Math Blog

Here goes nothin'. 

I have been toying with the idea of starting a teaching blog for a long time, and today a co-worker and friend convinced me that this is the thing to do.  I can now document this awesome journey I am on and perhaps see some growth over time.  That's the goal.  

A little about me:

I'm a ninth year math and computer programming teacher.  

Wow, that sounds about as nerdy and boring as you can get.  But I like to think of myself as a fun-lovin', cool nerd; if such a thing can exist.  I am out to give math and computer programming the cool status they deserve. 

I spent the first five years of my career in 8th grade.  Eighth grade is quite the place to start your career.  You learn a lot about how uncool you are and how brilliant you are all at the same time.  Eighth graders are awesome and awful.  They know everything and nothing.  They want to be treated like adults, but need to have someone hold there hand.  It was a life adventure, one that provided me with many great experiences and laughs.  

I was the only 8th grade math teacher which allowed me the freedom to teach any way that I felt was best for my students.  I got to experiment with different ways to approach teaching algebra.  I learned algebra really well; I hope some 8th graders also learned algebra really well.  I did get the opportunity to find out how well my 8th graders had been learning algebra when I got to replace a retiring teacher in the high school within my district and had many of the same students again.  I learned that some of my techniques worked well, and some did not work so well.  I think all schools should have teachers move from level to level to truly know what students know and need to know as they progress through our system.  

The last few years I have been a high school math teacher, I have been given a number of new opportunities to try new things.  I created a computer programming course that is in it's second year of existence and now even has a programming 2 course that follows it.  I have learned a lot about web page design, teaching that course a few times.  Advanced algebra, college algebra and a basics course called math fundamentals have also been on my plate at some point.  I have taught all levels at the high school math except the highest ones, pre-calculus and calculus, and have some personal thoughts and ideas about math and what should and shouldn't be taught and how it should and shouldn't be approached.  

Through this blog, I hope to get my thoughts out of my head and onto paper, or screen if you will.  I like to play around with thoughts, seeing them written will hopefully help me get a handle on what I really believe about math education and technology education.  My beliefs are always changing.  It's hard to know what to believe in this world of education.  I want what is best for my students; I want to teach them skills that go beyond my classroom.  If they don't remember the Pythagorean Theorem, that's fine, but I want them to have perseverance to tackle any difficult problem that comes their way.  

Welcome.  Not sure what kind of a ride this one is going to be, it might be irrational at times, but it'll be real.