Remembering Two Great Years

"Keep Your Eyes on the Prize" I'm posing for my last pic @ school in the Cafeteria

On June 4th I finished my last day at Robert M. Shoemaker High School.  I had tears in my eyes as I drove away.  I loved the people I worked with and the students I taught.  Sure, the paperwork and BS sucked but that is a given with any job.  Sure, some of my "kids" tested my patience and my sanity but on top of it all I laughed a lot this year.  I had so many great moments in my class with my students that I could write a book (and really should) as well as with my coworkers (I LIKE CEREAL!).

My take on "I Love Cereal"	The original student poster that inspired the quote.

My math department had some of the most awesome people.  Although there were people who weren't team players most of us all worked awesomely together and even if we didn't teach the same subjects (Algebra I v. Algebra II, etc) we all collaborated because it was the best thing for the kids.  I can't imagine having such a great team anywhere else.

Alicia and I at Prom	Audrie and I in line for the  Midnight show of New Moon	Audrie and I at the  SHS Christmas Party

My first year at SHS I was learning what type of teacher I was to be and it was all about growth.   I had to transition from my Engineering desk job life to the life of the teacher which consisted of walking almost 11,000 steps a day (yes, I got a pedometer to track them) with even more when I got angry with the students because I would pace as I yelled at them.  At first I would get nauseous if I ate then taught class so I didn't eat big meals before school or at lunch.  I learned that I liked to prep for at least an hour before school so tutoring before school didn't work for me.  I learned that I tend to be too lenient at times and that I needed to work harder to be consistent and strict with the rules to make my life easier.  But I figured it out and I think the second year I was an even better teacher.  I just hope for myself that I continue to keep this trend up and when I am not longer improving over then previous year I need to do something else.

I spiffed up my ID with some googly eyes.	My desk area.	My Math Clock. "Miss, why are you mean to us?"

I am going to end this blog with a little bit of nerd insight from Mrs. W.

The words above the board are the TEN COMMANDMENTS OF MATH and they are as follows:

1. Thou shalt not divide by zero.
2. Thou shalt not put other textbooks before thee in math class.
3. Thou shalt show thy work; check thy work and confirm that thy results are reasonable.
4. Remember thy test days and prepare for them wholly.
5. Thou shalt honor the correct order of operations.
6. Thou shalt not do thy math homework in ink !
7. Thou shalt commit the facts of arithmetic to memory.
8. Thou shalt do unto one side of an equation what thou doest to the other
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy original problems; thou shalt copy thy problems accurately and legibly.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's paper, not anything that is thy neighbor's

Love, MW