Black Boxes
For most of my career, I asked students to perform a “Black Box” lab activity to kickstart the year. The idea is simple: by making simple manipulations of a small … Continue reading
Sophomores Rule
It’s been five months since my last post, “First Semester Recap.” Over that time, a lifecycle of events has spirited through me. I chaperoned a student trip to Guatemala. I … Continue reading
First Semester Recap
I was naively optimistic about starting the new school, given how well I convinced myself the previous one had ended. In my head, the warm glow from May and June … Continue reading
Rebooted
I could never have imagined the transformation of the past 15 months, which sounds hyperbolic (I know). My last post from mid-2021 presaged a career-altering pivot that has led me … Continue reading
Why SF? Why?
I realize more each day that what I know is merely the result of aggregating information. While such a simple statement, it is powerful to recognize that I am nothing … Continue reading
April 15th = 42
I wrote this post five years ago on the occasion of the release of the movie “42,” depicting the life of Jackie Robinson. Every April 15th I think about the … Continue reading
Just Poetry
Sometimes I write bad poetry – here are samples from the past few years Sub Duties Subbed a class today where I bribed the students with a vat of bacon … Continue reading
BTSN – 2017
Welcome to Back-to-School Night 2017 I am always honored to meet the parents of the students I am lucky to have in my classes. This presentation is a brief overview … Continue reading
Opening Day 2017
April 2, 2017 The start of the baseball season is more important to me than most holidays. I try to get fired up for Valentine’s Day but it always feels … Continue reading
Welcome to the School Year!
You can’t imagine how excited get every year to start the school year. One of the unique joys of being a teacher is that I get to experience renewal every … Continue reading
G5HW
I am introducing a new policy as it relates to grading homework in all of my classes. While I am loathe to make changes midstream, I think it is important enough to … Continue reading
The Tyranny of “Nice”
“Wait, how do you know Marta? She was never in your class?” This might be one of the most common questions I get when in conversation about my profession. I’d have … Continue reading
Digital LNB
Introduction I am ready to implement yet another way of using a digital lab notebook in my classes. My attempts in the past have all possessed critical flaws that make … Continue reading
RPN Club – The New Woobie!
Woobie What type of relationship do you have with your calculator? Do you use it to do your bidding? Or is it smarter than you? Do you use it for … Continue reading
Data Analysis – The Power of Excel
Assignment Objectives Learn how to use a spreadsheet to record data. Use Google Sheets to collaborate with others on data collection Move spreadsheets between Google Sheets and MS Excel Perform … Continue reading
Happy 5th Birthday!
Five years ago I started my Pandora station [LINK] Seed Songs – There are 51 “seed” songs 1st song = “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus NOTE – only seed … Continue reading
The Elements Song
From Wikipedia: “The Elements” is a song by musical humorist and lecturer Tom Lehrer, which recites the names of all the chemical elements known at the time of writing, up … Continue reading
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