As you all know, I just had my spring break this week. I had the whole week off and I was bored of staying at home. That's when I decided to take a drive up to UC Davis and see if the campus had changed at all. I stayed in Davis for a few nights and a friend of mine was more than happy to let me stay at her place.

Anyway, not much has changed except for the addition of some buildings and a repainting on the dorms that I used to live in. Davis remains ever so quiet and dead. I must have lost 10 pounds or something because I spent two days walking all over the campus grounds.

I went to observe a biology professor who I used to have for Intro. to Biology. I had her six years ago and I just wanted to see if she had made any changes in her lectures. Nothing! She continues to be the boring instructor I had back when I had her.

UC Davis also has this bowling alley in the basement floor of the student union building. I love to bowl and I decided to play 2 games. I haven't played in a while and I obtained some very low scores. I got a 90 on the first one, but I improved a little bit on the second game where I got 102. I still can't do that spiral release that the professional bowlers use to get a strike.

Overall, it was fun trip. I got to hang out with some friends I haven't seen in a year and it was good to go back. I just can't believe my spring break went by that quickly.

Well I'll have to face another long week of teaching. The good thing is that I'm starting to get the hang of it. I'll keep you guys updated on my clases.

I have been extremely busy this past week! Last Friday, I officially started my first day and took over where the sub had left off with the classes. I had so much to do. First, I did the introductions. I laid the ground rules and maintained a strict posture where I meant business. Second, I spent the whole weekend trying to figure out what to do with my classes. I decided to review last chapter with my geometry classes and give them a retake since most of them did not understand the concepts behind circles. I started fresh with my Pre-Algebra classes and it was a good move on my part.

My geometry classes were afraid of me at first, but after spending a week with me they've grown to like and respect me. They were all concerned with their 3rd quarter grades. I actually came in at the worst time. Their grades for the work and tests done on the previous chapters haven't been entered into the gradebook. What a mess! To top it off, the grades are due this coming Monday. I spent the whole week inputing all the grades just so they would have a 3rd quarter grade. I don't know how I pulled it off, but I managed to make it thru the deadline.

My pre-Algebra classes are another story. The students are capable yet low-motivational, but I've seem to get thru most of them. In order to avoid the students from goofing off and wasting time, I've occupied them with a lot of assignments(i.e. warm-ups, notes, classwork, and homework). It's been working well so far, but that just means more papers for me to grade. My 3rd and 4th period classes have gotten better and the students have been more productive. 6th period is the worst (mainly because it's towards the end of the day). I have quite a few resource students in that period and to combine them with regular students is a big disaster. Out of the 20 students, only 5 of them are passing. The rest don't turn in any of the assignments and don't seem to care about their grade at all. I've had to call up one of the student's parents for disrupting the class and remove another student from class for defiance.

I get to do all of this again this upcoming week. Luckily, the following week is Spring Break. Thus, I'll probably have more time logging on to the boards. Sorry to make a long blog, but I wanted to keep my on-line friends informed of why I haven't been able to be on tv.com as much.

Just when you thought I was free of teaching, I've made my life even busier for the next few months. I have accepted a teaching position at a very exceptional high school. I will be taking over five classes: two of which are Geometry courses while the remaining three are Pre-Algebra. I owe it to my colleague who recommended me to this position. Originally the school asked if she could take over, but she had other obligations to tend to. Thus, she referred me and a couple weeks later I got the job.

I start teaching on March 27th, which means I won't be on the boards as often as I can. I will try to make an effort to log on once a day. However, I can't make any promises.

At least I've fulfilled one of my New Year's resolution!

Yesterday was a major pain (figuratively and literally). I had to haul up my new bed to my room. It took a long time getting up the stairs. At one point, the bed landed on my big left toe. Ouch! Now, it's all blue and bruised up. I'm okay though. The bright side is that I got my new bed in my room along with a good night sleep last night.

I just wanted to let everyone know that I received my teaching credential certificate in the mail last week. It made a perfect birthday gift for me, which was on Sunday.

I'm almost done with my applications. I need to write up a cover letter and obtain one more letter of recommendation. Unfortunately, I have to type up this letter of rec. myself. My master teacher has been way too busy (in other words, LAZY) to do it. It's so hard to write one out when I don't want it to sound like ME. I hope I finish the letter by tomorrow. Once I complete it, I need him to sign it off.

What's worst than meeting your in-laws for the first time? Or taking the SATs on an early Saturday morning? Well, today I had jury duty. I reported this morning at around 8AM and waited for eight-and-a-half hours for the court to determine if they needed my services as a juror. It turns out that the case was not going to take place, so they dismissed me by the end of the day. What a waste of time! Well, the bright side is that I don't have to serve at least a year. Hopefully I have a better, productive day tomorrow.

After so many failed attempts, I've finally managed to put up a profile banner of my six favorite "friends". Do you guys like it? I chose this banner for a lot of reasons. One being that I made a lot of good on-line friends. Let's keep the friendship going!

Gong Hay Fat Choy (or Gong Xi Fa Cai)

Year of the Dog

Yesterday was Chinese New Year. I should have made a blog about it, but it totally slipped my mind. I guess I got too caught up in finishing my student teaching.

I've received about $30 so far from the red packets. I haven't seen all my relatives yet, so I'm sure to get more. By next year, I may have to give out these red packets.

Yep, that's right. It feels like I just got out of prison. I can't believe I survived 5 months of torture and abuse from those kids. Ok, with all the kidding aside, they weren't that bad. However, some days they really pushed my buttons with their constant nagging and neediness. Questions like "Can I get a drink of water?", "Can I go pee-pee?", "Can I move to another seat?", or "Do I have to?" drove me crazy. I have come to a decision that I would rather teach high school than junior high. At least, I won't have to put up with such a big headache. No offense to the users that are middle-schoolers.

Here are the two highlights for the month of January:

1) On one day, I wrote two referrals simultaneously to two students who threw paper balls in class. For that week, I was in a bad mood and I didn't tolerate any stupid mishap (like paper balls).

2) For my AD/HD student, I sent her to On-Campus Suspension (OCS) three times this month. She didn't care at first, but she was livid and furious the second and third time. It was good for me because I got a break from her for six days. I voiced my concerns to the principal that she needed boot camp. Her behavior had been abysmal lately! Not just disrespect towards me, but to her classmates as well.

Farewell party

My students threw me a farewell party on my last day of student teaching. They thought it was for two periods. The joke was on them when it was only for one period. They got their party for the first period, but during the second period my master teacher took over and had them doing work. I felt bad about it; however, one period was enough. Instead I spent that time saying goodbye to all the other math teachers who helped and supported me over the five months. The principal hated to see me go. (By the way, he offered me a position for next year. I just declined it by saying that I would like to explore other opportunities in my area.)

Goodbye Card
I'll end this blog with a goodbye card that my kids made me. I had to laugh at some of the things they said.

From my AD/HD student, she wrote the following: "I had a great time messing wit you this year."

From one of my good, mellow students who actually did her work: "I hope you enjoyed teaching us and I hope you have a great class like us!"

(I think she forgot to put air quotes on 'great'.)

But seriously I do miss them and deep down I do miss their high energy and spirit.

Before I post my list, I would like to begin by saying how much change I've gone through in 2005. I made some wonderful friends both online and offline and they have all been supportive of what I've been doing.

I have a few things to accomplish this year:

1) To be employed at a high school (or middle school) teaching math, science, or drama, FULL TIME

2) To have a better, closer relationship with my younger brother

3) To move out of my folk's house

4) To visit my cousins in Boston (which I've never been to)

5) To try and have more of a social life with my friends

Christmas Day was the same-old, same-old. I woke up early to attend a church service, which was pretty good. It's been a while since I've gone, but I needed to go and give thanks to the Lord for another safe, wonderful 2005.

After church, I went to visit my grandfather. He's 84 years old and not doing so well. At least, he made it to another Christmas. I pray he'll get better when 2006 approaches.

I don't know if any of you have heard of 'dim sum'. I'm sure some of you have, but it's sort of like brunch Chinese style. My folks and I went to this expensive place where they had some delicious dim sum.

The meals didn't stop there. I had a big Christmas dinner at my aunt's house. Food included chicken drumsticks, ribs, tofu with mixed vegetables, and other Chinese dishes I wouldn't be able to translate. I must say that I've gained some winter weight after today's heavy feast.

The fun started to begin when my aunt and mom started to karaoke. Their singing was so off-key that they scared off everybody in leaving the room. My cousin even had to close the doors just so he wouldn't have to hear the awful singing. My aunt and mom didn't care what everybody thought, so they continued singing away. I, myself, joined in all the craziness and sang a few tunes.

All in all, this Christmas wasn't so bad. I just wished it didn't the rain the whole day. The cold I picked up from one of my kids at Sylvan didn't help out either. However, I got together with family and relatives and that's what mattered the most to me.

I know I said that I would put weekly updates on my student teaching, but December has been a crazy month for me. I finally finished all my seminar classes and I turned in my last assignment (big unit plan project) to my professor. I'll be getting my preliminary credential in February once I complete my student teaching in January. Anyway, here's what been going on in December.

First week of December
The whole week was not just tough for my students, but for me as well. Most of my 7th graders did not understand how to solve multi-step equations, especially the ones with fractions in them. I wish I had a balance scale or manipulatives to accompany the lesson. I know some of them are visual learners.

Second week of December
My master teacher was gracious enough to give me two days off. He knew I had to finish up my unit plan (project) for my seminar class, so he made my life a lot easier. My students missed me a lot and were looking forward to my return. One student announced that he would fill out a petition, so I could stay and not have any other teacher take over the math class. (That's sweet, but they are aware that I will student teach their class up until the end of January). Anyway, on my return, the kids let out a big sigh of relief. They were particularly good and well-behaved.

Third week of December (aka the week before Christmas break)
This was the most difficult week for me. My students were already on vacation mode. Thus, the last thing on their mind was school and class work. Tuesdays and Thursdays were particularly loud. I had to kick my student who has AD/HD out of the class. She spent three days at the Vice Principal's office. (Hey, it beats picking up garbage outside in the cold weather. Yes, she did this once, but it was my master teacher's idea). Anyway, if you can't beat them, join in on the fun. I finally let loose on Friday when I decided to play bingo with them. These kids were so into competition. They all wanted to win because candy was waiting for the one who yelled out "bingo" first.

There you have it! Overall, December hasn't been that bad. We'll see how January goes.

Wait a second! Aren't baby showers only attended by women? Normally, they do but this is an exception. One of my classmates is expecting twins (one boy and one girl) in March. I got her a blue pajamas suit for the boy, a pink hat and pink baby booties for the girl, and a package of baby wipes. She laughed at the wipes, but appreciated how I thought ahead.

She already knows what to name her babies, but she won't reveal what they'll be. She did say that the boy's name started with the letter 'P' and the girl's name began with the letter 'S'.

Hmmm....

P: Patrick, Paul, Peter, Phillip, Parker, Porter, Preston, Perry (those are some possibilities for the boy's name) I joked and told her not to name the boy Pee, Poo, or Phoebo [You'll have to watch "Friends" to understand this].

S: Samantha, Sarah, Savannah, Sylvia, Susan, Stephanie, Stacy, Sonja, Sally, Sandy, Sissy, Shirley, Sophie, Sacajawea (there's too many female names that start with the letter 'S')

Anyway, I'll find out the names when she gives birth to them in March.

Today at Sylvan, they had their annual 'My Favorite Teacher' party. I was nominated by three students for this honor and this is what they had to say:

"My teacher teaches me Math and helps me with math. My teacher is nice, special, and loving. I like my teacher because he is very nice. If I could give my teacher anything in the world, I would give my teacher 100,000 tokens. The reason I nominated (my name) is because he is so nice!"

"My teacher teaches me Math and SAT and helps me with SAT prep. My teacher is cool, nice, and generous. I like my teacher because he's cool. If I could give my teacher anything in the world, I would give my teacher $1,000. The reason I nominated (my name) is because he's cool."

"My teacher teaches me math basics and problem solving and helps me with deductive reasoning; confidence; solutions. My teacher is talented, intelligent, and compassionate. I like my teacher because he is gentle and kind through students' learning process. If I could give my teacher anything in the world, I would give my teacher his own school to do what he wants to educate his students. The reason I nominated (my name) is because I just passed my nursing entrance test."

The first two prompts were written from a 4th grader and a 7th grader, respectively. Can you guess who wrote the last one? If you said the 44-year old from my blog "The weirdest experience ever", you guessed correctly. She needed a 55 to pass the math portion of the nursing exam, and she scored a 76. She told me that she couldn't have done this if it weren't for all my hard work and support. To show me how much she appreciated my help, she bought two packs of chocolate-covered cherries and wrote up a "Thank you" card.

After the recognition and achievement I've done for Sylvan, I definitely deserve a raise!

I purchased a lot of DVDs thru amazon these past couple of weeks and I just got them in the mail. Here's what I have to add to my collection:

Friends Season 10 DVD
Desperate Housewives Season 1 DVD
One Tree Hill Season 2 DVD
Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

I'm thinking of getting the Three's Company DVD season sets, but I need to watch the ones that I just bought.

Things have been so-so the previous week at the school I student teach. Here's the breakdown of what happened each day:

Monday, Nov. 14th: My college supervisor came in to observe me and the review was positive. I had to give most of the credit to my kids because they were well-behaved and attentive during instruction.

Tuesday, Nov. 15th: A new concept was covered that day, which was the distributive property. The skill was easy for some, but other students were frustrated with it. Thus, talking and goofing-off erupted. My AD/HD student got into a lot of trouble. She drew this X-rated picture during class time and showed it to her classmates. I had to take action and write her a referral to the office.

Wednesday, Nov. 16th: Minimum Day! Woohoo! However, my students were not as motivated. Graphing inequalities was the subject area, and some understood how to graph them. Yet, most of the students were not paying attention. I had to assign detention to a few kids. They ended up having to stay after school and clean the room up. The janitor walked in and smiled when he saw that the classroom was practically spotless.

Thursday, Nov. 17th: This was a crazy day. My master teacher told me that two lessons needed to be covered. That is, solving and graphing inequalities by adding and subtracting AND solving inequalities by multiplying and dividing. The reason behind this was because they would have to take their district test (which covered these topics) the next day. I knew my students would not go for this, but I devised a plan to encourage motivation. In the beginning, I had informed them that every correct answer from a student would result in one piece of candy. I raised the stakes for some of the difficult questions, where two pieces of candy would be rewarded. And, I also chose to take one piece of candy away if any goofing off or off-task chatter occurred. At one point, some kids got -1 candy. In order to get to the positive side, 2 pieces of candy needed to be added. Anyway, this reward system worked out really well. The kids were competing with one another by determining who would get the most candy by the end of the period.
I will definitely use this positive reinforcement approach the next time a holiday pops up.

Friday, Nov. 18th- Another minimum day! But, the kids had their district test day. The bright side is that they get the whole week off next week. That means I get a break from them for a whole week, which I definitely need. I can finally catch up on my sleep.