Officially Accepted as an AP Calculus Reader!
I am excited to say that this year I have been selected to be an AP Calculus reader and helps score the exams this summer. I never thought I’d be excited to grade, but this feels different thank you typical grading, and it will be excellent professional development.
My AP Calc Bonus FRQ Bin
Now that it’s mid-January, the AP exams are beginning to seem much closer! Here I describe how I create and use my beloved Free Response Question filing bin with my students.
That Feeling When You’re Finally Caught Up…
It has been a whirlwind of a school year so far, and I have finally dug myself out of the hole I created.
How I Make my Flipped Classroom Videos
I switched to a Flipped Classroom model when I began teaching AP Calculus in 2015 and realized that I would struggle to finish all the curriculum and leave room for practice in class with a traditional model. Here I explain my process from start to finish to create my own instructional videos.
Bring Back the Discontinued NCTM MT journal!
Reminiscing on the glorious “Mathematics Teacher,” NCTM’s discontinued monthly magazine dedicated to high school math teachers, as I browse through a box full of these magazines from 2009 - 2012.
MATHstodon Math Teacher Community
The MTBoS online math teacher community was flourishing around 2012, when the first Twitter Math Camp (TMC) was held. I missed out on this, but luckily, the community is reforming on a new platform!
Practice-informed Research
BIG QUESTION: Am I researcher? Is every current teacher a researcher?
For the first time in a few years, I signed up for a graduate-level education course through a local university. The class was called “Using Practice-Informed Research to Maximize Student Learning.”
AP Calculus Bootcamp💪
I spent my first full week of summer teaching my first AP Calculus bootcamp for rising seniors! This was a new program that I helped plan and organize, and I designed the curriculum for the week.
Making Visuals with Graphfree
I cannot believe that I have been teaching for 11 years and it wasn’t until this month that I found out about Graphfree, an incredible free website for teachers to make textbook quality, beautiful graphs.
LAST Day of School!
Summer is here! This is how I wrapped up my end of the year to help ensure a smooth start to school in two months.
Standards-Based Assessment
I have always dreamed of creating a learning environment where students chase understanding rather than chase points. I want students to take ownership of their learning and truly master material. I am now closer than ever to my goal. Here are my thoughts after this school year.
How ‘BTC’ Looked in my Classroom ‘22-’23
Well, my first year of trying out BTC (‘Building Thinking Classrooms’ as described by Peter Liljedahl) has come to an end, and overall I really enjoyed implementing this new teaching method! I did NOT follow Peter’s exact BTC model. HOWEVER, I found a variation of it that I like and that overall worked well. Here is what I did.
1st Day of School “About Me” Pennants
Starting in 2021-22, I began using an “About Me” pennant to not only get to know students, but to also create a lasting memory of each student that I have taught - plus, it’s a really fun activity that immediately breaks the ice on Day 1 and makes a great ending on the final day of school!
Graduation Night! C/O 2023
Last night, my school held the graduation ceremony for our senior class of 2023. I always try to be a part of this procession since I teach seniors and want to help make their evening special. This exciting event is our last chance to say goodbye to our seniors!
Getting Ready for Next School Year
I am finding myself with a bit more free time these days now that the AP exams are over and seniors are gone, so I spent today getting all of my online platforms ready to go for AP Day.
DAY IN MY LIFE: 6/6/23
Well, we officially only have four days left of normal class before finals and then end of school! I’m finishing up logarithms and doing the best I can to get all the material in before finals begin. Here’s how my day went.
Side Hustles as a Teacher
Well, you know the saying, nobody becomes a teacher to become rich! For as long as I’ve been teaching (11 years!), I’ve always had at least one side job, usually two, to help pay all the bills while also putting money away in savings accounts.
Logarithm Curriculum Refresh Continued
We have been doing logarithms for exactly one week now, and overall I am happy with the restructured curriculum that I have been working on. Here is what I have done so far since my last blog post on Logarithms.
Math Competition Set-up!
The day is finally here - Our second annual, district-wide elementary school math competition is tomorrow, hosted at my high school! ALSO: information on our high school - elementary school math team partnership.