First day of school... postponed

So, Thursday was our first day of school, but only for freshmen and new students. This left me with only a handful of students all day... and lots of welcomed time to continue to work. Friday was to be a full day with all students.

BUT.. 5 minutes before school is out Thursday, principal asks all teachers to shut off as many computers, lights, and appliances as possible. We were then directed to release students at the bell and then leave the school directly after them...

Come to find out, one of the transformers was in dire shape, throwing alarms, and ready to blow (which happened a few years ago). So, no school Friday.

We're good to go for Monday, but crazy way to (try to) start the year.

Job Targets 2007-2008

First post on blogger. Some of my goals (personal and math PLC) are humbling, but I want them to be attainable.

Personal S.M.A.R.T Goals for 2007-2008

1. At least 60% passing rate on the AP Calculus AB exam this year.
a. Complete curriculum before Spring Break
b. All students take at least 2 full practice examinations
c. Students will classify at least 5 years worth of Free Response questions and examine grading standards.

2. Direct Instruction in my classroom will be no more than 40% of class time.
a. Direct Instruction will entail the rule of 4 to develop a topic.
b. Group work and cooperative learning will examine and analyze open-ended questions.
c. Homework and Quizzes will practice and assess skills

3. Students will utilize technology daily to solve problems and organize class work
a. 100% of students will subscribe to their class iCal.
b. I should observe students using TI-83's, graphing calculator(on laptop), eigenmath, etc. every class period.
c. I will experiment with other online tools including PBWiki, interactive classroom blog (more than just a place to post class information), and math content sites (Purplemath, InteractiveMath, etc.) by using them in class at least twice a quarter.


Math PLC Goals for 2007-2008

1. Meet or exceed state average for state math assessment, ACT, and AP Calculus scores.

2. Positively affect student classroom learning by increasing focus during PLC time
a. 75% of PLC time is focused on student learning in the classroom.

3. Implement UPIC problem solving strategy
a. Place a poster in each math classroom and at least 8 other classrooms.
b. Each math teacher will share a UPIC anecdote once a month during PLC time.