Report Card Night

Tonight's Report Card Night went smoothly. I had many pleasant conversations with students and parents. Only in one case, did I need to address the student's misbehavior in the class and her inability to meet the course's expectations. It was also nice to see many of my former students and their parents as well. One of the teachers told me that while this event may not be extremely conducive, it allows the school to connect with the community. I missed it last year due to a night class, I was happy to there tonight.

(Image from thethirftymama.com)

Injured Student

I was shocked and saddened to hear today that one of my former students was involved in an auto accident Sunday evening. She was on life support. I was told that she no longer requires life support, which I interpret as an improvment. She is one of my favorite students, she's always cheerful. Some of the alumni students kept in touch with me on FaceBook and will keep me updated. We're hoping for a full recovery as soon as possible. Due to my full schedule, I may not be able to visit her until the weekend. Hopefully, she'll be much improved by then. (SGV Tribune update.)

(Image from Commentsyard.com)

Homecoming 2010

Two of my former students acknowledged me during their Homecoming Court introductions. Joe and Stephanie are both great kids and deserve the nomination, I'm very proud of them. I am humbled by their acknowledgement. The student body voted today after the rally, and winners will be announced tomorrow. No matter what the results will be tomorrow night, I wish these students a safe and fun time.

I chatted with a teacher-friend Mr. D., who was also acknowledge by some of the Homecoming nominees, throughout the rally. We both agree that it's important that we say and do the right things as teachers, even though we are often tempted to make off-color remarks/jokes in the classroom. There's always a line and we're always in the role.

Resonate

I read almost exclusively non-friction books, often on topics relating to technology and academics. My latest reading is Nancy Duarte's Resonate. It guides presenters to give public talks using methods of storytelling. I am not as good of a storyteller as some of my friends or other teachers. I hope this book will give me some insight on this key skill.

(image from http://blog.duarte.com/)

Studying

On two separate occasions on Friday, I chatted with two staff members (one administrator and one groundskeeper) at school who expressed their concerns for their respective 15-year-old son's academic progress. From what I know of these two guys, my guess is that they are both great fathers, so I asked them why that is the case. Each agreed that the variable is laziness. I asked them both what they did as parents to address that, they both admitted that they got angry with their sons, and had a serious talk with them.

Last week, a counselor said that a lot of students don't know how to study. I didn't say anything at the time, but I think we shouldn't equate not studying with not knowing how to study. Ultimately, I think effort goes a long way. We are each responsible for our own efforts and motivation.

(image from Lulu Blog)

Success

I shared this 3-minute TED video with my students.

Happy Bidding

I bought about a dozen scientific calculators last year to reach a class set of 36 calculators. I didn't bother doing a check-out system, and as a result, a few were sadly lost and vandalized. I think I have only about 28 remaining. It is frustrating, the calculators aren't cheap. To do the trigonometry section, I wanted the students to use calculators and not charts. I have recently been bidding on used machines on eBay, trying to buy at a lower price. Hopefully, I can keep my class set throughout this year.

Wannabes...

I did a quick game of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" with my AP Stats class recently to review key concepts. Games are fun; when done appropriate, they help engage students. Teachers need to be mindful, however, of the academic nature of that the activity. It's perfectly okay to play a game, but don't force a lesson into a game (or vice versa) without a purpose.

Staff Development

Our faculty had an ambitious agenda today. In addition to several all-staff meetings, there were three 40-minute time slots during the day, each with three workshop options that allowed teachers to choose. I attended a SnapGrade introductory workshop by Mr. D. and Mrs. H. They are both excellent teachers, two of my favorites, in fact. Their session went well, and I learned the availability of a powerful tool. I attended a Cornell-Notes session during the second slot. Having heard about this technique for a long time, it was nice to see an expert (Mr. V.) demonstrate the spirit behind this note taking technique. Lastly, I went to a Poll Everywhere workshop. Mrs. L. showcased a website that allows the audience to text answers to a site, which instantaneously displays the polling.

While I learned something new in each of the three wonderful workshops, I was still very frustrated throughout the entire day. I feel that it was extremely unproductive. Aside from the three workshops, all of the other information can be presented in a much shorter time. I understand that the spirit of the staff development is to sharpen teachers' skills. Nonetheless, having heard from many other teachers' comments, we really feel that Staff Development Days are painful and drain our spirits. One teacher posted on Facebook: "I hate staff development days!!! The only thing I develop is a headache!"

I shall just move on and focus on my work. When the time comes again, I strive to provide teachers with a valuable session that is worthy of their time and attention.

Staying Focus

More than ever, I am trying to focus on my own work. Speak no evil, hear no evil. We concluded the first five weeks of the school year. Everything has gone very smoothly, I am blessed with wonderful students. This is only the beginning, though. I read an article about Kobe Bryant visiting UC Irvine's athletes for an interview. During the interview, he was quoted as saying: "Rest at the end, not in the middle."