Breaking the News

In my previous post, I came out and shared the news that I was leaving my school at the end of the year, which I have been at for the past four years. I submitted my resignation letter last week, and my position was posted on the website was posted on Monday. Let's say that word travels fast in a small town.

We had End of Course tests on Monday-Wednesday this week in my Algebra 2 and Geometry classes. A few kids heard the rumor, but I wanted them to hear it from me. I decided to wait until after the end of course tests were over to share the news.

I began by saying that the students may have heard some rumors that I am leaving at the end of the year. I then said that these rumors were true and that I was moving. Some of the kids were very upset, and a couple almost started crying. I don't do well in tense and sad situations, so I tried to lighten the mood, which helped a ton. I had one class say that they were going to throw me a going away party. I think a few were confused as to why I was learning. I said that it wasn't anything towards anybody or against them. I also assured them that I was their teacher until the end of the year, and that we were going to have a strong finish to the rest of the year.

I have tried to not discuss it as much or bring it up in conversation, but overall, people have been very happy and supportive of me. I have been fortunate to have great coworkers and students over the past four years, which helped a ton as well. However, I am ready for a new experience and a new grade level. So, here we go! See ya later to one school, hello to another.

Big Announcement!

I have some news that I am ready to share with my readers. I have decided to leave my school at the end of the year, and I submitted my resignation letter last week, to be effective at the end of my contract for the school year. I was offered a position a couple of counties away from where I currently teach, and I live between where I am and where I am going this fall. I have been teaching Algebra II and Geometry for the past four years in a small school in a small town in rural east Tennessee. I will be teaching 8th grade math and Algebra I at my new school in Knoxville, which is the largest city in east Tennessee. So, this will be a transition for me, not only going to a new district but moving to middle school.

The decision to leave wasn't easy, but I knew that it was time to move in a new direction. I am looking forward to the opportunity to teach in a new surrounding and to teach a new subject and grade level. I taught Algebra I in my first year (2011-2012) when I was in Mississippi, but I had been really itching to transition back to Algebra I from Algebra II. However, I will miss my students at my current school, especially some of the ones with whom I have the closest relationships. I have told some of my students that I would give them my email and that they could follow me on social media so that we can stay in touch, though.

So, here's to a strong finish to the past five years of teaching high school and looking towards the new experiences and challenges middle school will bring. Wish me luck!

Looking for a Place to Organize All of Those Teaching Ideas You Found on Twitter? Try Google Keep Today!

I knew that I wanted to try to organize all of the great ideas that I have found on Twitter over the years. I have tried Google Keep before on my school account, but I thought it was time to go over it on my own account. So, I took screenshots of all of the tweets that I had liked/favorited/etc and organized them into separate categories. It's still a work in progress, but it was a nice way to spend an early Saturday morning after you have woken up and can't go back to sleep.

I decided to share this idea on Twitter, not really thinking that anyone would care. I was wrong, indeed. 

Here is what part of my Google Keep looks like. As I said, it's a work in progress. 

What I would suggest doing is taking screenshots and then making your categories. Google Keep makes it easy because you can create many categories as well as drag images directly from your laptop into the box. Then you can click on your categories and edit within those. If you have any questions, please let me know!

Pi-Kus with a Twist

I know I am a couple of weeks late, but I wanted to write about our Pi-Day activities. Since we were not anywhere near circles in Geometry, and our state's Algebra 2 standards do not really discuss pi to any deep extent, I decided to do something a little bit different for Pi Day.

I was on Twitter one evening, and I saw where Sarah Carter was blogging and posting about her Pi-Kus. I really enjoyed what she had posted, so I decided to give it a try in my classes.

Here are the assignment requirements:

1. Create a Pi-Ku, which is similar to a haiku, but the first line has three syllables, the second line has one syllable, and the third line has four syllables.
2. Write two Pi-Kus: One must be math related, and the other can be anything school appropriate.
3. Write your Pi-Kus on index cards.
4. Now here is the twist!!! Have students post their Pi-Kus to Seesaw, which is a website that I have just recently began using. If you have not used Seesaw, it is a digital portfolio, which allows students to post their work. Classmates and the teacher can then respond to their work.

Here are a few of the Pi-Kus that were created. Let me know what you think!

I want to do this again, and this is how I would change the assignment.

• I would be more strict about double checking when students submitted. 
• I would also be more clear about what I expected. 

I feel this was because I noticed after the fact that a few students miscounted syllables, but, overall, I was happy with their work. 

I would definitely not spend more than 15 minutes on this activity, but I would recommend it if you are looking for something quick to do next Pi Day! 

TED-Ed Riddles

We were starting class in my Honors Algebra 2 class one day last week, and one of my students asked me if we could do a TED-Ed riddle. The video for what I had planned previously wasn't working, so I was willing to give it a try. I was hesitant at first, but I am really glad that we did!

We watched this video and discussed it as a whole class. I was happy with the level of engagement that the students exhibited as well as with their abilities to reason through the riddle and not being afraid to take risks.

Here are a couple of photos that I took, highlighting the riddle itself as well as a couple of student representations of the riddle.

An Evening with Eva Schloss

I have been behind in blogging, but I wanted to write about an amazing experience that my girlfriend and I had a couple of weeks ago. Eva Schloss came to Knoxville to speak. Eva Schloss was the stepsister of Anne Frank, and Mrs. Schloss was also a Holocaust survivor who spent time at Auschwitz. We decided to buy tickets to hear Mrs. Schloss speak because many Holocaust survivors are no longer alive, and this number will only continue to increase. 

Mrs. Schloss told us about her childhood and how she knew Anne Frank and told some personal stories. Then she discussed her experience in hiding from the Nazis and finally being discovered and taken to the concentration camp. One of the most eye opening experiences that I felt during the lecture was her story about how her family (among many others) were separated. She also told the story of how people were grouped and sent to the gas chamber at the concentration camps, which she referred to as "death camps." Another chilling moment to me was when she showed the audience her tattoo from the concentration camp. She told the audience that she shows this to show proof to those that said that the Holocaust was a lie. 

Then she talked about how it took her many years to be able to tell her story. My girlfriend bought Eva's book before the show, and she opened the book to find that Mrs. Schloss had signed the book. At the end, we watched an inspirational video from the local Jewish school in Knoxville. I am so glad that we had this experience to hear a living Holocaust survivor, and I recommend that anyone who has the opportunity to hear a Holocaust survivor speak, take that opportunity. 

The 7 Method

Let me just say that I cannot believe that it has been a month since I've blogged! Wow!

Anyways, let's get back to it. I was perusing Twitter on Thursday night and Friday morning, and I was reading the chat that Melynee Naegele and Sara VanDerWerf were leading on how elementary math is used in the high school classroom. As I was reading the chat, I came across something called the 7 method.

I inquired about the 7 method for division, and Melynee answered my question promptly by sending me this.

I looked at it and had to take a couple of minutes to analyze the problem. For a few seconds, I thought it was exactly the type of thing that people would complain about on Facebook as "common core math." Then I realized that even though this method may take up more paper, there is so much rich math happening. Plus, I feel that the 7 method reinforces multiplication, subtraction, and addition. It also made division even more fun! When the 7 method clicked, did it click! I decided to make up some problems to test the method. Here's a bit of my work. Let me know if you have any questions (or if you can't read my handwriting)!

Even though I teach sophomores and juniors, I find that many of my students, even my honors students, still struggle with some of the basics of mathematics. Heaven forbid when it comes to long division. This breaks my heart, and I wish that there was a magic solution. Unfortunately, there is not, but reading the elementary math chat last week, I feel more inspired to infuse more of the basics into my instruction, because I feel that they are important.

Heck, I might even teach this method to my students! I would definitely use this method if I were an elementary or middle school teacher.