Saying Goodbye to My Classes
It was surreal to say goodbye to my classes on Friday. I was astounded at all the thoughtful goodbyes I received from teachers and students alike. I will truly miss my classes and am grateful I will get to interact with them from the ice! Below are some of the mementos I have received from teachers and students.
Many students, teachers, friends and family have given Michelle cards, as shown here.
Katherine, Bianey and Areli surprise Michelle with a card signed by their class, a balloon, cupcakes, and a care package with snacks for the trip.
Jesus presents Michelle with a card that he made which he had teachers and students sign.
Colleague David McCallum gives Michelle a can of sardines and a picture of his adopted penguin for her to find and feed in Antarctica.
Surveying the Students
After our weekly quiz, I asked my students in each class to fill out a survey about our class and whether they would like to go to Antarctica and why. I also asked them questions about themselves. With 42 minute classes and over 160 students, I don't get to spend a lot of time getting to know each student well. Since I am facing around 22 hours of flying time to get to McMurdo, I figured this would be a good way to learn more about them.
I would like to know more about everyone who I'll be interacting with from Antarctica! Read the survey questions that I asked my students (in the Questions section at the bottom of this page), and post them in the "Ask the Team" section of the website
A Coin for Good Luck
After many hugs and goodbyes, I thought the kind well-wishing was over when the last school bell rang at 3:30. However, when I returned to my classroom, I found a coin from Jesus. He left it for me with instructions to keep it with me for good luck and safety, as is the tradition from his culture.
A coin that Michelle's student, Jesus, gave her as a symbol of good luck for her trip.
I wanted to learn more about this cultural tradition, and discovered it was not only a tradition in Jesus' family, but also a Jewish tradition. In Jewish custom, when a friend or family member leaves to do a mitzvah (a good deed), they are given a coin or bill to give to charity. I am planning on keeping the coin with me for safety (following Jesus' guidelines) until I return. Maybe then I will give it to charity.
Questions
Survey Questions
Below are some of the questions I asked my students on Friday. What are YOUR answers? (Post them in the Ask the Team page)
- If you could go to Antarctica, would you? Why or why not?
- What do you hope to learn from my trip to Antarctica?
- If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
- What's the scariest or most challenging thing you've ever done?
Math Connection
I will spend about 22 hours on planes to get from Austin, TX to McMurdo Station, Antarctica. I will bring along 167 surveys from all of my students. How much time can I spend on each survey? If each survey has 7 questions, how much time can I spend reading each question?
Answers to Math Connection Problems from November 2nd Journal Entry
Mr. League's card left on 10/22 and arrived on 11/1. That means it took 11 days for his postcard to travel from McMurdo Station to O.Henry Middle School. Unfortunately, it is not possible to know the hours and minutes!
If the distance between McMurdo Station and O.Henry Middle School in Austin, TX is 13,420 km and it took the card 11 days to arrive, then the average speed is 1,220 km/day. Speed = distance / time, so 13,420 km / 11 days is 1,220 km/day.
Let's go a little further with this--what the speed of the postcard in miles per hour?
1 km is roughly 0.62 miles, so the distance between McMurdo and O.Henry Middle School is about 8,320.4 miles. There are 24 hours in 1 day, so it took about 264 hours to travel. That means the average speed is 31.5 miles per hour.