Thomas Ades – Arcadiana: O Albion
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Some sad (though not entirely unexpected) news comes across the wires today: math teacher Jaime Escalante has died.
Escalante was immortalized in the 1988 film Stand and Deliver for teaching at LAUSD’s Garfield High School and inspiring math students to succeed, specifically at the A.P. Calculus exam.
Perhaps ironically, I had not even heard of (let alone seen) the film Stand and Deliver a mere 6 years ago, in the Spring of 2004, when I was first accepted into Teach For America’s 2004 teaching corps in Los Angeles. Some of my fellow corps members actually became teachers at Escalante’s Garfield High School (which he’d retired from in 1998).
So, while being sufficiently disconnected from the icon/legend of Jaime Escalante, his passing is again, a stiff reminder of the power and value of teaching in the lives of kids. No, we’re not going to reach every kid, but the ones we do may be the ones who most surprise us!
Grizzly Bear – Easier
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CSNY – Teach Your Children Well
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Tonight is one of the six “High Holy Days” that our principal has pronounced here at Cochran Middle School. Parents come from 6pm – 8pm and basically ask the same question over and over: “Why did my child get an ‘F’ in your class?”
Most of the time I’ve not seen a whole lot of behavioral or academic change as a result of these conferences, but I understand that they are necessary to have, if not for any other reason than to appease doting parents who have students earning “A’s” and want to hear their child’s teacher’s tell them how wonderful they are.
To both of these groups I will happily oblige, yet I wonder if there might be more effective ways to tire out both teachers and students as they head rapidly toward spring break.
Kanye West vs. Rolling Stones – Lockdown Shelter
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This was Example #2 today during class, a problem which my 6th period student had up until this point not yet seen, yet most were able to attack it with great precision and success. This was particularly evident when one of my brightest (and most energetic) students completed the second step and, noticing the variable he was about to distribute, mumbled not so subtly under his breath, “Throw some d’s on that…”
I know, I know. There are times when I should be mad, but I just laugh.
The Bad Plus – 1980 World Champion
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Today will be an L.A. first for me. Despite living a mere two miles from the Staples Center, this evening will mark the first NHL game I have ever attended west of the Mississippi.
The Kings, who I feel not a little ambivalent toward, will be facing off against the N.Y. Islanders, a visiting team that will have at least one fan in the crowd, a fellow New Yorker colleague of mine who is convinced that I’m insane because I root for all the wrong New York teams (Mets, Giants, Rangers) versus his supposedly superior Yankees, Jets, and Islanders.
It’s about time for a hockey game. After all, after seeing my fair share of fights at school, it’ll be relaxing to see some adults duke it out for once.
Blossom Dearie – Figure Eight
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Our district is infatuated with the idea of “data”, specifically what, in education circles is becoming an emphasis on “data-driven instruction”. For the past year or so, our district higher ups have been pushing down this notion of using “data” to inform instruction in every single way, as well as our school administrators being under a similar pressure.
The problem is, nobody quite knows exactly how to use data to drive instruction in a meaningful way. This year, a co-conspirator colleague and I have been implementing an intervention program, and have literally spent the last month trying to figure out (a) what data is actually useful, (b) how to actually find the data (which was ridiculously difficult and time consuming), and (c) what it actually says about the effectiveness of the intervention.
The mid-year result? A sharp-looking Mid Year Report (feel free to view here and peruse in all your spare time)!
So far, we can definitively say that Kids Mastering Math is a qualified success. While the numbers are certainly not astounding, they are significant, particularly in the advances the lowest performing kids are making.
The purpose of sharing this is not to “toot our own horns” but rather, (a) to show that what we’ve done has helped many of our kids, (b) to gain momentum to help improve the curriculum and support for next year, and (c) to hopefully show how to actually use data in a meaningful way educationally.
Max Richter – On the Nature of Daylight
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I woke up this morning to the sound of my alarm, a method of awakening I like to reserve for weekdays, much preferring to rise naturally from the restful slumber of the non-school night.
Yet this morning, along with the 87% of America who actually remembered to spring forward, I woke up minus an hour of sleep that my body so desperately needs. Yet despite this hardship, the payoff is better. Evenings are now lighter, giving me more impetus to actually do something with them, rather than making the transition from one work-day to the next work-day without enjoying the remaining daylight in between.
I find that I always have such grandiose plans with what I aspire to during my extra hour of daylight. Maybe I’ll start running again, maybe I’ll play some basketball, maybe I’ll head out and do some reading on the beach [I’ve just started Alex Ross’ The Rest Is Noise, a book about 20th century classical music, such as the Max Richter piece heard now….fascinating so far!]
But this year, I’m trying to get some community feedback about what everyone out there is thinking about doing with their additional daylight!
So, what are you planning on doing with your extra hour of sunlight?
Fats Waller – I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter
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Today I intercepted the following love letter written during class by one of my algebra students.
The letter’s contents, which follow remind my of the confused nature of what it means to be in middle school:
Ten twenty sixx two-thousand and nine <3
2 the love of my life <3
From this one dudee!
Hehe well babe Im bored ass Hell! Ima tell you how much I love you, which is a shitt load! yet again Im going to apoligize babe Im sorry for being a bitch to you and taking your candy HeHe <3 I love you much and always will forever and ever I will never stop or nobody can stop me babe you mean more than my life to me you have no idea I always will love and care about you babe I always want you to be happy no matter what my love for you grows each second hehe babe I wana be with you forever and ever byess. I love you! <3
K**** I love you baby!
P.S. Sorry for hand…
….at this point I intercepted the love letter and, after a quick read and not so good a job covering my laughter at it’s contents, continued to teach the lesson on multiplying monomials.
A Flock of Seagulls – I Ran
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I know, I know….that’s not how you pronounce it (phonetically “Ron”), but after years of mispronouncing the title of this epic Kurosawa film, I finally got around to actually seeing it, this past Saturday, during a rainy Los Angeles afternoon. It’s usually this time of year that we can’t really decide if it’s still winter, or whether it might actually be spring.
My students find themselves much in the same dilemma. Some days are fantastic where they ask great questions, show immensely high degrees of intuition, effort, and drive. Other days, like the soggy March rain that comes out of nowhere, seem to suggest otherwise.
Yet, spring is around the corner, and although I’m sure I don’t appreciate it’s coming as much as my Northeast readers certainly do, it’s great to be able to walk outside without a jacket, to breathe the smell of the freshly mown lawn, and to be able to begin trash talking baseball with some of my colleagues.
Bring it on…
Pomplamoose – Beat It
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Ah, the fun of using an LCD projector. It’s even more fun when I wear a white shirt to go along with it. My kids always get a kick out of the fact that as I teach, it often looks like I am wearing a just-created math shirt.
What’s even cooler is that I use what’s called an “airliner slate” to actually “write” on the displayed notebook page. Essentially, it’s a Bluetooth plastic slate that translates plastic-pen movements on its surface into colored pen strokes on my projected computer screen.
For a prize of 100 points (which currently have no redeemable value), be the first commenter to correctly identify what the abbreviation “T.P.” stands for. [Hint: There should be enough clues on the rest of my shirt, and on the board behind me to figure this one out].
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Some sad (though not entirely unexpected) news comes across the wires today: math teacher Jaime Escalante has died. 
Themocracy