Fractions

I'm starting fractions tomorrow in math. I enjoy fractions. We are going to spend most of the rest of the year on fractions. I'm guessing that by the end of teaching it, I won't like them as much as I used to. We will see. I'm hoping to create a song about fractions since we are spending so much time on it and it's a large portion of the test at the end of the year. I just need to find a current song that isn't too fast and doesn't hit any high notes. I'll figure it out over the next week or two.

Run

I have to get back into shape, and I don't mean round. I need to start running more because there are some 5K's coming up. My friends and I will be doing the color run in May. There's typically a run around St. Patrick's Day. There's also a run I did last year in April that they have this year. I went on the treadmill again today but couldn't run fast at all. I had no endurance. I have to change that in order to compete in a 5K!

On Demand

Time Warner sent me two codes for free on demand movies. One code for January and one code for February. I didn't use the one in January because there was nothing interesting to watch. I'm sure I won't use the one in February for the same reason. I know it's free, but I'm not wasting my time watching something I'm not interested in. I don't watch movies too much anymore. I'm too exhausted each night and I don't have the attention span to sit still for a long period of time.

D

School report cards came out today. North Carolina schools were graded mainly on how the kids did on the EOG tests. My school received a D. Many schools in North Carolina received a D or F. Many of those schools are low poverty areas. It seems to be a direct correlation. We as teachers do everything we can to get our students ready for the real world. Testing is a skill that I didn't have either. It's a shame that our schools are being graded mainly on test scores of students.

Awards Day

I'm part of a group at work that has to set up for awards day tomorrow. Normally I get to work at 6:45 and am one of the first ones there. Tomorrow, I have to be there at 6:15 to set up chairs and stuff. In addition to that, I have a meeting about a student right before awards, then have to present awards, and then bring the kids down from that and teach. I've got this!

Last Game

My friend and I went to what we believe will be our last UNC game of the season last night. We weren't going to go to the game. The only reason we did is because he has a friend who is a referee. He reffed yesterday's game and got us FREE tickets! They were lower level behind the hoop. They were a $64 value. However, UNC played Virginia and looked AWFUL during the second half. They looked good in the first half, but didn't play the second. They lost by 11. That's their first 2 game losing streak of the season. They need to get their act together!

What Great Teachers Do Differently

My principal has us reading this book. We had to read the first 5 chapters for our staff meeting tomorrow. I have several teacher strategy books. All of them are dry and boring, this one included. I generally don't like these books. This one is the few I have read word for word so far. I really don't like this book because the author, who was a teacher and principal himself, sounds like he's talking down to us. He tells us what to do differently, but doesn't tell us how to do it differently. "Don't ever use sarcasm or yell at your kids. That makes you a poor teacher." I guess I'm a poor teacher. I don't even want to read the rest of this book, but know I have to eventually for my principal. We will see what other people think of this book when we discuss it at our faculty meeting tomorrow.