We Need Mathematics Editors, Please

The Christian Science Monitor wrote a piece on university graduation rates and cited a College Board study that blamed much of the problem on tuition hikes at state universities. The article goes on to write:
For example, over the past five years, average tuition has climbed 35 percent, adjusted for inflation, at four-year public colleges, according [...]

The Onion

I thought this was pretty funny.

Geometric Constructions, Teen Laziness, and Parental Involvment

The non-IB geometry teachers at our school are now finishing the constructions unit … and pulling their hair out as well. Since I teach the honors IB kids, I am ahead of them all, and don’t encounter the frustrations that the others have in their classrooms. We have new textbooks, so they ask for advice [...]

Where the Money Goes

I wanted to move some kids from one class that has 37 to another that is my smallest, by far, of 26, so I asked for a “master schedule” to see what I could do. Looking at the class sizes, it is frustrating for me to know that I have to deal with 33 kids [...]

Minnesota Math Standards

Well, it is official, here in Minnesota, we’ll have to begin teaching Algebra 1 to eighth graders (this goes into effect with this year’s fourth grade students). If that isn’t a recipe for disaster, I don’t know what is.
Part of my teaching load is teaching pre-IB kids geometry. We know from past experience that kids [...]

Parents and Excuses for Absences

A parent called our attendance clerk today to excuse her kid from being absent for our “0 hour” class. This is a class that meets before school “officially” begins. Some kids take band or choir during that time so that they can take seven classes. It begins at 7:30, I believe.
The parent explained that her [...]

Speechless

A staff member email the staff the other day about a computer problem:
Is anyone else getting a message that pops up when they try to print out student summaries that reads:
Undhandled exception c0000005 at adress: 763cde5e?
If so, how have you fixed it?
I wrote back:
You have to handle the ception 734acb03 at the address: 0008d110
She [...]

Parents not being Parents

Elena, a girl in my senior credit factory class, had her phone taken away by me for the second time in the last few weeks today. The first time I gave it back to her at the end of class and told her not to have it out again.
Just yesterday I had to talk to [...]

Different Languages in the Classroom

The math teacher across the hall had to teach in the media center one day this week because there was a bit of construction in his room. While teaching there, he was describing the difference between a rectangle and a kite. He didn’t have the use of his board or overhead projector that is in [...]

First Forgery of the Year

Two of my seniors in my credit factory class decided to roll into the classroom six minutes late today. Because these two girls (one I’ve written about a few times before) have proven themselves to be poor students (interruptions, no effort, etc.), I told them to go get a pass.
They put up an argument (Who [...]