Mi' Ma's Corner

So I’ve been having weird realizations once in a while.  I still can’t believe I am where I am.  It’s still surreal that I have a job.  That I’m interacting with these kids like I’ve been here for years.  That I know what the heck I’m doing everyday.  I still smack myself sometimes to remind me that I’m lucky to be where I am.  To remind myself that one year ago that I would be in the place that I am today.  It’s like I’m in a dream state sometimes.  It’s really strange..

Anyways.. last week was a short one.. four days.  Had to administer some stupid standardized assessments to the middle years students.  For which I find really useless.  It doesn’t measure anything! What does this tell us?  Nothing.  I was having a fit on the weekend on how stupid it is.  I’m not the only one complaining.. my kids.. I feel so bad for.. Gosh.. 

I think I’m starting to feel the burnout feeling.. But the thing is I keep pushing through.  I feel tired but I still do it anyway.  It’s a work ethic thing with me, I guess. It’s really starting to wrap up.. quickly too.  I need to buckle down now and get stuff done ahead of time.  I am so looking forward to summer..

Had a freakin mouse living in the wall. That was a nice surprise.. ugh.. the adventures in living in a basement on the farm.

Also, in other news.. the vice principal got the principal position next year.. and the physed teacher got the vice principal position.. Are these the best two for the job?  I dunno.. I guess we’ll have to see next year.  I’m kind of sad, the actual principal has been missing so many days..

I’ve been getting really annoyed by the middle years.. in particular the 7’s and 8’s.. I almost hit a kid the week before.. this one grade 8 student is kind of a “shit-starter”.. pardon the language.. and I couldn’t believe I almost did it.. I’ve never had that anger before.. Not that he didn’t deserve it though.. It’s just the middle years are so needy.. like they each need constant attention.. and they don’t get that I’m not even listening to them.. that I can’t listen to them.. and they are so off topic sometimes.. It’s very strange to have the different grade levels.. and seeing the difference of behaviour.. I just hope they mature fast and quickly..

So things I want to do next year..

- write quizzes ahead of time

- tracking system for calculators (shoe hanger?)

- looseleaf? pencils? own materials? new system?

- write assignment on homework/grade sheets

- manipulatives?

- get rid of the damn mac computer

- buy timer

- more projects

- more baskets

- more math posters?

- buy games?

- rewrite policy? extra work?

- make timelines for class, stick to them

- map out progress (different lines, own portfolio)

- Consider MathWorks, Prism textbooks

- Buy Lysol.. alot.. cans of air

- Scan 7/8/9 Workbook, make answer keys

- Math Self-Assessments - I Can Statements - Before, during, after..

- Smartboard activities?

- Read tons of math blogs.. keep getting more ideas and insight

- Chewing gum? apparently research says they can focus more..

- purchase polydrons

- read more math books by educators..

- document more.. take more pictures.. blog more..

32 days of school left apparently.  It dawned on me that this year has gone by really fast. I’ve finished my first year of teaching.  Hell, I survived my first year without any struggles. I can say that I’ve grown alot professionally and personally.  I’ve come out of my shell more.  Not to say that I’m still the shy person that I always will be.  But the thing is when I’m around kids.. that wall falls down.. and it’s the real me that shows up. When I’m around the staff, I’m more closed off.. more mature you can say.  Not sure why I do that… Actually one time.. I had a kid working in the back.. and then the custodian came in.. and I kind of changed.. like my voice went up.. I became real childish.. The kid noticed and said.. “that didn’t sound like you”.. That was kind of an eye opener.. I need to be the real me all the time for people to see I’m not pretending to be someone else.  It’s a weird thing..

Anyways.. everything is really wrapping up real quickly here.. grad is coming up.. final exams.. meetings here and there.. and assessments up the wahzoo.. Next year, I think I’m going to work on the yearbook since I’m pretty good with the computers..  

Yeah.. Life is pretty good.  I still work and stay too much at the school.. I’ve freaked myself out once in a while thinking I saw a ghost or something..  I must say I had an awesome teacher moment yesterday.. I had a kid working on a system of equations question on the SMARTBoard, he was really getting the stuff.. I told him I had to leave to get something from my house.. When I got back.. he was still intensely working on the question.. It was awesome to see that much concentration and motivation put into a math question.  I’ve got through to one of em.. he’s discovering.. he’s curious.. he’s determined.. he’s confident.. Key things to learn when doing math.  It was incredible to have that feeling of “pointing him in the right direction, rather than giving him the answer”.. it was great..

So I attended SUM Conference 2012 this year.  SUM stands for Saskatchewan Understands Math.  I have to say this was one of the best PD things I’ve ever been to.  All of the sessions I went to were all beneficial and interesting to me.  The guest speaker this year was James Tanton, a professor from NorthEastern University.  He was an amazing presenter.  I’ve gained so many new ideas and approaches to doing simple math concepts that could be applied on the large spectrum.  He was quite inspiring to listen to.  He does things out of the box, his own thing as opposed to the traditional way of doing math.  There were much discussion and conversations shared in regards to the “Math Wars” occuring in the country and in particular the province.  The thing was I thought WISEMath was doing a good thing by involving parents.. but now that I have the other side of the story, I’ve realized that it’s a bidding war between the two parties.  I’ve heard the CBC Radio interviews and read the Maclean articles.. but I should have been listening to the other side.  Lately, Math education has come more into the spotlight because of social media.  The discussion about the use of twitter and the community being formed among math teachers to share ideas with each other was an interesting one.  It’s funny to say that two years ago when I started my internship.. this little community has exploded.. and many of my fellow colleagues are actually people I know and recognize!  Sure the ones that started this new way of communication have become celebrities among the math teacher world, but they seem to be the pushing force of changing the way we all teach math.

This conference made me realize I need to re-focus the value of math education for my students.  I need to see the value and understanding rather than the obligation and memorization.  I think this has to occur in the second year.  I have to change the way I ask questions.. more why’s.. more what if’s.. discovery is the focus.. I need to have it be more student centered.. as scary as it sounds.. i need to learn to trust them to be curious.  Move away from getting the right answer.. but how to get to that place.  Assessment is something that needs to change everywhere.. but it doesn’t help when the standardized test is still sitting there at the end of the semester waiting for me to open it.. It’s a struggle to not cover everything.. but what they don’t learn, they’ll learn next year.  I have to learn that not everyone is cut out to be a genius in math and I need to think on their level to better understand what they’re thinking.  I have to let things go off on a tangent.. let them discover their own problems..

So.. SUM was an eye-opener as to what I need to be changing in the way I teach students. Definitely going next year.. because.. wait for it.. the one and only math celebrity grand-pioneer of it all.. Dan Meyer will be the guest speaker.. SO that will be something that will not be missed.

icantteachthis:

girlwithalessonplan:

We are teachers of the masses.  We are the teachers of Americans, and America is never one group, idea, ideal, or identity.  We are the impartial and the supportive; we are the all inclusive.  We are here to show them the future and guide them there.

We are teachers.  We are not here to tell our students they are less than.