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:
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- This is just the envelope. That’s right, an envelope from scratch.
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- Hunter Hayes? That’s a made-up name for a tall black man with a deep voice and a beard. Shaft’s older brother.
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- Say “Boothang” without giggling or sticking your chin out. You can’t. I tried.
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- Be Mines? How many people will receive this Valentine?
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- Dear Family! Oh, what a delightful child.
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- Spent all 90 minutes making the card with NO math in it? Nice.
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- Notice the “You stitched it together” over the broken heart. Adolescence.
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- Dear Secret Person,
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- “Fine, I’ll just make up a name. Bob.”
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- This is from a shy boy with terrible handwriting, but there are 5 hearts nestled together. What a nice surprise.
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- This student took her Valentine home and redid the whole thing on fancy paper.
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- She had a lot to say, but nobody to whom to say it.
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- Another “Secret Person”. I wonder if it’s an actual student. What an unfortunate, (yet mysterious) name.
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- “The formula of love is me + you.” Sheer poetry.
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- Adorable.
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- Wait… what’s that in the middle there? Zoom in!
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- Oh, baby. This takes the cake! How many As can one student earn?
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
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This is marvelous, but far too many of your students are unaware of the contraction “you’re”. You should probably have a chat with the English department.
Matt you are a creative teacher. My memories from these years all of teachers trying to be untimidators, walking around with their hands on their hips just daring you to step out of line. Pn spite of this I still remember Pythagoras.