It's hard to believe, but there is only one quarter left in school! This has been by far the most eventful quarter all year, with the CAPT testing going on, all of the excitement about my contest, and, most importantly, some of the incredible efforts put in by a great many students this quarter. It's humbling to see so many of the stories you're about to see every day.
First round of props go to our two students of the marking period from Practical Chemistry: Kary A. and Henry R. These students have put in remarkable efforts and changes to their academic routine that saw them propel themselves to academic success the likes of which they've never seen before. Kary's efforts elevated her grade from a C last quarter to an A+ this quarter and Henry took his failing grade last quarter and changed it into a B+. These students did this with a large dose of responsibility, maturity, and hard work; three qualities that will get you far in life no matter which career you choose. Huge congratulations must be awarded to these two students. Sporting similar turnarounds were Jose V., Victoria L., Gordon H. and George H. Great job to all!
We had some real excitement in the past marking period with the contest I was nominated to participate in. In case you weren't aware, I was nominated as one of ten finalists in GOOD Magazine's Great American Teach-Off, a competition to find America's most innovative teachers. This contest involved production of several videos which many students helped me out in. Part of what makes my job so incredibly rewarding is the enthusiasm shared by my students about this humbling honor. Students from last year offered to help, almost every class had ideas of how to participate in the videos, and about twenty students volunteered to be interviewed on camera for this video. I look back on this contest (which I didn't win, but it was still incredible to even be in it) and still feel as though I walked out with the greatest prize of them all - the opportunity to share such an exciting time with the students. I have to offer my personal gratitude to everyone who helped make those videos. Thank you.
Next quarter is the start of some really exciting chemistry. For Practical Chemistry, we have begun work on our spaceship project, something that I started last year that runs throughout the whole quarter. Last year, we had students making ships out of legos, marshmallows, and wood. This is a great opportunity for students to show their creative and imaginative side while learning a whole lot about environmental chemistry in the process. In Chemistry, we have begun to really dig into the "scary" part of chemistry, which involves a lot of math. Typically the chemistry student's least favorite subject, stoichiometry is vital to being able to perform quantitative research, which is the goal of any science class. We started it off a little differently this year, however, by having student create posters displaying their favorite mole pun. I've had a serious belly laugh at multiple points this week reading some of those.
The last quarter is here and it's only a matter of time until summer arrives and final exams loom large. I now offer the best advice a teacher ever gave me: "Never look for the finish line until it's behind you." With that said, let's...mole...through it with speed and alacrity!
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