Here I am at last

Well, this is my entry into the blogging world. I feel like somewhat of an anachronism. This past week I attended a Summer Institute on teaching pre-AP chemistry. I was the only one there not familiar with the TI graphing calculators commonly used in High School Chemistry. When I went to college we used slide rules and I graduated directly to the computer. It was good to review some of the concepts taught there, such as thermodynamics and electrochemisty, that I haven't thought about for 40 years or so, and was never really comfortable with when I did learn them.

My schedule for the fall has been changed. I will have 3 sections of regular John Jay HS pre-AP chem and 3 of Science Academy (magnet school) pre-AP chem. It will be nice to have only one prep again and students who are more motivated to learn.

This summer I have been working on some home improvement projects. The downstairs half bathroom is almost finished and the family room floor a little over half done. Those of you familiar with the previous state of the bathroom will recognize an improvement, I hope. The half concrete wall is done in the same tile as the floor with added accents.

The wall before and after



All that remains is for Janet and Suzanne to paint the other two walls with their special technique that they want to use. The laundry room floor is also done, but not the painting, yet.

Two views of the bathroom at present







I am procrastinating doing the stairs because I am expecting a difficult time getting them done right.

I will be taking a forced break this week for my cataract surgery on Wednesday. Can't do anything strenuous for a couple of days afterward. Hopefully I will be able to read again, comfortably. I was asked to read a scripture in Sunday School today and had a hard time of it.