Day 19 - Back From the Brink

Thursday was a very encouraging day despite a very uneasy beginning. I had a rough week up to that point and it was sort of a make or break moment for me. Wednesday night I spent hours searching the internet and racking my brain to come up with ideas for a worthwhile activity to teach the students about probability and playing cards. I modified an investigation activity that allows students to see the difference between theoretical probability and the data they collect from their activities. Unfortunately, I messed up a bit with my instructions at the beginning and had to field a lot of questions from the students. Eventually the students began to really understand the purpose of the lesson and were able to have a discussion about what they learned and why they needed to know the information. There are lessons throughout the week that won't go as planned, but if a teacher keeps at it and pushes through the bumps in the road the end result can really turn the mood around. I don't say it enough but I really think the best feeling in the world is that moment when a student's eyes open wide and they say "Ohhhh, I get it now!" There were enough moments like that today that will last quite a while.