A Failed Apple Pie
I believe that nothing beats a slice of homemade warm apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. My favorite apple pie recipe has a filling that’s not too sweet; even a little tart and savory. As the sweet ice cream melts over everything, it balances out the apple pie filling. I found a recipe several years ago, and it soon became a requested dessert at Thanksgiving and amongst some of my friends.
This weekend, I pulled out the recipe and baked. As soon as I took my first bite, however, I realized that this was not THE PIE I had made in the past. The crust seemed chewier and wasn’t as flaky as I remembered, but even more disappointingly the filling fell short in both taste and texture as it leaked out on the first cut. I’m definitely a filling makes the pie guy.
I immediately reviewed the recipe to see where I could’ve messed up. Did I overmix or undermix the crust? Was the butter chilled enough? Did I overwork or underwork the dough? Did I not cook the apple mixture enough? Where and why did I fail to reduce the liquid enough? Were the apples just bad apples? Did I bake it at the right temperature? Did I underbake it?
Of course, the pie was still edible--I ate plenty to make sure my initial assessment was correct.
Like teaching, baking is both a science and an art. Both require making adjustments on the fly and afterwards. As a baker, my pie was good but it wasn’t good enough. I felt disappointed and frustrated. I didn’t throw the recipe away but I took action to improve it next time. I ordered an oven thermometer to ensure my oven’s temperature is correct. I didn’t use a timer when making the filling and I know this was a major fault. I’ll also pay particular attention to some finer details next time I make the pie.
As teachers we must we must be open and ready to do what needs to be done to meet our students’ needs. We must constantly seek ways to assess our own actions and how they impact our students.
Unfortunately for me, I coasted when making my pie. I’ve made this pie several times before with no problems. It was like waiting for the test to realize I didn’t teach it well. I missed indicators along the way. The filling didn’t turn caramel color and wasn’t sufficiently reduced and the dough was rolled too thick.
As educators, we can always do better.
Great teachers refuse to stand by while their students succeed or fail. Great teachers act. They reflect. They do. They realize that they, are the most significant variable to student success.
Need to Knows
Mustang Morning Updates:
- Mustang Morning and Clubs have been updated through the second week in December. We still have a couple of tweaks such as Honor Societies to make.
- Student rosters were copied forward.
- Freshman can now sign up for enrichment activities.
- Please make sure students sign up for M, T, Th Mustang Mornings and clubs during 1A. No Mustang Morning on Wednesday because of CWRA/PSAT.
Important Dates
October 10: PSAT / CWRA Testing
October 12: A-Day with Long Lunch and Clubs
October 18: Parent-Teacher Conferences
October 19: Extended 1st period (8 period schedule)
Field Trips and SOLs
October 9: Tech Tech Tour Field Trip (9-2)
October 29: 10th grade Career Expo
College Visits
John Hopkins University 10/9 @ 9:30AM
Northwestern University 10/10 @ 9:30AM
Ferrum College 10/11 @ 1:30PM
Stats of the Week: State Climate Survey Summary
Scores were standardized so that the mean score for the state is 10 and the standard deviation is 1. Thus, scores between 9 and 11 are within 1 standard deviation of the state mean. Scores above 11 are more than 1 standard deviation above the state mean in a favorable direction and scores below 9 are more than 1 standard deviation below the state mean. Higher scores indicate a more favorable school climate. Scores must be interpreted with care.
Birthdays
October 8: Nanette DeFrank
October 12: Jo Ann Harris
Shout Outs
Thanks to our core department chairs and Cindy Pryor for creating an action plan to ensure our students have an opportunity to be successful on their SOL retakes. Some of our purposeful actions: 
- Small group targeted remediation schedules.
- A blast/series of cram sessions before the SOL.
- Adjusted SOL test dates to meet students’ needs.
What ideas do you have?
Useful Information
Bell Schedules : http://bit.ly/MOHSbells
Morning Announcement Stream: http://streaming.k12albemarle.org/ACPS/links.htm
Worth Your Time
Virginia Takes Deeper Learning Statewide (ACPS also is a member of EdLeader21)
PSAT and CWRA Testing
October 10
There will be NO AM Bells
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7:40-8:40
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Zero Period
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8:45
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1:25-2:40
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3rd Period
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2:45-3:50
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4th Period
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AM CATEC: Canceled; PM CATEC Students will leave at 1:30
A-Day Friday Schedule with Long Lunch
October 12
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7:40-8:40
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Zero Period
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8:55-10:15
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1st Period
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10:20-10:55
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Club Period
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11:00-1:00
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2nd Period
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1:05-2:25
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3rd Period
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2:30-3:50
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4th Period
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