Behind the times

It's been a while since I've posted here, which is, I think, both defensible and unfortunate, specifically because I've been doing a ton of reflection on my teaching practice as part of my National Board Certification. So, I'm documenting what I'm learning and thinking, but I'm doing it in a different forum, and it occurs to me that, in a perfect world, I'd be mirroring a lot of that documentation in this space.

Ah, reality.

Anyway, I'm closing in on the portfolio submission date (one week from today, though I plan to have my portfolio in the mail three days from now). It's been an incredible process, and I can't recommend it enough.

While I'm here, a quick bit from today's calculus class: Remember the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. (I literally wrote on the board today, in big, friendly-looking letters, "DON'T PANIC!". It seemed to help, when dealing with a slightly more complicated application of the product rule: y=2xe^x. y' = _____ )

Also, I had an interesting revelation today, about 20 minutes before the end of a 90 minute class: "They're fried," I thought to myself. "Bring it back a notch." Note for next time: bring it back THREE notches. Then do something completely and totally different, to wrap up the class.

Hopefully, that last couple of minutes, with "easier" problems that were still hard if your brain is already melted, didn't undo all the good stuff that came before it...