Friday, September 17, 2010

Student Teaching - Week 1

TGIF!

Today marks the end of my first week of student teaching at SFMS. It started off slowly, but things picked up on Wednesday when I got to introduce myself to some of the students while they were working at their tables. These kids are great and I can tell it's going to be a great semester!

I already have my eye on a few particular students. Three of them are very bright and they clearly enjoy math and have a talent for it. One girl told me she hates math because she's terrible at it. I asked her if after I find a way for her to improve her math skills, if she would like math more. She replied "yeah, but good luck." Bring it on!

(Also, screw my weight loss. I have no time and this week I gained 0.8 pounds. Whatever.)

For Monday's class I need to think of a get-to-know-you activity that will involve the students in creating or finding patterns. I'll have to think about that one.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

End of Weight Watchers Week 3

This week: -1 pound

Overall: -3.6 pounds





I didn't work out AT ALL this week. I wanted to, but it never happened. How do I make it happen? Hopefully this cooler weather will keep up and maybe I can actually walk to school and go to the
gym after class.



I have a ton of boring reading to do, and after spending 20+ hours on a single math assignment without finishing it, I'm a bit exhausted and ready to give up.



Food: After having lunch with my cousin with a perfect body, I went out and bought this GNC shake mix. It doesn't taste like chalk! I like it. One shake is 3 WW points. A bit expensive, though. =/
I have also become a fan of my very own cereal/yogurt mixture. I combine 1/2 cup of Fiber One with 1/2 cup of blueberry granola clusters from Fresh & Easy with any flavor of the Fiber One Yogurt. It's filling and yummy, and with a side of fruit it counts as my lunch.


Tuesday, August 31, 2010

End of Weight Watchers Week 2

This week: +1.6 pounds
Overall: -2.4 pounds


Dammit.

I was so upset after the meeting that as soon as I got home, I went to the gym. I'm hoping to go again on Thursday before class... we'll see how that goes.

I'm disappointed.

Monday, August 30, 2010

LOUD NOISES

Today was so hectic that I forgot to eat lunch since it wasn't in my phone schedule. (See, I have so much going on that I must put everything in my phone with a reminder/alert, otherwise nothing will get done.)

Please pray that I will never lose my phone.

I have to weigh in tomorrow at WW and I haven't been to the gym at all this week. Poop. I have also been eating lost of frozen yogurt and cereal. =(

School: I get to read two chapters from two different books and write reflections about them by Wednesday. I also get to read the Teacher Performance Expectations (found here) and reflect on all of them individually.

So, I'm off to read. This used to be a fun and relaxing activity. I will miss those days.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

San Fernando Middle School

On Thursday I found out that I will most likely be student teaching at San Fernando Middle School. Here are some facts I would like to share about SFMS.
  • The diversity rank is 1/10, meaning the chances of any two students having a different ethnic background is slim: the student population is 97.1% Latino.
  • Nearly half (49.7%) of the student are English language learners.
  • 74% of the students receive free or reduced-priced lunch.
  • The school's Academic Performance Index (API) is 1/10, which means their test scores are in the bottom 10% of the state.
  • In 2010, only 21.6% of the students scored "proficient or above" in math on STAR testing, and only 26.8% did so in English.
  • In 2009, the school missed 12 of the 21 federal targets in No Child Left Behind.
Below is a map I obtained from http://www.lapdcrimemaps.org/. It is centered around SFMS, and shows a 4 mile radius of the crimes that were reported in the past 7 days.




















I've started brushing up on my Spanish thanks to Rosetta Stone. I'm a bit nervous.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

End of Weight Watchers Week 1

I *officially* lost 4 pounds this week. Score!

It turns out losing weight isn't impossible if you have time, money, patience, and a ton of self control. (It helps having a boyfriend or someone else who can cheer you on and do it with you.)

Thanks Mom and Bob. =)


As far as school goes, I have only been to 2 of my 5 classes so far, both of them graduate math classes. I love them.

I need ideas for quick food that I can bring to school with me that doesn't need to be refrigerated. I don't have a cooler and I won't carry one since I have too much other stuff to carry and I have to walk. Suggestions?