Negative Split

In running, there's something called a negative split. It's the thing that everyone tries to do, that's supposed to make it a good run. It means running the second half faster than the first half. It's supposed to be a good strategy for racing, because it leaves steam for a final push. It's a good training technique because it forces a harder workout at the end.

I did a negative split today, on my two miles at the park after school. First mile in 11:50, second mile in 11:30. It felt great. I did underestimate the temperature, or else I forgot it gets cold by 4pm, but it was perfect by the end.

I think it's a lot easier to do a negative split in teaching than running. The learning curve is different. In a two-mile run, or a 4-miler, or even a half marathon, there's not a whole lot that's learned from the first mile to the last. Running faster at the end is only a sign of an adrenaline rush, a surprise downhill, or a sign I didn't work as hard as I could have at the beginning. In teaching, though, I learn something new every day. From the beginning of the year to even the midway point, I'm a whole different teacher. My skill at planning, management, and overall teaching is much greater now than it was in September, so I will teach better and harder until June.

I had a wonderful, relaxing vacation. It did wonders for my body to be able to relax, and sleep late, and go running, and not think about school at all (mostly). I ran 10 miles over the course of the week, ate lots of good food, and even went out with friends a couple of times. My favorite run of the week was a 3-miler in Central Park (after a 1-mile walk/run getting to the park, after a nice NYC deli lunch). I spent a night in Atlantic City and learned how to play craps. I went on 2 ambulance calls and spent another 12 hours hanging out at the firehouse.

By the end of the week, I even got some work done. I sat down for an entire day and managed to completely catch up on all of my grading. Thanks to my mom's advice (1 hour work, 15 minutes play), I managed to finish all my work in a day and a half (okay, it was really 1 hour work, 30 minutes play). While grading, I discovered something that made me feel good as a teacher.

I usually "curve" my tests, so that the mean is somewhere in the 70s. I will curve differently for each class, as a form of differentiation, so the grades are more reflective of their relative effort than of my shortcomings as a teacher. Well, for the first time, I didn't curve a quiz for my high class of eighth graders. And the class average was 75. I'm a real teacher!