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. Well, the first full week of the new school year is in the books. Thanks, Mustangs, for a great one. And a special thanks to all who came out for Moffitt's Back To School night. I enjoyed meeting all of you (sorry if I missed anyone), and I hope everyone feels the same.
Last Friday, as the 10th anniversary approached, we (my students and I) started talking and thinking about what the events of 9/11/01 mean for us.
For myself, it's something that still touches me deeply. I didn't realize how much so until I started trying to lead discussions with my students, relating what I remember about that day and its aftermath, some of the history behind it all, and things like that. A few times, I had to stop myself, as I realized that I was about to choke up with emotion. And it's been 10 years, and I wasn't even there!!!! For my students, it's a totally different thing. They were just beginning their lives around that time. They have no first-hand knowledge of what happened. I wanted to lead them through some learning about it, but found I really couldn't. So, I decided to let them do it on their own. Today, I had them research the events, using such great resources as The History Channel's website (history.com). I also had them start thinking about what 9/11 means to them, and how it's affected or created the world they live in now, and will have to live in and deal with as adults. Each student will be recording a short QuickTime recording expressing something that they think or feel about 9/11. Then, we'll turn it all into a video collage. I will post it, if possible, when we're done. Keep an eye out! Well, the first day of the 2011-2112 school year has come and gone. I think it was a success. Thanks to all of my students, and really, to all Mustangs, for a great first day. I think it's going to be a great year, and I'm very proud of my class for making everything go so smoothly. Only 181 more days of that kind of effort to go!!!
I also want to thank all my students who already took my Student Tech Survey. It's already given me a lot of insight into who I will be working with this year. And for those of you who haven't taken it yet, I look forward to your answers in the next few days. Keep up the good work, Mustangs: live by following Rule #1, and remember that, as the ancient Greek philosopher/playwright Sophocles said, "Success is dependent upon effort." Today, at our final day of MIT training, we're creating our own website. It's actually very easy, and I suggest everyone try it (weebly.com).
But the big highlight of the day, so far at least, has been the custom omelete bar breakfast we were treated to this morning. Now that's a great way to make sure everyone shows up early or on time. Thanks to all that made that possible. | AuthorMr. Fraser teaches 6th grade at Moffitt Elementary. He has taught in NLMUSD for over 10 years. He was Teacher of the Year for Moffitt in 2010-2011. Once again, this year, he and his students are part of the MIT (Model Integrated Technology) program in NLMUSD.  Hmmm . . . now what? ArchivesFebruary 2013 Categories |
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