i think she really means it…

Trying…

Friday, February 22nd, 2008 | Random Thoughts | 3 Comments

How does one stop trying to “be a better person” on their own accord and simply let God wrap them in His amazing and perfect grace so that they’re transformed (even just for a moment) into the the person who truly reflects the love of Jesus?

It’s days like this I realize how imperfect and messy I am and how much I want to be “better.” I want my thoughts, feelings, emotions, and the way I treat others to reflect God. I’ve tried so many times to analyze myself, confess my selfishness, and be better in the future, even when I know it’s not humanly possible.

But how does one stop beating oneself up for their imperfections long enough to humbly accept the grace God offers…freely?

Nothing To Be Nervous About

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008 | Sara the Teacher | 2 Comments

I had a rather interesting experience today.  A prinicipal from a middle school in Palmdale brought 3 teachers to my classroom to observe me teaching.  They are implementing UCLA’s Intro to Algebra program at their site, and not finding much success.  I invited them to come and observe me and my students and offered to help them in any way possible.  It was quite something to have 3 teachers, a principal, an instructional aide, and a UCLA master teacher sitting at the back of my classroom for 90 minutes.  My students were quiet most of the period and most of them were on task.  I was very nervous, and even had a nightmare two nights ago about the whole ordeal.  I can confidently say, however, that the observation went smoothly.  I am a little passionate about the Intro to Algebra program and the types of students I teach.  Any chance I can get to share my excitement with others, is well worth it!  Even if it means teaching to a bunch of grown-ups.

More Teaching Fun

Wednesday, February 6th, 2008 | Sara the Teacher | No Comments

I taught “proportional reasoning” yesterday. The concept that if “9 pencils cost $1.89, how much do 12 pencils cost?” Also, if “6 pencils cost $2.20, how many pencils can be bought for $1.10?” Not at all exciting information, and with today’s technology…who really uses such methods? I mean, I am trying to build my students’ number sense and ability to understand and manipulate numbers (and even do some of it mentally), but I’ve always dreaded the “proportional reasoning” days. After discussing the 99 cents store, and Von’s weekly “10 for $10 deals,” how much more real life can I get (I don’t really consider buying 12 pencils for $2.52, “real life”)?

Since I wasn’t real excited about my kids sitting around yesterday completing problems on worksheets, I created a game out of it.  I made up “The Mystery Bag Game.”  How it worked was like this…  The students took one proportional reasoning problem from the worksheet and worked as a team of 4 to solve it.  They had to work together, show their work on an overhead transparency, and explain their method to the class.  The team who did the most outstanding job got whatever was in the “mystery bag.”  It was a long shot, but I thought it was a little more intriguing than completing math problems all period.  And, there was the added bonus of the students teaching each other.

It worked!

My students loved it!  They were so excited about the chance at the mystery bag, I got more work out of them than I have in weeks!  The best part…I sat at a desk at the back of the room and let them do the teaching.  It was amazing!  First period did so well, I gave away all of the snickerdoodles I made the night before for the “mystery bag.”  I had to scrounge around my classroom for prizes for my other classes (which turned out to be a few snickers bars and some rolls of lifesavers).

I made another batch of cookies last night.  We’ll see how my classes today enjoy the game.   Everyday is a new adventure!