Back to Reality

Well the easy living of summer has come to an end.  I knew it was coming but the knowledge of it happening does not make the actual event happening any easier.  Now, if you are not a teacher and you are reading this I am sure you are mocking me and saying something sassy in your head like "oh poooor you.  You have the whole summer off and now you have to go back to work. Waaaah."  Okay fine, sass me all you want, but you don't know what it's like to be a teacher.  We earn those eight weeks off!  I cannot even express to you the level of exhausted I have been the last three weeks.  Summer made me forget just how tiring teaching is (summer also made me realize that I would be VERY good at being independently wealthy). 

Regardless of how tired it makes me, school is back in full swing.  My classes are great so far, and I cannot really foresee any big behavior issues.  One of the major perks of teaching Physics, a senior level elective, is that I generally teach students who are well behaved and somewhat motivated. 

I started the year off right with a picture of back to school minions on the board when my students walked into my classroom. I love and want my own minions. I also love the movie they come from--Despicable Me.  Not only is it entertaining, but there is also a lot of Physics to be found. I mean, there is a villain named Vector in it, that just screams PHYSICS!  Some students loved the reference, and some don't get it (because they haven't seen the movie, something I should send them to the Box of Shame for but I resist on day one) but I think overall they like the light moment on the first day of class.

In an attempt to incorporate more STEM activities into my classes (an initiative I am working on thanks to a workshop I went to put on by the Boston Museum of Science this summer) I had my students practice the scientific method by building paper towers, a classic activity and always a hit--particularly when there is a prize involved for the winner!

The winners this year were two girls pictured at the right (don't worry, their faces don't look like blurs in real life--I'm just protecting their identity!) They managed to build a tower that was 150 cm tall with only one sheet of paper and 30 centimeters (yup we use the metric system in my class even though we are in 'Merica!) of tape!  Incredible. 

Overall, even with the exhaustion (which has been getting in the way of my daily exercise but that's a conversation for another day) the year is off to a good start.  I feel more confident in what I am doing and that is a great feeling.  On tap for tomorrow, measuring speed and testing the accuracy of my newest classroom toy--a RADAR gun!!