Still alive ...

It's been a long time between posts .. but rest assured I'm still alive - just swamped by teaching right now. Hope to write some more soon on the following topics:

• Useful metaphors for teaching senior trigonometry
• Ideas our school is doing for the Transit of Venus 2012 - with some resources

but in the meantime ...

A notice to all new teachers: Get yourself to the doctor ASAP and get vaccinated for whooping cough. Yes - you probably got vaccinated as a child, but immunity only lasts 10 years.   I really really wish someone had told me to do this. Yes - I caught it - most likely from someone at school - I have only just stopped coughing after three months of hacking. And even worse, I could have spread it around. Fortunately my doctor picked it up and gave me the treatment to stop it being infectious. Sadly the treatment doesn't cure the cough - making for a very unpleasant time the last few months. As a new teacher you are particularly vulnerable to catching and spreading the disease. In New South Wales, Australia, there are 20,000 cases diagnosed per year - and probably many many more go undetected - because adults just put up with it. The vaccine is normally combined with a Tetanus booster - just do it!