Blackboard Notes

I am trying new things.  For example, the picture you see is my front door surrounded by leaf bag pumpkins.  Decorations seem to be so expensive after  post epidemic, I decided to be more crafty. While not as fancy as the neighbors, it worked.   That got me thinking because of the changes I've had to go through since coming back to my home-district as a math teacher.  It was a desire to almost create a Brand , something that made my classroom and routines unique, while not trying to piggy back off of someone else's style, as I had done in the past.   Most teachers know this as a "steal and adapt" method, but it seems to be a Frankenstein creation without developing your purpose and meaning for your classroom. Teachers, YOU decide how you are going to start the class period. Make it relatable, base it off your current work and/or topics.  In fact, I make warm ups based on Notice and Wonder (see previous posts on Sara Van Der Werf's references) or c...

 By reading several posts this summer, and being busy I have not made a post till now, I’ve come to realize that adults have suffered greatly in the week of the post epidemic season. They have been largely neglected to focus on the students and their feelings and their recovery, but it’s the teachers who need to be refilled and re-fed and revitalized. Many districts have been stretched to the breaking point, needing substitutes, needing extra adults to serve And it’s not fair to say that these adults don’t deserve mental holidays, something that we used to joke about in the past, but now become a reality. This blog was intended as an experiment in community communication and awareness about mathematics, but now it’s also become an awareness of those who need that extra encouragement and support in a time where you really have to make a show and dance to get kids to pay attention. They actually do care about special effects, behind the scenes, not that you can use the commutative pr...