tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78060436505497212182024-03-18T04:47:25.771-05:00EPSILON-DELTARebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.comBlogger152125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-89112686603741827082022-02-03T13:20:00.002-06:002022-02-03T13:23:04.389-06:00Goodbye, U-Substitution <p> I wrote a bit about my journey of saying goodbye to U-Substitution on the One Good Thing blog (<a href="https://onegoodthingteach.wordpress.com/2022/01/28/goodbye-u-substitution-hello-anti-chain/" target="_blank">here </a>and <a href="https://onegoodthingteach.wordpress.com/2022/02/01/im-still-learning/" target="_blank">here</a>). As I said in that blog, I will probably never go back to teaching U-Substitution. When I see u-sub, I see it as a way to simplify the integrand so I can easily reverse Chain Rule. But, no matter how many colored highlighters I got out or how slowly I went, my students seemed to only ever see it as a set of abstract steps that they would get tangled up in. Mathematics should be revealing. For my kids, u-sub was muddling. The whole idea of u-sub is to simplify. If it's not simplifying things for your kids, it may be time to leave the u-sub train.</p><p>Some have asked for more details, so here we go!</p><p>I spent about four days on this:</p><p></p><p><b>Day 1<br /></b>Review of Chain Rule and begin to reverse Chain Rule <i>only when the inside function is linear</i></p><p><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1akMz15B58ZKMkLyvxERWLGFr98gqWm4J/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Notes</a> | <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fqDh48wAN7Pc37KGdGZkDh-h6FUQ2Q54/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Problem Set</a></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXI24ANu3jmXeU2syRrIEVHx_vx3utz3iPbaZBcRsctTdmT8mNJFgIcYZdH9a7oTYMAbipnl3WoVjfzaSiAasBpPjv3OyG6J4kYHXeuhOSKxFMlfv7KXE4cvUJPlvsOpKFSbeOLAGOyQiyJZlyiWBkksq-zD3veQEFLiqYKc1X0ym3wiDgmFsud0hfOw=s1023" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="649" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXI24ANu3jmXeU2syRrIEVHx_vx3utz3iPbaZBcRsctTdmT8mNJFgIcYZdH9a7oTYMAbipnl3WoVjfzaSiAasBpPjv3OyG6J4kYHXeuhOSKxFMlfv7KXE4cvUJPlvsOpKFSbeOLAGOyQiyJZlyiWBkksq-zD3veQEFLiqYKc1X0ym3wiDgmFsud0hfOw=s320" width="203" /></a></div>My kids worked the problem set together around the room on vertical whiteboards (absent students were asked to work questions on the PDF).<p></p><br /><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>*****</b></p><p><b>Day 2<br /></b>Anti-Chain Rule Part I: What happens when the inside function is not linear but when our integrand is in the perfect form of <i>f'(g(x))g'(x)</i>?</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/Y3BatEMODg8" target="_blank">Video lesson</a> | <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Uthk1_GK0gJfmH4AaSCcx3ebbrN5uGcw/view?usp=sharing">Blank Notes</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>*****</b></p><p><b>Day 3<br /></b>Anti-Chain Rule Part II: What if there's a coefficient left over?</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/c2qgc5nOQoc">Video lesson</a> | <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aRZ2PGwXyqNxcu-4ReI0drfz6RLijh6Y/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Blank Notes</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>*****</b></p><p><b>Day 4 <br /></b>Anti-Chain Rule Part III: Can we apply what we've done to definite integrals? </p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/UgBjsKsNOyw" target="_blank">Video lesson</a> | <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HreqGuKygEdx2J0aDSyMxEFQFX0pvBCG/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Blank Notes</a></p><p>I taught these lessons live (typically I flip) so these videos are my first draft, but will give an idea for what we spent time on in class.</p><p>What else do we insist on teaching in muddling ways? What do we need to reinvent? </p>Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-42034176132587203832020-08-23T14:53:00.000-05:002020-08-23T14:53:05.060-05:00Prayer for 2020-2021<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I ran into a former student today. “Mrs. Peterson?” she asked (it’s been years since we’ve seen each other). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">“H? How did you recognize me with sunglasses and a mask…?” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">“It was your voice…”</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-a7bff6c3-7fff-d02a-d607-d746c39acc5d"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your voice. Our voice...
</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">************</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Compassionate Heavenly Mother,</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As we enter a school year unlike another, grant us grace—grace for ourselves, grace for our students, grace for their parents, grace for our coworkers. Remind us—constantly but gently—that every single person has been through so much in the last six months, including ourselves. Free us from the temptation of comparison, as we look at what used to be and what could have been. Rescue us from our own thoughts.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are so anxious, Mama. Still, help us find creative solutions to meet every kid. We ask that we would feel a closeness and kindredness to our students that can only come from the Divine; that we would be flooded with renewed patience and understanding; that amidst all the unknown we would search for and find true JOY...the kind of joy that still makes room for hurt and anxiety and loneliness and can say, “Baby, I’ve been there. I see your ache. I know the pain. But I’ve come out the other side and I say let’s enjoy this day together.” </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May <i>our</i> <i>voices</i> be a soothing salve to the hurting. May they find comfort and solace in our rooms—whether physical or virtual. Grant us the tenderness of a new mama. Open our eyes to see and honor the Light in every soul. Open our ears to hear each story. Open our hearts to let each story move us. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Give us the words when we start to grasp. Grant us the wisdom when silence is needed. And give us the courage to sit and cry with the brokenness. </span></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the midst of the unknown, in the midst of the chaos, remind us that You are the God who sees us tossing and turning at night, the One who collects our tears and records them in Her book (Ps. 56:8). Remind us we are not alone. We are not unseen. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, I ask for what feels impossible right now. I ask for unity. I ask that we see both the humanity and the Divine in one another. I ask for less strife and more open doors. I ask for less talking and more listening. I ask for less judgment and more grace; fewer assumptions, more understanding. And start with me, Oh God. Start in my heart. Purify my heart so I can see the world through Your eyes. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amen. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-45018241252842553242020-08-06T18:55:00.007-05:002020-08-06T18:55:50.230-05:00Virtual Assessment Ideas<span id="docs-internal-guid-65721718-7fff-25d5-cd18-67d8b21a4e83"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Type #1: Explain </b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Have students take a test on their own (don’t grade the tests). Once they’re done, give students the key and have them grade their own. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ask students to make corrections and then create a video of their explanations of the three (or however many) most difficult problems </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">for them</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. They may or may not be questions they initially got incorrect. Students should submit their initial test, corrections, and video. Grade is given on accuracy of grading, accuracy and cleanliness of corrections, and appropriate video explanations. Grade is </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">not </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">based on initial number of questions missed as this would encourage nefarious means. </span></p><b><br /></b><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Type #2: Create</b></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Have students create their own test, key, and solutions. Give detailed directions on number and type of questions. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For multiple choice questions, have students explain why the distractors are good. For free response questions, give the students the questions but have them create the stem and the answer key. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-58954548631732179442020-06-18T17:21:00.001-05:002020-06-18T17:36:50.837-05:00Zoom with iPad or iPhone (so your kids still see your face!)<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-eed82c67-7fff-a41b-9d6d-1ed9d10087af"><span style="font-family: "lato" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I wanted a way for my students to still see my face when I worked problems in front of them on a Zoom call. I think it’s important for them to see my facial expressions and it’s important for me to be able to “look” at them. You already lose so much via a Zoom call--I wasn’t willing to lose what little interaction I had. I have an iPad and Apple Pencil, so I used the first method below to write on my iPad and share my screen (while also keeping the meeting open on my computer so my kids could still see me). See photo below:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "lato" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">If you don’t have a tablet/stylus, you can use your phone’s camera feature to share (for example) a paper that you’re writing examples on. Think of it as a document camera.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Lato,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "lato" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">On your iPad, first add </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "lato" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Screen Recording</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "lato" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> to your Control Center if you haven’t already (Settings>Control Center>Customize Controls. Push the green plus sign next to “Screen Recording”).</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Lato,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "lato" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Open the Zoom app and start the meeting from your iPad (this is important so that you’re the host on your iPad and not your computer so you can share your screen).</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Lato,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "lato" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Turn your video off (so you don’t broadcast an unflattering view of yourself…).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "lato" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Mute yourself.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Lato,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "lato" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Click the “More” button on top right and select “Disable Audio.” </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "lato" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">This will ensure you don’t have feedback/echo from having Zoom open on two devices open.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Lato,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "lato" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Now switch to your computer. Open Zoom and start the same meeting from your computer.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Lato,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "lato" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">On your iPad, let yourself into the meeting.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Lato,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "lato" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Run the meeting as normal now. Keep in mind, you are currently hosting from the iPad, so you’ll need to let people in through the iPad. To share your iPad screen, hit the green “Share” button, then select “Screen.” The first time you will need to select “Zoom,” and then push “Start Broadcast.” You are now sharing your screen and can toggle through windows as normal. A nice feature is opening your camera app so you can show whatever documents, books, etc are in front of you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On your iPhone, first add </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Screen Recording</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to your Control Center if you haven’t already (Settings>Control Center>Customize Controls. Push the green plus sign next to “Screen Recording”).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Open the Zoom app on your phone and start the meeting from your phone (this is important so that you’re the host on your phone and not your computer so you can share your screen).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tap anywhere on the screen to see menus. Turn your video off (so you don’t broadcast an unflattering view of yourself…).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mute yourself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Click the “More” button bottom right and select “Disconnect Audio.” This will ensure you don’t have feedback/echo from having Zoom open on two devices open.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now switch to your computer. Open Zoom and start the same meeting from your computer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On your phone, let yourself into the meeting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Run the meeting as normal now. Keep in mind, you are currently hosting from your phone, so you’ll need to let people in through your phone. To share your phone’s screen, hit the green “Share” button, then select “Screen.” The first time you will need to select “Zoom,” and then push “Start Broadcast.” You are now sharing your screen and can toggle through windows as normal. A nice feature is opening your camera app so you can show whatever documents, books, etc are in front of you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "lato" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Happy Zooming! I hope this doesn't have to last too much longer...</span></span></div>
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Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com90tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-24039847577744698822019-11-17T14:37:00.000-06:002019-11-17T14:37:15.516-06:00MindfulnessI started practicing mindfulness with my students last spring. I've gotten a lot of positive feedback on it from both students and peers. My precalc kids from last year who lopped with me into calc this year asked (told) me to continue this tradition in calculus as well. I thought I would post my script here in case it's something you want to try with your kids. I currently teach pre-AP and AP students but I have a colleague who does this with her on-level students as well, so I'm convinced it works for all learners.<div>
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I first set the tone of what mindfulness is and why it's so important, what focusing on the present can do for our brains. I highly recommend showing both these short video clips (or something similar) to your students before you start this work:</div>
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/q0DMYs4b2Yw" target="_blank">What is Mindfulness by <i>Scientific American</i></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dsy7BIUC-w" target="_blank">How Boredom can Lead to Brilliance by Manoush Zomorodi</a></li>
</ul>
I like to play quiet music or nature sounds in the background and turn off the lights. I let my kids stay in their seats or get on the ground, but that's of course entirely your call. Some background videos I've liked are the following:</div>
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFcSrYw-ARY" target="_blank">Nature clips with relaxing music</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIQd2Ya0Ziw" target="_blank">Rain</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DF3j6c_FOc" target="_blank">Winter calm</a></li>
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Alright! Here's my script. It's not all my own words. When I was looking for a mindfulness script, I couldn't find quite what I wanted, so I edited others' scripts and pieced them with my own. This at least gives you a starting point if you're like I was six months ago and just wanted <i>something </i>to go off. I will post two other scripts at the end that I've used with minor modifications.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start by settling into a comfortable position and allow your eyes to close or keep them open with a softened gaze. Begin by taking several long slow deep breaths breathing in fully and exhaling fully. Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose or mouth. Allow your breath to find its own natural rhythm. Bring your full attention to noticing each in-breath as it enters your nostrils, travels down to your lungs and causes your belly to expand. And notice each out-breath as your belly contracts and air moves up through the lungs back up through the nostrils or mouth. Invite your full attention to flow with your breath. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take a deep breath in for 1, 2, 3, 4; now exhale out for 5, 6, 7, 8. Inhale 1, 2, 3, 4; exhale 5, 6, 7, 8. Keep inhaling...and exhaling. Try to focus on your breath or the sound of my voice if you feel your mind start to wander. Inhale...exhale. If you’re comfortable, place a hand on your heart and feel your chest rise as you inhale...and contract as you exhale. Inhale...exhale. Inhale...exhale. Now take the deepest breathe in you’ve taken...and the longest breath out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As you continue to breathe in and out, try to keep focusing on your breath. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Inhale love; exhale resentment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Inhale courage; exhale fear.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Inhale strength; exhale weakness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Inhale joy; exhale comparison.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Inhale kindness; exhale resentment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Inhale confidence; exhale doubt.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Inhale intentions; exhale expectations.</span><span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Inhale hope; exhale fear.</span><span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Inhale inclusion; exhale judgement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Inhale forgiveness; exhale blame.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Inhale passion; exhale indifference.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Inhale grace; exhale the need for perfection.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And as you take a deep breath, bring in more oxygen to the body. And as you exhale, have a sense of relaxing more deeply.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can notice your feet on the floor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can notice your legs against the chair, pressure, pulsing, heaviness, lightness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Notice your back against the chair.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bring your attention into your stomach area. If your stomach is tense or tight, let it soften. Take a breath.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Notice your hands. Are your hands tense or tight. See if you can allow them to soften.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Notice your arms. Feel any sensation in your arms. Let your shoulders be soft.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Notice your neck and throat. Let them be soft. Relax.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Soften your jaw. Let your face and facial muscles be soft.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then notice your whole body present. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take a couple minutes to focus on your breath, remembering that just being in the moment--not worried about the past or stressed about the future--helps your neural resources to grow.</span><span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After about 30 seconds: </span><span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you find your mind wandering, just notice that wandering, without judgment. Then, bring your mind back to your breath.</span><span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another 1-1.5 minutes of breathing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May today be a day where you know you are loved and valued.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May you accept that love and give love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May you know you are safe, cherished, and wanted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May today be a day where you experience grace: both to give and to take.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May today be a day where you are connected with yourself and those around you: aware of one another’s needs and willing to both give and receive help.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May today be a day of joy and thanksgiving.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take one more deep breath, and begin to bring your awareness back to the room. Wiggle your toes and fingers. Gently open your eyes. Lights are coming back on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: small; white-space: normal;">Other scripts you may want to consider/modify for your classroom:</span></span></div>
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<li><span id="docs-internal-guid-1af535f5-7fff-7420-7015-c0cd09e44995"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: small; white-space: normal;"><a href="https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/gratitude_meditation" target="_blank">Gratitude meditation</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: small; white-space: normal;"><a href="https://dawnselander.com/loving-kindness-meditation-for-kids/" target="_blank">Loving-kindness meditation</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Droid Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I would really love to hear from you if mindfulness is something you use in your classroom. I'm a newbie, but I'm learning! Also, <i>Calm</i> is an amazing app if you want to start practicing mindfulness personally...PLUS <a href="https://www.calm.com/schools" target="_blank">educators can get a subscription for free!</a></span></span></span></div>
Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-19381548038753503472019-08-15T16:18:00.004-05:002019-08-20T22:30:40.701-05:00Why I Teach<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">I recently had the opportunity to talk
to the teachers new to our district about why I teach and why I teach at Union
Public Schools. I was originally going to try to write this in blog form
(versus speech form), but my brain has made all its allowable decisions
because...August. So I’m leaving the speech as-is below:</span></i><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">I’ve been asked to talk to you about
why I teach and why I teach at Union. And I’ll be honest, this intimidates me a
bit because even though most of you are new to Union; many of you are not new
to teaching. Many of you should be telling <b>me </b>why <b>you </b>teach and
yet here we are. So bear with me and grant me grace. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The first thing I want to say, whether
this is your first year or thirtieth or somewhere in between, is thank you.
Thank you for choosing this profession and thank you for choosing Union. The
sacrifice it takes to be an Oklahoma public educator is not lost on me.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">I am big on stories and backgrounds,
so I’ll start with a bit about my family. I married my college sweetheart,
Brett, who also works for Union. He’s one of four CPAs on the finance side and
manages the payroll department here. Brett is the ever-calm to my constant
state of heightened emotional frenzy. I swear the man can defuse any
situation in 7 seconds flat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is able
to negotiate peace in just about any circumstance, which comes in handy these
days as we find ourselves attempting to parent a 3.5-year-old, Jonas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jonas is our sweet miracle baby, who--like
all three-year-olds-- keeps us on our toes and teaches us about love and
patience on the daily. Jonas has also convinced me that no matter what age you
are, we as humans can be simultaneously ingenious...and completely inept. For
example, Jonas—for the life of him—cannot throw overhand. He can be given
extremely clear directions (“Put the ball in both your hands; put your hands
over your head; drop the ball.”) and he still can’t quite manage it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the same kid can categorize cars by make
and model no matter the color, year, or angle he’s looking from.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">I’ve found my high schoolers are not
too different. I’ve caught <b>calculus </b>students taking out a
calculator to multiply by one “just to check.” “Just to check”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just to check what?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That one is the still the multiplicative
identity? That the foundation of our number system hasn’t changed since
yesterday?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet these same kids figure out the security
guards’ schedule after the second week of school so they know when to park where
so as to avoid a parking ticket. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Smart when they want to be. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">These same smart cherubs figured out
that our district-wide goal—100% graduation, 100% college- career-ready—could
be used in their benefit too. “What are you gonna do, fail me?” I’ve heard.
“100% graduation, remember?”</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">DEEP BREATH. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">In the spirit of transparency: I was
not too into our goal for a couple years. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">And then I heard this story, which I
had heard dozens of times before. It’s about this shepherd who has a hundred
sheep. He loves his sheep. One day, he realizes one of the sheep is missing so
he leaves the ninety-nine and goes searching for the one lost sheep. When he
finally finds it, he’s so overcome with joy and emotion that he drapes it
across the back of his shoulders He carries it this way--much like you
would a toddler-- all the way home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once
home, he runs to tell his family friends, “I found her!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My sheep was lost and now she’s found.” </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Look, I don’t know if that sheep
wanted to be found or not. Maybe she was having a grand time on the mountain by
herself. But the message of this story really helped me have a paradigm shift
regarding our mission. It helped me understand that “100%” is less about
grades and more about people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It helped
me not only buy into our mission but embrace it. I now embrace the idea that we
don’t leave anyone behind. I embrace the idea that every kid is worth finding
and bringing home to the fold. And maybe most importantly, I embrace the idea
that ninety-nine is not good enough. Now, that doesn’t mean we lower our
standards; that absolutely does not mean we just put a passing grade in,
because sometimes—quite frankly—kids also need to be allowed to fail safely.
But that does mean that we personalize education here at Union—we meet kids
where they’re at. That phrase “set the bar high and students will rise to your
expectations”? It doesn’t sit well with me. Because it gives no allowances for
stories and for backgrounds. Listen, there have been days when I wanted to chew
a student out for earning a B while also doing a happy dance that a different
kid made a D on the exact same assessment. Kids deserve unique goals
because kids are unique. They’re unique in their stories, their backgrounds,
their current struggles, and their dreams. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The reason I love working here at
Union is because this is a district that understands that. My admin has had my
back every single time I’ve said, “Help me understand this story; help me
personalize a plan.” I’m always expected to be a part of that plan to bring the
student back to the fold, but I never, ever have to go it alone here at Union.
I want to emphasize that. You are not alone here. Find those people who will
support you and cling to them. Mrs. Witcher was my principal my first
year teaching here and I have clung to her ever since. I still call her when I
need advice or just need to vent. And I know I can do so without judgement.
Find your tribe and cling to them. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Speaking of Mrs. Witcher, I remember
when we built this beautiful addition that we’re sitting in now and she said to
us, “One of the reasons we build amazing facilities like this one is because we
believe all kids should feel proud of where they go to school.” And that
statement there is so central to why I love teaching here. Here, we believe all
kids should feel dignified when receiving their education. We believe that
buildings like this tell our kids, “You are worth it. You are worth it whether
you’re rich or poor. Black, white, Hispanic, Asian. You are worth it whether
you live on the south side or the north side. You are worth it whether your
ancestors came here on the Mayflower or you just got here. Welcome. These rooms
were built for you. Our arms are open wide. Welcome to the fold.
Everyone’s in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t close our doors
to anyone.”</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Now when you look at our beautiful
buildings, you may think we’re a pretty wealthy district. We get lumped
into the same category as Jenks, Bixby, and Owasso frequently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reality is that, on average, our families
make $30,000 less each year than those that attend Jenks, Bixby, and
Owasso. $30,000 less every year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And I have nothing but respect for those districts; I have dear friends
who teach and send their kids there. But I mean just the fact that we get
lumped in with those other schools is a testament to this district. I’m
here to tell you though:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>not only do we
get “lumped” with these schools, we are the district that often leads the
charge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you know you can take
Differential Equations at Union High School?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s the class you take after Calculus 1, 2, and 3 all of which we
also offer on campus. Did you know you can get medical help if you live
in the Union district?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Affordable
healthcare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our national Congress can’t
even figure it out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But our district
has.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because, yes, we know education is
a key out of poverty, but how can you educate the mind if the body hurts?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So accessible, affordable healthcare is made
available to our community members. Did you know that Union students can
graduate with two degrees--an associates and a high school degree at no cost to
them?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you know that we offer
after-school music lessons to kids who can’t afford in-home private
lessons? </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Occasionally people will tell me,
“Union’s population has really changed the last ten years.”</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">And I always reply, “That’s
true. And we’re better for it.”</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">We may not have parents who can donate
two million dollars to build a new STEM lab, but I’m ok with that. It
allows our kids see the intentionality with which we build, the care and the
stewardship. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">That’s why I chose to pursue teaching
and specifically chose to cultivate my craft at Union. I chose teaching
because I felt public education empowers, enlightens, and liberates. Everyone
has a seat at the table. Everyone gets access to quality learning. That’s the
script—that’s the calling—I chose. One of inclusion. One of love. One where
everyone’s in. One that seeks to eliminate marginalization and end generational
poverty through education.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The reason I teach is that I want to
add value and dignity to students, sometimes for the first time in a long time.
Sometimes just when they need it most. [1]I teach because of Cara, who lost her
mom in elementary school and has since lived with her alcoholic dad and
step-mom, the latter of which doesn’t speak to Cara. But Cara told me that the
silver lining in all of this is that she was able to attend Union Public
Schools. And that even though her childhood has been bleak; her adulthood is
promising, due to the opportunities afforded to her through Union. Cara is will
most likely be one of our National Merits this year. I teach because of Andrew,
who struggled so deeply with depression and anxiety that he tried to take his
own life. But courageous Andrew reached for help. And now he is a vocal
proponent of mental healthcare, especially as it relates to teenagers. I teach
because of Shirin. Just two years ago, Shirin was in a different district where
she was bullied because of the color of her skin. No one looked like her at her
old school so certain students thought that gave them right to be cruel. Shirin
was bullied so severely that her mom pleaded for a transfer to Union, even
though they didn’t live within our boundaries. The transfer was granted. Now
Shirin has friends that look like her, and don’t look like her, who welcomed
her with open arms. I teach because of Seth, who wants to be a high school math
teacher when he grows up. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">I try to live by two philosophies: (1)
there’s no such thing as someone else’s kid and (2) there’s a reason each kid
on my roster is on my roster. That does not magically make it easy to like
every single one of them. The veteran teachers can back me up on this: some of
your kids are going to be hard to like (and they will probably manage to have
perfect attendance). But those are also the kids who need you the most. I
will admit: there have been days in the past—and there will be days to
come—when I didn’t want to step foot in my own room...because of that parent
phone call or that situation blew up...and I just didn’t want to deal with <i>him
</i>or see <i>her </i>again. But I’ll also say this: somehow, those kids
became some of my favorites. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">And that’s up to us: we write that
narrative. We can continue to let that annoyance or even hurt fester inside us,
or we can decide: I’m going to speak truth into this life. I’m going to be the
adult who sees the good in this child, even when he doesn’t even see it
himself: I will choose to see it and pull it out. I will be the adult who
pleads the cause of my students, even when they’re too mad, too hurt, too
exhausted, too overwhelmed to plead for themselves. I will be the adult who
says, “Oh you can and WILL be someone great—someone who adds to, and not
subtracts from, to our community.” I’ll be the adult who says, “The chains
break here. You are free. Free to be yourself. You’re safe in my room. You belong
just as you are. You matter. You’re here for a reason. You are not an accident.
You are mine and I am yours and we are in this together.”</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">And some will respond right away and
others won’t. Some will come with open arms, so ready for that love and others
will continue in destructive ways...sometimes even to us as teachers. Sometimes
we get hurt as teachers, right? We don’t talk a whole lot about that. But kids
can really hurt us.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">When that happens, we have a choice:
step away and say “Not my problem,” (which I admit I've done my fair share of
times) or lean in and remind ourselves: “Ninety-nine is not good enough.”</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">My utmost desire for you and for me is
that this is the year we lean in.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">May we see every kid. May we see them
for who they were made to be. May we pay special attention to the ones who
don’t want to be seen, and to the ones who feel invisible. May we have
the courage to show them—day in and day out—they are more than visible to us.
They are our life. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">My hope is that this year you’re able
to create a culture--a classroom--that you’re excited to come to and that
your students can't wait to be in every day. That the kid who lost his mom
this summer feels loved in your room. That the one who struggles with anxiety
and self-harm feels worthy in your room. That the one who was bullied last year
feels safe. That the shy one feels heard; the loud one belongs. That our labels
dissipate and your students become...your kids. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">May this be a year where mutual
understanding and learning take place. May we enter not as their saviors but as
fellow sojourners. Yes, sojourners who have walked a bit longer, but travelers
on the same journey nonetheless.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">As one of my favorite writers said, In
the end, maybe “we’re all just walking each other home.”</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">[1] Names and certain details of
students have been altered to protect their privacy.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-72511348519530708082018-08-19T22:48:00.002-05:002018-08-19T22:48:08.093-05:00Prayer for 2018-19<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-5427a8b7-7fff-8bb4-dfb0-f24e9fd83424" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God—</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thank you for fresh starts and new beginnings. May I not take this for granted. While nerves will run high tomorrow—for students and teachers alike—may we remember the beauty that accompanies the new. May we seize that opportunity, not shrink from it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As students enter our rooms tomorrow, may we greet them with the same joy with which we embrace our own children. May we remember that there’s no such thing someone else’s kid; that we belong to one another. And when our students step into our rooms, may they feel immediately safe, valued, and important. May they sense a spirit of inclusion and tolerance, of strong love, and of mutual respect. When they step in our doors, may there be no doubt in their minds that they are the reason we’re here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I shake hands tomorrow, may I remember that I’m touching someone made in Your very likeness. As I look into her eyes, may I remember that they belong not to a mere mortal. May my words, my body language, my actions declare Your promise: we are not done here. We are pushing—together—to make the world whole again. And we begin that process by seeing one another for who we can be. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh may that be our anthem: that we would see the beauty in one another and work to bring that beauty out. May our classrooms be a place where we celebrate one another’s victories, not be jealous of them. A place where collaboration, innovation, and true friendship blossom. A place where grace is always offered and love runs so deep that it keeps no record of wrong. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bind us together, Lord. Make us sensitive to one another’s needs. Close our mouths when we need to shut up; give us words in times of sorrow or crisis. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Open my heart to a new group of 135. Let me see each one. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“If you gave Your life to love them so will I.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amen. </span></div>
Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-54745800196530233922018-08-07T23:01:00.000-05:002018-08-07T23:01:13.012-05:00Grace<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am so excited to be a part of <a href="https://samjshah.com/mathematical-flavors-convention-center/" target="_blank">the Virtual Conference on Mathematical Flavors</a>, where we are answering the question: "What flavor of mathematics are you serving up in your classroom?" As Sam Shah wrote in his <a href="https://samjshah.com/" target="_blank">call for presenters</a>, we're exploring the big-picture ideas that govern our classroom culture, as opposed to the more nuts-and-bolts that typically dictate our blog posts. I hope that you'll join us!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'll be honest: this question has been circulating in my mind for a while. <i>What flavor </i><b>am </b><i>I serving? </i></span><br />
<i><br /></i><span style="font-family: inherit;">I love quotes. My classroom is filled with quotes I've attempted to hand letter as well as a new quote of the week every Monday. So, I think I will let quotes guide this conversation...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Also, a disclaimer. When I talk about "my classroom" please recognize that I am talking about my ideal classroom; in other words, what I <i>want </i> my classroom to look like and feel like, not necessarily what it looks like and feels like on a day-to-day to basis. I would love to engage every single student every single day. But I don't. Not even close. So, these flavors I'm describing...they're my dreams and ambitions...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b>Flavor #1: We belong to each other</b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>"There's no such thing as other people's children."<br />-Glennon Melton</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My first "flavor" is to build a classroom culture where my kids understand that I want to be with them, that they belong to me, and that they belong to each other. I need them to know that they make me happy and proud. I need them to know that I love spending my day with them. If I didn't, why would I leave this adorable two-year-old Monday-Friday for them?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gf6uHaDlyi4/W2RjXBWWM8I/AAAAAAAAMhY/0KAkcBBl7As0BLNa5R14jAlZ7oGLEyNqQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gf6uHaDlyi4/W2RjXBWWM8I/AAAAAAAAMhY/0KAkcBBl7As0BLNa5R14jAlZ7oGLEyNqQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_7374.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Cutie, am I right?</td></tr>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My utmost hope for every one of my students--even more than learning any math--is that they become kind, compassionate, inclusive, and empathetic adults. And I encourage them to practice kindness, compassion, inclusion, and empathy every day in the classroom by treating them with the same respect. When it's sixth hour and a student has asked me a question I have already answered twenty-eight times that day, I force myself to answer it with the same level of patience that I did with my top student from first hour. Because everyone belongs. Everyone's in. There are no cliques, no cool kids, no outcasts. They're all my kids. They're all worth my energy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In turn, I expect to see that patience reciprocated in my classroom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And I hope it extends beyond my four walls.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<b>Flavor #2: No one gets left behind</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">"</span><span class="text Luke-15-4" id="en-NIV-25593" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-25593E" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-25593E" title="See cross-reference E">E</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="text Luke-15-5" id="en-NIV-25594" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="text Luke-15-6" id="en-NIV-25595" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'"<br />-Jesus, as recalled in Luke 15: 4-7</span></span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span class="text Luke-15-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Luke-15-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">My school's mission is "100% graduation; 100% college- and career-ready." In the spirit of transparency, there are days I resent that statement: the days when students throw that in our faces, for example. ("What are you gonna do? Fail me? 100% graduation, remember?")</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Luke-15-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Luke-15-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">No. I'm not going to fail them (which I consider to be different than their earning an F). I will fight for them. I won't give up. I'll leave the 99 (or shall I say 149) for the one. I will model reckless love: the kind of love that doesn't make sense, the kind of love that keeps no record of wrong, that is unconditional, that comes back again and again, that sees the best and believes the best--even when they don't.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Luke-15-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Luke-15-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Every story is one that should be heard and should influence my practice. </span></span></span>In an effort to make this message of belonging clear, last year I met with all eighty-nine of my calculus students the first nine weeks of school one-on-one to learn their stories. Some "interviews" lasted ten minutes; some an hour and a half. We met before school, during lunch, during my plan, and after school. It was exhausting; I never had a free moment. But it was absolutely worth it. My hope was to make this message of: "I am here for you; I'm not going anywhere" loud and clear. My desire was to learn their stories and to hopefully show them that their stories are important to me. I wanted them to know that even in a school of 3300 students, they matter to me.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Luke-15-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Luke-15-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">In turn, I expect them to show themselves love and kindness, because "everyone is fighting a hard battle"--including ourselves. I expect them not to give up on themselves--or me. I expect them to fight for themselves, for their stories, for their voice, and for their passions.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Luke-15-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Luke-15-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">And I hope that perseverance and that fight extends beyond my four walls.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Luke-15-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Luke-15-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><b>Flavor #3: Gratitude</b></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Luke-15-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><b>"Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day."<br />-Alice Morse Earl</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Luke-15-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Luke-15-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">I come from a long line of pessimists. And as most pessimists, we prefer the term "realists." Six years ago I came across the <a href="https://onegoodthingteach.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">One Good Thing Blog</a>, which is a space where educators write at least one good thing that happened in their classroom that day. I've made it a practice to write something every day for the last six years. The only times I miss a day are when I'm home sick or with a sick child. Six years ago was when I made the switch from teaching college to high school. It was a rough transition for me. I had dreamed of being a professor since before I had a high school diploma. And all of a sudden I found myself sharing this space with thirty-six teenagers who rotated out every fifty-five minutes, who seemed to want nothing to do with my content nor with me. It was a difficult time. This blog was one of the things that rescued me. I fully believe now--after 810 posts--that my brain has been rewired to look for the good that occurs. And not only look for it, but celebrate it.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Luke-15-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Luke-15-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">As a dear friend and mentor says, "We are what we celebrate."</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Luke-15-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Luke-15-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">And so I celebrate the good that my students add to my life and to each other's lives every day. Because that's who we are.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Luke-15-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">A couple of years after I started contributing to this blog, I began asking my students to write "one good thing" every now and then. I realized that many of them had no idea I wrote every day about the good that goes on in our room; and in addition to modeling that discipline for them, I also wanted them to practice it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">In turn, I hope they practice this habit as often as is useful to them. I hope they look for the good that is all around them, because it <i>is </i>all around them.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">And I hope that dedication and celebration extends beyond my four walls.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>What does this have to do with mathematics?</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Maybe nothing. Maybe everything. But these are the things that kept coming to my mind every time I sat down to write about my classroom. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I love mathematics. I have two degrees in it. But mathematics is merely the tool used to teach bigger life lessons in my classroom. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">In my room, we use mathematics to understand that we know very little of the universe.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We use mathematics to form complete and thorough arguments in our justifications.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We use mathematics as a way to learn how we learn and how our friends learn.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;">We use mathematics as a way to feel pride in ourselves and in our hard work.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;">We use mathematics to celebrate both our shortcomings and hence our accomplishments.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">We use mathematics as a way to recognize that our work is better when others help.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;">We use mathematics as a common language, no matter our native tongue.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;">We use mathematics as a tool for understanding that there may be many solutions to a problem. Still, there may be one most elegant solution.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;">We use mathematics for all these things; but at the end of the day, these things are the backdrop to the main production: grace.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Grace is the real theme I want in my classroom. I learned recently that the Greek word for <i>grace </i>is <i>charis</i>, which literally means "reaching, leaning, or stooping down in kindness."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">And that's what I want mathematics--yes, mathematics--to feel like in my classroom. I want my kids' experience with math to be one where they feel I am leaning in with them--all in--to offer all the kindness and support they need to be successful. So that at the end of the year, whether they came in loving math or hating math or something in between, that they can say, "I am smart. I am worth it. I am valuable."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">At the end of the day, that's our mission: adding value to kids.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Everyone's in. Everyone's seen and heard. Everyone's worth it.</span></div>
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Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-91747100654974871172017-10-08T13:43:00.001-05:002017-10-08T13:43:16.001-05:00Rec LettersIt's rec letter season again!<br />
<br />
I just finished my second rec letter of the school year, and I thought I'd share what I give to students when they ask me to write a recommendation letter. It's nothing fancy, but it (usually) gives me a lot of good info to go on.<br />
<br />
A few notes:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Students <i>must</i> ask me in person to write a letter. </li>
<ul>
<li>If I get an email from an outside source saying a student has request a recommendation, but the student has never talked to me, I simply wait for the student to tell me what it's about. If the student never does, the student doesn't get a letter from me. </li>
<li>If the student (or student's parent) emails me, I respond by saying something like, "Please see me after class. I require all students to talk to me face-to-face if they are requesting a recommendation letter. I also have a short form for you to fill out."</li>
</ul>
<li>I try to get these written as quickly as possible. Weekends are my time to write them. I limit myself to 2-3/weekend. But, if I haven't hit that limit, I generally do write the letter that same weekend. I don't like having these hang over me.</li>
<li>I dread writing rec letters. I dread it so much. They can be very stress-inducing for teachers especially when we know our kids have incredibly lofty goals. That said, once I start writing a letter, I have so much fun with it. It's really enjoyable to get to brag on the amazing kids we have. Furthermore, it's a true honor to be asked to write these, I think.</li>
</ol>
So, once a student asks me to write a rec letter, I ask him/her to send me a blank email. Then I respond with this:<br />
<br />
<b>Please copy and paste these questions as well as your answers into an email (send to [my email address here]). The more details or specific examples/stories you provide, the better letter I can write for you.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<b>· Full name as you want it in your letter</b><br />
<b>· Unweighted GPA</b><br />
<b>· Weighted GPA</b><br />
<b>· School activities and clubs (include any special recognitions, service hours, etc., if applicable)</b><br />
<b>· Non-school activities, volunteer positions, jobs, etc.</b><br />
<b>· What do you consider to be your greatest strength and why?</b><br />
<b>· What do you want to study in college and why?</b><br />
<b>· What is an obstacle you have faced in the past or are currently facing and how has it shaped you?</b><br />
<b>· Name a hero of yours (personal, historical, or fictional) and explain your answer.</b><br />
<b>· Any experiences that stand out during your time at Union?</b><br />
<b>· Anything else that would be important for me to know?</b><br />
<br />
And that's it. Again, nothing fancy, but it's the best thing that's worked for me after a few years of writing a lot of letters.Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-77207678299020308022017-08-21T21:44:00.002-05:002017-08-21T21:44:08.790-05:00My Prayer for 2017-18<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">God--</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">This is one of the nights I dread every year. The last night of summer. The night before school starts. In the morning, I'll meet a hundred and forty new people with whom I will share a classroom...and hopefully my heart.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The introvert in me squirms at the thought of tomorrow.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">I wonder how in the world me--little me--ever got placed in this big, beautiful, bold school.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">And that's when You reminded me: I was placed. I was placed here by You. This was no mistake.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">So, here we are again. Year Nine. And my insecurities are basically the same. Will they like me? Will they listen to me? Will they learn from me? Will they get along? Will they feel safe? Wanted? Welcome?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Your words: Be still.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">My prayer is that You would bond these kids and myself together. I pray for deep relationships, not surface-level knowledge. I pray for moments of true academic achievement and also moments of deep, uncontrollable laughter.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Grant me the energy and the enthusiasm that these Loves are worthy of. Give me grace for myself when I still fall short.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Grant me the discernment to know when a kid needs a hug. Give me grace for myself when I miss that opportunity.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Grant me the creativity necessary to make math fun and engaging. Give me grace for myself when I'm boring as hell.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Grant me the patience needed to answer the same questions all day long. Give me grace for myself when I sigh out loud. And grant me the courage to apologize for that sigh immediately.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Help me embrace these Loves like You embrace them. Remind me daily that they are Yours--beloved, valued, and worthy of my best.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Help me be the teacher You had in mind for them. Help me learn their stories. Help me be a light.</span>Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-49727851039413701932017-05-01T15:44:00.000-05:002017-05-01T15:44:45.659-05:00Techniques of Integration: A PuzzleI am way behind on posting materials for AP Calculus, but better late than never, I suppose. Here is a Tarsia puzzle for practicing techniques of integration (specifically for AB). The puzzle includes both definite and indefinite integrals. I used this as an end-of-the-year review before the AP Exam.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-slMWKZ7D90E/WQeA7H63dgI/AAAAAAAAD-0/cH0sSnnIKqYE657oP-ZJCnCwk_yDkecIwCLcB/s1600/Integration%2BTarsia.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-slMWKZ7D90E/WQeA7H63dgI/AAAAAAAAD-0/cH0sSnnIKqYE657oP-ZJCnCwk_yDkecIwCLcB/s400/Integration%2BTarsia.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
PDF Version is <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6e_h4VO7byuRFlhY2pNcWdNMjA/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>. Word document of problems only is <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6e_h4VO7byuRVJrRVlEUFdHQlU/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>. The word document can be used as its own assignment or only for the students who were absent for the puzzle.Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-63725113258746868502016-08-08T10:07:00.000-05:002016-08-08T10:07:47.745-05:00Get Them into Calc: A Defense of Calculus EducationI recently applied to be an AP Calculus Reader for (hopefully) next summer. This has been a dream of mine for the past three years, so I was excited to finally be allowed to submit an application.<br />
<br />
The application questions really got me thinking. I realized (not for the first time) how passionate I am about calculus education.<br />
<br />
A few months ago, I applied to begin a PhD in Mathematics Education, and I put these thoughts on paper for the first time. (I was accepted but deferred as I realized I couldn't stay away from teaching.) Here's part of my essay for admission:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I fell in love with school from the moment I was first introduced to it. I was the kid who would come home from school only to make her little sister pretend-play classroom until it was dinnertime. Never was my sister allowed to be the teacher, by the way. Being a teacher was all I ever remember wanting to be when I grew up. [...]</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not unexpectedly, one of the highlights of graduate school for me was teaching my own sections of College Algebra. Because of this, I searched primarily for college teaching positions upon graduation. I was pleased to accept a position at Tulsa Community College, teaching mostly for their EXCELerate program. This meant that I had the privilege of teaching high school students at Union who were taking college classes for dual credit. What I did not expect when I accepted this position was just how much I would love teaching high school students. It should be noted that I attended only private school or homeschool through my childhood; hence, teaching at a large public school like Union High School was never on my radar. Little did I know that I had just found one of my utmost passions in life.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The following year, a position at UHS opened, and the administration asked me to apply. With some trepidation, but mostly excitement, I accepted the position and began my journey as a high school teacher. The past few years at UHS have been nothing short of incredible. I accepted this job because I thought I could make a difference in the lives of young adults. What I did not realize was what a profound impact these young adults would have on my life. They have taught me the importance of kindness, vulnerability, patience, persistence, and love. I adore my kids more than words can say, and I am forever in their debt for giving me a career about which I am truly passionate. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My favorite class to teach is AP Calculus. I feel this is a wonderful course that teaches so much more than mathematics. Last year, I had an eighty-two percent pass rate on the AP Exam (one hundred percent pass rate for the students who had also had my PreCalculus course); the national pass rate was fifty-seven percent. [This year I had an eighty-seven percent pass rate; national pass rate was fifty-nine percent.] Calculus education is a field that is somewhat under-researched, and I am excited to learn more about what can be done to promote calculus literacy and fluency at both the high school and the college level. My goal in pursuing a PhD in Education is to one day be a teacher-leader at the district or state level to help schools vertically align their mathematics courses so that as many students who want to take calculus can do so and can experience success. I have seen what experiencing this success can do for a child’s confidence. I want as many students as possible to encounter this joy, and I want to help as many teachers as possible witness this.</span><br /></blockquote>
That is my passion: open access to calculus for all students who want to take it and who have taken the appropriate steps to acquire the necessary background knowledge. I believe that access to calculus is vital for a school's success because a school's primary goal should be to see its students grow. My claim is that advanced mathematics allows students this opportunity. When students experience success in calculus, their view of themselves blossoms. They start to see themselves as young adults who are capable of basically anything...if they will work and <i>stick with it</i>. I've seen it time and time again in just a few years--calculus gives kids confidence they never had before.<br />
<br />
Yes, calculus allows students to navigate both abstract and applied mathematics. If done right, it teaches them how to see the world through derivatives and integrals. It teaches them about the physics of motion and about the science of change.<br />
<br />
But, it teaches them in many other ways...<br />
<br />
For better or for worse, calculus is seen to many as the pinnacle of mathematics education, maybe even the pinnacle of all high school education.<br />
<br />
I'm not saying this is right. But I <i>have</i> taken advantage of this.<br />
<br />
When the majority of my students start calculus class, they come in with a mixture of anxiety and excitement. They've reached a point many do not reach. They are both proud of themselves and also scared of failure. If they fail, what does that say about them? <br />
<br />
What I believe is vital is that--if they show up and if they try--they will not fail.<br />
<br />
In fact, they will succeed.<br />
<br />
And when they succeed, they soar. Sure, they've done well in other classes before, but something unique happens when they do well in calculus. Again, part of this is due to the way our culture glorifies calculus; but part of this is due to the fact that you really cannot BS your way through calc. You have to <i>know </i>it. You have to understand it; to apply it.<br />
<br />
Hence, when students achieve that passing grade (ethically), they know they earned it. They know they mastered the material. <br />
<br />
My point is: I believe we have to do more to (1) get more students <i>into </i>a high school calculus course and (2) get those students to succeed in calculus. Because when these kids succeed in calculus, they decide they are capable of just about anything.<br />
<br />
It's our job as educators to push our kids to greatness. We have to believe they are capable of more than they believe they're capable of. We have to demand more of them than they would demand of themselves. We have to give them the tools to conquer their goals and their fears.<br />
<br />
Get them into calculus. It will accomplish all of this.Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-79011080510486074232016-05-08T21:09:00.000-05:002016-05-08T21:10:28.671-05:00Rate In/Rate Out Review <span style="font-family: inherit;">T<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">he AP Exam is over! This year, I reviewed my kids very similarly as <a href="http://www.epsilon-delta.org/2015/04/more-on-reviewing-for-ap-calculus-exam.html" target="_blank">I did last year </a>(each week we focused on a new multiple choice and free response topic, with a review quiz each Friday that the students helped write).</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">One free response topic that was certainly lacking in my review last year was Rate In/Rate Out questions. These have intimidated my students in the past, which is not great as they seem to be becoming a popular first question (including this year). Not a great way to start the free response section.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">So, this year we spent a whole day on these types of questions. However, instead of just throwing several past AP questions at my kids, I gave them ten different questions they may be asked to answer for these free responses. Of course, the College Board can ask whatever they want, but these are questions that seem to arise frequently.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">We answered these ten questions for two arbitrary functions, I(t) (the rate IN) and O(t), the rate OUT. This seemed to really help my students. I'm relieved that I finally found a way to make these questions easier to digest because these really can be fabulous questions that model real-world situations beautifully.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Below are the ten questions with answers:</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OeInqSIx6rc/Vy_v6g0ds_I/AAAAAAAABd0/0NYpdygz0dcbaTxSAwVBe8_922OkxFitwCKgB/s1600/Rate%2BInRate%2BOut%2BNotes%2BKEY-p1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="587" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OeInqSIx6rc/Vy_v6g0ds_I/AAAAAAAABd0/0NYpdygz0dcbaTxSAwVBe8_922OkxFitwCKgB/s640/Rate%2BInRate%2BOut%2BNotes%2BKEY-p1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">And here is the student handout (the ten questions, two past AP FRQs, and two FRQs I wrote).</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe height="480" src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6e_h4VO7byuaHFQRS1HaF9aMWM/preview" width="640"></iframe></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">A great follow-up to this is to have <a href="http://www.epsilon-delta.org/2015/06/what-we-did-post-ap-exam.html" target="_blank">kids create their own Rate In/Rate Out problems</a>. Unfortunately, I don't have time for this project until after the AP Exam, but it's still one of my favorites.</span>Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-56317181130641315282016-05-04T15:38:00.000-05:002016-05-04T21:21:48.041-05:00Dear Legislator<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dear Oklahoma Legislator,</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Last week, one of my seniors told me he's thinking about becoming a math teacher. I've taught this kid for two years--in PreCalculus and AP Calculus--and he's always told me he wanted to be a pediatrician. I'll tell you this: a bunch of my kids say they want to be doctors. You know what's different about this one? He would actually do the work necessary to become one. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But now this boy--this smart, competent, enthusiastic young man--is considering becoming a public educator instead. He has only one concern: Will he be able to support a family on an Oklahoma teacher's salary?</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I ask you, how am I to answer that?</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Some of your colleagues have answered my question with, "You knew what you were going to make when you entered this profession."</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My students are starting to listen. And now a whole generation is terrified of pursuing an education degree out of fear that they will not be able to make it financially. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'd like to paint you a picture. Let me tell you what my student's classroom would look like, if he decides to pursue a career in education.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">His classroom door would be open to anyone, at all times. He would treat his students as if they were his own children. He would teach with passion and enthusiasm, researching ways to make sure every kid had the best possible learning environment. He would never give up on his students, even if they gave up on themselves. No child would ever feel left out or lonely, because this young man is a champion of the underdog. His students would learn elegant mathematics, and they all would be stretched in their thinking. They would leave his class with more confidence than when they entered. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">His students would feel connected to their school, because this boy has more school spirit than anyone I've ever known. He would sit in the front row at their plays, games, and concerts. He'd be their biggest cheerleader. Those kids would feel so loved. His would be the class that would brighten their day--even when the demands of high school tugged at them. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You know that excitement and softness that people use when they talk to a new baby? That's the kind of enthusiasm and kindness with which he would treat his own students. Imagine a world where we all learned to treat each other in that way. We could start a revolution. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">His students would learn the importance of serving each other and working together. He would model what it looks like to put others' needs above your own. He would serve and teach with generosity, humility, and compassion. He would be every kid's favorite teacher. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But he'd also make a great doctor. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So I ask you, what am I to tell him?</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">How would you answer him?</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You and I both know we need people like him in the classroom. A high school teacher impacts thousands of young lives over his career. Think of the lives he could change for the better. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've done my part: I've lit the fire. I've sparked his interest. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now it's up to you. What will you do to keep this young man--and many others like him--in our schools?</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope you choose to <b>go light the world</b>.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sincerely,</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Rebecka Peterson</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Union High School</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tulsa </span></div>
<div>
<br></div>
Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-10131765710290437612016-02-18T13:19:00.000-06:002016-02-18T13:19:00.427-06:00FiveLisa, my friend, mentor, and boss, challenged me to answer five questions about this school year. We'll see how far I get before baby awakes. Also, I apologize in advance if my writing is sub-par. Sleep deprivation, folks. I suggest we all go treat our moms and dads to a steak dinner for all the sleep they sacrificed for us.<br />
<br />
Without further ado...<br />
<br />
<b>What has been your ONE biggest struggle during this school year?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Fear.<br />
<br />
Or maybe more accurately: FOMO (fear of missing out).<br />
<br />
I fear I'm missing out on my students' lives while I'm on maternity leave. I know there are milestones in their learning (of math and of life) that I won't get to witness. And then, when I return to school, I fear missing milestones in my son's life. He's only two weeks old. I get that he won't remember any of this. But--as exhausted as I am--it kills me to leave him. I can't win either way. I want both worlds. But I can't have them simultaneously.<br />
<br />
<b>Share TWO accomplishments that you are proud of this school year.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<ol>
<li>I made it to four hundred posts on the <a href="https://onegoodthingteach.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">One Good Thing blog</a>. The blog honestly changed my life. Every day, I--along with several other educators around the country--post one good thing that happened at school. Our mantra is, "Every day may not be good, but there's at least one good thing in every day." I recognize that life is hard and that some days are...not good. But searching for the good regardless has been incredibly therapeutic.<br /></li>
<li>I've had four students this year tell me they want to be a math teacher because of me. (I know it's not <i>only </i>because of me, but I'll take it anyway.) Each of these students is bright, compassionate, and fun-loving. I know they will all make amazing teachers, should they continue on that route. But, even if they don't, I'm so humbled that they think enough of me and of my career choice to want to emulate it. In a <strike>world</strike> state where teachers are often undervalued and certainly underpaid, I'm proud to say that I'm helping the next generation see our worth. I'm hoping they'll join us in making a positive difference in Oklahoma public education.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
<b>What are THREE things you wish to accomplish before the end of the school year?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<ol>
<li>I'd like to make it to five hundred posts on the One Good Thing blog.<br /></li>
<li>I want to have at least as high of a pass rate on the AP Calculus Exam as I did last year.<br /></li>
<li>When the school year is over, I don't need my kids to remember me. But I would like for them to remember how they felt being in math class: I hope that they leave knowing that their teacher will always love them, respect them, fight for them, and be there for them. I hope they feel that on a daily basis. And I hope I act in such a way as to never cast any doubt.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
<b>Give FOUR reasons why you remain in education in today's rough culture.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<ol>
<li>I love being around teenagers. I think they're funny, vulnerable, smart, and completely inspiring. I know I learn more from them then they could ever learn from me. They challenge me to be the best version of myself every day. It's an impossible challenge, but one that I'm thankful for regardless.<br /></li>
<li>I love mathematics. I would be hard-pressed to find a job where I get to do this much math every day.<br /></li>
<li>I'm stealing this one from Lisa: <i>If not us, then who?<br /></i></li>
<li>I believe we're called to repair the brokenness that exists in the world. I'm a Christian. And while I openly apologize for the insensitivity, the irrelevance, and the complete asinine behavior that often accompanies the church, I won't apologize for what I believe. What I believe is that God created this world to be perfect and whole, but when He created human beings He abdicated His right to control (this is where some Christians may disagree with me). That abdication was necessary for humans to be able to love...but that must mean we are also capable of hatred. And, hence, we've created a "brutiful"--a brutal and beautiful--world. But, God entered the world again through Jesus, and Jesus called us to continue bringing heaven to earth--to continue to repair what has been broken. For me, this reconciliation means teaching. It means helping students discover their worth. It means letting them know that they are kind, important, valuable, and smart. It means showing them that they, too, have a role to play in the repairing of the world. </li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
<b>Which FIVE people do you hope will take the challenge of answering these questions?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I'm going to just ask two other women who also teach math in Oklahoma public schools. I challenge @druinok and @mathequalslove. Both of these ladies are incredible math educators and fight for the rights of their students on a daily basis. I admire them deeply and hope to hear their answers.Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-6231929010543435162016-01-28T16:51:00.000-06:002016-01-28T16:51:29.808-06:00Calc Videos!In preparation for my maternity leave, I made videos of some of my calc lectures this summer. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrTvfpaDl6a7x80yTdRGG79UYAFIx8ebM" target="_blank">Here</a> is the link to all the videos. Topics include the following (individual links provided):<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FBNvQ-nceA&index=12&list=PLrTvfpaDl6a7x80yTdRGG79UYAFIx8ebM" target="_blank">U-Substitution (Indefinite Integrals)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdMFYqUfAZg&index=10&list=PLrTvfpaDl6a7x80yTdRGG79UYAFIx8ebM" target="_blank">U-Substitution (Definite Integrals)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJqApPD1CAU&index=11&list=PLrTvfpaDl6a7x80yTdRGG79UYAFIx8ebM" target="_blank">Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, Part I</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBVe5aT6z6g&index=8&list=PLrTvfpaDl6a7x80yTdRGG79UYAFIx8ebM" target="_blank">Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, Part II</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZVSlg5MuBI&index=9&list=PLrTvfpaDl6a7x80yTdRGG79UYAFIx8ebM" target="_blank">Net Change</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBVe5aT6z6g&index=8&list=PLrTvfpaDl6a7x80yTdRGG79UYAFIx8ebM" target="_blank">Average Value</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8jr19LlQE4&index=7&list=PLrTvfpaDl6a7x80yTdRGG79UYAFIx8ebM" target="_blank">Area Between Two Curves</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSo9_zqc6A0&index=6&list=PLrTvfpaDl6a7x80yTdRGG79UYAFIx8ebM" target="_blank">Volume of Solids with Known Cross Sections</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWzstHIFMW0&index=5&list=PLrTvfpaDl6a7x80yTdRGG79UYAFIx8ebM" target="_blank">Disk Method</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDAArUTK0RE&index=4&list=PLrTvfpaDl6a7x80yTdRGG79UYAFIx8ebM" target="_blank">Washer Method</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uABe6hwB9fg&index=3&list=PLrTvfpaDl6a7x80yTdRGG79UYAFIx8ebM" target="_blank">Differential Equations</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRZGZ-jewWg&index=2&list=PLrTvfpaDl6a7x80yTdRGG79UYAFIx8ebM" target="_blank">Differential Equations (Word Problems)</a></li>
</ul>
Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-69978093044055881482016-01-10T18:45:00.001-06:002016-01-10T18:45:11.243-06:00The 2-Minute Rule<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am trying to think of everything and anything that might be helpful for my friend taking over for me during maternity leave (any day now!). One of the things I included in my list to her was my 2-Minute Rule: "<span style="line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">I allow students to pack up two minutes before the bell rings, not a second before. Then they need to stay seated until the bell rings. The kids are pretty good about it, but some of the kids that transferred at semester are still learning."</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">My first year of teaching high school, the kids would do two things in particular that really annoyed me:</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pack up early.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Line up at the door.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don't know if it's because I was homeschooled or if it's because I taught college classes before switching to high school, but I was totally floored and appalled by this behavior, which I've been told is very normal. Thus, I instituted the 2-minute rule. It's simple and I'm sure lots of teachers have something similar, but it really does work because it gives the students freedom to pack up before the bell rings but it also gives them a guideline as to when it's permissible to do so. Usually, I just have to get on to a class once or twice until they get it.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The other day I noticed a kid (who had transferred to my class just days before) pack up <i>seven minutes before the bell rang</i>. I told her she needed to get her stuff back out and that she could pack up at 1:13, two minutes early. She agreed to the rule. But I was reminded in that moment how important this rule is. In my first year, I felt like the kids just packed up earlier and earlier every day. Not ok.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">That's all. Totally simple but totally helps me keep my cool.</span></span>Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-32777306520090208362015-12-26T16:18:00.003-06:002015-12-29T15:44:53.166-06:00Three lessonsOne of the most important lessons I learned about teaching I learned as a graduate student working in the Math Lab at my university as a tutor. We had stations where the tutors would sit (and, quite frankly, work on our own homework) until someone approached us with a question. At this point, we would gladly and enthusiastically put our homework up and help answer whatever question the undergrad student had. We thought we were so approachable and were awesome tutors. Or at least I did.<div>
<br></div>
<div>
Until we got a scolding from the head of the math department.</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
Apparently, I was not as awesome as I thought I was.</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
Our boss (who is one of the kindest human beings on earth, I might add) gently told us that maybe we weren't quite as approachable as we thought we were. "Math is really intimidating for most of the people taking these classes. It takes a lot of courage to get up, in front of everyone, and come over to your station to ask a question."</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
I'm paraphrasing as it's been several years, but that was the gist.</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
He encouraged <i>us </i>to go to <i>them</i>. I remember feeling so humbled. Of course, he was completely correct. As soon as I started making my "rounds," the amount of questions I got each day skyrocketed. Furthermore, I started building rapport with several of the students who came consistently.</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
This experience greatly shaped the way I now teach high school math. I'm very against sitting at my desk and letting students come to me. Because that's what I did as a TA in grad school and <i>it clearly does not work. </i>You know who comes to ask questions? The kids who are going to figure it out with or without me. The resourceful ones. The ones that need me the least, to be honest.</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
When kids are in the room, I believe they need to be my primary focus--not lesson planning or grading or writing a quiz. When kids are with me, they must take precedence: they are reason I'm there, after all. This philosophy means I've created methods to grade homework as they go (these methods vary with each of my preps) because <i>prioritizing </i>means something's gotta give. For me, that's homework grading. I'd rather spend my time with the kids than grading their homework meticulously every day. The rest--lesson planning, grading quizzes/tests/projects, writing quizzes/tests, writing rec letters, etc.--that all happens when kids are not in the room: during my plan, after school, or during the weekends. That's how I've decided to prioritize and manage my time. Everyone's different, but my main point is: <i>our kids need us when they're in our rooms. </i>So whatever you have to cut out to make time to be with your kiddos, I think it's worth it.</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
This brings me to the next important lesson I've learned as a teacher.</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
While I'm pretty good about making my rounds and staying away from my desk (on most days...I'm not going to pretend I'm never at my desk during class time), one of the things I've practiced more recently is being able to pull questions out of kids. During my rounds, I would often ask questions like, "How's it going?" or "Can I help with anything?"</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
I thought those were perfectly fine questions.</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
I assure you, they are not.</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
I've replaced those phrases with "What questions do you have for me?" or "What may I help with?" or "Tell me about your thought process here."</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
Goodness. What a difference. I cannot even begin to describe how many more responses I get when I invite questions in this manner. It calms the kids when I approach them with an air of "I <i>expect </i>you to have questions for me, and I want to help you reach a deeper level of understanding."</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
If you're not convinced that these questions are all that different, take this anecdote as an example.</div>
<div>
<br></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I approached a kid a couple months ago and asked him, "How's it going--can I help with anything?"</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><br>"I'm good!" he responded with a smile.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><br>I was tempted to leave and move on to the next student, but I knew I owed it to him to pry just a little deeper.<br>"What can I help with?"</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><br>"Actually, could we talk about Number 7...?"</blockquote>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
As a teacher, the two questions I asked <i>should </i>mean the same thing. But to students, they clearly elicit different responses. </div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">The last important method I use on a daily basis is also very simple, but I believe it's really powerful. When I help students and I know it's going to take a while, I get on my knees right next to them (or, if the seat next to them is open, I might opt for that). I do this even if I'm wearing a skirt. Even when I'm eight months pregnant. It's a way for me to physically say, "I'm here to serve you. I'm not going anywhere." I believe this small and simple gesture has broken down so many walls. It's impossible not to be touched by humility. </span></div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
Those are my three lessons. I typically try to stay away from giving advice (I think most people just need us to listen more than talk). But, these are lessons that I have to intentionally practice every single day. It's advice for me as much as it is for anyone else. I hope, though, that it helps others, too. Or at least helps others form their own welcoming classroom culture. </div>
Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-78867102386019691172015-12-26T15:23:00.000-06:002015-12-26T15:23:22.107-06:00Derivatives of Inverse FunctionsThis is my fourth year teaching calculus on some level. Every year (until this one!) my students have really struggled with finding the derivative of inverse functions at a point, especially in the manner these questions are often phrased on AP Exams.<br />
<br />
To me, they're some of the most straight-forward multiple choice questions the students encounter on the exam; yet, year after year they miss this question (at least on their unit tests and mock exam).<br />
<br />
So, clearly, not as straight-forward as I thought...<br />
<br />
This year I formalized a strategy for them in three steps. Not all three of these steps are necessary every time; but, if my students took the time to follow all three steps, they got these questions correct.<br />
<br />
Here are the steps:<br />
<br />
<b>If <i>f </i>and <i>g </i>are differentiable functions and <i>g </i>is the inverse of <i>f</i>, then to find <i>g'</i>(<i>a</i>):</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<ol>
<li><b>List all points given on <i>f </i>as ordered pairs.</b></li>
<li><b>List the points you now know are on <i>g </i>(switch x and y).</b></li>
<li><b>Follow this formula: <i>g'</i>(<i>a</i>)=1/(<i>f'</i>(<i>g</i>(<i>a</i>)).</b></li>
</ol>
Let me show you with a couple examples. Here's a question I pulled from <a href="http://www.scott.k12.ky.us/userfiles/1659/Classes/38756/Derivatives%20of%20Inverse%20Functions%20HW.pdf" target="_blank">this</a> website.<br />
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Following the steps, we would work this question as follows:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k8werTgGIw0/Vn8EgNeKd3I/AAAAAAAABZ8/MImGWmtwN0M/s1600/Derivatives%2Bof%2Binverses%2B1-p1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k8werTgGIw0/Vn8EgNeKd3I/AAAAAAAABZ8/MImGWmtwN0M/s320/Derivatives%2Bof%2Binverses%2B1-p1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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How about one that describes <i>f </i>as an algebraic or numeric function, such as this FRQ from 2007:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_BfjH96DS3Q/VnsrWOBWQ2I/AAAAAAAABZQ/UkJqIhKjgy8/s1600/Screenshot%2B2015-12-23%2Bat%2B5.14.43%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_BfjH96DS3Q/VnsrWOBWQ2I/AAAAAAAABZQ/UkJqIhKjgy8/s640/Screenshot%2B2015-12-23%2Bat%2B5.14.43%2BPM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CKoi4XeUVIY/VnsrvUmPWDI/AAAAAAAABZY/0_ozduQKxo8/s1600/Screenshot%2B2015-12-23%2Bat%2B5.17.05%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="59" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CKoi4XeUVIY/VnsrvUmPWDI/AAAAAAAABZY/0_ozduQKxo8/s640/Screenshot%2B2015-12-23%2Bat%2B5.17.05%2BPM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Students could certainly start with Step 1 again and work their way down, but I encourage them--once they get comfortable--to feel free to start with Step 2 and fill in the blanks as they see fit. Here's how I would suggest they work this problem:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PIi9aNgpla0/Vn8EkbdEoEI/AAAAAAAABaE/tCNTrUpjw6g/s1600/Derivatives%2Bof%2Binverses%2B1-p2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PIi9aNgpla0/Vn8EkbdEoEI/AAAAAAAABaE/tCNTrUpjw6g/s320/Derivatives%2Bof%2Binverses%2B1-p2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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That's it!Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-31681772801147997022015-12-01T22:46:00.000-06:002015-12-01T22:46:04.229-06:00The Peterson DiagramHere's a short (very low-tech) explanation of a diagram I created a couple years ago to help my students answer questions about how f, f', and f'' are related. My kids use this especially when--for example--they're given a graph of f' and they have to answer various questions about f, which seems to be a favorite of AP Calculus Exam writers.<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VvuLHp_5cmI/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VvuLHp_5cmI?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-42369297009863433252015-10-29T16:29:00.000-05:002015-10-29T16:29:25.818-05:00Related Rates Related to YouWe did these problems today in AP Calculus. Part of the problem I have with related rates questions is most of the time they seem so contrived and impractical. Like, why do I care what rate the radius of the balloon is increasing given the rate the volume is increasing? So, I had some fun with these types of problems. The kids loved seeing their names in the stories.<br />
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I put them in groups and assigned one problem per group (making sure that if a student was in one of the word problems, s/he was in the group working that same question). Answers are included so the kids could check themselves easily. Then I had them make a poster. These are some from last year:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q4lHg-QUbA8/VjKLfTPDhfI/AAAAAAAABXA/FZpja59ri8I/s1600/Related%2BRates1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q4lHg-QUbA8/VjKLfTPDhfI/AAAAAAAABXA/FZpja59ri8I/s320/Related%2BRates1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-saDCPZ8r6-k/VjKLhGnACYI/AAAAAAAABXI/4K7SEtbsR2k/s1600/Related%2BRates2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-saDCPZ8r6-k/VjKLhGnACYI/AAAAAAAABXI/4K7SEtbsR2k/s320/Related%2BRates2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZXbLCIofsb0/VjKLiaV_KHI/AAAAAAAABXQ/Fglsl6B-8jE/s1600/Related%2BRates3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZXbLCIofsb0/VjKLiaV_KHI/AAAAAAAABXQ/Fglsl6B-8jE/s320/Related%2BRates3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Afterwards, I asked the students to read the other problems and then use the posters to write the solutions in their notebooks.</div>
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Here are the problems I used (I'm sure I stole several of them from other people, so let me know if I owe you credit). I always change the names for each section.</div>
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<iframe height="800" src="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DnZH_RgtUxNNQSa3zSyeJKwQCH9XpZMkJmvnViZHgcw/pub?embedded=true" width="600"></iframe><br />
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Download <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DnZH_RgtUxNNQSa3zSyeJKwQCH9XpZMkJmvnViZHgcw/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>.Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com62tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-48991288725418388042015-08-19T16:29:00.000-05:002015-08-19T16:29:10.290-05:00What they want is our timeDisclaimer: I started this post a couple weeks ago and am just now publishing it.<br />
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*****</div>
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It's August, and I feel like I haven't done nearly enough to get ready for the beginning of school. Most of my summers have been spent in conferences around the state and/or planning for that new prep I'm about to take on. <br />
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This coming year (Year #7) will be my first year teaching exactly what I taught the previous year, and so I've let that be an excuse just to be lazy this summer. That and I'm pregnant, which I feel is a valid excuse for just about anything these days. And so now, it's August. And because I'm prone to guilt, I've been feeling rather convicted about this laziness.<br />
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Until a student of mine called me up today.<br />
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Her reason? She wanted to ask my permission to call me her mentor, because that's what she's been calling me all summer as she's counseled young girls at camp.<br />
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I don't do particularly well with flattery. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy it as much as the next gal, but in the moment, I never know how to respond. I'm trying this new thing where I just sit and listen and let the person tell me what they want to tell me. Usually all I can muster up is a weak, "Thank you," or "I'm so honored..." It all sounds so pathetic in light of their gracious words.<br />
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As I sit here, trying to remember exactly what this girl told me, all that's really coming to mind is her gratitude to me for <i>taking time for her</i>. That's all. <br />
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I'm attempting to put my thoughts into words mostly for my future self, as a reminder. Rebecka: the hours you spend planning a single lesson or activity, it's all well and good (and necessary--the kids need to see this passion). But the time you spend helping your kids understand how important they are to you...that's what they really remember.<br />
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So, my advice to both my current and future self: Stop stressing so much. Stop feeling guilty for taking time to relax and recuperate. And start focusing on how you'll love on this year's group of kids.<br />
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Sometimes I think we live under the impression that we can't be too friendly or too nice or too "buddy buddy" with our students: we're their teachers, not their friends; we need their respect.<br />
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Yes, we need their respect. But, have you ever respected someone you didn't like? Especially as a kid or as a teenager?<br />
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I want to take more time this year to ask about my kids' families, pets, hobbies, and jobs. I want them all to know that I'm invested in them and that I care about them. Because that's what they'll remember about math class.<br />
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I don't really care whether or not they remember the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus ten years from now. I care about whether or not they felt safe, loved, and welcomed in Mrs. Peterson's classroom. That's what I want them to remember: that they were a priority.<br />
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*****</div>
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So, as the first day of school approaches tomorrow (AH!), my prayer is that we would bond as a class and as friends faster than ever before. That mutual respect, love, and admiration would abound. That we would all recognize that every single person has something to teach us. That we would be better together than apart.<br />
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That I would give my kids my time and my undivided attention.Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-20263190575718771872015-06-16T09:50:00.003-05:002015-06-16T09:50:40.639-05:00What we did post-AP ExamI still had a few weeks of class to fill after the AP Exam. I definitely wanted the kids to still be working, but not necessarily on calculus and not to the point where they had tons of homework. So, this is what we ended up doing:<br />
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1 day to go over released FRQs<br />
1 week to work on Shoe Box Projects<br />
3 days to work on End of Year Folders and fill out surveys<br />
1 week to work on Serve + Create<br />
1 day for goodbyes :(<br />
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Here's what we did for the shoe box project. The kids were asked to create a rate FRQ and then make a shoe box scene that went with their story (like in elementary). I think they had a lot of fun with it. We basically just modified an Algebra 2 assignment, so if I owe you credit for this, please let me know!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8Fh4jWjEo8g/VVtk6ZoGIvI/AAAAAAAABPw/fiKownVpHfI/s1600/shoe%2Bbox%2Bdirections.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8Fh4jWjEo8g/VVtk6ZoGIvI/AAAAAAAABPw/fiKownVpHfI/s400/shoe%2Bbox%2Bdirections.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1etG-ndc0StB8WpjNLdf077dzF2CWyb3pcC3hngMBkrM/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a> to download file</td></tr>
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Here are some of their finished products:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z66upxPfRxs/VVtn5UdRHPI/AAAAAAAABQA/7CM4Bc8Lnt8/s1600/box4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z66upxPfRxs/VVtn5UdRHPI/AAAAAAAABQA/7CM4Bc8Lnt8/s320/box4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Whi9m0jGHI4/VVtn6gFKTiI/AAAAAAAABQI/VaD_8TM_5fs/s1600/box1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Whi9m0jGHI4/VVtn6gFKTiI/AAAAAAAABQI/VaD_8TM_5fs/s320/box1.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QRzXMGdgwZk/VVtn7iYAiWI/AAAAAAAABQQ/xWPVdse6dYk/s1600/box2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QRzXMGdgwZk/VVtn7iYAiWI/AAAAAAAABQQ/xWPVdse6dYk/s320/box2.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one had involved the rate at which Mrs. Peterson adopts cats vs. the rate at which she donates them. <br />If you can't tell, that's me holding to two cats...</td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2yVuSnJd1n4/VVtn8YkCIoI/AAAAAAAABQU/C0N9cywmTYc/s1600/box3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2yVuSnJd1n4/VVtn8YkCIoI/AAAAAAAABQU/C0N9cywmTYc/s320/box3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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For the End of Year folder, I asked students to correct all quizzes and tests from the semester (I asked this of them last semester, too, so they were expecting it). Sure, this would have been good to do before the AP Exam, but it just fit better after.<br />
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I also had them fill out two surveys: one that was just a general "What should I keep/change for next year?" (<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1nbuTkXDOzyeGki5xfUio_PSAUTfbAb52bFQGX8vnF6M/viewform?usp=send_form" target="_blank">here</a>) and then one that asked them fill in positive adjectives for each of their classmates (<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1LQffB3LMDJagpnJSv81ogRO4DJNjNw691RlS8kdKuUs/viewform?usp=send_form" target="_blank">here</a>), which I used to create Wordle bookmarks for end-of-the-year gifts (thank you, Pinterest). More on this at the end of this post.<br />
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Finally, the week before finals, I gave a totally non-math project, which I called Serve + Create (details <a href="http://www.epsilon-delta.org/2015/06/serve-create.html" target="_blank">here</a>). I told the kids that in the midst of both joy and sorrow, it's important to learn how to cope with change, and that two of the best ways I know to do that are (1) serve someone else and (2) make something. So, that's what I asked the kids to do. I gave them very little guidance. I wanted it to be organic and come from them.<br />
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I wanted to take a day just to say goodbye to my lovely kids, many of whom I've seen every school day for the last two years. So much is written on things to do the first day of school, but I feel like we are lacking in material on last day of school activities. Especially if you have seniors, I think it's so important to make a big deal of the last day, because you accomplished a lot together.</div>
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So, for the last day, I first passed out my junior and senior letters, which were not too different from last year's letters (<a href="http://www.epsilon-delta.org/2014/05/2014-letters.html" target="_blank">here</a>). One thing I did add was advice from the Class of 2015. I gave the seniors a whole white board and about a week to add their advice/wisdom for us. Afterwards, I took a picture and copied it to the back of each of the letters:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gNY91_Ttp9s/VXIUcHf1BAI/AAAAAAAABSo/hwwrj-FNUAk/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gNY91_Ttp9s/VXIUcHf1BAI/AAAAAAAABSo/hwwrj-FNUAk/s400/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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{This might be a good time to mention, again, if you've never used the app DocScan, I highly recommend it! Covert pictures to PDFs easily.}</div>
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After passing out the letters, I read <i>Oh, The Places You'll Go! </i>by Dr. Seuss. </div>
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Next, I passed out these bookmarks that had a word cloud with each of their names and the adjectives their peers and I had entered for them in the survey:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-twFCulrHsBM/VXISZyhMAQI/AAAAAAAABSg/6CAergDtBvo/s1600/IMG_1455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-twFCulrHsBM/VXISZyhMAQI/AAAAAAAABSg/6CAergDtBvo/s320/IMG_1455.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I used Word It Out because it was the first word cloud generator I found that wasn't blocked on my school computer, but there are several good ones. I just had to play with the settings a bit.</td></tr>
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I read each one out loud. The kids seemed to love this.</div>
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Finally, I just spoke for about a minute (this is all my heart could handle) about what a great time I had being their teacher, and how excited I am for their futures and for the futures of the people whose lives they will certainly change for the better. The last half hour kids spent saying goodbye to their friends and to me. Lots of pictures were taken and some tears shed...it wasn't an easy day, but I very much wanted to make the last day of calculus something meaningful, for both the kids and for myself.<br />
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These are world changers. Of this I am certain.</div>
Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com177tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-38812148418931056512015-06-05T16:04:00.001-05:002015-06-05T16:04:45.147-05:00How I did homework this year in PreCalc...I stole this idea entirely from the teacher who taught APSI last summer. I was intrigued by it, so I implemented it in my PreCalc classes this past year. My kiddos are begging me to extend the concept to AP Calculus next year because they loved it so much (you'll see why...). I'm undecided. I thought I'd write about it and get your take...<br />
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The premise of this homework set-up is that kids get rewarded for doing homework instead of being punished for not doing homework. This is how I ended up doing it, which is a slight modification from the way the APSI instructor did it.<br />
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<ol>
<li>Once a kid completes a homework assignment, I spot check it for completion and ask if she checked answers in the back of the book (assignments are due the day before quiz/test day).</li>
<li>If the homework assignment looks thorough, I give the kid a hole punch on an index card (I have a star-shaped hole punch, but you could use a stamp, stickers, etc.).</li>
<li>One a kid has ten hole punches, she gets a 100% on a quiz grade (I simply added extra quizzes, called them "Extra Credit Quiz 1," "Extra Credit Quiz 2," etc., and excused everyone from it until/unless she got 10 hole punches).</li>
<li>That's it.</li>
</ol>
Modifications:<br />
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<ul>
<li>I will probably make these Extra Credit Quizzes worth only half a regular quiz grade next year (which should increase their overall percentage by 0.5-1 on average, instead of 1-2 percentage points on average).</li>
<li>My APSI instructor only checked assignments on certain days (and hence only checked certain assignments), but I found it easier just to let all assignments count towards the extra credit. If I didn't have time to do homework checks one day, it wasn't a big deal--I told the kids to just remind me the next day.</li>
</ul>
What I liked...maybe even loved:<br />
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<ul>
<li>I hardly ever had to grade homework!</li>
<ul>
<li>I still had to have at least two grades in a week, so I would take smaller in-class assignments for a grade (typically as a review of that week's warm ups).</li>
<li>Occasionally, I would give worksheets that I counted for "an actual grade" in the gradebook and not as a homework check.</li>
</ul>
<li>Kids were super, super honest.</li>
<ul>
<li>When I took homework for a grade, I saw kids half*** their homework ALL THE TIME. You know what I mean. Sometimes a kid would just miraculously go from Question 3 to Question 43...and hope I wouldn't notice. Or, somehow they'd get the answer from the back of the book with no supporting work. Yet, with this new method, kids would tell me almost daily, "I'm done with 8.3 but I still have two more questions on 8.4." Because there was no punishment for not finishing those two questions (and because they still had more time), they seemed to be much more up-front about how much work they had actually done. This was good for me, sure, but I think it was also really good for the kids to voice what they still had left to finish.</li>
</ul>
<li>I'm not sure any more or any fewer kids did homework when it was presented in this manner. You'd think a lot of kids would just stop doing homework, but I honestly don't think it was any more than normal. There are kids who will do the homework no matter what and kids who will not do homework no matter what. I don't think this changed that.</li>
<li>Kids felt less pressure.</li>
<li>I try to give kids as much time as possible to work on assignments in class, where they can ask me and their peers questions. Because of this, they all typically have at least a very good start on their homework. Is it really the end of the world if they don't finish every single problem? Especially if they're working hard in class...? I'm asking in sincerity.</li>
<li>No one asked at the end of the year if there was any extra credit they could do to raise their grade. Of course, I warned them at the beginning of the year that this was it. </li>
</ul>
My hesitations:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Maybe some kids are falling through the cracks? I'm unsure.</li>
<li>If I do implement this in Calculus, then something else has to change, because I'm currently not giving quizzes for a grade either. Their entire grade cannot depend on tests! One thing I do want to change is make their quiz <i>corrections</i> a grade (due the next day as opposed to at the end of the semester). I've also thought about giving short MC assessments every Friday, which could certainly count as a grade.</li>
<li>Calculus is a different beast. Most kids need to wrestle with concepts, and that takes time. While I prefer that my kids do <i>most </i>of their work in class, they do need to set aside some of their own home time to really understand what's going on.</li>
</ul>
So...what are your thoughts? Is this worth extending to calculus? Or at least trying it? <br />
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I'm fairly certain that I'm keeping this method in PreCalc next year, but what about for Calculus? Help!Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806043650549721218.post-57262967198021693252015-06-01T15:36:00.002-05:002015-06-01T15:37:46.153-05:00Serve + CreateI've posted a lot about our AP Calculus AB final project (Serve + Create) on the <a href="https://onegoodthingteach.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">One Good Thing Blog</a>; it was a two-part project in which students were asked to (1) serve someone else and (2) create something they enjoyed making. I haven't explicitly written what I gave the kids or where this idea came from; hence, some details about the project:<br />
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I gave the students four class days (there was also a three-day weekend in between) to work on whatever they wanted. I told them that some of them would want to use this time for their final project, but most of them would probably want to work mostly out of class. So, I didn't feel too bad giving a few "free days." Several did work on their art project and several went to serve a teacher during these four days. Others relaxed and played math games and worked entirely on the project on their own time.<br />
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This idea stemmed from an interview I listened to with Glennon Doyle Melton (<a href="http://www.oneyoufeed.net/glennon-doyle-melton/" target="_blank">here</a>). In the interview, she was asked how she deals with all the hardships she sees and reads about on a daily basis. How do we get ourselves out of our own misery? She said she always comes back to two things: art and service.<br />
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I couldn't agree more with Melton's advice. I had never realized that art and service were two ways I dealt with change and loss, too. Thus, this interview was a catalyst to a project I've been mulling over for quite some time...<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">UHS AP Calculus AB Final Project</span></div>
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You’re almost done! I
recognize this can be a stressful and bittersweet time for both juniors and
seniors alike. While I hope you’ve
learned lots of calculus throughout the year, there <i>are </i>things that are more important than mathematics: one of those being—How do you cope with
change? There are two ingredients I
want you to practice before you leave our class—service and art. When life gets chaotic, one of the best
things you can do is remember that there are others in this world who are
suffering, and do something to help them.
Furthermore, creating something through an art medium is a great way to
express yourself, especially in the moments when you’re feeling overwhelmed. As a way to encourage you to practice both
the art of service and creativity, I've made this our final project for the
year (worth 25 points in the test category).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: Ebrima; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">SERVE</span></b><span style="font-family: Ebrima; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">:
Think of something you can do that would positively impact someone
else’s life in a significant way. Spend
no more than $20/person. You may work in
groups or as individuals. <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: Ebrima; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">CREATE</span></b><span style="font-family: Ebrima; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">:
Create a piece of art that you’re proud of. This is not limited to drawing or
painting: think outside the box! Express yourself in a way that is unique to
you. Please work individually on this.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">On Thursday, May 28, you will be asked to
share both your projects with the class.
I do not want to stifle you in any way, so grading will be based on
completion: do the project and you’ll
get full credit.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Ebrima; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm so proud
of all your work this year. It’s been an
honor to be your teacher!</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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I've never done anything like this, but the results were absolutely wonderful. As I posted on the One Good Thing blog, here are some of the things the kids shared on Thursday. They...<br />
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<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Helped teachers in elementary and middle schools</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Played with and loved on elementary children</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Made cookies, brownies, spring rolls (not even kidding) for the class</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sang a song for our class</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Painted a picture only using spray paint</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Made calligraphy signs</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Passed out cards to fellow students with hand-written positive sayings and Hershey Kisses on them</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Passed out burgers to homeless</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Made origami</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Wrote poems</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Drew pictures</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mowed lawns</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Visited nursing homes</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bought flowers for their moms</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Threw a party for their families</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Helped renovate a run-down church</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Made a “Countdown to the 2016 AP Calculus Exam” for their calculus teacher (<3)</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Made canvas art for their dorm rooms</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Made canvas art for their teacher</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Donated money to a student from El Salvador looking to pursue higher education</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Made French food</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Made a wreath for their room</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Made food and cards for their teachers</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Made shirts for their teammates</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Made jewelry charms for their friends</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Volunteered time to help coach the pom squad</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Worked on a car for free</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Made a “College Survival Kit” for friends</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Made a poster to celebrate twelve years of friendship</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Posted slips around school with motivation sayings for students to take</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Made a Father’s Day platter</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bought reading glasses to accompany a family member going on a missions trip</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Played the recorder for the class</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Made paintings for a newly-married family member</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gave flowers to teachers</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Helped at a cultural fair</span></li>
<li style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #111111; line-height: 34.2000007629395px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Taught the class a hip-hop dance (this was a dream come true for me…so fun!!)</span></li>
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Rebecka Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12227797437296056645noreply@blogger.com14