Day 6, Uh... hmm...

"I can't believe it, it is finally over.  I have been dreading this AP History exam for months, and boy was it hard! The essays were a bitch.  The whole thing was very hard." -May 14, 1990

Dear Jennifer,

I am a little bit of a slower typist today... Being the amazing basketball player that I am, (hah!) I was showing off dribbling skills to my daughter.  As I was low and talking, not paying attention to the feel of the ball, the ball stopped but my left index finger did not.  I'm laughing as I feel the heat from my finger and the pudginess of the swelling.  My daughter took the ball from me after making sure I was okay, and then continued laughing at me.  This morning my finger looks a little rough. I wonder if I broke it.. If I did, it's the first time I broke (or sprained ) my left index finger! :D (New Thing!)

I failed in my OFs to G yesterday.  I cared all day what people said to me and what they wanted. My colleague was laughing at me (I should have been a clown, people laugh allll the time around me. I'm hoping it's because I'm that funny. I don't think that is really it.)  He was telling another one of my colleague's and friend that he has never met anyone as hard on themselves as I am.  That's true.  I laughed too - It's true I'm my own worst critic.  It is an awful place to be.  I'd rather just laugh things off, but I can't. My friend texted me a reminder to give OFs.  Love her.. she is my reminder and one of my stable rocks at work I can show my true self too. My job is super important to me and the test I gave my kids didn't go well. Partially because I did a typical new teacher thing and OVER taught something. (yes you can over teach a concept if they don't get the basic concept.) I seriously beat myself up for half the day. I then revamped the test for my next group of students.

New Thing - I did a summative (major) test as group work in math.  They went different parts of the room and were given 7 minutes to use strategies and talk math.  I saw more learning going on during that time then when they are smacking their head lightly on a desk repeatedly from an annoying paper pencils test. (Yes, kids do that, no it's not any different than when I went to school, that and the clicking of pens and pencils... don't get me started)  I hate paper pencil tests, just so you know.   Tell me a job where you work by yourself constantly and have no one to consult?    

The last part of the test was a reflection on how they feel math is going and what they learned about y=mx+b.  Man they were pulling out the vocabulary; coefficient, variables, x axis, y axis, slope, y-intercept. So proud!  Some wrote, thanks for making me feel smart when I didn't think I could do math (Which was the whole reason I became a math teacher). 

Today wasn't super positive, but it was a super negative day either.  I can handle just in between.  I'm glad it is Friday, I'm glad it is a half day, and I'm glad I get to spend the afternoon with my kids.

Until tomorrow 

Have a beautiful day!