Day Ten- May 21, 2010 8am-3:30

Today was an interesting day. It was super hectic around school because it was "Head for a Day" day. This is where an 8th grade students gets to see what it is like to be the head of the school. They also get to change some rules, for instance it was free dress today. They 8th graders usually go on a trip around 12 and get a half day of school. However their beach plans were rescheduled due to weather, which also meant we had our 8th grade honors course today when we weren't expecting them. We started out the day with the 7th graders who did more work with "Hands on Equations." The 7th grade advanced class then came in and were welcomed by my tough lesson plan. I made a quick lesson on solving rational expressions and also made a packet for them to do over the weekend as homework. After the lesson some of them need to finish up a big test they were taking.

The 8th grade class came in and worked on their projects, which are starting to really come together. Some of the kids still haven't grasped the fact that the math is more important than the cartoon, while others have projects that are both educational and fun. During my first planning block Mr Sperling and I went over how we grade. It apparently wasn't as easy as I thought, but I really enjoyed it. What we went over was also really interesting, not only in the mechanics, but also the emotional part of grading. Something interesting he said was that when you go back and look at the final grade does it accurately depict what they are doing in class? If not then maybe you were to nice, or too harsh. You must always stay consistent when grading and always be fair. When I started to grade I constantly was second guessing myself, wondering if I was too harsh or not. I quickly got in to the flow of grading and before I knew it I was done with the class' tests.

It was such a thrill when they all came rushing in wondering what their grades were. Going through the tests with them was also very interesting. They all were excited to see their grade and to also understand what they did incorrectly. During lunch Mr Sperling and I went over what my Senior Project presentation will be like when I get back. We came up with some interesting ideas, which I'm really happy and excited about. When the 8th grade honors came in to class we gave them some options. Some of them chose to take the test today rather than monday, while others chose to take a practice "red test." Monday will be my last day and I'm excited to be closer to graduation, but sad to leave LFCDS. I will definitely miss the school, the faculty, and the kids.