Whyyyyyy Do I Have To Take Maaaaaaath?

“I’m never going to use this in my life.”

“Nobody uses Algebra in the real world.”

“Why do I have to take math?”

Math teachers hear this kind of stuff a lot. To be completely accurate, that last sentence is often delivered with a serious whiny tone and sounds more like:

“Whyyyyyy do I have to take maaaaaaath?” 

I’m not going to try to prove that every person on Earth uses the Pythagorean theorem on a regular basis, solves systems of equations at breakfast, or uses scientific notation to balance their checkbook. 

Some people do. Some people don’t.

I can tell you that you need to know this stuff to pass the PARCC test later this month.

You need to know this stuff to graduate from high school. 

Depending on what course of study you choose in college, you might need to use these mathematical concepts, and others, to earn your degree.

I don’t know what you’re going to need beyond that. 

That’s kind of the thing. No one knows what you’re going to need. Your teachers have to give you a solid grounding in lots of stuff to prepare you to do what you want to do. We are giving you a well-rounded education so you have to option to do anything you want to do after high school and/or college.

If you become a poet, you might not ever have to deal with exponents again. If you become an engineer, you’ll probably never have to remember the difference between a epitaph and an epigram.

No one know what life will bring, so you need to know a little about everything so you’re ready for whatever direction your life takes.

And who’s to say you won’t end up as an engineer who likes to write a little poetry on the side.

Pride

As a first year teacher at McAuliffe, I am experiencing a lot of new things this school year. The most recent was the space project and the Christa McAuliffe Remembrance Event. 

I am so impressed with all the hard work that went into the projects, the care and effort each of you took constructing your displays and how poised you were in front of friends, family and judges. it’s not easy to speak in public, but you all did well, and I think you were a little surprised at how much you had learned about your project topics when judges and other questioned you.

I am so proud of each of you. 

You have worked hard, you’ve learned from experts in the fields you all studied, and you all learned so much. 

I bet there’s not another eighth grade class in the country that can speak about ion thrusters, Venus volcanology, the workings of the SOPHIA telescope and a host of other project subjects to the depth that you can. 

You learned a lot and you taught much of it to yourselves and each other. That’s one of the goals of this project, to expose you to the process of researching a subject of which you had little or no prior knowledge. You figured it out.

The experts were a key component in this process. I don’t know how many middle schoolers have gotten a chance to question astronauts, rocket scientists, or NASA geologists, but I bet the number is pretty small. Interviewing the experts is a special experience and you are a special group.

I hope you are all proud of your work - you should be.

The process wasn’t easy and wasn’t perfect. But, what is? This is what the “real world” is like - it’s messy and complicated and frustrating. You all pushed forward despite difficulties and that’s called perseverance. That’s one of the things you need to remember from this experience - that you kept moving forward, overcoming obstacles, rethinking and revising as you progressed. 

I think I can speak for the entire eighth grade team when I say, we are all immensely proud of you. 

Pluto-The-Planet Got Fired

In 2006, members of the International Astronomical Union voted on and approved a new definition of what constitutes a planet. The result was, Pluto got fired from being a planet. It’s now considered a dwarf-planet.

Lets get one thing on the recored right now, just in case there’s any misunderstanding. Pluto did not change. It’s still out there, orbiting the sun, cold as hell (Now, that’s an odd expression, isn't it?). All the IAU did was change the classification, not the planet/dwarf planet itself.

I’m just guessing, but I don’t think the IAU members expected such a wail of lament over the change in status for Pluto. I think it took them by surprise. I don’t think they appreciated or understood why so many people have such strong, emotional bonds to a rocky, icy world that’s so far away from Earth, that no one has ever even taken a good picture of it.

The picture thing is gong to change. We’re going to get fabulous pictures this summer when the New Horizons space probe zooms past Pluto. New Horizons was launched in January 2006 - just a few months before Pluto’s reclassification. This July, the spacecraft will pass about 6,300 miles from the dwarf planet and should provide outstanding images of both Pluto and it’s largest moon (of five), Charon.

But, back to the fuss, I think I’ve figured out why people reacted the way they did.

It’s this guy’s fault. 

Pluto the Disney dog. 

Who doesn’t love Pluto the dog? Don’t we all know someone who’s a lot like Pluto? Some playful, cheerful, goofy (No wait, wrong word that’s a totally different dog) happy-go-lucky aunt or uncle?

Let me ask you a question: What if Pluto looked like this? 

The evil queen from Snow White.

What if her name had been Evil Queen Pluto? 

Would people have been so unhappy about Pluto’s reclassification?

I doubt it. 

In that scenario, I’m thinking people would have supported kicking Pluto right out of the whole solar system.

And that’s what the IAU folks didn’t anticipate - say the word Pluto to most people and they think of the lovable cartoon dog. They like and love Pluto-the-dog and they associate those feelings when thinking about poor Pluto-the-planet getting fired. 

I don't necessarily think the IAU was wrong for reclassifying Pluto, I just think the astronomers should have watched more cartoons.

The End of February and April Vacations?

Because of all the snow, and resulting snow days, the question of how to make up the time is a hot topic. I don’t know what we’ll end up doing at McAuliffe but it seems every school district in the Commonwealth has the same problem. 

I was speaking to a couple of kids I tutor last weekend and was surprised to discover a different approach to winter/spring vacation. They don’t have either;  instead, they get time off in March. 

Break in March? I had never heard of that, so I did some poking around on the internet:

In California, school starts in the middle of August and ends the first week of June. They get one week off in the February/March/April period.

In Minneapolis, (and these guys deal with crazy amounts of snow), they start before Labor Day end before the second week of June and have one week off in the February to April time-frame.

In Juneau, they begin in mid-August, have one week off in March and end the year on June 4th.

Everywhere I looked, it seemed that the two separate breaks in winter/spring were a thing of the past. To be sure, there are a lot of school districts that still have that kind of schedule, but there were a ton that did just one week off.

I wonder, should Massachusetts do away with one of those vacation weeks in the future?

What do you think?

Ugh, Homework

For many students homework is an ugly fact of life. They don’t like the idea of having to do extra work on their own time. They don’t want to do it. And some, simply don’t do it. 

Some scholars understand the value of homework, even if they’d prefer not to have to do it. These are the students who embrace the idea of a “growth mindset.” They understand that hard work is required to achieve their highest levels of learning. They do the work even when they don’t like it. These are not the students I’m thinking about right now. As far as I’m concerned, if you’re a student who regularly does his or her homework, you can stop reading right now.

If you are not in the habit of doing your homework, I invite you to read on.

Despite my prior blog post, I do not assign homework because I’m getting some sort of benefit from it - like a Ferrari.

I have four main reasons I assign you homework:

• I want you to practice what you learn in school. Everyone practices - Tiger Woods practices, Tom Brady practices, Keith Lockhart practices, Jennifer Lawrence practices and you practice. It’s the only way anyone ever gets good at anything. 

• Can you really do the work? It’s wonderful if you understand what we’re working on while you’re in the classroom. You have a lot of support in school. You have at least one teacher in the room, and you have friends and fellow students right next to you. The acid test is; what happens when you’re alone in your bedroom. Can you do the work without help? Can you really do it on your own? What happens if you get stuck, can you use what you’ve learned to figure it out?

• Homework shows you and I what you know and what you need to work on. If you’re serious about doing your homework, you’ll know what you need to work on. You’ll know what questions to ask in class tomorrow and what areas you’ve mastered. Homework tells you what you’ve learned and what you need help with. It also tells me the exact same thing.

• Other reasons...well, since you’re all going to high school next year, you’re going to need to engage in some self-regulation by motivating yourselves. In other words, you’re going to find fewer and fewer teachers bugging you to get your work done. If you are going to be successful, you are going to have to bug yourself to get your work done. 

You are going to have to learn how to avoid distractions, to understand the importance of time management, and, this is the hardest part - the importance of delaying gratification. That is, doing your work before playing video games, or texting your friends, watching TV or doing something fun. 

Trust me, if you don’t get a handle on these things, High School is going to be very difficult and “college” is going to look a lot less like a dorm room, bookstore, and lecture hall and a lot more like the inside of a Burger King kitchen.

Do yourself a favor - do your homework. You might not like it, but it’s for your own good. Invest a little time in yourself and, believe me, it will pay off in the end.

Ahhhhhh, Homework

Homework, its a fact of life for students and teachers. Nearly every student has failed to turn in a homework assignment at one time or another. It happens. We’re all human and sometimes we forget, or leave some critical resource at school - like the homework itself. 

Sometimes the reasons for not having one’s homework can show off the creative side of a student or reveal his/her priorities. Here are a few of the answers I received when I asked my fellow teachers:

“What is the most interesting response you have received when a student didn’t have his or her homework?”

Here are some of the replies I received:

I was too busy with _____________________ (Fill in the blank - dance, football, karate, soccer etc.)

Google lost my doc.

I did it but I left it __________________________ (Fill in the blank - on the bus, at my grandmother’s house, in my ELA class, at my friend’s house, Starbucks, the library, etc.)

I spilled something all over it. 

My dog ate it.

My sister ate it.

My Dad was helping me but never gave it back.

My Mom was helping me with it and didn’t put it back in my bag.

My brother and I were doing homework together and he must have mixed it into his papers.

I never got it.

You never gave it to me.

I lost it.

You said it was due (some other day).

That was homework?

We used to be able to do it in X-Block.

I needed help and there was no one to help me.

I forgot.

I didn’t feel like doing it.

I don’t believe in homework.

My parents don’t believe in homework.

I thought I did it but I guess I didn’t.

I had a dream I did it and thought the dream was real.

I gave it to you yesterday.

I left my bag in my Uncle’s car and it was in my bag.

I know I put it in my bag (As the student franticly pulls an amazing quantity of crinkled paper out of his or her bag)

It was too hard.

I had planned on doing it on the bus this morning but I forgot.

I emailed you this morning before school with a question, but you didn’t answer. (BTW this was on a Monday.)

You give too much homework.

I needed paper to make a paper airplane on the bus.

I was doing it in the bathtub and dropped it. The ink all faded and ran before I could dry it off.

I was busy chasing my pet chicken, Maurice.

You never taught us this.

I had to go camping this weekend.

I don’t have to do homework - it’s on my 504.

The Bruins went into overtime last night and I had to stay up to watch.

See what I mean?  If I taught creative writing, some of these would constitute a good start on a short story. Maybe I should incorporate some of these; I’m sorry I could not grade your tests because I was watching the Superbowl.

Learning For A Lifetime

I had a conversation with a student before the break. She had taken a retest and had not improved her grade over the original test. I suggested either she had not studied or had not studied effectively. As I was saying it, I realized I’d never had a conversation with my McAuliffe students about what effective studying means.

Here’s the thing...you can spend time “studying” and not learning a thing or you can create a plan for learning that includes “studying.”

Many students don’t really know how to study or how that time fits in with the learning.  

I’ll give you an example: One science student I know was getting very discouraged about her grades. She was starting to feel like she she wasn’t smart enough to understand the material. She would work at the kitchen table reading and rereading the chapter the night before the quiz. Then she would often perform poorly on the assessment. She was putting in the time, several hours the night before the quiz, but it wasn’t working for her. 

I suggested a different method: Study in a quiet place - a place in her home without distractions. One night, read the chapter. The next night, reread the chapter but take hand-written notes. On the third night, re-write the notes in outline form with space for comments and questions. Finally, get those questions answered in class during our review session. Guess what? She started acing her quizzes. Why? because she was using effective study habits.

So what does this story tell us?

Have a Growth Mindset

Sound familiar? Think positively and avoid negative self-talk. Instead of thinking “I’m never going to get this,” find a positive way of looking at your work like, “I may not understand all of this now, but I’m going to find one part of this that makes sense, right now.”

Location, Location, Location

Chose a location that works. The kitchen is probably the busiest room in the house and is full of distractions. Find a place that is quiet, doesn’t have a million things vying for your attention. Listen to music if that helps block out the noise of the house. Make sure you have everything you need and not extra, distracting stuff.

Time Matters

Study over time. That’s where the word “habit” comes from. Devise a regular schedule and make it a habit. You will learn better if you learn over time instead of trying to absorb it in one sitting (i.e. cramming). Research tells us that learning happens best when new information is learned and then you sleep. As you sleep, the brain reorganizes where it stores information, moving important, new information from short-term to long-term memory. Study at night then let your brain do its thing.

The Brain Game

Get your mind actively engaged in the material. Reading is a pretty passive activity and you can do it practically in your sleep. You need to get the brain fired up to remember stuff. Make notes, reorganize the notes into outline format. Look for ways the items in your notes connect with other topics in your notes. Use memory games to help recall information. For example, the order of the planets in the solar system: "My Violent Evil Monster Just Scared Us Nuts."

It Makes Sense

You have five senses, use them. Don’t just read. Talk to yourself, hear the information as you read it. I heard of a student who chewed gum while he studied. During a test, he’d chew gum. He said it helped him recall what he was thinking and feeling as he had studied. Music can have that same effect. To this day, every time I hear a certain Aerosmith song, I have a ridiculously strong memory of reading The Hobbit.

Practice Testing

Don’t forget to practice taking the test. Use flash cards, sample tests, study guides. Have others quiz you or ask you questions based on your notes. You could try to out-guess the teacher by making up your own test. Review the material and your notes and try to figure out what has to be on the test to accurately assess student understanding. 

Reward Yourself

It’s unrealistic to think that you could study for hours on end and maintain focus. Set a time to stop and take a break. Work hard for an hour, then take a few minutes to move around, play a game, get a snack. Do something different and physical to break the monotony.

It’s All About You

Figure out what works best for you. When I was in college, I knew a girl who had two notebooks for every class. One was for taking notes in class. It was messy with lines and arrows and little side notes written in the margins. The second notebook was for rewriting the class notes in an organized and logical fashion. As she reorganized, she was making connections between ideas and information provided during the lecture. That’s where she actually learned the material. Try different ways to study - google “study habits” if you need new ideas. Figure out what works and what doesn’t work for you. 

You may find, once you develop a method of “studying” that it takes less time than cramming the night before a test. A little bit, done well, every day will add up to less time  overall and more learning. It’s not about just putting in the time, it’s about making that time work for you. 

Remember, the goal is to learn for a lifetime, not to just get through school one quiz at a time.