Tagged: #MfAproud
Who knew Systems in 3 Variables could be fun?
I’ve been tweeting about various highlights of the start of the school year – wonderful 
comments on name tents, successful ‘stand and talks’, the launching of “Mathematicians Beyond White Dudes”, and the “What is Math?” lesson. The last two in this list, I am convinced, has won me some engagement for which I might have otherwise needed to fight, if indeed those students were willing to become involved at all in my math madness. And I owe debts to Rachel Rosales, Sara Vanderwerf, Annie Perkins, and Brian Palacios for sharing their hard work so that I might improve my practice, and the 
educational experience of my students, hereinafter occasionally referred to as “the kiddies,” with great affection. I have hesitated to blog about all this, because I am standing on a lot of shoulders, and don’t want to claim someone else’s genius as my own (that, and the fact that my body is screaming from the enforced transition from an 8 am wake-up time, to 5:15 am, or, as appropriately dubbed by my daughter, ass o’clock.
But today I had a success that I am pleased to own. This is a lesson that flopped dismally last year which I was able, with reflection, to fix. In our department, we have debated the value of teaching systems of equations in three variables; we don’t do 3D graphing, or cover the equation of a plane, and opportunities for context are thus lacking. But the Math Overlords in Albany (aka the Board of Regents) have included it in the standards, which by the way, have been recently revised and renamed the Next Generation Learning Standards- but I digress and will only inflict THAT rant on close family and friends.
Whether or not I feel content is appropriately placed in the curriculum, I owe it to my students to prepare them for the gatekeeping exam they will take at the end of my course, and it behooves me to find some way to make the topic intriguing without having the time to address graphing in three dimensions, providing adequate context and background. Last year I came up with the idea of having the kiddies make up number puzzles. I opened the lesson with Task Cards; when students entered the room, each table had a different set of requirements of their card. I made sure my instructions were clear and easy to follow (famous last words, right?). Total flop- the kids had no idea what to do, and looked at me like I was speaking a language that none of them knew. I guess I was. After a little flailing about on my part, we abandoned the activity, and I launched into the very dry task of demonstrating how to solve a system in 3 variables.
Fast forward to Fall 2017. One year more experience, one more year of sharing online, participating in the #DITL (Day in the Life) blogging challenge, and attending high quality professional development at Math for America and being a part of that community. Another attendance at wonderful, inspiring Twitter Math Camp – probably most important of all – surrounded by friends, progressive teaching, and a group of educators dedicated to continual growth for both themselves and their students. A booster shot for my teacher soul, which I was terribly afraid was burning out.
Today, the 6th full day of school, I introduced Visibly Random Groupings in this class. I waited a week because this class is not in my regular classroom with its lovely tables, and we have to put the desks into groups when we enter. I’m still trying to work out the logistics in my mind of moving in and out of a classroom for one period, moving the desks, giving out cards for seating…I know there’s a smooth solution that I just haven’t envisioned yet (feel free to make suggestions!).
I began the lesson with a number puzzle above – it involved three numbers, didn’t necessarily require a system with three variables to solve. The kiddies got busy as soon as they entered the room. Several did write systems with three variables, and quickly substituted into them. Jonathan, my super-eager, super bright 9th grader in Algebra 2, asked if he ‘was allowed’ to solve it with just one variable. Pretty quickly, students arrived at solutions, and wanted to share them. We put some work on the board, discussed all the different strategies involved – guess and check, elimination, substitution – everything we had used when reviewing systems with 2 variables for the last two days.
Then I put this task on the board. I read the directions to them, giving them 
examples of what the result of each step might result be. I learned last year that it was crucial to the success of this task to be explicit – despite my faith in my students’ abilities, they needed some translation of what I was looking for; this leg up and the experience of the warm-up gave them enough support to begin to play without me telling them exactly what to do. The room was BUZZING. The kids debated which numbers to choose. They debated which variables to use. 
They wrote the systems and then tested them. Twice. And then I gave each group a small whiteboard on which to write their system. The groups swapped boards, and tried to find solutions. There were heads together, signaling across the room. Not a phone in sight. And I heard lots of great talk – students justifying to one another, arguing with each other. No one needed my help, so I walked around eavesdropping, and grinning. There was frustration and struggle, but the 
kiddies were so motivated to figure things out, that they took that frustration and used it to fuel another attempt. They took pictures of the whiteboards so they could continue working on them later. And I could see that the class NOW was truly primed for solving the more difficult systems that they will encounter on the state assessment. As the end of the period drew near, I presented an example of the type of system we would be working on next week, just to get them thinking. When the bell rang, several students stayed behind, continuing to work/argue/get excited about solving the systems they had traded with one another.
I’ve been working hard to incorporate engagement strategies and keep the kiddies talking about math to each other. I’ve seen enough positive action thus far to keep moving forward. I love the feeling of being so intentional and witnessing the results. Okay – I know the school year is only six full days old, but I’m on the right path.
A postscript that I’m trying not to dwell on: As of this fall, there are two tracks for Algebra 2 in my school: one for students who passed the Geometry Regents, and one for those who did not. (Students who retake the Geometry Regents and pass it in January can move from one track to the other). There are reasons for this that make sense and others with which I disagree. But the issue at hand is that many students were erroneously programmed in Algebra 2, and this is allegedly going to be fixed early next week – which means A LOT of students are going to be reprogrammed. I am currently teaching 2 sections of Regents Algebra 2 and 2 sections of non-Regents Algebra 2, and all this good work I’ve been doing of introducing my classroom culture and connecting with my students – well, we’re all in for some disruption. Wish me luck in weathering it all.
A Day in the Life: School during Vacation
Even though it’s vacation I’m headed into town on a rush hour train for 3 days of computer science training . I’m excited to learn something new, and the prospect of teaching something new. And the bonus: I’ll be getting paid for these days (and given lunch!). Giving up three days of this last break before a big solid chunk of spring term- you can’t buy time. I thought a lot about that when I signed up. Learning how to code has been a goal of mine for a long, LONG time, and despite the numerous freely available resources, I have yet to make any progress. So this structured (and paid) training seems the best way to go. And I’ll get to hang out with some colleagues from school. I could use a little bonding time with my local math teachers.
The workshop is being held in a space called Breather (the wifi password is peaceandquiet). We introduce ourselves on Padlet and with name tags (color-coded to reflect our level of expertise; I am beginner’s blue). The participants are seated at two long tables. and it seems that there are less than 25 people here, surprisingly. For a city-
\wide initiative, I thought the class would be larger. The teachers come from almost every subject area – math, science, social studies, special education, and even a school librarian (who, by the way, is a killer Kahoot player!), and we have two administrators in our group. A word about the special educator – she is an angel in disguise (although her name is Angelina, perhaps not so disguised); a brief conversation about her program this year (8th grade Algebra, 6th grade Math, self-contained general education (all core subjects) with students from 6th through 8th grade), and her focus on providing more tools for her students floored me. I feel like I am pushing the edge of my capabilities when I have more than two preps. I’ve always been a huge fan of special education teachers, and would like to pay some homage to another enormously generous human being.
A lot of the morning was spent orienting us to the course that we will be teaching, clarifying what computer science is, what coding is, and how computer science evidences itself in our lives now. At the time, it felt a bit annoying to use two to three hours processing information that could have been presented in a fraction of the time, but with 
the vantage point of 24 hours past [as I write this], I realize that the facilitator was modeling the start of the course for our students. There was a great deal of collegiality despite different levels of expertise among the students in the class. We are all (I think) here to learn something new on our vacation, something designed to provide broader access to technology and computer science to all of our students. So there is, I think, some common purpose.
After lunch, we finally had the opportunity to dig in to the lessons and begin learning Python. I am thrilled by how straightforward it seems, although the exercises we did were, of course, elementary. I find the logic and need for syntax familiar and clear, and I can see a path for myself for studying. The course comes complete with lessons, quizzes, 
practices, and assessments, as well as moderated teacher and student forums for support. I can easily see teaching the class with a modicum of modification – really, the addition of enrichment resources, and a daily classroom structure. I left the class eager to learn more.
I then headed over to the Math for America offices to meet with Jose Vilson. We will be co-facilitating the Racially Relevant Pedagogy Professional Learning Team for one more semester, and needed to map out the agenda for the four sessions. The opportunity to work with Jose has been wonderful, for all of the obvious reasons, but even more because I’ve grown through the experience. Rising to the occasion of facilitating this PLT and 
running the single session larger event forced me to push my own envelope – in a direction I have always wanted to go but couldn’t quite get to on my own. I’m thankful for his good humored patience with me, and for the ways in which our styles of working complement one another. I’m ready to continue the work beyond the PLT, and the clarity of my awareness has developed in large part as a result of our collaboration.
I finally got home at 6 pm and began doing some of the legwork for the first PLT meeting, which is next Tuesday. Part of that task was downloading a Key & Peele video, The Substitute, But a foray on to the Key & Peele YouTube channel resulted in me watching video after video, and laughing more than I have in weeks. I highly recommend you do the same. Here’s my personal fave:
Reflection
1) Teachers make a lot of decisions throughout the day. Sometimes we make so many it feels overwhelming. When you think about today, what is a decision/teacher move you made that you are proud of? What is one you are worried wasn’t ideal?
Since today wasn’t a teaching day, I didn’t really have any minute-to-minute decisions to make. In the workshop, I did my best to participate in a way that I would appreciate as a teacher, and to stay on task even when the direct instruction got a little looooong.
2) Every person’s life is full of highs and lows. Share with us some of what that is like for a teacher. What are you looking forward to? What has been a challenge for you lately?
Even though I would love a longer vacation, I am looking forward to digging in to the meat of the semester when we return. I was out sick the two days before the break, and was unhappy to break the momentum that had been building up in my classes this term.
3) We are reminded constantly of how relational teaching is. As teachers we work to build relationships with our coworkers and students. Describe a relational moment you had with someone recently.
I am attending this computer science workshop with two other math teachers from my school. My office is in a different part of the building than the main math office, it has been nice to spend some time with them. In particular, I have had the opportunity to reconnect a bit with a teacher (who has become the school programmer, a huge job in a school of 4,000 students) with whom I was quite close. Our paths have diverged, but we still enjoy each other’s company. That’s been a bonus of this week.
4) Teachers are always working on improving, and often have specific goals for things to work on throughout a year.
My goal has been to ‘see’ my students and develop better relationships with them. My work with Jose, and on my own, has been progressing; I am working with two other teachers to help form a social justice club at school, and continue to educate myself [and those around me] in undoing racism.
5) What else happened this month that you would like to share?
My proposal to run a morning session with Danielle Reycer and Jasmine Walker at Twitter Math Camp 2017 was accepted! Our planning has begun, and I am registered to go! Atlanta, here I come‼
The Longest Day of the Year – #DITL December 21, 2016
geobarnett.com
6:18 a.m. – On the Bus
Yikes- Day in the life on the longest darkest day of the year! Despite a restless night with a kitten whose loud purring is adorable when you’re NOT trying to sleep, I’m full of energy (well, that may be somewhat of an exaggeration at 6:24 am) this morning. Yesterday was a banner day- the piece about me in Chalkbeat (see previous post) and a meeting of the MfA Racially Relevant Pedagogy PLT with incredible flow and connection. Feeling blessed, lapsed Jew that I am.
Another good thing today: I didn’t forget my phone and materials for after-work commitments (like I did yesterday). I am good to go.
And three days until break. Not going anywhere, and not too many plans – just reading , quilting, restoring. Can. Not. Wait.
But there’s three days of math to do as well. In Algebra 2, we’ll be looking at modeling with quadratic functions, and in my Discrete Math classes, art created with geometric transformations and modular arithmetic will take us through the end of the week. As I am typing this on the bus, I decide to look for a Desmos activity when I get to school to introduce the quadratic modeling topic, postponing the worksheet (exploratory though it is) until tomorrow. I received an email yesterday telling me that a two day topic previously included in our pacing calendar has been removed, buying me two days of breathing room and time to let the kiddies play math a little. An early holiday gift.
6:55 a.m. – Arrival at school
by a Modeling Card Sort to suggest the use of different models for different situations (not all students may finish both activities, but that’s okay). And I think I will assign everyone’s fave, Will It Hit the Hoop? for homework. Plenty of time for debrief and
worksheet explorations tomorrow. The students will be turning in their Illustrated Task Projects today; maybe I can post a few while observing their progress on the iPads. I love lessons like this. The kids are engaged, talking about math, and I can…watch. It’s a beautiful thing – thanks yet again, Desmos! The time is 7:28 am; and with 32 minutes to first bell, it’s time to set up.9:57 4th Period Prep
to my surprise (I need to stop being surprised by stuff like this). This is when the fabulous Pause button came in handy; I stopped the class and we discussed the relationship of area and perimeter, and how to express the dimensions of a rectangle if the perimeter is 
known. The big idea that the vertex of the downward facing parabola will represent the maximum value of the function in a real world context was clear (or appeared to be) by the end of the class. Tomorrow, the students will on some problems involving projectile motion; I’m hoping thatBuild A Bigger Field laid some solid groundwork. I guess I’ll find out, won’t I?
were their spirits, cameradarie, and high jinks. Saidul earned highest marks – I did my best to keep him challenged – and helped his friends whose English skills were not so well developed with their Geometry. He was a godsend in this sense; there were boys I could not help given the size and behavior of the class, and Saidul taught them. This term he is in Algebra 2 with a teacher who takes many shortcuts in his lessons and is known for giving high grades. But Saidul is a math nerd at heart, and wants to understand the big ideas behind what is learning. So he visits me frequently, and we both enjoy our lessons immensely. I’m always glad this high-spirited and intelligent student has crossed my path.2:27 p.m. School day is over
Many of the illustrated task projects are great; it is clear that a lot of students went the extra mile with graphic design, and my classroom is looking mathematically festive. I was touched by the [very bad] math jokes students put on their mini-posters.
During 8th period, the Instructional Cabinet (of which I am a member) met. This is a group of teachers and administrators charged with improving instruction school-wide through focused efforts; this fall, the entire school has been working through mini-inquiry cycles. The principal attended this meeting, and greeted me with an acknowledgment of the interview in Chalkbeat, which started off like this: “When I first saw the headline Midwood Teacher…., I thought, ‘Oh sh*#!?#t, what did she say?'”. My fearless leader – ‘nuf said. I was asked to sit on this committee by my Assistant Principal, a woman who I admire and who always has my back, so I said yes. But I’m not feeling like it’s a place where I can be effective, probably because of the traditional (and somewhat limited) vision of the school leadership. Another reason I think the meetings feel frustrating to me is that there is a subtext among all the APs that I can’t translate. It’s a learning experience, anyway.
8:08 p.m. Home at Last
Reflection
1) Teachers make a lot of decisions throughout the day. Sometimes we make so many it feels overwhelming. When you think about today, what is a decision/teacher move you made that you are proud of? What is one you are worried wasn’t ideal?
I was happy with my decision to go for a more student-centered exploratory activity in Algebra 2, although I think the decisions I made in the moments of class as far as directing or guiding student work could have been better, making the lesson more effective.
2) Every person’s life is full of highs and lows. Share with us some of what that is like for a teacher. What are you looking forward to? What has been a challenge for you lately?
I am looking forward to seeing the Discrete Math projects; I know that many students will be able to relax their math performance anxiety and have fun with the assignment.
The challenge I am facing as a teacher at the moment is structuring the end of the term in Algebra 2. I am concerned that there are holes in the content I have taught because of our choppy shift to the Common Core standards. I won’t have the same kids in the spring for the most part, and I want to make sure I have sent them off to other teachers well prepared.
3) We are reminded constantly of how relational teaching is. As teachers we work to build relationships with our coworkers and students. Describe a relational moment you had with someone recently.
As I described in the post, I had a wonderful meeting with Saidul today. I love that he trusts me to teach him ‘the right way’, and that he seeks me out to deepen his understanding. He’s so bright and interested, and I hope he keeps going with his education. As a recent immigrant, he may have some rough times ahead. I worry.
4) Teachers are always working on improving, and often have specific goals for things to work on throughout a year. What have you been doing to work toward your goal? How do you feel you are doing?
I think my connections with students are strong, and the steps I am continually taking to see them, really see them, help. There are still students who have pushed me to the edge of caring with their attitudes, even though I know some of the extreme behavior is a cry for attention and help. But still, I think I am making progress towards my goal.
5) What else happened this month that you would like to share?
The article in Chalkbeat, and the reaction from colleagues and friends has been overwhelmingly wonderful and warming, and something I sorely needed this month. There have been personal and medical trials, and the waves of love remind me of what is important. I’m a lucky gal.
Ms. Menard and the Very Blustery Day: #DITL November 21, 2016
geobarnett.com
This post comes to you at 6:22 AM on the first very cold and blustery day of the season. It’s the start of the short pre- Thanksgiving week, and I am looking forward to the 4 day weekend probably as much as my students. The harsh chill wind feels appropriate after the morning news; stories which contrast some Jewish support for Donald Trump with his anti-Muslim rhetoric and views are particularly upsetting this morning. After a lifetime of holding up the Holocaust and saying, “never forget, never again,” it appears that some of my cultural compatriots are doing exactly that. The fear my Muslim students expressed to me on November 9 stays with me, and I am wondering how I can make them feel safe, at least in my classroom. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about privilege the last few weeks, and I can thank the upset in the election for this – perhaps the only benefit I can see right now.
On the agenda today: In my three sections of Algebra 2, the students will be working in groups on tomorrow’s exam. This is the first time I have tried this strategy, but, bolstered by input from Jonathan Claydon, Amy Hogan and my office mate, I’m hoping the communal efforts will boost student understanding of the content, and their independent demonstrations of mastery. My concerns include making sure no exams (or photos of them) leave the classroom, and students not making good use of their time together. In Discrete Math, we will beginning our unit on Problem Solving strategies, which is a distillation of the course I taught last fall. I will still be using problem sets from Crossing the River with Dogs, but I’ve come up with several different versions of each set to use for assessment. The summative project in this unit will involve the students creating problem sets of their own; again, I am trying to counter any inclination to over-collaborate (how’s that for a euphemism?).
It’s not even 7:30 AM and I volunteered to go on the spring trip to Quebec with the foreign language department. I don’t speak any French, but I’d love to visit Canada, and maybe 
they need a math teacher!? The sound of the wind is a howl in my office, which is located on a corner of the school building on the top floor. Here we go, Monday morning.
9:51 am
Two sections of Algebra 2 worked on the ‘practice exam’; many students commented that they found it a helpful exercise. From my view, the group review surfaced the topics that need the most study, and I was able to reiterate these areas to the entire class. For me, it was an opportunity to observe, deflect questions and refer the students back to one another for support. At the end of each class, the students were puzzled that there would be no answer key provided for this review, and that they needed to leave the papers with me. But I provided a review and practice sheet for them last week, complete with an answer key, as well as an assignment on deltamath.com with many practice questions. I think it may have dawned on some of the students that they were looking at the actual exam, and this will be the only time I can use this element of surprise. Hopefully, I will see better results and more work that evidences understanding tomorrow.
A new basketball league was formed in which each of the teams will play three games against each of the other teams. There are seven teams: the Antelopes, the Bears, the 
Cubs, the Dusters, the Eagles, the Foxes, and the Goats. How many games will be played in all?
The range of approaches was impressive, although very few students attempted to draw a picture for a solution. I saw charts, lists, tree diagrams, and on some papers, a simple but erroneous 7 x 3 = 21. Many students who realized that the Antelopes needed to play 18 games assumed that each of the other 6 teams would play 18 different games as well. But in each class, there was at least one student who understood that the number of games each team would play when calculated this way was double the actual amount. It was a clear learning moment for those students who had made the error – I hope. (Come to think of it, the student work on this problem would make good fodder for mathmistakes.org!) I drew a network sketch on the board to show how I calculated the answer, but it looked complicated to many of the students – I’m not sure I disagreed.
We moved on to Model Train Set:
thought – this solution appealed to the geometer in me.
solving quadratic inequalities,” or “Everyone should review Focus Directrix form of the equation of a parabola”. I hope they take my suggestion to heart. I’ve got 4 girls in my office at the moment, practicing those two topics (and others) until this afternoons basket ball game, and I’m hoping that their efforts are indicative of those of their fellow classmates. I’d really love to see some improvement in the exam scores. I can’t wait to see their faces, and hear their comments, when they realize they had been working on the exam all along. Will they be happy? Peeved that I dissembled today? Will I see work that truly evidences understanding rather than mere recall from the practice?
that I never turn down an opportunity to talk geometry. I turned her on to my favorite compass – always fun to see how excited someone becomes when they realize there is an alternative to the typical pointy hard-to-control tools. I love having these long term relationships with students – watching them grow, and helping them learn to appreciate math – even if it means an extra-long Monday.
at one of New York’s specialized high schools. She texted me earlier this evening while studying for a geometry exam (seems to be going around tonight..), and not only am I sucker for geometry, but I’m a sucker for this kid as well. It was my pleasure to discuss negation, triangle centers, and congruence shortcuts with her.Reflection
1) Teachers make a lot of decisions throughout the day. Sometimes we make so many it feels overwhelming. When you think about today, what is a decision/teacher move you made that you are proud of? What is one you are worried wasn’t ideal?
I was very proud of my deflecting all student questions during the exam review today. I redirected the children back to each other, and answered their questions with more questions. And I think I managed to keep them from being furious with me while I was doing it.
Conversely, I think I could have pushed my Discrete Math students with some questioning a little more during the problem solving activity. I’m going to work on that in the lessons to come.
2) Every person’s life is full of highs and lows. Share with us some of what that is like for a teacher. What are you looking forward to? What has been a challenge for you lately?
3) We are reminded constantly of how relational teaching is. As teachers we work to build relationships with our coworkers and students. Describe a relational moment you had with someone recently.
I am feeling more confident in the relationships I am developing with people at Math for America. I’ve come a long way to get there, but that’s another story for another post (maybe).
4) Teachers are always working on improving, and often have specific goals for things to work on throughout a year. What have you been doing to work toward your goal? How do you feel you are doing?
I had four students come see me for extra help today in preparation for tomorrow’s exam – they came bustling in with their snacks in between classes and the school basketball game. They asked questions, helped each other, and worked away. I love when the kids are that comfortable in my office, and it lets me know I am creating safe spaces for them in which to be themselves.
5) What else happened this month that you would like to share?
Saturday night was Nerd Prom aka the Math for America Fall Function, complete with aerial entertainment, decagonal menus, and a mayoral speech. I said in my last post that November 2016 has not been my favorite month ever, but Saturday evening helped. Thanks, Math for America!
Day in the Life: Professional Development?
Even without the students coming today, I was sleepless last night, wondering why I work in a job that fills me with so much anxiety. Curriculum on which I have little input (despite appearances to the contrary), possible schedule from hell, a sinus headache from non-Tropical Storm Hermine – all these gnawed at my brain despite my efforts to visit my 
‘golden room’ in Vermont. We received an email from our principal that the morning will be spent on team building activities with ‘colleagues we may not know,’ and a promise of a prize for the team completes some unspecified set of tasks. Hmm- lesson in how to elicit appropriate motivation?
I got myself out of the house relatively on time, but managed to spill my oh-so-necessary Red Eye on the bus. Yes, I was THAT person. 
But as I neared school, a pleasant sense of anticipation took hold of me (especially after I was able to replace the coffee at a Brooklyn College cafe) as I thought of all the people I was looking forward to seeing after the restful summer. I stopped by the program office to say hi to former officemates who have become 40% administrators, checked in with my Assistant Principal, and made my way to the auditorium, ready to meet colleagues (in a school of 200 staff members, there are many people I don’t know well at all).
Although the morning passed pleasantly, our administration modeled how not to run an activity effectively, which was instructive. I’m really not being as sarcastic as this sounds; let me describe what happened:
The faculty was divided into 17 groups, whose members were posted on 5 successive screens of a powerpoint being shown in the auditorium. The groups were directed to stand in vague spots around the large room. We were then directed to one of four locations (not by group number, but rather by pointing and waving by the principal.
The four activities were as follows: rotating volleyball matches, egg-balancing relay races (with pingpong balls), a school-wide scavenger hunt, and a Trivial Pursuit game. And the announced prize for winning, by the way, was a Panera lunch, paid for out of the principal’s very own pocket (so he told us).
The success (or lack of failure) to this team-building exercise was due to the fact that the participants were teachers, and not students. The goal of the activity was that we would get to know teachers from other departments, but there were no name tags or activities to facilitate this, and the rooms (particularly the gyms) were so noisy that conversation and 
learning names was difficult. Still, it was a somewhat fun way to spend the morning, although I’m not sure what goal it accomplished. And I did enjoy Trivial Pursuit, especially when I gleefully shared the answer to “What was the proper Laugh-In response to: “Say goodnight, Dick”?
We moved from school-wide bonding to departmental meetings, the major portion of which was spent (in my department, anyway) discussing the new universal grading policies. The school is moving in a standards based grading direction, but the bulk of the language in the policies seems directed at allowing students to make up any work regardless of why it was missed. I am conflicted here; I believe in giving students the chance to show me what they have learned, but I also deal with a lot of class cutters and punctuality-defiers. Now, more than ever, I need to find ways to bring them into my classroom and keep them there.
We also covered the usual details: room assignments, technology (2 new Mac labs!!), reading IEPs, and observations.
The next hour was allocated to working on curriculum and alternative assessment tasks in subject teams, but the Algebra 2 team leader told us that she wasn’t going to work on anything today, and that she didn’t want to post her lesson plans in the department DropBox for fear of providing them to teachers who didn’t do any work. She then told the Algebra 1 team leader that she would work with her later on the Algebra 2 pacing calendar.
And herein lies my frustration with my school.
I work in a large school with high standards (for half of their students) and a noteworthy history. The school has a fairly efficient infrastructure which makes it easy for teachers to teach, and many teachers stay at the school through retirement. A reasonable percentage of the teachers are alumni, and many attended Brooklyn College (across the street). However, our top-heavy payroll results in large classes and few electives. And there is definitely an in-group which runs things.
So a couple of points to sum up:
- Despite my disappointment today, I know I have the respect of my Assistant Principal and many teachers in the department, and I have opportunity to push my teaching in the directions I think it needs to go.
- Working in the public school system in New York City (or anywhere) is never perfect, and in fact, can be extremely difficult. I’m lucky to work in the environment I do.
- I’m glad I got the best professional development available this summer at Exeter and Twitter Math Camp, and continue to nourish myself through the online community and Math for America.
Reflection (This is part of the Day in the Life blogging project, and will appear in each post.)
1) Teachers make a lot of decisions throughout the day. Sometimes we make so many it feels overwhelming. When you think about today, what is a decision/teacher move you made that you are proud of? What is one you are worried wasn’t ideal?
As this was a day of professional development, the moves I was making related to being a participant rather than teaching anyone. I was energetic and enthusiastic during the team-building activities (except for volleyball, during which I took on supportive role), and worked to keep everyone engaged and involved during Trivial Pursuit. I did my best to engage my content team leader despite her reluctance to work on our curriculum, asking questions and making suggestions. My overall attitude returning to school was not ideal; rather than viewing the year as an opportunity to effect change for me, my students, and my school community, I walked in with a case of the ‘same old, same olds.’ I’m happy to say that this mood was dispelled by day’s end.
2) Every person’s life is full of highs and lows. Share with us some of what that is like for a teacher. What are you looking forward to? What has been a challenge for you lately?
I am looking forward to seeing former students – they grow so much over the summer! And I am excited to try some new instructional routines, like Number Talks and Contemplate then Calculate. I am already planning Desmos-based activities for two days next week. These same activities present challenges for me – I am nervous about executing them well, and continuing with them despite the beginning bumps I will definitely encounter. Also, filtering out some of the brilliance I encounter every time I go on line – it’s great to observe and read about it, but accepting that I can’t do it all – I have trouble with that. I have to keep remembering: You do you. Thanks, Annie.
3) We are reminded constantly of how relational teaching is. As teachers we work to build relationships with our coworkers and students. Describe a relational moment you had with someone recently.
I reconnected with one of my favorite people at school this morning – Ms. R. She is an English teacher, so we don’t interact professionally that often. But we have a kindred spirit kind of relationship – when we met, we instantly recognized something in each other that felt comfortable and familiar. As it happens, she is one of the Google Apps for Education Evangelists in our school (our principal just purchased a subscription), and in addition to post-summer catching up, we talked a lot of shop. She will definitely be my go-to resource as I begin training.
4) Teachers are always working on improving, and often have specific goals for things to work on throughout a year.
I wrote all about my goals in my last post. School begins tomorrow, but I am already planning specific steps for my first Contemplate then Calculate routine (#1TMCthing), and will incorporate a discussion of mindset and self-advocacy in my initial lessons. And yesterday, I was recruiting participants for the Restorative Justice training.
5) What else happened this month that you would like to share?
Tomorrow the school year really begins, and then I’ll have more to share. I’m hoping my new bullet journal keeps me well organized!
geobarnett.com
Day in the Life – Jumping In
This post is motivated by a number of things. First and foremost, there are so many nuggets of brilliance that I’ve collected over the summer – at the Exeter conference, Twitter Math Camp and the concomitant recap blog posts – that I need to sift through and prioritize into concrete Goals for This Year, Hope I Can Try This Year, and Keep for Future Reference and Inspiration. I will be meeting my fall term students in less than a week, and I’m struggling with bringing it all into sharp focus. Writing will help [force] me to do that.
I’m also tremendously excited by the Day in The Life project being spearheaded by Tina Cardone. The online community has nourished and supported me as a professional and as a person; our commonality and heterogeneity create a vibrant network of passionate educators I have yet to see duplicated elsewhere.
In my journal, I have underlined and starred this:
How will I build relationships with students this year, and what norms of classroom culture and discourse do I want to see in my classroom?
- I will begin the year with Name Tents as I have for the last three years. I love them – they give me a chance to learn my students’ names and communicate individually with them right away.
- I will let my students know a little bit about me through Ms. Menard in Numbers.
- The students will begin to learn about cooperative work and discourse with and without words through the 100 Game and other activities (I’m thinking about Broken Circles, Personality Coordinates, and maybe even Math Human Bingo – I have 5 classes, so maybe I’ll try them all!).
- The students will write mathographies and begin to express their own math identities.
- Taking a cue from the amazing Sara Vanderwerf, we will go through the Top 10 Things Not to Ask Me About Your Calculator in my three sections of Algebra 2. This activity will introduce the students to Desmos, familiarize them with some simple but critically important (and pain-saving) functions of the TI calculator, provide a model for note-taking model, and lay the groundwork for the independence and self-advocacy I expect.
- Shamelessly borrowing from Sara yet again, I will use the open middle task How Great is Your Total? in my Discrete Math classes. I love how this task has students challenging themselves and each other, and how it provides formative assessment on such a wide range of mathematical and social competencies.
- I will implement (as my #1TMCThing) the instructional routine Contemplate then Calculate which promotes collaborative problem-solving, and most important, growth mindset.
I want to fight the “I am Not A Math Person” mentality and promote equity in my classroom and school; much of my self-chosen professional development and reading focuses on this overarching goal. I have a personal goal of breaking my silence in the face of racism I encounter at school (and elsewhere), asking questions, and reflecting honestly about my own biases. I have a list of items to do/complete/achieve along these lines as well.
- This fall, I will be co-facilitating a Professional Learning Team with Jose Vilson on Racially Relevant Pedagogy at Math for America. Jose and I will also be co-facilitating a single session workshop to extend this conversation to the larger Math for America community.
- I will be participating in Restorative Justice training through the NYC Department of Education.
- I will advance my understanding of institutional racism and its historic roots in America by continuing to work my way through this reading list (did I mention the fabulous used book stores I visited daily while in Vermont last month?)
After all of these very specific items, I still have the following items that I intend to appear in my classroom/teaching practice this year:
- Google Apps for Education (my school just purchased a subscription);
- greater use of Desmos and Geogebra activities;
- less talking by me;
- visibly random groupings;
- some type of Explore Math activity a la Sam Shah; three years ago I did a Math Munch project (borrowed from Fawn Nguyen)
- intentional use of group work (Designing Groupwork) is on my reading list as well).
Most importantly, I want to hold on to the energy I gleaned from the myriad of inspiring teachers who spoke and shared at Twitter Math Camp this summer (pretty much everyone!). Last year was a tough one personally, and I found myself counting days until I could rest and restore more than once. But the summer has been long and enriched, and this year, I want to count EVERY DAY as a day of development and learning for both my students and me.
Gotta go plan now…
