I’ve been getting little gifts and cards from classes of students…it’s really nice and thoughtful. The best is all the cards they write. It’s a little sad, though, because of my new quarter class schedule, I won’t be able to teach a few of the schools and some of the kids in there are my favorite. For instance, the CSI Miami girl.

So some of the cards say that I’ve raised their Math grade from Cs to Bs…which are really nice. I’m not sure if it’s true……but if it is, that’s pretty awesome that I only have to help them with two problems a day, and they learn from other kid’s questions, and that can make a big difference. Sometimes, I’ll review them core concepts that trick people even now. Such as:

X^5 * X^8 is not the same as (X^5)^8. The first one is actually X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X and the second one is X^5 times itself eight times….so you add the exponents on the first one, but you multiply the exponents on the second one. Breaking down the reasoning behind the shortcuts is what I usually do to get kids to understand stuff like this. And this is stuff people forget even in AP Calc….well they don’t forget, but they have to think about it for a second.

Anyhow, I was talking to CSI girl, and I told her that I wouldn’t be coming on Thursdays anymore and she seemed kind of bummed….and I was thumbing through all the holiday cards they wrote…and she said:

“It’s weird…most kids drew holiday christmas stuff…but….. I drew flames <smile>”

hahahhaa…..

Did I tell you she came in with these scabbed up circled scars on her hand, the size of dimes…and when her friend asked her how it happened…she casually said,

“Oh, I was working on my dirtbike this morning, and the battery acid dripped on my hand. It kind of stings, but it’s okay”

<: D

My kind of girl!

Oh wait, I was talking about holiday stuff, but I went on a tangent. Anyhow, it’s all very touching and I enjoy it lots. Even for the problem kids that are a little hard to get to concentrate, I can totally see that they are all good kids inside and just need a little push and encouragement. I love seeing the progression of a kid who didn’t really try, but after I write a few words of encouragement on their paper, their next paper becomes a huge improvement.

And the best kids are the ones who try the work, and actually ASK questions.

and P.S. I saw about three “Your the best”. @_____________@. I’m going to have to get on that quickly. And sometimes, I type that wrong too, but it’s because sometimes my fingers type things I don’t mean to type…like they have a mind of their own. Does anyone else get that?