This counts as my "A Day in the Life" post for the special day "first day after winter break."
8:30 -- First period arrives. This is the first of two Math III classes.
I begin this period with a Warm-Up of reflection -- "What was your first semester grade? Are you satisfied with your grade? What will you do second semester to maintain your grade?"
Then it's time for the main task -- Sarah Carter's 2023 Challenge. I won't link to it here, but I assume that you readers are already familiar with Carter's blog. I print out the 100 version, and the top students in this class are able to figure about twenty or so in the allotted time.
As an Exit Pass, this is the rare time that I can use a problem directly from the Rapoport Calendar. On her Mathematics Calendar 2023, Rebecca Rapoport writes:
4! / 4 + (4 - 4 / 4)
This works out to be 4! / 4 + 3 = 24 / 4 + 3 = 9. Therefore the desired answer is nine -- and of course, today's date is the ninth. This question looks just like the classic "For Four 4's" puzzle -- plus a 4 -- that I gave this class during the first week of school (from which the 2023 Challenge is derived.) It uses add, subtract, divide, parentheses, and factorial -- all of which are used in the 2023 Challenge today.
9:25 -- First period leaves for nutrition.
9:40 -- Second period arrives. This is the first of three Math I classes.
This class is noisy, as usual. Only nine students are actually working on the 2023 Challenge. At the end of class, I threaten to assign standards to the kids who aren't doing the assignment.
10:35 -- Second period leaves. Third period is my conference period.
11:40 -- Fourth period arrives. This is the second of three Math I classes.
While fourth period is quieter than second period (as usual), even fewer students are working on the 2023 Challenge -- just five. During the conference period, I'd decided to set up some standards for those students who aren't working. After all, there will be a Chapter 4 Project starting soon -- we can't have another project where hardly anyone's doing the work. We're past the time for threats -- now I have to assign the standards for real.
12:40 -- Fourth period leaves for lunch.
1:25 -- Fifth period arrives. This is the second of two Math III classes.
Today most of fifth period is on task (admittedly a rarity). Only a few students end up having to write down standards.
2:20 -- Sixth period arrives. This is the third of three Math I classes.
Sixth period ends up being just like fourth period -- only five kids are on task. But problems occur when it's time for me to assign standards.
Here's what happens -- first of all, this class often has too many students ask for restroom passes, some almost every day that the class meets. So I've purchased a clipboard to use as a pass, but with a limit -- once a student asks for the twentieth time in the semester (starting today) for a restroom pass, I won't give it to them -- if they leave, they do so at their own risk (of being stopped by security).
Sometimes students ask for passes to the drinking fountain, not the restroom. This is a gray area. My decision is that if they're willing to go without a pass, then they can do so at their own risk. But if they want to go with a pass, then they must wait for someone to bring back the pass. Today a few thirsty kids choose to wait for the pass to return.
But then, near the end of class, the group waiting to go to the fountain decide to leave all at once without a pass -- not coincidentally, it's right when I announce that they must write standards. (In other words, they were really just trying to avoid writing standards.) My policy is that students who are assigned standards must stay for detention or else I must contact the parent (for avoiding the work, the standards, and the detention). Only one student stays, thus forcing me to contact four parents today.
Of these four, at least two are intentional non-learners -- they almost never do any work whatsoever. If I'm going to have this standards policy, then I might end up contacting their parents all the time (which is counterproductive).
This is a tricky one. Today is an all-classes day, so it's understandable that many students are thirsty (as opposed to a block day when sixth is just after lunch, so they could have had water then). I could allow more kids to leave the room for water earlier in the class, so that they can't use it as an excuse to leave at standards time. But those intentional non-learners may just leave to get water a second time anyway.
My other two classes have students who do very little work, but all are special ed students. Sixth is the only class with students who don't leave for special ed pull-outs, instead putting their heads on their desk when it's time to work.
So how to deal with these students is something I must figure out as we approach the Stats project.
3:20 -- Sixth period leaves, thus completing my day.
Even though the holidays are over, the "holiday stretch" continues. For teachers, the holiday stretch runs from Veterans Day to Presidents' Day -- the time of year when most school off-days occur.
Let's get back to the habit of posting how I'm keeping up with my New Year's Resolutions. Today is Sevenday on the Eleven Calendar:
Resolution #7: We earn our grades through hard work and dedication.
Well, as I mentioned above, the Warm-Up was a reflection of the students' first semester grades, so we all think about today's resolution. Hopefully, they will take this rule to heart and plan to maintain or improve their grades in the new semester.
My next post will be tomorrow -- the regular Tuesday post.
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