Brain Twister

(From the same 5th grade test...)

This is the other question I missed on the test. Actually, I gave up because we ran out of time. You have 10 minutes. GO!!

(Click pink to enlarge...)

How Many Squares?

What does a substitute teacher do during 5th grade math tests? Sometimes he takes it himself. It's embarrassing if he can get only four of six problems correct.

This WAS a tough little practice test. Six questions and 30minutes to complete. The best student score was 4 correct...same as mine. Take the test to see how you do. Then "comment" with your answer. No cheating please!

How many squares do you see?





(I missed one !!**%$&^% square! ...had to look on the answer sheet to find it)

Lovin' Lunch

The teacher's theme song...

Inclement Day Session...

I’ve heard rumors about some areas of the country where they cancel school due to heavy snow and impassable roads. I say rumors because I’ve never experienced one. Here, in Silicone Valley California, we rarely get snow. The couple of times in the last 40 years when it actually did snow on the valley floor, it was gone in a few hours. We do have the occasional “rainy day” session where recess and or lunch is held in the classroom but in reality, the weather here rarely interferes with school activities.

That’s why I was surprised yesterday by the office noon time announcement that due to the “cold windy conditions”, teachers should decide if they want to allow the kids to eat lunch in the classroom as there wasn’t room in the cafeteria to eat indoors. Half the cafeteria had been taken over by the Halloween Haunted House they were running this week. I stepped outside to see what “cold windy conditions” the principal was talking about.

The classroom is situated near a small curved stadium like seating area outside the classroom door. It’s in bright sunshine and must have been in the mid 60’s with just a bit of a breeze reaching the bottom steps of the protected seating area.

Eat inside because of rain, falling snow, raging floods, freezing temperatures or even typhoon force winds, I might relent. But, a little bit of Calif breeze? No way!

“But it’s so COLD!!” says the kid standing in front of me dressed in T-shirt, shorts and shoes without socks as I’m locking the classroom door.

“Remember this moment when you get dressed for school tomorrow morning”, was my reply as I lead them off to get lunch.

Coming back to the classroom after lunch, I see that the door to the classroom is wide open and no one around. Evidentially, someone had talked the janitor into unlocking classroom door to allow some kids to eat inside. I don’t know if there was any adult supervision while I was away, but no one closed the door after they left.

Fortunately, the teacher’s laptop computer, portable document camera and, more importantly, my personal subbing bag looked to be unmolested.

I see that it isn’t just kids who seem to be lacking some common sense.

Old School in the Hi-Tech Classroom…

I’m in the same classroom, for the same teacher, in the same HI_TECH classroom where I had a brain-fart, screw-up with the SmartBoard.

Everything that went so smoothly last time, didn’t work so well this time.

He was in the classroom when I arrived doing last minute preparation to configure the applications and lesson plan on the computer. After he left to make his jury appointment, I discovered:

1. The lesson plan on the hard drive was the old plan I used last week. Fortunately he printed a hard copy for today’s class.
2. The application files on the hard disk were the ones for last week’s lesson also and useless for today.
3. The flash drive with the backup lesson plan and application files disappeared. I think he had it in his pocket when he left.
4. Yard duty and library time were not indicated on the lesson plan. I missed both until it was too late to do anything about.
5. For some reason the audio on the Apple Notebook computer was not functional so that meant the planned instructional video was useless unless all the kids could read lips.

Fortunately all the teacher edition books were still there and we conducted class “old school” style with pen, pencil, paper and real books.

Walk Don’t Walk…

At the elementary school, yard duty is actually pretty boring duty. Be the adult presence in the yard. Walk around and keep the peace. Attempt to have the eyes in the back of your head to see that errant basketball before it hits you in the back.

“Walk! Don’t run!” is the order of the day even though it seems counter productive to not to encourage a healthy activity like running just for the fun of it.

Someone might fall and hurt themselves is the explanation. But we’re sending mixed signals, commanding kids to “RUN! Don’t walk!” laps during P.E. class. These are the same kids who would willingly chase after each other at tilt-a-whirl speed for the entire 20min recess if we let them.

The playgrounds we had when we went to school were all concrete or asphalt. Yea, there were some skinned knees and sore elbows, but it was part of the risk of having fun. You quickly learned the limits of your gymnastic ability.

Now the school playgrounds, where all the climbing bars, swings and slides are located, have a spongy rubber matted surface underlay to cushion any fall. Does this reduce the risk of injury? My informal observations seem to indicate that kids tend to jump off swings and climbing bars from much higher heights than I ever remember doing.

I guess I’m supposed to discourage jumping off things any higher than a foot or so but they don’t seem to be injuring themselves, so I let it slide. They’re having fun.

(…Why is that teacher with the horrified look running over here? Should blow my whistle and yell at her to “WALK, DON’T RUN?”)

Looking For Nose Hair…

I was on recess yard duty today when a kid walks up: “Hi! Do you remember me?”

Honestly, the only kids’ names I remember are the ones that are memorable for all the wrong reasons. This kid didn’t jog any of the incidents I usually write about so I asked for a hint.

EW: I’m Ear Wax! Remember? You gave me and (another name/face I don’t remember) the nicknames Nose Hair and Ear Wax!! That was REALLY funny!

His new buddy standing next to him is nodding his concurrence about the funniness factor of that day.

Me: Ahhh! Yes, I DO remember that. How are you and Nose Hair doing this year? Are you still friends?

EW: Yea! We still are friends except he’s in a different class this year.

He then ran off, I assume looking for Nose Hair.