JLM - Week 1...2007-2008

The time has come for me to provide my weekly beat down. If you have what it takes, let's do this.

Team WithanewcorneaIshouldbeunstoppable

QB: Matt Flynn, lsu
RB: Brad Lester, au
RB: Felix Jones, arky
WR: Rod Smith, au
WR: Early Duecet, lsu
WR: Keenan Burtan, ky
K: Brandon Coutu, uga
DEF: Florida

I don't know what to expect from Auburn. I expect a lot of running the ball and good defense. I hope they play consistent with few mistakes and win by 3 touchdowns. It's funny, I think about last year almost as a down year... and they won 11 games including wins over Florida and LSU. I guess the losses were so bad it left a bad taste. To be honest, I'll take a win over Alabama this year above them all.

Weekend adventures

Went up to Houghton, MI this weekend with Flicker for a mountain bike rice. It was a 32-mile incredible course, but my body is just now recovering. Getting old sucks. The Upper Peninsula is an unbelievable place. If you ever get the chance to go, I highly recommend. That is where Jen when to college, Michigan Tech, and if you go, I'd recommend the summer. They get about 400 inches of snow in the winter. Unless of course you go with Flicker, because then I'm sure he'll take you snowmobiling.

Monday night went to Miller Park to watch this guy.









Not sure if you can tell, but that's Barry Bonds. Not that I've been to too many Brewer games, but it was nice to finally see one sold out. I think Barry was 1-2 with a double and a couple of walks. The crowd booed like crazy every time he came to the plate.

Looking forward to hear about the Wilco show Larry. Matt, how is school so far?

Ohhhh, Back to School

Wow...so I only have a couple more days before I officially become a student again. Scary. I sure hope I fit in the desks.

Another year gone by

Well, today was the last day with students and it kind of ended on a sour note. We think a girl stole another girls purse out of my room while everyone was at the "Middle School Dance." We had to go back and watch the video from the hall cameras and although it's not entirely obvious, there may be enough evidence. Hopefully we'll be able to recover it.

Anyway, it was a pretty good year. The thing I realize about teaching is that 10% of the students take up 90% of your time/thoughts/energy/emotions. This is unfortunate on many levels, but I probably end up neglecting the other 90%.

Still, I sat in on a presentation by a group of 7 seniors for their AP English class. It was eye opening and encouraging to hear that they recognize that our educational environment needs to be improved and that the students need to step up and play a bigger role. We hope to incorporate a mentoring program next year that would get juniors and seniors positively involved with freshman to help them with the transition and set good examples. I think this is an awesome idea, but understand it will be a several year process.

Tomorrow I have a "report and planning" day and then Monday I go in for a committee I'm on, but after that it's all about summer vacation!!

Happy 33rd

Ahhh, the 1st of June is upon us and that means it is time again to wish Feliz Cumpleanos to Senor Dinsmore. Happy Birthday James...we'll all raise a beer in your honor today!

A Teaching Perk

Well, today I got to experience a perk of teaching. As a reward for students (middle school) who have not received a disciplinary referral all school year we took them to this amusement/water park. It is a pretty cool place that has 4 parks in one. The roller coasters weren't half bad, and there were 5 or 6 go kart rides that were pretty awesome. All in all it was a fun day.

Here's the debate. In the past we have told students about a "reward" that they would receive for behaving. Basically, trying to provide an incentive for students to act accordingly and make good decisions. This year we did not give any warning. We decided to reward the students who were well behaved without being "bribed." I tend to like the way that we did it this year. I'm all for incentives if used properly, but you want to teach children to be motivated from within, not from external forces. Thoughts?

Changing my Profile Pic per Sigmugi's request

Wilco Review

The countdown is definitely on for summer. There are 11 regular school days and two days of exams left. I'm never sure if the kids are more excited or the teachers.

Larry, I found this review of Wilco in the Madison State Journal. I'm not real familiar with their music, other than the live stuff I've listened too. Do you have the new album? Do you recommend.

Snow in April?

Well, it was just two weeks ago I was sitting on the Lake Mendota terrace sipping a local brew enjoying 80 degree temps, but oh how things change quickly. We got 5 inches of heavy, wet snow the last two days. It's been pretty crummy, but I guess it goes with the territory.

Nothing much else is new here. I am still planning on being in Huntsville on Friday, May 4. Larry, I never heard back about the cinco de mayo party so I assume it will be on Saturday still? Hopefully you can get off on Friday afternoon for a round of golf.

Boner, any updates?? Subbing...job outlook...pregnant wife?

I saw that the MLS has a Thursday night prime time game this season. That's cool. Hopefully it will help increase viewers.

If a post is typed on this blog, does anyone see it?

Long time no communication. Just thought I'd say what's up all. Through a random search of other things, I cam across this about Modest Mouse. Larry, I figure you're all over it. The single sounds pretty good.

We hit the 60's today and the snow is mellllllllting!! Still, it could snow a foot in two weeks. Thursday and Friday I get to go watch the WI state basketball tourney. One of the perks I guess of being a coach. The best part is that it takes place 4 miles from my house. I could practically bike...but I won't.

Hope everyone is doing well. Small chance I could be in Vegas on May5, but not for sure. It's pretty much in stone that we will be in Alabama most of July this summer. Fire up!

New blogger

I'm not sure that it really matters, but if we want to update to the new blog, its up to you Larry.

Speaking of Larry's. Larry, you need to sponsor this guy. He could be the answer for Larry's all over the world. Of course, he's going to Vandy, which pretty much cements the Larry Legacy...he'll be working studying quantum physics with a minor in nuclear engineering instead of throwing TD's.

AU Wins National Championship

Wouldn't this be funny if it happens. GOlf Digest would have been right all along

AU Wins National Championship!!

Catching Up

Let's enter the speed round and hit some topics from the last couple of weeks...

SABAN TO BAMA
I honestly didn't think he'd do it. I couldn't understand what he saw in the job, with all the meddling power brokers (their crew is worse than Lowder in my humble opinion) and lack of talent on campus right now. I also didn't think he'd just quit on the Dolphins so easily. Spurrier I could understand. He didn't like the long hours it takes to succeed in the NFL. He wasn't a workaholic in college and you knew he wasn't going to magically turn into one in DC. Saban on the other hand, was a control freak at LSU. He is known for staying at the office all hours of the night, going over film dozens of times. That seemed suited for the NFL. So I was wrong. He wanted the job and he's got it...and all the crap that comes with it. It won't be long until he comes up against some of the shadowy powers and it'll be interesting to see what happens. It's also going to be interesting to see how his recruiting will go. There are already a couple of stories surfacing about him trying to strong arm some in state recruits...one in Mobile in particular who is committed to LSU. He made some comments to the player and dad (at the high school because they refused his request to come to campus for an official visit) about how Miles was only winning because he had Saban's recruits. I wonder if the player asked how come Miles could have back to back double digit win seasons with Saban's players and Saban couldn't do it with his own players? Anyway...Saban is a good football coach. He's going to make Alabama better than they were with Shula. He's not going to make them into a team that's going to Atlanta every year. LSU and Auburn are too far ahead of them right now. I give him four seasons at the Crapstone...five tops. I think he'll win one SEC title and no BCS championships. He'll leave Bama, either for the NFL or a better college job. And make no mistake, no matter what the Bammers tell you, there are better college jobs out there.

KEVCOCK AS A DAD
Saw the pics he sent out. Good stuff. I'm ready to join this club. Well, I'm enjoying my last few months of sleeping through the night and not getting puked on twice a day, but I'm pretty darn excited about meeting the little monkey that's messing with the wife's emotions right now.

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Larry, I concur. We went and saw it a few months ago and we both liked it a lot. Steve Carrell is one funny dude. And he can act too. You can't see Michael Scott as a Proust scholar, but his character in the movie makes you believe it. Also, the 40 Year Old Virgin is the shiznit as well. I'll never be able to listen to Michael McDonald without breaking out in laughter.

NIGHTAT THE MUSEUM
Very appropriate. Great evidence for you Larry. I haven't seen the movie but I can only imagine how much it plays into your theory.

HENLEY AS A FOREST FIRE FIGHTER
Hands says only you can prevent forest fires! I hope he's able to get what he wants but I want him to stay safe as well.

TROJANS BUSTING OUT
I'm too slow...I was going to write that your boys would break though soon and sure enough, Coach D brought home a victory. Way to go Coach.

SABAN REDUX
Saban is a liar. But he didn't have much of a choice during the season. He made a mistake by saying "I'm not going to be the coach at Alabama". He should have just said, "I'm the coach of the Dolphins and that's all I care about now". After the season was over and he took the Bama job, he could have said something like, "the college game is really where I wanted to be. Yes, the Alabama job intrigued me when they approached me but I was focused completely on the job here with the Dolphins until the season was over". Instead he played the denial game when everyone knew it wasn't over. He played it wrong and came out looking like a tool. I agree with James that he won't be in Tuscalooser for the long haul. I disagree with James that Arky will be solid next year. I hate it for McFadden but they won't have any passing game. Everyone will absolutely stack the line and McFadden is going to have to work like a fiend just to get decent yardage. He won't tear it up like he did this year. Things in Fayettenam are falling apart fast. Hard to believe it was just over a month ago that they were in the top five and riding a ten game winning streak. Almost everyone picked them to beat Florida in the SEC Championship game. That looks pretty funny now.

BECKHAM
I think it was a great move for MLS. Beckham is still a big enough name in international soccer that this will garner attention for the league in the international press. He's a big enough pop culture name (even here in America) to get the casual observer interested. All Galaxy games will get their highlights on SportsCenter now. Their jerseys will be all over the place. There will be all kinds of free PR for the league. The real question is how will they follow this up? Can the New York team pull off a purchase like Renaldo? Can they convince younger players who aren't in their prime yet to come here? They still have to develop young talent. And I'm afraid it's going to have to come from overseas. We are still a few generations from having a large percentage of the top tier of athletes focusing their skills on soccer. Let's face it - there is just more money in football, basketball, and baseball. And I don't see that changing. Sorry.

JAMES' BURGER KING STORY
How true, how true. The high school I've been subbing at has a rather large Hispanic population. There's a lot of kids that can barely speak a word of English. Also, every time I give a quiz or test the kids ask me how to do the problems. I just kind of laugh and say, "I don't think I'm supposed to tell you how to do the questions. That's why it's a test. Didn't you study?" I've stopped being surprised when the honest answer is "no".

MADISON MARATHON
I think you will definitely be the man if you run that bad boy. I'd love to join you in the training, but I'm struggling to run three miles at a time right now. I sprained my ankle Thanksgiving day and it still doesn't feel right yet. It takes me three to five minutes of slight limp/running before I start running close to normal. I would go to the doctor but I really can't afford it right now and there's no way I could get around in a boot, driving the five speed in Atlanta traffic, sometimes 20-25 miles one way to a school. I know, excuses are like belly buttons and a-holes, but this one is kinda valid. Besides, I've been telling myself that if I run one it will be the Rocket City. Larry, when are you thinking about running that one?

AUBURN HOOPS
I really wish I'd seen the game Tuesday night. I also think it's been replayed on ESPNU a couple of times already. Coupled with the win over UT last week and dare I say a possible upset of number 1 Florida this weekend, the Tigers are definitely on the rise. I am really excited about the progress made on the new arena. I truly believe that if we get the arena done on time and get Lebo the resources he needs (and deserves) he could stick around and build an amazing legacy on the Plains. I'm just afraid that as soon as he gets us into the tourney two to three times in a row someone in the ACC will come and offer him two to three times what we pay him. Only time will tell. But I'm excited about what he's got going on right now.

I guess that's it for now. I'll try and be more of a regular contributor in the coming weeks.

FOIL

Ah yes, today we reviewed FOIL in both Calc and Trig. It's the perfect time to break out the t-shirt that Ryan gave me. I received comments such as, "that is the coolest shirt ever", to "where did he get that, at the math geek store?"











Speaking of Trig, at the end of the semester there were 17 students, now there are only 10. Hmmmm, is it me? I'll take some of the blame, but if you aren't willing to spend 30-45 minutes outside of class working on homework, then I'm sorry, it is going to be a hard class.

War Eagle

So I had 3 different kids come up to me today and say, hey nice win. I was a little unsure what they were referring to, only to have them tell me that Auburn spanked #12 Alabama. Wow, I guess I should start keeping up with AU hoops.

Let's be honest

Raise your hand if you wish this was the view out your front window.




















What, no hands up?? C'mon it's great for your back. It is kind of fun to drive in if your only going around town and you have 4-wheel drive.

Hard to believe, but the first semester ended on Friday. We have report and planning day tomorrow, also known as, try and avoid other staff so you can get work done day.

What's up fellas??

Hey, I'm going to write more tonight and address some of the recent posts (I can't believe it's been so long since I've written anything on here!). But for now, I give you the greatest commercial in the history of mankind...and it's from the Great State of Alabama! Behold...the Flea Market Montgomery...it's just like...just like...a mini...mall!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ3oHpup-pk

Do you believe in miracles?

After an 0 - 6 start the Freshman Men of Troy got their first win tonight. I'd love to say that it was my motivational pre-game speech, but I can't. We actually had one of our starters come up to me about 8 minutes before tip, holding his nose with blood all over his jersey. Apparently the ball hit him in the face and now he was gushing blood. So I ran around frantically trying to find someone to help stop the bleeding...literally. Anyway, he eventually jammed some gauze up in his nose and came back to play like a beast. Sure winning isn't everything, but it makes it a lot more fun.

Old man winter

Well, I thought, just maybe we'd get through winter without any major snow. Wrong. We finally got a fairly significant amount of snow. Enough to be a pain in the rear, but not enough to warrant a snow day. Needless to say my back is screaming from shoveling.

It looks like I'm going start playing some soccer. One of Jen's classmates is putting together a team and I told them I was interested. I'm a little nervous since the last time I walked off an indoor soccer field it was under two friends arms on my way to ACL reconstruction. Oh well, I guess it's time to give it a go.

No plans for May 27?? I'm very seriously considering signing up for the Madison marathon. I think it would be an excellent reason to have boys weekend in Madison. It's Memorial Day weekend, so its even a long weekend. C'mon, who's with me?

For the mathematically challenged

I got this as an email and thought it quite funny and unfortunately accurate.

Last week I purchased a burger at Burger King for $1.58. The counter girl took my $2 and I was digging for my change when I pulled 8 cents from f my pocket and gave it to her. She stood there, holding the nickel and 3 pennies, while looking at the screen on her register. I sensed her discomfort and tried to tell her to just give me two quarters, but she hailed the manager for help . While he tried to explain the transaction
to her, she stood there and cried. Why do I tell you this?

Because of the evolution in teaching math since the 1950s:

1. Teaching Math In 1950: A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?

2. Teaching Math In 1960: A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

3. Teaching Math In 1970: A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?

4. Teaching Math In 1980: A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

5. Teaching Math In 1990: A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20.What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class discussion after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers.)

6. Teaching Math In 2006: Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho?

I actually did have a student last year who did not speak a word of English. It made it very tough for him to take notes.

Yesterday was an interesting day for me as a teacher. First, my trig class had a test and I had given them two class periods to prepare, study, ask questions, etc. What did they do most of the time? Play on their calculator, talk about the weekend, or just gossip in general. When the bell rang at the conclusion of the test yesterday, all I saw were looks of shock. When I glanced through the test, no one had finished, as a matter of fact, most had 3-5 problems left. They were mad, and to be honest, I was a little glad. We tend to spoon feed these kids more than we should. I haven't quite decided how I'm going to handle the grading.

So then later that day, during an 8th grade test, a girl calls me over and asks, "for #1 when it says to list the factors, does that mean to list the numbers that go into this number?". I respond, "I can't tell you that, but it is on your study guide that you were supposed to complete and I'm letting you use on the test." She then proceeds to burst into tears, put her head down on the desk and I'm unable to talk with her for about 10 minutes. Nice.