Rubik's Cube: A question, waiting to be answered

One of the great things about summer, besides the luxuries of being blissfully unaware of the date and being able to go to the bathroom any time I want, is coming across things that have to do with work.  It's nice being able to read and appreciate articles and videos about teaching and education, when it's not something I am being forced to read or watch.  Yesterday I came across this video that was shared on one of the teacher groups I belong to on Facebook, and I appreciated it, and thought I would share it on here, hopefully as a reminder to myself about what's really important about my job... not state tests, not teacher ratings, but asking questions and making my students fall in love with problem solving...  

Rubik's Cube: A question, waiting to be answered

Massive Numbers Talk & Blogging Challenge Day 2

I blog today from the Starbucks that has brought about so much change to my work life.  It was here that sent my resume to who would eventually become my new principal, after finally deciding to go for it.  I have also come here to grade and generally get work done, when I need to leave my apartment.

I just got back from a Math Encounters talk at the Math Museum by Po-Shen Loh, and was thusly inspired and think I found a great first problem for my math team this year.  He was definitely my Math Encounters presenter I've seen.  His excitement is so pure and his "teaching style" motivating.  You can read more about a similar talk he gave here.  I left loving that the beauty of math is that there is always something more to explore.  Hopefully if I actually do keep up with this blog this school year, I can share some student work.

The other thing I wanted to post about today is day 2 of the blogging challenge:    

Day 2: Write about one piece of technology that you would like to try this year, and why.  You might also write about what you're hoping to see out of this edtech integration.

I am gonna cheat and share two pieces of technology that I would like to try out this year.  Both have to do with grading.  Since I am changing schools, I am losing access to the grading program we used last year, Mastery Connect.  Mastery Connect was nice because we could scan assessments easily and get data fast.  One of the pieces of technology that we might use to replace it is Zip Grade.  Another piece of technology is Jumpro.pe, to explore standards-based grading.  One of the first things shared with me about my new school was the assessment calendar, which has been helpful with planning and creating the assessments that I will be using next year.  Jumpro.pe especially will be my pet project because I have bee wanting to move to standards-based grading for a few years now, but haven't been able to fully make the jump. I hope that this year changes that.

Well, here I am again...

I started this blog last summer as a way for me to reflect on my school year and to (hopefully) become a better teacher.  Well, considering my last post is from November 2014, obviously I wasn't that successful with keeping with it.  But, the nice thing about teaching is that every year, we get a glorious and much deserved summer break, and then start fresh in September.  And this September will be even more of a fresh start because I will be working in a different school and district.  I'll be starting year nine next month, which I am still a little in shock of.

After five years at my last school, I decided, towards the end of last school year, that I needed a change.  I liked the people I was working with, but my teaching spark was dimming.  I was in a slump and I wasn't excited about what I was doing.  Looking back at some of my posts last summer, it seems like maybe this was something that started even before the first day in September.  So I applied to some other schools, just to see what would happen, and in June accepted a job for a local elementary school in my neighborhood, that was growing each year.  I was forcing myself into some new challenges: a new grade, new co-workers, a new building, and a new population of learners to explore math with.  It wasn't an easy decision to make, but looking back, I have no regrets, and I am excited for the year to come.

I found this blog post the other day, about a 30-day blogging challenge for teachers, which inspired me to give this whole blogging thing another shot.  So even though I am a few days behind, here it goes:

Day 1:

Write your goals for the school year.  Be as specific or abstract as you'd like to be!

Well, goal #1 would be to be able to look back at this school year in June, and feel that I have been successful.  What would that look & feel like?  My students have learned everything that they were supposed to this year, and perhaps a little bit more.  My classroom is a community where students aren't afraid to try new things and work together.  We had fun exploring the big ideas mathematics.  We students ask questions and want to learn more.  I want to look back on this year and see how much I've grown.

Goal #2 would be to continue to work on my work/life balance.  This may be hard considering I am teaching two grades next year (and have never taught 6th before), and because I will be in a new environment, resources may be limited, but nevertheless I think that this is something that I can continue to work toward.  I like my job, but I also value a life outside my job.  

I think that that is it for now, although I may add more as month goes on.  I really hope to keep this going this time...