Hellenic Night at the Observatory

Last night Professor Ralph Pass hosted the Hellenic 6th, 7th and 8th graders at the Merrimack College Mendel Observatory. It was a great night to be star gazing - clear skies and still air. Of course, in January, that means it was cold too. 

We observed Jupiter and it's four largest moons, The Orion Nebula, a double star pair with one yellow and one blue star, and looked into the center of the Andromeda Galaxy. 

In the timing is everything department: we had a special treat last night - we saw the supernova just recently discovered in another galaxy called M82. 

As a star ages it begins to use up all it's fuel supply. Eventually the star explodes destroying any planets that might be orbiting it. That’s a supernova and that’s whats happening in Galaxy M82. The power released in a very, very short time makes the supernova brighter than all the other stars in the galaxy. This supernova is about 12 million light years away or about 70,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles. 

That means the star in question exploded 12 million years ago, and the light is just reaching us now. 

Like I said, it was a great night. 

Life is a Word Problem

Students generally dislike word problems. In my math classes I do as many word problems as possible. I’m not making them do a zillion word problems because I get some sadistic glee out of it, I do it because they need to be able to figure stuff out in the real world. 

I like to say “Life is a word problem” and it’s true.

When I taught a second grade class, we spent weeks working on money. Identifying coins and bills, making change, etc. The teacher left me piles and piles of worksheets and we went through them at a rapid clip. The kids were great at doing the worksheets quickly and accurately. One day, I gave them all blank sheets of paper and posed the problems on the work sheet to them verbally. 

They were baffled. 

Clueless.

“When you walk into the toy store, no one is going to hand you a worksheet,” I said.  

From that point on, we did our worksheets like this - verbally.  And they learned how to turn the words into math sentences and solve the problems.

Teaching is a Messy Endeavor

Being a teacher is a lot different than most people think it is. 

I think most people imagine a nice, orderly process: 

• The teacher lectures;
• The students read aloud from the book in class; 
• There is homework; 
• Then a quiz and;
• Then, at some regular intervals, unit or chapter tests. 

All nice and neat and orderly.

Here’s how it really goes for me in the real world: 

• Peggy doesn’t turn in her homework regularly so it’s difficult to see if she’s really understanding the work and can do it on her own;
• Amy always says she understands but really doesn’t so you have to figure out when she’s telling you the truth or just saying she understands so she doesn’t have to admit she’s completely lost;
• Johnny is out of school on the day of the quiz so he has to make it up during recess or after school;
• There is a change in the schedule so the review day you’d planned gets pushed off to the next day, thereby pushing off the quiz to the day after that and pushing the start of a new section to the following week.

Furthermore, within any class studying any topic there will be students who are more or less advanced than their peers. It’s a little like herding cats. They are all over the place academically but somehow I’ve got to get them to the end of the section at more-or-less the same time.

I don’t have a homogeneous group of students studying 6th grade math, I have eight individuals studying 6th grade math. They’re all different and they all need to be focused on individually.

Like I said...it’s a mess but it’s the only way it gets done. 

Reading is FUNdamental

I like to read. I’ve been a reader as long as I can remember. In middle school, I would scour the shelves of the school library for interesting books. Sometimes I would be so engrossed in a book that I’d sneak-read it in class, or read while walking home from school. 

Reading can take me places I’ve never been and will never go  - into the past and into the future. I can be physically sitting in my dentist’s waiting room but my mind is on the Patriot’s sideline in the Superbowl. Reading is a fantastic escape and a fantastic way to learn in the process.

If you’ve ever thought “I wonder what it would be like to......” then you should be reading. 

Each year, I set a goal of reading 20 books including one classic piece of literature. I’m not a fast reader, but I am relentless. I always have a book with me. 

After years and years of reading almost no fiction, I decided to include more fiction a few years ago. For the fourth consecutive year, I reached my goal. As I look over my list of books, I have to say, I read a lot of good books this past year. Here’s my take on them:

The Education of a Coach - Outstanding book about Bill Belichick and his father.

British Soldiers, American War: Voices of the American Revolution - This book was written by a friend of mine from high school and college. I’ve always had an interest in history, but truth be told, I wanted to read it because I knew the author. What a good decision on my part. It is an excellent book about the British army from the revolutionary war. Interesting from page one. 

Francona: The Red Sox Years - Francona got screwed here in Boston - not that he was entirely blame-free for what happened in 2011, but this is his take on his years in Boston. It’s a must-read for Red Sox fans.

The Lost World - This was Jurassic Park thirty years before Michael Crichton was born. It holds up really well despite being written in 1912. An enjoyable read. 

The Truth About Cruise Ships - A Cruise Ship Officer Survives the Work, Adventure, Alcohol, and Sex of Ship Life - Guess what? There’s a lot of sex and drinking in the crew spaces below decks. It was okay.

The Particle at the End of the Universe: How the Hunt for the Higgs Boson Leads Us to the Edge of a New World - I can not get my head around particle physics. It makes no sense to me. I read this book but understood little. I keep trying to understand.

Under the Dome: A Novel - This is a really fun novel. Don’t confuse it with that crappy mini-series on TV. This is 1,000 page, page-turner.

A Storm Too Soon: A True Story of Disaster, Survival and an Incredible Rescue - I’ve read all of the author’s sea disaster stories and have loved each of them. He does a great job in this book. 

Duel - Richard Matheson’s novella that Steven Spielberg’s movie was based on. Why doesn’t this writer get more recognition?

Breaking Ships - I searched for a copy of this book for about six years before finding one. It’s outstanding. It’s a description of the ship breaking yards in Bangladesh. Men literally rip ships apart with blow torches and hand tools. It’s dangerous work and for many in this poverty stricken country it’s the only work. Fascinating and horrifying.

Resurrection: Salvaging the Battle Fleet at Pearl Harbor - An amazing accomplishment that is completely ignored in the history books.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War - I have to say, I didn’t enjoy the author’s first book - The Zombie Survival Guide. But, this was very good. The movie is based on the book, but as always, the book is better. I liked the structure - it works in a surprisingly effective way. 

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption - probably the best World War II book I’ve ever read. 

How To Talk So Kids Can Learn - Yawwwwwn.

Cockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel: Questions, Answers, and Reflections - So so. 

Their Skeletons Speak: Kennewick Man and the Paleoamerican World - Very interesting book about prehistory in North America. More of a coffee table book but I like pictures. 

The Great Gatsby - I read this after seeing the latest movie and my only question is to the writer/director/producer of the movie - “How on Earth do you have the stones to edit F. Scott Fitzgerald?”  They changed the ending of the story! This is a wonderful book and it’s one I should have been made to read in high school. (This fulfills my requirement to read one classic each year)

Stark Decency: German Prisoners of War in a New England Village - A German POW camp in New Hampshire? I knew it had existed but that was the extent of my knowledge. This book is the story of the camp, the prisoners, the guards and the townspeople. A nice little book about a forgotten part of our local history. 

Foundations of American Education: Becoming Effective Teachers in Challenging Times - Text book...ugh

Exceptional Lives: Special Education in Today's Schools - Text book...double ugh

The Forgotten 500: The Untold Story of the Men Who Risked All for the Greatest Rescue Mission of World War II - Despite taking four months to read this, it’s a very good book about a chapter of World War II history I had never heard of. Well worth your time.

Nora Waite - This novel was written my by teaching partner. Long ago I had heard of National Novel Writing Month and was interested in participating but the prospect of

writing 50,000 words in 30 days was overwhelming. This is her NaNoWriMo novel and it’s a magnificent accomplishment. Nora Waite is not something I would have picked off the shelf to read but it’s nice to expand one’s horizons. It’s very good, I enjoyed it. 

The War of the Worlds - This is not the first time I have read this, but I assigned it as an extra credit project in school, so I figured I’d refresh my memory. I’m amazed how well it holds up considering it was written before the fly swatter, tea bag, airplane and rocket, were invented. In fact the bicycle was a new enough invention that H.G. Wells features it prominently in the story. And excellent book that has spawned the famous Orson Wells radio broadcast and two movies. 

The Biggest Mistake I’ve Made as a Teacher

Humans make mistakes and teachers are human, therefore teachers make mistakes. Hopefully not really big or really bad mistakes but there’s no getting around it, everyone makes mistakes. The best of us learn from our mistakes and don’t make a habit of making the same mistake twice, or three times, or four times.

I think the biggest mistake I’ve made as a teacher was right after I started working as a substitute teacher in Methuen. I was assigned a second grade class at the Marsh Grammar School. At 9am I was supposed to line up all my students and walk them down to music.

We finished up our morning activities and I got all the kids lined up single file only realize I was two minutes early. Well, I couldn’t take them early – otherwise they’d be in the hallway outside the music room for two extra minutes and they’d likely disturb another class. I also couldn’t just leave them in line in the classroom for two whole minutes.

Please understand, I do not mean to seem critical of second graders, but their attention span is not exactly unlimited. Two minutes goes by pretty fast for adults but, for second graders, it’s like two weeks.

 So, here’s what I said:

“We’re a little bit early for music, why don’t you find something to do for a couple of minutes.”

OMG.

It was like the sound of an aircraft engine spooling up just before it hurtles down the runway Within 30 seconds the room was in total chaos. Kids were running around chasing each other, pulling out board games, opening Play Doh, and screaming. You name it, they were doing  it.  I swear I think I saw a kid swing off the light fixture.

“STOP,” I shouted, “PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR SEATS.”

Breathlessly, I whispered to myself “Let’s not do that again.”

Be Careful What You Wish For...

Everyone’s all excited about a snow day. I understand. It’s nice to have a day off once in a while. It’s like a little bonus from the weather – Thank you Danielle Niles.

But, be careful what you wish for. Sometimes you get more than you expect.

One of the years when I was in school we had a bad winter. We had lots of snow days. We had so many snow days that school was going to end on a Monday in late June.

Of course, I was a kid and I had no plans or commitments in June. I had my bike to ride and my fishing pole but they’d both wait a day or two for summer vacation to start. Besides, summer vacation seemed so loooooong to me. It seemed like almost forever. So what was one day less? Not a big deal to me.

But, it was a very big deal to the teachers and administrators. They wanted to end the year on a Friday not a Monday. They wanted summer vacation to start that Saturday and not have to wait until the following Tuesday.

So, they got together, checked with the unions and superintendent’s office and made a decision: School would be held on a Saturday in May.

Yes, they made us go to school on Saturday.

It was the worst.

They divided the students in to the “good” students and the “bad” students.

The good students got to play games and have triple recess and cupcakes at the end of the day. The bad students had to do their regular work all day with just a regular recess and no cupcakes.

Guess who was in the bad group?

You got it – Me.

It was the worst school day in my entire life.

And, I’m still pretty mad about it.

So, be careful what you wish for, sometimes you get more than you expect.

Scarred for Life in Mr. Novak’s Math Class

As a middle school teacher, I am occasionally reminded of my own experiences in the 6th, 7th and 8th grades at Wickford Junior High (now known as Wickford Middle School).

I remember Mr. Hone my 6th grade teacher. Once, while reading a 

Jack London story - probably To Build a Fire - Mr. Hone opened all the windows in the classroom as we took turns reading aloud. He prohibited us from putting on coats and sweaters because he wanted us to have a “feel for the story.” 

I recall one day, in Mr. Thompson’s English class, where we spent the whole period talking about the Patriot’s opening day victory over the John Madden coached Oakland Raiders. It was the high point of the 1970 season. It was much more fun than learning about sentence structure.

Mr. Starks was our music teacher and he yelled at us in Chorus all the time. One time he was so angry he threw his baton into the air so hard that it hit and stuck into the acoustical tile on the ceiling. Of course that just infuriated him even more. I have a vague recollection of him tipping his piano over on another occasion. He was a scary dude.

On Thursday, March 4th, 1972, Mr. Novak - 8th grade Math - told us one of the worst jokes I have ever heard and, sadly, one of the few I can always remember:

“What’s the most commanding day of the year?”

Ready?

“March forth.”

Get it? I know, grooooaaaaan.

Mr. Novak’s class is also where the student in front of me whirled around with his/her freshly-sharpened pencil and stabbed me in the hand, drawing blood.

I carry that scar on my right thumb to this day.

Charlie’s Near-Death Experience

The first time I laid eyes on our classroom mascot he was laying down on the back counter in a huge pile of stuff dumped there by the painters last summer.

He didn’t look comfortable at all. In fact, his right arm was completely detached from his shoulder and his other arm and legs were bent in a very unnatural way.

I picked him up, re-attached his arm and found a nice quiet spot for him to observe our classes.

About a week into school we had a contest to name him and “Charlie” was the winner by a large margin.

So, Charlie stands near the door, atop the student mailboxes. He’s supposed to make sure everyone uses the hand sanitizer coming in and out of the class but he’s not very good at it. I suppose it would be helpful if he could speak or communicate in some way, but he can’t. He’s a model skeleton and that’s the only thing he’s trained for.

One day, last December, disaster struck. A student bumped into the desk that holds the mailboxes and Charlie toppled over onto his head.

I thought it was the end of the line for our little mascot. He was a mess. Broken bones were  all over the floor. He broke several vertebrae, his jaw was snapped off and the top of his head rolled across the floor to the other side of the room.

During Christmas break, I took him home to see if there was anything I could do to reassemble him.

With some glue, masking tape and a lot of patience, I was able to put poor Charlie back together again.

So, Charlie is back where he belongs silently beseeching the students to use the hand sanitizer.

A Different Perspective on Teaching About Martin Luther King, Jr.

I’m the oldest teacher at The Hellenic American Academy. I’m not old - I’m 54, but that puts me further down the road than my teaching partner who just turned 36, for example. 

At first thought, one might think that it’s a disadvantage. People say things all the time that imply that it must be difficult being a teacher at my age:

“I would never have the patience.”

“How do you put up with the nonsense?”

Stuff like that...

What they’re really saying is teaching is a young person’s game and I couldn’t disagree more. 

As I walked through the halls on Friday, I overheard at least one teacher doing a lesson on Martin Luther King, Jr. We have MLK day off from school and, I think most teachers will reference the importance of the man and his accomplishments in some way or another.

I’d be willing to bet, Mrs. Minaker will do so today with the 6th, 7th and 8th grades (if she didn’t do so on Friday.)

The thing is, for all the other teachers in my school, Martin Luther King, Jr. is an historic figure. Someone they’ve read about, seen a documentary about or watched some clips about him on Youtube.

For me, he’s not just some larger-than-life political figure I’ve learned about. I think my age is a huge advantage in this area....

I remember Martin Luther King, Jr.

And remembering is different than learning. 

How I Weigh My Grades

I have three categories of grades in my math and science classes. I have assigned weights to them in proportion to their importance in the assessment process, as I see it. 

Homework - 5%

Quizzes and small projects - 25%

Tests and large projects - 70%

Homework is practice for what we’ve covered in class or prep for what we’re about to cover. I don’t collect every single homework assignment. Sometimes we go over it in class, sometimes I collect and review it. I leave it a little unpredictable. When I collect and review homework, I don’t grade it - it’s either done or it’s not done. I make written comments and suggestions on the homework I review. 

Quizzes and small projects are limited assessments on what we’ve been working on. Small bites, if you will. The students’ performance tells me where we are - can we move on or do we need to spend more time on the topic? Do I need a different approach and/or do some individuals need extra help? I give quizzes a relatively light weight so the students have room to make mistakes and still earn a high grade in the class.

The test or large project is the 800 pound gorilla in my classes. They count for 70% of the quarter grade. This is the time for the students to prove to me that they have mastered the material we have been working on. 

One might think my tests are pressure-packed events - it’s do or die for the quarter. But, here’s the rub: I take most of my test questions from the quizzes and most of my quiz questions from the homework. 

If students do the homework, they’re already prepared for the quiz. If they do well on the quizzes, they’re ready for the test. If they don’t, the quiz points them to the areas they most need to work on.

The classwork and homework is the foundation of how I teach. If students choose not to do homework, theoretically, they can still earn a 95 in the class - but they have to get a 100 on every quiz, project and test. 

Of course, the likelihood that they’ll be able to do that without doing the homework is extremely low.

So, a word to the wise: Do your homework!

I Think I Have a Class of Beavers

I think my classes are comprised of beavers. It’s the only explanation I can come up with that makes sense. Understand, beavers don’t actually eat wood - they do eat bark but not the actual pulpy wood of trees. They cut down little trees and make lodges/dams from them so it might appear they are eating wood but they’re really not.

As a courtesy, I have a little bin of pencils for those students who can’t seem to hang on to a writing implement for more than 37 minutes. Where these missing implements go is a

mystery, but they go, that is for certain.

So far this year, I have put out about 80 pencils and, as of yesterday, I only have one left. That means I’m losing a bit more than a pencil a day to my lodge-building beavers. At that rate, I’ll go through about 200 pencils by the end of school.

Back to my original point, I think I have a class of beavers. I think they must be taking my pencils in order to build their hutches.

Would someone please get the Ticonderoga Pencil Company on the phone? 

I need a new shipment.

My Day in Kindergarten

I have to give all the credit in the world to Kindergarten teachers.  I was a substitute in Kindergarten just one day and I’ve never been so tired at the end of a day in my life.

I had 25 kids each one cuter than the other. The teacher I was in for usually had an assistant but she was out as well, so it was just me and 25 little ones.

I learned a lot that day. 

I learned that they always, always, always did the day of the week before the weather. Talk about regimented, wow.

I learned that the attention span of a kindergarten student is about one third of a second. 

I learned that the words “line up” mean stand still in line for that one third of a second before aimlessly wandering away.

I learned that a 25 to 1 ratio is insanity incarnate.

At the end of the day, I dragged myself out to the car. Slumped in the seat and drank down an entire bottle of water before driving home.

Once home, I hurled myself onto the couch for a well deserved nap. 

“Never again, never again, “ I breathlessly muttered as I drifted off.

The Teacher As Student

I am enrolled in the American International College masters program.  It’s a highly compressed program so I attend class one night per week from 4:30 to 9:15 and complete a class in 8 to 9 weeks. In between classes, I usually have a significant amount of work to do. 

So, one day a week I teach all day and then turn around and become the student. 

To be sure, it makes for a really long day. I leave the house at 6:30am and don’t return until about 9:30pm. By that time, I’m tired and it’s a tired I feel all the next day.

Each teacher I’ve had has had her own style and way of doing things. It’s a bit of an

adjustment but not as much as one might think. 

The biggest adjustment for me hasn’t been the teacher to student swap, but the fact that, before I started this program, I had not sat in a classroom as a student since the Reagan administration.  

And that was a very long time ago.

Why I Loathe Mechanical Pencils in My Classroom

I told my students at The Hellenic American Academy on my very first day that I would prefer they did not use mechanical

pencils in my classes. I didn’t outright ban them but I told the students that mechanical pencils annoy me, and it is never wise to annoy the teacher.

I’m a big believer in keeping things simple. There’s not much in the world that’s more simple than a pencil. The mechanical version just adds unnecessary complications and drama.

“Can I go to my locker and get some more lead?”

“Do you have any lead I can borrow?”

“I dropped my lead and Timmy is stepping on them.”

“My lead won’t stay in.”

“My eraser keeps falling out.”

You see? The pencil isn’t the problem. The problem is the distractions, interruptions and attention breaks.

Just keep it simple - bring a pencil... preferably, pre-sharpened.