Monday, August 22, 2005

First Day of School

I'm tired.

It's not that the students wore me out, it's just that I didn't sleep well last night. First Day of School Jitters. Kids aren't the only ones who get them.

I have two Algebra I classes, mostly freshmen. They were quiet and attentive today, one of the few times all year where I can expect freshman classes to be better behaved than upperclass classes. Not that anyone was out of line; I'm lucky to teach at a school with a pretty good student population. But dang, sometimes it seems like no one ever taught many of these students about "inside voices".

I got a call during 6th period today. My son, on his first day at his new school, fell on the bars (or something boyish like that) and bloodied his nose, bit a small hole in his tongue, and loosened a tooth. Our secretary put his school's secretary though to talk to me and she asked what they should do with him. "Is he bleeding right now?" "No." "Then send him back to class." I'm such a father!

I brought home some more data entry work to do tonight. I have 41 students in one of my classes, 5 over the contract limit, and 39 in another. However, the school has a month to fix that! Guess I'd better start scrounging for desks. Last district I worked in, we were paid cash money twice a year for overages, in part because of the extra grading/data entry/attention/work involved. Not so here! So I'll be typing more student ID numbers into my grading program (I use Grade Machine) so that later in the week, after I give the first assignment, I'll have all my recordkeeping ready to go.

So, I'm off to go do my work. I'll be glad when this administrivia is taken care of!

7 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:16 PM

    It just occurred to me that you're a math teacher. For some reason I never imagined the mathematically inclined with a blog. That's awesome!

    Of course maybe you're not mathematically inclined, that's also a presumption sort of falls in all by itself. You know what they say about assuming things...

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  2. I may not be mathematically inclined, but I have a B.S. degree in math. Actually, just to clear the air, I *am* mathematically inclined!

    I also and deeply interested in history and like to think I can write well. It's that whole "well-rounded education" thing that was so popular in the 80s :-)

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  3. I like to write well, and make that silly "and=am" error above. Wonderful.

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  4. And the circle opens. We are still being "professionally developed." The real fun is set to begin on the 29th.

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  5. Anonymous10:02 PM

    Darren,

    Is probability part of Algebra I? Do you consider a graphing calculator an important teaching tool for Algebra I? My answer to both of the above questions is "No" but I'm looking for an outside opinion. Thanks!

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  6. Probability is *not* part of Algebra I (go to the CDE web site to see the standards).

    And not only are graphing calculators useless for Algebra I, I don't even use them for the Pre-calc/Trig course I teach.

    Additionally, by law we're not allowed to require students to have *any* type of calculator for class--unless, of course, the school provides it. But the standards/framework are pretty clear about calculator use....

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  7. Anonymous8:31 PM

    So, I take it this would not be a textbook/curriculum you would use to teach 1st year Algebra? ;-)

    http://www.keypress.com/catalog/products/textbooks/Prod_DiscAlgebra.html

    Chris

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