Rice Krispy Treats in a cone

I really wanted my students to "see" exactly how a conic section is created. Yes, I could show them this visual

taken from Wikepedia

but what exactly does that mean, and again, HOW does that happen.

So, after reading a blog (I completely forget who's blog it was), I decided to buy conical shaped paper cups and stuff them with rice krispy treats. (I made one for each student. I hadn't realized how much rice krispy treats I would have to make, and how time consuming that job was. Thank God for Michelle Maher @mmaher19923 for helping me.)

The students were then given a paper plate, a plastic knife, and a conical shaped rice krispy treat to dissect. I had the students look back at the definitions of each and asked them to cut their treat into the 4 different conic sections. I had the students take pictures of their conic sections as they went, and post to a padlet.

Did this activity make them understand conic sections any better than the students that have come before them? I am not sure, but it certainly was fun, it made for a lot of laughter, and it was done on a day when majority of the students were taking some type of state test. Very low stress.

Will I do the activity again? Absolutely!

Why do the soft skills matter?

If you invest time in the student teaching the soft skills, regardless of subject, then the student knows you care about him.

If the student knows you care about them, then the student cares more about your class.

If the student cares more about your class, then the student cares more about school.

If the student cares more about school, then the student is (more likely) wants to be at school.

If the student wants to be at school, then the student tries harder in their other classes.

If the student tries harder in their other classes, then the student's overall demeanor toward school becomes more positive.

If the student's overall demeanor toward school becomes more positive, then the student is a happier person.

If the student is a happier person, then the student tends to treat people with respect and appreciation.

If the student treats people with respect and appreciation, then the student becomes a better citizen.

Thus,

If you invest in the student teaching the soft skills, regardless of subject, then the student becomes a better citizen.

          

You Matter! You really do!

Within the first month of school, I received a package in my school mailbox. It was an "award" given to both my husband, Erol and me. (My hubby is also a math teacher!)  The award stated something to the effect that it is noticed that we go above and beyond our duties to help our students.  

With the award were two "Super PI" t-shirts.

One for me and one for my husband. The award was totally anonymous, and still to this day I have no clue who gave it to us. However, it made me feel appreciated. It made me feel like I made a difference. It made me feel like I mattered.

About a month ago, my husband was having a particularly rough day. Nothing seemed to be going right. He did his routine check of his email, and found an email from a fellow French 4 colleague. This colleague wrote to Erol, explaining to him that she had her students give speeches in French. One girl got up and talked about how she hated math until this year. She gave my husband all the credit for making her like math. This particular email made my husband smile, and made him realize that he does make a difference.

Several weeks after that, I was participating in a twitter chat, and I honestly don't remember which one it was. I think it was the #paedchat. We were chatting about what we can do to help our teachers that are in funks right now. How do we help that new teacher continue, or that teacher that is having a rough year? Stacy Lovedahl (@braveneutrino) happened to stop in the chat and introduce me to #edulift and their challenge for the month. The challenge is to lift someone up in teaching, to encourage, to support, and to let them know they matter. 

The last 3 weeks, with the help of my students, I have put "You Matter" note in about 30 teacher's, administrators, custodians, food service, and para professional mailboxes. My students are helping because they are the ones telling me the teachers that matter to them. The little notes just tell the person that they matter to someone, that they do make a difference, and that they are appreciated. I will continue this until every single person gets a "You Matter" note. These are completely anonymous, and I hope it stays that way. (trusting that no one in my school reads my blogs!) 

I also hung You Matter posters in the staff bathrooms. We really do matter to someone! 

So, that is who I am thankful for this year. I am thankful for that anonymous teacher that put that package in my mailbox, for the French teacher that emailed my husband, but Stacy for encouraging me to #edulift my colleagues. I feel that I am much happier person because of it! 

Continuing to keep the positive in the culture

At this time of the year, it is very hard to keep the positives up, and the negatives away. The students are getting tired and many are sick, the end of the marking period is near, and state testing for one of my courses is looming in the near future. However, this I will always continue to try. Giving up is never an option.

I try to CONNECT with my students each day by greeting each student as they enter my class and smile when I say hello.

I SHARE a funny story about me, my cats (usually), my family, or something I saw since I last saw the kids. That shows them I am human.

I JOKE with the kids, regardless of why or about what, just to get smiles on their faces.

This year, I have several students call me MOM, (it started because one girl said she wished I was her mother, and so several started calling me mom), and of course, I respond like a mom. MOM? WHAT? Go to your room!, etc. The boys particularly find this funny.

I ATTEND the students' activities outside of school. I have been to volley ball games, soccer games, choral recitals, foot ball games, parades (which I particularly don't care for!) and even a farm show (sorta).

I HELP my students with subjects other than math. I don't make math elite. I show my students that I want them to do well in all of their classes, and so I make sure they do well. I have helped students with spanish (thanks @SenoraGibbs for helping me to help them), biology, chemistry, geometry, and even Agriculture class (studying for a test on birds!).

I LISTEN to the students, regardless of what they want to tell me, and regardless if I have "time" to listen.

I LOVE my students!

The positives, the negatives, and don't forget Zero.

After 3 full years of flipping, and starting my 4th, things feel a little different this year. I don't know if that is because of things going on in my life, outside of school, that I have no control over, or if the new schedule to block schedule and the building of a new school has had impacts.

Some very positive things that have happened this year has really happened in my low level math class. That class is a flipped mastery class, with absolutely no homework out side of school. I have this class on my B day, blocks 1 and 2. School starts at 8:10, but I have some of these students (usually more than half) in my room by 7:50, asking for help with their other math class, asking for help with their current skill drill, asking for the next assignment, or just talking to me about life. These students have connected so much to me, and the community in the room is absolutely awesome! These students help each other, interact with each other, and encourage each other daily. One day, a student drew a flower on my board, because she told me that she would love to buy me a flower, but all she can afford is to draw one. Are you kidding me? The one drawn is far more important to me than any amount that could be purchased. This is a student that exclaimed at the beginning of the year that she hates Algebra!

I will tweet the picture of the flower.

My advanced classes has been flipped for 4 years now, but this year my students only want to watch the video, and some only want to watch, and not take notes. When I ask them to do anything other than watching the instructional video, they don't want to do it. Practice in math is so important, and exploring is even more important, but they only want the video. I have never had to deal with this before, so this caught me off guard. I could blame it on that many of my advanced students shouldn't really be in advanced classes, but that isn't an excuse. They are in my classroom and I need to teach them. Trying to change things a bit so that I can get more from the students.

The Zero:
Not positive or negative, but this year, out side of school so much is going on. My best friend buried her husband the other day. He took his own life. How do you get over that? Also, my own son has admitted that sometimes he feels like waking in the morning really isn't worth it. He is doing so well at school, both musically and academically, but yet, emotionally, there is something missing. I am a very concerned mommy, 2.5 hours away. Just trying to keep encouraging him, showing that there is so much to live for. I was diagnosed with Lyme's disease, and that has me very achey and exhausted. So, not positive or negative, and mostly not anything I can control, but it does take my heart.

Finally, I have decided to go back and finally get my Master's Degree, even though I have a bachelors + 50 something credits already, but that though of going back and getting a Masters of Education in Education Innovation is really exciting. I love learning!

My perfect PLC!

#Flipclass chat tonight is about PLC's. The #flashblog assignment is to write about our perfect PLC.  I am stuck. I really don't know what I would want in my perfect PLC. I want to compare it to my #flipclass PLN, or my #flipcon15 voxer group, or possibly my newly found #paedchat group.  Is that fair to do so?

I know that I want it to be a community that fosters risk taking, that encourages each other to think outside the box, to not be afraid to challenge one's thinking, and to have a number one goal of "What is best for the students!" I want it to meet when we are all not-exhausted, and in a comfortable area to work. My ideal PLC probably would happen after school hours, at someone's house or a small cafe, with a coffee or an adult beverage in hand. If not in the same physical space, then maybe in a google hangout or through google or twitter chats. I want it to meet without the requirement of meeting, for the good of the student and teacher. I want it to be cross curricular and cross grade levels. I don't want it to have rules, or mandatory topics. I want to feel connected to the people in the PLC. I want it to be more than one person.

I guess I do know what I want in my ideal PLC.  Is my ideal PLC possible? How can I make it happen?

I wish my teacher knew...

I finally got to sit down and spend some time reading the "I wish my teacher knew.." responses I had my students complete on the first day.  Some of the posts made me smile, cheer, laugh out loud, and proud to be the students teacher, while others made me sad, angry, and more determined to help my students.  

The very first one I read justified to me why building community and relationships is so key, and why it must start on the FIRST day of school. This students wrote:

Other things I learned about my students:

• One student's parents divorced this summer forcing her to move in with her brother. She still is unpacked.
• One student moved here from Illinois this summer and is quiet.
• One student's dad had a stroke 3 years ago, and still is wheel chair bound.
• Many of my students are involved in some type of activity after school. Some say they may be tired in class, while others admit that time management is going to be important, with some hopeful that being in a flipped class will help with it all.
• Some of my students have much younger siblings that add responsibilities to their after school schedules.
• One of my students only gets to see his dad for 9 hours every other weekend.
• One student was bullied and picked on in elementary and middle school, and is hoping that things will be different in high school. She is hoping for a fresh start.
• Some students love math, and others take it because it is necessary.
• Some students love working with others, while others would rather work alone.
• One student writes that he wishes his teachers knew that encouragement goes a long way.
• I have quite a few tennis players and track and field participants.
• I have some students that love to travel and be adventurous, while I also have a few that would rather stay at home and not travel.
• One of my students is a farmer, and wanted me to know that his free time is spent with his animals.
• That I have taught quite a few of my students' siblings.
• Some of my students are afraid of failure.
• Many are excited to be in a flipped classroom, and are really excited to learn math this year.

This is the first year I did such an activity, and I will definitely do it again. I may even have them write another at semester break to see if there are new things I need to know.  

I promise my students that:

• I won't let ANYONE in my presence bully, tease, or pick on another student.
• I will encourage each and every one of them to do their best, and to take risks. Failures may happen, but failure always leads to learning.
• I will always listen, give a hug, cry (or laugh) with them, give them a high five, and to celebrate along the way.
• I will help them fit in, and to find activities that may be of interest to them.
• I will never let a student be left out that wants to be included. 
• I will ALWAYS care!

This is going to be an awesome school year! I already love my students.