An Epiphany Moment

Mom, he says, with a contemplative look in his eye.  I've had an epiphany.

Alarm bells start going off in the back of my brain.  I don't like surprises, and epiphanies definitely qualify as surprises. I just never know what he's going to say when he gets that...look.  I decide to tread gently, just in case I need to hide the knives, because I'll never forget his "epiphany" when he decided my chef's knife should be used for everything (resulting in stitches).

An epiphany?

Yes. I really am a geek.  I ... belong ... with the geeks.

Ahh, another proud mom moment. I do love that boy.

He's dreaming about math!

I tap on his door gently to wake him up at around 10:30 a.m. He told me he does not want to sleep all day; he's got homework to do before he goes to work at 4. 

Hey, kiddo, it's time to wake up. 

He yawns, stretches, and then gets this wild-eyed, panicked look...

IT'S COMING ALONG SOON! IT'S COMING ALONG SOON!

Ummm...it's coming along soon?

YES! IT'S COMING ALONG SOON!

What's coming along soon?

2√2y!  (Pronounced, "2 root 2 y")

Errrr... 2√2y is coming along soon?

YES! IT'S COMING! ALONG! SOON! 

There is another long pause, and then he looks at me angrily...

You have NO idea what I'm talking about, DO you?!

Sweetie, do YOU know what you're talking about? 

There is another pause, and then the confusion clears...

Oh.My.God. It's that DAMN MATH PROBLEM I've been working on all night!!!

I couldn't help myself. I just burst out laughing. 

HE'S DREAMING ABOUT MATH! 

I couldn't be more proud.

Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty...

Yes, part of it is camera angle. He is getting big, though. He's a little over a year old and weighs about 12 pounds. And I swear he's still growing.

Surprise!

School has started again and I am not teaching what I thought I was teaching ... I will still be teaching HTML and CSS using the code.org curriculum, and I will still be teaching Introduction to Computer Science in JavaScript using the codehs.com curriculum. I will be writing the Introduction to Business course and teaching that. AP CSP however? The school decided over the summer not to offer it, so the 30 hours I spent at Buff State in a professional development course and the 60 hours I spent online in a second professional development course were a waste of time.  Heavy sigh. 

Well, at least I was prepared. If I am going to teach it next year, I will have to take the PDs again, because the College Board is changing the exam and/or the requirements for 2020-21. In the meantime, I am LOVING teaching Business!

It's been a while...

Teaching has been so rewarding, but so very challenging. I started in 2016 teaching middle school math. That summer, I taught 7th and 8th grade math in summer school. In 2017, I started teaching HTML and CSS from code.org as well as Intro to Computer Science from codehs.com. I had never had any computer courses before and had no idea how to code, so the entire year, I was one or two lessons ahead of the students. 

In 2018, I taught these two courses as well as Desktop Publishing and AP CS A. AP CS A was a disaster...I thought I was supposed to be teaching Computer Science Principles, but I spent the year being one step ahead of the kids in Java. 

This year, I am teaching the original two courses (HTML/CSS and Intro to Computer Science) as well as AP Computer Science Principles and Introduction to Business. I am really looking forward to this year! 

In the meantime, for the first time since I graduated from high school, I took the summer off. My son and I have seen baseball games and thrown catch in the yard, gone to movies, seen the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and just relaxed in general. 

It's time for me to get serious again though... school starts in four weeks, and I have the remainder of a 60 hour PD course to get through! 

Priorities

Found his glasses...

We don't know why, but Ernie likes to put his toys in his water bowl. Guess where I found Ian's glasses?

Am I in the way?

Somebody likes to sleep on my shoulder.