Tuesday, January 28, 2014

The Ulrich

After working at MFHS for the past semester, I've had a little bit of time lately to think about the last semester and reflect upon the things. One of the main things I've realized here is how valuable it is to reflect on how things have gone and how they are going. I've learned from several co-workers that if something isn't effectively working, I need to try out new things. Over the past several months, I've tried out a ton of different things and have some things that I did/didn't like. I'm going to keep changing things up until I find out things that I do like and things that DO work to help students.

I know that there are a lot of teachers in the building that have the students help them do their PDSA charts, figures, graphs, etc. along with doing a plus-delta. The teachers see the value in this process, but I'm not sure if the students do. Mr. Ulrich is trying out something new to help the students reflect upon how well they studied and prepared for a unit test. I'm very interested to see how this process works and if the students really take it to heart or not. I know that Mr. Ulrich will share his results with me, so I'm curious to how this process will work.

I haven't just been reflecting upon math class and the teaching of math. I've been able to reflect upon my life and the experiences that I've gone through to help me to where I am today. The last year and a half haven't been the greatest times of my life, but I'm very grateful for what it's taught me about life. Here are a few things I've come up with:

1. Listen to those people who are older than you and trust in the advice that they give you. They have been through a lot of life experiences and know what their talking about.
2. You control your own happiness. Don't let anyone else in this world tell you differently. Y
3. Be patient.
4. Communicate your ideas with people. They will listen and try to understand you better.
5. Help mom and dad out around the house. They do a lot for you and helping them out WON'T kill you.
6. Enjoy life.
7. Eat your vegetables.
8. Do your homework. You learn best from doing this by YOURSELF.
9. Don't settle for anything less than what you think you deserve in life.
10. Follow me on twitter: @mathwithfranzo
11. Tell those people who you truly love in this world, that you do. We don't say it enough.
12. Take spontaneous trips.
13. Not everyone shares the same view points, but listen to what they say.
14. Listen to understand, not to respond.
15. Try new things.

Those are just some of the things that I've thought about over the past month. I hope to continue this growth mindset and keep my mind open to all of the changes that are happening around me, just like my co-worker, Mr. Ulrich.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Long Time No Post

It has been a while since I've posted something, but here are a few observations and thoughts from the past semester. It's been quite a roller coaster of a time trying to figure out everything that goes on in the high school. One thing that has surprised me over the course of the time I've been here, is that the students seem to amaze me more and more everyday. They do/say things that are absolutely amazing and really make it an interesting day. I've enjoyed getting to know the students and see what's going on in their lives. Talking with other teachers and hearing their reactions is always quite comical.

Being the new guy in the math department, I've been trying out a lot of different ideas and techniques on how to make my classes run smoother, not only for the students, but for myself as well. I'm learning a lot about how to stay organized and becoming more organized which is helping my progress. I know that there is still room to improve and I hope to improve my classroom throughout the course of next semester.

Someone sent me an interesting article the other day about parenting and how today's society is shaped. I can't comment on a lot of what the article said since I'm not a parent, but reflect upon my childhood growing up and the lifestyle that my parents helped me achieve through their parenting skills. I'm thankful for what they have shown me and for what they have let me experience.  It's amazing how much someone can grow on their own without the guidance of a parent, but know that their parent is still there just in case something happens.