#MyFavFriday - Long Short Week

This is the post that almost wasn't.

This week was the longest short week in history, I think!  It was emotionally draining, filled with meetings, and had the most roller coaster weather.  Seriously - it was 70 degrees when I left my house on Tuesday morning and my car was iced over when I headed home on Tuesday evening!  Add in all of other crazies of teh week and I didn't think I had a lot to say today to celebrate the positives, but then @pamjwilson challenged us all to post #onegoodthing on social media to remember something that went well this week, which is the accountability push I needed.


My Favorite Strategy of the Week:

Monday was our last PD Day of the year.  One of the science teachers and I gave a presentation on "How do you know what they know?  Formative Assessment Strategies for the classroom."  We had planned to share 10 strategies total and quickly ran out of time!  Our goal was to share high-impact strategies and to make the session very hands-on, where the teachers would actually experience the strategies first hand, increasing the likelihood of them using the strategies in class.  The "warm-up" activity was for each group to create a "KWL" chart (minus the L) of what they already knew about FA and what they wanted to learn during our session.  It was such a fabulous way to use a KWL - I was able to see what they already knew about the topic as well as see if their personal learning goals aligned with our presentation goals.  KWL is a strategy I don't use much with students, but, for this context it worked perfectly!


My Favorite Student Kindness of the Week:

I have the BEST students and truly love my job.  One of the reasons I love working with teenagers is that they are just so quirky and fun and I love watching them grow into adulthood.  During Forensics on Thursday, we had started our DNA unit and were talking about genetic traits when the topic of being a "taster" came up.  Apparently there is a genetic trait of being able to taste this certain chemical (PTC) and if you are a taster, it's extremely bitter.  My science co-teacher gave us all a little piece of paper to test if we were a taster.  Mine tasted just like paper, so I'm not a taster.  My co-teacher went on to ask the class about the taste of brussel sprouts and asparagus because those vegetables have PTC and will be very bitter to tasters.  I mentioned I had never had either one, so one student decided to make and bring me some brussel sprouts for lunch on Friday so I could try them!  It was just such a sweet gesture on her part and I really appreciated it - plus I got a yummy lunch out of it! :)


My Favorite Student Comments of the Week:
From a student I've had for two years:  "Mrs. T, you're always SO upbeat and happy!  How much coffee do you drink?"

From a student on Thursday after freezing rain on Wednesday and me lecturing them about driving home safely:  "Look, Mrs. T!  We all made it to class safely today because you told us to!"


My Favorite Student Note of the Week:

One of my Geometry students decided her Geometry quiz needed a bit of decoration and positive affirmation this week.  In case you can't read it, it says "Pretty Corner - where everything is beautiful and failure isn't an option!"  Then an arrow and "Words of Encouragement".  This student has had her struggles in math in the past, but she's done pretty well in Geometry.  She takes drawing breaks every so often on her quizzes / assignments, but this is the first one I've seen with words of encouragement.  I hope her own words make her smile the way they did for me.


My Favorite Whiteboard Use this Week:

In AP Stat this week, we have been learning the logic of hypothesis testing.  It can be very overwhelming at first because of all of the requirements and the technology usage.  At the last minute, I decided to print out calculator screens for the students to label and have on their tables as we went through some practice problems on the whiteboards.  I really love the increased whiteboard use in my classroom, but I need to find a super cheap source of pens... those suckers get expensive fast! :) 


So now I pass on Pam's challenge to you.... what is your #onegoodthing from this week?

Happy (late) Friday y'all!!