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Category Archives: Anecdotes
I’m Better Than My Progress Report
Mid-quarter progress reports were handed out at the end of the day today. When I mentioned them at the end of one of my classes, one of my students looked a little sad. I asked if her progress report was … Continue reading
Can I Take This Class Again Next Year?
Yesterday was the last day of school. As I said “Good bye. Thanks for a great year and have an awesome possum summer!” several of my students said that they wanted to take the class again next year. One student … Continue reading
How to Blow Up a School
Lockdown drills are the modern-day equivalent of the air raid drills I got to practice when I was in elementary school. Both gave parents the peace of mind that comes from knowing that even when the unthinkable happens, our school … Continue reading
The Fun of Research & Development
I’m finally getting around to grading the 5-second timer labs my students did earlier this quarter. One of my students’ timers was a ceramic bowl with an amount of men’s cologne that burned for 5 seconds. Unbeknownst to me until … Continue reading
Diet Coke & Mentos Final Exam: Physics Version
I gave a chemistry final exam involving Diet CokeTM & MentosTM back in 2006. I’ve done it as a lab experiment a couple of times since then, but not as a final—until this year, when I did a physics version. … Continue reading
Egg On My Head
Today two groups of students successfully dropped raw eggs onto my head from the roof of the school as I walked underneath. Last week another group of students did the same thing. +2-4
Students Taking Charge of Their Learning
One of the things I appreciate about this year’s students is the way they take charge of their own learning. +3-7
Happy Parents
Parents’ Night was last Thursday. I had a long line for the whole evening–I seem to be quite a few students’ favorite teacher, and several of their parents wanted to meet me in person. +4-4
“We’ve never had this problem before.”
That was my department head’s tongue-in-cheek comment to me on Friday morning when yet another student asked for her signature to switch into physics. Some of the students had successfully switched in. Some clearly did not have the math background … Continue reading
Physics Day 6: Everything You Need to Pass the Final Exam
Once in a while I’ll come up with and use a teaching idea that I think is going to fail, but I’ll do it anyway because I think it will fail in a useful way. This time I was wrong: … Continue reading