Extemporaneous lesson on exponential growth

My sharpest student was badgering me about paying his $44 phone bill. I gave him a penny. "Wow" he said. I then gave him another; "Now I've doubled it. Come back later and I'll double it again." He said that it would take for ever that way. BAM! Teachable moment: below is what I wrote on the board to explain what would happen.

He was intrigued. :) (It also involved log, which was painful.)

Methods Reflections: Milner, Classroom Management, Urban Schools

Notice that where kids sit is much more complex that sitting kids alphabetically:

• strategic seating for ability levels and for behavior levels
• groups
• time out locations
• I didn't mention this, but you want to have easy access to the various locations in the room

Johneye made a great point about his life experiences informing his subjectiveness and perspective. We may not have the same experiences and perspectives as our students but we can offer ours to them. We may be the academic role model for them.

The observations made about any group are generalizations, which can be valid if we remember that individuals may be totally different. For example, Yankee fans in general are misguided but Paul appears to be reasonable.

America pointed out that punishments can actually be a reward for some kids (a reinforcer).

"Divide and conquer" is not inherently bad. It is a means to differentiate which can allow you to provide extra academic assistance or to help students grow as a person (e.g. discussing their future).

James-James pointed out that when he walked into methods, there was no instructor present but everyone was on task with the do now. That will happen in most of your classes if you institute the do now effectively!

Many students many not know how to act. We may have to train them on how to do so.

Joe made an insightful observation that at Milner, getting some kids to simply show up for school is a big deal. Think about this, just getting the kid to show up to take and fail the CMT may be a very positive first step (yet the school will look worse based on the metrics).

In education, including classroom management, what doesn't work is valuable and important information. As Polya mentioned in the Guessing video, math as we know it is the result of many guesses and mistakes.

When kids return to the classroom, YOU set the tone for the relationship. YOU can make changes. For example, when I have trouble with a student and he received a punishment, I welcome him back to class and tell him that I hope we can focus on him being successful.

Saras made a great point, many students need us. School may be a sanctuary for kids with difficult family lives.

Johneye's question about cultural differences

At the meeting with Mr. Richardson, Johneye asked an important question how we can relate to kids given our cultural differences. I wanted to share some thoughts about this.

First, the kids notice race and cultural differences just as most people do. This may shape their perception early on but eventually what matters is who we are and what we do for them in our daily interactions. If they see that we care about and want to help them, our background is minimized as a factor.

We have many commonalities as it is. I talk to my kids about being prepared for high school, doing the right thing, and about simple things like clothes or food. If a kid yells at another kid, I'll ask him if he's having a bad day because we all have bad days. If an 8th grader is choosing a certain high school, I'll ask why and tell them a little about high school life - e.g. some kids drive to school and you have a lot more choices for your schedule. If a kid grabs a pencil from another student, I'll talk to her about alternative choices for the behavior. One of my students always knows the score of the Clemson basketball games and tells me. I tell him how evil the Yankees are.

In short, the kids care more about how we interact with them on a daily basis than about race or culture.