A. Prince
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Thursday Night NCAA Thoughts
This video is just me giving my thoughts on Kentucky and the other Thursday night NCAA tournament games.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
A Tale of Two Quarterbacks
Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston have spent the better part
of the last year linked. Reigning Heisman Trophy winner versus the player who
everyone thought would be the next Heisman trophy winner. Pro-style quarterback
versus spread quarterback. Their play did little to separate and we spent the
better part of four months looking for flaws. Even when they met in the College
Playoff semifinal, very little was discovered about the two quarterbacks.
Winston on the other hand just needs to ‘pass’ all of the
personal interviews from now until he plays in his first regular season game.
If you watched any college football over the past year, you know that Winston
made the news a LOT. Many were for off-the-field issues and some were
wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy more serious than others. His plays on the field are there for
the viewing and a bad day throwing would feed the people who think he will be a
bust the vitriol they need to spew that.
In the end, I personally think Winston goes first to Tampa
(not sure that is the best place for him, but that’s for another blog) and Mariota
could slide. After the Bucs, the next team with an immediate need for a quarterback
is the NY Jets and they have Geno Smith already. So Marriota might be in for an
Aaron Rodgers type fall which might be the best thing for him. I think he needs
an edge and dropping in the draft will give that to him.
Despite all of that, this week won’t be the end of the tale
of these two quarterbacks.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Post All Star Thoughts........
Having this lovely snow day has allowed me some free time to blog. I'll start with my thoughts on the NBA All-Star game.
Russell Westbrook absolutely deserved the MVP. He brought energy to an otherwise lackluster game. It goes without saying that there is very little defense played in these games. This year's edition featured even more lackadaisical defense as guards went coast-to-coast without even having to change direction. Westbrook's play definitely benefited from that but he also brought the same energy that he does to every game he plays in. And in the Garden, that excitement was needed and welcomed.
So it didn't matter that he took more shots than anyone else. It didn't matter that he only gathered one assist. It mattered that when he came into the game the excitement was ratcheted up. For awhile it looked like LeBron would bring that excitement but after his first break he seemed to tone it down. Westbrook brought it and continued to bring it.
Westbrook also leads me to my next topic which is whether or not Oklahoma City can make the playoffs. They are currently a 1/2 game back of the 8th seed and 8 games back of Portland for the 3rd seed with about 30 games left. Sure it will be a hard road to make the playoffs but can you think of a scarier 8th seed? Durant will need to be completely healthy for this to work but even if he isn't, it will be fun as hell to watch Westbrook try to carry the Thunder to a playoff berth.
Other playoff things to watch. Will the Spurs make a move up the standings? Are the Warriors for real? Are the Hawks? Will the East still just come down the Bulls vs. the Cavs?
With football now out of the picture, I'm now fully committed to watching basketball and these are just some of the story lines I'll be checking out. Until next time, peace.
Monday, January 05, 2015
Wild Card Sunday
So the title of this post is a little deceiving. I'm not really going to talk about Wild Card Sunday. I'm only going to talk about the late game Sunday. The Dallas Cowboys game. Yes, they're my favorite team, so from time to time I'll speak about them like I'm a fan. But the two videos are from before the game and halftime.
Pre-game
Halftime
Pre-game
Halftime
Monday, July 21, 2014
Dog Days of Summer
Where is football? I know where it is, I know that it's not time for training camps to start just yet, but still I want football. I'm ready for football.
Though my favorite team is the Cowboys, I'm a fan who lives in reality so I won't get excited about any Dallas team until we win a playoff game. I'm ready to see if the Legion of Boom will pick up where they left off when they were smothering the league's best offense, Denver. I'm ready to see if Denver will still be running the league's most efficient offense. I'm ready to see if New England or San Francisco learned from their conference championship losses to ascend to battle in the Super Bowl.
I'm ready to see if RGIII is going to be a more experienced version of his rookie season. I'm ready to see if Philadelphia will continue to flourish under Chip Kelly. I'm ready to see if Green Bay can make under serious playoff run with Aaron Rodgers. I'm ready to see if Detroit has finally grown up and become a serious contending team.
I'm ready to see if anyone in the AFC East will really give New England problems. I'm ready to see if the Baltimore team we saw last season was just a mirage. I'm ready to see if Andy Dalton remembers that he has AJ Green on his team. And of course I'm ready to Johnny Football!
I'm ready to see if Tampa will rebound quickly. I'm ready to see if the NFC South will be the toughest division in football. I'm ready to see NFL RedZone.
I could go on and on for hours. But I after all the statements, the truth is that I really just miss football and I'm ready for it to come back.
A. Prince
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
A Moment to vent
Its been far too long since I've blogged and its actually not a good thing that today's events have led me to blog. Today was a totally frustrating day and the students weren't the source of my frustration.
Sure I was disappointed that my students didn't do well on a difficult test, but I had to look at myself and realize that even though the computer-generated test asked 7th grade questions, the level of questioning was advanced for even my highest students. That was an easy fix, and something that didn't weigh on my mind for very long.
However, my interaction with the adults in my school is what has me feeling upset, sad, and frustrated all at the same time. I know that educating a school system's lowest students is a challenge, but I don't understand how reasonably intelligent adults can sit around and listen to administrators talk out of both sides of their mouths.
They say they want to close the achievement gap, but yet we constantly never have real conversations about what that means. We just try all these programs and programs, and shift children around but the problem is never addressed. And where I teach at, the kids are 'socially promoted' without them receiving the skills. So if this starts when they are in the 1st or 2nd grade, by the time they reach me, they're so far behind that getting them to their current grade level that they need more time than I can offer them. (Especially if they aren't working at home, which MANY of them aren't)
Before I continue, let me say that I'm not blaming the kids at all. I'm not upset that the kids don't know the information. I love teaching them and watching them learn. I'm frustrated that they'll been allowed to move year after year without knowing this information. I'm not even blaming the teachers before me, because I know kids often say 'I wasn't taught this' when they don't remember something. My students this year told I didn't teach them something, even though it was written on my 'daily subject' calendar. My anger comes from when teachers KNOW a subject hasn't been mastered, try to retain a student and are rebuked by administration.
I know this has happened, and lets just leave it at that.
I don't see how having a kid repeat a grade level is really going to cause many problems. Many students one grade level apart hang out together anyway, and maybe the supposed public humiliation that they'll receive will spare them the public humiliation of not being able to get a job because they didn't get a diploma, they just got a certificate saying they came to school all 4 years.
(-__-) << blank stare (Another pet peeve of mine, but that could be another post)
I say if they aren't progressing normal in elementary school, then it has to happen there. The wake up call needs to happen for all parties. The kid, the parents, the teachers (who wouldn't miss a kid repeating a grade), the administrators (who could now see if its a learning disability or if the kid was just lazy), everyone. If it's in middle school then it needs to happen there. It already happens in high school. Well, you just don't graduate in those cases.
I don't know see why this is so a hard concept to follow especially since we see what the alternative is. We see how ill-prepared some of the kids end up being for the real world. Whether its college, or a job straight out of school they don't know what to expect., but we as teachers and administrators do know. We've been there. I've been laid off, fired, and left a job. I've worked in 3 different fields before teaching. I know what its going to take for them to really succeed in the ways they want do. And yes, it will be hard for them to repeat a grade. However, if the choice is having it hard now or REALLY hard later on, is there really a choice?
Sure I was disappointed that my students didn't do well on a difficult test, but I had to look at myself and realize that even though the computer-generated test asked 7th grade questions, the level of questioning was advanced for even my highest students. That was an easy fix, and something that didn't weigh on my mind for very long.
However, my interaction with the adults in my school is what has me feeling upset, sad, and frustrated all at the same time. I know that educating a school system's lowest students is a challenge, but I don't understand how reasonably intelligent adults can sit around and listen to administrators talk out of both sides of their mouths.
They say they want to close the achievement gap, but yet we constantly never have real conversations about what that means. We just try all these programs and programs, and shift children around but the problem is never addressed. And where I teach at, the kids are 'socially promoted' without them receiving the skills. So if this starts when they are in the 1st or 2nd grade, by the time they reach me, they're so far behind that getting them to their current grade level that they need more time than I can offer them. (Especially if they aren't working at home, which MANY of them aren't)
Before I continue, let me say that I'm not blaming the kids at all. I'm not upset that the kids don't know the information. I love teaching them and watching them learn. I'm frustrated that they'll been allowed to move year after year without knowing this information. I'm not even blaming the teachers before me, because I know kids often say 'I wasn't taught this' when they don't remember something. My students this year told I didn't teach them something, even though it was written on my 'daily subject' calendar. My anger comes from when teachers KNOW a subject hasn't been mastered, try to retain a student and are rebuked by administration.
I know this has happened, and lets just leave it at that.
I don't see how having a kid repeat a grade level is really going to cause many problems. Many students one grade level apart hang out together anyway, and maybe the supposed public humiliation that they'll receive will spare them the public humiliation of not being able to get a job because they didn't get a diploma, they just got a certificate saying they came to school all 4 years.
(-__-) << blank stare (Another pet peeve of mine, but that could be another post)
I say if they aren't progressing normal in elementary school, then it has to happen there. The wake up call needs to happen for all parties. The kid, the parents, the teachers (who wouldn't miss a kid repeating a grade), the administrators (who could now see if its a learning disability or if the kid was just lazy), everyone. If it's in middle school then it needs to happen there. It already happens in high school. Well, you just don't graduate in those cases.
I don't know see why this is so a hard concept to follow especially since we see what the alternative is. We see how ill-prepared some of the kids end up being for the real world. Whether its college, or a job straight out of school they don't know what to expect., but we as teachers and administrators do know. We've been there. I've been laid off, fired, and left a job. I've worked in 3 different fields before teaching. I know what its going to take for them to really succeed in the ways they want do. And yes, it will be hard for them to repeat a grade. However, if the choice is having it hard now or REALLY hard later on, is there really a choice?
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
Goals for my second year
With the school year rapidly approaching, I think its important for me to highlight my goals for the upcoming school year. While I thought that I overall did a good job last year, there are areas that I can improve upon.
I've found that for me, writing down goals has often helped me achieve them and in a timely manner. So I'm adopting that strategy for my teaching goals.
Goal #1:
- Have all of my students earn 3 or better on their End-of-Grade (EoGs) tests.
- I know that this is a lofty goal but seeing how I only had 8 math retakes (out of 41) gives me the confidence that I can make this happen. I know that I'll need to make better use of test statistics and quickly adjust seating arrangements to maximize groups that work well together.
Goal #2:
- Have students show more proficiency in science through writing reports and other presentations.
- This goal fits in with the new common core standards of writing and the increase in STEM learning. Since I teach math and science during the same block, I have to make sure that I don't slack on my math (since math is the only one tested in 7th grade).
Goal #3
- Find a way to make it to the NSTA National Conference (s).
- In my previous post I mentioned that I went to Indianapolis for a national science teachers conference. This year, its in San Antonio and I want to go back. The information I gained and the people I met provided benefits that I'm already using. Really, I want to make my way to Atlanta in November for the regional conference. Its in a place that I know and I'm sure that it'll be cheaper (and thus easier to sell to my admins).
So those are my three main goals. I know that throughout the year I'll develop, find and achieve other goals but these three are the ones I'm going to focus on. Stay tuned!
I've found that for me, writing down goals has often helped me achieve them and in a timely manner. So I'm adopting that strategy for my teaching goals.
Goal #1:
- Have all of my students earn 3 or better on their End-of-Grade (EoGs) tests.
- I know that this is a lofty goal but seeing how I only had 8 math retakes (out of 41) gives me the confidence that I can make this happen. I know that I'll need to make better use of test statistics and quickly adjust seating arrangements to maximize groups that work well together.
Goal #2:
- Have students show more proficiency in science through writing reports and other presentations.
- This goal fits in with the new common core standards of writing and the increase in STEM learning. Since I teach math and science during the same block, I have to make sure that I don't slack on my math (since math is the only one tested in 7th grade).
Goal #3
- Find a way to make it to the NSTA National Conference (s).
- In my previous post I mentioned that I went to Indianapolis for a national science teachers conference. This year, its in San Antonio and I want to go back. The information I gained and the people I met provided benefits that I'm already using. Really, I want to make my way to Atlanta in November for the regional conference. Its in a place that I know and I'm sure that it'll be cheaper (and thus easier to sell to my admins).
So those are my three main goals. I know that throughout the year I'll develop, find and achieve other goals but these three are the ones I'm going to focus on. Stay tuned!
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