Yesterday

Yesterday, I was greeted by students at the door. Fistpounds, handshakes, daps, and smiles all around.

Yesterday, I walked in and looked around the room. Everyone was on their feet at a whiteboard. Engagement was everywhere.

Yesterday, BM and VU, who have been struggling as of late, leaned into the warm up. They were working on opposite ends of the room, but arrived at the same result: the correct average rate of change. Afterwards, VU admitted openly to the class that he has had a hard time understanding recent topics, and that it felt great to nail today’s warm up.

Yesterday, after the warm up, YM was eager to read off our daily announcements. He stepped up in a major way.

Yesterday, the Token of Appreciation got passed to JR, by BM.

Yesterday, EB demanded to take this week’s DeltaMath bonus shot. The class honored his self-belief and voted for him. He stepped to the +40% line, grabbed the ball, and sunk it on his third and final attempt. The class erupted.

Yesterday, I gave out the first Bracelet and Paper plane Awards (BPAs) of the year. These are weekly awards hand-crafted by my son and daughter that I give out to two deserving students each week for their hard work, kindness, and persistence. VU and DS were yesterday’s recipients. It DS’s birthday earlier this week and VU impressed me at tutoring on Tuesday.

Yesterday, I handed out The Half-Sandwich, another weekly tradition that recognizes students for their strong efforts. This week, I AB earns it for her leadership. She is the self-proclaimed “other teacher in the room” and has even begun praising classmates for their good work.

Yesterday, my annual Mystery Prize Game was a hoot. The students were hype about the prizes, and stealing and drama is ever-present. The finale lived up to its name. The students walked out of the room with a memorable laugh.

Yesterday, throughout class, the Classroom Crews all assumed their responsibilities flawlessly. YM read the announcements, AB handed out stickers for high-quality work, MO handed back graded papers and conducted the seat-change poll, JR answered the class phone, TM and BM erased the whiteboards, JA counted and organized the calculators, and NP pushed in the chairs.

Yesterday, period 2 showed me what they’re made of.

Yesterday, I had the best class of the year.

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