Procrastination or Hyper Planning?

In all things in my life I am a planner. I usually am two-three weeks planned ahead for my classes at school. (Although I don't usually stick to that, I at least have a general outline to go by.) I have a two month calendar posted for our house. I have seven days of meals planned on our meal planner. And yes, back when I was in school, I was that student who did the project the night it was assigned instead of the night before it was due.

However, there have been times when I have had to think on the spot. For instance, last week I had planned for my students to do a review of Segment and Angle Addition, but didn't have it put together. In the last five minute before class I put together a stations activity and it worked GREAT!! The little high I got from the time cramp also helped pep me up for the delivery of the lesson too! 

And as I have gotten more into the sales process in my Teachers Pay Teachers store I have learned that there are both kinds of teachers out there. 

Back in January I worked my tail off creating two Valentine's activities. I wanted to make sure I had them posted in ample time for buyers to purchase. Little did I know that in the end, I sold 25 of my activities and 10 of them were purchased Feb13th & 14th. Talk about last minute lesson planners!!! But, even though they waited, they still had great lessons for their kids and knew where to go to find great resources so all the better for them!!

On the other hand, I just put together a lesson for Pi Day (which happens on March 14th). It is 3.14 Pi Day Activities for your students to do to celebrate the most recognized constant in the world including Food Measurement, a Number Search puzzle, and a school-wide Scavenger Hunt! And even though it is still a month away, a fellow over achiever in lesson planning has already bought it! 

So here's to all of us no matter our style! Plan a month in advance or the day of an activity, as long as we have the students achievement first and foremost in our minds, we are ALL doing the right thing!!

Big's and Little's!

Happy Monday to you all!!

Today I want to share with you my Super EASY way to introduce Parallel Lines and Transversals! I used this last semester and again this morning with my Sophomores and it has proven to be a great way to introduce the concept. 

Here are the fill-in notes (already filled in) that I use:

I like to start with defining the angles as "Big's" and "Little's" as we embark on this journey. It helps the students to get used to solving these types of problems without worrying about the vocabulary of (interior, exterior, alternating, corresponding, etc). 

After they get comfortable with this, I move on to the specifics of labeling the angels and finding them in triangles and parallelograms. If you want a blank student copy and this filled in copy, head on over to my TpT Store and download it for FREE!!!

So here's to an easy way to begin a discussion on an in depth geometry concept! Take, enjoy, share, and have a great Monday!!!

Repeat Customers!

Happy Saturday to you all!!

You know what feels good? Having customers come back and purchase more products from your store or buy multiple products at the same time! I have one customer who bought 10 things last night at one time and another customer that has come back several times and now has purchased 7 items total!! It really makes me feel like I am doing the right thing!

And slowly but surely my store is growing as these repeat customers are coming back! I even have more votes than followers now which excites me to no end!! (Now that I realize how much I want feedback I give feedback whenever I buy something online on Amzon, Diapers.com, or any other store!)

So here's to a blossoming store and happy customers! I pray that I can continue to provide great resources to all who want them!

FAVORITE New Thing!!!

Tired of watching you students do worksheets all the time? Of answering the same questions over and over and over again? I know after 6 years of teaching Algebra topics, I am!

So, this week I went to a professional development session that was GREAT! There were lots of ideas people shared that I used and just as many more that I had never heard of before. So, when I heard and saw how "homemade" dice could be used with Algebra concepts, I took the idea and ran with it!

My newest (and one of my proudest products) has now been uploaded into my TpT Store! It is Algebra Dice: Multiple Topics and they can be used from combining like terms to solving equations/inequalities, writing linears, practicing distance and midpoint formulas, and solving quadratics! Such a great way to add in a new station with other activities, create warm-ups/tickets out the door, and time fillers!!

All you have to do is print the dice off, fold 'em up, and roll 'em! I have even put suggestions of what type of material can be covered with each particular die. And to further make this an awesome activity, I have made answer sheets for students to write on from using 2 dice to 5 dice! They must write in their dice and then show their work!

I am going to start using these on Monday to start spiraling our curriculum even more! The students will roll the dice and I will put up the warm-up problems on the SmartBoard for them to complete!

So here's to great professional development to get my creative fire re-ignited and my classroom even more interactive than before! May you all find that "something" in your career that can lead your classrooms to even more success!

Final Day for Sale!

Good morning readers!!

Today is the LAST day for my 20% Off Store Wide Sale!!! ALL items are on sale, so if you were looking to purchase a bigger item, now's the time!! Some examples of great items to buy on sale are:

Algebra I Common Core Review Bundle

Algebra I Common Core Practice Test

Linear Ladders and Slippery Slopes Board Game

Polynomials Activity Bundle


So here's to you all who have purchased so far! I owe it to ya'll for helping get my store off the ground and brewing up a following! Take a peek at the sales, spread the word, and have a great Tuesday!

Re - Launch!!!

Here goes nothing!

I am re-launching Mitchell's Math Madhouse's Blog! This time I plan on not only typing out thoughts I have during the school day, but also posting new activities, lessons, and other such things as I come up with them!

Thank you to all who have given me ideas through your awesome blogs! There are some great ones out there, I just hope that I can do the Teacher Blogging world justice!

So here's to trying my hardest at this new endeavor! May I help, inspire, and humor you all throughout my time in the blogging world!

LOVE Life Yet Still Improving

158.

158 is the weight I have weighed for years. I weighed 158 for most of my college years, 158 prior to my first child being born, 158 after that child was born, and 158 I got pregnant with my second child. But, after I had my daughter 9 months ago I have settled in at 152. So, my question for the day is, why is it discouraging to have gained 3 pounds over the last few weeks (putting me at a lovely 155 for those of you non-math folk out there) when it is still 3 pounds less than what I have weighed for the better part of a decade?

And you know what I think, I think it is my (and I think most people's) infatuation with always striving to be better, thinner, faster, smarter, richer, etc. And with the new year upon all of us, we are focusing on all of those things that we want to be "-er" at. 

But, if you ask most people at any given time, they are content with their lives at the same time. For example, I LOVE my life. If you know me you know that is true. My husband is my own little Will Ferrell who also works daily on our farm to provide free heat (wood) and food (gardens, cows, pigs, fruit trees) for our family. I have two of the best kids on the planet. No, seriously, my kids ROCK! I have a fantastic job in a field that I feel is my God-given talent. Although we wouldn't mind being wealthier, we have all that we need. And although I gained three pounds over the holidays, I can still fit in my clothes very comfortably and even still feel cute in some of them!

So, from all of this I have concluded that it is not wrong for us to strive for more. To want that greener grass to be in our own yard. It is a great thing to always be striving to be your best and self in areas that you feel you need help in. (Like folding the laundry immediately after the dryer buzzes instead of rerunning it three times.) But, lets not forget what we have and make sure that when we wish to "-er" ourselves we don't overlook how wonderful we are to begin with!

So here's to us all... may we strive for being our best selves, but always remember to be thankful what we have and who we are on our way to being our best selves!