teaching
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Small Successes
I was going to come on here tonight and blast away at my problems and issues. This online learning thing is overwhelmingly anxiety inducing. But as I was avoiding writing by doing some grading, I noticed a trend that changed my attitude. My students are flourishing with the current work I have given them. Last week I Continue reading
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Distance Learning: Day 5 (Still Planning)
After having spent a disproportionate amount of time stress eating and fucking off, as the Brits would say, I am finally feeling productive. It’s difficult not to think about the challenges that I still face as well as the incredibly labor intensive task that online teaching presents, but I am incrementally getting comfortable and checking Continue reading
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Distance Learning: Day 1 – Planning
Technically, this is day 2. However, yesterday I had just enough anxiety to make me productive . . . at reading and phone games. I did get a few things done near the end of the day, but the entire idea of online learning and all the things that my district is placing on us Continue reading
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Comfortable Un-certainty
We are all stressed. Every teacher in the nation, no matter how adapted to using technology in the classroom, is now being ordered by their respective governments to provide all content through various forms of distance learning. Every teacher is now being tasked with not only handling their own families and anxieties but also with the Continue reading
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Neologism
Today was pooptastic. I’m not sure if I am the first person to use that word or not, but I’m claiming it as my own. Hence the post title. Today was absolutely, 100% USDA Grade A, pooptastic. Today, I hit a breaking point. I could no longer tell myself to breathe and wait patiently for Continue reading
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Breakthrough
This weekend was one of serious reflection and introspection. After the fight broke out in my class last week I spent a lot of time questioning my classroom management routines and set-up. I knew something needed to change. Nothing was being taught and nothing was being learned. Students were constantly talking, no matter who was Continue reading
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Access Testing (Again)
Every year, the state and federal government requires that we assess the proficiency of all ELLs in our district. At the high school level, this can be a nightmare to schedule, especially with such a large, populated building. However, this year we decided to run an experiment: to test all students on a day already Continue reading
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What’s working. What’s impractical
Today was a solid reminder of how teaching is 99% assessment. I am constantly assessing something, especially the situation I find myself. I have now tried several ideas in the math class for getting students to settle down into a routine. The problem is that I have yet to set a routine. Having CM gone in Continue reading
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Repeating Lessons
I’m not sure how long it will take me to finally learn this, but I really need to stop running lessons that are untested. I say this almost every time I tell a new teacher about my biggest mistakes, but I keep on making it. Sure, I could say that today was officially not my Continue reading
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Thesis Testing
Yesterday I tested the software that I will be using to collect data for my thesis. Boy am I glad I did a test run. There are so many new variables I need to consider now that I had never imagined would be necessary for this type of study. The first problem I encountered was the Continue reading
The Life Argotic 