Week 2....complete

Whew! At my school, teachers had a full week last week, with students joining the fun last Wednesday.  This was our first full week of class.

Thoughts so far...
* Using the traffic light cups strategy has been fun for the freshmen, and I like getting them used to the process now, before we get to the stuff that's harder for them.

* I am getting used to the way no classroom is set up this year - I turned it sideways, so I have more columns of students facing me and fewer kids 7 seats back who can barely see.  Biggest change so far is fewer squinting kids trying to see from too far back in the room.  I also moved my Smartboard higher (actually it's slightly too high to be really useful, but that's another story), so students have an easier time seeing over the heads of those in front of them.

* I have one class that has some real personalities.  These are freshmen, and it usually takes them a while to come out of their shell.  Not this little class.  There are some very self-possessed kids in there!

* Our copier has been broken and I get so mad every time I see it.

* Cutting back on the number of quizzes I give has allowed me to spend more time giving meaningful students and gives students more time to master each concept.  So far, it has been great!

School starts tomorrow!

I'll meet my darling students tomorrow in a pandemonium of a day - Mass, an all-period day, a party after school.  I can't wait and I'm always nervous!!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eWXOurnVTYg

Saint for Students

I teach at a Catholic school.  We pray at the beginning of every class.

The first test I gave my first year, my students told me they were nervous.  So I grabbed my computer and looked up the patron saint of test takers.  It's St. Joseph of Cupertino.  So we always said a prayer for his intercession before tests.

This year I kicked it up a notch and made a poster.  I made it using PicMonkey, so it is a picture file.  Feel free to use it in your classroom!

In this classroom...

I just posted a link to Office Depot/Office Max's sale on posters.  Obviously I needed to find something worth printing as a poster!

I decided to make an 'In This Classroom' poster. 

I made one with my name on it for my classroom.  Then I made a generic one to add to my Teacher's Pay Teacher's store.  Check it out!

Poster sale at Office Depot / Office Max

I was just checking the back-to-school ads for several office supply stores, and saw this link I knew I had to post.

Get a poster printed out for $4.79!  I can't print anything bigger than 11x17 at school, so this is a great deal for me!  And in color!

Here's the deal:
http://officedepot.shoplocal.com/officedepotsd/weeklyad?SiteID=145&PretailerID=-99860&CityStateZip=45385&sid=nsiv3fB_nXkFjnLwvMqmANH&odserver=www.officedepot.com&storeid=2670303#!/promotion?storeid=2670303&languageid=1&promotioncode=OfficeDepot-150802&pagenumber=1

MathMilla Facts

My students know a lot about me.  I tell them about my weekends, about my summers, about what I think about the world.  I feel like it's easier to learn from someone you (semi) like/respect, and you have to know someone to do that.

Since my students know so much, it's only fair my blog readers do as well!

Some random facts:

I sell flowers and baked goods at a Farmer's Market in the summer.  It is the best.  I get out of the house, I'm productive, I make a tiny amount of money, and I enjoy every step of it.  Highly recommended.

We (mostly my husband) keep bees. 

My favorite book is probably Mr. Blue by Myles Connolly.  Other books are top contenders.

My favorite music artist is Jon McLaughlin.  Yep, that was him singing in Enchanted.

I don't really follow any sports, so no favorites there.

I love to cook, especially things that most people buy - ravioli, ciabatta bread, ricotta cheese and yogurt, pasta, sauces of all kinds...you get the idea.  I cook and bake and love it.

I firmly believe in long summers.  I'm so ready for school to start next week after being so ready for the year to end in May.

My favorite color is pink.