AP Calculus to the Rescue!

In the midst of writing my… I don’t even know what draft I’m actually on… Fishman Essay, I just needed to pause and send out a huge THANK YOU to my AP Calculus students from last year. As the AP Calculus exam drew nearer, I had asked everyone to contribute to a playlist for our breakfast the day of the AP test. I know you all thought it was silly, but it broke the silence while you filled your bellies with nutritious food and helped calm you nerves that crazy morning and it has come in handy once again! 

Throughout the process of writing and writing and writing (I didn’t know you could have this many drafts and revisions!) I have called upon our playlist to help get me through the frustration and the maddening cursor that just keeps blinking, taunting me when I have nothing more to write.

 So, thank you!

 And if you’re ever in need of a pick me up, check out our 2014 AP Calculus Playlist:

Best Day of My Life – American Authors

Can’t Hold Us – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Counting Starts – OneRepublic

Fergalicious – Fergie

Happy – Pharrell Williams

Light Em Up – Fall Out Boy

Wake Me Up – Avicii

Story of My Life – One Direction

Good Feeling – Flo Rida

Roar – Katy Perry

Pocket Full of Sunshine – Natasha Bedingfield

    Easy A Movie Clip - Emma Stone

Who Says – Selena Gomez

*Please note only “clean” versions of the songs listed above were used   

Sunny California - Part 1

Great view from the window seat!

Talk about WOW! This trip to Palo Alto has been nothing short of amazing. Now, the flights were not necessarily enjoyable, but I've had worse and I was able to almost finish two books! Pretty crazy. I do have an obsession with classic movies so it should be no surprise that I am frantically reading Pride and Prejudice and can't wait to get home to watch the movie again, the original of course. The remake is good too, but you can't beat the 1940's film with Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier. Oh, Mr. Darcy...

So San Francisco, San Jose, Mountain View, and Palo Alto all made for a wonderful, beautiful trip.  I have never been in the presence of such amazing people in education, or just in general. Laura, Steve, and Mike are such an honor to be around. Their passion and drive are inspiring and I learn something new every time I see them. Getting the chance to read and share our first drafts of our Fishman Prize essays was nerve racking, but incredibly helpful. I have definitely struggled throughout this process and am getting a BIG reminder of what my students go through each day. I can't wait to see these published because there is something for everyone in each of these essays.

Meeting all the multi-millionaires and influential people in education on our trip was pretty fantastic too! One of the highlights for me was meeting Ann Bowers who is Chair of the Board and the co-founding trustee of the Noyce Foundation, which is focused on  improving math and science instruction and learning in public schools. Having lunch and getting to chat with such a strong, influential woman who embraces math and science and understands the need to make these subjects more accessible to woman was inspiring. Her stories were funny and ideas are brilliant. I hope to hear more from her, maybe if she's in the Tampa area we could show her first hand what the LHS Longhorns are capable of!

Our second stop was to the Emerson Collective where we were able to spend time with Russlynn Ali and had a surprise visit from Laurene Powell Jobs.  These are two of the most beautiful women I have ever met and demand attention when they enter a room even saying a word. From talking with both of them it is clear they want every student to not only have access to education, but equal access to amazing teachers. To be asked questions and be able to share our thoughts and feel valued is an indescribable feeling and I hope that I offer that experience to my students every day! We also enjoyed the art instillation in their offices that takes a photo booth type picture and prints it out poster size! There should always be time for a little fun. :)

Sunny California Part II coming soon... I don't wait to miss my flight home. CA has been fun, but there is no place like home.

It's Time to Write

Oh my! I have forgotten how challenging, tough, revealing, hard, puzzling, exciting, frustrating, time consuming, powerful, insightful, what other adjectives can I come up with... writing is. I am so happy to be honored as one of the TNTP Fishman Prize Winners and am so happy to share this experience. Part of winning the Fishman Prize is writing an essay about how I achieve extraordinary results in my classroom. Let me just say I have not had to write a substantial document for years and am thoroughly enjoying this experience!

Now deciding what to write about is definitely the hard part. What is it that sets my classroom apart? What makes what I do different? Thinking about what you do everyday and what makes it different... you wouldn't think it would be so difficult.  So what have I done? Talk and talk and talk... talking it out is the best thing for me. I'm talking to myself, my dogs, Travis, my mom, dad, Chris from TNTP anybody who will listen really. I'm sure they are dreading the phone calls at this point, but talking about my classroom, my amazing students, and all the intricacies has made a huge difference in my life already.

Teaching is what I do. It is what I do everyday. It has never been a job for me. It has only been an incredibly rewarding career. I hope that I can share some insight into the lives and experiences for my students and do them justice.

I've gotten through my first draft and will be reading it to the other winners on our trip to Palo Alto... wish me luck! 

And the Streak Continues...

PreCalculus Students - Pd 2

Congratulations are in order for my super star PreCalculus students! We've done it once again, dominated the PreCalculus County Exam scores. I couldn't be more proud of these amazing students (in no particular order):  Cole, Skye, Carolina, Dandy, Maria, Daisy, Araceli, Alexis S., Abby, Jade, Alex Ch, Adonys, Anqi, Elva, Taylor, Racheal, Alex Cl, Devon, Yovan, Ashlyn, Teagan, Iliana, Dawan, Rythum, Chad, John, Alison, Kevin, Martti, Paul, Danae, Rosa, Jonathan, Arely, Vanessa, Diana, Josh, Leticia, Raul, Tiffany, Jordan, Robert, and Fatima.

PreCalculus Students - Pd 3

Together, these students have worked incredibly hard to earn the right to saying they are the BEST PreCalculus classes in the county! And... to top it all off, they not only were #1, beating all 26 other high schools, but their average was 7 points higher than the #2 school. Pretty amazing! I love seeing Lennard at the top. 

So I think I can wrap this up with my favorite L-Block cheer:

"Everbody, everybody say what ... Everybody wants to be a LONGHORN!"

Other amazing exam scores coming from the LHS Math Department:

Analytic Geometry - #1
Algebra 2 Honors - #2

AP Statistics - #2

Algebra 2 - #9

Advanced Topics - #10. 

New York, New York!

Claude Monet's Bridge Over  a Pond of Water Lilies

One of my favorite intro songs to a movie is "New York" by Alfred Newman in the Lauren Bacall, Bette Grable and Marylin Monroe movie, How to Marry a Millionaire. New York, New York,.... I know you all aren't classic movie fans like myself, but this one is definitely in my top 20 and the song encapsulates how amazing the TNTP Fishman Prize trip to New York really was!

Good company, amazing food (Colonie and Frankies, Brooklyn), awesome audiences hanging on to our every word, and beautiful weather (until 6pm on Wednesday when I was trying to fly home, let's just say JFK is not the most interesting place to get stranded due to Tropical Storm Arther, soon to graduate to hurricane status). Why I chose to stay a few extra hours, The MET. Was it worth? I'll have to decide that when I get home to Tampa, 2am? 3am? never? Still, I can't help but love The MET. Every time I walk into the Impressionist Wing I become giddy with a smile from ear to ear. I just can't help it. I could sit there for hours! Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, I can't get enough!

Ok, but the real reason for this post is to talk about the amazing experiences from the NY trip.Starting the trip out will a letter from Michelle Obama is pretty impressive! From there we we got to chat and get to know one another more. The TNTP team is so talented and I feel so luck to be a part of it! David Keeling, Chris Arnold, and Tiffany Chen have it covered from start to finish. Their passion for their work at TNTP and with the Fishman Prize winners is displayed in energy that is infectious. You can't sit in a room with the three of them an not laugh and smile. The same can be said for the other Fishman Prize winners, Laura Strait (4th grade), Steven Sanders (band), and Mike Towne (physics).

Spending quality time with these amazing people has changed my life. I love teaching and can't imagine a life without it, but the conversations and close readings will not be forgotten. Have you ever done a "close reading?" Me either, until Monday, and boy I did not know what I was getting myself into! I felt like such a student, but it was fantastic regardless of the intitial pain. :) I would highly recommend reading The Irreplaceables and Shortchanged, when it is released. Bored to Death by Amanda Ripley was also pretty interesting. Have you ever wondered if your students were tweeting during class? The article brings up some alarming statistics. A Gallup poll found that one out of every two teenagers in the US choose the word "bored" to describe their school. Another study of 467 high school dropouts found that nearly half said boredom was a major factor in their quitting school. This is crazy! I think my class is pretty engaging, but I will be checking twitter a little more frequently to see what students are saying.

What a week! Tuesday was packed with video calls to John King, New York Commissioner of Education, and Doug Lamov, author of Teach Like a Champion. We even took a trip to Collegeboard. I loved it! Put me at the front of a room with 40+ people asking questions and listening to every word and I am almost as happy as I am The MET. Maybe public speaking will be in my future! It is so difficult to express in word the feelings and emotions that are accompanied with being surrounded by passionate educators and leaders in the education field. I have never quite experienced this to such a high degree. I will hang on to these memories forever!

Next up, first draft of my TNTP essay. A huge thank you to my AP English teacher from Anthony Wayne HS, Dr. Berta! I confident that I can make him, and myself proud.

It's all real now!

Today I got my Fishman Prize check! All $25,000! It was incredibly exciting and made this experience real. I have been working on my pre-reading materials for our first trip in New York City and I am ready! I can't wait to listen, learn, and share with other amazing educators and leaders in the education field.

Off to Europe for a some fun with my family, then on to NYC! What a great way to spend your summer.

Time for a Little Fun.

I had an amazing time with my students at our pizza/bowling party.  I’m not a big bowler or pizza eater, but it was a blast! It never ceases to amaze me how much we can learn about our students each and every day, especially in a social setting. A big thanks goes out to East Coast Pizza for fitting us in last minute. The pizza was great and it was nice to see David Sanchez, a former Algebra 1 student of mine, working towards making his dreams come true.  When it was time for bowling, I cannot tell you how nervous I was, so silly, but true. I had to bowl and in front of my students! I am a terrible bowler, but this experience was great. The students were able to see a more human side of me and boy did they laugh a lot. We even have video of my amazing bowling skills! Yikes!! This really made me think about the students I have at the beginning of the year who are unsure and nervous. The creation of a safe, inviting environment is crucial to students’ success. I got over my fear and embarrassment and was able
to celebrate, clap, and cheer on the students as the made strike after strike; they were good! Being able to have true, nonacademic time with the students will be one of my most cherished moments as a their teacher. The students are amazing young men and women and they deserve for all of their teachers to get to know who they are, what are their dreams, and what they want out of life.

It’s Time to Celebrate!

As if the surprise wasn’t enough, the days and weeks to follow were almost as good! My students and coworkers were amazingly supportive and excited for the recognition and prestige that accompanies the Fishman Prize. Throughout the day, signs popped up everywhere.

They are all so much fun! I loved reading what the students had written, encouragement and caring statements full of pride! When I think back to the big day and days to follow, tears still creep into my eyes. I never realized or imagined that my students would feel such a large part of this incredible honor, as I had wanted them to feel.  The students have such amazing insight into their own education. They deserve and want so much more than we are providing them with from 7:30 – 3:00pm!

That night I was surrounded by my family and closest coworkers at Little Harbor, one of our favorite local retreats. It was a beautiful night. Great company, the sun setting in the background, and dolphins playing in the water right in front of us. The perfect end to the perfect day! 

The BIG Surprise!

5/19/2014

District Photo Shoot

Mr. Horstman called me on Friday to let me know the district needed some more photographs for a PR project they were working on. “Ok, no problem” is what I said, but what I was really thinking was I hope I don’t get pulled out of class again. The first photo shoot was fun and comical, but we all know every minute counts. When the photographer came in the previous week I had to pose all around my classroom, without my students. No security in numbers. I was it. They got to sit in
their seats and watch the whole thing unfold. They had a great time watching me as the table was turned and I was given instructions, hand and on hip, arms crossed, move to the left, hold this book, smile.  Anyway… Monday morning I got up early to make sure my hair was just right for these additional photos. Florida humidity is not anyone’s hair’s best friend!  I decided to wear my favorite blue button down and black shirt with high heels. It never hurts adding a couple inches in height, right? 

Upon getting to school I saw Mrs. Freitas in the hallway pulling down posters from events past on the windows. I thought that was strange, but whatever, it was the seniors last day of school, an emotional one, and I was hoping they would all show up. Their Pen Pal Scrapbook was due and I did not want to chase any of the students down to get the final product. I was happily surprised, impressed even, that most of the seniors were in class that day, working hard to finish their projects. I walked around talking to each of them, soaking in our last day together. This group of AP Calculus students will always have a special place in my heart. I have taught most of them for three years. There are many that I have known longer because of siblings or cousins. It is amazing the student-teacher bonds that can develop over that long of a time period. Most of them can do a pretty good imitation of me! Needless to say, this was going to be a tough day, saying goodbye to my seniors. 

At one point during the period one of my students, I have no idea at this point who it was, said “why is Cris out in the hall,” (Cris Torres, a previous AP Calculus student and all around technological wizard). I immediately thought what does he need, who is he going to want to pull from class for an interview for the morning show, oh but I was wrong! I glanced out the window into the hall, and OH MY GOSH! It was happening!! I WON THE FISHMAN PRIZE! I couldn't believe it. Mr. Horstman (Principal of LHS), Ms. Freitas (Assistant Principal), Mr. Oest (former principal of LHS and the man who hired me seven years ago), Dr. and Mrs. Lennard (namesake of LHS), Mrs. Elia (Superintendent), and then the BIG surprise, my parents!

Surprised by my parents, Ed and Lauri

 I absolutely lost it!  I was so happy to see the two people who raised me to be the woman I am today. Thinking about it still brings tears to my eyes. I cannot put into words how amazing that moment was, and to share it with my parents, boyfriend (Travis Pilewski), department head and friend (Diana Wohlgamuth), seniors, and so many others was the BEST DAY OF MY LIFE! The events were straight out of a movie. I just needed Best Day of My Life by American Authors to be playing to make it complete (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wutzv7JjX7k).   I will forgive my students that pulled out their cellphones to record the event; I guess there should be exceptions to the “I see it, I take it” rule sometimes. J I am so grateful to those who took the amazing pictures and video!

Smile for the Camera

Part of the Fishman Prize application process included submitting videos and photographs of yourself teaching. Let me tell you, this is not as easy as "Okay, everybody smile!"  Although it turned out to be an amazing experience that I hope every teacher gets to experience in their career.

I want to give a big shout out to Garrett Mulholland, a former student and 2014 graduate, who helped me through the process. I needed to submit action photos to TNTP and Garrett was the young man that made it happen. Through multiple days of shooting and hundreds of photos (I know it sounds silly, but it is hard to catch people without their mouths wide open or eyes blinking) and tons of uncontrollable laughter while picking out the keepers, we were able to narrow it down to a few. I cannot thank him enough. I know I will cherish these photos forever! Thanks Garrett!

My Journey to the Fishman Prize

My journey to the Fishman Prize began with a simple email from my admin, Mr. Horstman and Mrs. Freitas. It is pretty incredible that this one email has forever changed my life!

When I chose to apply for the Fishman Prize, I remember sitting at my parents dinner table and discussing the essay prompts and what this could potentially mean for my students and  me. I was so excited and yet nervous. I am a very competitive person and through the months of next steps, I wanted no one to know I had applied. What if I didn't win? This was nerve racking because I want to be the best! Looking back, I wish I could have involved more people and students. This award is truly a celebration of exceptional teaching that is happening all over the United States in classrooms K-12. I am so glad that my coworkers were interested in the strange video equipment that was popping up everywhere for two weeks while I video taped my classes continually. I must say it became a bit of an obsession. It is amazing what you can see, hear and learn from watching your lessons and I would encourage every teacher to video tape their classroom on a regular basis. It is awesome professional development!

The application process for the Fishman Prize was intense and yet fun! I had to write two very short responses to prompts (250 words is just not enough!), submit a letter of recommendation (thank you Diana!), submit a 25 minute video taped lesson and lesson plan, have an unannounced observation, and lastly have an in person interview with a panel from TNTP.

My students were absolutely amazing throughout the process and so excited when we made it to the next round each time. I cannot thank them enough for the hard work and dedication all of my students over the last seven years have put in. Each year has been special and different and has gotten me to where I am today. Lennard Longhorns rock!

I have created this blog to not only document my journey, but to share the Fishman Prize with every student I have had. It is most definitely OUR FISHMAN PRIZE!

I hope you enjoy,
Ms. Zunkiewicz