daily tasks...

This post is part of the BlogHer #NaBloPoMo challenge.

Day 2 Prompt: Which daily tasks take up the most of your energy?

Umm. Let's see...paperwork? Attendance, grades, emails, etc. could be at the top of my list as there seems to be an abundance of paperwork. And although these unending tasks require a fair share of my energy, I would have to say assessment consumes most of my energy.

And by "assessment" I don't mean quizzes and tests. I'm referring to the constant question that replays in my brain..."Is he/she really getting it?!?"

I am always analyzing if each individual student is grasping the current concept, maintaining the understanding of past concepts so as to apply to the current concept, and understanding the current concept deeply enough to move forward for future concepts. Now THAT is exhausting!

Winter break is always a welcomed event in the Tilmon house. The girls love to have no routine for a couple of weeks. I love that too! And I also love the freedom that allows me extra time to reflect on the first semester and our progress.

I spent some of this Winter Break fine tuning my analysis of my students' progress on their algebra mastery assessments. After reviewing progress on each standard, I aligned the games and review questions on MangaHigh with each Common Core standard within our first semester units. (A huge thanks to my 21st Century math partner in crime, John Seidel, for introducing me to this amazing website! Seriously...the site had everything aligned...I just played the matching game.)

So when classes resume next week, each of my algebra students will have a set of online games to play that are tied directly to their specific areas that need improvement. This will be our anchor activity for the next six weeks.


My winter break ends today! It's back to school tomorrow for teachers while students return on Monday. I hope you have thoroughly enjoyed your time away from the classroom. May these days allow you to stock pile energy for the semester ahead.

Happy Wednesday to YOU...make it count!