Fifteenth Week at UHS!

“What is a teacher? I'll tell you: it isn't someone who teaches something, but someone who inspires the student to give of her best in order to discover what she already knows.”
― Paulo Coelho

This week has just flown by. We came back from Thanksgiving break and got back to business. My general Pre-Calculus classes reviewed on Monday for their quiz on four sections about functions on Tuesday. I was very impressed by the overall performance of these classes. After Tuesday, we preceeded on to the key components of quadractic functions and maxima and minima. In addition, we began working on modeling with functions and using these models to answer real life problems. In my honors Pre-Calculus classes, the students learned how to work with the imaginary number i. They learned how to do basic arithmetic operations with complex numbers. Also, they have applied the knowledge of complex numbers for solving and factoring polynomial functions with real and imaginary zeros. I have been so proud of the students, because they have been performing well. They have even thought even more in depth about imaginary numbers asking me how we might graph these coordinates. It has been a learning process for both the students and me. In the upcoming week, my honor students will be completing a real life application project about polynomial functions. I am excited to examine their creativity and se how they create a polynomial function to represent time and height of a roller coaster. They will be working in pairs for this activity, and it will last the entire week. Even though I am almost to the end of the road of my internship, I am a little sad to be leaving what I have been fortunate to call "my students." Yet, they have taught me just as much, if not more, than what I have taught them. (:

Week Fourteen at University High!

This has been another great week at University High School. I have been teaching, teaching, and more teaching. (: In my honors classes, we have finished up three sections of polynomial functions. We learned about the rational zeros theorem, upper and lower bounds theorem, synthetic and long division, and how to graph various polynomial functions. Yester, we played a review game of jeopardy on what we have learned about polynomial function. I divided the class in two and had them work in teams to solve problems. The classes had a lot of fun with it, yet they got a little noisy. But, it was a great review. Today, the students will be completing their quiz. In my general Pre-Calculus class, the students have begun learning concepts about the various functions. We worked through eight different parent functions and now are learning how to transform them. Today, I am having the students complete specific problems from the book that I think will help them most on their quiz when they return from break. When break is over, I will answer questions to correct any of their misunderstandings. Then Tuesday, they will take their quiz on the first four sections about functions. I am excited that this week is ending on a good note. Only two more weeks until I finish up my internship. Can't believe it!

“In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.”
― Phil Collins

Thirteenth Week at University High!

Even though this was a shorter week for us because of Veteran's Day, many things took place. Tuesday I began teaching functions to my Pre-Calculus classes. My Honors Pre-Calculus students are learning about Polynomial Functions. We hav learned to factor and graph polynomial functions. Also, we have went over long division and synthetic divsion of polynomials. With that, we have discussed the remainder theorem and the factor theorem. Next Monday, we will continue with rational zeros theorem, Descartes' Theorem, and Upper and Lower Bounds Theorem. This is a very hefty chapter filled with many significant things. After we finish the next three sections, I will then be able to implement my class project. I have planned that the students with work with a partner for this project based on polynomials and present on the Friday of that week. I believe that this project will enhance the students' learning about polynomials and apply their knowledge to real world applications. I am looking forward to the week that we work on these! Only three more weeks, and I will be finishing up my intern semester. I feel so happy that I have been able to work with great people, and that I will continue to work with them next semester for my contract hours. Almost time to graduate! (:

Doing math is like going to the gym - it's a workout for your brain and it makes you smarter.
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Twelfth week at University! (:

This has been a big week for me at UHS. I have given one Chapter test to my Honors Pre-Calculus class, and I am giving a Chapter test tomorrow in my general Pre-Calculus class. I have had many students coming in for extra help during my planning periods. So, it feels as if time is just flying by. I haven't had much time to get lessons and planning done here at the school. Still, I am glad that both of my mentor teachers have been great support and have reassured me that I am doing a great job. Tomorrow, I am having my meeting with the teacher coordinators about my contract hours for next semester. I am excited to see how I will plan out my last semester in school. It seems so crazy that I am almost a "real" teacher. (: Altogether, I am excited to wrap up this intern semester and move on to substitute teacher and pursue new things. I am trying to take it all in, because it's going to be over before I know it.

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
-Helen Keller
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Week Eleven at "Home of the Hawks"

This has been a great week at UHS as usual! In my general Pre-Calculus classes, I have been teaching about coordinate geometry, lines, and inequalitites. In my honors courses, we have been learning about inverse functions and one to one functions. They also just had a quiz on four sections dealing with properties of functions. Next week, they will complete a chapter test based off of everythings they have learned bout functions. The students have been great in all of my classes. I am fortunate to work with such well-behave intelligent young women and men. I can not believe that I only have five more weeks left to finish up my internship. I am thrilled to still move forward into my spring semester and do different units with the same students. Throughout my weeks at UHS, I have been tested as a teacher in so many ways. I am learning what type of teacher I am and what works for me. It is very motivating as I learn new things about myself each day. Again, it is so fulfilling to teach the students, create lessons and assessents, and see how the students perform based off of my teaching and their studying. It is great encouragement when the students perform well on their quizzes and tests. Altogether, I can't believe how time is flying. Yet, I am learning so much!

Week 10 at University High!

This week has been great! I began teaching five class periods which is full time for me. My general Pre-Calculus classes are learning about inequalities, and my Honors classes are learning how to model with functions. I have been excited about modeling with functions, because we were able to complete a small group activity with a manipulative. The students actually had to take a paper, cut it, and model functions associated with it. It has helped them get a better since of how it relates to real world objects and ideas. In addition, I have been looking forward to the next chapter in the book which deals with polynomial functions. I plan on implementing a project where the students have to create a polynomial function related to their own roller coaster ride that they design. The project will be worked with partners. It will probably be a week long project, because we will have to cover all the concepts associated with polynomials through a worksheet activity. Then, they will create a poster with their roller coaster and present it to the class. I have been able to be organized and prepared to look at the span of the entire semester. So, I have a rough draft of what I will teach until I am done mid-December for both of the classes I teach. I still can't believe that we are already ten weeks into the semester. As I am looking forward to completing the semester and finishing up my studies, I will be very sad to leave the classes that I have taken over. I have been building strong relationships with my mentor teachers and my students. I am so thankful for how much encouragement and help they have all given to me!

Week nine at University High!

This has been an eventful week. On Monday, the students had an ISE day. The teachers came in, and we had many PLC meetings and a faculty senate meeting. We discussed many things pertaining to the school such as the Benedum Program for Student Teachers, recycling at the school, beatification of our property, professional development, and so on. On Tuesday, the students came back, and we began our regular routine. In my Honors Pre-Calculus class, we reviewed Friday's lesson on stretching and compressing graphs. The following day, we finished up the section for transformations of function by doing reflections and identifying even and odd functions. In my general Pre-Calculus classes, we reviewed our word problems from sections 1.5 and 1.6. Then, the students had a quiz based on what they have learned. Today, I have begun my full time teaching with periods 1, 4, 6, 7, and 8. This is a lot to take in, but I feel that I am well prepared. I have been fortunate with my mentor teachers, because they have slowly eased me into teaching more and more. If it would have been thrown at me full force, I would have been much more nervous. Even though I have taught these sections with my Honors Pre-Calculus students, I still learn new things about the content. This is what I like about teaching. It is full of learning. You learn about yourself, and you learn new things about math from the students in your classes. I am excited to take on the new challenges that full time teaching will bring on. I hope to maintain positivity and confidence to teach to my best ability, so the students are learning in a motivating and simplistic environment!

Week Eight at UHS! (:

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
-Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie

This has been another great week at University High! It was Homecoming Week, so it has been spirited and thrilling. Yesterday, we had our Homecoming parade downtown for the community which included the bands, sports teams, Homecoming court, and many students. It was great to see the students out of the element of school. Everyone seemed so happy and excited for the Homecoming game that will be tomorrow. Wednesday we had twin day, Thursday was "Back in the Day" day, and Friday will be school spirit day. The students and the faculty have participated in these themes for each day. It is motivating to see everyone so involved.
Even though it has been a high-spirited week, we have still had to teach and learn. Monday I had my Honor Pre-Calculus students complete a group work activity related to average rate of change. On Tuesday, we reviewed for their quiz. Wednesday, they completed their quizzes. Today, we began learning about transformations of functions. We just discussed vertical and horizontal shifting for today. Tomorrow, we will talk about vertical and horizontal stretching and compressing. We have been quite busy with moving along in our Pre-Calculus studies. For my seventh and eighth period Pre-Calculus classes, we have been working on more application problems with word problems dealing with mixture, sharing a job, and distance, rate, and time. This has been a challenging section for the Pre-Calculus students. It is a lot more problem solving than they are used to. We will be finishing up this section on Wednesday or Thursday of next week. It has been a learning experience this week for all of the students and me. Altogether, I have felt that this week has been a success, and I am well-prepared to begin teaching all five classes next week. Wish me luck! (:

Week 7 at University High!

This week has been a bigger transition; I have fully taken over four of the classes. In addition, I have begun to plan for all five of my classes beginning next Wednesday. This will be a lot to take on, but it will only better prepare me for my full time career as a math educator. I have been building stronger relationships with my students, mentor teachers, and colleagues. It has been great to get help and advice from all the great support at University High School. I have been so encouraged by everyone.
One of the biggest things that I have recently been making sure to keep in mind is the purpose of everything I am doing in my classroom. It is important to maintain focus on why you are doing the things you are doing. There should be significance for every activity that takes place in your class. Most days, I have the students complete a five minute check to prepare them for the lesson or to get them thinking from what they had learned the previous day. Even the five minute check needs to be purposeful. I may also use it to go through problems that I know they may be having a harder time with. I am always trying to make sure to keep focus on the ideas of what will help my students succeed in my class, other classes, everyday life, and a future career path that they may choose. Altogether, I am maintaining my focus on purpose in the classroom. Also, I am learning more about myself and how I can become a better teacher to benefit my students.

Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.

~John Cotton Dana

Week six at University High!

This week has felt like it has been a huge success. I have taken over three full classes: two honors Pre-Calculus classes and one general Pre-Calculus class. I have been creating engaging lessons involving cooperative learning, making foldables out of colorful construction paper to build on notes, and I have created assessments related to what I have been teaching. I am the one who has been planning lessons, assessments, and grading the assessments for my honors Pre-Calculus classes. It feels good to know that students come to me to ask questions about the content or when they have a question about the class. I am getting used to the feeling of being more in control. It has helped me build confidence and become more motivated to strive to be a good math teacher for my students. Within the next couple of weeks, I will be taking over the other two general Pre-Calculus classes. I am nervous that I will be overwhelmed with having to plan different lessons for the courses. Yet, I know that this will help prepare me for when I become the only full time teacher to students. Right now, I know that I have the support of my mentor teachers, so this helps lessen my anxiety towards taking over five Pre-Calculus classes. Each day I am in the school, I learn something new. It is even crazy that I can watch the same lesson being taught to three different classes and learn something new in each one. My content knowledge skills have definitely been strengthened, since I have been observing and teaching. I learn new things about my students and about myself each and everyday. I love to learn and strive to do things in ways that are most beneficial in life, so I know that I have chosen a profession that reflects that outlook. Overall, the past six weeks have been very empowering and encouraging. I know that I will only grow and learn much more as the semester continues. (:


With me everything turns into mathematics.
-Rene Descartes

Week Five at UHS!

This has been an exciting, moving week for me. I have taken over both of the Honors Pre-Calculus classes. In addition, I have been mirroring my other mentor teacher as he teaches 1st and 7th. Then, I teach the 8th period class with notes I have taken from his lessons. By doing this, I am getting the opportunity to slowly begin taking over all of his courses. I am able to begin building relationships with my students, so we can create a strong, positive learning community within our classroom. Furthermore, I have begun to implement activities associated with my action research linked to cooperative learning and problem solving. I am conducting my research in both of my honors classes. Yesterday, I had each of them complete a questionnaire based on their attitudes and experiences of group work. Tomorrow, I will be implementing my first group work activity, which will consist of students in groups of three. They will be working on an activity about slope, equations of lines, and different types of lines. It will be interesting to listen to how they work together and come up with their conceptual understandings. In my opinion, cooperative can be very beneficial in a math classroom. So, I hope that my action research will help me learn what may enhance my students' learning experiences. Even though there is much work involved for completing my study, I truly believe it will be beneficial to both the students and me. It will help me understand what works and what may not, so that I can be a better teacher for my students. Altogether, over the past few weeks, I have been learning more about the classroom, my content, and myself. I am learning that not everything will go perfectly, yet it is important to remain positive and strive to create lessons that will help students learn best. So, that is what I will continue to do. (:


By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be. Put your future in good hands — your own.
–Mark Victor Hansen

Fourth Week at UHS!

Thinking back on this week, I have realized that I haven't taken many steps forward. At the beginning of this week, I began teaching my 6th period Honors Pre-Calculus class. This has really helped prepare me for teaching both 4th and 6th period of my honors classes next week. The students and I have been able to build better relationships and create an open, positive learning environment. I am excited to take over full time with both classes next week and teach one general Pre-Calculus class. I have already completed all of my lesson plans for next week and reviewed them over with my mentor teacher. I am feeling confident that my lessons are well prepared, so my students can understand the material in a simplistic manner. I have included group work into my lessons to begin conducting my action research on the affect of cooperative learning in an honors Pre-Calculus class. There will be a lot of work and analyzing that will go into this research, but it will be beneficial for me to consider as a prospective math teacher.
Again, I am so grateful to be working with everyone at University High School. Both of my mentor teachers provide great support and feedback to how I am doing in the classroom. We discuss how each lesson goes and reflect on what went well and maybe what didn't go so well. This is very important to me, because I am always learning and striving to do better. You can never stop improving. When I complete my intern semester and contract hours for the Benedum Program, I am sure that I will be well-trained and prepared to enter the work force as a math educator.

Don't limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, you can achieve.

- Mary Kay Ash

Third Week at UHS!

This week has been a bigger transition for me. In my honors Pre-Calculus classes, I have been going over the bellringers with them and answering their homework questions. This has really helped me become prepared for teaching the class. I will begin teaching my 6th period class full time next week. Then, the following week, I will begin teaching my honors Pre-Calculus students full time. I am very excited, but a bit nervous to begin my full time teaching experience. However, both of my mentor teachers offer great support and guidance. I am fortunate to be working with both of these novice teachers. Today, I have prepared a pre-survey about problem solving and group work to give to my students on Monday. This will start the beginning of collecting data for my action research on the affect of group work on student learning in a Pre-Calculus class. Even though a lot of work will be involved for my action research, I believe it will be beneficial to me as a prospective teacher. I will be able to gain insight on how group work may or may not help students with word problems and problems solving. Sometimes, this can be a difficult part of learning math.

"The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery."
-Mark Van Doren

Second Week at UHS

I have experienced many new things this week at UHS. Since Monday, I have been working with the Honors Pre-Calculus classes on their five minute checks that they do at the beginning of each class. We give them about five minutes to perform review problems, and then I go over them to solidify their understanding. It has been a great opportunity to introduce my teaching into the classroom and build stronger relationships with my students. Today, Mrs. Farley was not here. Therefore, there was a substitue teacher in her place. Surprisingly, the students were very cooperative and completed the work that Mrs. Farley had left for them. Luckily, I was able to answer any questions that students may have had while working through the problems. I am very excited to be easing my way into teaching. I am able to become more confident in my teaching before I start teaching full-time. Like I previously stated in my last post, I think it is very interesting to watch my mentor teachers teach the same course to different classes. I am able to see how they accommodate to the classes based on their specific needs. Sometimes we move a little slower in one class, yet fast through another. I feel that this is a strong ability to have as a teacher. It is very significant to move the class at a pace that benefits their learning most. Also, I have been taking attendance on WVEIS for three of my classes and uploading the class notes on edline. So, the students are able to access the exact notes that the teacher presented in class from the Smartboard. As each day goes by, I feel more confident that this will be a successful semester. So, I am ready to begin creating lessons, activities, and assessments to build a meaningful semester of learning for the students and myself.

"A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning."
-Brad Henry

First Week Back at UHS (:

During my first week back at University High School, I have been spending much time observing and communicating with my mentor teachers. I have been assigned two Honors Pre-Calculus classes and two general Pre-Calculus classes with mostly juniors. The first couple of days were still quite chaotic due to many schedule changes and assigning books to students. After observing the classes of Honors Pre-Calculus and general Pre-calculus, I have noticed how they differ. In Honors, we move a little faster and incorporate more activities involving problem solving and conceptual group work. It has been very interesting to compare each of the classes and how they differ or learn in different ways. Sometimes, we have had to modify our lesson according to how quickly they are picking up on the concepts. One class sometimes takes a little longer than the other even though it's the same material for both classes. So far, I have been able to work with students by helping them with clas work that has been assigned. In addition, I have began learning the students' names by passing back papers to them. This allows me to begin to build relationships with my students and understand their specific needs to help them learn in my Pre-Calculus class. Altogehter, I am extremely excited to be back at University High School working with juniors and seniors. This semester will be challenging and motivating. I am hopeful that this semester will truly verify my choice in career path. I cannot wait to begin planning lessons, bringing new ideas into the classroom, and complete my action research. Completing this semester will mark a big accomplishment!

The essence of mathematics is not to make simple things complicated, but to make complicated things simple.

-S. Gudder

NCTM Conference: Denver, Colorado

I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to fly to Denver, Colorado for the NAtional Council for Teachers of Mathematics annual conference. While I was there, I attended several seminars and booths to obtain new, helpful resources and information. I was able to visit booths such as Texas Instruments, Lonestar Learning, IXL.com, Qwizdom, and much more. They offered information regarding calculators and other technology to enhance student learning of mathematics. Even though I attended several seminars, there was one that solely stood out and had a great impact on my view of math and learning in the classroom. A speaker named Dan Meyer gave a presentation on the idea of "Perplexity." He stated that engagement differs from perplexity, because engagement is being involved while perplexity brings about questions and exploration. He will gage his students by using various technologies and creates lessons that require his students to think on their own and question what is going on. For example, he told us to look at a graph about water consuption during a hockey game. HE took away all the information on the graph and asked us to decipher it and think about what was happening when the line of the graph would plummet or drastically shoot up. So, this required us to think of various things that may have occurred during the game for when most of the water was consumed. This activity incorporated perplexity. We questioned the graph and our own thinking to consider the various things that could have happened, instead of being provided the information. Not only did this activity engage my interest, it also encouraged me to start questioning. I believe I will try to incorporate activities like this in my classroom, because it teaches the students to think on their own. In addition, it incorporates ideas about the "real world," so students may be more interested in being involved in math activities such as this.

Characteristics of Novice Teacher 2

*We believe that the novice teacher should have an in-depth knowledge of pedagogy.

Big Ideas- It is very important that teachers have in-depth knowledge of how to effectively instruct a class. So, we need to be able to be an expert in various ways to instruct our students, so they will learn effectively. By showing our knowledge of pedagogy, we will be able to present our content in a manner that the students will best understand.
Artifact- An artifact that may best demonstrate in-depth knowledge of pedagogy could be your videotape of teaching and the analysis. This will prove that you know how to professionally and effectively present content to your students. The viewer will be able to see first hand how you interact with the students and how well you instruct your students. This is one piece of the puzzle that will show that you have high knowledge of pedagogy and what it takes to be a successful teacher.

*We believe that the novice teacher should have a commitment to and skills for life-long learning.

Big Ideas- This is one aspect of teaching that I believe is extremely significant for success in the classroom. As teachers, we should always find ways to grow and improve, so that are students are being educated in the most effective way that we may know how. Therefore, we need to continue to learn new techniques about teaching, attend seminars and conferences, and be reflective about what we see in our classroom. By being committed to life-long learning, we can learn what things work in the classroom and what cannot. In addition, we are always trying to increase our knowledge of more effective ways to teach our students different concepts. If we continues to strive to learn more, we may instill this motivation in our students.
Artifact-An artifact that may help show our motivation to be a life-long learner is attending conferences and seminars. We may bring thing back from this and write a summary on our experience and what we may have learned. By using these experiences as artifacts, it will show our commitment to increasing our knowledge in pedagogy, content, and other various aspects of teaching. So, this would definitely verify our drive to be a life-long learner.

Characteristics of a Novice Teacher

-We believe that the novice teacher should be a reflective practitioner.

"Big Ideas": It is important for every prospective and practicing teach to be reflective of the work and teaching that they do. It is important to analyze how you teach and how the students learn. By being a reflective practitioner, we are able to see what methods work and which ones may not work so well. We need to be sure to always reflect on our practices, so we can instruct in a way that students will best learn.
*Artifact: An artifact that would represent this characteristic could be the entries in a researcher notebook. This shows that you have analyzed your pedalogical skills along with the learning of the students. The researcher notebook can have data related to many things that go on in the classroom. So, it shows that you are considering the environment and activities linked to your classroom and trying to reflect on how things can be improved. By reflecting and analyzing the classroom, it is possible to improve pedalogical skills and help students learn in an environment that is optimistic for successful learning.

-We believe the novice teacher should have an in-depth knowledge of content.

"Big Ideas": The novice teacher should be an expert in their specialization area. It is significant that we have deep understanding and strong conceptual knowledge of the content that we intend to teach. If we lack expertise and understanding of our content, then it will be a struggle to teach and present it to the students. We need to know the "why" behind everything we do, not just the "how." Therefore, we need to know how to work things out along with the reasoning behind it. I feel that this especially important when teaching concepts related to mathematics and science.
*Artifact: An artifact that may represent this characteristic is a content exam that has been created. In addition, we can show the answer key where each step of the problems is broken down. By showing each step to complete a problem, it helps the reader understand your knowledge and understanding of your content. It may show that their is a process for completing the problems on the test. So, it will verify what you are looking for when you are grading these tests. Moreover, this artifact along with an answer key will prove that you have deep conceptual understanding of your specialization content.