High school students in Minnesota have to take Economics as a requirement to graduate. Most take it as seniors. In my school the students have a final project in which they have to market a good or service and then implement it. Since it is a final project in a required course and since they [...]
Monthly Archives: March 2006
Gullible Students
22 March 2006 – 22:15
I was teaching similarity in my geometry classes and had to tell the students about dilations. (A transformation that produces an image that is the same shape as the original, but is a different size.) So to help the students remember the word, I tell them how when your pupils dilate, then the size [...]
The Impossible
20 March 2006 – 18:14
Today with my senior stats class, we are rolling dice to show the differences between theoretical and experimental probabilities. But this morning, while another teacher happened to be in the room, I realized that I left my dice in the car. The other teacher told me that he had some in his room, and we [...]
Nice Job Perk
16 March 2006 – 02:47
I don’t know why this crap happens:
From the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Superintendent John Longtin resigned unexpectedly Monday night after nearly seven years as top administrator of the east-metro school district that includes West St. Paul, Mendota Heights, Lilydale, Sunfish Lake and parts of Eagan and Inver Grove Heights.
In a letter to the District 197 board, Longtin, [...]
How to have a π-Day Party without really trying.
14 March 2006 – 17:42
The students have been bugging me aobut π Day for weeks. They want a party. So do I. But I don’t want to plan it or have to bring anything in. So here is my annual ritual.
Students (in unison): Can we have a party for π Day?
Teacher: No, there is no food allowed in the [...]
Snow Day
13 March 2006 – 16:34
It snowed last night here and in the metro area some schools opened regularly, some were closed, and some, like ours had a delayed opening. Unfortunately, they didn’t decide until a bit late. I’m not exactly sure what time it was announced, I heard it at 7:00, and asking around, the first people heard about [...]
My Lunch Today
10 March 2006 – 17:41
On days when there are parties in other classes, here is a nice way to get some free food.
Today during first hour, I hear students talking about their party in Spanish class. I have no idea why there is a party, but all I care about is the free food.
Anyway, here is what you do. [...]
More Cheating and How to Stop It
09 March 2006 – 21:51
When I give quizzes and exams I give more than one version of it. My classroom isn’t spacious, and with up to 36 kids it is crowded. So having kids sitting near each other taking different exams is a good way to cut down on cheating.
I don’t tell the students that they have different quizzes, [...]
Bending Over Backward for Students
07 March 2006 – 18:46
Katrina has been absent 16 of 26 days this quarter. When she is here, her work is fine. But she misses a great deal of instruction, and so if she is here for a quiz, she generally does okay. Because she is in my senior credit factory class, the work isn’t too difficult if you [...]
Compliments
06 March 2006 – 22:57
I wrote these compliments on notecards (OK, I just pasted them from the website onto pieces of paper which I then cut) and read them out to students as they came in. The kids loved them, although telling a student that she is beautiful without them knowing what you are talking about can be a [...]
