There are days when I love my job. Days when I know that some students combated their ignorance with their effort and triumphed. Days when I lay my head on my pillow at night knowing that I did my very best and I changed lives.
Today was not one of those days.
Today was a “Put on Rage Against the Machine and scream at the steering wheel on the way to a church board meeting” days.
(NOTE: That video probably has some swearing in it. So does this post.)
I mean, most of my classes were fine. Kids worked hard, performed well in groups, and built on basic skills AND graphingb a quite successful day.
Except 4th period.
Like a swarm of locusts, they descended on my ramp. Already pushing, yelling, and making inappropriate jokes. I held out my hand for them to shake (as I do every day) and one student flat out refused.
I knew a storm was brewing.
I battened down the hatches and piloted a new game for them, but it was no use. I sent two students to the office before we even finished the warm-up. They made it clear they had no intention of contributing to the class, yet I felt a twinge of regret as I called for their escortb surely I could have done something differently.
The day progressed and three students earned detentions (gum, gum, and continued disruption) before we did our 6 times tables and left.
Then the real show began.
Figure 2: An orderly and respectful classroom
Ryan stayed after school to grudgingly serve his gum detention. I instructed him to move the desks into the configuration I projected on the wall.
b Ib m hungry! I donb t wanna do anything!b
Deep breath. b Ryan, you have two options: You can do 15 minutes with me without complaining or you can do two lunch detenb b
b But Ib m hungry! I donb t wanna do this!b
b Is that your choice then? The two lunch detentions? I can have Ms. Holwood call you out tomorrow to talk about it.b
b b &no.b Ryan stuck up his lip in a perfect teenage sneer. This could have been the cover of Teenage Sneer Monthly.
Figure 3: The “Hiding Gin In A Water Bottle” Issue
b Okay, then. Your two options are 15 minutes with me without complaining or interrupting, or two lunch detentions with Ms. Holwood. Whatb s it gonna be?b
b Here!b
For the next two minutes, Ryan held a desk and wiggled it when I looked his way. Then he acted surprised when I sent him out.
He paused at the door and screamed, b I hate you!b before pounding a chair and my door with his fists and storming down my ramp.
Figure 4: How he felt vs. How he sounded
Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. My students mostly like meb even the ones that dislike me donb t hate me.
I felt like absolute shit for a couple hours, even though experts in teenage defiance (the RSP teacher, my youth pastor wife) assured me that it was just b what they dob .
Doesn’t matter. I felt (and still feel) that I could have done something different to avoid this situation without compromising the order of my classroom.
Oh, well. I have two days without Ryan in my classroom to think about it. Heb s on class suspension pending a parent conference. I guess that means I win.
Sure donb t feel like a winner.
Concerned Parents Against Funfetti
UPDATE 10 October 2012
After a phone conference with dad and a day of class suspension, Ryan and I agreed on a hand signal for him to indicate to me when he is getting angry.
Today’s art project and lesson went swimmingly for all classes (including 4th period sans Ryan). Today I feel like a winner.
I hate talking about myself, which is why I’m writing a post about it.
On Friday, I had 6 adults in my classroom during one period. The Math Coach from another school came over with one of her teachers and the Director of IT from the district office. The RSP teacher and my math coach joined them and my principal happened to drop by for a visit that day.
“Guys, it’s a little tight in here.”
Later, I got two more emails from people asking to come (with guests) and watch the iPad class. I’m not doing anything spectacular with the iPads, but it’s the big thing right now and apparently that makes me a hot ticket.
My principal did little to dispel my discomfort.
“In your class, you’ve made the iPad a part of the regular day. That’s what they want to see.”
There’s a circus in town, and the tent is in room P-08.
“Come one, come all! Watch me use an Apple TV!”
Recently, a new teacher posted on his/her blog “I want to skip to when I’m established in my craft, after all this hard work of becoming a good teacher.”
I thought that was interesting; because the established teachers that I know rarely feel that they have “arrived”.
Established teachers are the ones who improve daily.
Teachers who don’t improve haven’t “arrived”, they’ve stagnated.
;
I don’t feel like I deserve all the focus–the attention the iPad circus is getting.
That’s okay that I don’t deserve it. I haven’t arrived yet.
We all have done it. We all have complained about homework.
Too much, too hard, too often, too confusing, too boring, too dry, too unrelated, too specific, too stinky: take your pick.
For teachers, this presents an interesting predicament; as students, we complained, now we have the chance to do something about it.
My first year teaching, I took over for another teacher after two weeks. I continued what she did. Would any of us do different?
Itb s like parenting. We pass on what we received because we knowB it. Not because it worked well, not because itb s easy, but because itb s familiar.
Over the last 6 years, I have struggled to find a fair way to do homework. (Feel free to skip reading this portion unless youb re a teacher.)
Year 1: Assigned 20-30 problems every day from the book. It was too much, students hated it.
Completion: about 15% of students on a given day.
Year 2: Assigned less than 10 problems per day, and I started naming each book assignment (alphabetically) to keep them straight. Students were more likely to complete them AND they didnb t pile up. Itb s much easier to say b Take out HENRYb than it is to say b Take out page 137, numbers 6-16 even and 23-37 oddb .
Completion: 35% per day
Year 3: Began adding projects, worksheets, and other less conventional homeworks to mix it up.
Completion: 40-50%
Year 4: Drowning under the weight of 8 preps (12 different grading rosters) I revert back to whatb s easy: problems from the book.
Completion: 30-60% depending on the class.
Year 5: New School! A combination of named assignments from the book, worksheets, workbooks, and projects.
Completion: 70-80%
All of that was missing the point, the driving force, the reason:
A few weeks ago, Fawn Nguyen started a discussion about Standards-Based Grading, where teachers grade based on the mastery of a skill, not based on points and “work”. Below is that conversation (because I covered pretty much everything I have to say about it, for now).
This post is written for teachers. Sorry other readers (Mom), but you will likely be bored by what appears to be a discussion in minutia. Feel free to read on if you’ve a taste for pain.
I couldn’t resist a chance to use this picture.
(Clarifications and links have been added that weren’t in the actual email.)
From: Matt Vaudrey
Hey, Fawn.
I just read your post about starting the year. You’ve clearly done more work for your craft this summer than I have, and I’m curious about how your SBG is going. I tried it with my HS students, but abandoned it when I moved to the Middle School, where “the study skills are important” (my math coach).
From: Fawn Nguyen
Hi Matt, I had to chuckle getting your email because I’m nowhere with SBG! Yes, I’ve read a lot, so lots of things in my head but they all need to be sorted out…
But two things for sure I know I’ll start in 2 weeks:
1. stop grading homework
2. allow test retakes (and test A LOT fewer items, more smaller quizzes, no big chapter tests)
Kids probably think they’re in a “dream” class given these two things.
So, I’ll definitely be “doing” SBG-like stuff, but I just don’t have anything written down yet.
I need to think through the 2 items. Now that you’re asking, let me think aloud:
Homework logistics: 5 to max 10 problems a night, answers posted somewhere (online? outside class?), those who do NOT do them must come in at lunch (or something, but then this kinda punishes me to babysit them during lunch, UGH), periodic homework quiz then?
Test retakes: biggest challenge of making at least 3 versions of a test/quiz. Then how/when/where are retakes held at?
There’s another teacher teaching math, and it’s not fair to her that I decide to go off on SBG on the 11th hour like this. So my compromise is what I’ve stated above, just start with those 2 items. But no rubrics/concept standards yet (FOR SURE I don’t have time to write these this year). Just normal points from “normal” quizzes, just given in smaller chunks…
Good point about middle schoolers and study skills. Hmmmm… come to think of it, just how many MS teachers are doing SBG? The big ones Cornally and Bowman and Shah and Elizabeth and Kate are all high school teachers! Interesting, might throw this out on Twitter to see.
There, you just allowed me to put some thoughts down in writing about SBG more than I ever have 🙂 What are you thinking of doing? So did you even try it at all at the middle school?
From: Matt Vaudrey
Yo, Fawn.
My own experience with SBG was:
at best, a way to minimize work for me while making the grading system easier to understand
at worst, a half-hearted attempt to create an easy final project.
This was a school were any classroom innovation was purely intrinsic, received no praise, no critique, and no acknowledgement. Which is why I left.
Hereb s what I did for one year with no outside input (this was pre-Twitter for me).
No more graded homework. I still go over the answers every day, and if students (I had seniors) wanted to copy, they were more than welcome to.
Every Wednesday (minimum day, 40 minute periods) we had a Homework Quiz, with problems taken off the homework for that week. If they were up to date on the homework, they got 100%, thus boosting their quiz-test scores while demonstrating mastery of key concepts.
Four-point rubrics for everything. That way, a zero for a missing assignment doesnb t tank their grade. (See here for more reading on that.)
Throughout the year, students received b Standards Mastery Sheetsb (see attached) after a test. I checked that these were included in their notebooks, but other than that, I didnb t grade them fully until the end of the semester. As you can see, they had to demonstrate mastery in key concepts, sometimes making up their own problem and explaining the steps.
I had a 5-point rubric for this.
I named each one with an alphabetical name; itb s more fun than b standard 4b .
After I graded them, I laid all of them out and looked for copies. If they copied, they received a zero (BOTH copiers).
Thenb and Ib m pretty proud of thisb I announced to each class, b If you copied or let someone copy, you may come to me now and ask for a fresh one. If you donb t think I caught you, feel free to stay silent. You are dismissed.b
Roughly 60% of the class copied at least one.
I added a grading category for each standard (which took a while) and made a point to create assignments that dealt with one standard at a time. In Trig and Geometry, it was pretty easy to do.
At the end of the semester, when students come by during lunch to ask for extra credit, I point them to the Mastery file and say, b Show me what you know. Your grades for Standard 4 were low, so take DELTA.b
I think it could have gone well if I had stayed at the high school. At the middle school level, they canb t connect the dots between b doing homeworkb and b understanding the topics on the HW Quizb . The high-school students would say out loud in class on Wednesdays, b Shit. I gotta start doing the homework.b
Regarding your re-takes, thatb s a separate issue than SBG, I think. It could be solved by doing 5-question, consecutively numbered quizzes a la Dan Meyer. In my class, students must study at home for 90 minutes observed by a parent or guardianb who sign off on a study log (attached)b before they are allowed a re-take. This dramatically cuts down the number of re-takes. My first year, I had a student who re-took quizzes ad nauseum until he got 100% on every one. I stopped changing the version just because I was sick of it (and was also a terrible teacher).
Fawn concluded our e-mail thread with a short note, mentioning:
Lots of people have lots of questions about SBG because it’s not a one-size-fits-all, (is anything in education?) so the more conversations, the better.
Well put, Mrs. Nguyen.
Below are some more readings on the subject and the attachments that I mentioned.
It’s a phrase that my mom used when I was young. “We’re gonna have a Come to Jesus meeting when you get home about your grades in English.”
A balding preacher springs to my mindb white knuckles gripping the podiumb leaning toward the congregation and flecking the front row with frothy vengeance, screaming, b Turn from thy wickedways!b
Thatb s certainly how I felt on Thursday with my iPad class.
On Wednesday, I got an email from one of the P.E. teachers describing her discontent with my students using their iPads to take pictures, play games, and dick around during P.E. class.
She probably didnb t say b dick aroundb . Thatb s an embellishment.
This emailb copied to my administrators, of courseb gave voice to a sentiment that other teachers were probably feeling; I donb t know what to do with these things.Can I confiscate them? Can I discipline the students for taking them out?
I sent an email apologizing for the students and assuring that I would deal with it. I sent an email with the iPad policies to the whole staff, then cracked my knuckles and waited for the iPad class to stumble unwittingly into 3rd period.
As they entered, I shook everyoneb s hand (as I do every day) and said, b Good morning! Please put your iPad in the cart and have a seat.b
Then I came to my podium.
b Teachers have been complaining about this class. [dramatic pause] They say that you are taking your iPads out in other classes, taking pictures, playing games, and letting other students use them. [dramatic eye contact with the offenders] You all know what the expectations are; you signed a contract and so did your parents. You know what to do, and youb re making me look bad. So today, web re going to practice how to have a class without the iPad, so you know how your other classes should look. Clearly, you need some practice.b
Then I put on a smile and we went through the period. I thought they got the point.
The next day, I caught two different students playing games in my class. I directed them to put their iPads in the cart, and their responses were:
b What? Ib m done already.b
and b Why?b
To the second student, I fixed him with my best teacher stare and asked in a low tone, b Is that a serious question?b
He wisely didnb t respond.
I quite enjoy Halloween. I love to put on a costume and be somebody different for a short while. Itb s not because I donb t like my usual self, but itb s just so fun to be somebody new for a little bit.
Thatb s why Ib m comfortable being a hardass in short installments. I like when everyone in my class is happy, but teachers will tell you that a teacher who is only happy will result in a class that is only unruly.
For those two students, I began taking deep breaths about 10 minutes before the period ended, preparing myself to instill the fear of the Lord in them.
When the class ended, I motioned for those two to wait, and the RSP teacher to also stick around. I brought them over to my desk and showed them a copy of the student/parent contract.
b This is the contract that you and your parent signed. This bullet point says I will use the iPad for academic purposes during school hours in accordance with the rules set forth by MVUSD. You both were well aware of the rulesb especially after our conversation yesterdayb but you chose to break them anyway. In this contract, the penalty is removal from this program and this class. We will have a meeting this weekend to see if you should be removed. Ib ll let you know what we decide on Tuesday. Youb re dismissed.b
Two wide-eyed and trembling teens trudged out the door. Once it closed, I turned to the RSP teacher and asked, b Too much?b
Her eyes were also wide. b No! That was awesome!b
Then I called their parents and gave them the same discussion. I predict two very remorseful students in my 3rd period on Tuesday.
“This is worse than when Nemo died and I had to flush him.”
Furthermoreb and this is the part that my wife doesnb t getb Ib m buying myself an easier year by sacrificing these two little lambs on the altar. Because middle-school students gossip like two old church ladies at bridge club.
You can guarantee that every other student in the class will be terrified to use a game in class, which is exactly what I wanted. Thatb s why I was comfortable wearing the Red-Faced Preacher mask for a few minutes.
So that I can be Happy Math Teacher for the rest of the year.
UPDATE 2013 January 31st: One of the aforementioned little lambs didn’t come to Jesus, and was removed from the course after his next offense a month later.
Ever heard of the John Muir Trail? That (and my wife’s mission trip with her youth group) isB where I’ve been for the last month. Some people have complained, and they need to lighten up.
Mario: “I think [this class] is fair because everyones idea is respected.”
Deja: “It’s fun and I can’t wait to get to this class.”
Sara: “Mr. V grades fairly but is too nice with giving good grades, (not that that’s a bad thing).”
Jose: “I’m fine with my grade because I know I didn’t try my hardest.”
These are the kind of student responses that help me form my class for the next year. I read each one, every year.
The prompt goes something like this:
“Gentlemen and Ladies, you are going to grade me [pause for incredulous exclamations]. I want to know how to be a better teacher, so you’re going to grade me honestly. And don’t spare my feelings. You must fill out the whole thing.
You don’t need to put your name at the top–it can be anonymous if you want. I will read every one of these. Also, if you give me all As or all Fs, I’ll know that you didn’t care and I’ll burn it…laughing while I do.”
As with anything I field a few space-head questions (“Do I put my name on it?” “Can I give you all A’s?”) then turn them loose.
I change up the questions every year, (the 2012 download is at the bottom of this page) and this year, I used a whole back page for short-response questions.
Itb s one last chance for me to squeeze some clarity into their year.I get authentic, unfiltered assessment straight from the horseb s mouth.Sometimes itb s cute and flatteringb &…sometimes it’s sarcastic, but well-mannered*…b &sometimes itb s legitimate great feedback, andb &…occasionally it’s cringeworthy–but necessary–feedback.Also, they’re teenagers. The ones that say I’m not fair are often the ones that got in trouble that week.
I figured this question was a good way to get a quick two-sentence summary, and Ib ve learned a lot about how students view the b themeb of my class.
*The “test-day shirt” to which Sara refers is this one, shown here on Crazy Hat Spirit Day (with a student drawing of me wearing it). I wear the Test Shirt every test day (including all 5 State-test days) as a way to lighten the mood for students with test anxiety.
UPDATE 13 July 2012:
Andy‘s right; I should mention what I learned from this experience.
In previous years, I’ve noticed startling trends in theB fairness category. I would consistent low marks when it came to “treating all students the same” or “giving consistent expectations”.B Fortunately, I know the students’ penmanships well enough to ask the class as a whole for further feedback. Some of those chats went like this:
Vaudrey: A lot of people marked me low for fairness. Why do you think that is?
(This is about June–most of them are checked out. Or they know me well enough to know that tactfully, respectful criticism will be well-received)
Maria: Well, sometimes you treat certain students with more second chances.
Jose: Yeah, like when I got detention for talking during the test, but Jamal talks all the time. (Several students nod).
Vaudrey: You’re right; that doesn’t sound fair. Anything else?
If I prove that I won’t get butt-hurt by student feedback, then the class gets a little more bold in their assessments.
Sarah: Sometimes, your morning breath is really bad.
Drew: Yeah, like dog crap.
Vaudrey: Whoa! We’re getting a little carried away. Sarah, thanks for your honesty. Drew, keep in mind that we’re focusing on improving my class, okay? Anybody else?
In full disclosure, here’s what I learned from this year’s reports:
Middle school students have much less to bitch about than high school students.
About 15-20% of students would like more explanation on tough topics. Nobody said my teaching pace was too slow.
Most of the students liked my class. A few studentsB really liked my class. That felt good.
I’m doing a better job of treating all students fairly. (That sample conversation was from a few years back.)
For next year, I should teach more closely to the standards, so students see common questions beforeB the test.
For next year, I should keep the class under tighter control. In recent years, I’ve slacked on classroom management because I taught seniors. Eighth graders need a little heavier hand.
Man! My life has been a blur the last 2 week! A few things before I start:
I’m unaccustomed to writing math-centered posts (which you’ve noticed if you read anything prior to the Mullet Ratio). Though I’m still pretty green, I’m thrilled to be involved in the “mathblogosphere”, for which, there must be a better name.
The Barbie Bungee lesson was planned in way less time than the Mullet Lesson, which was in the works for weeks. I was saving pictures, constructing the worksheets, planning my own mullet since April, and it still makes me a little embarrassed to know that people are downloading it. I would have changed this color, updated that picture, or tweaked this font. And the Barbie Bungee lesson was largely planned the morning of. Polished and perfect, it’s not.
In the last week, I got a few thousand hits on the Mullet Lesson, a few dozen tweets about it from people I’ve never met, and it’s been taught in Orange County, the Netherlands, and maybe some places in between. Plus, I got tagged to teach an iPad class with digital textbooks next year and I finished BTSA. Now I’m writing this post, finally. Again, polished and perfect, it’s not.
So, like a proctologist about to scope, I ask that you keep #2 in mind. Remember that teaching and learning are both about improvement over time, and this lesson will likely improve.
Prologue
Saturday, for the TEAMS grant at UC-Riverside, a couple teachers talked about Barbie Bungee and I figured I could call the ante and raise the stakes. I sketched some schematics for a bungee platform and began testing prototypes a few days before the Bungee lesson (Thursday/Friday). I finished up building 9 more of them last night.
It’s not too hard. It’s exactly how it looks. Those angles are 45 degrees and each one hooked onto the chain-link fence outside my class so students could raise and lower the platform to various heights.
Students’ only homework this week was for their group to bring in a doll. I advised them on size, weight, and clothing (one student gel-painted a bikini because she couldn’t find Barbie’s shirt), and stored them in class, tagged by period.
Late last night, I wondered in a panic, “Do I have enough content to fill the 90 minutes for two days?”
I turned to my teaching advisor, Google. It turns out I’m nowhere near the first teacher (as I found out via Twitter) to try a Barbie Bungee lesson.
…and many of them more epic than my plan.
NCTM’s Illuminations had some good questions for students. The Math Lab obviously planned their blog post, with pictures and stuff. Mr. Pederson filmed his class doing the bungee off the bleachers. Fawn Nguyen has been doing it for years, and even planned hers for the same day as me! Talk about being born under the same geeky star! I hope someday my Barbie Bungee lesson will be as involved and pointed as hers. You nailed it, Fawn! Fabulous work.
Seriously, teachers. If you’re interested in this lesson, go to her page first. I guarantee it’s worth your time.
Day 1
After the warm-up, announcements, and whatever, I show these two videos:
Purists will note that the second video (a Russian Missile silo) isn’t technically bungee jumping; they’re using what rock climbers call static rope, which doesn’t stretch. Meaning that they fall about 15-20 meters and are yanked at the bottom. Russians have a different meaning for fun, I suppose.
This is the front row at a KISS concert in Moscow.
But back to Barbies.
I started a discussion first (low-entry point, everybody’s involved).
What do you think the world’s first bungee jumpers thought about?
What makes a bungee jump exciting?
What are the dangers in a bungee jump?
I framed our plan for the day, passed out the pink papers (attached below) and set them to work.
This part was pretty easy. They began building bungee cords, threading their platforms and heading outside to bunge. The GATE (Honors) students finished fairly quickly, some even wanting to go higher (which I saved for day 2).
Memorable quotes:
“What if they don’t hit the ground on the first try?”
“It’s okay to smash their face a little bit, right?”
And my favorite:
“Can I tape her dress down? She’s flashing the goodies with every jump.”
Day 2:
Students were notified that Barbie was to jump 203 centimeters today.
Before we go further, here’s what yesterday’s pink worksheet looked like (Attachment below):
Mathematicians, you’ll note that this is a good time to talk about Ceiling Functions (because you can’t have a 6.3 rubber bands), but I glossed over that for this year.
Students, predictably, added the 60 cm to the 140 cm “then added a little more” to plan for the 203 cm jump. Okay, fine.
Then we took them outside to video as the Barbies jumped 203 cm.
Some classes were very successful, pushing the limits of how close they could get. (and getting frustrated when their doll’s skull cracked the ground).
Then, back inside to answer questions on the back and make calculations for the roof jump.
The janitor had agreed earlier to climb up to the roof and toss the dolls off, two at a time. Of course, I had to build a separate launching platform for the Pavilion roof.
I must really love my job, because I hate drilling pilot holes.
We also taped two yardsticks to the wall, so we could play back the footage and see who “won”. For the more cautious classes, it wasn’t really necessary. Here are all the jumps put together.
Bundle the rubber bands in 20s, then make sure to get all 20 back. (Way easier than counting each group.)
Show that the 60 cm jump is the distance downfrom the ledge, not up to the fence.
For heavy dolls, double up the bungee
Go very slowly to show the class a slipknot for Barbie’s legs.
All told, it was an excellent activity, but not yet a great lesson. Check out Fawn’s post on this. It’s awesome. Mine can get close, but for now it’s just a good year-end activity.
I admit, I would love for my 8th graders to remember a sweet lesson about Systems of Equations (when we used math to convince my wife to buy skis rather than rent them) or something more mathematical than what we did yesterday. But this will probably be the one they tell their parents about.
Mulletude: Just How Mullety Is It?
I was browsing Mr. Piccini’s blog a few weeks ago and came across a simple question: “Who has the more Mullety mullet?”
We’re done with state testing, so why not explore it? Here’s how it went down.
Prologue:
I gave myself a mullet. It was totally worth it; every student came into class with a smile, already curious. It also felt good to say, “Good morning! We’re studying Mullets today.”
A student, certain I was lying, exclaimed to her friend:
“Omigod! Look at the Agenda! It’sB allB about Mullets!”
Part 1: Warm-up
To get them thinking, I started with this mullet question (#1). No numbers, no right answer, just taking a risk and interacting with a foreign subject.
One student said, “No solution. They’re both terrible.” I loved it.
Part 2: What is a Mullet?
I previously discussed the lesson plan with my teammates, and discovered that some of them didn’t know what a mullet was. After the usual start-up business, I went to this slide.
I threw these two beauties on the board and asked, “Which is more Mullety?”
The best part is that students immediately began using the terms I introduced.
Kelsey: The hillbilly has a little too much Party in the back, even though his Business is the same as the cute guy.
Susy: I think the cute guy has the better mullet because it’s more even.
John: Yeah, his Business and Party are moreB B proportional.
“Hold on to that word for later.” I said to John.
Part 3
I then started introducing different mullets, asking which is more Mullety. I knew I’d baited the hook when a student said, “Can we rank their mulletude?”
Yes! Yes, student! Yes, you can! High five!
Part 4: The Mullet Ratio
Students already recognized the vocab from before, so this transition was very smooth. And (here’s the best part) they all jumped on the math with no groaning. Students lunged for their calculators like they were bagels at a hunger strike.
As a sample, I guided the class as we calculated my mullet ratio on the board (See above; it’s 4.73).
“Show me a thumbs up if you got 4.73… okay, good. You’re ready to go.”
Then I took a seat, moved through the slides with a clicker, called on students (using my random cards), and let them discuss.
The above slide (Lionel Richie vs. me in 1989) led to a great discussion on the differences between mullet, afro, and Jerry Curl.
With calculators, they weren’t afraid of large numbers, and they realized that the ratios were still comparable, even when the units were nanometers and miles. After a few slides, we got into a groove, and I could start asking key questions:
“Mark, you calculate the hockey player, Dariana, you get Uncle Jesse”
“Does that answer make sense?”
“Why do you think his ratio is so much higher?”
I also wanted to emphasize that the measurement doesn’t matter; it’s a ratio between two things. This slide and the one above it really drove that home. The Mullet Family caused a fit of giggles in every period, but who cares? It was fun for me.
Highlights: “This is the best homework we’ve ever had.”
“Where did you find all of these?”
Part 5: On Your Own
Then I passed out pipe cleaners and rulers, along with copies of this worksheet:
Students fit the pipe cleaner along the hair, then straightened it onto their rulers to find the measurement of the Party. The Business was usually pretty straight.
Ryan: Jeanine’s is more like a ponytail, is that okay?
Bree: How do I know where the Party ends and the Business begins?
Jose: My uncle has a haircut just like Miguel.
Highlight: For Big Daddy, one student used 0.0001 cm for the Business, and got a mullet ratio of 2.5 million. This led to a great discussion of why that happened. What made the ratio so big?
(Also, I managed to make it the whole day without giggling at “the length of Big Daddy’s Business”.)
Part 6: Your Own Mullet Ratio
After students finished, they found their own ratio, which led to another great mathematical revelation for some of them:
Sara: I don’t evenB have a mullet!
Vaudrey: No, but you do have a Mullet Ratio. So find it. And find the Mullet Ratio of four other people, too.
Students worked for a few minutes, finished up their worksheets, and found each others’ ratios. Now here’s my favorite part of the day:
The Discussion
Oh, and some of them calculated the Mullet Ratio of photos on my Wall of Fame. Joe Jonas isn’t really in my 3rd period.
I quickly recorded all the student ratios into Excel and ranked them, then put it on the board and we had a discussion.
“What does it mean to have a Mullet Ratio of 1.0?”
“What does it mean to have a Mullet Ratio of less than 1.0?”
“Why can’t you have a negative Mullet Ratio?”
Student: “If my hair is longer, how come Karla has a higher ratio than me?”
“What’s the Mullet Ratio for Mr. Krasniak (the bald science teacher)?”
That was my favorite question; the initial yells of “One” and “Zero” turned into “No, wait…B undefined!”
B How I Know It Worked
Look at the Excel chart. Students in other periods got Mullet Ratios in the 20s and 30s, even 40s.
…meaning they falsified their data for a higher mullet ratio, and they knew what they were doing.
Wow. Thank you all for the gushing, I’m humbled.
Thanks to dozens of Twittizens (that’s a real word, right?) who linked this page, to Dan Meyer for his review and kudos, and to Peter Price for his ‘Atta boy.
I got an excellent extension from Mr. Bombastic:
I would like to see some additional questions on this day or the next that do not involve measuring and calculating the ratio (just estimation and mental math). For example, sketch a person with a mullet ratio about half that of Barry; or sketch three different looking people with about the same ratio; or a person whose hair is half as long as Barry with a ratio three times as large; or sketch a person that has a mullet ratio ofb &
Also, from Dan Henrickson:
9. Tom has a Mullet Ratio of 6.2. His party in the back is 19 inches. Find the length of his business in the front.
10. Joe has a mullet ratio of 1.7. Find two possibilities for his hair lengths.
11. Write an equation that models all possibilities for Joeb s business and party. (define the variables used)
12. Graph all possibilities for Joeb s business and party:
Wicked. I’m definitely working those into a warm-up this week, though I’ll probably use the names of students in the class.
When I was a kid, I loved the Friday after Thanksgiving.
My dad would trundle all five of us kids out to the garage to carry in boxes of Christmas decorations and we’d set to work draping the house in greens and reds.
Huddled over a cardboard box, I’d blow the dust off, then lift the flaps and gaze into a mess of ornaments wrapped in newspaper.
That smell… to this day, when we take out the ornaments, I’m reminded of lush green Douglas Fir trees and Johnny Mathis.
Today was the first day back from two weeks of Spring Break.
That’s right, 16 days.
Twenty-three thousand glorious minutes of restful mornings, cleaning projects, and video games.
Today, when I returned to my class, the smell took me back. The class had sat, unoccupied for 4.4% of a year, and in that time, had reverted back to the same smell that it had when I walked in on August 5th, 2011.
On August 5th, I pulled up to my new job, excited with the prospect of a new school, new colleagues, new students, and a new culture. I unloaded the cardboard boxes from my car with the same excitement as when my family decorated our house in the wheat fields of Eastern Washington fifteen years ago.
Even though the students dreaded returning to school today, I started the day with the enthusiasm of Christmas boxes.
