And So it Begins.......

Sometimes I just hate my situation sometimes

How Much I Make

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents CAN'T make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or a Netflix movie rental.
I make kids wonder.
I make them question.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.
I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding ISN'T EVERYTHING.
I make them read, read, read.
I make them show all their work in maths. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator.
I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.
Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given,
work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life
Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant.
You want to know what I make?

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. I just wish the World would recognize Difference as a form of payment these days.

Challenges Met

Every Day my life is evolving
taking turns while making life a challenge.
Isn't that true for everyone though?
People go through a struggle
all of the time in life.
The question is, how do you take
that struggle and work on it so that
your life is a success.
Today, I was sitting in on a teacher's lesson
and she was discussing time order
and sequence, while connecting similar ideas within
their writing.
I came across a student's writing and noticed
a wonderful example of a way that she
could improve her writing sequence.
She wrote, "You can sit around and complain about
your bad luck, on the other hand you can look for a way to solve
your problems." WOW !!!!
That is coming from a fourth grader.
She sees the challenge and found a way to work towards defeating that challenge.

These are the key points that I want to be a part of as the students perception
of education matures into a very important reality.

Alge-i don't know-ometry

Middle School Math. The most difficult thing that I don't ever remembering how to do. I'm sure that there are plenty of other people that know how to do this, (my buddy Johnny Saleman) however I was never able to get the hang of it. It is true that I need these math skills in my everyday life, I just wish that I knew ore about trigonometry and the tougher Algebra standards. The first day that I started teaching in Hayward, I was thrown into an algebra readiness class with 7th grade students. The everyday teacher left me notes asking me to introduce reciprocals and factoring binomials and trinomials including using protection while factoring. No notes, no examples for me to be guided on, nothing to go by but my extremely positive strong middle school math memory. It was a very tough day! I just remember the students laughing and joking about how the teacher wanted me to instruct them about Protection. No joke....... He told me in the notes that if I used humor about protection then the students would remember how to use the FOIL method; which is pertinent to binomials. The day ended with 6th period refusing to calm down. I don't think that I was or will ever be cut out to teach middle school math or at a secondary level.