Mr. Teacher
Can you hear me now?
by John Pearson
February 26, 2009
One of the advantages to teaching at an elementary school and not a high school is that I don't have to deal with certain issues with my kids, at least not as much. Topping the list is the issue of cell phones in the classroom.
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John Pearson is a third-grade math and science teacher in Dallas, Texas. He has degrees in mechanical engineering from Duke University and Texas A&M, so most consider his math abilities adequate enough to teach nine-year olds. He is also the author of Learn Me Good (Lulu, 2006), a funny, fictionalized account of his first year in education. Read more at www.learnmegood.com
Column Archive
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Stay Away from the Nog!
by John Pearson
December 11, 2008, 12:00 amIt's that time of year again, time where many companies and company-less people start thinking about having their office Christmas party/Hanukkah Hoedown/Kwanzaapaloosa/Holiday celebration. Regardless of what it's called, it's usually a chance for everyone to kick back, let their hair down, and enjoy themselves outside of the usual setting. Therein lies a problem for many people. Invariably, someone turns into drunk Santa, Grabby George, or Ted, the Guy Who Hangs Mistletoe in Inappropriate Places. Read More
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No More Field Trips
by John Pearson
December 4, 2008, 12:00 amA few weeks ago, I sat down with one of my colleagues to try to plan for this year's third-grade field trips. We realized that the term was actually a misnomer because we had been told earlier that there was no money for buses, so our "field trips" would have to come to us. Read More
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Things I'm Thankful For
by John Pearson
November 27, 2008, 12:00 amHappy Thanksgiving, everyone! Since my column happens to fall exactly on this holiday this year, I thought it would be a good time to write about all of the things that I am thankful for this year. Let's just pretend we're sitting around the dinner table, taking turns giving thanks. I'll go first. Read More
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da Teacher Code
by John Pearson
November 20, 2008, 12:00 amOur most recent six weeks grading period ended last week, so I found myself once again looking at the list of codes that can be attached to each report card. When I was in school, the codes were relatively simple "S" meant satisfactory, and "U" meant unsatisfactory. Now, however, there is a whole book of codes to express just about every aspect of school life. Read More
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Democracy in Action
by John Pearson
November 13, 2008, 12:00 amA couple of weeks ago, my school held a mock election. Each child received a nifty little ballot with a picture of McCain and Palin and Obama and Biden, as well as the Independent party candidates, Heckle and Jeckle. Read More
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What Was That Middle Part Again?
by John Pearson
November 6, 2008, 12:00 amI have been teaching a new subject for the past couple of weeks - English Language Arts. For the past two weeks, our central concept has been summarization. An essential part of reading comprehension, summarization is picking out the most important parts of the story or passage. Read More
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No, put THAT one THERE!!
by John Pearson
October 29, 2008, 8:34 pmSome of you may have heard about, read about, or lived through the events that transpired in the Dallas Independent School District over the last month. For anyone who's missed it because of more pressing matters like the failing economy, bank collapses, or Tina Fey Sarah Palin impersonations, let me clue you in. In a nutshell, the good folks in the upper echelons of DISD provided us math teachers with a perfect real-world example of why it is so important to understand math, and the consequences that occur when you don't. Read More
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Roughing it in the Woods
by John Pearson
October 23, 2008, 12:00 amWe've been studying environments and ecosystems in science class for the past few weeks, and last week, we took a look at four different kinds of forest ecosystems. Each type of forest -- deciduous, coastal, coniferous, and tropical rain -- has its own temperature ranges, its own types of animals, and its own types of trees. As part of a writing assignment, the kids were asked to choose one type of forest ecosystem and to write a letter to a classmate, telling them what it's like there and why they like living there. Read More
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Benchmark This!
by John Pearson
October 14, 2008, 12:00 amLast week, my kids took the district benchmark test. This being the first standardized test of the year, a large percentage of the students don't fare well. On the math test, the errors tended to be a result of not thinking things through. A boy with 19 apples somehow gave 32 to a friend. 57 boys and 36 girls were selling popcorn, yet the total number of kids was only 19. Read More
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Yes, I Am a Veritable Giant
by John Pearson
October 7, 2008, 12:00 amWorking with young children, there are several things that I hear quite frequently. I'm not even talking about things like, "I'm telling!" or, "I have to use the bathroom, it's an emergency!" or even, "Six plus one is nine!" -- though I certainly hear those things more often than I'd like. Read More
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