Real, yet irrational...

How Exciting is This?!

2010-04-25T15:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know its been since January. My computer crashed and I've been busy.

This is way cool though...

My school district has laid me off. (Crap) But my principal has talked them into using our campus as the pioneer for diving into hybrid/online classes so we can meet the needs of the 16 or so kids who want to take Calculus next year. She wants to have an online summer school Calculus class, and she wants ME to teach it! Told me she "Wants the rest of the schools in the district to know how awesome I am." (I blush to write that, but they were her words)

I have no idea where to even start with this, but I am SO excited. Hooray! I love Calculus! (Notice how I always capitalize it? I don't do that with algebra or geometry.) Bring it!!

Oh Come On!

2010-01-14T18:30:00.000-08:00

Seriously, what is the point of having a computer lab with computers that have:

no mouse
no keyboard
no cable to the internet
have a cable, but for some reason can't access the internet

(you can choose any or all of the above)

There are absolutely AMAZING things my kids can be doing online... and I can't do them, because a third of the class can't get online. I am going to explode! Am I really supposed to buy computer mice out of my own pocket???

How interesting...

2010-01-13T11:04:00.000-08:00

I think its really interesting that Mr. Photo's student teacher keeps coming to me for ideas and stuff. He's been teaching this for 8 million years, and I have logged, oh, 5 days. I think he's just throwing her out there and expecting her to know what she's supposed to do instinctively. I feel bad for her. I'm more than happy to share my floundering with her.

I'm enjoying this immensely. Who knew. But I know my first love is still math. A friend called me last night to help her son over the phone, and I loved it. Someone posted an equation to factor on their blog and I sat there until I figured it out, and then felt all proud of myself. I am a geek. I say it proudly!

Day Two

2010-01-07T16:19:00.000-08:00

Much better day today. Mr Photo updated the fancy computers so I could actually let students use them. (Gasp! What heresy!) His student teacher seemed a bit frazzled at being thrown to the wolves, but I assured her that I probably knew less about photography than she did, and was pretty sure I could muddle through just fine. Told her I'd pass along any treasures I found to her.

Most kids had cameras and pictures, so we spent a lot of time setting up folders and passing around the two cheap-o card readers I picked up at Walmart. Then I showed them a couple little tips to get them started in Photoshop and let them go. Let a few go out to take pictures, and they came back right when they were supposed to. Everyone was on task, working, playing with photoshop. Seems like a successful day to me.

Except the one poor girl who got really frustrated and went and sat in a comfy chair halfway through class. Asked her about it at the end of class and she blamed it on her period coming. Lol. Don't know if I ever would have admitted such a thing to my high school teachers. I'll have to remember to sit down with her tomorrow and see if we can't figure some stuff out together.

Good day!

Call Tech Support!

2010-01-06T21:40:00.000-08:00

So its the first day of class, and I tell the kids to start up their computers and direct them to the website address.

"My computer says it can't access the internet"
"I don't have a mouse"
"My browser keeps shutting down"

AUGH!

Stupid Mac Lab! I get the impression that
a) the usual photography teacher protects the mac lab like its his secret hideout and doesn't want anyone poking around
b) our tech support team (its one very nice lady!) is a PC person

The PC lab has the newest version of photoshop, but I can't use it right now. The mac lab is cooler... or at least it would be if all the computers could access the internet or functioned properly.

So, day one was a bit of a flop. Plus only about a third of the kids actually had their cameras with them so my "Spend the rest of class taking pictures" didn't even apply to everyone. Oh boy.

Its day one, it will get better. At least the kids seemed mostly happy to see me...lol...

Epic Math Fail!

2010-01-03T21:11:00.000-08:00

My daughter, the senior, pointed out to me that yesterday was a palindrome day. 01.02.2010

I was completely unaware.

It is almost as bad as forgetting pi day... almost.

I'm wondering if I need to return my NCTM card to someone.

I have to wait until next year November for the next one (11.02.2011), and if I forget that one, its another 9 years or so. (02.02.2020) At least I think it is. My math seems to be escaping my brain.

Someone made a joke about palindrome day being the day the robotic Sarah Palin army invades. lol

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T17:16:00.000-08:00

As I wait to take off to Lake Tahoe to ring in the New Year, I figured I should send in a quick update.

I am so EXCITED to start teaching next week. It would be even better if it was math, but this should be fun! I've been working on a class website, and plan on getting all the students to use Flickr, and I am realizing that as far as I can tell, there is only one teacher at my school who uses a website as a serious addition to her class. Odd. Ok... there are only a dozen or so teachers, but still! I feel like my school is going to get seriously left behind. I did see a stack of projectors waiting to be installed, so that is a good sign. Its incredibly frustrating to see all the creative ways that other teachers are using tech to improve their students education and think "That would be great, but we don't have (fill in the blank)." Have to remind myself that good teaching and learning are not dependent upon devices and electricity.

So I hope to be able to more consistently blog here, and have it actually be about school. It's such a great way to process my thoughts, to have to put them into words. And hopefully, my lack of Photoshop skills will not be a huge detriment to the class. I promise to keep working at it.

Off to Tahoe and the snow. Have a wonderful New Year!

Catching Up

2009-12-14T20:36:00.000-08:00

So, whats happened in the last week?

Well, the two snow days were excellent.

Then darling daughter smashed up her car. Not her fault (of course). All ok, and car was drivable, but now has new problem rendering it non-op. Back to mommy driving her to school. How cute.

Next day, a nice big rock jumped in front of my car, loosened from its hillside home by the thawing ice and snow. Got to walk about a mile in the dark, pouring rain, to where darling daughter was waiting for a ride. Now my car is non-op.

Had quite the adventure waiting for the tow truck to come next day. (Note to self... tow truck guy needs car key!)

Christmas Play at church... awesome. Other darling daughter was the head angel and darling son was a shepherd. A sleepy shepherd who yawned through the whole thing.

Picked up rental car today, and then shopped till I dropped. How is it that I used to love hanging out at the mall? Its a terrible, inhuman, hot place. Ick.

Younger daughters birthday is this Friday and its always an effort, a week before Christmas, to do it up right. Slumber party. Oh yeah. Bring it on!

Sub Day

2009-12-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

After two snow days, the kids were finally back to school, and I was in to sub. Biology again, although at the the last minute I got to sub in the Sheltered Algebra 1 class as well.

I keep mulling over all the great ideas in my head about Standard Based grading and the like, and then I get in these classes and wonder... How on Earth would these kids ever be motivated to buy in to that? Most of them are just trying to get through, and don't care if they learn anything. These are the kids that won't do any work, no matter how much it would help their grade. I wonder...

Bio was good. Funny how the kids I dreaded at first as the troublemakers are the ones I enjoy the most. They're funny, and not bad students... just in need of some training! But those girls! Why DO some teenaged girls have to be like that? I didn't like them when I was in high school, and I have a heck of a time liking them now. I know, my liking them is irrelevant to teaching them, but it would make the whole deal a lot more enjoyable!

Best Day Ever Redux!

2009-12-07T20:54:00.000-08:00

To make a perfect day even better, just got the calls to say that schools are closed tomorrow as well.

More snow fun!

The Best Day Ever!

2009-12-07T08:14:00.000-08:00

There is no joy greater than when you wake in the early morning to get ready for a day at school and glance out the window and see.... white! The yard, the trees, the cars, all gone, under a blanket of lovely fresh snow.

It usually takes only a few seconds to go from "Snow..cool!"
To... "Wow, the road is completely covered"
To... "Oh Praise God... we're having a snow day!"

The plows aren't running yet, the buses won't come, that automated call comes from school. These are a few of my favorite things!

I was supposed to sub today, and sit down with the other photography teachers and pick their brains about next term, but I'll take sitting here by the fire, with a nice cup of joe, watching my kids (who never willingly get out of bed this early) blaze trails down the driveway with their snow disks.

Life is GOOD!

The first step...

2009-12-04T15:50:00.000-08:00

I haven't signed the papers, but I will be teaching at Ye Local High School next semester. Not subbing, not even long-term subbing. Teaching. Hooray!

Ok, its .17 FTE, lol. One block. And not math, photography... which will be fun, too.

What it means though, is that I have my foot in the door. I am now an in-district employee, which means first dibs when the right job comes open. I am happy.

Wish I was at CMC north this weekend. I get to take the CTEL test tomorrow. Please, God, let me pass!

Hello, my name is Mrs. L., and I'm a blog addict!

2009-12-04T09:53:00.001-08:00

So my list is up to 43... what a laugh! I want to put all these people's brains in my head. I wish we could all go on a big retreat to the beach and sit in the sand and drink margaritas and talk about how we can help our students. Wouldn't that be a blast? I love the face-palm moments when I think "Of course! That makes so much sense! I've got to start/stop doing that!"

On an aside... they may hire me today. Woot!

Glogster... Who Knew?

2009-12-02T09:42:00.001-08:00

Just found this site... never heard of it before, but it has amazing potential. Now to figure out how to use it!

Glogster

Post of the Day

2009-12-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

So, I turned in my applications today... I don't want to jinx it, but that odds are good.

Ok, so it won't be math... or even close to math! But photography is cool, and how bad can drivers ed really be? (Do I hear someone laughing at me?)

I love this!

2009-11-30T13:08:00.001-08:00

I'm posting this here so I don't need to try to go back and find it again!

The Comprehensive Math Assessment Resource

Teacher/Parent Confusion

2009-11-29T10:56:00.000-08:00

I sub at the high school my child attends. Last year, I taught the entire year as a long-term sub. She was in my classes, which was actually really great! But now the teacher I was filling in for is back.

When I sub there now, I invariably get comments from the students that "I wish you were still teaching", "I never understand Teacher X", "Teacher X talks too much and doesn't teach us what he's testing us on."

I see for myself, when I subbed in X's class, that they are far, far behind where I was last year, and will never be able to cover the required material by the end of the year. (Which, because we are on a 4x4 block schedule, is in three weeks!). My child is now taking a class from X, and complains frequently that she has to explain things to her classmates, and that they are often left to decipher the textbook alone.

As a parent, it infuriates me that X is allowed to teach in this manner. As a teacher, it frustrates me to no end to know that, because X has been at our school for a certain number of years, he will continue to teach this way, while other, more effective educators, sit on their hands and are unable to do anything.

When your teen-aged child, who thinks you are the uncoolest, geekiest parent on earth, tells you "You are a way better teacher than X" you know that means something!

Can you read too many blogs?

2009-11-20T11:56:00.000-08:00

Certainly...

I can read myself silly with great new ideas, and then my head will explode because I have no where to put them into practice. I say to myself "Oh, I am totally going to do that!" and it takes a moment to realize I don't have a class to practice on. Shoot!