or, I could just be making more assumptions, and screening calls is the new thing to do. I'm not really the expert on picking up social trends.
I learn something new everyday. But what's more exciting, is that as a "veteran" teacher, I get to teach something new every day. I get to share my proven methods of organization, classroom decoration, and student management. I may not be an expert, but at least I feel like a rock star.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Love
Since getting back into planning this week, and meeting my new colleagues, and saying hi to some students who have dropped by to help, I've been filled with an overwhelming sense of...love. I love my job. I am the luckiest person in the world.
For the next 6 days, anyway. I'll probably change my mind around midday Monday, on the first day of school.
But for now, it's great.
I'm ahead of schedule on my planning. I've just planned my series of lessons on calculating slope of a line on a graph, which was a huge weakness last year. This year, it'll be awesome. I've come up with a good anecdote to help remember the parts of calculating slope. It goes like this:
And my PowerPoint is great. It really breaks down the steps, so that an absent person could look through the slides and know what is going on. I'm trying to avoid last year's 3 slope reteaches.
I also learned how to mail merge today. I can now take a spreadsheet of all my students' exam data, and easily print out a one-pager for each student that lists their total score and score in each topic, all in about 15 minutes.
Am I too excited? Maybe.
I've been pretty unexcited about running. I had a great bike ride on Saturday (10.5 miles), but when I went out for my 6-mile run, I only made it about 2.5. I did, however, manage to stop at the local farm stand and buy an avocado during those 2.5 miles. On Sunday, I tried again, and ended up jogging 1.5 miles and then walking the whole way back. I wasn't hurting, wasn't tired. I just wasn't feeling it. I'm planning on taking a few days off(-ish). Except for tonight. I really want to run tonight. Hopefully, I can maintain that feeling longer than 5 minutes into my run.
I have gone to one exercise class this week (Monday night) and lifted weights on Sunday. So, even if I'm not running, I'm still getting stronger. It'll help balance out the snacking.
Other than some snacking, I've been eating well this week. On Sunday, I made some apple cinnamon muffins (NOT healthy, but outstanding).I also made some chicken curry in my new slow cooker. It was delicious and spicy. I've learned to take the amount of curry powder I think I should use and multiply it by 5. Then add a dash more. Later on, I put together 4 days' worth of salads, which I've been eating this week. Each tupperware container gets some arugula mix, cherry tomatoes, craisins, walnuts, and goat cheese. I got some individual packs of Mandarin oranges to add on top once I get to school (if I add them sooner the whole thing gets soggy). Today, I had a quarter of an avocado to use up, so I scooped that onto the salad as well. Add a little bit of French dressing, and we're good to go. I hope I can keep up this healthy eating thing! I have to look awesome in 10 months and 2 days.
For the next 6 days, anyway. I'll probably change my mind around midday Monday, on the first day of school.
But for now, it's great.
I'm ahead of schedule on my planning. I've just planned my series of lessons on calculating slope of a line on a graph, which was a huge weakness last year. This year, it'll be awesome. I've come up with a good anecdote to help remember the parts of calculating slope. It goes like this:
First, let me tell you a story to help remember how to calculate slope. One day, a South Star student was strolling along, when she came upon an apple tree. She really wanted an apple, but didn’t want to get caught stealing. (Draw this on board) She climbed up the tree trunk, then looked down to make sure no one was following her. She then crawled across the branch to reach the apple, and looked back to make sure no one saw. What we have to remember is (Students copy from Powerpoint): Go up, look down, go over, look back. Or, slope = rise/run.
And my PowerPoint is great. It really breaks down the steps, so that an absent person could look through the slides and know what is going on. I'm trying to avoid last year's 3 slope reteaches.
I also learned how to mail merge today. I can now take a spreadsheet of all my students' exam data, and easily print out a one-pager for each student that lists their total score and score in each topic, all in about 15 minutes.
Am I too excited? Maybe.
I've been pretty unexcited about running. I had a great bike ride on Saturday (10.5 miles), but when I went out for my 6-mile run, I only made it about 2.5. I did, however, manage to stop at the local farm stand and buy an avocado during those 2.5 miles. On Sunday, I tried again, and ended up jogging 1.5 miles and then walking the whole way back. I wasn't hurting, wasn't tired. I just wasn't feeling it. I'm planning on taking a few days off(-ish). Except for tonight. I really want to run tonight. Hopefully, I can maintain that feeling longer than 5 minutes into my run.
I have gone to one exercise class this week (Monday night) and lifted weights on Sunday. So, even if I'm not running, I'm still getting stronger. It'll help balance out the snacking.
Other than some snacking, I've been eating well this week. On Sunday, I made some apple cinnamon muffins (NOT healthy, but outstanding).I also made some chicken curry in my new slow cooker. It was delicious and spicy. I've learned to take the amount of curry powder I think I should use and multiply it by 5. Then add a dash more. Later on, I put together 4 days' worth of salads, which I've been eating this week. Each tupperware container gets some arugula mix, cherry tomatoes, craisins, walnuts, and goat cheese. I got some individual packs of Mandarin oranges to add on top once I get to school (if I add them sooner the whole thing gets soggy). Today, I had a quarter of an avocado to use up, so I scooped that onto the salad as well. Add a little bit of French dressing, and we're good to go. I hope I can keep up this healthy eating thing! I have to look awesome in 10 months and 2 days.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Annual Retreat
I was doing so well at posting more often, and then I got distracted. And school hasn't even started yet.
Last week, I had a great teacher moment. A couple of students were helping set up the staff room. I walked in, and one student greeted me brightly. At the sound of my name, the other student, whose back was turned, jumped up, turned around, and ran over to me. To hug me.
I just returned from a two-day North Star retreat at a conference center in Princeton. It was really fun, and very motivating. In fact, it definitely got me thinking about science leadership roles for the future. I could see myself coordinating science curriculum for multiple schools. In fact, maybe I can write a book on how to incorporate rigorous inquiry education in to the curriculum.
We were shown a lot of the ways our school is awesome. 75% of all North Star 7th graders passed the English NJASK. VMS scored the highest. 82% of 7th graders passed the math NJASK. VMS scored the highest.
Out of all the schools in New Jersey, the NJ Department of Education ranked North Star in the 100th percentile in academic achievement. Not bad.
However, there is definitely room for improvement.
Of the North Star graduating classes of 2004-2008, 44% have a 4-year degree. This is similar to the national average, which is pretty embarrassing. However, of the classes of 2009-2012, 90% of them are still enrolled. That's major improvement right there.
And then there's the future: in 2015, we will switch over to a different standard of state assessments, based on the Common Core Curriculum. And we know how that went in New York. We need to push the rigor, and fast, so our scores don't drop. If they raise the standards, we'll raise them even higher.
I got one major lesson out of the retreat: be a better leader. We had a couple of PD sessions for returning teachers. One was on being a leader. We have to lead by example when it comes to peer interactions and professionalism. We also need to help our peers with their own struggles. Another session was on having difficult conversations with peers, like when a peer is struggling. Basically, I walked out of there feeling pretty bad about the times I complained about a peer without addressing the issue directly.
This year will be different (and already is). We are starting from a clean slate, but when an issue comes up, I will address it immediately. I already decided to remind a peer about a not-well-advertised deadline, with great results.
Today, I had to submit a list of areas of strength and areas of growth for the upcoming year.
Here's to a brand new year!
Last week, I had a great teacher moment. A couple of students were helping set up the staff room. I walked in, and one student greeted me brightly. At the sound of my name, the other student, whose back was turned, jumped up, turned around, and ran over to me. To hug me.
I just returned from a two-day North Star retreat at a conference center in Princeton. It was really fun, and very motivating. In fact, it definitely got me thinking about science leadership roles for the future. I could see myself coordinating science curriculum for multiple schools. In fact, maybe I can write a book on how to incorporate rigorous inquiry education in to the curriculum.
We were shown a lot of the ways our school is awesome. 75% of all North Star 7th graders passed the English NJASK. VMS scored the highest. 82% of 7th graders passed the math NJASK. VMS scored the highest.
Out of all the schools in New Jersey, the NJ Department of Education ranked North Star in the 100th percentile in academic achievement. Not bad.
However, there is definitely room for improvement.
Of the North Star graduating classes of 2004-2008, 44% have a 4-year degree. This is similar to the national average, which is pretty embarrassing. However, of the classes of 2009-2012, 90% of them are still enrolled. That's major improvement right there.
And then there's the future: in 2015, we will switch over to a different standard of state assessments, based on the Common Core Curriculum. And we know how that went in New York. We need to push the rigor, and fast, so our scores don't drop. If they raise the standards, we'll raise them even higher.
I got one major lesson out of the retreat: be a better leader. We had a couple of PD sessions for returning teachers. One was on being a leader. We have to lead by example when it comes to peer interactions and professionalism. We also need to help our peers with their own struggles. Another session was on having difficult conversations with peers, like when a peer is struggling. Basically, I walked out of there feeling pretty bad about the times I complained about a peer without addressing the issue directly.
This year will be different (and already is). We are starting from a clean slate, but when an issue comes up, I will address it immediately. I already decided to remind a peer about a not-well-advertised deadline, with great results.
Today, I had to submit a list of areas of strength and areas of growth for the upcoming year.
Strengths:
Professionalism (Ability to Meet Deadlines) – I will
maintain consistency meeting deadlines at school and for Relay, and will not
sacrifice sleep time to do so.
Assessment (Ability to Analyze Assessment Results) – I will
continue to track Exit Tickets to look for trends, and do data analysis on my
NSA Diagnostics in anticipation of the real exams.
Growth:
Professionalism (Relationships with Families) – I will
maintain more communication with families. I will average at least one positive
communication per day (5 per week).
Classroom Management (Relationships with Students) – I will
learn to talk with students. Each Monday at lunch duty, I will ask personal
questions to at least 3 students (I may come with a prepared list of students).
Every day on the sidewalk, I will speak to at least one student.
Classroom Management(Alignment with School Culture) – As a
returner, I need to set an example for my colleagues regarding the use of North
Star vocabulary and practices (better use of paycheck and core values
vocabulary)
Here's to a brand new year!
Thursday, August 8, 2013
One Year
In the last 365 days, I've attended 189 days of school. I taught 175 lessons each three times, for a total of about 500 classes.
I had 75 meetings with my Instructional Leader and 4 meetings with the principal.
I've read 350 lab reports and 200 persuasive essays.
I have run 468 miles and completed two triathlons. I ran a 5K in 29:23.
I got engaged! My sister got engaged.
I attended 3 funerals and one unveiling.
I started a new job and fell in love with my work community.
I bought a wedding dress.
My grandmother was with me the entire time. I told her my stories of school and of wedding planning when I was driving home late at night. I miss her.
And now we begin another year. Today I had my first meeting with my new Instructional Leader (who also happens to be my principal). We discussed the first weeks of school, and she told me that she's impressed with how "together" I am. I'm excited to get to do so many things right, or at least better.
In the next year, I will get married! My sister will get married.
Tim will get a new car. We will go on our honeymoon.
I will teach 78 students. I will meet with the principal 75 times. I will teach 500 classes (more, if the health class works out, although I haven't heard anything about it since June).
I will run 750 miles and complete 2-3 triathlons. I will run a 5K in 28 minutes.
And this time next year, I will sit at my computer, another ring on my finger, and think of all the ways I can improve my classroom again.
I had 75 meetings with my Instructional Leader and 4 meetings with the principal.
I've read 350 lab reports and 200 persuasive essays.
I have run 468 miles and completed two triathlons. I ran a 5K in 29:23.
I got engaged! My sister got engaged.
I attended 3 funerals and one unveiling.
I started a new job and fell in love with my work community.
I bought a wedding dress.
My grandmother was with me the entire time. I told her my stories of school and of wedding planning when I was driving home late at night. I miss her.
And now we begin another year. Today I had my first meeting with my new Instructional Leader (who also happens to be my principal). We discussed the first weeks of school, and she told me that she's impressed with how "together" I am. I'm excited to get to do so many things right, or at least better.
In the next year, I will get married! My sister will get married.
Tim will get a new car. We will go on our honeymoon.
I will teach 78 students. I will meet with the principal 75 times. I will teach 500 classes (more, if the health class works out, although I haven't heard anything about it since June).
I will run 750 miles and complete 2-3 triathlons. I will run a 5K in 28 minutes.
And this time next year, I will sit at my computer, another ring on my finger, and think of all the ways I can improve my classroom again.
Monday, August 5, 2013
On a Lighter Note
Let me tell you a funny story. Funny for you, that is; not so funny for me.
I went to my Boot Camp class tonight, an was happy to be offered an additional month of membership at a discount. I took out my wallet...and my credit card was missing. I said some words, paid with my other card, and went back to the car to mentally retrace my steps. I last bought something at the local supermarket called Asian Food (fantastic dumplings). I googled the store, called them up, and was transferred through several times before the third person I spoke to told me that they didn't find a credit card there. Crap.
Okay, I definitely bought my once-monthly Starbucks beverage with cash. Out of options. I called the credit card company. I went through the entire automated program, including verifying the last few days' purchases. Last purchase, gas yesterday. Tank was still full, so probably me. Are you sure it's not just misplaced? No, of course not, would I be doing this if it were possible? Press 2 to confirm cancellation. Confirm. You will receive a new one in 5-7 business days. Press 9 to end call. Really? Is hanging up not sufficient these days? 9.
I drive away, and here's where the story gets funny. Yep, you guessed it. I immediately remember what I did with my card. On Sunday, I had volunteered at a triathlon. Rather than carry around my purse all day, I did what I do about once or twice a year: I put $5 and my VISA in my pocket. It's still there, in the pocket, in the hamper. Crap. Boy, do I feel dumb. Oh well. So many worse things could happen.
This morning, I drove up to school to meet with another science teacher and the woman who will be my adviser for all curriculum-planning duties. It was an awesome meeting full of content and inquiry and passion for science. We talked about ways to improve the curriculum to prepare kids for college. Did you know the AP biology curriculum was recently overhauled from a cookbook memorization course, to a course about critical thinking and scientific inquiry? I thought that was pretty awesome, an we're using that as the basis for our own curricula. I then immediately left school, because a school full of friends I hadn't seen all summer is a terrible place for getting any work done.
I also had an awesome run today. I did a 1 mile warm-up, 5 laps around the track in 2:10-2:20 (about a 9 min/mi pace), and then a half mile cool down. I definitely notice that I'm moving more easily these days. It's still tough, but I feel a lot smoother and more comfortable.
And now, I will eat a sandwich while waiting to pick up my fiancé at the airport. And tell him I failed at credit cards today.
I went to my Boot Camp class tonight, an was happy to be offered an additional month of membership at a discount. I took out my wallet...and my credit card was missing. I said some words, paid with my other card, and went back to the car to mentally retrace my steps. I last bought something at the local supermarket called Asian Food (fantastic dumplings). I googled the store, called them up, and was transferred through several times before the third person I spoke to told me that they didn't find a credit card there. Crap.
Okay, I definitely bought my once-monthly Starbucks beverage with cash. Out of options. I called the credit card company. I went through the entire automated program, including verifying the last few days' purchases. Last purchase, gas yesterday. Tank was still full, so probably me. Are you sure it's not just misplaced? No, of course not, would I be doing this if it were possible? Press 2 to confirm cancellation. Confirm. You will receive a new one in 5-7 business days. Press 9 to end call. Really? Is hanging up not sufficient these days? 9.
I drive away, and here's where the story gets funny. Yep, you guessed it. I immediately remember what I did with my card. On Sunday, I had volunteered at a triathlon. Rather than carry around my purse all day, I did what I do about once or twice a year: I put $5 and my VISA in my pocket. It's still there, in the pocket, in the hamper. Crap. Boy, do I feel dumb. Oh well. So many worse things could happen.
This morning, I drove up to school to meet with another science teacher and the woman who will be my adviser for all curriculum-planning duties. It was an awesome meeting full of content and inquiry and passion for science. We talked about ways to improve the curriculum to prepare kids for college. Did you know the AP biology curriculum was recently overhauled from a cookbook memorization course, to a course about critical thinking and scientific inquiry? I thought that was pretty awesome, an we're using that as the basis for our own curricula. I then immediately left school, because a school full of friends I hadn't seen all summer is a terrible place for getting any work done.
I also had an awesome run today. I did a 1 mile warm-up, 5 laps around the track in 2:10-2:20 (about a 9 min/mi pace), and then a half mile cool down. I definitely notice that I'm moving more easily these days. It's still tough, but I feel a lot smoother and more comfortable.
And now, I will eat a sandwich while waiting to pick up my fiancé at the airport. And tell him I failed at credit cards today.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
SOP-111: Building Cultural Responsiveness
This is an essay I wrote for my Relay course in Building Cultural Responsiveness. It's pretty cheesy, but interesting nonetheless.
If I were to choose the two identity
markers that are most meaningful to me, they would be female and Jewish. Identity
markers are categories used to define a person. They can include age, ethnicity,
language, class, age, gender, region, race, and sexuality.
First, I am female. This is
important to me because it defines the way I live my life and challenge
myself. Every day I live my life with the understanding that I am expected,
by myself and by society, to one day create children with my own body. While I don't
limit my professional choices because I am female, I have made decisions
based on my goal of one day raising a family. I am fortunate to have found a
career that is suitable for having a family, although I plan to
stay with it because I love it. Perhaps if I didn't love my career so much, I
might have considered a career that involves more education and less
flexibility, like medicine, but I love teaching, so I don't have to worry
about that. I am aware, though, that as a female, social expectations
are different than they would be if I were male. It did not go unnoticed that
I was one of the few women to receive a Master of Science degree at Brown in
2010, while the Master of Arts degree ceremony showed the opposite gender
ratio. During my brief career in research, I discovered that the majority of
scientists are male, and that there are higher standards and lower
expectations for females, especially when it comes to running a lab and publishing work in a
peer-reviewed journal. If I had chosen that career path for my future, I
certainly would have faced obstacles. However, I hope I would have noticed
the obstacles and worked harder to overcome them, as I have done in the past.
Secondly,
and equally importantly, I am Jewish. As a person who fights harder when
challenged, I take pride in my family’s ability to survive in the face of
adversity. When I struggle at work, I think of the strength my grandfather
must have shown, not only when he survived the Holocaust in Poland, but also
when he sailed over to the United States with very little money and
eventually built up his business through hard work and dedication. I am proud of everything my
family has provided, and feel obligated to succeed on my own in a way that
both makes me happy and gives back to the community. Throughout my Jewish
education, both at home and at countless hours of Jewish after school
programs, I feel that I have been taught well how to work hard and to care
for others. These are the parts of my identity that are most significant.
|
Data from the 2010 US Census
make it clear just how different my background is from that of my students. In
my hometown of Roslyn, New York, 3613 out of 3935 identify as white alone,
which is 91.8%. 307, or 0.078% identify as Asian alone, 14 identify as 2 or
more races, and 1 identifies as black or African American alone. The margin of
error is greater than the actual values for 2 or more races and black or
African American. Conversely, in my students’ neighborhood in Newark, New
Jersey, 3240 out of 3588 identify as black or African American alone, which
makes up 90.1%. Another 7.5% identify as white alone. This shows that the
racial makeup of Roslyn is almost entirely different than that of Newark. Whereas
my hometown is mostly white, with a small Asian population, according to my
Newark school’s website, “nearly all” students “are students of color”. This
means that I will look different than nearly every single one of my students.
Additionally, according to the excerpt Tatum’s book, my students will know a
lot more about my race due to the overwhelming portrayal of the dominant race
in popular media, whereas I will not know as much about them.
A similar
disparity occurs in median family income. In Roslyn, median family income is $214,614.
In Newark, it is $31,022. This describes a difference in access to food,
clothing, health care, and child care. This means that my childhood differed
from most of my students, in that I had access to anything I needed, and could
get new clothes when I wanted. My students may or may not have that privilege.
I was also lucky to never worry about health care, and to have my mother home much of the day to take care of me. My students may not have parents home to help with
homework, may not have access to plentiful healthy food, and may not have
regular access to health care.
Although the
2010 US Census does not show any points of convergence in racial diversity,
economic status, age distribution, housing, transportation, and employment, there
are certainly convergences. We both have access to the same popular media,
which provide stereotypes and expectations. Additionally, we both live in a
very segregated area of the country, in which people of color live in struggling
urban areas, while white people live in more affluent suburbs. My students and
I may have similar racial biases and expectations, despite the drastically
different environments in which we grew up.
I would like
to think that I am a perfectly unbiased teacher and person, but I know that
this is practically impossible. According to Aronson, “It would be
absurd for teachers to pretend not to see a student’s race or ethnicity.” If I
were to describe my bias, it would be that I walk into a minority school and
see students who need my help. Of course, this is an oversimplification. In my school,
just like in any other school in the country, there are students who would benefit from
my help, but also students who are capable of success on their own,
due to their background or upbringing. The best solution to avoid succumbing to
my biases, according to Aronson, is to “form and maintain trusting
relationships, seeing and treating one another as individuals, rather than
reducing one another to the social categories to which we belong”.
Forming relationships is a weakness of mine; I tend to get so caught up in planning, grading, data, and classroom management that I forget to see my students as individuals with individual needs, desires, strengths and weaknesses. This is something I have to work on. It is a personal goal of mine this year that I will always seek out the student first. if a student has shown a success or is acting defiant, I will speak to the student. I will ask the student what is wrong; i will not tell the student what is wrong (of course, after applying the appropriate consequence). I will ask the student before asking a colleague, a dean, or the student's parent. In order to constantly move past my biases, and to see students as individuals with varied backgrounds and beliefs, I need to look past them as parts of a class or parts of a data set, and get to know each one as an individual.
To end this with a student, I will post a list of questions I came up with during the assignment. I didn't actually ask them, but I did want to. Sometimes I miss being a high school student.
Should we organize it into standard essay format, with introduction, bodies, and conclusion? Or organize by topic/assignment?
Mr. V (the head of the program, and founder of North Star/Uncommon), what is your personal opinion on the Oxford comma (which should, in my opinion, be on the major list of identity markers)?
Do you mean 2-4 pages standard margins, or 2-4 pages on the template?
Which font do you prefer?
I spent an hour searching the 2010 US Census for "points of convergence" between my students and me. There are none. Literally, none.
To end this with a student, I will post a list of questions I came up with during the assignment. I didn't actually ask them, but I did want to. Sometimes I miss being a high school student.
Should we organize it into standard essay format, with introduction, bodies, and conclusion? Or organize by topic/assignment?
Mr. V (the head of the program, and founder of North Star/Uncommon), what is your personal opinion on the Oxford comma (which should, in my opinion, be on the major list of identity markers)?
Do you mean 2-4 pages standard margins, or 2-4 pages on the template?
Which font do you prefer?
I spent an hour searching the 2010 US Census for "points of convergence" between my students and me. There are none. Literally, none.
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Sub-30!
Wednesday's class discussion on cultural differences and racism and stuff was challenging. There were some good small group discussions, but I always feel like I'm unqualified to talk on the subject of whether the Achievement Gap is a poverty gap, or a remnant of cultural expectations. I had to read an summarize for my group an article that discussed the idea that it is not a poverty gap that causes lower performance in African Americans, but instead a cultural expectation of failure, which they then live up to out of fear. Interesting topic, though shoddy research methods. I learned some cool stuff, but walked away feeling awkward. I'd like to think that awkward feeling is a cultural artifact of my American-ness.
The session was started with a discussion of our own personal cultural artifacts, with the moral: aren't conversations more interesting when we acknowledge individual identifies rather than just making assumptions based on looks?
The whole discussion reminded me of something I learned in Botswana. When I got to the country, in September 2007, I noticed immediately that people stared at me. I was one of a handful of white people in the whole country. I thought I would finally get to know what it was like to be a minority.
I did. I learned what it was like to be a minority. I was stared at, and still expected to have more money, not commit crime, and be high-achieving.
On a lighter note, I spent the last two days being super productive. I completed an entire week's worth of lesson plans and materials, using the new high standards of quality and appearance that are expected of me this year. It took, in total, about 10.5 hours. It'll probably get faster after I get more used to formatting (besides, it took time to program Word to autocorrect for me: DN = Do Now, dc = Doc Cam, HW = Homework, SM = Scientific Method - I hope to soon only write in shorthand, and have Word translate automatically). So, 10 hours a week planning, split up over 5 days, with 40 weeks...STOP. It's still summer.
But I'm so excited! I'm going to do things so much better this year! Classroom entry will be cleaner from Day 1. Procedures will be smoother and easier for me. I will teach the tough objectives better the first time, so less time will be spent reteaching. I'll incorporate more review and "Know it Cold" vocabulary memorization, so we can spend more time learning new, rigorous objectives. I can't wait.
I am continuing to enjoy my exercise classes. I really like the instructor's style: equal parts coddling and evil. Perfect for an exercise class. Besides, she actually throws real science at us occasionally. And there's NO fake science. That's a first in an exercise class.
Oh yeah, I ran a 5K in 29:23! I ran the first mile fast (~9:20), slowed down a bit and zoned out during the second mile (9:35), and then picked it up in the last mile (9:30). When it hurt, I kept chanting in my head: 29:59. 29:59. I just wanted to see that 2 in the front. I thought of all the people I would tell: the old man I had befriended at the start, my fiance, my parents, my blog. It was not flat as advertised. It was also muggy and rainy, and the finish line wasn't well marked, so I actually didn't see the finish line until I was about 50 meters away. It cut my final kick a little short, so I think I could have done about 10 seconds better. Still, I was 5/11 in my age group (better than half) and 25/61 in women (much better than half). I was proud, really proud. Really sweaty, too.
And with that, I've come to an end of my 2013 goal-setting season. Of my four goals for the year, I accomplished two, and missed two. I finished a sprint tri sub-1:40 (1:36) and a 5K sub-30. I did not finish a half marathon sub-2:30 (2:34) or the NYC Tri sub-3:30 (3:45). Overall, it was a good year. I worked harder than any other year before. I worked hard and saw results (at least, in swimming and running, biking needs work).
I'm feeling a little burn-outy, as in I can't get together the motivation to go swimming or biking. The exercise classes are really fun, and I'm figuring out if I can afford (time and money) to keep going once school starts. I still want to do a sprint tri, maybe at the end of this month, but it won't really require any training.
I need to set new goals, immediately, or I'm going to keep writing, and not go out for my at-least-6-mile run I have planned for today. Sub-29? Sure, I bet I could do it in a month. I should really aim for 28. I definitely want to do an entire half marathon without walking, maybe a 2:25. I think I'm already too far behind my goal of 750 miles for the year, due to laziness and injury. I think I'll try to keep up 4-5 runs per week, with the occasional speed workout and tempo, for a total of 15-20 miles. I'll see where that leaves me in a few months. Maybe a distance goal for August? My best month is 62 miles, so I'll try to beat that. Let's do it.
The session was started with a discussion of our own personal cultural artifacts, with the moral: aren't conversations more interesting when we acknowledge individual identifies rather than just making assumptions based on looks?
The whole discussion reminded me of something I learned in Botswana. When I got to the country, in September 2007, I noticed immediately that people stared at me. I was one of a handful of white people in the whole country. I thought I would finally get to know what it was like to be a minority.
I did. I learned what it was like to be a minority. I was stared at, and still expected to have more money, not commit crime, and be high-achieving.
On a lighter note, I spent the last two days being super productive. I completed an entire week's worth of lesson plans and materials, using the new high standards of quality and appearance that are expected of me this year. It took, in total, about 10.5 hours. It'll probably get faster after I get more used to formatting (besides, it took time to program Word to autocorrect for me: DN = Do Now, dc = Doc Cam, HW = Homework, SM = Scientific Method - I hope to soon only write in shorthand, and have Word translate automatically). So, 10 hours a week planning, split up over 5 days, with 40 weeks...STOP. It's still summer.
But I'm so excited! I'm going to do things so much better this year! Classroom entry will be cleaner from Day 1. Procedures will be smoother and easier for me. I will teach the tough objectives better the first time, so less time will be spent reteaching. I'll incorporate more review and "Know it Cold" vocabulary memorization, so we can spend more time learning new, rigorous objectives. I can't wait.
I am continuing to enjoy my exercise classes. I really like the instructor's style: equal parts coddling and evil. Perfect for an exercise class. Besides, she actually throws real science at us occasionally. And there's NO fake science. That's a first in an exercise class.
Oh yeah, I ran a 5K in 29:23! I ran the first mile fast (~9:20), slowed down a bit and zoned out during the second mile (9:35), and then picked it up in the last mile (9:30). When it hurt, I kept chanting in my head: 29:59. 29:59. I just wanted to see that 2 in the front. I thought of all the people I would tell: the old man I had befriended at the start, my fiance, my parents, my blog. It was not flat as advertised. It was also muggy and rainy, and the finish line wasn't well marked, so I actually didn't see the finish line until I was about 50 meters away. It cut my final kick a little short, so I think I could have done about 10 seconds better. Still, I was 5/11 in my age group (better than half) and 25/61 in women (much better than half). I was proud, really proud. Really sweaty, too.
And with that, I've come to an end of my 2013 goal-setting season. Of my four goals for the year, I accomplished two, and missed two. I finished a sprint tri sub-1:40 (1:36) and a 5K sub-30. I did not finish a half marathon sub-2:30 (2:34) or the NYC Tri sub-3:30 (3:45). Overall, it was a good year. I worked harder than any other year before. I worked hard and saw results (at least, in swimming and running, biking needs work).
I'm feeling a little burn-outy, as in I can't get together the motivation to go swimming or biking. The exercise classes are really fun, and I'm figuring out if I can afford (time and money) to keep going once school starts. I still want to do a sprint tri, maybe at the end of this month, but it won't really require any training.
I need to set new goals, immediately, or I'm going to keep writing, and not go out for my at-least-6-mile run I have planned for today. Sub-29? Sure, I bet I could do it in a month. I should really aim for 28. I definitely want to do an entire half marathon without walking, maybe a 2:25. I think I'm already too far behind my goal of 750 miles for the year, due to laziness and injury. I think I'll try to keep up 4-5 runs per week, with the occasional speed workout and tempo, for a total of 15-20 miles. I'll see where that leaves me in a few months. Maybe a distance goal for August? My best month is 62 miles, so I'll try to beat that. Let's do it.
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