I know I am supposed to reflect on my TMC experience. As always, I gained a great deal professionally from the experience and am walking away not only inspired, invigorated, and refreshed, but with four actionable takeaways that I hope to implement in the coming year. But I did struggle a bit more this year with the social aspect than I have in past years. I've spent several days trying to reflect and pinpoint exacty why this was a bit of a heightened challenge for me.
At TMC12, we were all kind of new and feeling a bit blown away by the experience of all being together. The phenomenon of strangers that were friends was an understandable sort of awkwardness, so I permitted myself to have those feelings of panic and discomfort without much judgment on it. And I had traveled there with Fouss, Sarah Bratt, and Michael Seiler so I'd had plenty of time to acclimate to what lay ahead.
At TMC13, there was a baited breath sort of "Can lightning strike twice?" feeling for me as a walked into an experience that was like a magnified version of the magic that I'd felt the year before. New people, new excitement, a contagious sort of enthusiasm. I felt a sense of kindred spirits with even those I was meeting for the first time. It had its moments of scariness for someone that is socially insecure like myself. Showing up to the trivia night when everyone else was in full swing brought me a bit of panic so extreme that I escaped outside to call home for a security blanket. I was so distracted by the internal stress that I almost missed Megan Golding (my TMC12 roomie) as she walked past me into the building. But I swallowed those emotions and before long we were singing and dancing as the music portion of trivia commenced. The rest of that trip was a whirlwind of new faces, fascinating conversations, and a feeling that these were my people.
TMC14 was a comfortable year for me because I brought my security blanket with me. When I felt uncomfortable, I knew Morgan was right there for me to retreat to. That sense of security allowed me to relax and just enjoy moments for what they were. As a result, I was able to let go of some of the pressure that I normally feel and ended up having some of my all-time favorite TMC moments...board games full of laughter and silliness, and late night conversations that cut past small talk and felt real in a way that went beyond mere discussions of practice and pedagogy.
But this year, my inner self-talk and social anxiety was on full throttle and I had to spend a great deal of time talking it down and keeping it at bay. I was moderately successful and managed to meet some fascinating new people who I know will be significant in my educator journey in the year to come. I roomed with Hedge and, as always, our conversations quickly cut past surface level to our real lives and struggles. Cortni graciously allowed me to park my rental car for almost the entirety and tag along with her so that was a comfort zone that I relished. I also found the BBQ profoundly enjoyable and was able to relax a bit there. And, of course, Piano Piano (once I actually forced myself to go) was an absolute blast and I quickly regretted having not gone sooner.
The conversations I was struggling with in my mind, however, significantly impacted my ability to really get past the awkward small talk (which I despise) and genuinely enjoy reconnecting with people who I should see as friends at this stage of things. The nature of those inner dialogues reminded me a lot of middle school or high school and wanting to know if I fit within a social community. I had many difficult moments of feeling uncomfortable walking up to groups and wondering how to break into conversations in ways that are organic. Retreating to my hotel room for early nights became necessary to remove myself from the emotional strain of that whole process. But there is more to it than that. And there is certainly more to it than the introversion/extroversion conversation I found myself resorting to as a red herring on many occasions.
It has to do with finding my niche or place within this community. I had nearly a dozen people ask me, as a member of the organizing team, what all that entails. I wasn't really being modest when I said, "It entails having Lisa share credit with me for all the incredible work that she does." I feel as though my contribution to both the organizing team and the community at large is greatly lacking. This is my fourth year. I should be running sessions. I should be blogging great ideas. I should know what that thing is that makes me happy and be doing more of it. I know that. I just feel paralyzed by my lack of self-awareness of what that is and what I have to give. Or whether I have anything of uniqueness to offer at all. Although I can organize the heck out of same name tags. ;)
That doesn't mean I feel like I don't belong at TMC. I am an educator who strives daily to be better. It is my passion and my life. That is enough of a reason to know that I belong here. After all, it's about the community, stupid. But what is my strength. What do I have specifically to give to the community that has given so much to me? I've always jokingly said that I am a jack of all trades and a master of none. I didn't go to school to be an educator. I don't have a degree in mathematics. And at every crossroads in my career (and my life) - both large and small - I move toward my area of weakness rather than my area of strength. If something makes me uncomfortable, that's always what I do next. Which I think has made me a well-rounded educator and human being, but it means that I don't live in my wheelhouse. And I don't even know what my wheelhouse is.
Anyway. Not a traditional TMC reflection. I have a draft blogpost started of my big pedagogical takeaways. But I felt like I needed to write about the difficult part for a bit of catharsis. And maybe to remind myself that there is a new place of discomfort that I need to explore...learning to be more confident in my own contribution to this community.
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Welcome to Sixth Grade: Ratios
So, I'm blogging. Why? Because Julie told me to. =) Which is tough because I haven't really found my blogging voice.
I don't feel confident just sharing the brilliant ideas I come up with because, frankly, I steal everyone else's ideas. I think my contribution is in my execution. Maybe I underestimate the role I play in it all, but I just don't feel there is much I could write about there.
And as much as I find Justin's vulnerability and transparency fascinating to read, I don't have the self-discipline to commit to the 180 day thing.
So, finding my purpose for even blogging is a bit tough. I'm going to use it today to flesh out the ideas that I've been toying with all week because I think that will be useful for me. But I suspect reading it will prove pointless for anyone else so consider that my disclaimer if you are still reading. There are no fun pictures, video clips, or amazing ideas. Just me tweaking my sequence and creating a repository for my thoughts. Feel free to skip down to the Questions I'm Still Playing With if you wish to rescue me from my cognitive struggles. ;)
So, I mentally planned out my year. I'm not a textbook teacher. So, I used Geoff Krall's PBL Curriculum Map (here) as my starting point for my sequencing and modified it slightly to include an intensive revisit of multiplication fluency alongside NS.4 standard prior to working with Ratios. (Our state standards match CCSS pretty closely but here they are in case the numbers vary at all.) This led me to a schedule framework that looked like this:
Why Am I Blogging?
I don't feel confident just sharing the brilliant ideas I come up with because, frankly, I steal everyone else's ideas. I think my contribution is in my execution. Maybe I underestimate the role I play in it all, but I just don't feel there is much I could write about there.
And as much as I find Justin's vulnerability and transparency fascinating to read, I don't have the self-discipline to commit to the 180 day thing.
So, finding my purpose for even blogging is a bit tough. I'm going to use it today to flesh out the ideas that I've been toying with all week because I think that will be useful for me. But I suspect reading it will prove pointless for anyone else so consider that my disclaimer if you are still reading. There are no fun pictures, video clips, or amazing ideas. Just me tweaking my sequence and creating a repository for my thoughts. Feel free to skip down to the Questions I'm Still Playing With if you wish to rescue me from my cognitive struggles. ;)
My Plan for the Year
So, I mentally planned out my year. I'm not a textbook teacher. So, I used Geoff Krall's PBL Curriculum Map (here) as my starting point for my sequencing and modified it slightly to include an intensive revisit of multiplication fluency alongside NS.4 standard prior to working with Ratios. (Our state standards match CCSS pretty closely but here they are in case the numbers vary at all.) This led me to a schedule framework that looked like this:
First Nine Weeks
- Introductory Unit - (2 weeks) Lots of work on expectations and group norms. Definitely including the Marshmallow Challenge and some Get It Together activities.
- Unit One: Integers/Coordinate Plane - (2-3 weeks) Covering NS.5-8
- Unit Two: Calculations, Calculations, Calculations - (4-5 weeks) Covering NS 1-3, including Critical Skill 2 (dividing fractions).
Second Nine Weeks
- Unit Three: Multiplication Bootcamp - (2-3 weeks) Lots of activities to reinforce and build fluency with multiplication facts and cover NS.4 because it fits nicely here.
- Unit Four: Ratios - (6-7 weeks) Hmmmmmm.....what to do? Besides cover all three RP standards and Critical Skill 1 (which I think may be the most critical sixth grade skill). Yikes!
Third Nine Weeks
- Units idk...5-7 or so - (9 weeks) Covering all of the Algebra standards here and may sequence them exactly as Geoff did but that is yet to be determined. (That, and I am at a conference and my full calendar map is at home.) Critical Skill 3
Fourth Nine Weeks
- Unit Eight - Geometry - (tbd)
- Unit Nine - Statistics - (tbd) Or maybe I had it in the other order. Clearly, I've spent more time on the first semester. Critical Skill 4
So....let's talk about that Ratio unit.
My Ratio Unit
I find myself at a week-long Math Academy on Ratios and Proportional Reasoning. A perfect time to flesh out what that unit could look like! Plus, I am here with my collaborative Special Education partner so it was a great opportunity to pick her brain on her perspective since she has taught sixth for a while. (Her input is what caused me to embed that Multiplication Bootcamp here.)
I was hoping to keep it to six weeks. And, we have a software program that we are expected to be using once a week so that would've meant 24 days of instruction. That is definitely not going to happen. I was super unfamiliar with how to teach ratios but I'd look at a lot of resources and had a general sense of what it entailed. But I needed to break it down into subskills and get a sense for how to sequence instruction through it. I also know that I'm planning to use Interactive Notebooks this year but don't always want to direct instruction and notetaking to proceed exploration and productive struggle. Here is what I've come up with so far, though I am still tweaking the details:
Part One - What is a Ratio?
- The Fightin' ____________ - A lesson from our training (I think from Carnegie Learning) that has them explore different ways that comparison statements are made. I may modify this to take advantage of the fact that we are in the midst of a consolidation and will be looking at new school mascot names soon.
- Direct Notes for Interactive Notebook - Still determining what these might look like
- Cube Ratio
- Comparing Two Quantities - from the Carnegie Training book
Part Two - Scaling Up and Down
- Mixing Paint (Carnegie 5.1)
- Direct Notes for Interactive Notebook - Use Frayer model type of foldable with four representations: Scale Up/Down, Table, Double Number Line, Graph
- Frayer Model Group Practice - I give one representation, they create others.
- Muffin Man - from Carnegie Training book
I also know a few things that I want to include during this section, including having them get into groups by distributing cards with fractions written on them (find all of the equivalent fractions) a lot of equivalent fraction skill practice (Homework?), and some practice with completing tables of equivalent fractions with parts are missing.
Part Three - Comparing Ratios
- Which cup has lighter color?
- Direct Notes for Interactive Notebook - Still determining what these might look like
- Hot Chocolate Sales - from Carnegie Training book
- Quiz Bowl - from Carnegie Training book
- Grocery Store Gas Points
- Nana's Hot Chocolate
- Nana's Paint MixUp
Part Four - Unit Rates
- Ticket Prices
- Direct Notes for Interactive Notebook - Will include graphic organizer from Carnegie Training book
- Partial Product
- Print Job
- A Special on Unit Rates in Aisle 9 - from Carnegie Training book
Part Five - Percentages
- Activity tbd
- Direct Notes for Interactive Notebook - Still determining what these might look like
- Amazon Percent Discount - Accessible on Dan's Three Act Spreadsheet
- Activity tbd
- Activity tbd
- Activity tbd
This is clearly where I need to put some more work in. I figure I will need to embed some skills practice here as well.Part Six - Unit Conversion
- The Height Dilemma
- Direct Notes for Interactive Notebook
- Sugar Packets
- Huckleberry Trail Mix
- Super Bear
- Bone Collector
I am not set on the sequence of the four post-note activities. I'm also not set on including all of them. Most of my time today was spent focusing on HOW I wanted to teach unit conversions. Thanks to a heck of a lot of bounce back from Casey and some others, I've settled on using dimensional analysis. It is the method that makes the most sense to me but I am going to need to flesh out how to scaffold it for sixth graders without falling into the Tricks. And I'll be honest, Glenn's endorsement was pretty much all I needed to finalize my decision here because, let's face it, he is a math teacher god among men.
Questions I'm Still Playing With
I had really planned to include Dan's Cost of Liquid thing in here somewhere...but I'm not sure where or if it is useful at this point in the curriculum. If so, do I make them do all of the unit conversions and include it in Part Six? Do I not trudge them through the calculations and just use it as a teaser to introduce the need for unit rate? Or the need for unit conversions? Not sure yet.
Are there other lessons in Carnegie's materials that I would prefer to some of what I've listed?
How can I possibly keep this to 6 or 7 weeks?
How much skills practice will I need to embed? And where? I'm planning to give students a homework choice between a Math Forum POW and a skills practice, but only assigning once per week so I don't think that is sufficient skills practice even if they do it.
Am I planning a culminating assessment of any kind?
What about Mathalicious? They have some cool stuff for sixth grade ratios! Don't I want to include at least one lesson somewhere in the unit?
And then, there's this MARS task. I've never met a MARS task that I didn't love so I would think I'd want it...but they usually take me a few days.
What exactly do I want my notes to look like for INB and which ones might include foldables or other such things?
Do I want to include a culminating INB lesson for key vocabulary as I'm thinking of doing with other lessons?
Do I want to give them some online game practice? Or just send a Remind note recommending it to parents or for home?
At what point do I introduce the distinctions between part:part, part: whole, rates, etc.?
I'm using Smart Board so I still need to create slides and embed all of these activities into that in preparation, as well as choosing openers and summarizing closing activities to help make sure each of these goes off well. My kids are (hopefully!) going to be seated in groups but I'd like to change up grouping on occasion so a few different strategies for that which reinforce the concepts (i.e. find the equivalent ratios or find another representation of your ratio) will be nice.
Oh, and that Percent stuff....need to flesh that out.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Post TMC14 Planning
I know, I know. I'm supposed to write a reflection on my #TMC14 experience, but I think everyone has done a good job of recapping what the experience was like. I wasn't involved in any of Malke or Elizabeth's sessions or post-session activities so my time in Jenks was more defined by Glenn and Jonathan's Algebra 2 sessions, Chris Luz' discourse sessions, and Megan's introduction to NRich. But as always, I left #TMC14 with a million different thoughts swirling through my head of how I want to change, improve, grow, revolutionize what I do. I go to TMC partly for the practical on-the-ground ideas that I can implement, and partly for the feeling of teacher revival that helps propel me through the year.
But taking all of those feelings of revival and condensing them into some sort of workable and reasonable plan is where I'm at right now so I'm not sure how much anyone will get from reading this. It is more my attempt to put my swirling thoughts into a written plan of some sort. This year is going to involve a lot on my shoulders...which I love...but since it isn't in my nature to phone it in, I'm going to have a very difficult time living up to my own expectations for myself. I have just decided that I am going to think of Summer and her 6 preps any time I am feeling overwhelmed.
So, in an attempt to avoid rambling, I'm going to list what is on my plate this year and try to concisely elucidate my goals in each area:
But taking all of those feelings of revival and condensing them into some sort of workable and reasonable plan is where I'm at right now so I'm not sure how much anyone will get from reading this. It is more my attempt to put my swirling thoughts into a written plan of some sort. This year is going to involve a lot on my shoulders...which I love...but since it isn't in my nature to phone it in, I'm going to have a very difficult time living up to my own expectations for myself. I have just decided that I am going to think of Summer and her 6 preps any time I am feeling overwhelmed.
So, in an attempt to avoid rambling, I'm going to list what is on my plate this year and try to concisely elucidate my goals in each area:
- MATH 1 (One section)
- Daily Openers: We have created a schedule for openers similar to the one discussed by Lisa. I modified hers a bit but ours will include: Estimation 180, Discussing Math Mistakes, Visual Patterns, Math Talks, and some Skill Review. I'm not sure how I feel about such a patchwork approach but I want to incorporate a little of all of that into our class and I'm not sure how to do so other than through openers without significantly cutting into the time we want to use for specific unit objectives so this is a start. I'm sure that we may need to revise this plan at some point.
- Interactive Notebooks: I've been wanting to try these for several years so I'm very excited to have a partner okay with diving in this year. We plan to include a folder in the back similar to the one that Jonathan showed us at #tmc14 but we are going to use it to hold the Daily Opener sheet we've created. I've already picked up six colors of duct tape to use on edges and bought 20 notebooks for kids who don't bring one, though I'm sure we will need more.
- Desmos/Mathalicious: We have been plugging some key lessons into the 6 unit structure of the course to include as many engaging interactive lessons as we can. I know that we will be doing the Central Park lesson during our first unit and Function Carnival during Unit 2. I'd like to have the kids complete some linear art graphs and plan to use this to prepare them for that a bit when we cover domain and range. We need to decide on which Mathalicious lesson we want to use in the first month but I know that we want to get our feets wet quickly with one and see our students' response. I used one lesson last year and am eager to try more but this will be the first time for my partner. I'm excited about it.
- Debate/Argumentation: I know that both my partner and I want to encourage more debate and conversation in our class. I don't think we have a formal plan for how this will look yet but I've been reading through some stuff and playing around with a lot of the ideas from Chris Luz' session (and what I gleaned from the Webinar last year), as well as some of what I'm reading regarding Talking Points. I think this is something we will keep as a focus weekly when we are planning together.
- MATH 2 (One section) - I'm still in talks with my partner for this class to see what he is comfortable incorporating. He teaches 5 sections of the class and he is only with me for one so I try to keep that in mind and allow him to dictate the direction of the class more. What I would like to see is:
- More Desmos: This is one area where he has felt comfortable delving into a bit. I definitely want to see both Desman and Penny Circle be a part of the course this year. I also want to do more stuff like I did with my conceptual class last year where I give them a parabola to try to match and let them explore with the sliders before explicitly teaching the way the various forms of the equation work. Using the ability to insert images may make this even more interesting
- Math Forum POWs/nRich Problems: I'm involved with the online EnCompass group this week so I'm getting a much better feel for the POWs and how easy the are to navigate. This particular partner enjoys complex problem solving and logic activities but worries about them cutting into instruction time too much. He is revising our class website and made mention of assigning optional extra credit there. This may be an inroad for some of what I'd like to see with some more open-ended problem solving tasks, though it may not give the kids the structure and support they need to get comfortable with these types of problems. The Smarter-Balance test means that admin is going to be wanting to see more writing about our thinking...which is a direction I've believed in wholeheartedly for years...so I think it may the push we need to move in this direction.
- MATH 3 (Three sections) - This is a brand new course so we will be navigating our way through it this year. We also have some new resources to use (Walch) so I think we have a good bit to start from with their Problem-Based Lessons. In addition, we plan to incorporate:
- Math Journals: My partner cut composition books in half and decorated them so they are ready to go. I've been looking up generic math prompts but I think most of our prompts will be generated through class discussions and activities as we go. I believe my partner wants them writing at least once per week.
- Math Modeling: The fourth (of four) units in this class is entirely focused on math modeling and I am very excited about it. This is a slower paced version of the Math 3 course offered at our school so we will be skimming the surface of math modeling. These kids haven't seen the Penny Circle so I'd like us to use it as an introduction to modeling type activities. I've been looking at other examples of math modeling prompts to use when we get to this section of the course. Some of the most advanced students at our school participate in Moody's Mega Challenge so I'd like to approach these as a entry level version of what they do there. I'm nervous about it because I've never taught this way but it is probably what I'm most excited about and I'm uber-grateful for Glenn's examples in the morning sessions to help build my confidence.
- RETEACH - This class was created last year as a sort of structured study hall but it didn't quite work the way we wanted it to. We are trying to improve on it this year, but I have a unique situation in that my Reteach has to include some very specific things including some use of text to speech software, some social skills training, some reading strategies, and some specific work on executive functioning skills. The class will be small, approximately 10 students and will come from every grade level. I am still working on how this will look in my head.
- DEPARTMENT HEAD - My principal has given my department a 3-office suite this year to create a teacher/student resource center. I've been working a little bit to get the physical space set up but the bigger issue will be the shift in school culture that it would allow it to be a workable and utilized space this year. I'm not sure where to begin with that. I've been asking around for some readings on changing school culture but I know that I will meet with resistance in the very pockets that I fear need the most assistance. I want to empower my department to be resources throughout the school for others so that special education is not just seen as a revolving door of ever changing paper pushers but as the experts in pedagogical strategies to use with hard to reach kids. I think at this point I"m considering two options for how to start that shift:
- SPED Department PLCs: Last year, our school had built in weekly PLC time. We often participated in those meetings with content area department but got together once per month for a Department PLC. When only meeting once a month, however, it is easy to get focused on housekeeping issues rather than growth. I want more for us than that. This year, whatever built in PLC time will exist will be minimal but we do have a central location for handling most of the housekeeping stuff so meetings that do occur will be able to focus on growth. I'm thinking of a twice per month after school meeting for our department. I am well aware that most will choose to not attend since I can't offer stipends, but I'm totally okay with that. I'll start with where the interest/passion is and let it spread from there.
- Content Area PLCs: I know our admin will find some way to create PLC time for the departments. There has always been a heavy SPED involvement with the Math and English PLCs but very little with Science and Social Studies. I'd like to see that change by having either myself or another member of my department attend those PLCs occasionally as a liason to get a gauge of their concerns and offer resources as needed. I need to find out how they will be scheduling those and what interest exist within my department in volunteering.
- Student Resource Center: Our principal is providing several laptops to use in the room. Many of our SPED teachers will be meeting with their Reteach groups in the room, but I'd like all of our SPED students to be able to access resources when needed. This may prove a bit tricky as the schedule does not have the center staffed every period currently (I believe). I do know that I am going to start during the opening weeks by meeting with all of the Freshmen on my caseload to introduce them to the space and show them how to access some assistive technology such as Natural Reader. I have always wanted our students to be more familiar with such technology because I see our teachers reading orally to entire classes as a way to meet the needs of our LD students and I fear that it is detrimental in the long run to the literacy of our student body.
- Teacher Resource Center: I am trying to compile resources that allow us to provide teachers with intervention strategies as needed. I also spoke with our principals about having the referral packets for the SAT process available in the room to minimize the amount of running around teachers have to do to navigate that process if they choose to use it (very few do). They previously had to access such information from principals directly. I'm not sure yet how to make this space functional and helpful but I'm excited about the possibilities.
- EXTRACURRICULAR - Last year, I organized a Volunteer Fair where outside organizations came in to let our student body know about opportunities to volunteer in the community. I'll be doing that again in January this year and am nervous about weather issues. I also want to add a small refreshment thing after the fair for those who participate. That sort of thing is very outside of my wheelhouse so I'm nervous about it, but I keep pushing.
- ALPHA DELTA KAPPA - I assumed the presidency of the local chapter of my teaching sorority and has turned out to be a lot more than I was really prepared for. In addition to create the monthly newsletter and chairing those meetings, we are looking at the following projects which I will be responsible for overseeing:
- October - We give free books away to our community through a booth setup at a local weekend festival.
- October - We are hosting the six other chapters in our region for a district level lunch. This is already proving to be overwhelming for me since, as I mentioned before, this sort of thing is outside of my wheelhouse.
- November/December - Organize treat baskets sent to our previous scholarship winners for exams.
- Spring 2015 - Relay for Life, Special Olympics, Final Exam treat baskets, and organizing a Saturday Science Carnival for our local Elementary schools (a huge undertaking for the first time)
Wow...when I put it all down there. I think I need a serious nap!
Saturday, September 14, 2013
A Pollyanna by Choice
I'm actually eager to share the good things that have been happening in my Conceptual Math class since my last discouraging post. I've never had a Conceptual course go this well, and I'm mourning the fact that the state is getting rid of the class after this year.
But today, I think I need to talk about what's been really weighing on my mind lately. I'm hesitant to write about this because I don't like to publicly comment on this sort of thing, but... here goes.
Last week, a student of mine murdered someone. Yep. It's a bit surreal for me so typing it is still uneasy. I don't live in a neighborhood where shootings are common place, so I'm still wrapping my head around it all. I wasn't there so I'm left interpreting the news story and various first and second hand accounts that have come out about that night. But it seems that he was having a fight with his girlfriend. An innocent neighbor in the area came out to intervene and was walking back inside when my student shot him four times in the back.
Obviously, I'm devastated for the family of the man who was killed. The news reports say his fiance urged him not to go outside, because she had a bad feeling. It was his son's fourth birthday. I can't imagine the loss that they are feeling. And any sympathizing that I might do with my student feels like a betrayal to that man's life and memory.
But here is my problem... I liked this kid. I really did. He was a kid with some issues...I knew that. But, prior to this weekend, I would've argued that he was redeemable. And I certainly wouldn't have seen him as someone capable of this sort of thing. I've been stunned by it. And, strangely, disappointed and disillusioned as well.
A few days ago, when I was talking with an administrator and a colleague about the students we have that seem like they are just never going to get it...the value of what we are offering them...I started to brag about a student who had graduated a few years ago. A student who, I had thought, had secured himself a job, built a family, and found a way to be a positive and productive member of society despite all the signs during his high school years that it would never have happened. Then, my administrator interrupted me to let me know that student had recently been arrested and was in jail on domestic battery charges.
Then he chided me for being a Pollyanna.
And it's true. I've always been drawn to the lost causes that pass through my classroom. Those kids who seem to have had everything going against them in life. They didn't choose to be born into families that are full of drug abuse and sketchy values. It's not their fault no one read to them as children or instilled in them the value of an education. They decide early on that they aren't intelligent, that school isn't their thing...and they try to figure out their place in a world that looks very different than the world I'm trying to sell them.
But I see something in them...some sort of potential or spark. And I hang on to that even when there is much evidence to the contrary. A former colleague of mine used to dub me Glinda...because he said I came floating into our classroom so sure that all of little ideals and dreams could be achieved for these kids.
And then something like this happens...and the bubble is burst. And I can't help but wonder if my idealism and hopes are misguided. If nothing we do really makes a difference. If they walk through our doors the first day of their Freshmen year, and their destiny is already laid out before them. We have our students who are from the "right" families. And it doesn't seem to matter if they have good teachers or poor teachers...they find make their way through high school building their resumes and preparing for the next step. They move on to college and they find their place in life. And then, there are the others, who aren't from the "right" families...who find themselves jumping from job to job when they can't handle the expectations that adult life requires of them...and all too often, they find themselves behind bars.
I know there are choices they make too. I know they get their on their own. But it seems so self-defeating. Their climb is all uphill. I've listened as groups of these students peruse the online jail websites looking at the mugshots of their friends and family members, recounting stories of who they know and the time they've served. And it's hard not to question whether anything we do makes a difference anyway. And if I'm a fool to see this "potential" where statistics and probability suggest that very little is likely to exist.
But what else can I do? I'm a teacher. If I stop believing in the unlikely...stop hoping that these kids can crawl their way out of their circumstances into a better future for themselves...why would I get in my car and drive to work each day? What would be the point if I'm only there to help the ones that are destined for success no matter what I do?
At lunch this week, a colleague whose philosophy of teacher I admire greatly remarked on all of it. She said, "I can be cynical about education policies and even my administration, but I refuse to be cynical about my students." And I guess that's where I am. I realize that I may not be living in reality. I know that all of my efforts aren't likely to make much difference for the trajectory of many of these lives. But I will not stop believing...and trying.
So...I'm a Pollyanna, I suppose. But that's a choice I make each day when I walk into the classroom. And when I stop making that choice, I hope I choose to stay home and let some other Pollyanna take my place.
But today, I think I need to talk about what's been really weighing on my mind lately. I'm hesitant to write about this because I don't like to publicly comment on this sort of thing, but... here goes.
Last week, a student of mine murdered someone. Yep. It's a bit surreal for me so typing it is still uneasy. I don't live in a neighborhood where shootings are common place, so I'm still wrapping my head around it all. I wasn't there so I'm left interpreting the news story and various first and second hand accounts that have come out about that night. But it seems that he was having a fight with his girlfriend. An innocent neighbor in the area came out to intervene and was walking back inside when my student shot him four times in the back.
Obviously, I'm devastated for the family of the man who was killed. The news reports say his fiance urged him not to go outside, because she had a bad feeling. It was his son's fourth birthday. I can't imagine the loss that they are feeling. And any sympathizing that I might do with my student feels like a betrayal to that man's life and memory.
But here is my problem... I liked this kid. I really did. He was a kid with some issues...I knew that. But, prior to this weekend, I would've argued that he was redeemable. And I certainly wouldn't have seen him as someone capable of this sort of thing. I've been stunned by it. And, strangely, disappointed and disillusioned as well.
A few days ago, when I was talking with an administrator and a colleague about the students we have that seem like they are just never going to get it...the value of what we are offering them...I started to brag about a student who had graduated a few years ago. A student who, I had thought, had secured himself a job, built a family, and found a way to be a positive and productive member of society despite all the signs during his high school years that it would never have happened. Then, my administrator interrupted me to let me know that student had recently been arrested and was in jail on domestic battery charges.
Then he chided me for being a Pollyanna.
And it's true. I've always been drawn to the lost causes that pass through my classroom. Those kids who seem to have had everything going against them in life. They didn't choose to be born into families that are full of drug abuse and sketchy values. It's not their fault no one read to them as children or instilled in them the value of an education. They decide early on that they aren't intelligent, that school isn't their thing...and they try to figure out their place in a world that looks very different than the world I'm trying to sell them.
But I see something in them...some sort of potential or spark. And I hang on to that even when there is much evidence to the contrary. A former colleague of mine used to dub me Glinda...because he said I came floating into our classroom so sure that all of little ideals and dreams could be achieved for these kids.
And then something like this happens...and the bubble is burst. And I can't help but wonder if my idealism and hopes are misguided. If nothing we do really makes a difference. If they walk through our doors the first day of their Freshmen year, and their destiny is already laid out before them. We have our students who are from the "right" families. And it doesn't seem to matter if they have good teachers or poor teachers...they find make their way through high school building their resumes and preparing for the next step. They move on to college and they find their place in life. And then, there are the others, who aren't from the "right" families...who find themselves jumping from job to job when they can't handle the expectations that adult life requires of them...and all too often, they find themselves behind bars.
I know there are choices they make too. I know they get their on their own. But it seems so self-defeating. Their climb is all uphill. I've listened as groups of these students peruse the online jail websites looking at the mugshots of their friends and family members, recounting stories of who they know and the time they've served. And it's hard not to question whether anything we do makes a difference anyway. And if I'm a fool to see this "potential" where statistics and probability suggest that very little is likely to exist.
But what else can I do? I'm a teacher. If I stop believing in the unlikely...stop hoping that these kids can crawl their way out of their circumstances into a better future for themselves...why would I get in my car and drive to work each day? What would be the point if I'm only there to help the ones that are destined for success no matter what I do?
At lunch this week, a colleague whose philosophy of teacher I admire greatly remarked on all of it. She said, "I can be cynical about education policies and even my administration, but I refuse to be cynical about my students." And I guess that's where I am. I realize that I may not be living in reality. I know that all of my efforts aren't likely to make much difference for the trajectory of many of these lives. But I will not stop believing...and trying.
So...I'm a Pollyanna, I suppose. But that's a choice I make each day when I walk into the classroom. And when I stop making that choice, I hope I choose to stay home and let some other Pollyanna take my place.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Crashing in the Classroom
I've been wanting to write for a few days. I haven't quite gotten the hang of the idea of bringing my failures to paper and working through them. But I've been struggling for several days and need to find a way to gain some clarity to my thoughts.
I'm having difficulty with the Conceptual Math class I described a bit before, and it's affecting my teacher mojo greatly. With my year of sojourn in the world of English, it's been a while since I've had the opportunity to really sink my teeth into the craft of teaching. I love the process of developing a curriculum map, creating assessments, researching and finetuning lessons. That is my passion. I feel more alive doing that than I do...well...teaching.
*SIGH*
And that's where I've hit my wall this week. Because when the rubber hits the road, I fall flat. And I kept looking at pics of my TMC friends on my bookshelves to inspire me.
I am perhaps being a bit too hard on myself. But the moment that my ideals and the reality in my classroom come face to face, I meet with frustration. I constantly overestimate their background knowledge. Even when I'm aiming at a point that I think is so far below where they will be comfortable.
SO FAR THIS YEAR
Our first unit in the Curriculum Map we put together is our Math and Finances unit. The state standards we are aiming to cover are:
In addition, we are aiming to thread these problem solving standards through all of our units of study:
(Forgive the formatting issues). Have I mentioned, by the way, that I love the standards for this course?!? The nature of the class is such that the students who choose it are students who have historically struggled with math and/or are not highly motivated. Prior to adopting the Common Core, this class came after Geometry in our sequence for those who wished to forego or postpone Algebra 2d.
In any case, we thought that starting with the finance unit might give them a more immediate buy-in since they can see the relevance of this sort of mathematics to their lives. But my collaborating partner and I knew we were going to be asking them to do a lot of group work this year, and we wanted to set a strong foundation for that. Plus, a huge change in our school schedule this year meant that there complete havoc to our class lists in the opening week so heavy instruction was likely to prove counterproductive.
So, our first week went something like this:
Monday - Welcome. Introductions. Review of class policies.
Tuesday - Placed in random groups. The Marshmallow Challenge.
Wednesday - A recap of the Marshmallow Challenge followed by group discussions on norm setting.
Thursday - Revisit group norm discussion and develop classroom norms. New groups. A Building Blocks Challenge. So far, so good. And I was feeling quite confident. Each day the cohesion in groups was increasing. The participation getting stronger. The observations about group dynamics my collaborating teacher and I were able to bring to their attention were solid and moving in a positive direction. We seemed to have them. Or so we thought... Then came Friday.
Friday - We attempted to apply what we had decided about group norms to a math task. And it all started to fall apart. We gave them the Garden Problem.
We delivered the introduction of the problem a bit better in each class as we started to see they needed a slight bit of scaffolding. I guess it should've been a huge tip-off when the opening bellringer questions involving calculating area and perimeter of rectangles let us know what kind of gaps we were dealing with. But we discussed the opener and proceeded to scaffold the class as best we could.
The problem took up all of Friday and Monday. For two of the three classes, it even dipped over into the start of Tuesday. They struggled immensely with explaining their own thinking or using picture strategies to approach it. We had to hint and prompt them all along the way. Even then, only about one person in each group was engaged with the task. I still think that after three days, they didn't totally understand what we had explored.
COULD IT GET WORSE? YES. YES, IT COULD.
It went down hill from there...
Like...drastically.
The plan was to have them tackle Glenn's Cell Phone problem next. After all, it had been a "blazing success" on his first day. We knew it didn't hit on tax functions or interest, but it was a chance for them to dip their toes into the finance side of things as a group on material we thought would be manageable for them. After two full days, their posters had little more on them besides the name of the cell phone carrier they chose. Their assumptions about how to do the calculations revealed serious problems with their understanding of...I don't even know...numbers...bills...the world around them. We had to explain every little step to them. To get them to create an expression/equation or make a table or graph was virtually impossible for two of the classes. The third class could do so if we hinted them through the entire process. Even though the daily openers had similar problems that we looked at as a group...I even showed them a comparison of two different cell phone plans as a table and a Desmos graph and hinted that such sort of mathematical displays were precisely what we were hoping to see on their posters.
By the time class started today, my partner felt that we were wasting our time staying any longer with the project and had each group present their basically empty posters so that we could move forward to the tax function direct instruction that was planned for the day. The kids expressed frustration at not being allowed to finish their posters, and some even spoke to me after class about being mad about it. But, I understood and didn't necessarily disagree with her desire to move forward because very little productive conversation was occurring in the groups...all of whom had one (if any) team member trying to figure out the task.
And suddenly, all of the good will we had built up feels lost. The kids are frustrated and checking out and its week two. And we are frustrated and at a loss. This is a public blog so I don't want to describe specific interactions with students in much detail, but the sorts of mathematics that were confusing to them astounded me. Then, I think about my Twitterverse colleagues who are doing algebra with their 6th grade students and I just want to cry. What am I doing wrong?!? Ugggh. I seriously rethink my profession on a weekly basis sometimes. Even though...I think I love what I do.
I'll tell you what I do love. I spent the entire second day of the Cell Phone Project mentally retweaking the entire thing. I wrote all kinds of post-it notes of how I would do it next year (if this class was still going to exist next year). And I feel much more confident that my modified version of the task would work...it would get us somewhere...and more kids would be engaged with the project. But I also think I took away all of the open-ended challenge of the problem in doing so.
How do I scaffold and still keep things open, rigorous and challenging when many of my students are demonstrating a close to 7 year gap between their knowledge and what I'm supposed to be teaching? And I'm a special education teacher. I should be able to handle this! But it just makes me want to crawl back into the world of direct instruction where I can deliver the information and they can pretend to gobble it up.
By the way...I'm super excited about my modified Cell Phone Project. Perhaps I should blog about that. And then someone more talented than me can try to make it work with actual human students.
*sigh*
I'm having difficulty with the Conceptual Math class I described a bit before, and it's affecting my teacher mojo greatly. With my year of sojourn in the world of English, it's been a while since I've had the opportunity to really sink my teeth into the craft of teaching. I love the process of developing a curriculum map, creating assessments, researching and finetuning lessons. That is my passion. I feel more alive doing that than I do...well...teaching.
*SIGH*
And that's where I've hit my wall this week. Because when the rubber hits the road, I fall flat. And I kept looking at pics of my TMC friends on my bookshelves to inspire me.
And it was equal parts inspiring and discouraging. Because the people in those pictures...they can teach. I mean, like really teach! And I'm hitting brick walls all over the place right now. Even though I feel like I'm doing everything the "right way" to try to set the class up for success.
I am perhaps being a bit too hard on myself. But the moment that my ideals and the reality in my classroom come face to face, I meet with frustration. I constantly overestimate their background knowledge. Even when I'm aiming at a point that I think is so far below where they will be comfortable.
SO FAR THIS YEAR
Our first unit in the Curriculum Map we put together is our Math and Finances unit. The state standards we are aiming to cover are:
M.O.CM.2.5
|
describe and illustrate how calculating costs, simple and
compound interest, finance charge, loan payment and tax functions are used to
solve real-world problems.
|
M.O.CM.2.6
|
identify a real life situation that involves investing
money over time; pose a question; make a hypothesis as to the answer;
develop, justify, and implement a method to collect, organize, and analyze
related data; generalize the results to make a conclusion; compare the
hypothesis and the conclusion; present the project numerically, analytically,
graphically and verbally using words, graphs, models, or tables (with and
without technology).
|
In addition, we are aiming to thread these problem solving standards through all of our units of study:
M.O.CM.2.1
|
use a variety of problem solving strategies (e.g., draw a
diagram, look for a pattern, work backwards) to solve real-world problems.
|
M.O.CM.2.4
|
choose the appropriate formulas to solve workplace
problems and judge the reasonableness of the solutions.
|
M.O.CM.5.2
|
integrate other disciplines into the study of mathematics
through simulations, research,
and projects.
|
(Forgive the formatting issues). Have I mentioned, by the way, that I love the standards for this course?!? The nature of the class is such that the students who choose it are students who have historically struggled with math and/or are not highly motivated. Prior to adopting the Common Core, this class came after Geometry in our sequence for those who wished to forego or postpone Algebra 2d.
In any case, we thought that starting with the finance unit might give them a more immediate buy-in since they can see the relevance of this sort of mathematics to their lives. But my collaborating partner and I knew we were going to be asking them to do a lot of group work this year, and we wanted to set a strong foundation for that. Plus, a huge change in our school schedule this year meant that there complete havoc to our class lists in the opening week so heavy instruction was likely to prove counterproductive.
So, our first week went something like this:
Monday - Welcome. Introductions. Review of class policies.
Tuesday - Placed in random groups. The Marshmallow Challenge.
Wednesday - A recap of the Marshmallow Challenge followed by group discussions on norm setting.
Thursday - Revisit group norm discussion and develop classroom norms. New groups. A Building Blocks Challenge. So far, so good. And I was feeling quite confident. Each day the cohesion in groups was increasing. The participation getting stronger. The observations about group dynamics my collaborating teacher and I were able to bring to their attention were solid and moving in a positive direction. We seemed to have them. Or so we thought... Then came Friday.
Friday - We attempted to apply what we had decided about group norms to a math task. And it all started to fall apart. We gave them the Garden Problem.
We delivered the introduction of the problem a bit better in each class as we started to see they needed a slight bit of scaffolding. I guess it should've been a huge tip-off when the opening bellringer questions involving calculating area and perimeter of rectangles let us know what kind of gaps we were dealing with. But we discussed the opener and proceeded to scaffold the class as best we could.
The problem took up all of Friday and Monday. For two of the three classes, it even dipped over into the start of Tuesday. They struggled immensely with explaining their own thinking or using picture strategies to approach it. We had to hint and prompt them all along the way. Even then, only about one person in each group was engaged with the task. I still think that after three days, they didn't totally understand what we had explored.
COULD IT GET WORSE? YES. YES, IT COULD.
It went down hill from there...
Like...drastically.
The plan was to have them tackle Glenn's Cell Phone problem next. After all, it had been a "blazing success" on his first day. We knew it didn't hit on tax functions or interest, but it was a chance for them to dip their toes into the finance side of things as a group on material we thought would be manageable for them. After two full days, their posters had little more on them besides the name of the cell phone carrier they chose. Their assumptions about how to do the calculations revealed serious problems with their understanding of...I don't even know...numbers...bills...the world around them. We had to explain every little step to them. To get them to create an expression/equation or make a table or graph was virtually impossible for two of the classes. The third class could do so if we hinted them through the entire process. Even though the daily openers had similar problems that we looked at as a group...I even showed them a comparison of two different cell phone plans as a table and a Desmos graph and hinted that such sort of mathematical displays were precisely what we were hoping to see on their posters.
By the time class started today, my partner felt that we were wasting our time staying any longer with the project and had each group present their basically empty posters so that we could move forward to the tax function direct instruction that was planned for the day. The kids expressed frustration at not being allowed to finish their posters, and some even spoke to me after class about being mad about it. But, I understood and didn't necessarily disagree with her desire to move forward because very little productive conversation was occurring in the groups...all of whom had one (if any) team member trying to figure out the task.
And suddenly, all of the good will we had built up feels lost. The kids are frustrated and checking out and its week two. And we are frustrated and at a loss. This is a public blog so I don't want to describe specific interactions with students in much detail, but the sorts of mathematics that were confusing to them astounded me. Then, I think about my Twitterverse colleagues who are doing algebra with their 6th grade students and I just want to cry. What am I doing wrong?!? Ugggh. I seriously rethink my profession on a weekly basis sometimes. Even though...I think I love what I do.
I'll tell you what I do love. I spent the entire second day of the Cell Phone Project mentally retweaking the entire thing. I wrote all kinds of post-it notes of how I would do it next year (if this class was still going to exist next year). And I feel much more confident that my modified version of the task would work...it would get us somewhere...and more kids would be engaged with the project. But I also think I took away all of the open-ended challenge of the problem in doing so.
How do I scaffold and still keep things open, rigorous and challenging when many of my students are demonstrating a close to 7 year gap between their knowledge and what I'm supposed to be teaching? And I'm a special education teacher. I should be able to handle this! But it just makes me want to crawl back into the world of direct instruction where I can deliver the information and they can pretend to gobble it up.
By the way...I'm super excited about my modified Cell Phone Project. Perhaps I should blog about that. And then someone more talented than me can try to make it work with actual human students.
*sigh*
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
The Final Preparations
So, today was our first day back of CE. Or, as I like to call it, pass notes with my collaborative teachers all day fine tuning our plans for the year. The professional development sessions themselves were relatively week. We had a sales pitch for TechSteps, a review of risk factors for AIDS and Suicide, and then an incredible training session for Engrade since we are switching to it this year. The Engrade stuff blew me away. I think I'm going to like it so much more than GradeQuick, which was awful.
I also got bombarded with even more tedious beginning of the year Special Education stuff...which is poor timing as I'm trying to work with my partners to plan for my year. Here is where things stand on the three preps I have this year:
Math 2 - This will be the first time this course is taught at our school. The state seems to be using something very similar to the Appendix recommendations for course sequencing for Integrated Math. We've been traditional for years so this is a new approach. There are two general education teachers teaching this class this year. One of them is my partner. I was able to work extensively with the other at at training last week. We developed a very detailed scope/sequence for the year, with week by week objectives (although we realize that we will need to be flexible). We will be working through the following units:
Conceptual Math - This was the course I spent the most time working on today. We decided to organize it into eight units, based upon the standards for the class. This is a course that WV offers between Geometry and Algebra 2 for those who aren't ready to move on to Algebra 2. For some students, it represents their fourth and final math. It is a course that is being phased out as we implement the CCSS fully next year. So, this will be the last year teaching it. Our unit sequence will go like this:
Independent Study - This is the class I was most upset by when I was originally given my schedule. Of course, my original schedule had me teaching it four times a day with no math classes. Yikes. Thank God that was revised (sometimes temper tantrums work...in the most professional way of course). Anyway...I'm a little bit excited about the class. I've been working on my Classroom Management Plan (which is what our school calls a syllabus-type of document). The students are going to have to submit weekly reports from their Engrade showing that they are completing work and keeping their grades up. If not, I will provide the necessary support for them. In addition, each student is going to pick one independent research/study project every nine weeks. I'm requiring them to submit a proposal, design their own grading rubric, a four-week status report, and a final "proof of learning" culminating project. I have no idea how it will go, but I'm a little excited for the chance to experiment. I was almost disappointed to get my class list and see that I only have two students in each section. Seems like a colossal waste of man power given that three other teachers will be similarly scheduled each period.
Anyway...that's just my State of the Nation speech. I'm excited. And trying not to let the envelope full of Sped nonsense that came in the mail today discourage me. Much to do on that front as well. I've already developed the agendas for monthly PLC meetings with my department for the entire year. I'm hoping I can get my department on board and start moving it in a different direction - one that empowers rather than enables students. We shall see...
It's going to be a good year.
I also got bombarded with even more tedious beginning of the year Special Education stuff...which is poor timing as I'm trying to work with my partners to plan for my year. Here is where things stand on the three preps I have this year:
Math 2 - This will be the first time this course is taught at our school. The state seems to be using something very similar to the Appendix recommendations for course sequencing for Integrated Math. We've been traditional for years so this is a new approach. There are two general education teachers teaching this class this year. One of them is my partner. I was able to work extensively with the other at at training last week. We developed a very detailed scope/sequence for the year, with week by week objectives (although we realize that we will need to be flexible). We will be working through the following units:
- Real Number System
- Quadratic Functions and Modeling
- Expressions and Equations
- Similarity, Proof, and Right Triangle Trigonometry
- Circles
- Probability
Conceptual Math - This was the course I spent the most time working on today. We decided to organize it into eight units, based upon the standards for the class. This is a course that WV offers between Geometry and Algebra 2 for those who aren't ready to move on to Algebra 2. For some students, it represents their fourth and final math. It is a course that is being phased out as we implement the CCSS fully next year. So, this will be the last year teaching it. Our unit sequence will go like this:
- Math and Finances
- Math in Art, Architecture, and Nature
- Similar Triangles, Pythagorean Theorem, and Right Triangle Trigonometry
- Perimeter, Area, Surface Area, and Volume
- Probability
- MIDTERM
- The History of Math
- Data Collection and Analysis
- Functions: Linear, Exponential and Quadratic
- FINAL EXAM
Independent Study - This is the class I was most upset by when I was originally given my schedule. Of course, my original schedule had me teaching it four times a day with no math classes. Yikes. Thank God that was revised (sometimes temper tantrums work...in the most professional way of course). Anyway...I'm a little bit excited about the class. I've been working on my Classroom Management Plan (which is what our school calls a syllabus-type of document). The students are going to have to submit weekly reports from their Engrade showing that they are completing work and keeping their grades up. If not, I will provide the necessary support for them. In addition, each student is going to pick one independent research/study project every nine weeks. I'm requiring them to submit a proposal, design their own grading rubric, a four-week status report, and a final "proof of learning" culminating project. I have no idea how it will go, but I'm a little excited for the chance to experiment. I was almost disappointed to get my class list and see that I only have two students in each section. Seems like a colossal waste of man power given that three other teachers will be similarly scheduled each period.
Anyway...that's just my State of the Nation speech. I'm excited. And trying not to let the envelope full of Sped nonsense that came in the mail today discourage me. Much to do on that front as well. I've already developed the agendas for monthly PLC meetings with my department for the entire year. I'm hoping I can get my department on board and start moving it in a different direction - one that empowers rather than enables students. We shall see...
It's going to be a good year.
Saturday, August 3, 2013
These People Are Crazy, Y'All!!
And yes, that title is a tribute to Hedge (@approx_normal) and Summer (@mathdiva77) who continue to school me on all things southern. For example, unless you are uncommonly brave, do not under any circumstances mention this individual:
Ironically, this is my first blog since my post-TMC12 recap a year ago...and it's likely to be brief since I have so many exciting things I want to be working on right now in the midst of my post-TMC13 high. For those who don't know, TMC refers to a gathering of the coolest and most passionate math educators you are ever likely to meet in one place at a now-annual teacher-led conference. Twitter Math Camp was born out of math teaching discussions on Twitter but has exploded into one of the most powerful IRL experiences one is likely to have in the world of Professional Development.
I could easily spend days recapping all of the incredible ideas and resources that I learned about at #TMC13, all of which is archived by the participants at an online site. There were so many great ideas and I can't wait to see how my teaching transforms and grows this year as a result of all that I've learned. But what makes this experience so unique and so special are the people involved. They are...genuinely crazy. Crazy in a way that I know...feel...understand. And suddenly, I don't feel so crazy to have found them. Here is a community of math teachers so passionate about what they do that no one is chiding me in the midst of my enthusiasm for something that "I need to clock out." They get it! Like, really get it.
A group of us gathered near the end of the conference to discuss TMC 2014 and our concerns about preserving the incredibly unique atmosphere that exists at Twitter Math Camp. A couple of comments struck me in that session as we were discussing what makes things so different at Twitter Math Camp than any other PD experience. Glenn talked about the idea of the back channel conversations occurring on an equal footing with the "lead" conversations, an idea he expounds upon in his blog. That insight for me really captured the uniqueness of this experience. There is no artificial wall created between the math conversations occurring in sessions and the social conversations that occurred after hours. The entire experience was one big ongoing conversation about life, teaching, pop culture, mathematics...you name it...a rich conversation that integrated what it means to be human and curious and alive with what it means to teach and inspire and to think mathematically. Where else would ordering pizza evolve into a discussion of the value benefits of combinations of toppings vs. combinations of "presidents" (is it better to save money on several large plain pizzas or diversify with smaller more expensive specialty pizzas? Yep, even our waiter was drawn into the discussion.
I met some of the coolest people I've ever had the honor of knowing at #TMC13, people I'm honored and humbled to call friends. People who inspire me to greater things. Someone else in that TMC14 planning session remarked that what makes this experience so unique is that the participants are unnaturally obsessed with teaching and mathematics. I wish that had been my phrase. For now, I'll just paraphrase in the language of my southern sisters and say, "These people are crazy, y'all!"
Ironically, this is my first blog since my post-TMC12 recap a year ago...and it's likely to be brief since I have so many exciting things I want to be working on right now in the midst of my post-TMC13 high. For those who don't know, TMC refers to a gathering of the coolest and most passionate math educators you are ever likely to meet in one place at a now-annual teacher-led conference. Twitter Math Camp was born out of math teaching discussions on Twitter but has exploded into one of the most powerful IRL experiences one is likely to have in the world of Professional Development.
I could easily spend days recapping all of the incredible ideas and resources that I learned about at #TMC13, all of which is archived by the participants at an online site. There were so many great ideas and I can't wait to see how my teaching transforms and grows this year as a result of all that I've learned. But what makes this experience so unique and so special are the people involved. They are...genuinely crazy. Crazy in a way that I know...feel...understand. And suddenly, I don't feel so crazy to have found them. Here is a community of math teachers so passionate about what they do that no one is chiding me in the midst of my enthusiasm for something that "I need to clock out." They get it! Like, really get it.
A group of us gathered near the end of the conference to discuss TMC 2014 and our concerns about preserving the incredibly unique atmosphere that exists at Twitter Math Camp. A couple of comments struck me in that session as we were discussing what makes things so different at Twitter Math Camp than any other PD experience. Glenn talked about the idea of the back channel conversations occurring on an equal footing with the "lead" conversations, an idea he expounds upon in his blog. That insight for me really captured the uniqueness of this experience. There is no artificial wall created between the math conversations occurring in sessions and the social conversations that occurred after hours. The entire experience was one big ongoing conversation about life, teaching, pop culture, mathematics...you name it...a rich conversation that integrated what it means to be human and curious and alive with what it means to teach and inspire and to think mathematically. Where else would ordering pizza evolve into a discussion of the value benefits of combinations of toppings vs. combinations of "presidents" (is it better to save money on several large plain pizzas or diversify with smaller more expensive specialty pizzas? Yep, even our waiter was drawn into the discussion.
I met some of the coolest people I've ever had the honor of knowing at #TMC13, people I'm honored and humbled to call friends. People who inspire me to greater things. Someone else in that TMC14 planning session remarked that what makes this experience so unique is that the participants are unnaturally obsessed with teaching and mathematics. I wish that had been my phrase. For now, I'll just paraphrase in the language of my southern sisters and say, "These people are crazy, y'all!"
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