Voting for John McCain in Philadelphia

I'm going to go stand in line to vote for John McCain... in Philadelphia.  Sometimes I feel like I am the only one.  All of you McCain-Palin supporters out there in western PA and suburban PA, please come out to vote.  I cannot hold back the Obama supporters alone.  Remember what your dumb Murtha called you.  Vote him out and vote McCain in!

My Election Predictions

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008/pick-your-president/2637/

Let me know what you think!

First Day!

I woke up at 5am because I'm excited. I'm excited to put on my new clothes, new shoes, and meet all my new students. I'm excited to go back and see all my faculty friends.

Today, we only have ten minute classes, then the kids go for pictures, etc. So, I plan on:

1. Introducing myself
2. Introducing the course
3. Having them fill out an autobiography sheet telling me who they are, hopes/worries etc.
4. Starting to go over rules/expectations.

Should be a good day!

Is it the Technology?

I read this article from the NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/technology/17essay.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

"At School, Technology Starts to Turn a Corner"

The article talks about how technology is being used for project-based learning.  Technology definitely makes project-learning easier, but is project-learning what is really improving test scores and improving understanding?  

My take on it: teaching students to be proactive is what is improving test scores.  Too many students are coasting by, never encouraged to go above and beyond what is spoonfed to them.  Project-based learning forces students to think for themselves and to be proactive in their own learning.  As a teacher and former student, I really believe that students who are proactive about their learning can succeed, given decent teachers who care enough to teach.

So, is project-based learning the only answer?  I believe it is not.  If you teach using normal lecture-demonstration-activity traditional style, you can still encourage students to be proactive.  Just raise your standards!  Insist on nothing less than each student's best and most of them will try their best.  I truly believe that the main problem with education is the constant lowering of standards to make weaker students "feel better about themselves".  I don't buy it.

Pelosi Protestors in Philadelphia

Here in Philadelphia, Nancy Pelosi had a speech/book signing at 7pm.  Here are some pictures of the protestors outside.  

There were about 6-10 sending the message of "Get back to work, Nancy!" (Yay!) 

There were about 6-10 sending the message of "Impeach Bush".  (Um... can I say pointless...)

Oh, and a shout-out to my favorite blogger Michelle Malkin.  Her post about the awesome House Republicans and Nancy's ridiculous book tour gave me the idea to go out and get these pictures.  

updating handouts for the new year

I'll try to post more later.  I've been busy teaching summer "school".  It was really just glorified baby sitting.  I taught two classes called "Game Masters" and "Chess Club".  I basically just spent three hours playing games with 7-11 year olds for three weeks.  Easy and fun, but not nearly as rewarding as teaching high school biology and math.  

I got commended!

My school sends out commendations to people who are nominated for them by others in the community.  Somebody commended me and I got this note:

(My School) awards this commendation to (My Name) in recognition of active involvement in fostering the goals of (My School), June '08.  

Fancy calligraphy and an official seal.

I know, it's just a piece of paper, but it means there's somebody who appreciates my work!  

I love my job.

Oh the summer

The first summer after my first year teaching is sure nice.  I've been getting some errands done, cooking & baking, cleaning house, and starting to prepare for the fall.  I'm looking forward to getting my class lists for the fall.  I hope I get two great students in biology who I enjoyed teaching in math this year.  

About teaching biology and math, are there any other teachers out there who teach both?  I'm curious to find out.  It's a weird combination sometimes.  Biology is such a visual subject that is sometimes concrete and sometimes so abstract.  Math is not as visual (although geometry is!) and pretty abstract.  Sometimes I feel like I have two different teaching personalities, one as a math teacher and one as a bio teacher.

All New Teachers: Buy This Book!

This is truly the best book out there for new teachers or for people thinking about teaching as a career.  The writer is a former high school math teacher and he writes about teaching with humor, practical tips, and great information about what is really like.  I just completed my first year, I read this book before I started, and now I'm reading it again because it is that good!  I would not have survived this year without several of his tips, especially the one about using an AV cart if you're a floater.  I highly recommend this book and you can get it on Amazon at this link.

http://www.amazon.com/Rookie-Teaching-Dummies-Michael-Kelley/dp/0764524798/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214513686&sr=1-1

Cheating and Lying and Getting Away with it

Here's a situation I've found myself in.

I'm absent for 2 days for a conference in mid-May.  The sub gives my test to my junior biology students.  Students A and B tell me when I get back that Students C and D cheated, by signalling across the room.  I approach Student C (D's absent) and ask her what happened.  I tell her that someone has accused her of cheating and she breaks down crying and says "it was only on one question..."  I tell her to go report herself to the principal and then later she tells me, "oh, I just wanted to clarify my story now that I'm not upset.  I didn't cheat and I'm VERY upset that someone accused me."  She told the principal her second story.  I talk to the principal and he says there is not much we can do, as it is a she says/he says case (even if she kind of confessed to me).  Student D denies any cheating went on.

So, either they cheated and student C confessed then lied, or they didn't cheat and Student C lied when she confessed to something she didn't do...  ??  

The pickle I'm in: I previously told student C I would write her a college recommendation next fall.  Now what do I do?  I decided to wait and see if she brought it up again.

Now in June, she emailed me, asking for confirmation that I'm writing a recommendation.  I emailed her back, asking to talk to her and her parents about it.  I'm hoping to tell her parents the story and I hope that she wakes up and learns a lesson from this.

I just got a panicked email from her asking why I need to talk to her parents. 

What would you do?  Do you think I'm doing the right thing?  Should I tell her parents?

Cushy job

Man, I have the easiest summer job.  I'm teaching two classes, Chess and Board Games, at a local school and getting paid an amazing amount to play games with kids grades 3-6.  Ridiculous, I know.  Glorified Babysitting.  But man its nice.  We had fun today with Uno, Pigs, and Yahtzee. Tomorrow we'll play a bunch of card games and chinese checkers.

Meanwhile, I'm planning ahead for the fall.  Trying to think of cool lessons for geometry next year.  Any ideas?

Teaching in a great school, and thinking about switching...?

I've been reading a lot of other teacher blogs and I've been thinking about how cushy my job is.  I do work long hours preparing and planning, and like any other new teacher, I work from 7 am till 6 pm most days.  But I don't have to deal with all the red tape from the public schools and most of the kids are very nice and well behaved.  The other faculty at my school love teaching too.  The vast majority of them are top notch teachers who really care about the kids and do an excellent job.  I've had so many role models to follow this year (my first year) and I know they have taught me more than any dumb masters of education could.  

I love my job because I love reaching out to the kids who need me, especially the troubled ones.  But I'm wondering... should I switch to the public system, so I can do even more for kids in America?  I know I could do more good if I taught the not-so-privileged.  Problems with switching: I don't have an education degree.  Just a bachelor's in Genetics from Rutgers and a masters in Biology from MIT.  So if anyone has information about alternate route programs in the Philadelphia area, let me know.

Scientific Method

What about teaching the scientific method by having the kids come up with an experiment to test the bacteria that grow on their cell phones? Kids are obsessed with their cell phones and what better way to grab their attention in the beginning of the year than to show them what really lives on their precious devices?

I got the idea partly from this video:

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=06ef608303015cb30403

I’m going to have the students watch the video at home online and come up with a scientific question they are curious about after watching the video.  I will have materials to check for antibiotic resistance and microscopes for them to look at the colonies they will grow on agar plates.  In September, I’ll tell you how it worked out.  Let me know what you think.  Any biology teachers out there?  Do you think it will work?

Blog Purpose

The goal of my blog is to talk about what I love to do.  Teach!  I love teaching high school students but I’m kind of new at it.  I’ve survived my first year (teaching biology and mathematics) and this is what I want to do for as my career.  Here I will share stories, lesson plans, and I encourage all new (and old) teachers to leave comments and new ideas!  I’m always looking for ways to improve as a teacher.

My header is designed to express the equilibrium that is so hard to manage as a teacher.  I would love my students to be engaged, happy, and thoughtful all the time, but the reality is somewhere in between the two extremes of the classroom equation.  Your thoughts are welcome!