New Job

So this year, I am teaching 5 classes. I thought it was 2 preps, physics and geometry. Then I realized that it is really 3 preps, senior physics, freshmen physics, and geometry. Then I found out that really, it is four preps because one of the geometry classes is specifically for students with diagnosed learning exceptions (I have just one person in that class - the other two had to switch to my main class because of schedule issues). Then, low and behold, one geometry class meets 3 times a week and one 5 times a week. I am having trouble keeping them both at the same pace and they certainly don't have the same homework or class work.

Of course, I am also doing as much crossover as possible, and so perhaps I really do have 2 preps, depending on how you look at it. In any case, I am tired and behind in planning.

It has been a month and there are several quizzes, a geo test, and tons of homework assignments that I have given. The student who has a 17% is killing me though. If it were all tests, he would be doing great, but he cannot seem to do his homework. He is not the only one, of course. There are a number of students who struggle with the tests, and the homework and class work grades are what keep them afloat. They work hard, and ask questions, and I am pleased to give them a solid grade when I feel like they have learned a lot in my class compared to where they started.

On the other hand, failing a student who has a solid grasp of the content is really not what I want to do. I guess I have decided that the hard workers will get more points than the ones who understand easily. I will probably re-think this every year, possibly every trimester.

Coaching volleyball is really turning out to be fun. Even though it is every single day for 2 hours, I am enjoying doing some hitting and serving with the students. I don't enjoy it so much when they have meltdowns and refuse to participate or get upset because of lineup issues.

My goal for volleyball is for us to somehow win a league banner and for me to be able to serve overhand. That is to say, I can already serve overhand, it just doesn't get to the other side of the court.

Other than that, there is evening dorm duty on Wednesday nights, and every fourth weekend. Last night featured a screaming match and a very serious possibility of punches being thrown. At least that is how it seemed to me. This weekend will be much better. I have volleyball games on Friday night, then a mall trip and one to town on Saturday, and another mall trip on Sunday. I would rather be rock climbing with the students or doing the community service activity of clearing trails for a nature preserve.

I sound whiny, don't I? Really, this is what I want to do with my life, and I am happy. Just not yesterday and today. Tomorrow I will be much better. Especially if we win in volleyball.

I did manage to create some nice websites for my classes for geometry, physics 12, freshman physics, and volleyball. Nothing much exciting on the volleyball site until I get some pictures from them though.

Welp, back to the grading (yes, I am at Starbucks. Totally worth every minute of the 35 minute drive to get here).

A job!

So I managed to snag myself a job in MD. Good times. I will teach physics and math. It is looking like 3 preps (2 of Physics and one of math) with 5 classes. Probably I will end up with a total of 40 students. Total. There are around 100 students in the whole school, so that makes sense. I can't wait!

I am a bit stressed already about what I am going to teach though. I want to make sure it is really coherent and interesting enough to keep the students engaged.

In the meantime, I am trying to do my e-portfolio (think masters thesis). Yikes. It isn't easy. My educational philosophy is sounding like, "Wow, I like to teach," which isn't the best way to express myself. One way or another, I will be done by Monday.

I'm still teaching, still grading final labs (and chasing students down to get them all turned in), going to two graduations next week, one senior overnight, an interview, and my e-portfoio presentation. Not in that order. And last night at 2am, I realized I have to move out this weekend. Yikes!

I did have fun at Cedar Point with the students though. I went on the Dragster, Demon Drop, Wave Swinger, Power Tower, Corkscrew, and the Iron Dragon (worst ride, ever). The kids brought Star Trek to watch on the bus down there and it is the best movie, ever.



Anyhow, back to it.

Live Blog Session!

Class websites

I have been thinking of ways to make my class website more useful. And not just for me but for the students. I added a lovely quiz on assessment, but that is really more for my own information. Rarely do I have documents like labs and worksheets available for upload, but the one time I did, I added it.

Perhaps when I am teaching my own unit, it will be more useful. Other than useful applets and links to interesting information (that most of my students wouldn't bother clicking on), perhaps I can do something else.

Certainly I want to do a podcast from Cedar Point for them, since I won't be able to assign them to do their own (next year!), but what else?

Hmmm

A Classroom Web Page

I made a web page for my classroom. It was fun and easy but now I am a bit stumped as to how I can use it in a more effective way. I just know there are all sorts of useful things I could add that might actually help their learning (and not just entertain them).

So far, I have an updated list of assignments, a bit about the upcoming units, the expectations for the class in general, and some useful links. At first, I was just adding general links about physics, but recently I have added a number of links to applets that will hopefully be helpful to their understanding of fields and charges. Or the students might just get even more confused, hard to tell.

Also, today I just added counters on the bottom of the page so I can see if any of the kids actually ever looks at the site. We will see. For the first time today in class they were shown an applet from the website and so there might be a few more hits today than yesterday.

And of course, the most important thing on the website (I almost forgot - gasp) is the countdown timer to the Cedar Point trip a.k.a. The Only Reason Students Take Senior Physics!

One thing I would like to do but haven't figured out a way to implement is to have an RSS link thingie on it like I have for this blog so students can have the option of getting notified when the page is updated. I will figure it out someday, maybe.

Chicago is my kind of town

Have I mentioned I love teaching? Because I do. It is so much more interesting than bookkeeping. And way more fun than customer service.

So I went to my first job fair and it was fantastic! Granted, I crashed and burned in my first interview big time, but that is why I went to visit 9 different districts. They asked questions like, "What would be three adjectives that your students would use to describe your teaching," and "If I walked into your classroom, what would I see?"

Mostly I just blinked and replied with a few umms and errs. It was awkward. But eventually, I figured it out, found some good answers, and started thinking about my teaching in a way that let me talk about it with people I didn't know.

Still, I am sure I will never get hired at that one district in suburban Chicago. But the rest of Chicago, Boston, Seattle, San Diego, the Bay area, Colorado, and various places in Michigan won't know what hit them the next time I interview. And in a good way, really.

Woo!

New Week, New Problems

This was not a good week for my students.

Besides having the last test of the semester for my course and most of their other courses, they are preparing for finals next week. On top of that, there was a student death in the other large high school (during school) and a violent attack of a student who goes to my own school. The kids are stressed out and frustrated and tired.

I had three students who didn't sleep at all last night since they were up studying. I mentioned to them that sleep helps on a test as much as studying does. Of course, I didn't mention that I did the very same thing myself through high school and college. Some of us are slow learners (and I'm not talking about my students).

It was interesting if depressing to see the responses to the two difficult situations. The death in the other large high school here was responded to with flyers and information for the teachers to read in class, counselors and professional support staff as well as substitutes who were in the building just in case a teacher was having a tough time. The situation here was different and was responded to differently. There was a message from the principle and it mentioned that a student could approach a counselor if need be. My own mentor asked how many kids knew the student attacked, and about a third raised their hands.

The students seem unsettled by everything rather than depressed, though that could just be me reading into the situation. Anyhow, a few were discussing it rather than working and I just let them. Not sure if I was helping them deal with it or making things worse by not distracting them with physics. Ah well.

Hopefully next week will start looking up as finals begin and I have more time to get organized for next semester where I will actually start teaching.

Woo!

First week back

Well, it is the end of my first week back to school - both taking classes and teaching classes. And I survived! But just barely.

My car decided this was the best week to begin stalling at random moments for no apparent reason, my alarm clock ran out of batteries (it isn't the kind that plugs in), and that was just the beginning.

My mentor teacher was unexpectedly absent on the day I finally was able to take my car in to the mechanic. "No problem," I said. "Plenty of time to drop off the car and take a cab to work. I mean, I do have almost two hours between when the place opens and when the first class starts..." I did not knock on wood, sadly.

So after dropping off my car at the mechanic and waiting over an hour and a half for The Cab That Never Arrived, the owner came out and drove me to school! He is going straight to heaven, for sure.

Anyhow, the kids didn't seem to mind me being a little late (there was a paid sub there though he didn't know the material), and I did a bit of lecture for them and helped them with the assignment. It all worked out.

But I have to say I am terribly glad to be finished with the week.

In other news, for Christmas I got a Harry Potter scarf in Slytherin colors (colours? heh) and with a Slytherin patch on it. I am so amused! Also some other cool stuff that is harder to explain but just as amusing or cool or pretty, depending. The break was good for me, even if I spent most of it writing papers.