Tales from the science classroom

So I used my great lesson plans on powerpoint for the last week and a half and it was a huge flop. I found that I am just not organized enough to pull that off. I had thought to have the list with all the stuff needed in the binder behind it. Didn't work. I found that I didn't print everything I needed. Or the things I printed were not what I was looking for. So I got messed up. Ugh!!!  So I think I'm going to do a major overhaul. I'm starting a new unit in almost all my classes so it's a good time to start something new. It's the next morning. I got distracted last night and never finished this post. But, I continued to think about it all night long and I think I've come up with something. Here are the things that I need: I need to be able to access lesson plans both at school and at home  I need to have a to-do list that I can access both at school and at home because sometimes I do things at home at night I need to have a hard copy of lesson ...

I do some of my best thinking while writing and since I feel I'm on the edge of a breakthrough, I've decided to 'talk' it out here. So here goes..... I have a Happy Planner and a teacher binder  This is my Happy Planner which I really do love, but I need to fix it so it works for me.... I also have this binder that has a divider with pockets for every class:  I've had this binder for years and really do like it, but it isn't exactly what I want either.  I'm hoping to come up with a system between these 2 things that will be perfect for me.  I've put all my lesson plans on a powerpoint template and I have linked worksheets and videos to that template. I like that and can access it from anywhere since it's in my Dropbox. I like that a lot. But I also need a printed copy that I can look at during class. I like to have a planner type thing to make notes during and after class. But I also like the binder to keep each cla...

Organized that is. I have found that my binder system works really well I just need to find a place to keep them so they are readily available while I'm teaching. Although, I shouldn't need them while I'm teaching. I should have everything copied and organized and in its proper place before class starts.  So that's something to think about. But things are going well overall and I'm a whole lot less stressed out than I was a couple of weeks ago. Also, volleyball ended and that helped decrease the stress levels immensely. I'm still struggling with digital organization though. I have a number of places to store; 2 google drives, Dropbox, Evernote, OneNote, etc. They all have their pluses and minuses but no one really meets my needs. So let's look at them. Google drive is probably the easiest, but I have one for school and one for personal. Also, the school doesn't allow us to install the Google drive on our computers so every time I want to access it,...

This year, more than any year in the past, I'm focused on my planning. I want my courses to flow from one topic to the next. I want things to connect with other things. I want it all to make sense to me and my students. Prior to this year that wasn't always my focus. I have had years where I would literally stop teaching something and just jump to another topic. For no real reason, other than I was bored or couldn't figure out where to go with the topic at hand. So I would just stop and move on. Chemistry is weird in that there is no list of things that you have to cover or know. Yes, there are standards, but those are really broad and can cover a multitude of sins. So this year I'm really focused on lesson planning. I am also focusing on setting things up so I don't have to do this every single year. 10 years in, I really should have this down to a science (ha!! pun intended) but I don't. Every single year I have to recreate the wheel because I don't r...

I have been so looking forward to this break, but this year is different. I usually look forward to fall break because I'm behind and need a week to get caught up. This year I'm looking forward to it so that I can change things up in my classes. I have been doing pretty well keeping on up on things and so now it's time to switch things up. I am nearing the end of volleyball - yay!!!  And so that will be gone. It's been a real learning experience this year though. For some reason, I've been more on it and much more interested in setting up established curriculum. Every year in chemistry I have to think, okay, what am I doing now. A couple of weeks ago I purchased some small binders and I'm slowly working on getting things put into units and in them so I don't have to recreate the wheel every single year. I put the one together for the current unit yesterday. Over break I would like to get the ones done that will take me to fall break. Initially I was goin...

It is scary how quickly time passes. We are just a couple of weeks out from fall break. Yikes!!!  How did that happen? But things have been going well, not perfect, but well. I have given up on Tuesdays and Thursdays and that has helped my stress levels a whole lot. Mondays and Wednesdays haven't been as productive as I'd hoped, but they are getting there. This past week I've been sick with a slight head cold, it's been just enough to mess with me and that is super annoying. But things are improving and falling into a flow. I like that. I have come to the conclusion that I need to avoid certain people at work. I happen to like my job. I like the school I'm at. I like the kids, and for the most part, I like my coworkers. But there are a couple that I have to avoid for my own sanity. They do nothing but complain. About everything. The school, the admin, the kids, the parents, the hours, everything. They complain about sports even though they are not involved in t...

After careful consideration of my life right now, I finally have a plan to deal with the stress of the added responsibilities I have taken on. Here are the realizations I've come to: Tuesdays and Thursdays are completely shot because we have conditioning until 4pm and in a couple of weeks we will be having games. So I need to just get used to the fact that Tuesdays and Thursdays are done until the end of October.  Monday and Wednesdays I am back here by 3:15pm and so could work some until 4ish. I should not do anything that takes a lot of mind work or thought because I am usually pretty tired by then, but I could do some mindless work and there is always mindless work.  Fridays are an absolute must in order to keep my head above water. I will have volleyball practice until 11 but I need to put some time in the classroom in the afternoons. No. Way. Around. It.  I have got to spend some time getting my files, both electronic and paper, in order. I just have to beca...