Phone:
Email:
Degrees and Certifications:
Lebanon Valley College - B.S. Biology Walden University - Masters of Education - Curriculum and Instruction
Mr. Brian Sheehan
I am a chemistry teacher here at Pottsgrove and I have a good time doing it! I am looking forward to getting to know your students, learning a lot, and having fun.
When I'm not working I like to stay active with my church. I also enjoy running, biking, ultimate frisbee, and watching movies.
SUPPORTING STUDENTS
I want to support your students to the best of my ability, but I cannot do so without parent/guardian involvement. With your help, assisting students becomes much more feasible and we give them the push and support they need to succeed. In order to do so, please go through the resources below to become more involved in your student's education:
-POWERSCHOOL - Please check it often. I have most grades in the day they are due or the day after. Please check your student's grades regularly, and feel free to contact me with any questions.
-SCHOOLOGY - I use it all the time. Many quizzes will be on there along with notes, worksheets, answer keys, and study materials. Due dates and upcoming assignments will also be posted on the Schoology calendar, so homework and quizzes will never be a surprise. I strongly encourage you to set up a PARENT ACCOUNT. This will allow you to see and access almost everything your student can. To receive your parent code, just email me your student's name, and I will get it to you soon after.
-SCHOOLOGY - I use it all the time. Many quizzes will be on there along with notes, worksheets, answer keys, and study materials. Due dates and upcoming assignments will also be posted on the Schoology calendar, so homework and quizzes will never be a surprise. I strongly encourage you to set up a PARENT ACCOUNT. This will allow you to see and access almost everything your student can. To receive your parent code, just email me your student's name, and I will get it to you soon after.
**To sign up, just go to Schoology, click "Sign Up," click "Parent," then enter your access code. You should be all set from there!
POLICIES TO CHECK OUT
1) ZERO'S FOR MISSING TESTS/QUIZZES - Any time a student misses a quiz, for any reason, I put in a zero. This encourages students to schedule a time to take the missing quiz while also showing them what their grade would be if they did not schedule a time to take it. Per handbook policy, students have two weeks to make up any assessment, after which point they receive a permanent zero. As long as they schedule to take the quiz within those two weeks, I'll remove the zero immediately and replace it with their actual grade. On the other hand, if they did not make it up within the two weeks and then I put in the zero, they regret their decision and realize their mistake, but at that point, the grade is sealed. In summary, I find students are more motivated to schedule a time to take a missing quiz if the zero is already there, at which point I will happily change their grade immediately. The responsibility to schedule this lies solely on the students. Almost everyday I remind classes to schedule a quiz if they missed it, but I have too many students to individually chase down and ask to schedule. Students can schedule a test/quiz on Schoology at any time.
2) REDOING TESTS/QUIZZES - The best way for students to improve their grade is to redo a test/quiz. I make two different versions of all tests and quizzes, and students may redo any test and quiz if desired. ALL STUDENTS ARE AWARE OF THIS. My policy for this mimics that in the handbook - students have two weeks from the date the assessment was given to redo it. After that point, I do not allow redo's. Grading: I take the above average of the two grades. If they get a 50% the first time and a 100% the second try, the average is a 75%, but I will most likely give them an 80% or 85%. Grades can also LOWER if they do worse. The point of a redo is because they might have had a bad day or were not prepared for version 1, so they studied and prepared for version 2. What I want to avoid is having students click different answers and hope they do better (which still wouldn't help since version 1 and 2 are different questions). I want students to take version 2 seriously and prove learning, so their grade will lower if they do worse. Hopefully the redo always results in a higher grade.
2) REDOING TESTS/QUIZZES - The best way for students to improve their grade is to redo a test/quiz. I make two different versions of all tests and quizzes, and students may redo any test and quiz if desired. ALL STUDENTS ARE AWARE OF THIS. My policy for this mimics that in the handbook - students have two weeks from the date the assessment was given to redo it. After that point, I do not allow redo's. Grading: I take the above average of the two grades. If they get a 50% the first time and a 100% the second try, the average is a 75%, but I will most likely give them an 80% or 85%. Grades can also LOWER if they do worse. The point of a redo is because they might have had a bad day or were not prepared for version 1, so they studied and prepared for version 2. What I want to avoid is having students click different answers and hope they do better (which still wouldn't help since version 1 and 2 are different questions). I want students to take version 2 seriously and prove learning, so their grade will lower if they do worse. Hopefully the redo always results in a higher grade.
