Late Start for the New School Year

I was hoping to post sooner than today but getting back into the routine was rockier than I expected. So, here we are with the first nine weeks complete. It was fairly uneventful and the students are really great. The halls seem less tense this year this year. I asked the students if they noticed - some did and some didn't - Maybe it's just me. Parent/Teacher conference went well. I met a lot of great parents.

Last Saturday, I went to my first rocket launch. The organization who sponsors this annual launch is POTRocS. I had planned on staying for a few hours and then heading back to Amarillo for some time at the mall but I was enjoying myself so much that I stayed until the end. I met some very nice students and teachers from Presidio, TX. At the 2009 TARC they ranked 15th. That's impressive.

Picture Day for 1st hour

I was surprised that you guys could do this. I think its cool.







I love this picture because it shows parallel lines and transversals AND it has some great kids too.






Don't you love this quadrilateral push-up?

What I'm listening to today again

No Excuses Weight Loss w/ Jonathan Roche

What I'm listening to today

The Nation’s Biggest Car Scam

Trying Out Wacky SkyMall Gadgets

Obama Unveils Tax Plan
Sen. Reid: Tax Loopholes ‘Simply Wrong’

Elizabeth Irvine - 5/5 Creating Healthy Balance Everyday:
Guest author of Mojo Mom Welcome Amy Tiemann, author of newly released Mojo Mom: Nurturing Your Self While Raising a Family... will help you rediscover who you are, and how you can continue to share your talents with the world, even as you juggle the demands of family life. Followed with Beth's guided relaxation

. If you dedicated the time to listen to these guided relaxations everyday, you will begin to see a difference in your life...things like- increased energy, a sense of calm and just generally feeling more joyful! http://www.healthymotherhealthychild.com

8-Year-Old Race-Car Driver: Going Fast 'is Fun'

What’s Next for Chrysler?

How did our ecomony get to this point?

This is a list of people who spoke at Google that I enjoyed.

Lawrence Roberts visits Google's Irvine, CA office to discuss his book "The Great Housing Bubble: Why Did House Prices Fall?" This event took place on February 10, 2009, as part of the Authors@Google series.

Antonia Juhasz visits Google's Mountain View, CA headquarters to discuss her book "The Tyranny of Oil: The World's Most Powerful Industry--and What We Must Do to Stop It." This event took place on December 1, 2008, as part of the Authors@Google series.

Student Presentations

Here is the order for your presentations:
1st KC/JM, AW/KC/YV, CC/LL, RQ/EB, PI/AS

3rd NJ/OG, PM/AG, SB/GLS, MW/MW, LR/JC, ZB/RB, RV/OA, KC/AM, OB/LG, KR/AF

4th SR/IC, AM/MB, MA/TM/TS, SC/SG, SR/CW, LR/RO, AM/HS

7th AH/FA, AAR/MES, BT/EM, BA/MS, DW/AB, KM/JR, BD/MR, JP/CA, CL/BD

If you teammate is absent, you will be pushed to the next day but the last day to present is May 7th. For those of you who have not presented from the last round, you have until Apr 30th. Remember that your classmates will be critiquing your presentations this time. I really want you to think about your classmates presentations and give an honest review. Comments that are helpful will be welcome.

Day 1 in Washington D.C.

We (me, Mr. O, Mrs. S, Mr. S, Mrs. L, Mrs. D) arrived in town about 5:30pm and checked into our hotel which is super close to everything. It's located in Chinatown. We ate at a new restaurant called Vapiano's. It was really fun. This is how their website describes themselves. "Vapiano is a fast casual restaurant with a twist - customers use a "chip card" to personally order their food or drinks from the bar or from the individual fresh pizza, pasta or salad stations." (Ask Mr O how many plates he used?) After we ate, we went walking. We saw the outsides of so many neat places like National Portrait Gallery, National Archives, The Mall (it's not what you think), Washington Monument, the Capital and so many other buildings. The energy of this place is hard to describe. It's really strange, though, to see the homeless people sleeping on benches and in corners of buildings or under the steps of buildings. But it felt fairly safe to be walking around even after dark. I know all of ya'll of being great for Mrs. D. One thing I wanted to tell you is that for each one of you who leave a positive comment on my blog, I will add 5 points to your Friday's test score. For Math Finance, I will add it to your next test. Don't forget that Geometry presentations start on Tuesday of next week. I expect great things. I have been watching for who is saving to Google docs and looking over your presentations. If you need me to add your question, let me know when you add your comment to the blog. I look forward to hearing from you.

While I'm in Vegas, Baby!

Most of you know that I'm attending my brother's wedding. We have made to Albuquerque, NM at it's pretty early in the morning. I expect all of ya'll to treat Mrs. D with the greatest respect. Please check the calendar for details of your assignments. This is for you A.B. (7th hour) - For extra credit, I would like you to teach a trig lesson. Start reading your textbook to figure it out. I want to be ready to present on Wednesday of next week while I'm in Washington, D.C. for the National Math Teacher's conference. You may leave a comment to let me know if you are willing to accept this challenge. I will visit with you on Monday. Mrs. D: Be sure to reload the blog every hour because I may be adding stuff on and off during the day.

Great Communicator

After telling my students about this blog and the calendar, I've realized that I can easily communicate with them while I'm gone for a few days. I can add new content or modify their assignments based on any feedback I receive from them. I can tell them what I'm doing each day at the math conference in Washington D.C. and about any exciting new stuff for the classroom. I can't wait to see this in full action.

Long time no post.

I've been undecided on how to use this blog. I really like the interactive calendar so I'm going to pursue the use of it as a planner for my students. I believe this blog can be used as a communication tool for me and my students. Wish me luck.

From the brain of a High School Senior

This is the perspective of a High School Senior after watching the video "Life and Debt". It was the story of Jamaica's financial crisis after their independence. I asked them what they thought about the situation and what were some ideas to make things better. Please do not look at the mistakes but look at his ideas. This is what K.S. said,
"I think the Jamaican government should break away from unnecessary imports. The people should be self-reliant and grow everything that they need to survive. Jamaica may not have the potential to be a leader in the world of trading but with help from the U.S. Jamaica could possibly rise out of poverty.
Jamaica most prosperous income is tourism. If Jamaica were to exploit Jamaica as a tropical travel destination the market would soar in Jamaica. The government needs to help in tourism by lending money to tourism for new hotels to bring the unemployment rates down.
Jamaica's sanitary and health departments should be invested in - to not only create jobs but provide healthier lifestyles for Jamaicans.
Jamaica's government should look into solar energy instead of importing natural gas. If solar energy provided the island with enough power then everyone would spend less on energy and spend more on necessities.
This movie showed me how blind I was to the outside world. I never knew how bad it was for Jamaica's people. I thought it was paradise. It still is paradise but just needs some remodeling to show off its full potential."

Hello

Off to a great start!