Day 14: Death, Warmed Over

I don't get sick often.

I am sick now.

Since Sunday night, I have slept maybe 6 hours.  The rest of the time, my head is stuffy and my throat is sore.

My students were VERY accommodating, allowing me to teach in a more subdued fashion than I normally operate.

We began our discussion of telescopes today, exploring the differences between refracting and reflecting scopes, including pros and cons of each.

An acceptable refractor

A beautiful reflector

For the record, I would happily accept either as a gift.

It's hard for me to get excited about anything today when it feels as though I have an army of tiny people inflating balloons inside my sinuses.

I am looking forward to setting up the school telescope and scheduling some night sessions. I need to start looking at star maps and find a time when we can observe planets as well as stars and the moon.


In order to move closer to working on kinematics, the physics kids did a lab today on distance and time, setting Hotwheels cars down ramps.  I finally got to break out the Speedometry box that Mattel sent me last year.

Why yes, he DOES have a sonic pen

I had another cool lab to do, but I didn't have the pieces for it, so it'll have to wait.

Day 13: Notes and Allergies

I didn't sleep well last night.  Allergies were killing me and I woke up tired and with a sore throat.

It worked out REALLY well since I had planned to talk most of the day...

In astronomy, before we moved on to the next section, I wanted to make sure they had correct information from the prior one.  The quizzes on Friday showed me that that was not the case.

I find it frustrating that when taking notes, students will sit quietly and listen to what I'm saying.  They will copy down word for word and ask for clarification.  As soon as I ask them to DO something, however, there is a battle, or chatting with friends, or playing on phones.

I know it will take time for them to break the old habits of copying notes and I hope that they will see the benefits of participation soon.

Tomorrow, we start seriously discussing telescopes.  As I was filling out the guided notes for myself this weekend so I could stay ahead of them, I was amazed at how much I was learning.

Telescopes are cool!

They just keep getting bigger too!


I'd write more, but I feel like crap, so here's a picture of me, heading to bed.

Day 12: Retention and Relationships

I am deeply concerned about the academically self-destructive nature that many of my students exhibit.

I'm seeing a large amount of "I don't get this. I'm going to put my head down."  With the huge disparity in background knowledge in all of my classes, I'm finding it very difficult to make sure that the kids who are behind don't fall further behind while not letting the advanced kids get bored.

Before I gave a quiz in Astronomy today, I reminded them that, as juniors and seniors, if they don't understand what's going on, they need to take ownership and ask for help.  Many are taking advantage of this and ask me for help, but the kids who are farthest behind refuse.  When I offer help, they claim they just don't know it and can't.

Several students glanced at the quiz and immediately gave up.

I emphasize growth mindset in class and tell them that if they are in the class, it means that they CAN, but they may have to work a little harder than other students.  That's fine since everyone has strengths and those other students may struggle in areas in which they excel.

I fear that they won't take advantage of the re-assessments and will simply look at the mediocre grades, believing they will never do better.  I know that very few of them have experienced a teacher who allows, and encourages, re-assessment.  This fact leads many of them to think that a grade is final.  They don't even think about taking it again.

I will keep mentioning it and encouraging them to re-assess.

I have some pretty great kids and I can clearly see how the education system has made them feel about themselves and their abilities.



In one class, I had to ask a student to leave the class.  I had asked him several times to be quiet an let me give out instructions.  When I asked him to wait in the hall, he threw a small fit and stormed out.  After some mild profanity, he wandered off and I was forced to write up a referral.

I hate throwing kids out of class and try to minimize it as much as possible.

I saw him later in the hall and we had a conversation.  It was very civil and it was clear that we bore no anger for each other.  We talked about what he was doing and why I did what I did.  We discussed how we can do it differently next time.

I also intervened with the principal on his behalf.  He is a natural leader and I'm hoping that he will become a good one.

I'm doing my best to be encouraging and supportive to everyone, regardless of ability or behavior.



It's Friday.  I'm going to teach myself astronomy, grade papers and pick apples.

Day 11: Moving On!

I'm starting to see some major divisions in my classes.  The Astronomy kids seem to fall into one of two categories.

Either they took the course because they have a genuine interest in Astronomy, or they signed up because they needed a science credit and thought it would be easy.  Now, with 3 weeks into the class, the latter group is beginning to see the error of their ways.  The class will be interesting, but it will not be easy.  Some of these topics are very complicated and nuanced and it will be easy for those who space out (HAHAH! I slay me!) to get left behind.

I don't want this to happen.  I want them to be interested, engaged and willing to do the work.  Some of them are simply unwilling.  I hope that I'll be able to change that.

In Honors Physics, I'm also noticing a disturbing level of algebraic discomfort among many of the students.  In order to get set up for 1D motion and kinematics, they need to be able to manipulate formulae and be comfortable with graphing.

Every student in the room either has passed, or is currently enrolled in, Algebra 2.  Nothing that we are doing should be new, and yet it seems so to many of them.  I asked some of the other science teachers about what I was doing wrong, why I was having so much trouble moving beyond the math review.

I was told that's just how it is.  Even the students in AP classes often need a 1-2 week review of scientific notation, algebraic manipulation and problem solving.

Having been in the math department, I KNOW that these topics are covered.  They are covered in almost every math class that a student takes, starting as early as 6th grade.  So why is there no retention?

I know that there are tons of answers to this question and, at this point, it was rhetorical.  How we got to this point is much less important that what to do about it.

"I'm done reviewing this stuff.  This is an Honors course and if you're here, you can do the work.  So tomorrow, we will be having a quiz on equation manipulation and Monday we are starting labs.  If you need help, I will help you. I will work with you to get you up to speed.  I don't want anyone to fall behind, but I'm done spending class time on pre-requisite skills."

So I gave them a tons of practice sheets for each of the skills they needed and told them to work if they needed the practice.  I'm not grading, or even checking them.  They are for them to take ownership of their learning and identify the skills they need to improve.

I hate phrases like "when you get to college" but the reality is that these kids are college bound and if they walk into a class without the requisite skills, the professor isn't going to use class time to get them up to speed.

In a class of mixed ability, such as the astronomy course, I'm much more willing to spend time of those skills.  I may have unrealistic expectations, and I plan to integrate these skills into the work we are doing, but I don't think anyone signs up for Honors Physics so they can learn Algebra 1 skills.

Day 10: Be A Mentor

I did it again.

I started with a mediocre lesson in 1st period and slowly refined it so by the time I did it for a 5th time, I liked it MUCH more.  We have started discussing spectroscopy and the unique fingerprints that are left by chemicals.

After first period, I realized that I hadn't really given them enough information to do what I had asked.  After 3rd, I realized I had given too much.

I'm still trying to figure out how much I want them to work out and how much I want them to have.  Since I'm not super familiar with the subject matter, it's very difficult for me to tell the difference between important background info and what can be glossed over.

So I showed, and talked about, lots of pretty pictures today.  It worked out well, since they were starting to ask "why do we care about waves so much?"

With all of the uncertainty that I have around my classes this year, one major thing has kept my confidence up and my motor running: I know how to teach.

This is my 7th year in my current district, 9th year as a classroom teacher and 11th year in education.  I'm not the best teacher, but this far into my career, I know that I can do this.  There will bad days and good days, setbacks and leaps forward, but I am a teacher.

I think about how many teachers don't have that to fall back on.

Last night, I spent almost an hour on the phone coaching a first year teacher.  Her practicum was in a high school setting, but now she's working in 1st grade.  She is frustrated, terrified and overwhelmed.  She's not getting the help and support that she desperately needs.

During our conversation, I assured her that what she is feeling is very normal.  The first year as a teacher is often the worst, driving many to question whether they should be teaching at all.

I know this young woman.  I have watched her grow into a remarkable person with a wealth of experiences that will serve her well as an educator.  She is smart, compassionate, kind, driven and inspiring.

I believe that she is also a teacher.  I fear that without the supports that should be in place for her, she may not believe that herself and may not continue along this path.

What she is seeing, in terms of expectations of her, of her students, of her time, are causing her to burn out.  Even over the phone, several hundred miles away, I was able to smell the smolder.  I am afraid.

I am afraid for her, possibly being led to believe that this isn't the profession for her.

I am afraid for her current students who are missing out on the best version of her because that version is buried in paperwork.

I am afraid for future students who might miss out on the incredible experiences that she can help them to have.

I am afraid for where our education system may be heading if this is a representative microcosm.


There seems to have a been a spate of articles recently about teacher shortages.  Very few of them mentioned how new teachers are supported in order to keep them into the profession.  Most of those articles focused on how many fewer students are enrolling in teacher education programs.

I have very mixed feelings about whether my graduate program properly prepared me for what I'm doing.

This new teacher told me flat out that hers didn't prepare her at all.  I'm not surprised.

We need more supports in place for teachers.  We need to remember that they (we) are still human beings with lives outside of school.  We need to have better mentoring programs in place.  We need a growth mindset that allows for mistakes and encourages teachers to take risks.

We need to stop expecting teachers to be perfect right out of the gate.  Or after 10 years.  Or 20.  Or ever.



I believe that everything I've written here applies to veteran teachers, administrators, students and parents as well.

I have the chance to mentor this young woman, to be an ear when she needs to talk, a shoulder when she needs to cry and a sounding board when she need to bounce off ideas.

Teaching is hard.  We all need someone.

We should all strive to BE that someone as well.

Day 9: All Up In Your Grill

A major disadvantage to teaching 5 sections of Astronomy (or any class) right in a row is that I feel like I'm Bill Murray in Groundhog Day.

This is also how I drink coffee

By the time the fifth section rolls around, I could do the class in my sleep, but I also forget what I told other classes, but didn't tell them.  This leads to me making jokes that reference prior classes that only I understand.

A major advantage, however, is that I have 5 tries to fix a lesson.

Today's lesson in astronomy dealt with wave motion.  We've solidly covered the difference between mechanical and electromagnetic waves, but I was struggling to illustrate the differences between transverse and compression waves.

The basic definitions (particle movement perpendicular versus parallel to the wave) are clear enough, but I like visuals, and I think they help to solidify the concepts.

Transverse visuals are easy.  I have a giant spring that runs the length of the room and I snap waves into it, demonstrating how the wave travels to the far side and back.

Compression waves are a little harder to see.  I can flick the spring, but the nature of the medium makes it less than clear.  Luckily, I had 5 classes to come up with a better way.

Period 1: Crappy visuals on the spring led me to add a few pieces of painters tape at regular intervals.  The students were able to see how transverse waves made the tape move up and down.  With the compression waves, they were able to see that the tape moved back and forth, but the visual wasn't great.

Period 2: I added the following scenario: "If you are in the hallway, you have a certain amount of room that you need.  If people get too close, you have two options.  You can either push them back, or you can move away.  The compression wave is you moving away and into someone else, who moves away."

Not a bad analogy, but not great.

Period 3: I did the same lesson as the two previous classes, but this time I had 2 students come up to the front and stand side by side with their hands up.  I took a step towards the first student and pushed on his hand.  Without my having to say anything, he stepped back and pushed on the second student, who stepped back.

Period 4: Same demo, but with more kids.

Period 6: Same as previous, but with more kids and less physical pushing,  I just got close and they backed away.  The really cool thing about this was that students in their seats were able to see the wave as the delay of movement.  The last kid in line moved significantly later than I did as the compression of social discomfort and personal space violation moved down the line.

It was a pretty cool lesson and I think the students enjoyed it as well.

Who knew that violating personal space could be so educational!


After school, I opened my room up to have some students come in and play with the 3Doodlers.  I had an announcement yesterday and today and a few kids came and loved it! They had a great time playing around and I had a great time having happy kids in my room.  Hopefully, they will spread the word and the next time I can stay, there will be more kids.

Day 8: Feeling Zen

I woke up at 4 and I couldn't find the pants I wanted to wear today and my gas tank was empty and half of the work that I did this weekend didn't transfer to my work account and the printers were down and my rosters didn't update and by the time I got to my cup of coffee it was cold and a student slam dunked my trasketball net off of the wall and the wave demonstration spring came loose and slammed into my leg and more students were disruptive than they have been and I bet they don't have these issues in Australia.

And it's Monday.

But...

The weather is beautiful and the heat finally broke and my classroom smelled nice and I got everything ready before the kids got here and I have a pork roast in the crock pot for dinner and I had an excellent weekend and I encouraged a kid who was disruptive who then became very productive and I continued to stalk students with the vortex cannon and I am starting to feel more comfortable with my classes.

Yes, some disappointing things happened and some others didn't go the way I wanted.  None of those were permanent issues and will soon make way for others.

When I was in college, a group of Tibetan monks came and created a mandala in our student center.  They spent three days carefully placing grains of sand to create an stunning work of complex art that was 3 feet in diameter.

At the end of the 3 days, there was an elaborate ceremony where they carefully, and ritualistically, destroy the art and scatter the grains in the river.  This demonstrates impermanence and encourages human beings to let go of attachments.

Three summers ago, I got my first tattoo.  In small elegant lettering on my chest, I have written "This Too Shall Pass."  This is designed to help me remember the impermanence of life.  Everything that vexes and upsets me will eventually be gone.  I need to live more in the present moment and not be so angry and frustrated with minor annoyances.

I'm not very good at this, but I'm working on it.

The flip side is that the best of things will also pass away.  Especially in terms of my children, I don't live enough in the present and recognize the good things, cherishing them while they remain.

Good or bad, ugly or beautiful, familiar or new, all things end.

Today was by no means a bad day.  Some annoying things happened, but they were just that: annoying.

They weren't devastating, or life-changing.  Just annoying.

So I'm letting them go.

I had a good day.

I hope you had one as well.