Math Notes

Low point:  My husband’s first kidney stone, including two trips to the hospital in the next town, the first of which was at 11:00 pm with me following the ambulance, not knowing where we were going!

High point:  Seniors’ last day Friday, because of the senior in my 5th period class who came to me at the end of the period and said, “Well, I guess this is it.” and then gave me a little hug.  That little bit of appreciation was about the best part of my week.  I’m going to miss some of those kids.  I’m glad I got to be part of their senior year, and I hope that every now & then when they take statistics or algebra, they’ll say to themselves, “Mrs. Tentoni taught me about that!”

I got tagged (for the first time) by Jonathan at jd2718. Cool!

So here are the rules:

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?

Hmm. Ten years ago, I had recently left my job, which I hated, as an electrical engineer for a major utility company, to stay home with my daughter, who was three at the time. That only lasted a year, sad to say.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):

1. Get my classes through their review sheets for the district test.
2. Grade makeup work.
3. Buy tickets for part of our vacation (woohoo!)
4. Make a doctor’s appointment for a check up.
5. Work on Unit 1 of my statistics course (getting ready for next year!)

3) Snacks I enjoy:

I’m somewhat of a baker, so I love bread and cookies. But my all-time favorite is anything peppermint flavored. But I’m doing the South Beach Diet right now, so no bread or cookies or peppermint candy for me these days!

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Wow. I would travel, which I’ve never been able to do. I would give a fair amount to my church, then my college, then I’d make sure all of my family was comfortable. I would give my house away and move back closer to my mom.

But how would I pass my time? As much as I enjoy teaching, I probably wouldn’t teach anymore - at least not public school. (It’s very taxing!) I would probably go back to school again and become a perpetual student.

5) Three of my bad habits: (only 3?)

1. I never seem to get all the laundry done.
2. I like junk food too much (thus the diet).
3. I spend too much time on the computer!

6) 5 places I have lived:

Oh my. I can only get five if I count my time in the dorm at Mississippi State, and even then, they’re all in Mississippi. Guess I’m pretty sheltered.

1. Fulton (near Tupelo, Elvis’s birthplace)
2. Starkville (Mississippi State)
3. Columbus
4. Caledonia (really, this is the same as Columbus - we only moved about 10 miles)
5. Olive Branch

7) 5 jobs I have had

1. hostess at Shoney’s
2. cashier at a book store
3. electrical engineer
4. grad assistant (my favorite)
5. customer service rep at a cell phone company

People I want to know more about - These are a few of the people whom I hope to see posts from whenever I check my reader:

IB a Math Teacher at Three Standard Deviations to the Left - I can identify with so much of what he says!

Miss Cookie at Math Teacher Mambo - always seems to have it together.

Math Mom - Does things with her classes I only wish I could do

Angry Professor at A Gentleman’s C and

Rudbeckia at Learning Curves - both college professors who always have something interesting to say

Miss Mimi at It’s Not All Flowers and Sausages - an elementary school teacher who faces more struggles w/ administration than her kids

* sigh * Time to get ready for work. . . . . .

Sorry it’s been so long since I posted.  We hit a section of statistics that I didn’t know, and I’ve been spending all my time either learning it, writing notes for it, writing worksheets, writing tests, or grading the work they produce.  Whew!  But I love it, I really do.  The more I get to know statistics, the more I really do like it & I look forward to teaching it again next year with a better perspective.

To that end, here’s a shameless plea for help:  If you are a stats teacher and you would be willing to help me out with some advice or let me look at some of the tests you use, I would be every grateful!  I’m self-taught here - never taken stats, never taken a stats test, so I don’t know what a good stats test looks like.  Am I emphasizing the right things?  Asking questions all the different ways they can be asked?  Asking too much, or leaving too much on the table?  If you’re not a stats teacher, but you know one who is a kind & generous soul, please ask them to e-mail me.

So it’s that time of year when my thoughts always turn to next year.  I make mental lists (and paper ones, too) of all the things that I want to do in my room next year, all the policies & practices I’m going to change or tweak, all the things I want my classroom to be.

Here are some of my thoughts: Keep reading →