Educational Math
I know, 2 posts in the same week. I was feeling inspired at 8:45 tonight on my way home. It just so happens the 2 ideas both have to do with math...
First, some numbers to crunch:
12 x 180 = 2160
# of hours worked in a day by me x number of teaching days in a school year = number of hours worked in a school year (9 months)
40 x 52 = 2080
# of hours worked in an average work week x number of weeks in a year = number of hours worked in a calendar year (12 months)
2160 - 2080 = 80
# of hours I work in 9 months of teaching - # of hours worked by the average 9-5 worker = number of additional hours I work in my 9 months compared to their 12 months
All this to say, I've earned my summers off, because I've ALREADY WORKED THOSE HOURS!
Second
I've been teaching so much math in my science class right now that I'm sick of it! The students aren't getting the science because of the math, which is really frustrating. I mean, truthfully, I'm not a math teacher, I'm not interested in being a math teacher, and would not consider myself qualified to be a math teacher! Yet that's what I'm having to do right now and its making me sick! As much as I'm sure I'd get in trouble, I'm really considering bringing in my Math Sucks sign and hanging it prominently in my classroom.
I mean, seriously! How am I supposed to get students excited about science when all we do is lame, boring, number crunching with the icky math crap?!
Ok, I'm done for now.
3 Comments:
And 2,080 is only the number of hours we get paid for. My company gives us 10 vacation days, 10 holidays and 5 sick days a year. That's 200 hours less actually worked. That may be the same with teaching, though?
Of course, some companys are more demanding of time than others and their employees make up some of those 200 hours in unpaid overtime.
Ryan, last year my mom taught a combined math/science class at BCS for some of the slowest learning kids in the school. She might have some insight into how she made the number-crunching more compelling. I can give you contact information if you want.
And however boring and "icky" math may seem, it is probably the most important thing you can teach them. Obviously they aren't getting it from their math classes, so you have to step up. And in case you feel picked on, please know that it doesn't get any better. Many times Ian told me his math class was boring becaused he'd already had to learn the same stuff in his engineering classes.
Gary
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