First Post....A Good Year?

This is my first post of school year 2019-2020 and my first post of the year 2020.  It is also my 1st post in a series for a blogging initiative I started called #MTBoS2020.  If you are reading and you blog, sign up here.  If you are reading and don't blog - thank you - but read here (the same link) and find some other writers taking part in #MTBoS2020. 

What is MTBoS? It stands for Math-Twitter-Blog O Sphere.  We started some while ago, kind of when Dan Meyer starting blogging.  We are just a group of educators who are active on Twitter and also like to blog to share ideas.  There is no official membership card.  If you want to be part of MTBoS, then you are part of MTBoS.  If you are on Twitter, consider including the #MTBoS to meet more amazing educators and you can start following them.

Why 2020?  I thought it would be helpful to remember to write a blog post on the 20th of each month of 2020.  We can use this as a motivator.  Back in the day, everyone was blogging.  I started by reading blogs and then I wanted to start my own blog just so I could add other people's blog to my blog roll so I could find them more easily.  I took off with it.  I love to blog about my lessons and include pictures and links to worksheets.  I love to look back and reflect (and maybe cringe) at old lessons.  I can use blog posts in my end of the year portfolio.

Back to why my first post of the school year?  This school year has been great. I kind of didn't want to type about it because I didn't want to jinx anything and I didn't want to sound braggy.  Last year wasn't so great a year, school wise, so I didn't write a lot then either.  So, I don't write when things are good, and I don't write when things are bad???? I just need to type.

What makes this a good year?

• My classes are small.  I usually have 5 classes of at least 25, sometimes 29 kids.  That is 125 students.  Our town is growing so fast and our classrooms are swelling, however, for whatever reason, I only have 80 kids.  I can really feel the difference, especially when grading assessment, when I make my monthly seating charts, and best benefit is small classes are comfortable and starting to feel like a family.
• I love my classroom.  I am lucky to have a lot of great technology - apple laptop, apple tv to project my google slideshows in lessons - lots of whiteboards all around my room for VNPS and #thinkingclassroom.  I have a corner classroom, so lots of windows.  Everything has a spot in my room, I even have a jigsaw puzzle table.
• I love the content I teach.  I have a variety of classes and levels.  I teach 2 Accelerated Algebra 2 class, 2 Accelerated Algebra 1 classes, and 1 College Preparatory Geometry.
• And, shhhhhhh, but I do not have any discipline issues.  They are all really well behaved.  Some can be immature here and there but it's all good.
• I have all five classes in the same room.

This may not sound like a lot but it IS a lot and it makes a huge difference and making a school year go more smoothly.  I am really appreciating it for all it is.

What's next?  Thank you for reading, especially if this is your first time to my blog.  I am currently worked on 4 days of lessons of factoring lessons.  I am reinventing our Accelerated Algebra 1 curriculum this year, so I am building the raft while I am trying to paddle down the river.  I got a little big ahead as last week was review for midterms and this week is midterms.  When we start 2nd term, I am doing 4 lessons on factoring polynomials.  I didn't want to direct teach and then have them practice with worksheets, so I am creating some new activities.  Stay tuned......