Dear CONNECTors,

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Summer really has flown by, but I did so much learning and growing over the last 2.5 months. A big part of my motivation for the work and learning I did over the summer is the goal of work-life balance. My school is changing our school hours to 9:30am-4pm. I am not excited about this late start and end because I am so used to staying after school to get work done. Well, with a 4pm end, I didn’t want to spend my entire evening at work, so I spent summer working. A couple of things I accomplished was rewriting all Pre-Algebra assessments (increasing rigor and complexity) and paced out the course (click here to see my pacing guide work.) This will be my 4th year teaching Pre-Algebra, so I felt very comfortable doing this work over the summer without much trouble. Geometry, on the other hand, is still a work in progress since I have only taught it one year. 

Besides working, I did some learning through a couple avenues. 

Books: Necessary Conditions by Geoff Krall, A Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota

Podcasts: Making Math Moments that Matter, Women in Math: The Limit Does Not Exist

Twitter chats: #miseduAsian

Facebook group chats: Middle Schools Math Teachers Unite

This was a lot, but I load up on learning in the summer because my brain has more space for it unlike the school year when my brain is full of lesson planning, student concerns/needs, and other things in my school. No matter how you spent your summer, I hope that it has rejuvenated you, and you are excited to return as a student or teacher. 

Don’t hesitate to reach out to me and CONNECT for anything. We love supporting, wherever you are in MN and your teaching/student journey. 

-May (myvang1@gmail.com)