Mathy Math Mom

  Over the summer, I was approached and asked if I wanted the opportunity to submit an article to NCTM's Mathematics Teacher: Learning & Teaching Publication. It was such a great experience, both in the soul searching to write the content, and working with the editors to fine tune my message. I can't wait to write another!

  I am not an expert in hybrid. Instead this is an effort to reflect on what has gone well and what I plan to adjust as we move forward.  Our district has three cohorts:  A cohort meets M/Th B cohort meets Tu/Fri C cohort is full distance learning.  On the other days, all students tune in via zoom. On Wednesdays, we all do distance learning. The schedule has 48 minute classes, ensuring students can grab their lunch and go, keeping everyone safe. Then, a student support (treated like office hours) wraps up the day. Safety I wear two masks, an N95 mask underneath a cloth one. N95's hurt my ears (more than any other mask so far) but the cloth one holds it to my face. I also have two air filters I brought from home around my desk. This is in addition to the MERV13 filters (85%) effective. The front row of desks (yes, they are in rows, not by choice) have plastic sneeze guards and each student has the option to wipe down their desk with a hydrogen peroxide based  app...

 I found this puzzle online (I apologize I forgot who made it) to practice one step equations. My goal is to always find resources that give immediate feedback while still including a little fun. As students worked, I was able to monitor their work and see who was progressing and who wasn't on my goguardian  (see below).  Note that I am teaching a foundational class which generally means students don't believe in themselves and/or don't like math. I see my job as giving them faith in themselves and their abilities. It was well received. :) Here's a copy for you:  Click here to make a copy

I have found some routines that have helped me stay organized and kept my work load reasonable(<--what does that even mean???).  1. Templates for Posts I have been using a consistent template for my Google Classroom posts that keeps us organized. I reference it each day and point it out during each transition. I have a separate Class that has no students and is used ONLY for templates. Its a lifesaver. The names of the posts align exactly with my gradebook to keep us all organized. When I pull grades from Classroom to Aeries, it is easy to find them and easy to fix any changes. This only works if you make sure all things that are graded in your gradebook are also assignments in Google Classroom. Last year I did all materials posts and it was a nightmare. Make sure you have turned off the posts to stream and keep everything in classwork. Also emojis make things fun. :) 2. Recording Lessons During Zoom I record during one class if I am doing any notes. These are then posted as lin...