I'm a pro at crastinating

I've decided to make a website for my program Capstone project. Really had to fight the temptation to use Angelfire or Geocities (how sad!). Yep, AsianAvenue all the way.

We Can't Sit Still

6th period...

Student A: ::Shakes body with ruler in hand as if he's having a seizure::

Student B: ::Tapping ruler on desk::

Student C: ::Whistling::

Student D: ::Grabs student B's pencil to play keep away::

Student B: ::Stops taping ruler to retrieve pencil::

Me, thinking to self: "I can't believe I have to live through 5 periods worth of freshmen doin' this type of thing every day." So I voice: "Man, you freshmen got so much energy. I can't match it everyday."

Student C: "Yeah, it's like we in kindergarten."

Me: "Yeah, I agree.... cept, the thing about kindergarteners... at least they're cute."

Student D, directing comment to Student C: "OoooooOooo, Mr. G just called you UGLY!"

In response, Student C: "Yeah, you too."

Faculty Meeting Pet Peeves

3 come to mind at the moment:

1. Old school veterans who absolutely have to preface anything they say w/ "You know, I've been teaching for 15, 20, 25+ years, and... [insert comment here]"
-You're a wily vet and I respect that. But do you really have to say it every time?
-[Or maybe I'm just jealous cus my 2.5 pales in comparison to theirs.]

2. Presenters w/ text-heavy or animation-heavy powerpoint slides.
-Today's professional development crew presented slide after slide that looked a lil' something like:

-Quick message for you: Just b/c you're using powerpoint does not make your presentation more effective and professional. Your audience is silenced not b/c we are enthused over your amazing new methods but rather b/c we are bored to death.
-I heart this comedian for speaking some truth.

3. The phrase "research-based."
-Not only that, said powerpoint users appended the word "research-based" to virtually every sentence. "And, you know, all of this is research-based!" Congratulations on whatever research article you read, but we educators don't get automatic edu-turned-ons just cus you're droppin' that word.

... Sorry, but had to get that out...

Students Helping Students

I haven't had a chance to blog much because of school starting, but now that I have some time, I'd like to share a cool story. Last week, the weather in the Bay Area was horrendous. In San Mateo we had high wind advisories and hail. Needless to say, it was pretty damn wet and cold.

I was working in the administration building which houses many of our student services programs such as admissions, counseling, and transfer. In the late morning, I noticed a woman in a wheel chair being helped into the building by a young man--both were pretty wet from the storm. As they passed me, she said: "This gentleman walked me all the way over here from the bus stop (about 350 yards away from the building)." That was really neat to see. Our security office does have a golf cart to drive students with disabilities but the young man who helped the woman in the wheel chair realized that by the time they got there she would have been late for her appointment. He wheeled her to the elevator and upstairs for her counseling appointment--on time. Good people are awesome.

She shoots. She scores.

First game of trashketball happened with 2 out of 3 of my classes this past Tuesday. One class is a pain in the behind, so we did the test review for that class in true test mode (aka, quiet individual work time). Hey, if they're gonna be punk students, I'm gonna be a punk teacher back!

This ain't just any school in the Bronx.

Anyway, they looooved it! I can't believe I pulled this off in an English Language Arts classroom. So for all you non-math teachers, have valiant faith that this game will surely have students furiously thinking and working in order to beat your amazing score, no matter what class you teach.

However, I found that you actually have to be decent if you want to play class vs. teacher. In addition, more often than not, you may be accused of cheating if you're wearing high heels while playing this game. I had to take my heels off and switch into my flats, and then they accused me of cheating because I was wearing flats (?!).

Fortunately, with my 9-in-a-row 3-pointers, I have now been dubbed "Ms. Kobe" by my students. Seriously. It was unwarranted, but I secretly love it.

I also discovered that a few of my students who were born and raised in NYC are actually big fans of the Lakers. I asked them if they were band-wagoners (a term we learned during our persuasive writing unit), loving the team only after their 2008-2009 championship. Jose said, "No! I've loved them my whole life!" Makes me shed a tear of happiness and pride.

Geometry Mock Exam, Question #26

Math + Sports = RAAAAAAD

First, props where props are due: Dan Meyer, the creator (for all intents and purposes) of Math Basketball, a versatile masterpiece applicable for all teacher needs, whether it be formative and summative, or if you are just feelin' lazy and need to kill some time without resorting to a worksheet.

It is the teacher's dream: lively competition and ACTUAL practice, good and real, working in concert to make something as dreary as the properties of special quadrilaterals seem like an on-the-edge-of-your-seat NBA thriller... yes, dramatic, I know.

But if there is anything at which the Youth of America excel, it's getting bored of even the most riveting of academic games.

So to feed the insatiable beast: Welcome to Math Football, Math Soccer, and today's newly minted gem, Math Tennis.

Understand that I am not that creative:

Step 1: Use Math Basketball rules... I like to play teacher vs. class.

Step 2: Replace shooting points with juggles on a soccer ball, football through a hula hoop, or rallies against the wall.

Step 3: Be prepared to get a pretty solid proportion of math practice to youthful energy and enthusiasm.

I will be the first to admit that you can and will lose some time to off-task endeavors... accusing the teacher of cheating (most common), maybe even a tennis ball inappropriately directed towards you.

However, I ask you, in those times, to pay attention to the quality of work and dedication during those two minutes of focus, as well as the palpable joy that grows from building a loving and fun community during those moments of chaos.

Sure beats a worksheet.