Tabula Rasa

The new school year officially begins tomorrow, with students coming in on the day after. This will be my fifth year as Mr. Yip. The excitement and nervousness is at a higher level than ever before. The biggest tangible difference this year is that I've spent a lot of time preparing in my classroom throughout the summer. Mr. Yip - version 5.0 - is looking forward to a good year.

My First Keynote

On the last day of a three-day Algebra Symposium, I presented a lesson using Apple's Keynote for the first time. Though I've presented numerous times using PowerPoint, I was anxious to give Keynote a go. I actually tried to do it on the second day of training, but I had difficulty forming the connection between the laptop and the projector. I was very excited when I solved that problem on the last day. The Keynote went smoothly. I also used the Apple remote to help with the transitions. This experience has encouraged me to use Keynote in future presentations.

Summer Basketball

Earlier this summer, I practiced with the boys' basketball team. Two hours a day, five days a week. It was a great way for me to get back into physical shape. I walked away with more than just the fitness benefits. Coach Kilmer was such an inspiration. During each practice, he kept every kid involved through his coachings. We warmed up (anticipatory set), ran drills (guided instruction), and received motivating talks at the end of each practice (closure). Coach Kilmer is simply awesome. Coaches are easily the most under-appreciated and under-paid people in education. Yet, they often have the biggest impact on our students. Personally, I have been greatly inspired by my high school badminton coaches: Mrs. Wells and her son Mr. Kemp Wells.