Mr. B Yells Into The Void™

"Oh woe is the struggle of me, the 20-something college student!" he exclaims from his lounge chair, mocha chai tea resting comfortably at his side. "None hath struggled as much as I have, certainly! O' horsemen of war, conquest, famine, and death, do not pay me mind! Fore I have been victimized by a fate much more cruel! A higher education!' he mourns from the safety of his upper middle class American home.  Yeah I know, first world problems and whatever. But look, If I cant complain on my own blog, then where else am I supposed to do it?  It's that point in the semester where I feel like I'm working 24/7 on assignments, handing in paper after project after paper after project... Then looking at the course calendar and seeing there's still several things to do in each and every class.  It invites a feeling that I can't really describe. It's akin to heartbreak. Disappointment and maybe a little bit of anger?  I liken it to working in retail. A...

Let me start by saying  I am not a trained math teacher. Hey, I’m technically not even a trained teacher teacher. But my biggest struggle has been trying to teach my students math. I know that this year has been taxing on everyone (and I’m thankful I don’t have to do my student teaching this year) but to no one's surprise, it’s really hard to just get kids to work!  So assuming that my student shows up for his online classes AND is willing to work is just the tip of the iceberg. Being able to effectively teach him my own struggle subjects (specifically math) is a whole new beast. I’ve never had a good math brain. Math brain smooth. No wrinkles. No thinky. But now, not only do I have to understand the concept well enough to tutor a student, which is bad enough, but also to convey those lessons over the internet. I can’t do that teacher thing of leaning over the shoulder to correct an equation or make a minus mark into a positive. I have to share a screen and write online. My ...