NSTA conference

Today was my first full day of the NSTA conference. It was amazing. I met a lot of people, and to a lot of free stuff! I don't think I'll ever need a grocery bag again. I heard Mark Plotkin speak, and he was awesome! I heard him speak in college and he was still outstanding. He talked about the shamens and all their knowledge, and how the we have to save the rainforest because everything on Earth is interdependent.
Then I hear Neil de Grasse Tyson and Bill Nye speak. They were the dynamic duo! Articulate, eloquent, and knowledgeable. I thought they were fantastic!
I looked around the exhibit hall, and will be returning to that very either tomorrow or Saturday. The bookstore was great too. I think I'll be shipping home tons of books.
I'm trying not to worry about softball too much, and keep my sanity while I'm gone. It's a struggle right now because the girls are not showing up. If I want to coach softball, I need to find another job. Varsity softball or varsity basketball is what I'm looking for. Hopefully I'll find something.

Dreary winter

Basketball is over and softball begins in two weeks on March 2nd. Arianna is not going to play this year. I feel as though I've wasted two years working with her. I don' t know what we'll do about pitching.
Basketball was good; we were good, and I had a very nice group of players.
I've decided to go to Costa Rica for a week in the summer for a summer institute. It should be fantastic.
I'm also looking at houses/condos for purchase. Have a date with a realtor this weekend to discuss options.

August 31

The first full week of school is done! All of my classes seem to be okay. I'm going to enjoy Chemistry, but it's going to be a lot of work to prep for the class. I'm relying on Jen and Karla, the other Chem teachers, to help me out at the beginning, so I can get my feet wet. I gave my first chem lecture Friday, and it went okay. I think this differential instruction I'm trying should work well, giving the students choices about their work.
Current Issues is another story. I'm actually looking forward to teaching all different content areas other than my own. The only problem is the students think someone is out to get them, that I'm only giving the test to punish them. They don't understand how important a test like the ACT is. Part of it is that their parents aren't educated, so they aren't taught the importance of education.

Volleyball is going okay. We only have 8 players, and we can't even get them there everyday. I don't understand the lack of responsibility or accountability.

First days

It's the first day of the new school year. Copiers were down, internet not working, and books not delivered.