Tales from the science classroom

As the end of the year approaches (all too rapidly), I find myself not having enough time to cover another topic in chemistry. Searching around for something to do, I remembered back when I first started teaching..... Back then, I was eager to teach and eager to have students understand how great chemistry really is. So I would take the opportunity to use chemistry in the real world as often as possible. Also, I don't like how science is taught, so compartmentalized. Science just doesn't exist that way, it works with all other sciences. So I would teach a unit on science in  the real world. I did forensics, marine science, cooking, etc. I would end the year with this unit and it would hold the kids attention through those last, difficult days of school. So when faced with 4 weeks and nothing to do, I decided to resurrect forensic science. Actually, I stumbled across a Facebook group and went, "wait, I used to do that!!!" Having only 4 weeks, with the last week ...

I started this blog at the beginning of this school year because I wanted to get my passion for teaching back. I wanted to do things that made me happy in the classroom and I wanted to help students gain a love of science like I have. Then things kind of imploded. I let a lot of outside things influence my year and I had a class from hell. Now, as we near the end of the year, I'm really primed to make some changes over the summer and to hit the ground running next year. One thing that really helps me a lot, is to hear what other teachers have done, so I love reading teacher blogs. Love. It. Well, I've found that there are very few high school blogs, most of them are elementary school, and even fewer science teachers. Many teacher blogs haven't been updated in a while, sometimes years, and I get that. Teachers are busy and blogging can be a chore if you are a perfectionist that needs to make each post an epic story. I can imagine that writing one of those takes an inordina...

I believe we have 3 weeks of classes left and then a week of finals and boom. Done!!! And the week of finals is only 3 days. The last day is the award ceremony. Which is a half day event in the morning and then teacher check out is in the afternoon. My AP test is in 2 weeks and the AP bio test is in 3 weeks. Those kids are not ready and are not going to do well, but that has been the way the whole year so it's not surprising. I'm helping with graduation this year. We went and looked at the venue on Thursday to kind of get a layout and plan the flow of things. I'm the type of person who likes to get the big picture first and then add in the details. One of the others involved is the exact opposite and it's kind of driving me crazy. We are looking at the stage and planning how we want the graduates to move across it and she is all, 'well we can put an x in tape so they know where to stand.' I'm like, can we figure out how they move before we start laying...

When I started teaching chemistry there were a lot of things I needed to re-learn. I had learned them in college but chemistry in a lab is far, far different from textbook chemistry. So when I left the lab and went into teaching, I had to re-learn a lot of the textbook stuff. Then, as the years progressed, I picked up more and more and understood more and more. Now I'm pretty good at chemistry though I still don't consider myself an expert - there is just too much to know. But I'm pretty good at most of the topics. And, since I've never been beholden to any set standards, I teach what I want when I want and make my own tests. When I started teaching AP Chem there were a lot more topics I needed to learn/re-learn. And I did. I know understand Electrochem and thermochem and kinetics and equilibrium like I never did before. But, I don't know the standards for the AP test. At least not as well as I should. I picked up a really good curriculum and have just been fol...

This time of year my thoughts always start to drift towards next year. I think about things that didn't work; things I want to try; improvements; and changes. It's a bad habit I have of thinking ahead before this year is over. I still have things to do this year even if there is only 4 weeks left of school. 4 weeks. OMG!!!!  Okay, now that is out of the way. I have the rest of year basically set. In chemistry I will be doing some other branch of chemistry, probably forensic science, just to give them some exposure to how chemistry can be used. Also, it's fun. AP Biology we have 4 topics to cover in 4 weeks, so we will be flying on that. Lectures on Monday, quizzes on Wednesday, for the rest of the year. AP Chemistry, we will just keep on plugging along like we have been. In AP biology I have to give my final the week before the finals because the AP test is Monday the week of finals and then we don't have the seniors on Wednesday. This weekend I want to get all my f...

We all got through testing week just fine. It was really kind of horrible. Why would you test kids all morning then expect them to sit through classes in the afternoon? Luckily most teachers didn't do anything too serious, I know I didn't. In AP Biology I did a lab so they could see electrophresis. In AP Chemistry we just went over some problems. In chemistry we did some group work the first day  on deflategate and the gas laws. Then the second day we watched a video that they will be making a presentation on. Which sets up next week to be really easy for me :) In other news, we have a serious weed problem going on at the school. Apparently kids are using vape in the bathroom and getting high during school. My classroom is located right next to the bathrooms so I have the job of trying to watch it more. I told my classes that there would be no more bathroom priviliges unless they were peeing their pants. Even then I would probably prop the door open and watch them. Luckily th...