History Teacher Teaching Geometry

May 9, 2008 in How to Get a Job, The Way It Were
Tags: 30 day, awesome, bad news, dan, geometry, good news, great, great teacher, how to teach math, lesson, master teacher, math, math major, meyer, mr., permit, plans, school, student, student teacher, substitute, substitute teaching, summer, summer school, teacher, teaching, testicular fortitude

Good news: I got a gig for summer school. Perhaps bad news: I’ll need to brush up on my geometry skills to do it.

My summer school principal had already filled up all the history and English spots for the summer school sessions, and he didn’t end up needing me. I mentioned that if anything else came up that he should let me know.

All we have left is one geometry spot.

Really?

Yeah. I know it’s a little different from history, so let me know when you decide.

I can let you know right now. I’ll take it.

He cleared with his superiors the idea of hiring a substitute to teach summer school, as is common practice when in a summer school hiring bind. And that was that.

This is perfectly legal. As a substitute teacher in this district, I’m allowed to be in any given classroom for 30 days or fewer. Enter the Peterbilt-sized loophole: Summer school sessions are shorter than 30 days. Better yet, though I’m a substitute, I’ll get paid the same $35/hr. rate if I teach the full session.

Don’t worry about the kids, either: I was a math major for about a year and a half in college. I had almost mentioned here on the blog that I had managed to get through — and enjoy — all three sections of Calculus, but I couldn’t quite muster the testicular fortitude when I had the chance.

Our summer school principal will drop off a geometry book with me tomorrow. I plan to bone up enough by June 1 to pull off one of Dan Meyer‘s lessons. If only.

Seriously, Dan: I’m going to have to pick your brain in preparation for this summer.

Don’t Bother Cramming, Kids

May 1, 2008 in Interview an Elder
Tags: assessment, days, effective, exponent, good, habits, healthy, hours, master, master teacher, math, methods, power, reliable, student, student teacher, study, studying, teaching, techniques, test

I met a science teacher who has his students log how much time they spent preparing for his tests as such:

In case you haven’t brushed up on math, lately, this is the notation for the number of hours spent studying to the power of the number of days. He with the largest total value is he who spent his time the most efficiently and effectively.

Writing down your prep time is part of your grade in his class. Honesty is encouraged, as exaggerating the time you spent studying earns the same credit as avoiding such a foolish lie. Over time, he says, students figure out that the highest grades on the tests tend to go to students who don’t cram in the last day, instead spreading their 24 hours of studying over several days.

It isn’t a perfect aid — it falls through with the student who spends less than half an hour studying — but it’s close enough. I’m tempted to crib it off of him, and I teach social science.

I knew there was a use for this math stuff.

OFF: My Name is Benjamin Baxter, and I’m Glad You Could Make It

April 18, 2008 in How to Get a Job
Tags: a, administrators, baxter, benjamin, education, few, fire, google, home, letters, lying, math, off-topic, quite, search, shell shock, student teacher, students, teacher, two, write

If you really want anonymity on your blog, don’t post comments elsewhere using your real name while linking to said blog. No secret.

I knew long ago that keeping this blog anonymous for the sake of keeping it off a certain Google search was a futile effort given my propensity to ignore anonymity elsewhere, but I still pretended that search didn’t exist for the sake of maintaining my official anonymity.

I had reasoned:

How many future and potential districts would Google my name, and how many of my future and potential districts would click on a link to a teaching blog found high or even first in the results?

Turns out the answer is “quite a few.” Only days after the job fair, hits have spiked via a few choice Google searches to terms “Benjamin” and “Baxter.” Oh, well; it isn’t like I have anything to hide.

I haven’t fired any math teachers lately, nor have my students risked shell shock to write two letters home in the last month-and-a-half. And no, I don’t lie on my computer-based employment tests.

To any administrators reading this: It’s a pleasure to meet you, and I’d still love to have that job opening of yours. I’d prefer, naturally, your position teaching history, journalism and AVID, in any combination, to your many positions teaching English.

For now, though, I’ll take what I can get.

Oh, and before you notice that it looks like I posted this entry during school hours, note that my blogs are posted on nights and only timestamped for the mornings. I don’t blog at school, so don’t fire me before you hire me because you think that.