Many Points

I have been on summer break for 2 weeks now, and without a post since February!  What happened? All I can say is, do not wait for the perfect time.  My plan was to write again over our spring break in March, when our campus was devastated by the sudden death of one of our Assistant Principals.  A coronary aneurysm burst the Friday we started spring break, and he died the next Friday.  He put up a valiant fight.  He surprised his doctors, his family, but in the end the damage was too great and he could not go on.  I could not write, and it is still hard.  I cannot imagine what it has been like for his family. Once, year 2 in my career (over 30 years ago), a coworker told me to take time when I needed to take it, that I (nor anyone for that matter) was not that singularly important to the running of the school.  She had me imagine a bucket of water, put my fist in, pull it out, and tell her about the hole that remained.  Of course, there is...

I started this year with an idea, an idea that learning was going to be fun.  Even bigger, learning MATH was going to be fun.  We built towers and houses, even a website and a game.  Students asked questions, worked together, shared ideas, laughed, and learned math.  We used math vocabulary to describe what we were doing, and my students had fun.  It was first semester. Second semester came, and with it, major changes.  I had to let go of some content and embrace a different paradigm for DAEP school.  I now supervise independent learning for some students, while teaching others.  I may have less content, but I have more record keeping (have I mentioned that I am not very good at record keeping?)  My days seem longer and I have noticed that I have fallen into the trap of "direct teaching" for an entire class period.  This new group of students gives an appearance of not wanting to fall behind, but grades for the previous semester sugges...