Not everything got accomplished this weekend that should have been. I just have to let that go. The important things are done. I’ve taken care of my family. I am ready to start final exam interviews tomorrow morning at 9 am. I think that is good enough.
Category Archives: teaching
December 9 Day 276: With a Whimper
My last two classes of the Autumn 2020 went out not with a bang, but a whimper. Only about 1/3 of the students attended. I released expectations, procedures, and questions for the oral final interviews to be scheduled throughout exam week (December 14-18). Friday appointments are looking pretty crowded already. I answered questions and thenContinue reading “December 9 Day 276: With a Whimper”
December 6 Day 273: Winning
For the first time in a month, I have caught up on my grading. It feels like a miracle. What made this weekend different from all the others? The fact that this week’s assessment was oral and not online. Yes, I spent a tremendous amount of time interviewing students during the week. But when theContinue reading “December 6 Day 273: Winning”
December 4 Day 271: How Are YOU?
I regularly check in with my students but I realize that I have not done the same with you, the reader. I would really appreciate hearing from you. Please respond: HOW ARE YOU DOING? You can reply on any of the social media platforms: WordPress (of course but unlikely), Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. Five words orContinue reading “December 4 Day 271: How Are YOU?”
December 3 Day 270: This Time It’s Personal
The past three days (and by that I mean mostly today), I have been conducting the third round of interviews for oral assessments in Calculus II. The first one occurred in the second week of the quarter in groups of 3-4. The second one occurred in the fifth week of the quarter in groups ofContinue reading “December 3 Day 270: This Time It’s Personal”
December 2 Day 269: Sisyphean Task
Just two more days of class meetings and I will get that boulder up and over the hill or it will crush me under its weight once and for all. Students are feeling the same. Meant as light conversation for people arriving to class early, I asked “how is everyone doing?” A response in theContinue reading “December 2 Day 269: Sisyphean Task”
November 30 Day 267: Already? Not Soon Enough!
It appears that the last day of November is upon. Where does the time go? Things that have been accomplished with December 1 deadlines: The big consortium NSF IUSE grant has been submitted not that I did much. The drive and innovation came from outside. I recognized the opportunity and brought people together locally. OthersContinue reading “November 30 Day 267: Already? Not Soon Enough!”
November 25 Day 262: Yahoo!
I finished teaching my second Wednesday class (at 5:40 pm) and tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I feel like the weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders. In a few minutes, we will be driving to SEATAC airport to retrieve our oldest—after surviving the COVID Autumn semester and completing final exams at St. OlafContinue reading “November 25 Day 262: Yahoo!”
November 24 Day 261: Individual Orals
Next week will be the final rung in the oral-assessment-scaffold in advance of the planned final for Calculus II. Teaching a fully remote course, I decided to continue with an oral final assessment as I did last Spring. Making this decision in advance and heeding my previous students’ recommendations, I have scaffolded building oral assessmentContinue reading “November 24 Day 261: Individual Orals”
November 23 Day 260: Not a Complete Disaster
And that is good enough for me. I introduced a new technology to our classroom; it had a few hiccups along the way. I knew it was going to be risky but we all needed a change of pace with more interaction, more freedom, and less zoom. So I held our class in Gather forContinue reading “November 23 Day 260: Not a Complete Disaster”
Math Belongs to All of Us 