Substitute days are tricky for a teacher. A successful lesson for the sub is one where these things happen:

  •  Students are productive (Read: BUSY) the whole period doing something mathematical
  • …yet are happy to see me when I return.
  • The sub is happy that the class worked hard.
  • And my classroom is intact, nothing stolen, punched, or burned down.

To that end, this was a successful lesson, just like last year. I left a sample list of some words they could use and they got to work.

Here are some of my favorites:

And, as usual, a Valentine for my wife using stolen lines from the student work:

Dear Andrea,

The formula of love is Me + You. You are the solution to all my problems. Your expressions are the cutest ever. You add happiness to my soul, you intersect my heart. You give me the power to do anything I desire.

You’re the numerator to my fraction. You and I equal a perfect square. You’re so radical; I want us to be binomials.

Roses are red, Violets are blue,
But the only flower I choose…

…is you.

Love,

Hunter Hayes

Thisguycouldbehunterhayes