Well, the American Math Challenge is over.  Thanks to all the Mustangs in 5th and 6th grade that worked hard to show what Moffitt can do!  Final results will be posted Monday, 10-17; the top 30 students will be invited to participate as an elite "math special forces" class in the World Math Day in March of 2012..
    It was great watching our students get excited and get into math.  That doesn't happen too often; at least not as often as it should.  This is just another great example of how digital technology can boost student interest and motivation.  Plus, since kids were competing against other students around the country, they got a real-life look at the people they'll be encountering, and competing with for jobs and stuff, when they get older. 
    I truly believe that our school, and the whole district, would be greatly served by purchasing licenses to use Mathletics, or any of Voyager Learning Systems' programs.  No, I'm not a paid endorser.  I've just seen the power of the programs first-hand in the 4 years I've been involved in the American Math Challenge and World Math Day events this company puts on.  I've seen it boost kids' skills and desire to excel immensely in just the few short weeks we've had access to these systems over the years.  And yes, I hope some of the people in charge of this type of stuff read this and truly think about it. 

    "And that's all I got to say about that . . ."
Sorry, I watched Forrest Gump again the other day.  Couldn't help myself.

PS.  IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE EVENTS OR PROGRAMS I'M TALKING ABOUT, FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME.  WORLD MATH DAY IS COMING IN EARLY MARCH 2012.  IT'S A GREAT MATH EVENT.  DON'T MISS IT!
 
HEY THERE, MUSTANGS!!!   IT'S 8 P.M.  ONE HOUR TO GO IN THE AMERICAN MATH CHALLENGE.  I HOPE YOU GET AFTER IT IN THE LAST HOUR.  THEN, GO RIGHT TO BED!!!  YOU DESERVE A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP. SEE YOU ALL TOMORROW.
 
Well, we're almost at the end of the 2011 American Math Challenge (AMC).  I am pretty sure the students had a good time participating in it, and I know they also learned a lot.  That's the main thing.  And if they realized that math is important, and fun, then it was all worth it.

I hope that our Mustangs will want to participate in the World Math Day Competition in March of 2012.  That's when we will put together a few teams of our top AMC performers to take on kids from all over the world.  It should be another great opportunity for our students to connect with the larger world.  

Check out the other pages of this site for pix and video documenting our AMC adventures.
 
    Thanks to all the Mustangs who are working hard practicing for the American Math Challenge.  I'm glad you're taking advantage of the access to the awesome resources and activities at Mathletics.com.  Use it now, since it's only available to us for the next week or so.
    I do wish more of our students were practicing and using the math activities.  It will only make them better, and it's only temporary. Use it or lose it!  Plus, we want our brains in competition shape for the Challenge.  After all, we'll be representing Moffitt, Norwalk, and California for that matter, against the rest of the country.

BE READY!
 
    Well, it's been a few weeks already, and I am very grateful for my students this year.  They have embraced the emphasis on technology wholeheartedly.  It's going to be a great feeling for all of us, I think, once we're able to start posting our work online for people to see. 
    I'm also excited to get the students started on creating and maintaining their own websites.  I'm hoping to get them to take charge of this site, too.  After all, there's nearly 30 of them, and only one of me.  And they're the ones who really need the experience with this stuff, anyway.