Spring Madness

I love Spring! The weather is perfect, flowers start blooming, daylight hours start increasing, and the end of the school year seems so close!!! I love teaching, but boy do I love my teacher breaks and vacations.

Unfortunately, though, this is the most hectic time of the school year for me. Most of it I brought on myself through stipend and non-stipend(darn budget) positions. It seems everything I do peaks at this time of the year: testing coordinator, yearbook guru, and 1/2 technology position (guess which half!). Also, we are in crunch time getting ready to go to science camp (we are always in the middle of at least one fundraiser), and the end of the year activities for 6th grade start looming.

Stress Stress Stressed out!

I do enjoy each of the additional responsibilities I hold, but I do reserve the right to moan and groan about them when they all start piling on top of each other. At some time during this time of year, I come home nearly in tears and eventually fall into tears when my dear husband asks me what is going on. He always knows just the fix: quit the stipends. Don't do them next year. Give it all up!!?? What? Never. I just need to vent. When will he learn to just listen and not try to solve things?

I can do it. I will do it. It will all work out just fine.

After all Spring break is just 11 days away.

Singing for Pi

I am linking up with Michelle from Making it as a Middle School Teacher to share Pi Day ideas. I had never heard of Pi day before getting acquainted with this blogging world that I am coming to love. In 6th grade, pi  is super important and such a tough thing for my students to work with. A few years ago I made up a few songs to help my students remember the formulas for circumference and area of a circle. The kids absolutely love it, and we sing them so much they get to where they will sing it on their own when they are taking a test or working with circle problems. I especially like to pit one half of the class against the other to see how loud and enthusiastically each side can sing it!

So here you go! Feel free to take/share/use them.

Circumference Song (to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat)

Circumference goes around and round

There are two ways to find it

Two times pi times radius

Or diameter times pi!

Area of a Circle: A Repeat After Me Song Chant 

(the kids tell me its the chant from some commercial-Tony the Tiger or something)

The area of a circle --- The area of a circle

Is pi-r-squared! --- Is pi-r-squared!

Pi-r-squared --- Pi-r-squared

Means pi times r times r! --- Means pi times r times r!

Can't wait to see what the rest of you all have to share. This year there will be Pi Day in my classroom!

I created a whole day of activities that include these songs and much much more. Go take a look at my TPT store. Click here.

faith and discipline

This week my students are writing a clarification of a Vince Lombardi quote and it's really got me thinking. Hopefully it's got my students thinking too, but that's another issue. Anyway, the quote reads, "It's easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline when you're a winner...what you've got to have is faith and discipline when you're not a winner."

"Discipline. Isn't that like when we get in trouble, Mrs. Piper?"
"That is one meaning, but that is not how it's used here."

As I began to explain this meaning of discipline, I soon realized all my examples revolved around all the areas where I need discipline. Exercising. Eating properly. Turning off the TV at a decent hour. I turned the discussion around to discuss areas where the students would need to have discipline. I'm not sure if they have yet totally figured out the word, but we still have time for that.

It's been on my mind for days now. I used to have discipline in many areas of my life. Now...I don't know. After getting married, I lost much of that discipline. It is so easy to blow things off when you have someone to snuggle up with. We've been married two and a half years now, and I just can't seem to get that area back on track.

One area that I have gotten more under control is planning and grading. My excitement will wax and wane throughout the school year. Full of vigor the first few months, then counting down the days till Christmas break as soon as I get back from Thanksgiving break. I am now recharged after coming back from Christmas. This is partially due to no longer having to teach a combo during language arts and partly to incorporating new strategies, not making assumptions about my students background knowledge, and seeing good growth on their most recent district benchmark assessment. The students are so much more engaged when I have planned out the day, and really know what I am doing from minute to minute. They are much more conscious of their work and progress when they receive graded work back in a timely manner.

Hopefully I will still have discipline and faith in my students as I see summer get closer.