New Bloggers: Week 2

Sam started a new blogger initiation and the crew is now half way done with their assignments.  A group of us divvied up the introductions since there are so, so many enthusiastic newbies!  Impressively, 99.2% of those who participated the first week came back for the second week.  I'm keeping track of the introductory posts on the #matheme page.  The prompts they have been getting are really great.  I will post a link to all of them at the end of this process, even if you're not a new blogger they are great to think on and share about.

Without further ado, may I present the following 10 new/restarting bloggers:

Haydee C. @mathymissc has a blog named MathyMissC. The second post for the Blogging Initiation is titled I Wish... and the author sums it up as follows: "There are things that I wish I had learned about during my teacher training program. I really wish someone had told me the truth about meetings, emails, parent communication, copy machines, and paper flow." A memorable quotation from the post is: "By the end of the year, meetings were like okra to me...not my favorite."

Erin W @ewade4 has a blog named Wading Thru Math. The second post for the Blogging Initiation is titled If only I'd known... and the author sums it up as follows: "As I reflect back on my first year of teaching, these are a few things I wish I'd known. Hopefully, something I've said can encourage new teachers, and even veterans! Some are things I have to constantly remind myself." A memorable quotation from the post is: "While the first year can be trying…it’s all worth it in the end!"

Katrina Hamilton @klwarsin has a blog named Lady Leibmiz and the Galileo Girls. The second post for the Blogging Initiation is titled How It Works... and the author sums it up as follows: "I asked my students (high school girls in calculus and AP calculus) to respond to the XKCD comic "How It Works", and shared the responses. There's a little bit of pot and kettle calling each other names, a little bit of hurt pride, and quite a bit of attitude." A memorable quotation from the post is: "I have a classroom of girls who don't suck at math."

Tim Reinheimer @timreinheimer has a blog named Asymptotically Cool. The second post for the Blogging Initiation is titled reasons to be thankful and the author sums it up as follows: "When I get down about a day of teaching I remind myself of several things. Then I start to feel thankful." A memorable quotation from the post is: "I could be working in a cubical."

Bridget Kapala @gidgebridge has a blog named im4msmath. The second post for the Blogging Initiation is titled Here We Go Yum Yum and the author sums it up as follows: "My post this week is about my first day back at school, how decorating my room was so much better because of the posts I have read in the blogosphere. It is also about a dish that I don't really care for....okra." A memorable quotation from the post is: "Now I don’t mean to sound vainglorious, because truthfully…..they were mostly ideas I have stolen from the blogosophere from all you benevolent bloggers."

Barry Lewis @2ndarymathedist has a blog named Gleaming Number Rockets. The second post for the Blogging Initiation is titled SPARK Problem and the author sums it up as follows: "This was an opening activity for part of our study of angle classification. It was a small, simple thing, but I liked it because it was successful in getting my kids up, thinking, talking, and defending claims about their ideas. I like that lightweight openers like this can involve just about everyone and get them waxing their neural rails for what lies ahead." A memorable quotation from the post is: "It's not what I would ever call real-world problem solving, but it does at least beckon from that place, and bringing real into math class can sometimes be a good interest piquer, like, all of a sudden— a pinata."

Lisa Nussdorfer @nussder has a blog named Instruction for all. The second post for the Blogging Initiation is titled My favorite graphic organizer for factoring quadratics and the author sums it up as follows: "This post is how I used a graphic organizer as way to help students factor quadratics and my reflection." A memorable quotation from the post is: "I found that a paper/pencil GO was more attractive to teenagers than the tactile experience."

Dave Enrico @denrico1 has a blog named Me Dot. The second post for the Blogging Initiation is titled Penny For Your Thoughts? and the author sums it up as follows: "You never get a second chance to make a first impression, which is why I plan on showering my students with money on the first day of school. Plus, it's educational! No, really!" A memorable quotation from the post is: "So here’s how the lesson goes: It’s the first day of school, the air reeks of Axe and insecurity, and my cherubs walk in the door."

Sarah @mathequalslove has a blog named Math Equals Love. The second post for the Blogging Initiation is titled Teaching Integer Operations with the Integer Operations Work Mat, Colored Counters, and Number Line and the author sums it up as follows: "Here is a file I created and laminated to help my students visualize integer operations. It includes space for adding and subtracting integers with colored counters and a number line." A memorable quotation from the post is: "And, I just can't wait to teach my students how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide integers."

Chris Rime @chrisrime has a blog named Partially Derivative. The second post for the Blogging Initiation is titled New Blogger Initiative: #2 — In which students learn about fractions and the author sums it up as follows: "Students find fractions super duper hard. They tend to mix up the algorithms for the basic operations. The Magical Fraction Box is magical, because when students use it, they stop mixing up and forgetting the algorithms. Everyone should use the magical fraction box." A memorable quotation from the post is: "Last year, my eighth graders struggled mightily with the basic operations on fractions."