July Currently

I can't believe that July is already here.  Where did my June go??  I'm linking up with Farley for the July Currently, but will also try to do some more posts this month and get back into the blogging world!

Listening:  I'm up this morning working on some homework and my husband is digging up the pump to the bubbler in our backyard.  Little one (not so little anymore… she just turned 11!) also got up and is acting as "assistant"!  I love how patient he is with her and I love that she enjoys spending time with him, even if the job isn't playing with American Girl dolls :).  Oh… and of course the World Cup is also on!

Loving:  Summer time!  I love having time to just sit back and relax.  We just did a big vacation, seeing my brother-in-law get married in northern Idaho, visiting my sister in Seattle, and visiting my parents and in-laws in Sacramento.  Even though I had more homework to do, there weren't a lot of other responsibilities besides spending time with family.  It was so much fun and I still have about six weeks left to enjoy.  Oh… and my oldest got to do a bunch of driving on the trip.  That was also… exciting?? (Seriously, she did a great job - nine different states and various road conditions; not many fifteen year olds can say they've done that!)

Thinking:  I've got three weeks left in this second master's degree that I've been working on.  These two classes (Statistics for Teachers and Number Structures) are super intense, but I'm actually learning things.  They're both online, but I'm spending hours a day working on discussions and homework.  Three more weeks and I'm DONE!!  If anyone is looking for a great master's program for teachers of Mathematics, check out this program through Montana State University.

Wanting:  Just a day to read…. Usually I have time to read 10 - 15 books over the summer.  Up to now I've only read one :(.  Once these classes end I'll get to it, but some days I just want to take a break and get out a new novel.

Needing:   Nothing.  I'm feeling really blessed right now and everything seems to be going well.  There are things I would like (like a few more weeks of summer), but nothing that I really need.  I'm learning to be grateful for that!

4th Plans:  Since we just returned from vacation (after two days driving from California to Colorado) we don't have a ton of plans for the Fourth.  We're going to hang out with neighbors, maybe catch a movie, and enjoy some good food.

Mathematical Practices

So I'm now officially more than half-way through getting my second master's degree.  My first degree is from the University of Oklahoma, officially titled "Master of Education in Educational Instructional Psychology and Technology" - a long title for teaching with technology with some extra thought about the human mind and how we think.  Although I was glad to get the degree at the time, I've found that much of the technology is now outdated.  Since I took 12 years off from teaching to have my kiddos, I thought that it was time to learn about current educational theory.

Shameless plug…
I researched for quite a long time because I wasn't interested in going back to school for a master's of pure math.  Basically (being totally honest here) because I've been teaching just algebra for so long, I was afraid I wouldn't remember anything at a higher level.  On a complete fluke, I came across mention (In a discussion thread, buried way down somewhere) about a program at Montana State University.  I did some research and calling around and found that this program offers a Master's of Science in Mathematics for Math Educators!  I've been in now for a year and a half and I think it is fantastic.  It is mostly online with a small requirement for three weeks during one or two summers at the campus (which is in a beautiful location in Bozeman, MT, not too far from Yellowstone NP).  If you're looking to further your education, this is a GREAT program!

Ok… back to Mathematcial Practices.  This class I took this summer was all about teaching around the new Common Core standards and the Mathematical Practices.  I'll tell you what, I understand them so much more and will definitely have to look at my units and see if I'm covering everything.  I was back in my classroom a little this week and was thinking that I wanted to post something about the practices so my students are familiar with them.  As I was browsing online I came across these:

Oh my…. they are AWESOME!  The practices are listed and broken down easily for the students to understand.  Now I take absolutely no credit for these, but they were easily available by just doing a search for "math practices" and then clicking on images.  Search around and you'll be able to find several PDFs already created for you.  I can't wait to post them on my bulletin board!