Halfway through 1st Quarter ALREADY???!?!?!?

Wow! Time is flying by. I am amazed that mid-quarter is this week. We are busy calling parents about grades and missing work. This next week I am giving the first test, so that will be interesting to see how they do. We are finishing up our first book on "Variables and Patterns" which is our algebra section. The students are so sick and tired of tables and graphs, and they keep asking IF we will ever be finished with them. In the next book we start using more manipulatives as we start our similarity unit. I wish I had a magic solution for students to turn in their homework. I have so much late work, and begging for it constantly just wears me out!! I just cannot stand to see them with bad grades ONLY because they aren't turning in homework. My partner math teacher and the social studies teacher on my team just found out they received an E-mints grant. Therefore they will have Emints classrooms soon-one on each team. This is a huge deal for our school, and everyone is excited! Teaming is still a new concept, but I am loving the fact that our team has a planning period together where we can discuss student issues and plan together. It is working out great for everyone!! I also just got a new set of calculators for my room, so I have enough for everyone! Pretty exciting for a math teacher!! My business math class has been going online daily to check their stocks. However, this is a class that can barely handle the privilege of going to the computer lab, so I am not sure how much longer it will last. I am amazed by how many students to not have internet access at home. We have a team website where we post homework daily, and there are links to individual teachers websites on our team. The address is: http://nlcommunities.com/communities/mms7r/

The first 9 days of school . . .

So I have now had 9 official days of teaching experience. Each day is a different day, and I am so amazed by what I see each and every day in the classroom. I am so surprised how I am not even nervous at all and its only the second week. All the things I was scared of before the year began are the things I dont even think about now. I am really enjoying teaching, but I am so exhausted!!! I never imagined how tired I could be at the end of the day. I am anxious to see how this year goes and how it will change me as a person. I find myself already getting attached to these kids especially when I find out about their home-life, family history, situations, etc. This second week was so much easier because I know what to expect, and I am getting to know most of my kids names. I really feel like we have a classroom community, and I feel like I am in the right place. As far as technology goes, I do not have a lot of resources. I have a classroom set of calculators and I use my overhead projector daily. I do have access to the library computer lab but there are only 10 computers and they are almost always booked for another class. We do have a team website where I will be posting homeowrk and blogs for my students to respond to. I am really excited because I am learning so much each new day as a teacher. I am so glad that I am a part of this program and a part of the MMS staff!!

A little about me....

Hi! My name is Tonya Nichols. I just got married in December, and I am so glad that my married name will be easier for the students than my maiden name was! I am originally from Cole Camp, MO (a small town that probably hardly anyone has heard of) which is a little over an hour from Columbia. I went to Central Methodist University in Fayette, MO. I played volleyball for a year and then decided I wanted to complete my undergrad in 3 years.....and quit volleyball. My husband did the fellowship program 2 years ago and teaches P.E. at Lange Middle School here in Columbia. We met at CMU.

I am teaching 7th grade math at Mexico Middle School in Mexico next year. I am overwhelmed with emotions right now as I am sure we all are!! Mexico is moving to the new 'team' concept (from the junior high to a middle school concept). Therefore, students are already going to be a bit nervous and anxious to find out what that will be like. I will be teaching 4 classes of regular math (connected math series) and 1 business math class. I feel like I have a million things to be decided about next year's classes, but at this point I don't feel like I could ever be fully prepared for the first day (and the whole year). I keep trying to think of how I am going to incorporate ALL of these things into my classroom!!! I am so proud to be a part of this supportive fellowship program. I know that this will be a year I will always look back on with tons of stories and memories (good and bad). I guess that's all for now.