• THE UNDERGROUND GUIDE TO GETTING ALONG WITH MS. DELOREY  

     *Act at all times as though you are amazed by and in love with mathematics, especially Honors Algebra. Say things like, "Wow, is class over already?" and "Do you have any extra problems I could do just for fun?".

     

    * She doesn't want you to miss a single minute of her class.  She seems to believe her every word is golden. So if you have to use the restroom, don't be gone for long and look like you are super sad that you will be missing two minutes of her class.

     

    *Ask her if she has ever heard of Richard Feynman and if she knows any good books you could read about him.  This guy is apparently her idol.

     

    *Tell her about some show you saw on public television and how it relates to math; she loves this.

     

    * Try never to be absent.  You might consider missing class for an emergency appendectomy, but a lot happens in here every day so it's best to be here.

     

    *Ask her for help at least once a day; she loves this. 

     

     *Casually mention the "math parties" you've been having with friends before each test; she'll get a real kick out of this and might actually believe you.

     

    *She has a sense of humor--sort of.  You know math teachers.

     

     *Bring your supplies—you know pencil, calculator etc.  If you ask to borrow one, she might loan you one but she does it like she’s pretty embarrassed for you.

     

    *Try your best to never look sleepy.  She has this real thing about teenagers not getting enough sleep and tells all the parents at Parent Night that we should be in bed by eight and get ten hours of sleep!  As if that's going to happen.  Anyway, never let on that you're a little short of sleep.

     

    *Don't misspell words.  She has a thing about this and it doesn't help to point out to her that this is not English class.

     

    *She considers a lot of words "off color", ordinary words that you hear on T.V. all the time.  Stifle yourself if you feel like saying, "This sucks" or " I'm really pissed off".  Don't even consider using real swear words around her.  She probably grew up in some super puritanical family or something.  (She suggests substituting "This inhales vigorously." for "This sucks.")

     

    *Texting during class? Uh, no.....

     

    *She often gives some time in class to get a bit of a start on homework which is pretty nice. She likes to make sure that everyone is doing things right before they go home.

     

    *She does get pretty excited about everything she is teaching so look highly interested even if you have to fake it.  Previous acting experience helps! She actually cares A LOT about you learning all this stuff and gets pretty darn excited if the class does well on a test.

     

    *Here's a surprise--you can sometimes listen to music in class. She has this theory that music helps some students block out distractions and concentrate better.

     

    *And here's another surprise.  She lets you eat in class as long as you don't make a mess of it. She says students think better if they're not starving all the time.

     

    * Oh also, she has these mint candies she gives out on test days.  She says something about peppermint and brain waves and doing better on tests.  Whatever.......we just like eating them!

     

    *Well, all in all, she's a pretty good teacher. She is always around before school to help you one-on-one and seems to really like it when you come in.  She explains things clearly and she's fair.  She really prepares you well for tests and even though some of her  "brain" activities are kinda weird, they seem to work!  I'm sure if you follow all my advice you'll have a good year.