Team Stefibeth

One of the best gifts a girl could ask for is the gift of friendship! God definitely knew what He was doing when he brought me to HMS. Being able to share the craziness of middle school, including dance parties during passing period or the occasional 7th grade meltdown, I was blessed to work side by side with you during the 2018-2019 school year!  

At the beginning of our school year, both Stefanie and I faced obstacles involving the health of our parents.  I would soon realize what comfort she brought me, as she became more of a sister than just a coworker.  We found ourselves laughing at the silliness of our 7th graders, focusing on doing what was best for both them as learners and ourselves as teachers.  We persevered through new curriculum and instructional approaches, while growing closer together as teachers and friends.  After all, who else can you laugh with when a lesson flops miserably and you pull out the math photo props?!?!
                                                   

Our year together consisted of lots of moving, both in our personal lives as well as our school life.  From purchasing your first home to making fun of my color coded moving labels, our classrooms soon were packed up and moved out to the portables, just after Thanksgiving break.  Your kids and my kids soon became our kids, which brought joy to everyone's world!  

Team Stefibeth was officially established with our "official"coffee cart!  

Who can forget the fun we had during basketball and track season!  From keeping the books at the basketball games to being the time keepers for track, I don't think I've ever laughed so much from the ongoing rule changes mid-quarter of a basketball game to being asked if, if we knew how to keep time during each track event!

 

Coop taking charge of the clock during a timeout!  

Not a day goes by where I’m not reminded of how awesome God is. He knew exactly what He was doing when He brought me to HMS. Sure, I will miss our daily craziness, impromptu dance parties and morning coffee talks.  However, I will continue to celebrate our friendship, knowing I have a friend who holds me accountable in my faith, as well as being the best teacher for our kids!  
                                                
I can't wait to see what unfolds in your next chapter, as you take on your new role of being the math interventionist at Kerr...Thank you for being you!

Tackling Rational Numbers

During the spring semester, Team Stefibeth came together on various Saturdays to help our 7th graders grow in their mathematical knowledge.  Our first session focused on operations with rational numbers.

Learners were given the challenge of helping to bake cookies for our upcoming Super Bowl party.  Using the recipe, learners used their knowledge of rational numbers and proportionality to determine the amount of each ingredient we would need to feed 24 people, 30 people and then 6 people.  We spent our first hour calculating the amounts of each ingredient.  Some used proportions, while others used ratio tables.  We loved their mathematical thinking and justification as they proved each of their answers.  Upon completing the calculations, we headed to the kitchen and began to create our cookies!
This is where the true test of their knowledge of rational number skills came into play.  Based on the number of people they were chose to make cookies for, is the recipe they used.  Learners actively began measuring ingredients and stirring them together, rereading their new recipes and hoping for the best.  Once the dough was mixed together and the cookies were baked, the tasting began!  It's here where learners knew if they had done the math correctly!  



The discussions that came after their experience in the kitchens were priceless, but they were able to find just where they went wrong in their calculations!



It's hard to believe we did this activity for 4 consecutive Saturdays. Word spread fast and we had 7th graders begging to come for Saturday tutoring...just another example of the impact of working together and doing what's best for our learners yields ultimate success!