Jump the Star Party

We ended school early today. Instead of having a staff meeting, we celebrated students who improved their scores on last year's state tests. I support efforts toward congratulating academic achievement. The kids seemed to enjoyed the food and games. I remember participating last year as well.

I do have questions though. Will kids remember a November after school celebration when they take the tests next May? Do you remember the agenda for a staff meeting six months ago? (We also went over scores with them in October, about tests that they took the previous May.)

CMC - 2009 Palm Springs

I attended the Palm Spring Math Conference on Saturday. It is my fourth time attending this annual event. Due to budget cuts, there was no funding support for this trip. Nonetheless, I find it fruitful for me to visit this conference and attend the sessions in each of the four time slots. This year, I attended: 1) Google for math teachers, 2) Digital delivery and assessment, 3) Teaching and learning with Mathematica, and 4) Singapore math system. Of the four presentations, Ms. Brown's session on Mathematica was most inspiring. She is a teacher from San Diego. Presenting with her were five advanced math students. They show cased a series of high level math topics/projects via using functions within Mathematica. While I am happy teaching lower and middle level mathematics in the high school, I strive to be like Ms. Brown and challenge advanced students in creating high level math projects.