Maybe I shouldn't have started this blog now, not with everything that's been going on.

Last Friday, as stated, I had to supervise two tests: Mathematical Methods 1 and Trigonometric Applications.

For MM1, as usual, I just arrived in school at least two hours afterwards to have time to prepare the questions. As per agreement with David, the other MM1 teacher, there were quadratic equations that they had to solve by factoring, and there were equations and word problems that they could solve by any method they choose.

Despite the fact that it was implied during the lecture, there were no equations that had to be specifically solved by using completing the square method, which the students really don’t like.

I had five items for factoring while there were four items for any method (which is in actuality any method except factoring), because I told David I wanted to give the students the chance to get more points from the easier methods. There were also four word problems: one for work (non-quadratic), one for rows, one for area of a rectangle and one for two generic numbers. That made only thirteen items in all.

It had also become my procedure to ask David for his input on the number of points per item afterwards. If it were up to me I would have given a different allotment of points for easy and for difficult problems.

David, though, decided, and had started checking his papers, using 3 points each for the first part, 4 points each for the second part (ending up with 15 versus 16 points comparatively, apparently defeating the purpose of having more items for the easier part) and 5 points each for the last part, for a total of 51 points all over 50.

For the Trig App exam, since there were only going to be two proctors for three sections of roughly twenty students each, we of course decided to assign everyone a room based on their standing from the first quiz.

Those who got 48 percent and higher would stay in one room, while those who got below that would all take the test in another room. According to the other Trig App teacher, this assures that the chronic and ineffectual copiers would have no reliable paper to peek at during the exam.

Of course, this ignores the fact that if there are those who were able to cheat successfully during the first quiz, they would be placed in the room with relatively more lax observation.

I was also had apprehensions on how finding out they were bunched in with the “underachievers” would affect the performance of those who believe they could do better.

In the end though I guarded the students with the higher scores. That’s when I realized that most of the students in the other class are also my students in mechanics, so there was no hesitation on their part asking me about part of the exam that were not clear to them, just like in mechanics.

Overall the consensus was that they found the exam difficult, including my students, despite the near-identical practice we had the day before.

I hear the bell already. I’ll discuss today’s events tomorrow. Class dismissed.