Thursday, May 12, 2005

CALCFEST 2005!

Some of the Calculus kids are coming over tonight for pizza and a movie. They have dubbed the evening "Calcfest 2005." I sent a note home to parents that called the night a "debriefing" of the year. The only way some of the students could get permission to come over was if their parents thought it was school-related. That makes me kind of sad, but then, that's why most of these kids are IN Calculus, because their parents have kept them focused on academics. So while we will ostensibly be discussing the applications of derivatives and integrals in actual settings, we will actually be eating pizza and watching "Holy Grail." Ah, the perks.

This school year has been grueling. I've worked harder this year than any other, including the first which everyone knows is supposed to be the toughest. Actually, the first year WAS the toughest by far, but not in terms of how hard I worked. (Why is it that sometimes I feel like I'm writing my memoirs and not blogging at all? And who would read the memoirs of a high school teacher from Fresno anyway? And aren't I very stream-of-consciousness today?) Aaaaaaanyway, as far as work-done versus results-achieved this has been a very disappointing year. I'm sure it will pay off next year and in years to come, but it's a little hard to look back at the year from a teaching standpoint. On the other hand, I have never...NEVER...known a greater group of people than the students that sat in my room this year. Every one of my five classes has been populated by the nicest, funnest (word?), most amazing group of individuals you can imagine. And, since a large percentage of my class is seniors, one can imagine how difficult graduation is going to be this year.

So, I'm going to enjoy them while I can, which will be for the next few weeks and then the occasional visit in years to come. Tonight, I'll have a chance to tell some of them how much they mean to me. Somewhere in between the pizza and Python.

2 Comments:

At 4:37 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You could calculate the wind velocity of an african and a european swallow.

You coul calculate the blood flow of wounded knight.

You could calculate the angle and trajectory of a flying cow.

You could calculate the probability of being the son of a motherless goat.

So much practical application could be derived from the grail.

I thank God for your stealth ministry to teens. They are lucky to have a man of God in their life.

What a thrill it will be years later to have that one student come back and talk about what a difference you made in their life.

 
At 10:24 AM, Blogger Generous Kitchen said...

I'm proud of who you are, Steven. Those kids are blessed to have you.

 

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