Rodan + Fields

I have just accepted a new business opportunity with the #4 largest premium skincare company in the U.S., made by the same doctors who created Proactiv.

These products are high quality, clinical products that last 60+ days and have a empty bottle guarantee: if you use it for 60 days and are not satisfied, you can get a full refund. And less than 1% return!

If you are someone who visits the dermatologist, gets Botox, takes prescription acne medication, has wrinkles, has sun spots or sun damage, has crow's feet, has eczema, buys anti-aging products or if you HAVE SKIN, we have something for you!

Here is a quick overview of the main regimens:

I didn't even know you could get rid of freckles!

Look at some of these results:

I don't know about you but I've definitely been made fun of for my own skin problems. As an adult, it can be even more embarrassing or feel unprofessional- like you aren't taking care of your skin.

I am excited for this new adventure and just like I love to share what I learn in math and teaching, I want to share what I learn about improving my skin.

Healthy skin never goes out of style!

I would love to answer any questions you have or help you on the path of amazing skin and amazing results!

(This blog will still be about math but I couldn't hold back my excitement; math teachers want nice skin too!)

And the best thing about doing this business:

• NO parties
• NO deliveries
• NO inventory
• Did I say NO parties already?

You basically spend time using awesome products and then posting your awesome results on social media.

I could keep going but I'll stop there! Thanks for reading!

Calculator Steps

I've been procrastinating this post forever because I wanted to have it done in a notebook with color coding for you to see- but that didn't work out.

But my activity still has value and should be shared so here it is:

I printed calculator steps on these randomly sized labels I had in my filing cabinet and printed them IN COLOR:



We stuck the top two on the left hand page and the bottom two on the right hand page in our INBs. This is important because the colors start over on the right hand page.

The words that are in color match up with buttons on this TI-84 calculator template:



In our carts we have skinny markers so I purposely used the colors I knew we had. They colored the button on the calculator that matches the colored words.

We tape the calculator template with one piece of tape at the top over the sticker so that we could flip it up.

Here are pictures but they are not perfect- I messed up some and I had to change yellow to gray because duh, they were coloring on yellow paper. I outlined on one page and filled in on the other so students could choose which method they preferred. I also literally held this page up as they were taping so they knew EXACTLY what I wanted.

Here's the clencher:

The Calculator Handout (h/t to Julie Wright for page three)



You would think that after all that coloring they would have actually read some words on the paper...NOPE!

So now on the handout, this is a MUST....you must answer every question with one of the following:

"Look in your notebook."
"Read the directions."

Be as unhelpful as possible. In the beginning of the year, this is where you set the precedent for using the notebook as a tool.

They'll ask you what to round to, if they need to reduce, etc etc.

Be consistent! Only help if their calculator is wonky and you need to reset something.

I had an answer key ready to go and let them check their work when they were done.

While they are working, take a minute to look around and feel satisfied as they stare intently at their papers and type on their calculators and look so focused- who knows when you might see that again!

:)

#MTBoSBlaugust - Day 31 - Done!

August is over!  I didn't quite make my 31 day goal, but I'm a heck of a lot closer than I was a month ago. :)  I had hoped to blog every day and it just didn't happen, but I blogged more days than not, so I declare Blaugust a success! :)

I really don't know what to blog about today, so I'm going to ramble a bit about how it's going this year :)

Things I'm liking so far this year:

• I have the best collaborators!  The teacher that has taught across the hall from me the past few years is now teaching calculus, so we again have a new teacher teaching Stat.  However, it's a good thing because she's an experienced teacher that I've known for years!  She and I met many many years ago at an APSI and I was so excited when she joined our staff last year.  Now she's teaching Stat again and it's been so fun to collaborate with her and the other stat teacher.
• I've really enjoyed my lessons so far!  I am still waiting on the year where I get to re-use the previous year's lessons! :)  Seriously though, I have a tendency to try to improve on everything every year and this year is no exception.  For many years, I've believed in active learning, but this year it seems like I've done that more than previous years.  The kiddos took a quiz today, so I'm hoping that their level of enjoyment comes through in the quiz scores.
• Make It Stick!  This book has potential to be a huge game-changer in my classroom!  I'm using a lot more forced recall, frequent quizzing, reflection opportunities, and mini-quiz exit tickets than I've ever used.  I'm exhausted, but it definitely is worth it!
• High Five Friday!  I am just not a daily person, but I've be doing a High Five Friday and my kids are responding so well!  I'm hoping this really builds a sense of community and caring in my classroom.

Things I need to improve:

• I am horrible at learning names.  This seems to be harder and harder for me every year and I really don't know what else to do to force my brain to remember the names.  
• Balance!  This is a yearly goal... lol!  I am always thinking about school, so this is a never-ending challenge and goal :)
• Tackling my to-do list!  I have to figure out a way to get more things marked off my to-do list... ugh! :)

 Alrighty... The last post of the month is over!! :)  Happy Blaugust! :)

Ask BetterQs!

Questioning is one skill I pride myself on doing well in the classroom. I think it's a fairly easy skill to develop and at no cost to me. =)

Questioning is how I learn from others and how I learn about myself. I am very analytical and I am always asking myself questions to figure out why I feel, think, and act the way I do. Very meta, I know.

Since that skill is so embedded in me personally, it definitely comes out in the classroom. It's also my favorite thing to suggest to other teachers. Better questioning is one easy way to create depth in any lesson.

Some of my favorite questions are:

• What do you notice?
• What would happen if we changed this to.....?
• What should we do next?
• How can we start?
• What type of answer do we expect to get?
• How do you know that is the right answer?
• How did you get that?
• Why?
• Can you explain?
• Can you elaborate?
• How do you picture this in your brain?

One goal I would like to work on this year is asking better questions by asking more open ended questions that promote more whole class discussion and debate.

If this resonates with you as well, I have a great resource to share with you!

@samjshah and @rdkpickle have created a collaborative space where we can both share and read about better questioning,

There's already quite a few posts and here is the first one from me!

Add it to your reader as a reminder to yourself to read, reflect, and continue working on your craft.

Be a betterT who asks #betterQs (check out our hashy)!

#MTBoSBlaugust - Day 30 - Sunday Summary

Blaugust is almost over!  I didn't blog every day, but this is my 23rd post of the month, which I'm pretty proud of, considering I had 7 for the first 7 months of 2015! :)

Thanks to all of the people that joined in this month... I'll try to be a bit more organized next year for it! :)

My Sunday 3-2-1 Summary

3 things that went really well in my classes this past week:

• We used Kahoot to check homework this week... what a fun app!!  My students begged to play again!
• I've been using the mini-quizzes and reflection as described in Make It Stick.  My kids did great with their "Multiple Choice Monday" and their reflection activity on Friday
• To learn about Bias, I had the kids read their textbook and do a Concept Map... they really got so much more out of it than they would have had I lectured over the same material.

2 things I'm looking forward to this week

• My admin team has decided to start a Staff Spirit Committee to help with planning activities and staff morale.  I am excited to see the fun new activities that we can come up with!
• Next weekend is a holiday, so we already get a long weekend but our school has off Friday for Professional development as well, so 4 day weekend!!! :)

1 great weekend!

• This was one of the best weekends I've had in ages!  Dinner with friends on Friday night, then an afternoon/evening of shopping with another friend yesterday, then a day of fellowship at church with a pot-luck and singing.  I haven't sang publicly in 20 years, so I totally butchered my first song, but after that, I finally stopped shaking and did okay :)  

#MTBoSBlaugust - Day 27 - Table Folders

A few years ago, there was a Made4Math post on student table folders.  I really loved the idea, rushed out to buy folders, and then really didn't follow through with them.

Then, last year, I decided to use my folders for sub days and I really loved the simple organization, so I decided to make an effort to use them this year.  I spent a lot of time running around my classroom passing out papers and it was wearing me out.  Here's an example of my Table Folders from today:

Each day, I put that days handouts in the folder and return any papers from the previous day.  In the photo above, the left pocket holds a handout of notes and yesterday's exit ticket.  The right folder holds two problem sets (today was a block day), one problem set was for mid-block, the other problem set was for homework.  The cardstock at the top are their name tents until I learn names well. :)

So far, I really love the table folders, although it does put pressure on me to stay organized and on top of the paperwork. :)

#MTBoSBlaugust - Day 26 - Concept Maps

Repost from my 180Blog...  (See link in the top header)

Today was one of those days where you just want to jump and scream "Nailed It!"

In AVID, we worked on our first major project and the kids were so engaged and invested that it was magical.  I asked them to create a presentation (video, poster, song parody, skit, etc) for the Freshman class to introduce them to the big ideas of AVID.  The kids really took it and ran with it.  By the end of the block, they had very solid plans in place plus started planning some social activities and discussing fundraiser ideas for AVID.

In Stat, we started by playing Kahoot to check our homework, which was an absolute blast!  The students were so engaged and one kid was in the lead until the last question when he was bumped to 2nd place.  Such a sense of excitement and competition that came from doing the homework! :)  On block days, I try to do several mini activities to break up the time, so after Kahoot, we some short mini-lessons, including a reading assignment and a concept map to process the reading.  We did a Gallery Walk to read the other maps and add to them, then back to their normal seats to summarize their learning in their notebooks.  Many kids chose to replicate their concept maps in the notebook, which is why the student below has his/her phone out... it was easier to take a photo then to continue rotating the paper so all students could read the poster. :)  All in all, an awesome day! 

#MTBoSBlaugust - Day 25 - One Good Thing

I finally found them...

Cotton Candy Grapes.

Yes, you read that right. :)

Green grapes that taste like Cotton Candy... oh my, so yummy!

It's been a rough start to school so far and I'm really struggling to find my groove.  Last week, one of our ag teachers posted about the grapes and I've been on a mission to find them ever since.  Multiple grocery trips later, I finally found them at the grocery store around the corner from me.  I won't buy them often since they are crazy expensive, but oh my goodness, they are yummy!

They almost made working a 12+ hour day worth it.

Almost.

#MTBoSBlaugust - Day 23 - Sunday Summary

My Sunday 3-2-1 Summary

3 things I'm looking forward to this week:

• This week will be the first week to really delve into the "Make It Stick" plans that I've made... I'm hoping it goes well!
• In AVID, I'm assigning their first big project... to make videos for the younger students!
• Dinner and a movie with great friends to end the week... if I can make it to Friday! :)

2 awesome things that happened this week:

• High Five Friday!  I didn't get up the nerve to high five my students daily, even after multiple internal pep talks.  However, on Friday, I decided to make it a weekly celebration of getting through another week.  My students responded very positively, so I think it's something I can keep up each week!
• Some former students came back to say Hi this week on their way off to college.  I always love seeing my former students and appreciate that they took a moment to pop in!  Yesterday was also the Class Reunion Tour for the Class of 2005, so I had an opportunity to see some former students there too.  It's always fun to see them "grown up" since in my head, they are frozen at age 18.  To see them at age 28 with spouses and children just messes with my mind. :)

1 thing I'm not looking forward to:

• This is going to be a VERY busy week, with meetings every single day after school, then plans with friends on Friday.  I'm hoping that I can juggle everything successfully and get through the week without being too grumpy :)  I know I will eventually get back into the swing of things!

#MTBoSBlaugust - Day 22 - Week 1 is DONE! :)

I had all intentions of blogging last night, but I got home from school around 7:45 and by 8:30, I was asleep in bed!  That first week back of 12+ hour days is a killer after a relaxing summer.  Hopefully I will adjust soon!

One of my goals this year is to blog more often.  I've been posting a photo to my 180blog, but thought I would reflect on this year so far...

Wednesday:
Happy first day of school!  It was a rough start with no internet until after 2pm, but we made it through!
AP Stat:  In AP Stat, we started by making our table tent name-tags, then for the lesson, I went with my go-to of Kristen Gilbert.  I have toyed with changing to a different first day activity, but Kristen pulls me in  every time.
AVID:  Today was a day of "Getting to Know You" as I'm new to this group of kiddos.  I have several of them in my AP class as well, but it was fun to get to know them on a more personal level.

Thursday:
Today was a much better day.. the internet worked! :)  One thing that I am doing differently this year (and really like) is going around from table to table to take attendance each hour with eye contact and a "Hello, (Student Name Here)".
AP Stat:  Our warmup was an AP problem from several years ago and the kids worked on it independently at first, then did a table-share out and revision.  I talked to them about my homework expectations (max 10-15 minutes), then we set up our notebooks.
AVID:  After finishing up the "Getting to Know You" questions, we watched an AVID Student Speaker Video and did a Learning Log.  Several of them seemed surprised at how quickly you could do a page of notes with a Learning Log! :)

Friday:
We made it!  Week 1 is in the books!  I declared today "High Five Friday!"
AP Stat:  After starting class with "High Five Friday!" (which my 6th hour totally loved!), we got down to business with starting a chapter, taking our first notes, and getting our first homework assignment.  The kids did a great job of working with their groups.  The exit ticket today was #myfavoriteFriday and there were some great responses, including one table in 6th hour where everyone said "High Five Friday!" was their favorite thing from the week.
AVID:  We did some work on Cornell Notes vs Learning Logs and when to use each one.  These kiddos are experienced at C-Notes, but trying to get them to *use* them effectively is more difficult.  Today I worked in my classroom most of the day and made bookmarks for this class with C-Note instructions on the front and Learning Log prompts on the back.  So much fun! :)

#MTBoSBlaugust - Day 20 - First Days

This daily blogging thing isn't too bad this month other than I'm exhausted at the end of the day!  I'm not stressing out about it though... I've tripled my post count for the year, so I'm going to count that as a success! :) 

Year 18 officially started yesterday as the kids came in the door.  I couldn't bring myself to do the high five (YET!), but I'm okay with that.  Maybe it will be a Friday special event now that my kids know me a bit better. :)  This year started out rough with no internet access in my room yesterday, but thankfully none of my lesson plans required the internet.  :)  My students seem like really awesome kiddos so far and I've enjoyed some of the fun quirkiness of the new group.  For example, here's a conversation from today:

Scene:  Beginning of 6th hour, while going around to take attendance and working on learning names...

Student:  Mrs. T, I have a question for you.

Me:  Okay, (Student name), what's up?

Student:  What was your favorite grade in school?
Me:  Grade?  Like Grade Level?
Student:  Yes
Me:  *thinking*  Probably 5th grade
Student:  Yeah, that was a good grade.  Why?
Me:  I had a great teacher and it's that age where you are old enough to be independent but young enough that you are still a kid.
Student:  Good answer!
Me:  So turn about... what would be your answer?
Student:  I don't know yet - I'm not done with this year!

I have a feeling that my kiddos this year will be a blast!  :) 

End of Course Exams (PARCC version)

I don't know about you but every year I end the school year feeling like I did not do a good job of preparing my students.

Common Core standards became a thing during my second year of teaching. We were lucky enough to have a school improvement grant and I had an instructional coach. She had me cut up the standards and arrange them into courses in the best way I knew how.

So you see, I've never really taught without the Common Core standards looming over me. I wasn't set in my ways and I didn't have a set curriculum. It's not that it was hard for me to change, it's that I didn't know what to change.

I've always felt like I was missing this foundation of knowledge of what to teach so I didn't know what to change. And I still feel as though I do not understand the standards. They seem vague to me and I don't understand exactly what they're asking for. I just want someone to tell me specificly what to teach and then give me the freedom to teach it the way I want.

But alas, that does not exist. I'm the only high school teacher in my school and in my district so I really do feel like an island just floating out here, wondering if I will ever end up in the right location.

This year I decided to use the PARCC EOY Practice Assessment as a guide. I worked through them and they were very hard. There were problems I didn't know how to do on all of them. I actually still haven't finished the Algebra II test because I ended up crying and get a frustration headache and going to sleep. I would say lol except I definitely was not.

Anyway, I decided to try using the Algebra I and Geometry tests for my end of course exams. I changed the test some so that all questions are multiple choice and so that it is no longer a 54 page document...25 pages is plenty.

I'm scared about using them, especially since they have 45-50 questions but I can't just wander into my students being prepared. I have to take some kind of action.

I wanted to share my work with you in case anyone else could also use these and save themselves some time.

Here is Algebra I (answer keys included):



And Geometry:

#MTBoSBlaugust - Day 18 - My Classroom

Kiddos come tomorrow, whether I'm ready or not!  This morning, I had *most* of my room ready (at least physically) for them to arrive.  

Starting from my desk area, here's the view toward the back of the room.  To the immediate left of this image is the wall of windows and to the immediate right is the classroom doorway to the hall.  Notice my new "Be" bulletin board!  I'm really excited about this addition! :)

Moving on around the room, here's the view toward the classroom door.  One change I really like this year are the desks that are turned at an angle for better viewing of the front of the room.  Ignore the big pile of stuff in the "nook" area.  That's all AVID stuff that is waiting on our new professional library area to be finished! :)

Continuing on to the front corner of the room, you can see my podium with the "Change Your Mindset" poster and yet another shot of the AVID/laptop mess in my "nook".  My poor student aide's desk is in that mess somewhere. :)  Also note the Exit Ticket pocket chart that I posted about yesterday!  You can see the corner of my desk with the snowflake tissue box. :)

Here's my desk area and the messy countertop and desk that haven't been dealt with yet.  I could use about another week before kids come!  Honestly, we had 4 days of "prep" time, but today was the first day that I was really able to be in my classroom.  

The window wall is one of my favorite features of my classroom.  I love the storage space and the countertop.  Below you can also see my "Classroom Friendly Supplies" pencil sharpener and the instructions above it on the wall.  :)

One of my favorite new additions to my classroom is my Normal Model Plushy from the wonderful Kay Endriss.  I can't wait until we get to that chapter and kids realize the fun that is hiding in the window sill with the ladybugs! :)  Thank you, Kay! 

Thanks for stopping by for the tour!  I hope you enjoyed it. :)  Now I'm off to bed before a long day of high fives and lots of stress! :)

Collaboration Is Hard

This year I teach one Algebra I course (ninth grade) and the middle school teacher teaches another section of the same course. It's the first time I've taught the same course with someone. We also have the same plan period. Which I thought was planned but turns out it just randomly worked out that way.

She wants our course to be identical and I do too. But I decided this was the year to use a PARCC End of Year Practice Assessment as my EOC. And I decided to work on that the week before school started. I used the test to create a list of standards.

Here's the ROUGH draft:



But now she is expecting me to magically have a curriculum created to share with her...which I would love....which I don't have.

She's been asking me a lot of questions about what I teach and why I choose that order and and what does that really mean and....I realized this is the first time I've been held accountable by someone. It's the first time I've had to explain and defend my decisions. It makes me rethink my decisions. It makes me notice and wonder. It makes me feel even more behind, knowing someone is depending on me.

It's hard. I don't like it,

What year do you quit starting over from scratch?

#MTBoSBlaugust - Day 17 - Made4Math Monday

It's been a long time since I've done a Made4Math post, but with school starting this week, it is time to get things done! :)

Project #1 - Organizing the MC Problems

On my "to-be-done-someday" list was to organize the released AP Multiple Choice questions so that it would be easier to use them in class.  I've tried random ideas throughout the years, but on Friday night, I randomly had the idea to use sheet protectors.  On Saturday morning, I made sheet protector "envelopes" for each chapter of my textbook, then started the long process of printing out the AP problems and organizing them.  I'm really excited to see if this helps me use more questions this year to help prepare my students for the AP exam.

Project #2 - Exit Prompts

(I don't know why this is sideways.. I'm so sorry!)
I purchased this pocket chart at Target earlier this summer in the Dollar Spot and had it on my "to-do" list for a while.  (Off topic, but I wasn't impressed with this year's Dollar Spot goodies as compared to previous years.  It made me very sad!)  Since kids come this week, it was time to narrow down my choices, so I asked the MTBoS for help!  Justin, Kathryn, and Emily came to my rescue and together we created the prompts above.  I will admit that the handwriting drives me crazy, so I will probably type it tomorrow and replace the strips. :)  My idea is to roll a die and that becomes the exit ticket on those "unplanned" days.  :)





One more day of planning and then kiddos arrive... Wish  me luck! :)

How to not Suck.

After asking students to write their opinions of "How to not Suck" as a teacher, I decided to put them into Wordle and see what popped out.

So, not as cool as expected. They are so small that you can't even read the majority of them.

Some of them were so simple and made me so sad:

• Be nice
• Don't yell
• Help when needed
• Don't embarrass me

What kind of teachers have they experienced in the past that make them feel like these need to be written down? 

I just want to pause and think of how little they are asking of me and how much I ask of them.

My favorite one of all:

Be interested.

I think teachers overlook the best resource for growth and improvement on a daily basis: asking their students. I LOVE asking for student input and doing student surveys. I have a great time seeing the world through my student's eyes.

Students are baby humans who just want to be valued and appreciated, much like the way we want our teaching and classrooms to be valued and appreciated.

What would make students listen more, participate more, understand more? Ask them.

No, really. Ask them.

They are ready and willing to be as honest as you will allow.

#MTBoSBlaugust - Day 16 - Sunday Summary

My Sunday 3-2-1 Summary

3 awesome things that happened this past week:

• Our Staff Meeting on Friday was "EdCamp" style and I loved it!  Our principals gave us a reflection paper to keep track of ideas as well as asking each session to have a "scribe" to record the main ideas.  I really got a lot out of it!
• I had an opportunity to spend time this weekend with my mom, which was a lot of fun.  We did some shopping, had dinner, then went to a "singing".  Lots of laughs and good memories :)
• The weather this week was *gorgeous*, which means I had the opportunity to sit outside and read.  I got a tad bit sunburnt, but at least I have color on my legs now! :)

2 things that I keep telling myself:

• For some reason, I'm not as pumped about this year as I normally am.  I think part of it is that I actually took the month of July off, which hasn't happened in about 5 years.  I keep telling myself that it's okay to not be 100% ready yet.. the kids don't come until Wednesday! :)
• I've been batting around the "Daily High 5" from Glenn (@gwaddellnvhs) for a few weeks.  Several Tweeps (Meg, Elissa, etc) have tried to encourage me, but I've been resistant.  I'm such an introverted person that this idea really scares me.  Then I had a realization this week that I ask my students to do all sorts of activities (Jigsaw, Give One/Get One, etc) that would have driven me crazy as a student, but I am able to pull it off through lots of faking. :)  I keep telling myself that the high 5 will be the same and that I can fake it until it becomes part of the culture of my class.  Based on Glenn's reports, it can really transform a classroom and that's what I really want.  

1 thing I'm looking forward to this week:

• This year, I've taken back on an AVID elective class.  I will have the seniors and I'm really excited about working with them.  It's been several years since I've had an elective class, so I'm nervous (like REALLY nervous), but I'm looking forward to it!

#MTBoSBlaugust - Day 14 - Sheer Exhaustion

I have so much going on in my mind today and so little energy to do it. :)

This morning started with a 2 hour "EdCamp" session that was probably one of the best PD sessions I have attended in many years.  I walked away with a lot of strategies that I want to think about and incorporate into my classroom.

One strategy that I heard today that I like a lot:
"I think..."
"I wonder why..."
"This reminds me of..."
The teacher that shared this strategy is an ELL teacher (I think) and was referring to reading a text or looking at a photo.  It reminded me a lot of "I notice.. I wonder.."

I wrote myself a ton of notes but then left them at school :)

Sorry for the rambles... I think I'm going to bed... #snore

First Days 2015-2016

Yesterday was my first day back with students. First hour I had to go over the student handbook and pass out forms and schedules and etc. Then I had second hour through fifth hour, lunch, and then sixth hour for 15 minutes and an early dismissal.

Hate! I want to have all my classes on the first day. So dumb to not see all of them because whatever you do, you have to repeat or be behind. I literally did not decide what to do until like 1:00 in the morning. Thanks Laurie!

I used her survival game idea but I want you to just read her post. Let's just say it starts with the pilot episode of Lost which is one of my favorites-  how could it go wrong? Oh maybe if your Internet on your SMART board computer decides to stop existing! I adapted by having students just crowd around my laptop and watch. lol

Today we started setting up our binders- Washi tape on the spine, colored cardstock hole punched, and sticky tabs labeled with Bell Ringers, Handouts, Quizzes, Tests. I sell composition notebooks to my students because most of them won't get them otherwise.

I print out my Remind number and code onto mailing labels for each class and passed those out.

I'm trying a new idea this year with my dry erase markers. Last year I kept them in the drawers of a cart but people ended up destroying them. This year I gave each person their own marker to keep in their folder. I'm hoping they will last until Christmas at least!

Then we tried Kahoot! for the first time. I used the survey option and started out asking them how they feel about math and learning and such and then transitioned into procedural questions. I put in funny answer choices and we had a lot of laughter. It worked well with incoming freshman all the way to my seniors. Here is the link if you're interested.

Then I did a short powerpoint. Here's the subtitles:

• How to not Suck
• How to be Awesome
• Why I'm Awesome

That transitioned into this handout where they tell me "How to not Suck" as a teacher and "Why I'm Awesome" about themselves.

I really had so much fun today with my students and I highly attribute it to Glenn Waddell's high-fives. I high-fived EVERY student yesterday and today. Almost all of them immediately smile; it's like an automatic side effect. I DON'T KNOW WHY IT'S SO FUN BUT IT IS.

It makes me feel awesome inside and it forces me to make contact with each individual student. For some, it might be the only physical contact they have. If I miss kids at the door, I just walk in and high-five them. My freshman boys think it's funny to try to get past me without doing it but I just block the door until they surrender. It's all in the hips!

I kinda doubt you can use any of this stuff for yourself but maybe it will spark something fun for you to do. I had a great day and I hope you did too!

#MTBoSBlaugust - Day 13 - Reflection Grid

Today was the first official day back from summer and I must tell you, I am *tired*!! :)  We had the time to work in our classrooms this morning, but I spent most of it running around helping others with technology.

However, one thing I did get finished today was the MC Monday sheet.  If you recall, a few posts ago, I asked for your opinion on how to handle the reflection piece on the back.  After some great feedback and such, I decided to use a modified Reflection Grid, similar to those that @pamjwilson uses in her classes.

This is now the back page of my MC Mondays:

Thank you to everyone that shared their ideas!  I really appreciate it :)

#MTBoSBlaugust - Day 12 - Last Day of Summer

I didn't blog yesterday.  I thought it about several times, but it just didn't happen.  I'm going to consider that making it 10 days in a row, after only having 8 posts in the previous 7 months, is pretty darn good!

Today was the last day of summer.  After a 9:30am presentation to some of our new teachers, I headed home to enjoy the gorgeous weather (89 degrees in August in Oklahoma is unheard of!)... rocking chair, sunlight, breeze, good book... it was a glorious afternoon... well, until I got sunburnt LOL!  :)  When hubby got home, his response was "well, you wanted some color on your legs!" :)

Tomorrow starts my 18th year in the classroom.  That's so scary to me.  My students this year will have been born during my 1st year of teaching.  I find that crazy because I do NOT feel that old! :) 


As a shout-out to the new teachers I worked with today, here are 18 tips, one for each year I've been in the classroom!  (These are in no particular order!)

1. The most valuable person at your school is your site secretary.  Get to know him/her really well!  This is the person that knows where everything is stored and can answer 99.99999% of your questions.  Always be nice to him/her and show them respect.
2. The second most valuable person is the custodian.  Go out of your way to find out their name, ask about their family, and treat them well.  My custodian is a lovely lady who was a math teacher in Columbia before moving to the States.  
3. Your classroom is your home away from home.  Make sure it is a place that you enjoy, because you will be spending many hours there!
4. Take time to write and reflect on a regular basis.  Some people journal daily, others jot down thoughts on a post-it, but whatever works for you, just make sure you do it!
5. Take advantage of the resources of the MTBoS!  There is no need to reinvent the wheel, nor do you  have time for it!  When lesson planning, I always have a tab open with Tweetdeck so that my PLN is just a click away.
6. Take time for you.  It is really easy to let this profession overwhelm you.  Each week, find time to do something fun... go for a hike, go to a movie, get a pedicure, whatever it is that helps you relax!
7. Relax!  You can be the biggest perfectionist in the world, but no one is perfect the first time (or the first ten times!)  It's okay to make mistakes, to learn from them, to learn to do better next time.  Your administrator knows that you didn't walk out of college 3 months ago and have it all figured out already.. heck, 20 year veterans don't have it all figured out!  Give yourself permission to fail, to pick yourself up and try again.
8. Spend quality time in lesson planning.  Think through how a lesson flows, plan out the questions you will ask, determine the formative assessment strategies that fit best.  Put yourself in the student chair... would you be engaged with this lesson?  If not, what can you do to fix it?
9. Find a mentor.  Chances are, there is a veteran teacher nearby that would love to help you.  If not, MTBoS to the rescue!  We have a ton of people from every walk of life that are passionate about teaching and learning and will help you out.
10. Develop routines.  Think about all the little details... what if a kid needs to use the restroom?  What about absent students?  When can they sharpen their pencils?  How do you want to structure your class period?  It's better to think through how you want to handle things before kids arrive.
11. Be a "bell-to-bell" teacher.  Some of the most valuable (and wasted) time in the class period is the first and last 5 minutes of the day.  I highly encourage you to develop a warmup and exit ticket routine.  If you use that time wisely, it can add up to 50 minutes per week... that's an entire class period!
12. Find your "people".  A lot of advice columns will tell you to avoid the teacher's lounge and for good reason!  Often, the lounge is filled with Grumpy Gus and Negative Nancy.  However, it is vital for you to have adult conversation at least once a day!  Find the people that you identify with and I guarantee you will find some of your dearest friends.
13. Sometimes you have to prioritize and that's okay!  While I'm not advocating for letting papers pile up for days on end (guilty!), remember that your health and well-being is important.  When it comes down to grading Friday's test or attending Grandma's 85th birthday, please choose Grandma every time!  Those tests will still be there tomorrow, but your time with Grandma is limited.  
14. Speaking of health and well-being, take time to exercise and eat right.  I've struggled with my weight for years and years, but daily exercise is really important.  Beyond the obvious reason for exercise, there is also research about how the oxygen and movement is important to brain function, particularly creativity.  I'd also recommend putting a pair of comfy shoes in your classroom so you can go on an afternoon stroll with a colleague.  It's a great way to get some exercise in while chatting!
15. Other things to have in your classroom:  house-shoes for those days when your dress shoes are giving you a blister; bandaids for those pesky papercuts (or the blisters!); needle and thread because you never know when they might be handy for sewing on a button (safety pins are handy too!); jacket or lap blanket for those cranky heat/air systems
16. Never underestimate the value of a good pen!  I love pens, like really love pens!  I have container after container of pens.  However, when I'm grading, I can't stand pens that bleed, skip, or are "scratchy".  For grading, my go-to is the Papermate Flair.  They may be pricey, but they are SO worth it!
17. Collaboration is important.  Find the teachers that teach your subject and work with them.  Share assessments and lessons.  You do NOT have to do this alone!  If no one at your school teaches your subject, then ask the MTBoS for help!   
18. Don't be afraid to ask for help!  I have known too many new teachers that ended up leaving the profession because they were overwhelmed but didn't want to be a bother to the veteran teachers.  You are NOT a bother!  We want to help, but don't want to seem too pushy.  Sometimes we all get wrapped up in our own lives and forget how it feels to be a new teacher.  Please do not let that stop you.  I promise that we love helping people or we wouldn't be a teacher! :)

Whew!  I wondered if I would be able to come up with 18 tips, but there you go!  Now go out and conquer the world.  You can do it!!

:)

2015-2016 New Year's Resolutions

I wrote earlier in my #TMC15 Takeaways post about new things I plan to do in the classroom this year so this is leaning more toward the personal side of teaching.

• I will practice better self-care.
• I looked angry a lot last year and had little patience because I did not have good sleeping habits. Students shouldn't have to deal with my bad choices.
• Drink more water. I'm not letting myself leave school until I've emptied my 60 ounce container.
• Keep exercising. I've been using the Swork It App and the FitBit app to workout, walk, and count calories. I need to feel strong and healthy and model that for students.
• I will better balance my life so that school doesn't take over all of my emotions.
• I will work on looking happier and interacting with students in more positive ways- like 100% high-fiving!
  
• I will practice integrating more technology when needed.
• Last year I printed out Plickers for every students and we NEVER used them all year long. This year I plan to use them and Kahoot within the first week as well as continuing to use Remind and Instagram.
  
• I will practice my mantra of 'letting my pile of good things grow'.
• I will celebrate and acknowledge one good thing with my students on a regular basis.
• I will celebrate and acknowledge my one good thing by blogging.
  
• I will forgive myself for not being a perfect teacher.
• I invest 100% of myself, my time, and my talents. Over time, good things will come from that and grow and grow. I cannot blame myself for not already having 30 years of experience.
• My value as a teacher is based on the impact I have on student lives, not their PARCC and ACT scores.
  
• I will keep learning.
• I will keep asking math questions that I don't know the answers to.
• I will keep reading and learning about my craft.
• I will not let teaching absorb so much of me that I push learning off until the summer.
  
• I will give myself permission to mess up.
• No one will die if I make a bad decision.
• I will value my mistakes and the mistakes of others as a step toward learning.
  
• I will focus on growth over perfection.
• Did I leave my students, my classroom, and my school better than I found them?
• Did try new things?
• Did I fix any previous problems?
• Progress is progress, no matter how small.

I will be more awesome!

Year 7.

Today was my first day back of year seven. We start at 1 with meetings until 4:45, we eat, then 5:30-7:00 is Back to School Night with parents rotating through sessions.

If your Back to School Night is well planned and well attended, be grateful. The end.

As always, my classroom is my happy place and my home away from home so it has to reflect me and that means chevron! Color coordinating! Organization! Clean! Shiny! Smelly good! Clutter free!

Here's what my classroom looks like:

#shelflineristhedevil

#isellthemsowalmartdoesnthaveto

#mymantrabulletinboard

#selfiestation

Here's what my class schedule looks like:

1 Geometry (17)
2 Trig (8)
3 Algebra I (13)
4 Geometry (14)
5 Algebra II (7)
6 Algebra II (20)
7 Plan
8 Algebra III (7) a.k.a. the made up name for the made up class I'm teaching for the first time.

Here's what my back to school outfit looks like:

Good night and a great year to everyone.

Don't forget to be more awesome!

#MTBoSBlaugust - Day 10 - Unique Jewelry

So this is a huge deviation from my normal posting tendencies, but one that really made my day!

My birthday was last week.  Between running errands, I came home to find a package on the doorstep.  I wasn't expecting a package, but hubby orders a lot from Amazon, so it really didn't shock me until I saw that the package had my name on it!

When I opened the package, I found a card (or two!) from one of my dearest friends plus lots of back-to-school goodies!  I finally got the chance to wear one of the gifts today...

Check out that awesome "Oklahoma" bracelet made from an old license plate!  My dear friend, @pamjwilson, found it at a boutique and decided that it needed to find its way back to Oklahoma and sent it to me.  I've really been into bracelets this summer, and I can't wait to style it this year!  I received a ton of compliments today on my unique accessory and I loved that it had a fun story behind it, and I especially love the looks I get from people who don't really "get" Twitter or my "friends who live in the computer". :)

(On a side note.. we are 1/3 of the way through August... stay strong my #MTBoSBlaugust friends!)

Math Symbols Test

Again, inspired by Sarah Hagan, she posted some math symbols posters that made me think how much math is like a new language and a lot can be lost in the technicalities of those symbols. And there is much to be gained with precision.

Since my room was freshly painted this year, I am hesitating to hang any posters at all (it's so nice and clean) and plus I hate clutter.

So in my theme of math tools from my previous post and in building the importance of their INB as a tool to constantly refer to, I decided to make a Math Symbol INB activity.

Here's the plan. First, give them this multiple choice handout to complete alone.



Then let them compare with others and discuss. After that, I will give the correct answers.

Now comes the fun part. I will tell them they now have to use the correct answers to create their own type of study guide. That's right, there will be a test!

Here's a quick list of things they could create:



The point is they have freedom to come up with anything they want that will help them learn and retain the meaning of the symbols. I think it sets the tone for the year in many ways.

Like learning a language:

• math is hard
• it takes effort
• there are weird symbols
• immersion is a great way to learn
• if you don't use it, you'll lose it
• everyone learns in different ways
• no one can understand it for you

Like the classroom culture I want to maintain and build:

• there is room for creativity
• we celebrate multiple and unique methods
• it's not a race
• it can be fun
• you can learn hard things
• we are always learning

Then I plan to take pictures of whatever they come up with and add those to their INB along with this handout as a reference.

Please let me know if you see any errors!

Tools of Math Destruction

This will be my third year using Mental Math Mondays, as I mentioned in my Bell Ringers 2.0 post. It's my favorite and it's my way of spiraling before I knew what that was. All the questions are middle school content and students remember learning the concepts but not exactly how to do them.

Since last year was my first year doing INBs, it didn't take students long to point out how nice it would be to have something in their notebook to help them with MMM. Which means they were in the habit of looking in their notebooks yayyyyy.

I promised them I would but let that slide to the back of my mind until I saw Sarah's Math Tools post. I stole some of it from hers and the rest is based off the questions asked in MMM and anything I felt like I had to repeat all year. Like what order the quadrants are named in or which sign means greater than.

Now I can be less helpful in so many more ways! (cackles)



These will probably be the first four pages in their INB (after a ToC). Last year I did learning styles and some other stuff that we never looked at again. So we'll start with this and add in some calculator stuff- you know things that are actually useful.

Do you see anything I'm missing or any errors? Their notebooks have a multiplication chart, some conversions, and something else pre-printed on the back cover so I didn't put those here.

What things do you wish students knew how to do on calculators (TI-83/84)?

For me the most common things are graphing equations, square roots, exponents, cube root, entering data in lists, trace, and tables.

#MTBoSBlaugust - Day 9 - Sunday Summary

My Sunday 3-2-1 Summary

3 things I will miss about summer:

• Each morning, after hubby gets ready for work, he makes our coffee, then brings my cup in to my bedside table.  *puffy heart*
• After waking up with my coffee, I get dressed and head out for a 45 minute walk.  This is my quiet time and I treasure it greatly.  Sadly, when school starts, I leave the house at 6:30am, so it would be too dark to walk in the mornings at that point.
• Living life on my own schedule versus a school bell.  Eating when I get hungry, using the restroom as needed, all the little things that most adults take for granted. :)

2 awesome things that happened this week:

• My birthday was on Wednesday and it was one of the best birthdays I've had in years!  I received an awesome package from a dear dear friend (who know who you are!) and we had a birthday party at church, complete with the yummiest cake!  I had no idea that Sam's Club did cakes until this summer and I will definitely use them in the future!
• On Friday night, a friend and I went to a gospel signing here in town.  It's been years since I have been to one and it was just restorative to my soul.  It definitely put me in a good frame of mind for the weekend and upcoming week!

1 thing I'm looking forward to this week:

• Tomorrow is Senior Schedule Pick-Up Day.  I'm excited to meet some of my new students for this year!

#MTBoSBlaugust - Day 8 - Busy Day!

It has been a crazy busy day around here, although I will say that I have very little to show for all my hard work!  It's "tax-free weekend" in my state, so I knew I didn't want to go out shopping today, so I worked in my office on my school to-do list.  :)  I didn't get much crossed off, but I'm pleased with my progress so far!

Thinking about my notebook:

Title Page

I started the morning thinking about changes I wanted to make to the INB.  I knew that I wanted to move the Table of Contents to page 2 because as the notebook gets thicker through the semester, it gets harder and harder to write in the table of contents when the ToC is opened to the inside.  As a result, I needed something for the first page!  I know!  A Title Page!!  I do not understand why it is so difficult for seniors in high school to write their names on their notebooks, but hopefully this title page solves the issue.  After some looking at Pinterest, I decided to use the "Who I Am" that was inspired by the MTBoS several years ago.  

To download the file, click HERE.  Note:  This is a view only file, so you'll need to save it to your computer to edit!

These will be on the student tables when the kids enter the room.  They will work on completing this as I go around the room meeting the students.  When we set up our notebooks, this will be on page 1.  I hope students will enjoy reading back over their day 1 thoughts at the end of the year.

TI84 Page

While browsing Pinterest looking for Title Page ideas, I ran across an idea from MissCalcul8's blog that used a TI84 template to remind students of their calculator functions.  I'm excited about this idea and can't wait to add it to our stat notebooks!  Here's the prototype I did today and I would also include page numbers for the student to reference:

Thinking about Assessment:

MC Mondays

One of my other goals today was to think through how MC Mondays would work.  Here is my current thinking:

The front would have 5 Multiple Choice questions.  At the beginning of the year, it will include questions from our previous End of Course exams regarding stat/prob questions.  The back is a blank template that will be used each week.  On Monday, the kids will answer the 5 questions on the front and turn that in.  On Tuesday, we will do the Analysis and Reflection as our warmup.  

The back is adapted from the TPS Review Guide written by Jason Molesky and Michael Legacy.  I did change their "Simple Mistake" column to "Type of Mistake?" after being inspired by MathEqualsLove's blog post this morning.  The Reflection part I'm thinking will probably change to a 3-2-1 structure:

• 3 things that I need to remember for future assessments (could be anything from content details to distractors to computation, etc)
• 2 ____________________ (I'm stuck on this one... ideas?)
• 1 concept that I need to review and my review plan

I'm not tied to any of these, so if you have ideas, please pass them along!

Thinking about Day 1:

Kristen Gilbert

After a lot of tossing back and forth ideas for a new Day 1 activity, I decided to stick with my beloved Kristen.  I did find a great article written by George Cobb and Steven Gehlbach about Nurse Gilbert for any of you thinking of using this activity in your classes.  For Day 1's homework, I've decided to do the AP 2000#1 because it also ties into the idea of "Make a Picture" and it's very accessible for kids right away.  I want to set the tone from Day 1 that this is going to be a class where you have to read, think, and write.

So much left to do... but I'm happy with the progress I made! :)

Interactive Notebooks: DIY Tabs, Table of Contents, and Notebook Checks

Last year, the ToC for my INB were pretty plain:



After seeing Sarah's newer version, I decided to make my own new version.



I usually do 4-6 concepts per unit. I loved Sara's idea for page numbers. I put boxes underneath the concept title so students can track their grades, I haven't decided yet how I want to grade but if I revert to what I did last year those spaces will be for quizzes, quiz retakes, and tests.

Next I've had a lot of questions about how I keep students accountable for keeping up their notebooks.

First of all, I don't grade them. I do notebook/binder checks about four times a year. Here's what that looks like:



I cut these in half and give them to each student. They write their name on Binder Owner. Then I make them rotate in some way and sit at someone else's desk. Now they write their name on Binder Checker. Then they go through and check for what I've asked for. Sometimes I give them red pens to make sure no one erases anything. The rest is pretty self-explanatory. They go back to their seat and look at their score, then I collect.

If students question their score I check it myself or if things seem suspicious I check myself. Otherwise, they are motivated to keep up with their notebooks because I let them use them on tests. This is what we do in class so they don't get an option to not participate, Just like any class work we do, no one gets to do nothing.

Lastly, unit tabs. I feel like I got this file from someone maybe but I also feel like I later decided to make my own.

I made enough tabs for each student in every class plus myself for my example notebooks. That's how many cells you need in the table. Then right click on the table, click AutoFit, then select Fixed Column Width. No matter what you type, the cells will not expand so that every tab is the same width.



The first unit tab for every class was yellow. So I typed the title of the first unit for every course into one document. It was only two pages for about 95 students. Then I printed those on yellow paper. I laminated at home because my laminate is thicker than at school. And finally the dreaded task.....cutting. That sucked but that's what Netflix is for! I separated them by course and then stored them in snack size ziplock bags. Students taped them on the same page as the table of contents which was always on the RHP with a blank LHP.

And of course the Table of Contents was yellow too. Use two pieces of tape on the tab itself. Two is important!! Only one and it will fall out.

Finished product:

Kids reallllly liked the tabs. If they didn't get one or lost it they were on me about getting them one. And they're just pretty!

make things pretty + make pretty things

#MTBoSBlaugust - Day 7 - My Favorite Friday

I had so many moments this week that would definitely qualify for a "My Favorite".  From a birthday party at church (complete with a ladybug cake!) to a great time tonight with a dear friend, it was definitely tough to determine a "My Favorite" for this week! 

This week has been busy with setting up my room and preparing for kids in 1.5 weeks.  (EEEK!)  Definitely one of my favorite classroom supplies and one that I could *not* do without is my trusty little laminator!  I have a slightly larger one at home, but the one I have at school is an Amazon Basics and I even purchased one as a graduation gift for my student teacher last year. 

As for all of the words... well, that will have to wait until next week's "Show Off Your Classroom" post! :)