Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Happy Birthday, Exit 10A

     Exit 10A is one year old today!

Let's celebrate!
     The blog has come a long way from its first post, which featured a video of me peeling a clementine for an estimation180-type activity.  When I started writing, 1 year, 51 posts, and 35,000 pageviews ago, I could never have imagined that it would experience such growth.  I remember the feelings of nervousness and anticipation as I hit the "publish" button for the first time and sent my thoughts hurtling into the internet universe.  Would anyone listen?  Would anyone respond?
     I spent a week obsessively checking, hoping someone would leave a comment.  Nothing. I rationalized by telling myself that teachers were on winter break, and had better things to do then read math blogs, but as the days wore on I grew increasingly despondent.  And then, finally, it happened:


     A comment!  Someone named George Broklaw had taken the time to respond to the clementine post.  Who was he?  A teacher?  Maybe from the UK?  No matter.  I was ecstatic.  It wasn't until several days had gone by that I found out (from my wife) that "George Broklaw" was actually my son, Sam, commenting under a pseudonym.  He felt sorry for me.  What a good boy!
    Comment number 2 came about a week later:

     Andrew Stadel had been the inspiration behind the estimation task that I had described in that first post, and his work, both at estimation180 and his blog, Divisible by Three, was a major catalyst for starting a blog of my own.  His comment, along with Mr. Broklaw's, was all the encouragement I needed.
     Of course it takes a village to raise a child, and I need to take a moment to thank those who have been instrumental in helping make Exit10A a reality.  I have written about the tremendous influence those in the MTBoS have had on my work.  Special thanks to Dan Meyer, who was an early supporter, and brought word of my blog to the attention of his wide audience with this post.  I am blessed to work with an incredible group of teachers.  They have given me their time, their classrooms, and their trust.  Nothing could happen without the support of my principal.  A shout-out to my partner-in-crime and "work wife", Theresa.  And to Barbara, Kay, and Mr. Broklaw: love you guys!
  OK, enough yappin'.  Time to eat!

How many people can this cake feed?
Give me a too low, a too high, and a just right.  On an open number line, of course.






6 comments:

  1. Happy birthday, Exit 10A!
    Feed?
    Virtually........tens..........hundreds..........thousands!

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  2. Congratulations Joe!
    Boy, am I glad you started blogging. You're blog is a must-read anytime my RSS feeder says you have a new post. I enjoy reading your detailed posts and love that you provide as many pictures as possible to paint the story. You've done some great work and teachers are very grateful for it. I have the pleasure of recommending your blog to other teachers at conferences or in passing. Thanks for taking the time to contribute and share. It was a pleasure to meet you this year and hopefully our paths will cross again soon.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Andrew for your kind words, and for being there at the beginning.

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  3. Well done Joe!
    Your influence as a coach resonates far beyond the walls of your school (especially here in Georgia). Thanks for taking the time to reflect and share your insight over the past year. I've definitely grown because of you and 10A.
    Looking forward to 2015 and the collaboration to come!

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  4. Thanks Graham. The feeling is mutual; I've received many, many gifts from Georgia. Thanks to you and your colleagues, and best wishes for a great 2015!

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