Lessons Learned

I had a pretty mellow day today, but I learned a few things.

First, I learned that my curriculum is fundamentally broken.

I attended a seminar that was ostensibly about learning to score the state test. The group was small. One other teacher had to cancel, so that left just me and this other guy with the facilitating teacher. I know the facilitating teacher through a few channels--I used to sub at his school, and I know a bunch of the other teachers in his department. He is also neighbors with one of the science teachers at my school. I ran into the facilitator and the other teacher at my school at the tire place a few months ago. In summary: It's a small world after allllll.......

Anyways. So only about the first hour or so was about grading the state test. It was kind of cool--we all graded the same answers for two different tests. We were all pretty much on the same page with scoring, gripes with questions, and thought processes about whether answers were complete or not. It made me feel much better about my current practices.

The rest of the six hours we had together we devoted to comparing notes and sharing best practices. This facilitator is AWESOME. Honestly, he's like freaking Bill Nye and Mythbusters and Mike Rowe and National Geographic Channel all rolled into one young, vibrant, enthusiastic teacher. He shared some awesome materials he's created, including two ten-minute movies related to topics that he created with his friend (the guy I subbed for but have never met!). We talked about all sorts of things. And I realized that this year, my curriculum is horrid and boring and killing the love of science for my kids, and not really helping them. All of the things I want to do with my curriculum this summer are spot on. I want to shift over to more lab-focused learning. More demos. More hands-on fun stuff that teaches the concepts through discovery. Both teachers have highly successful students on the state test, and it's not because they hammer test questions all year long. They thoroughly teach the content all year long, in a much more logical sequence. Then they hammer the test prep the last month or so. Where I want to go with my teaching, the facilitator has already gone. And it's great over there. I really have to get there this summer.

I dropped Brian's computer (which is having a malfunction AGAIN) and did a spot of shopping for him.

Back at home, I scritched the doggies, then got kitted out to go for my second run of the week. Brian and I went for a run on Sunday, and it like to have killed me. But I strapped the shoes back on again, stole Brian's wind pants and ear-warmer, and off I went. The battery on my shuffle was dead, though, so I took the larger iPod. My old cardio circuit music isn't on it anymore, so I picked the 80s mix.

At which point I learned my second massive lesson for the day. I run better to music that makes me happy. It was a battle through the pain when I was listening to Axel F (something I have always enjoyed, but never really loved). THEN on came Come on Eileen. At which point the pain went away, I started grinning like a fool and running down the road with my head up and eyes closed.

Okay, so besides the part where it's not too smart to run blind, that was a major breakthrough.

The song egged me on because I associate it so closely with some of the very best moments in my life. Dancing with my Freaky Friends at the Writers' House in college. Dancing with my Freaky Friends at four different weddings, including my own. Realizing that if I can't run for the whole song, what makes me think I can still boogie down when the song makes me hit the dance floor?

So now I need to go back and make an ultra-favey-80s-running mix.

And get back out there again on Thursday whether I HURT or not.