One of the things I love the best about teaching is getting to know things about my students other than the difficulties they have in math. When one of my students is on a sports team, I try to attend at least one game during the year. I know you teachers in small towns do this all the time but NYC teachers usually head for the door as soon as the last bell rings.

New post on Packemin HS. I don't think the feed works because the blog is restricted. Sorry about that.

It's 7:14 and my car is warming itself thanks to the remote starter I got for my birthday.

I'm warm and toasty waiting for the heat to come on. (Its an old car and takes 10 minutes to heat.)

I'm reading my e-mail while I wait.

I'll share this joke I just received:

At 85 years of age, Wally married Anne, a lovely 25 year
old. Since her new husband is so old, Anne decides that after their
wedding she and Wally should have separate bedrooms, because she is
concerned that her new but aged husband may overexert himself if they spend
the entire night together.After the wedding festivities Anne prepares
herself for bed and the expected 'knock' on the door. Sure enough the knock
comes, the door opens and there is Wally, her 85 year old groom, ready for
action.They unite as one.All goes well, Wally takes leave of his bride, and she
prepares to go to sleep. After a few minutes, Anne hears another knock
on her bedroom door, and it's Wally. Again he is ready for more
'action.' Somewhat surprised, Anne consents for more coupling.When the
newlyweds are done, Wally kisses his bride, bids her a fond goodnight and
leaves. She is set to go to sleep again,but, aha you guessed it..... Wally
is back again, rapping on the door, and is as fresh as a 25-year-old,
ready for more 'action.'And, once again they enjoy each other. But as
Wally gets set to leave again, his young bride says to him, 'I am thoroughly
impressed that at your age you can perform so well and so often. I have
been with guys less than a third of your age who were only good once. You
are truly a great lover, Wally.'Wally, somewhat embarrassed, turns to Anne and
says: .......'You mean I was here already?'

*The moral of the story:**Don't be afraid of getting old, senior moments have advantages*

The park--it looks like a planet in outer space.








to snowmen.

My arm and my sticker

The college is on vacation until the end of the month.

I love my job there but it is so nice to be home every evening, especially in the winter.

I forgot how much I love the Food Channel on Monday nights, especially those breakfast foods.

Of course I have to eat while I watch. There goes my attempts at losing the weight I gained in Jamaica.

I need a drink.

After school faculty conferences suck big time. After a full day of teaching I don't care what the topic is. I'm tired. I want to go home. Nothing being said can hold my interest.

Last month's conference was different. I sat with my friend who was filling out raffle tickets for an organization she belongs to. I wanted to help her out so I took out $5 and bought five tickets. I figured I wouldn't miss the money and was making a contribution to a worthy organization. Imagine my surprise when a $50 check, my prize, came in the mail. I did the only thing I could do with it, took my friend out for beers and dinner.

Wouldn't it be great if every faculty conference could be this profitable?

They all got along so well this past weekend.

Even Larry let my daughter hold him.

I don't give too many big tests in calculus, mainly because I have trouble keeping quiet for two periods in a row. But, I also don't like to over stress the kids. I feel if they made it to AP calculus, they paid their dues. Now, it is their turn to learn without stressing about grades. So, instead of 100 point major tests, I give quite a few little exams (one period) and take-home exams. Each short answer question is worth 1 point and the long questions are worth 9 points. I try to keep AP standards when I mark and, when I am in doubt, I just mark the question wrong. At the end of the marking period, I add up all the points and figure out some sort of curve. No one who is working gets under an 85 and almost all the grades are between 85 and 95. The kids don't really know how they are doing until they get their report cards. The only thing I tell them when I go over an exam is the class average so they can see how they did compared to everyone else. The AP exam is marked on a big curve. To get a 5, they can score 70 out of 108 points (sometimes more, sometimes less.) These kids are not used to not being able to complete an exam and they are certainly not used to not knowing everything on it, so calculus is a new experience for them.

The most important thing I try to teach my students is how to think. They learn the basic skills but the application of these skills is a killer. No two problems are the same. In the past, they memorized materials taught in class and regurgitated it all on an exam without real understanding. They hate thinking.

Our midterm is coming up. It will be a double period exam. During the first period, they will be given calculator problems and during the second no calculator is permitted. I know the test is hard and long. Most won't finish. But, they have to learn to budget their time and they have to know that skipping a few 1-point questions won't harm their scores.

I've been spending this week reviewing. I even stayed two hours after school helping them yesterday and today. They are upset because I won't tell them exactly what is on the exam. I won't give them review sheets.

My students are smart but, they are kids. They are not as energetic as they ought to be. They won't work too hard if they think they can cram it all at the last minute. I have to toughen them up now, so they can succeed in May. I know my methods work. Last year, I had over 90% of my class pass with grades primarily of 4's and 5's. They walk out of the exam and tell me how much easier it was than anything I gave them to do all semester. I know its not easy. I've just gotten them to do the unthinkable. I've gotten them to think.

I know the grades on the midterm will not be good, but that is okay. It is only January. By May, they will be ready. I have a good group this term. I know they will succeed.

Have you ever wondered how a woman's brain works?
Well....it's finally explained here in one,
easy-to-understand illustration:



Every one of those little blue balls is a thought
about something that needs to be done, a decision or
a problem that needs to be solved.

A man has only 2 balls and they take up all his thoughts .

(From an e-mail from a friend--it just begged to be shared!)

Get sent to the rubber room. See what the UFT will do to help you. Read it here.

I got an e-mail from a student from last year's AP class wishing me a happy birthday. I'm shocked she remembered.

My daughter came home to spend the weekend with me! She left her boyfriend behind so we would have more time together. We saw A Hundred Years Of Broadway at Queens Theater in The Park (free tickets courtesy of the English AP). It was wonderful.

I got a remote starter for my car from my husband, although it was my son's idea. I have an old car and it takes forever to get warm in the morning. I can now be nice and comfy on my way to work.

Getting old is not so bad. Think of the alternative.

On my way to drop off some stuff at central copy, I noticed the bulletin board outside the Principal's office was full of pictures of students of the month. I recognized quite a few faces. They were kids in my AP classes, all with averages over 100. I was not surprised to see them there. I then noticed Sam's picture. Sam is one of my geometry "knuckleheads". I love Sam, he is passing the class, but not exactly what I would consider student of the month material, at least not in my class.

Walking away from the bulletin board, I ran into Sam. I congratulated him a few times and really raved about his accomplishment. He was so proud of himself. He told me he took pictures of the bulletin board to show his parents. I then asked him how he got up there. His answer "I have no idea." I only have a 76 average. I told him that he probably excels in one class. He said emphatically, NO! I said, maybe he improved tremendously in one class. Again, he answered NO! He said the principal called him down, took his picture and said "Congratulations." Someone else just told him to feel proud.

I'm sure Sam was told why he got this special recognition. I'm glad he got it. Putting his picture on the board was great for his self image. In fact, I know it meant a lot more to him than it did to the kids with the 100+ averages. They either never mentioned it or just shrugged it off. I'm hoping more kids like Sam get to see themselves up there.

The first week in January brings back last years students, those on break from college who miss the warmth and love they felt in high school. I've had many visits from my AP calculus kids. They all return beaming with pride and boasting about acing their freshman math class. I love the fact that they credit their high school knowledge for the success they have achieved in college. It does my ego good to hear them come into my current class and tell my current students what a great teacher I am!

This years visitors haven't only been the high achievers. Many of the "strugglers" have also returned. I got the biggest hug from R today. R was in my class a few years ago and to put it mildly, he was slightly nuts at the time. That year, there were lots of Jewish holidays on school days and R tried to convince all his teachers he was Jewish (he's not) so he could take off. Every Friday, he would say "shabbat shalom" as he left my class.

As R was hugging me today, he said that I was his favorite teacher at Packemin HS. He said I looked out for him and he appreciated it. I didn't think he appreciated me taking away a big metal rod from him. Although I knew he was harmless, I did not think it was wise for an African American kid to ride the bus and walk the neighborhood with this weapon in his hand. And, while he did not appreciate my taking it away from him at the moment, he is glad now that I did. He complained about another teacher who always talked down to him and did not have the patience for his stupidity.

You can't hear a pin drop in my classroom. You never could and you never will. Maybe kids are losing out because of the noise but the affect I had on R and kids like him is important and something you can't get in the room where you can hear the pin drop. No teacher is perfect. I know, I am very far from that but I serve a purpose. I can reach kids like R. I can get them to pass. I can get them to feel good about themselves and give them some good feelings about school.

R did not go straight to college from high school. He needed some time to grow up. Well, he is finally ready to go back. He is going to start the local community college at the end of this month. He might not be as successful (at the moment or even ever) as some of the AP kids but, I was as happy, or even happier to see him than I was to see them.

I can't wait to see who else is going to stop by to visit.

The Untamed Teacher is back. Please go visit her site. Her stuff is much more important than the dribble I write here.

I was just about to tell Kevin to put away his I-pod, when I looked down and saw the graph of the function we were looking at on it. I did not know I-pods had this capability. He said that he downloaded a program with math applications and that is why he was able to do this.

Some days, I just love my job. I yelled at Kevin. "It's kids like you that are keeping me from retiring."

Peanuts 1/5/09

Thanks to Saddleshoe:

700 Teachers Are Offered BuyoutLongtime Educators Would Receive $20,000 Bonus to Leave System This Year
By V. Dion HaynesWashington Post Staff WriterFriday, April 11, 2008; B04
D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee said yesterday that the school system will offer buyouts to as many as 700 teachers nearing retirement or working at 50 schools slated either for closure or an academic overhaul.
In introducing the program, called the Teacher Transition Award, city and school leaders said they recognize the widespread uncertainty expressed by many teachers over what likely will be a tumultuous new school year. In the fall, Rhee plans to close 23 schools and reorganize 27 others where students have repeatedly lagged on the system's standardized tests, two initiatives that are expected to displace numerous teachers.
Many teachers "are aware of the fast-paced changes," Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) said at the news conference, held outside the central administration building at 825 North Capitol St. NE. "It's safe to say this will give principals and the chancellor more certainty about staffing plans."
Rhee and other officials said the program will cost $10 million this year and will offer buyouts ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 depending on years of service. It is not a way to get rid of teachers deemed to be poor performers, they added, but a response to a huge demand from teachers who are interested in leaving the system early.
While the program does not lower the retirement age, it offers a $20,000 bonus to those who opt to leave the school system this year. Teachers eligible for the $20,000 bonus are those who are 55 with 30 years of service, 60 with 20 years of service or 62 with five years of service.
Teachers at the schools slated for closure or reorganization qualify for the program regardless of their years of service. Bonuses are offered on a sliding scale: Teachers with more than 20 years would get $20,000, and those with five years or fewer would get $1,000.
"This will benefit the system and our hardworking teachers," Rhee said.
Although 1,700 of the system's 4,300 teachers are eligible for the buyout, city officials limited the offer to the first 700 who apply. Officials expect the program to ultimately save $13 million. Eligible teachers are required to apply for the program by April 25.
"We wanted to allow ourselves to offer the award to as many qualified teachers as possible," said Rhee's spokeswoman, Mafara Hobson. "There's a certain amount of money. Once we hit that limit, it's all gone."
Several teachers contacted yesterday, none of whom wanted to be identified because of fears that they would be reprimanded, expressed anger that the retirement age was not lowered and that more money was not offered.
"The union and the administration led us to believe this would be an early-out program," said a 20-year veteran. "We were expecting them to lower the [retirement age] to 50 or 53. . . . This is disappointing."
A teacher at a school slated for closure, who also has worked in the system for more than 20 years, said she expected a bonus of $25,000. "We're part of the D.C. government. Why aren't we getting what they're getting?" she said.
"I don't want to work where someone doesn't want me," she added. "There's no positive attitude for senior teachers. They don't feel we're doing a good job."
Clay White, chief of staff for the Washington Teachers' Union, which worked with Rhee in devising the program, said: "Certainly our members would have preferred a broader-based program inclusive of an early-out retirement opportunity for all teachers, especially those who wish to leave the system but are not eligible for full retirement. Unfortunately, this could not be accomplished legislatively before the end of the school year."
Nathan Saunders, general vice president of the union, said he opposed the buyout program. "I'm interested in seeing people come into the profession and staying instead of people so dissatisfied with public education that they can't wait to get out," he said.
Rhee said she is in the process of determining how many teachers will be needed in the new downsized system next year. At the same time the school system is offering buyouts, she said it also is conducting an aggressive recruiting campaign to find teachers to fill vacancies.

The salad


The turkey (for my carnivores)

The ice skaters at Rockefeller Center The drummer soldier

Baby Blues 1/2/09