Sharing my goals

I've been thinking about this post for a few days now ... and it's not getting any easier to write!  So here goes ... 

One wise administrator told us some time ago that setting too many goals was like having no goals at all.  Too many goals ... like too many irons in the fire ... simply distract, and dilute efforts.  It's difficult to pin down goals ... but today I identify with three ... 

(1) Professionally, I want to encourage, support, mentor teachers.  I hope to accomplish this goal in at least 2 ways ... one by curating good ideas in my blog and the other by volunteering in local classrooms. If I can help you ... I'm more than willing to try!

(2) Professionally and personally to continue learning ... by reading professional literature, participating in Twitter chats, engaging in conversations with teachers about the art and science of teaching and learning.

(3) Last, to live in the present ... enjoying quiet mornings, serendipitous opportunities, laughter with grandchildren, appreciating this season of life!

I relate well to weekly challenges ... love this opportunity for #SundayFunday!

Just my 2 cents ... #MTBoS

Every year about this time there is a discussion about #MTBoS ... especially its inclusivity or lack thereof.  There is usually a discussion about how to involve more math teachers and how to help them feel welcome, connected.

I read Dan's blog about retiring the hashtag #MTBoS and his suggestion that #iteachmath might be better.  I've also been reading the discussion in Twitter and the other blog spinoffs - decided to share my own 2 cents worth!

I returned to the math classroom after having been in administration for 12 years.  I was excited and anxious ... knowing that I was rusty, needing a refresher on the best ideas for teaching math. I began searching online for ideas ... and that's how I discovered this group of teachers referred to as the MTBoS.  I was amazed at their openness in sharing and how interesting their ideas were.  I started following along as best I could - reading as many blogs as I could.  At that point I was not a Twitter user.

What caught my eye in those early days were compilations like #Made4Math and #MyFavFriday. By following those and tentatively posting my own ideas in those lists I made connections with a few people.

It was not long before there was an MTBoS challenge  ... and I ventured to join Twitter.  So overwhelming! And so enlightening!  I realized that was where the discussions were although I wish all of those discussions somehow resulted in blog posts!  And it was in joining Twitter, I discovered Twitter chats - concentrated discussions at a certain hour of the week on various books, articles ... and my heart was particularly happy.

Through participation in #Made4Math, #MyFavFriday, and Twitter Chats I began to build relationships with a few teachers.  It wasn't until then that I felt like I belonged ... although I'm reminded it's not at all about belonging.  It's about participating!

Posting a tweet does not a relationship make!

I felt like an outsider often on Twitter among what some refer to as "rock stars." And at first I was uncomfortable and sometimes critical. But that changed. I realized that there were a group of teachers who already had relationships, who may have been among the founders, who established TMC and attended it annually. They know each other personally, with face to face connections.  That doesn't make them a clique. It makes them friends.

What made a difference for me was realizing that if I had a question, wanted help, all I had to do was ask.  And if I wanted to share, I was more than welcome to do so.  It's about participating!

I've told every teacher I know, every teacher I meet about the #MTBoS, in every workshop, and even strangers.  Yes, I find the hashtag cumbersome. I sometimes feel like I'm apologizing because it's such a mouthful. It is a bit obscure.  It requires explanation.  And for that reason, a hashtag that requires no explanation, one that is obvious, makes sense to me.

 For me it's not the hashtag that alienates. Instead I think too often we only share the amazing ... the best of the best. Surely not every day in the classroom is a number talk, estimation, an open middle problem, a three act task, in depth formative assessment, and no notes or routine practice?  What makes me want to push Twitter away, retreat in my own world is that I can't live up to all the high quality math ideas every day! So I feel bad for myself, and look at those online as "rock stars" who seem to have it all together.  That's when #MTBoS alienates. And it's not the hashtag's fault at all :)

I'm so very grateful to all the math teachers who post online ... no matter the hashtag, I'll still follow, share, and encourage others to do so!

Tutoring Tidbits #1

Tutoring in the summer is different than tutoring during the school year. During the school year, I focus our tutoring efforts on the current unit of study while also working on gaps. When the summer started and I didn't have that structure, I had to decide how to focus the tutoring sessions.

This summer I have two tutoring students going into 9th grade algebra.  These students are worlds apart!

Student A failed 8th grade math, did not demonstrate appropriate mastery on the standardized test, and has attention issues. He's a very nice teen, polite, and desires to do well. Standardized tests create a lot of anxiety for him.


Student B is gifted, but was not placed in higher math classes, so 'feels' behind her classmates in math. She will attend a new high school in the fall, start pre-IB courses, and most of her classmates will have already completed algebra. Her parents requested tutoring for pre-teaching the course to alleviate some of the pressure expected, and to provide the boost she might need to maintain a strong GPA.  At some point she wants to "catch up" with her classmates by possibly taking geometry in the summer, or by taking Algebra 2 and Geometry in the same year.

This summer I decided to work on two topics with Student A. I chose solving equations, and graphing linear functions.  We spent the month of June - well, just an hour a week - on solving equations.  I saw good progress.  Then we both took vacations.  I chose not to check on those skills today, but instead started on linear functions.  We
worked today on calculator tasks to explore what happens when you change the coefficient of x or when you added something to x.  I am hoping that our work this summer on these two topics will be enough to help him get off to a great start in the fall. I also hope his mom will let me continue to work with him.

Student B and I worked on an introduction to quadratic functions today - very similar to the same exploration I did with Student A - examining the values of a, h, and k and how they affected the graph of quadratics. This summer Student A and I have explored systems of equations, multiplying binomials, and factoring (a = 1 only).

Both of the  students suggested that if the coefficient of x were big enough the lines would be vertical.  So Student A checked y = 10x and y = 100x.  Student B said how is it not possible that the two parts of the parabola won't cross over itself if "a" gets large enough or merge into one line?  She tested several quadratic equations.  She was impressed that if you chose a small enough fraction, the parabola flattened out a lot.

I'm thinking tonight how I might move each of them to the next step ... how to structure our hour next week! Talking with students one on one is so much fun!

Not math ... just little kids!

My husband and I have 4 grandsons. We adore them, and are blessed to get to spend a lot of time with them. It is our choice to leave nearby, to share in their lives. So we are kid-types ... maybe even kid-magnets!

Yesterday we were standing in a checkout line at Toys R Us buying a birthday gift. A little guy in front of us said, "Hi!" We responded with hello, and smiled.  The kid said, "You are buying a toy for your grandson!?" My husband replied, "Yes, we are! But why couldn't I buy this toy for myself?" The youngster quickly said, "But adults don't play with toys!" He was four, spending the day with his granddad. He told us he gets to spend every Friday with him.

Then tonight we were at our favorite burger spot (P Terry), and a cute little kid said, "Hi!" We responded with hello and a smile.  My husband asked him his name and how old he was. The kid responded - he was just three! I spoke with his mom, explained that we are grandparents to 4 boys. She told her son that my husband is a "Pops."  The boy named him, "Pops P Terry!"

I think I may have to start recording our conversations with the "littles" set!

Five Tips from the Retired

I've been thinking about all my friends prepping for school!  And I've joined a new group - a Facebook group for Secondary ELA teachers.  I know, right!?!  I have both math and ELA certification - although I never taught high school English.  I did teach middle school English and loved it.

Anyway, this Facebook group has a lot of newbies on it!  I'm so excited about new teachers and the joys ahead of them!  But I know, too, they will experience exhaustion, frustration, and will for at least a few minutes lose hope!

I learned a few things over 30+ years in schools.  I'm wondering if any of these thoughts might help the new and inexperienced?

Many, maybe even most students and parents appreciated me over the years. I have the "good" letters tucked away here and there. I still correspond with, and even meet up with students that I taught. But not all students and parents liked me.  In fact - some parents lobbied to have their students removed from my classroom before we even met. It hurt my feelings. I learned that my goal was to develop as positive rapport as possible with both students and parents, but to keep my focus on being the teacher, facilitator, guide, lifetime learner. I was teacher first, friend second if and when that became possible.

Not everyone student was engaged every day all the time. I learned to vary activities, to move about the room, to use humor, to even sing a bit (my favorite!). But most of all I learned to talk less and insist that students work more.  "Don't talk more than 10 minutes" became my motto!

There were times when lessons failed. It was a challenge to learn to let go, shift gears, do something else. But this is where my love for the planning of lessons helped greatly.  Don't persist in a lesson fail - do something else. Plan an alternate activity if possible. Or whip out the whiteboards, and practice, practice, practice!

Early on I realized that I needed to find a balance in the classroom - a balance of introducing new topics with time to practice. This was easier when I had daily classes.  I found the balance challenging in my last years with 90 minutes every other day. When I had daily classes, although they were shorter, I was able to build in a class period now and then for a catch up day.  In the rotating block classes, I worked on building in a catch up day now and then -  but usually for only 30 - 45 minutes.  Sometimes I even told students up front, "Today is an old fashioned worksheet day. I want you to practice, practice, practice." I paired such a day with working in partners or small groups so students could collaborate and check their work. Avoiding a frantic pace, finding time to breathe easier, and allowing time for the math to simmer ... tough but necessary!

I wanted students to have feedback daily so they could take ownership of their learning. I found using online quizzing tools (Google Forms, Socrative, Quizizz) were great for quick formative assessment.  Yes - they were multiple choice which often gets a bad rap.  But for the daily check for students it was good. Using the online tools freed up my time to work on lesson planning and to give better written feedback on quizzes and tests.

Teaching is hard!  It's also possibly the most rewarding job ever :) I cried some days, laughed others. Dragged myself home to bed many a day!  I made mistakes - some I couldn't fix. But each day was a new day ... an adventure in life and learning.

If you are a new and/or inexperienced teacher looking for a listening ear ... contact me at algebrasfriend at gmail dot com. I'd love to listen!

Every day a Saturday!

Whoa – it’s been a while since I blogged. I think about it a lot but thinking and doing are clearly different animals! 

It’s as if a room-darkening curtain drops down around my mind when I begin to think about blogging! With the lights out, there isn’t much to say.

Today I’m pushing through the darkness – bound to be some light on the other side!

I completed one full year of retirement … it’s been fun but there have also been some challenges. (I still mark time in school years 😜 )

Yay, no structure!! AND Whoa, no structure??

At first I loved not having structure; I especially loved not having a bedtime or an alarm clock.  I’ve never been a night owl but I quickly became fond of the hours between 10 pm and midnight – quiet, peaceful!

I also loved having time to explore hobbies and crafts. I learned to enjoy easy reading – set a goal to read a book a week and that’s been fun.  I use Goodreads to keep up with those books ...  feel free to friend me there. While I’ve been a member a long time, I haven’t taken advantage of all the features. Maybe this year I’ll write reviews and engage in discussions … who knows!

The challenges in retirement came from the opposite side of the coin – the lack of structure was difficult. I didn’t want a 40 – 80 hour workweek but I needed something on the calendar to help me focus.

In my tour as an educator I had been an elementary administrator for 10 years. I had seen first hand the value of community volunteers. So I offered to volunteer in my grandson’s second grade classroom. I offered to do whatever she needed.  I can cut and paste with the best! I can also read with kids … and yes, I can do math with them. I think my favorite activity was when she was working on a writing project and wanted students to brainstorm first. She gave me a set of questions, and I interviewed each child, writing down their responses. They used their interview responses to create their projects. Asking 2^nd graders what makes them special was insightful! 

Next I decided I missed math. So I offered to tutor middle and high school students in our area.  I do charge for tutoring and that’s become my fun money. I discovered that tutoring is challenging. Not every kid whose mom hires me wants to do math for an hour. And some have issues – ADHD being a real challenge for kids. Tutoring tapped into the creative part of my brain that was eager for a workout.

So now I had about 7 – 8 hours on my calendar that helped to shape my school year … a far cry from the 40 -80 hours of previous years but just enough to provide boundaries to the days.

My husband (also retired) and I commented that every evening has been a Friday night and everyday a Saturday.  And yes, that’s the huge benefit of retirement.  It is also the huge challenge – if everyday is the same then where’s the differentiation?  I've been working through that!

Anyway … I’m already looking forward to the start of school in a whole different way than I used to.  And I think I’ll share some “getting ready for school” posts.

prayers offered