that I'm having a breakdown.
I've been sobbing for the last fifteen minutes.
Earlier today I felt good about things because I submitted nine more resumes this weekend.
But thinking and talking about the future = sobbing in my bed in the middle of the night. That is neither normal nor healthy.
I've looked up my mental health insurance--it's covered (good job, Timothy's Law) and there's someone right in my neighborhood.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Success?
The Roos have been crazy lately--with the teachers who lack classroom management. I'm not finding myself very sympathetic, as it's MAY and by now they should have been working on it all year to prepare for the spring insanity. As of now, apparently the good/in-control teachers are being asked to reprimand the class FOR that lacking teacher. Dude. Get your shit together, it's not even your first year teaching.
Anyway, the Roos are decent for me--squirrelly, sure, a little; chatty, sometimes, of course. But that's one of my great success stories--after my first year (and during too) I've worked really hard at management--I set the very strict tone in September and I fuss at them over small, little things. That prevents the big crazy stuff and lets them know the classroom is a peaceful place to be and to work. And I think they do actually appreciate it, because recently I only raise my eyebrows and they shush each other.
So this week we've been evaluating writing in portfolios and working on revising. Which means I'm actually giving them individual work time during class to write. This can be a sticky situation, as they're often only quiet and on task if I'm standing up front glaring at everybody. Once I circulate, the chatter creeps up and I have regulate. Loudly and sternly.
Also, since our recent field trip went so well and we all had such a good time, Ms Math and I decided to have the classes compete for another field trip in a few weeks. We will be calculating homework percentages and class points, and the class with the highest number will go to the zoo. (Ha! For a trip, not for imprisonment. Although some we might be tempted to leave there...) The students know about so this week I've been extra tough on them, issuing that challenge. "You CAN all be "A" students. I WANT you to keep all your class points. Focus and do your work!"
And yesterday, they really did! Yes, I had to move them into rows instead of tables, but they all sat quietly, and nearly all of them were busy writing. It was very gratifying.
At the back of the class sits ESL Girl. She's pretty low functioning altogether, not just because of language, so she struggles a lot with writing. Her grades struggle even more because most of the time she doesn't do anything at all. This girl wouldn't know a paragraph if it hit her in the face.
A few months ago, during the after school program that was cancelled months ago, I sat with her and walked her through the four square process and then the essay process. She did fine, for her level, but I figured it would kind of go in one ear and out the other. We haven't done essays since then, either.
So yesterday, as I was walking around, I passed by her and glanced at her notebook. There was a complete four square and gosh darn it--she was in the fourth paragraph of her essay!
That pretty much made my day as a teacher.
Anyway, the Roos are decent for me--squirrelly, sure, a little; chatty, sometimes, of course. But that's one of my great success stories--after my first year (and during too) I've worked really hard at management--I set the very strict tone in September and I fuss at them over small, little things. That prevents the big crazy stuff and lets them know the classroom is a peaceful place to be and to work. And I think they do actually appreciate it, because recently I only raise my eyebrows and they shush each other.
So this week we've been evaluating writing in portfolios and working on revising. Which means I'm actually giving them individual work time during class to write. This can be a sticky situation, as they're often only quiet and on task if I'm standing up front glaring at everybody. Once I circulate, the chatter creeps up and I have regulate. Loudly and sternly.
Also, since our recent field trip went so well and we all had such a good time, Ms Math and I decided to have the classes compete for another field trip in a few weeks. We will be calculating homework percentages and class points, and the class with the highest number will go to the zoo. (Ha! For a trip, not for imprisonment. Although some we might be tempted to leave there...) The students know about so this week I've been extra tough on them, issuing that challenge. "You CAN all be "A" students. I WANT you to keep all your class points. Focus and do your work!"
And yesterday, they really did! Yes, I had to move them into rows instead of tables, but they all sat quietly, and nearly all of them were busy writing. It was very gratifying.
At the back of the class sits ESL Girl. She's pretty low functioning altogether, not just because of language, so she struggles a lot with writing. Her grades struggle even more because most of the time she doesn't do anything at all. This girl wouldn't know a paragraph if it hit her in the face.
A few months ago, during the after school program that was cancelled months ago, I sat with her and walked her through the four square process and then the essay process. She did fine, for her level, but I figured it would kind of go in one ear and out the other. We haven't done essays since then, either.
So yesterday, as I was walking around, I passed by her and glanced at her notebook. There was a complete four square and gosh darn it--she was in the fourth paragraph of her essay!
That pretty much made my day as a teacher.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
decisions?
After, or despite, all this thinking and angsting (is that a verb? it is now), I'm pretty sure I have to stay in New York for another year. If I had gotten an offer out of state I might have taken it, but after all the go-nowhere interviews...it's getting too late to think about moving, because of my lease being up for renewal so soon.
So now, to think about the job situation...
argh.
I've 'applied' on open market for several dozen positions, both English and elementary. I don't even know how it works, or if it will work. I hadn't wanted to risk another crappy school in the city. But, better the devil you know? Or take the plunge into something new and different?
again, argh.
Though it's probably pointless, I'm even letting myself think about non-teaching jobs. I looked around a teeny bit, but sadly found mostly either admin-assistant positions (which sound fabulously easy [but boring?] compared to being in the classroom, and which now I feel way overqualified for) or education-related jobs that require management/data experience (which I would say I'm HIGHLY qualified for, but obviously their definitions would not agree) or things that I don't find interesting at all. Hmph.
For now, I'm keeping my eyes open for the next month or so. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please let me know. :)
So now, to think about the job situation...
argh.
I've 'applied' on open market for several dozen positions, both English and elementary. I don't even know how it works, or if it will work. I hadn't wanted to risk another crappy school in the city. But, better the devil you know? Or take the plunge into something new and different?
again, argh.
Though it's probably pointless, I'm even letting myself think about non-teaching jobs. I looked around a teeny bit, but sadly found mostly either admin-assistant positions (which sound fabulously easy [but boring?] compared to being in the classroom, and which now I feel way overqualified for) or education-related jobs that require management/data experience (which I would say I'm HIGHLY qualified for, but obviously their definitions would not agree) or things that I don't find interesting at all. Hmph.
For now, I'm keeping my eyes open for the next month or so. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please let me know. :)
Brooklyn Bridge 125th Birthday Celebration
VIEWING AREAS
The colorful light installation will illuminate the New York City skyline every evening from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM.
Recommended viewing areas from Thursday, May 22 through Monday, May 26 include:
Brooklyn
Empire Fulton Ferry State Park – Enter at Main and Water Streets (Thursday through Saturday only)
Brooklyn Bridge Park – Enter at Main and Water Streets
Brooklyn Heights Promenade (Remsen Street to Orange Street along the East River) Fulton Ferry Landing – Water and Old Fulton Streets
Manhattan
Esplanade along South Street from Wall Street to the Manhattan Bridge including Pier 17
The colorful light installation will illuminate the New York City skyline every evening from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM.
Recommended viewing areas from Thursday, May 22 through Monday, May 26 include:
Brooklyn
Empire Fulton Ferry State Park – Enter at Main and Water Streets (Thursday through Saturday only)
Brooklyn Bridge Park – Enter at Main and Water Streets
Brooklyn Heights Promenade (Remsen Street to Orange Street along the East River) Fulton Ferry Landing – Water and Old Fulton Streets
Manhattan
Esplanade along South Street from Wall Street to the Manhattan Bridge including Pier 17
Monday, May 19, 2008
random listy
1. Who would have ever thought that in one night, in the same hour even!, on different networks, there would be TWO mentions of Schrodinger's cat on television? Crazy!
7. For some reason, on Monday morning I was motivated to make up a long list of things to do. I am proud to say that I have gotten many of them crossed off the list (which, as I hope you know, is very gratifying): take out trash, clean bathroom, vacuuming, dishes, countertops, post office, eyebrows, groceries, phone calls, amazon order. There are plenty of items left on the list: take out recycling, do laundry, work out, read my photography books, write some notecards. But I am proud of myself for getting a lot done in the last two days. Now I shall attack more of the data inputting I'm a little behind on, whose deadline is fast approaching.
8. When working on outlining with my classes today, I listed my hobbies as skydiving, globetrotting, paper airplanes, playing cello, and making nachos. Then, making a list of goals, I asked them to add one for me.
"Having kids?"
"Nah, everyone does that! I'm not just anyone. something unique!"
"Be in the military!"
"Wasn't I already in the military?" with a raised eyebrow and grin.
"Win the lottery!" "Be a bookwriter!"
"Oh man, I could write a whole book just about this class...."
9. It's only Tuesday and I'm tired.
2. The season finale of Bones totally blew my mind. I love that show.
3. It would not be possible for me to care less about American Idol and either David. Nevertheless, I'll probably watch the finales, my finger poised on the fast-forward button.
4. We were very sad when our favorite diner closed. The Cheyenne Diner was an old-fashioned place, right across the street from B&H. It was kicked out by their owners, who also run the Skylight Diner. A couple weeks ago, though we felt like traitors, we tried them out. It was actually very good. The Belgian waffle was just as delicious as the Cheyenne's (the main reason I loved it--hands down the best waffles I've had in New York), and the service was very fast. The waitress didn't even mind when we lingered on Sunday morning to work on the Onion crossword puzzle.5. Last Friday night we had an AWESOME dinner at Florencia 13 in the Village. Oh man, it was perfect! Many of you know my eating quirks, so you probably understand that I rarely get to have a full meal at a restaurant. But not here! It began with a deliciously sweet and tart black cherry mojito, then progressed to roasted corn on the cob (skewered on sticks! corncob kabobs!). The caesar salad was perfect too--creamy, no-anchovy dressing, heavily parmesaned, garnished with tortilla strips. MMM. For dessert, there was a brownie that seemed blah, but somehow turned excellent when combined with the ice cream.
6. After that perfect, delicious dinner, we participated in an Improv Everywhere mission! The email instructed us to show up at 9pm with cameras and flashes. Turns out the mission was to line us all up across the entire bridge and do a wave of flashes from Brooklyn to Manhattan and back. What a neat idea! So the big crowd trudged to and over the bridge, in the cold, windy rain. Unfortunately, once we were all in our line, nothing happened for like thirty or forty minutes. Just standing around, trying to huddle under feeble umbrellas and stay warm. My camera (I had both but kept the new DSLR in my backpack) was covered in rain--but still performed valiantly!
7. For some reason, on Monday morning I was motivated to make up a long list of things to do. I am proud to say that I have gotten many of them crossed off the list (which, as I hope you know, is very gratifying): take out trash, clean bathroom, vacuuming, dishes, countertops, post office, eyebrows, groceries, phone calls, amazon order. There are plenty of items left on the list: take out recycling, do laundry, work out, read my photography books, write some notecards. But I am proud of myself for getting a lot done in the last two days. Now I shall attack more of the data inputting I'm a little behind on, whose deadline is fast approaching.
8. When working on outlining with my classes today, I listed my hobbies as skydiving, globetrotting, paper airplanes, playing cello, and making nachos. Then, making a list of goals, I asked them to add one for me.
"Having kids?"
"Nah, everyone does that! I'm not just anyone. something unique!"
"Be in the military!"
"Wasn't I already in the military?" with a raised eyebrow and grin.
"Win the lottery!" "Be a bookwriter!"
"Oh man, I could write a whole book just about this class...."
9. It's only Tuesday and I'm tired.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
temporary one
New York was always meant to be a transitory experience. I moved here with the intention of only staying a couple years.
The city, while interesting, never captured my heart and/or soul the way it has others. I've been to many places more beautiful, cultural, fascinating; I know from experience this is not the end-all be-all that some people insist it is.
This place is loud. It is EXPENSIVE. It is materialistic and extremely ethnocentric.
Sure, there are well-known buildings, sights, museums, parks. And the hours are late. Yeah, there are lots of plays and shows. Yep, the public transportation is decent.
Meh, I say. This was never meant to be a place of permanence, it was never meant to be a place for me to set down roots.
Yet I've been here for four years (minus one month; my NYCversary is June 15). I've had the same job for four years! I never even attended a school for that long, ever. I've lived in this same apartment for two full years! This is a minor miracle, maybe a major miracle, if it heralds my ever-burgeoning adulthood. I love this apartment.
I have a wonderful relationship of over two years already, with someone who loves New York in all the ways I don't. Even more miraculously, I have developed friendships here in New York (all through and because of the internet; I hope the nerdiness of that reality is waning as it becomes more prevalent). I don't see any of them very often, but they're all wonderful and interesting people.
My apartment lease is up this month. It's one of many decisions I have to make this spring, but I've been pretending not to notice it. Every single aspect of my life, my future, is up for grabs in the next month or so. These decisions, the possibilities, the consequences are gnawing away at me, even as I try to ignore them all.
Here I must make a choice about homeostasis. Everything could stay the same--same cute apartment, same silly frustrating job, same long commute to see my lovely boyfriend. What does it mean to choose to continue to stay doing the exact same thing? Does it mean I'm scared to do something different? Does that show weakness?
Or do I take that leap into the unknown yet again? I've already quit a job with no safety net once before, I don't need to do that again. I've gotten far too comfortable with a regular paycheck. Do I abandon this job track and do something to pay the bills while waiting for career inspiration to strike? Do I keep looking for teaching jobs in other cities? Am I ready to abandon all the relationships I've built here? Am I ready to start over with apartment hunting, learning streets, finding interesting bars and parks, making friends, creating a completely new life for me, planting roots? Because I do want that, whether it's this year or the next one. I'm done with this temporary life.
The city, while interesting, never captured my heart and/or soul the way it has others. I've been to many places more beautiful, cultural, fascinating; I know from experience this is not the end-all be-all that some people insist it is.
This place is loud. It is EXPENSIVE. It is materialistic and extremely ethnocentric.
Sure, there are well-known buildings, sights, museums, parks. And the hours are late. Yeah, there are lots of plays and shows. Yep, the public transportation is decent.
Meh, I say. This was never meant to be a place of permanence, it was never meant to be a place for me to set down roots.
Yet I've been here for four years (minus one month; my NYCversary is June 15). I've had the same job for four years! I never even attended a school for that long, ever. I've lived in this same apartment for two full years! This is a minor miracle, maybe a major miracle, if it heralds my ever-burgeoning adulthood. I love this apartment.
I have a wonderful relationship of over two years already, with someone who loves New York in all the ways I don't. Even more miraculously, I have developed friendships here in New York (all through and because of the internet; I hope the nerdiness of that reality is waning as it becomes more prevalent). I don't see any of them very often, but they're all wonderful and interesting people.
My apartment lease is up this month. It's one of many decisions I have to make this spring, but I've been pretending not to notice it. Every single aspect of my life, my future, is up for grabs in the next month or so. These decisions, the possibilities, the consequences are gnawing away at me, even as I try to ignore them all.
Here I must make a choice about homeostasis. Everything could stay the same--same cute apartment, same silly frustrating job, same long commute to see my lovely boyfriend. What does it mean to choose to continue to stay doing the exact same thing? Does it mean I'm scared to do something different? Does that show weakness?
Or do I take that leap into the unknown yet again? I've already quit a job with no safety net once before, I don't need to do that again. I've gotten far too comfortable with a regular paycheck. Do I abandon this job track and do something to pay the bills while waiting for career inspiration to strike? Do I keep looking for teaching jobs in other cities? Am I ready to abandon all the relationships I've built here? Am I ready to start over with apartment hunting, learning streets, finding interesting bars and parks, making friends, creating a completely new life for me, planting roots? Because I do want that, whether it's this year or the next one. I'm done with this temporary life.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
more of the same
I was greeted this afternoon with insults and curse words inscribed upon my windshield. Nice, right?
Later I went to an interview. I almost didn't go, because I didn't know what positions they were looking for, and it was in the dreaded F.R. (I'm abbreviating, but it's waaay out there in its own world, and you've most likely never ever been there, nor will you). But I'm glad I did. It was a good experience to see another public school. Many things were different from my own school, which I enjoyed seeing. You see, being in the same place, doing the same thing, for four years in a row, it has me thinking and expecting that school is just that way. And that's not true; it's been very pleasant to find how things could be different.
Also, their principal informed that scores came out last week! Did you guys know that? I'm really excited to see how my students did--this year I felt really good about the improvement of my kids, at least in writing.
Oh yeah--I had two of my classes listen to "I Am a Rock" by Simon & Garfunkel today. We actually discussed the metaphors and the speaker's motivations, and they totally got into and completely dug the song. You should have seen them moving and bopping around!
Anyway, blah, I'm not very descriptive or specific. Meh. I'm hungry and watching tv.
Later I went to an interview. I almost didn't go, because I didn't know what positions they were looking for, and it was in the dreaded F.R. (I'm abbreviating, but it's waaay out there in its own world, and you've most likely never ever been there, nor will you). But I'm glad I did. It was a good experience to see another public school. Many things were different from my own school, which I enjoyed seeing. You see, being in the same place, doing the same thing, for four years in a row, it has me thinking and expecting that school is just that way. And that's not true; it's been very pleasant to find how things could be different.
Also, their principal informed that scores came out last week! Did you guys know that? I'm really excited to see how my students did--this year I felt really good about the improvement of my kids, at least in writing.
Oh yeah--I had two of my classes listen to "I Am a Rock" by Simon & Garfunkel today. We actually discussed the metaphors and the speaker's motivations, and they totally got into and completely dug the song. You should have seen them moving and bopping around!
Anyway, blah, I'm not very descriptive or specific. Meh. I'm hungry and watching tv.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
good vs bad
I remember reading Banner in the Sky in fifth grade. I don't remember many details, but the thrill of the mountain stayed with me. That came back to me when I saw the book, The Kid Who Climbed Everest. I began reading it this weekend, read voraciously on my prep yesterday and then stupidly forgot to bring it home. Today, I had three periods off in a row. Usually I work on grading and planning and stuff during that time. But today I just had to read. I read the entire time, roughly 2 1/2 hours, and finished the whole thing. It was fascinating, the details of an extreme climb. I had no idea, for example, that climbers have to go up, then back down, then up a little further, then back down, etc, several times, to get acclimatized. Anyway, great book, go check it out sometime.
Recently I've been getting some emails about interviews. Which is great, of course. However, they're wanting me to come to their school, during the day. Which doesn't make sense to me. For a second interview/demo lesson or whatever, sure, because then both parties are interested and knowledgeable and there's a potential good fit. But without even a telephone interview, why do these schools expect me to drop my real job to stop by? I know nothing about them, they know nothing about me.
I feel really bad, but I have to say no/ask if there's another/later time. And apparently there aren't for these schools. It makes me really frustrated and sad! Am I doing the right thing?
Ms Principal is looking to make some changes and adjustments for next year. I think that's great, and I really respect that. Legally our school needs to do some things differently. I am all for that--why not try out some new things? However, of course, many staff members are all, waah! waah! about it. I'm up for something new. God. Maybe I can survive another year at this silly school. Sigh.
More to come about that, there are many anxious thoughts percolating.
Recently I've been getting some emails about interviews. Which is great, of course. However, they're wanting me to come to their school, during the day. Which doesn't make sense to me. For a second interview/demo lesson or whatever, sure, because then both parties are interested and knowledgeable and there's a potential good fit. But without even a telephone interview, why do these schools expect me to drop my real job to stop by? I know nothing about them, they know nothing about me.
I feel really bad, but I have to say no/ask if there's another/later time. And apparently there aren't for these schools. It makes me really frustrated and sad! Am I doing the right thing?
Ms Principal is looking to make some changes and adjustments for next year. I think that's great, and I really respect that. Legally our school needs to do some things differently. I am all for that--why not try out some new things? However, of course, many staff members are all, waah! waah! about it. I'm up for something new. God. Maybe I can survive another year at this silly school. Sigh.
More to come about that, there are many anxious thoughts percolating.
Monday, May 12, 2008
ARGH
A new student transferred to the school and into the Roos last Monday. In the WEEK she's been here, she's managed to:
A)be absent once
B)be involved in a gigantic fight
C)do zero homework
D)do very little in my class (though apparently does well in math)
and now
E)have a sidekick open and on inside her desk during class today,
then!
F)has the GALL to come up at the end of class and claim she didn't know she couldn't have a cell phone! She gestured to my wall of charts about expectations/rules/etc as she said it.
My temper flared as I snapped, "That is NONSENSE," while pointing to the bright orange sentence strips with general school rules, including NO PHONES, IPODS, ETC.
This kind of thing makes me worry about breaking into curse words and getting into trouble.
Seriously, kid, get your act together, cause I sure ain't buying any of your bullshit. In freaking MAY. God.
A)be absent once
B)be involved in a gigantic fight
C)do zero homework
D)do very little in my class (though apparently does well in math)
and now
E)have a sidekick open and on inside her desk during class today,
then!
F)has the GALL to come up at the end of class and claim she didn't know she couldn't have a cell phone! She gestured to my wall of charts about expectations/rules/etc as she said it.
My temper flared as I snapped, "That is NONSENSE," while pointing to the bright orange sentence strips with general school rules, including NO PHONES, IPODS, ETC.
This kind of thing makes me worry about breaking into curse words and getting into trouble.
Seriously, kid, get your act together, cause I sure ain't buying any of your bullshit. In freaking MAY. God.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
OMG!
On Thursday, Somebody surprised me with this:
WOW! This weekend I took a whole lot of photos. Not like that's different than any other weekend, but the DSLR world makes it much more fun and easy.
The edges of this pigeon's open wings seem to actually be in focus--this was shot on the fly.
WOW! This weekend I took a whole lot of photos. Not like that's different than any other weekend, but the DSLR world makes it much more fun and easy.
The edges of this pigeon's open wings seem to actually be in focus--this was shot on the fly.Look at the bokeh goodness that happens so effortlessly!
Today I got one of the most important accessories ever:
Today I got one of the most important accessories ever:
Kind of puts things into perspective in a twisted way--I'd much rather learn about and play with this new camera than think about the jobs I have not gotten and the looming of decision deadlines...
Monday, May 05, 2008
Ma'am, Yes Ma'am! (hee hee)
The Herd, this afternoon, during silent warm up:
Girl student, out of the blue: Miss, were you in the military?
Me [raising an eyebrow]: Um, that's strange. Where did that come from?
Girl: [Neighbor boy] told me.
Me [turning to NB]: So, what now?
NB: Well, I heard from some people...
Me: Really?
NB: Yeah, there are...rumors...
Me [trying not to guffaw]: How strange! So, what do you think? Do you think I was in the military?
NB [shrugging]: I'm not sure...but there is some proof.
I did my best not to laugh out loud and got back to class.
Oh man, these kids.
What's more, this is not the first time my students have asked me this. Like, this isn't even the first *year* students have asked me this. Sweet!
Girl student, out of the blue: Miss, were you in the military?
Me [raising an eyebrow]: Um, that's strange. Where did that come from?
Girl: [Neighbor boy] told me.
Me [turning to NB]: So, what now?
NB: Well, I heard from some people...
Me: Really?
NB: Yeah, there are...rumors...
Me [trying not to guffaw]: How strange! So, what do you think? Do you think I was in the military?
NB [shrugging]: I'm not sure...but there is some proof.
I did my best not to laugh out loud and got back to class.
Oh man, these kids.
What's more, this is not the first time my students have asked me this. Like, this isn't even the first *year* students have asked me this. Sweet!
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Meme goodness!
I've been tagged by both Mister Teacher and 15! Thank you!
1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer.
1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
Let's see, in the spring of 1998, it was my sophomore year of college. I moved out of my awesome dorm room and into a nearby apartment. (Since it was next to campus, they rented by room instead of by apartment--my room in a 4-bedroom, 2-bath apartment cost $250 a month! I'm actually laughing thinking about that number. Wow.) Since even that tiny rent was a stretch, I was driving home (1.5 hours each way) every other weekend to work at Starbucks. I was thinking about my major, that French wouldn't be that great on its own, so I applied to transfer to UW to major in French and Women Studies.
--Dry Cereal (right now I'm on a Frosted Joe's O's or Cookie Crisp kick)
--Pickles
--Frozen french fries or tater tots
--Edamame
--Pistachios
--Wafer cookies
4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
--Travel the world.
--When I was ready to hang out in the same place for awhile, I would open a restaurant serving only food I like. (for example: big leafy salads, nachos, mojitos, curly fries, pineapple, spiced apple cider, cheese pizza, garlic naan, chocolate mousse, fresh squeezed orange juice, corn on the cob, edamame, juicy pears, hot cocoa, cinnamon toast, veggie tacos, fruit tacos, authentic French crepes, baked potatoes, granola, smoothies, Belgian waffles, nacho tots, LOTS of fresh bread and butter, etc) Oh, and people could sit and read, or knit, or write on laptops. And music would play all day. Don't you want to come to my cafe now? :)
--Travel some more.
--I would give lots of money to support organizations like AmeriCorps, HeadStart, mosquito nets in Africa, and something to increase teachers' salaries.
(Can I admit that I'm not a bit depressed that I can't actually do any of these things? I keep coming back to add more to my cafe menu list. And my passport has sat unused for months now....)
5) Three of my bad habits:
--Being lazy
--Having lots of ideas and thoughts but not being good at follow-through
--Hoarding things. (I have a jar of this yummy spread, it's like nutella but with a creamy vanilla striped in--bought in Barcelona in December of 2005 and still unopened!)
6) 5 places I have lived:
--Issaquah, WA (With divorced parents, I lived in a lot of houses around the Seattle area. But Issaquah was the first.)
--Bellingham, WA
--Perry Point, MD
--Queens, NY
--Can I count Paris, France for that month of study abroad? Please?
7) 5 jobs I have had:
--Chandler
--Catering worker for company picnics
--Barista
--Macy's watch salesperson
--Mortgage assistant
8) 6 peeps I wanna know more about:
Is this where I link and tag others?
--Jen at Quarter Life Crisis
--California Teacher Guy
--Miss Brave
--Maggie
--Nicole at Brushes with Adulthood
--Ms M at NY Teacher
but anyone else please feel free to tag yourself. :)
1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer.
1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
Let's see, in the spring of 1998, it was my sophomore year of college. I moved out of my awesome dorm room and into a nearby apartment. (Since it was next to campus, they rented by room instead of by apartment--my room in a 4-bedroom, 2-bath apartment cost $250 a month! I'm actually laughing thinking about that number. Wow.) Since even that tiny rent was a stretch, I was driving home (1.5 hours each way) every other weekend to work at Starbucks. I was thinking about my major, that French wouldn't be that great on its own, so I applied to transfer to UW to major in French and Women Studies.
I'll tell you this much, I would have NEVER in a million years thought I'd be living in New York being a teacher! I would have laughed uproariously at the very idea.
2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):
--Finish vacuuming (I tidied up my main room this morning! But my swiffer is still charging.).
--Eat a real meal (do nachos count?).
--Walk up the block to the store for some fake butter.
--Email a couple schools for post-interview updates.
--(Pretend to) Write lesson plans for the week (but I'm not holding my breath).
Plus I should really work out again. And watch the Netflix movie that's been sitting on my dvd player for a month. And bring down the recycling.
3) Snacks I enjoy:
--Dry Cereal (right now I'm on a Frosted Joe's O's or Cookie Crisp kick)
--Pickles
--Frozen french fries or tater tots
--Edamame
--Pistachios
--Wafer cookies
4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
--Travel the world.
--When I was ready to hang out in the same place for awhile, I would open a restaurant serving only food I like. (for example: big leafy salads, nachos, mojitos, curly fries, pineapple, spiced apple cider, cheese pizza, garlic naan, chocolate mousse, fresh squeezed orange juice, corn on the cob, edamame, juicy pears, hot cocoa, cinnamon toast, veggie tacos, fruit tacos, authentic French crepes, baked potatoes, granola, smoothies, Belgian waffles, nacho tots, LOTS of fresh bread and butter, etc) Oh, and people could sit and read, or knit, or write on laptops. And music would play all day. Don't you want to come to my cafe now? :)
--Travel some more.
--I would give lots of money to support organizations like AmeriCorps, HeadStart, mosquito nets in Africa, and something to increase teachers' salaries.
(Can I admit that I'm not a bit depressed that I can't actually do any of these things? I keep coming back to add more to my cafe menu list. And my passport has sat unused for months now....)
5) Three of my bad habits:
--Being lazy
--Having lots of ideas and thoughts but not being good at follow-through
--Hoarding things. (I have a jar of this yummy spread, it's like nutella but with a creamy vanilla striped in--bought in Barcelona in December of 2005 and still unopened!)
6) 5 places I have lived:
--Issaquah, WA (With divorced parents, I lived in a lot of houses around the Seattle area. But Issaquah was the first.)
--Bellingham, WA
--Perry Point, MD
--Queens, NY
--Can I count Paris, France for that month of study abroad? Please?
7) 5 jobs I have had:
--Chandler
--Catering worker for company picnics
--Barista
--Macy's watch salesperson
--Mortgage assistant
8) 6 peeps I wanna know more about:
Is this where I link and tag others?
--Jen at Quarter Life Crisis
--California Teacher Guy
--Miss Brave
--Maggie
--Nicole at Brushes with Adulthood
--Ms M at NY Teacher
but anyone else please feel free to tag yourself. :)
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
On a happier note
I was going to combine the previous post with this one, but that's not fair to you, me, or my students. :)
Because for the last couple weeks, with our poetry unit, we've been having a good time. And I want to share it, because god knows there aren't always positive words to be shared.
The first day of the unit, we read Sick by Shel Silverstein. I read it to them first, so they could enjoy listening to the words, rhyme and rhythm. Then I passed out copies and they read along while I read it a second time. Next, they all read the poem aloud together. I pointed out some places where the author wanted us to stop or say something in a particular way, and reminded them that we shouldn't sound like dead robots when reading poetry. When I asked if they had ever done something like this, they all raised their hands, and I said, You have to sound like you mean it, or no one will believe you! So to help, I had the class stand up and act out all the 'symptoms' while reading the poem in unison. Then to finish, they took turns reading the poem to a neighbor.
The first poem they wrote was a 'copy-change' poem for This Is Just To Say by William Carlos Williams. I had a worksheet that cut out certain words for students to fill in with their own. The results were absolutely brilliant! I wish I had some examples to show, but they didn't bring them in after break like I asked them to. But I was extremely impressed and entertained with their work.
Earlier this week we worked with haiku. That's one of two poetic forms they've already heard of if not written, so I like to do those at the beginning. Plus they're so short. To scaffold the writing practice, I gave them partially written haiku (which I got from a website somewhere) and they had to write the missing lines. Then I handed out some pretty nature calendar photos and in groups they used the pictures for inspiration to write more haiku.
I challenged them to eliminate words like "beautiful" and "big" because they don't give us a vivid mental picture. I reminded them that using meaningless words like "the" and "and" wastes syllables. And their poems just got better! Again, I was really proud. Honestly, some of them I would have suspected of plagiarism if they weren't sitting in my classroom talking to one another. And I have to say, the level of accountable talk and classwork was at its highest in a long time.
Today I taught another form of poetry related to haiku. Once again I gave them a partial poem (Wind blows, thunder claps/Black clouds are evil leaders/An omen of death) and had them write a completion as groups. They were totally not fazed with the 'darkness' of the sample--in fact, I think their work was the best yet. There was plenty of time to have each group share. In the Roos, one table inserted some claps in the lines and line breaks of their poem and it startled all of us. It truly gave me chills and several students were like, You scared me! It was astounding; I was floored. I told them that I want to have them go perform their poem for some other classes. They were excited to hear that.
Oh! And I read them another great classic poem today. It still gives me a thrill each time I read it--the rhythm is so hypnotic and the tension builds so wonderfully--you could have heard a pin drop in my classroom. I actually read it twice, first stopping to have them infer and predict, but I didn't read to the end. I read it all the way through a second time and there was a moment until the impact of the ending hit them, and you could hear and see the surprise and confusion on their faces. I loved it.
I'm doing something new this year--using poetry for reading workshops as well as writing. We've read and discussed a few poems and it's actually lasted an entire period. I'm pushing them to think about what they read and notice techniques and imagery employed by authors. Not interpreting the work for the students, but just making them think. So far it's actually worked very well. There are several poems I'm looking forward to sharing with the students. Do you have any favorites or suggestions to share with us?
Oh, and one more thing! On Monday, a number of students didn't do their break homework, so I made them all stay for a lunch detention/homework makeup. There were like thirty kids in there, but most of them got the work done. And THEN! On Tuesday, the Herd had 100% homework! And the other two classes today had 100% (the Herd had just one, who clearly felt embarrassed)!
The last few days I've had them actually check each other's homework, counting syllables and such. That way they practice evaluating poetry and written work and see that they are accountable for the directions and assignments. Makes it a lot easier for me, too.
And I keep forgetting that apparently May is tomorrow. The year is quickly approaching the end. Phew.
Because for the last couple weeks, with our poetry unit, we've been having a good time. And I want to share it, because god knows there aren't always positive words to be shared.
The first day of the unit, we read Sick by Shel Silverstein. I read it to them first, so they could enjoy listening to the words, rhyme and rhythm. Then I passed out copies and they read along while I read it a second time. Next, they all read the poem aloud together. I pointed out some places where the author wanted us to stop or say something in a particular way, and reminded them that we shouldn't sound like dead robots when reading poetry. When I asked if they had ever done something like this, they all raised their hands, and I said, You have to sound like you mean it, or no one will believe you! So to help, I had the class stand up and act out all the 'symptoms' while reading the poem in unison. Then to finish, they took turns reading the poem to a neighbor.
The first poem they wrote was a 'copy-change' poem for This Is Just To Say by William Carlos Williams. I had a worksheet that cut out certain words for students to fill in with their own. The results were absolutely brilliant! I wish I had some examples to show, but they didn't bring them in after break like I asked them to. But I was extremely impressed and entertained with their work.
Earlier this week we worked with haiku. That's one of two poetic forms they've already heard of if not written, so I like to do those at the beginning. Plus they're so short. To scaffold the writing practice, I gave them partially written haiku (which I got from a website somewhere) and they had to write the missing lines. Then I handed out some pretty nature calendar photos and in groups they used the pictures for inspiration to write more haiku.
I challenged them to eliminate words like "beautiful" and "big" because they don't give us a vivid mental picture. I reminded them that using meaningless words like "the" and "and" wastes syllables. And their poems just got better! Again, I was really proud. Honestly, some of them I would have suspected of plagiarism if they weren't sitting in my classroom talking to one another. And I have to say, the level of accountable talk and classwork was at its highest in a long time.
Today I taught another form of poetry related to haiku. Once again I gave them a partial poem (Wind blows, thunder claps/Black clouds are evil leaders/An omen of death) and had them write a completion as groups. They were totally not fazed with the 'darkness' of the sample--in fact, I think their work was the best yet. There was plenty of time to have each group share. In the Roos, one table inserted some claps in the lines and line breaks of their poem and it startled all of us. It truly gave me chills and several students were like, You scared me! It was astounding; I was floored. I told them that I want to have them go perform their poem for some other classes. They were excited to hear that.
Oh! And I read them another great classic poem today. It still gives me a thrill each time I read it--the rhythm is so hypnotic and the tension builds so wonderfully--you could have heard a pin drop in my classroom. I actually read it twice, first stopping to have them infer and predict, but I didn't read to the end. I read it all the way through a second time and there was a moment until the impact of the ending hit them, and you could hear and see the surprise and confusion on their faces. I loved it.
I'm doing something new this year--using poetry for reading workshops as well as writing. We've read and discussed a few poems and it's actually lasted an entire period. I'm pushing them to think about what they read and notice techniques and imagery employed by authors. Not interpreting the work for the students, but just making them think. So far it's actually worked very well. There are several poems I'm looking forward to sharing with the students. Do you have any favorites or suggestions to share with us?
Oh, and one more thing! On Monday, a number of students didn't do their break homework, so I made them all stay for a lunch detention/homework makeup. There were like thirty kids in there, but most of them got the work done. And THEN! On Tuesday, the Herd had 100% homework! And the other two classes today had 100% (the Herd had just one, who clearly felt embarrassed)!
The last few days I've had them actually check each other's homework, counting syllables and such. That way they practice evaluating poetry and written work and see that they are accountable for the directions and assignments. Makes it a lot easier for me, too.
And I keep forgetting that apparently May is tomorrow. The year is quickly approaching the end. Phew.
Aw, shit.
I've had so much I wanted to write, but I guess I got lazy or busy. Sorry.
Anyway, here's a fun way to start off a post:
The week before break, my department visited our bookroom (which has been my domain for the last two years). There was a strange....parcel, shall we say, near the door. I knelt down, poked at the safe area of the paper surrounding it, and sure enough...
FECES.
On the floor. In front of the door. In the OFF-LIMITS stairwell.
Holy shit. (HA!)
I calmly told the other teachers we would not be going into the room and pointed out the little gift. They were appropriately disgusted and shocked.
The custodians were told and removed the pile in the next couple days.
I thought it was over, being a new part of the bodily-fluids stories I've got for that nasty room (urine, mouse droppings, and condom wrappers). I returned to the book room today to get some things out and return others.
Things previously piled neatly were now knocked over and strewn about. The floor was now almost completely not clear, where previously it had been cluttered with piles and stacks but otherwise open. When I went to step down into the second room, I was stopped by a very strong stench of, you know it, more feces. Very strong.
A few minutes later I went to open the cabinet where I have some gloves and masks, but was stopped by the smell. Then I noticed the brown smears all over the doors and reeled back.
Good god, people. How is this possible? My brain just doesn't grasp the reality of this situation because it is so utterly unreal and ridiculous. I alerted the principal, giving a list of cleaning supplies needed. I didn't specify that I'd be willing to do anything about it, but jesus, something needs to be done. Maybe now people will listen to me about keeping the damn door securely locked. (The latch has been torn from the doorjamb, rendering the still-clasped padlock a joke)
Sigh. You probably thought the title was metaphorical, didn't you? Joke's on you. And the rest of us.
Anyway, here's a fun way to start off a post:
The week before break, my department visited our bookroom (which has been my domain for the last two years). There was a strange....parcel, shall we say, near the door. I knelt down, poked at the safe area of the paper surrounding it, and sure enough...
FECES.
On the floor. In front of the door. In the OFF-LIMITS stairwell.
Holy shit. (HA!)
I calmly told the other teachers we would not be going into the room and pointed out the little gift. They were appropriately disgusted and shocked.
The custodians were told and removed the pile in the next couple days.
I thought it was over, being a new part of the bodily-fluids stories I've got for that nasty room (urine, mouse droppings, and condom wrappers). I returned to the book room today to get some things out and return others.
Things previously piled neatly were now knocked over and strewn about. The floor was now almost completely not clear, where previously it had been cluttered with piles and stacks but otherwise open. When I went to step down into the second room, I was stopped by a very strong stench of, you know it, more feces. Very strong.
A few minutes later I went to open the cabinet where I have some gloves and masks, but was stopped by the smell. Then I noticed the brown smears all over the doors and reeled back.
Good god, people. How is this possible? My brain just doesn't grasp the reality of this situation because it is so utterly unreal and ridiculous. I alerted the principal, giving a list of cleaning supplies needed. I didn't specify that I'd be willing to do anything about it, but jesus, something needs to be done. Maybe now people will listen to me about keeping the damn door securely locked. (The latch has been torn from the doorjamb, rendering the still-clasped padlock a joke)
Sigh. You probably thought the title was metaphorical, didn't you? Joke's on you. And the rest of us.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
back
Yesterday morning I was really nervous. I had nearly 45 minutes to get ready in the classroom, and kids were in there doing their morning stuff, which made it even more stressful. And once again I had to remind myself that there shouldn't be a reason to be nervous teaching a lesson; I've done that for almost four years now.
Once the lesson began, and the kids immediately got to work, it felt better. We got some good energy going, there was a good amount of participation and attention, and they did well with the work. I was happy and relieved. Oh, and I actually ran out of time, which was a huge relief, as I'd been so afraid of not being able to fill up the entire (long) period.
After the first lesson there was a debrief, and I was given some feedback about improvement to the lesson. Then, after an interminable hour, it was time to do the lesson again with a different class.
Oh, boy.
It felt like an utter disaster. First, I forgot part of my opener, the part that really energized the first group. Dammit. The students' skill level was not at all the same as the first group; they struggled with the reasoning and I struggled with time again. I had changed some things and interactions, and most of it seemed to make things worse, not better. God. I felt pretty bad about it, and I hated the thought of ending on a bad note.
There was another debrief, with a different person, who hadn't seen the first lesson. So at least he wasn't as harsh as I was on myself because he didn't see the comparison. I probably should have been more positive, but I didn't care; I would much rather be honest. I wasn't afraid to say what went wrong and what I'd love to do with that group again. I think that at least was a good thing, that I was showing plenty of self-analysis and reflection.
Unfortunately, other than the time issue, the differences between the classes was more a result of the difference is prior skill level. If I'd known that, I would have switched the strategies I used, since the first group needed little modeling and just some guidance, whereas the second group needed a lot more structured modeling, guidance and review. Oh well.
Overall, it was a good experience. I loved being at the school; I felt like an anthropologist, observing and figuring out their structures and rules and things. Obviously it works; it's exciting to see the potential a school can have if they emphasize certain things and work hard and work together to accomplish school-wide goals, not just academically but also culturally.
When my day was finally over, I had to go pack. But I didn't want to go straight to the airport, so I hurried to Mount Bonnell, to view the Austin area from above. The sun was out, it was warm, it was green, it was lovely!
Then, of course, I scrambled down and back to my car and to the airport. Everything went smoothly on the flight and journey home, and then I stayed up until 1.30, just because I could, since it's spring break!
This morning I tried to sleep in, I really did. But I couldn't. I've worked out and tidied a bit, and have been catching up on tv. Just the slow kind of day I've been looking forward to. And I'm sure I'll get outside into the sunshine soon. :)
Once the lesson began, and the kids immediately got to work, it felt better. We got some good energy going, there was a good amount of participation and attention, and they did well with the work. I was happy and relieved. Oh, and I actually ran out of time, which was a huge relief, as I'd been so afraid of not being able to fill up the entire (long) period.
After the first lesson there was a debrief, and I was given some feedback about improvement to the lesson. Then, after an interminable hour, it was time to do the lesson again with a different class.
Oh, boy.
It felt like an utter disaster. First, I forgot part of my opener, the part that really energized the first group. Dammit. The students' skill level was not at all the same as the first group; they struggled with the reasoning and I struggled with time again. I had changed some things and interactions, and most of it seemed to make things worse, not better. God. I felt pretty bad about it, and I hated the thought of ending on a bad note.
There was another debrief, with a different person, who hadn't seen the first lesson. So at least he wasn't as harsh as I was on myself because he didn't see the comparison. I probably should have been more positive, but I didn't care; I would much rather be honest. I wasn't afraid to say what went wrong and what I'd love to do with that group again. I think that at least was a good thing, that I was showing plenty of self-analysis and reflection.
Unfortunately, other than the time issue, the differences between the classes was more a result of the difference is prior skill level. If I'd known that, I would have switched the strategies I used, since the first group needed little modeling and just some guidance, whereas the second group needed a lot more structured modeling, guidance and review. Oh well.
Overall, it was a good experience. I loved being at the school; I felt like an anthropologist, observing and figuring out their structures and rules and things. Obviously it works; it's exciting to see the potential a school can have if they emphasize certain things and work hard and work together to accomplish school-wide goals, not just academically but also culturally.
When my day was finally over, I had to go pack. But I didn't want to go straight to the airport, so I hurried to Mount Bonnell, to view the Austin area from above. The sun was out, it was warm, it was green, it was lovely!
Then, of course, I scrambled down and back to my car and to the airport. Everything went smoothly on the flight and journey home, and then I stayed up until 1.30, just because I could, since it's spring break!
This morning I tried to sleep in, I really did. But I couldn't. I've worked out and tidied a bit, and have been catching up on tv. Just the slow kind of day I've been looking forward to. And I'm sure I'll get outside into the sunshine soon. :)
Monday, April 21, 2008
Howdy
Here I am in Austin!
Thank you so much for your well wishes and encouragement. :) I spent most of the day at the school today, and I'm feeling a lot better about the whole thing. I spoke with several teachers and the administrators, who said that my plans look good. So big 'phew' on that. :) The atmosphere of the school is amazing--everything is calm and quiet, there is no chaos to be found. No big disruptions or attitude, either. Lots of reinforcement of rules and expectations (of which there are MANY), but in a quiet manner. No yelling or snapping required. The staff are all young, very energetic, very intelligent, and really friendly. Six of them took me out to dinner on Sunday night and it was a ball.
I wandered around town on Sunday, visiting downtown (very sleepy on Sunday mornings!), a couple bookstores, and a botanical garden. I took lots of pictures, of course. :) This afternoon, I want to drive around some more (woo! rental car!) and see some of the outlying areas that are supposed to be nice. And hopefully I won't get too lost. :) Frighteningly, I haven't taken a single picture yet today; I better get working on that! After I polish up my lesson for tomorrow, of course.
I just realized that I'm leaving tomorrow too--in twenty-four hours I'll be at the airport. Funny, I feel like I'm just getting used to being here. It's very easy to navigate, the school is about ten minutes away from the house I'm staying at (yay couchsurfing!), the weather is warm but not too icky (and there's AC inside everywhere anyway), the people are nice, there are lots of flowers and plants and other nice things, and the town is 'green' too; did you know Whole Foods originated here?
Thank you so much for your well wishes and encouragement. :) I spent most of the day at the school today, and I'm feeling a lot better about the whole thing. I spoke with several teachers and the administrators, who said that my plans look good. So big 'phew' on that. :) The atmosphere of the school is amazing--everything is calm and quiet, there is no chaos to be found. No big disruptions or attitude, either. Lots of reinforcement of rules and expectations (of which there are MANY), but in a quiet manner. No yelling or snapping required. The staff are all young, very energetic, very intelligent, and really friendly. Six of them took me out to dinner on Sunday night and it was a ball.
I wandered around town on Sunday, visiting downtown (very sleepy on Sunday mornings!), a couple bookstores, and a botanical garden. I took lots of pictures, of course. :) This afternoon, I want to drive around some more (woo! rental car!) and see some of the outlying areas that are supposed to be nice. And hopefully I won't get too lost. :) Frighteningly, I haven't taken a single picture yet today; I better get working on that! After I polish up my lesson for tomorrow, of course.
I just realized that I'm leaving tomorrow too--in twenty-four hours I'll be at the airport. Funny, I feel like I'm just getting used to being here. It's very easy to navigate, the school is about ten minutes away from the house I'm staying at (yay couchsurfing!), the weather is warm but not too icky (and there's AC inside everywhere anyway), the people are nice, there are lots of flowers and plants and other nice things, and the town is 'green' too; did you know Whole Foods originated here?
Saturday, April 19, 2008
live from JFK!
Happy Spring Break, everyone! I am thrilled to have a full week off, to sleep in, to relax, and to travel a bit.
Right now I'm at the airport, headed to Austin, Texas to do a second interview/teaching at a charter school. I am very nervous and anxious about it. The expectations are high for all, and I'm not sure that I can live up to them at the moment.
I've been interviewing with charter schools since the February break. This week I received my second rejection, which makes this trip all the more stressful. What if I don't get an offer? I have told myself that no matter what, I will not stay at my current school. It's a big leap to go to other schools, but I've had my fill of this situation. I have no idea if I'll need to move, or even if I'll need to find a nonschool job, I just need something new.
So wish me luck. :)
I began poetry with my classes this week, and I think we're off to a good start. One of the first things I did was read Sick by Shel Silverstein (I cannot go to school today/said little Peggy Ann McKay/I have the measles and the mumps/a gash, a rash and purple bumps, etc). Then the whole class read it together a few times. I reminded them about pausing at commas and line breaks, as well as reading loudly, clearly, and expressively. Then, of course, they stood up and acted out all the aches and pains while reading the poem. Most of them definitely enjoyed that and hey, that's involving the kinesthetic learners! Go me.
So I'm on a borrowed laptop, and it feels very strange. I'm not cool enough to have a laptop, so I feel like a big old faker. I just exchanged sympathetic glances with a laptop neighbor, rolling our eyes at an overloud cell phone talker, intent on sharing with everyone that she's going to Phoenix with only $100 in her pocket, and she's all upset because her cash money in the bank is inexplicably unavailable.
I'm going to go grab a little more dinner before boarding begins. Have a wonderful weekend everyone, may it break much rest and relaxation!
Right now I'm at the airport, headed to Austin, Texas to do a second interview/teaching at a charter school. I am very nervous and anxious about it. The expectations are high for all, and I'm not sure that I can live up to them at the moment.
I've been interviewing with charter schools since the February break. This week I received my second rejection, which makes this trip all the more stressful. What if I don't get an offer? I have told myself that no matter what, I will not stay at my current school. It's a big leap to go to other schools, but I've had my fill of this situation. I have no idea if I'll need to move, or even if I'll need to find a nonschool job, I just need something new.
So wish me luck. :)
I began poetry with my classes this week, and I think we're off to a good start. One of the first things I did was read Sick by Shel Silverstein (I cannot go to school today/said little Peggy Ann McKay/I have the measles and the mumps/a gash, a rash and purple bumps, etc). Then the whole class read it together a few times. I reminded them about pausing at commas and line breaks, as well as reading loudly, clearly, and expressively. Then, of course, they stood up and acted out all the aches and pains while reading the poem. Most of them definitely enjoyed that and hey, that's involving the kinesthetic learners! Go me.
So I'm on a borrowed laptop, and it feels very strange. I'm not cool enough to have a laptop, so I feel like a big old faker. I just exchanged sympathetic glances with a laptop neighbor, rolling our eyes at an overloud cell phone talker, intent on sharing with everyone that she's going to Phoenix with only $100 in her pocket, and she's all upset because her cash money in the bank is inexplicably unavailable.
I'm going to go grab a little more dinner before boarding begins. Have a wonderful weekend everyone, may it break much rest and relaxation!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Women's history--better late than never!
I thought for weeks about how to get my students to learn about women's history, especially the suffrage movement. All research projects we've done have been severely hampered by student laziness or plagiarism, and I was tired of that crap. I gathered some information, articles, timelines from various sources online, but still wasn't sure how exactly to bring it to my classroom. I was frustrated and running out of time.
One afternoon I was reading a Scholastic article about Susan B Anthony's 1872 criminal trial for voting in a national election. It included a lot of actual quotes and suddenly it hit me. I took that article and some other information and created a play!
Here is a slightly longer version of what my students read; I added a couple paragraphs at the end. But the students were definitely into it and I was really excited!
As a preface, the day before this, I had read several excerpts to the students, about life and expectations in the 1700s and 1800s. So before we read this play, I asked them if they thought women liked being told that they were weak and stupid. Of course not! There were plenty of women who fought back against those ideas.
Here you go, I hope you enjoy and can maybe even use it with your own students sometime!
Susan and Elizabeth: Tireless Activists. (A Play, adapted from Scholastic.)
Narrator 1: In the 1840s, five women, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, decided they’d had enough discrimination because of their gender. They were tired of not having the same rights, respect and privileges as men.
Narrator 2: They held a Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls in 1848, to protest women’s inequality and to propose suffrage for women, which means the right and privilege to vote. The convention participants—300 men and women, including abolitionist Frederick Douglass—discussed and signed the Declaration of Sentiments.
Narrator 3: Elizabeth had written this document, modeled after the Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal… The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her."
Narrator 4: “He has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise. He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice. He has withheld from her rights which are given to the most ignorant and degraded men - both natives and foreigners.”
Narrator 5: “He has made her, if married, in the eye of the law, civilly dead. He has taken from her all right in property, even to the wages she earns. He has denied her the facilities for obtaining a thorough education - all colleges being closed against her.”
Narrator 6: Born a Quaker in 1820, Susan B Anthony was raised to believe that girls and women were equally important to boys and men. She was an active abolitionist, which means that she wanted slavery to be abolished or ended.
Narrator 7: Susan met Elizabeth in the 1850s, and they began working together to gather support in the fight for equality. They formed a friendship and partnership, writing and giving speeches, forming groups and overseeing campaigns, and writing books.
Narrator 8: In 1869, the Wyoming Territory gave women full suffrage. Soon, other states around the country were discussing and voting about woman suffrage on the state level. Most failed.
Narrator 8: In 1872, Susan led a group of women in registering and voting in the national presidential election.
Susan: Ladies of National Woman Suffrage Association, we have been fighting for many years to win the right to vote. Black men won suffrage after the civil war, but women were left out. We must fight back and continue the struggle for equality! We need to prove that women deserve to vote. Aren’t we citizens just as men? The states can’t deny citizens their rights or privileges, so let’s go test the waters and make them see that women deserve equality and suffrage!
Cheers.
Police officer: Ladies, you are violating the law by voting. I must arrest all of you.
Narrator 1: Susan was put on trial a few months later.
District Attorney: Miss Anthony has violated the 14th Amendment. At the time of voting, she was a woman.
Laughter.
Selden (Susan’s lawyer): Your honor, gentlemen in the jury, the defense wishes to admit that Miss Susan B Anthony is indeed a woman.
More laughter.
DA: Your honor, Miss Anthony has violated the 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868. It states that states may not deny any male 21 and over the right to vote. Since she’s a woman, she broke the law.
Seldon: Your honor, this trial is ridiculous. If the voting had been done by her brother, it would have been honorable. But having been done by a woman, it is said to be a crime. I believe this is the first instance in which a woman has been accused in a criminal court merely because of her gender. Now I would like to call Miss Anthony to the stand to testify in her own defense.
Judge: No, I will not allow it!
Shock and upset from Susan, Seldon, and crowd.
Judge: The 14th Amendment gives no right to a woman to vote, and the voting of Miss Anthony was in violation of the law. Jury, you must find a verdict of guilty.
Seldon: Your honor, I must object. In a criminal court, the jury must independently decide the innocence or guilt of the defendant.
Judge: Mr Clerk, record a verdict of guilty!
Jeers and cries out from crowd. “What?!” “No fair!” “Unfair trial!”
Judge: I will now read Miss Anthony’s sentence for committing this crime. Has the prisoner anything to say why sentence should not be pronounced?
Susan, standing; loudly: Yes, your honor. I have many things to say. In your ordered verdict of guilty, you have trampled underfoot every vital principle of our government. My natural rights, my civil rights, my political rights, my judicial rights are all alike ignored!
Judge: The court orders the prisoner to sit down! It will not allow another word! The sentence of the court is that you pay a fine of $100 and the costs of prosecution.
Susan: May it please your honor, I shall never pay a dollar of your unjust penalty! And I shall earnestly and persistently continue to urge all women that resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.
Narrator 9: After this unfair trial, more Americans began to respect Susan and the other suffragettes. Susan and Elizabeth continued writing, touring, and speaking about equality and women’s suffrage. They presented Congress with a Woman Suffrage Amendment, but the legislators rudely interrupted and laughed.
Narrator 10: Elizabeth helped women win rights to own property and divorce abusive husbands. She drafted and submitted a constitutional amendment for woman suffrage in 1878. She died in 1902 after a long and successful career.
Narrator 11: In 1906, after more than six decades of tireless work, Susan gave her last speech.
Susan: I am here for a little time only, and then my place will be filled. The fight must not cease! You must see that it does not stop! Failure is impossible.
Narrator 12: Susan B Anthony died two days later. The fight did not stop with her death, however. Alice Paul helped form the National Woman’s Party in 1913. She organized parades and picketing of the White House. Her militant tactics got the suffragettes arrested and thrown in jail, where the women went on hunger strikes.
Narrator 13: Fourteen states gave women the right to vote between 1896 and 1918. New Zealand was the first nation to grant suffrage, in 1893. By 1918, women in Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Germany, Russia, Austria and Poland could vote.
Narrator 14: In 1919, the US Congress finally passed the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote. In 1920, the bill was ratified. Susan and Elizabeth’s dream had finally came true, seventy-two years after the first public proposal of woman suffrage.
Carrie Chapman Catt: To get the word ‘male’ out of the Constitution cost the women of the country fifty-two years of pauseless campaign,... During that time they were forced to conduct fifty-six campaigns of referenda to male voters; 480 campaigns to get Legislatures to submit suffrage amendments to voters; 47 campaigns to get State constitutional conventions to write woman suffrage into state constitutions; 277 campaigns to get State party conventions to include woman suffrage planks in party platforms, and 19 campaigns with 19 successive Congresses.
One afternoon I was reading a Scholastic article about Susan B Anthony's 1872 criminal trial for voting in a national election. It included a lot of actual quotes and suddenly it hit me. I took that article and some other information and created a play!
Here is a slightly longer version of what my students read; I added a couple paragraphs at the end. But the students were definitely into it and I was really excited!
As a preface, the day before this, I had read several excerpts to the students, about life and expectations in the 1700s and 1800s. So before we read this play, I asked them if they thought women liked being told that they were weak and stupid. Of course not! There were plenty of women who fought back against those ideas.
Here you go, I hope you enjoy and can maybe even use it with your own students sometime!
Susan and Elizabeth: Tireless Activists. (A Play, adapted from Scholastic.)
Narrator 1: In the 1840s, five women, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, decided they’d had enough discrimination because of their gender. They were tired of not having the same rights, respect and privileges as men.
Narrator 2: They held a Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls in 1848, to protest women’s inequality and to propose suffrage for women, which means the right and privilege to vote. The convention participants—300 men and women, including abolitionist Frederick Douglass—discussed and signed the Declaration of Sentiments.
Narrator 3: Elizabeth had written this document, modeled after the Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal… The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her."
Narrator 4: “He has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise. He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice. He has withheld from her rights which are given to the most ignorant and degraded men - both natives and foreigners.”
Narrator 5: “He has made her, if married, in the eye of the law, civilly dead. He has taken from her all right in property, even to the wages she earns. He has denied her the facilities for obtaining a thorough education - all colleges being closed against her.”
Narrator 6: Born a Quaker in 1820, Susan B Anthony was raised to believe that girls and women were equally important to boys and men. She was an active abolitionist, which means that she wanted slavery to be abolished or ended.
Narrator 7: Susan met Elizabeth in the 1850s, and they began working together to gather support in the fight for equality. They formed a friendship and partnership, writing and giving speeches, forming groups and overseeing campaigns, and writing books.
Narrator 8: In 1869, the Wyoming Territory gave women full suffrage. Soon, other states around the country were discussing and voting about woman suffrage on the state level. Most failed.
Narrator 8: In 1872, Susan led a group of women in registering and voting in the national presidential election.
Susan: Ladies of National Woman Suffrage Association, we have been fighting for many years to win the right to vote. Black men won suffrage after the civil war, but women were left out. We must fight back and continue the struggle for equality! We need to prove that women deserve to vote. Aren’t we citizens just as men? The states can’t deny citizens their rights or privileges, so let’s go test the waters and make them see that women deserve equality and suffrage!
Cheers.
Police officer: Ladies, you are violating the law by voting. I must arrest all of you.
Narrator 1: Susan was put on trial a few months later.
District Attorney: Miss Anthony has violated the 14th Amendment. At the time of voting, she was a woman.
Laughter.
Selden (Susan’s lawyer): Your honor, gentlemen in the jury, the defense wishes to admit that Miss Susan B Anthony is indeed a woman.
More laughter.
DA: Your honor, Miss Anthony has violated the 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868. It states that states may not deny any male 21 and over the right to vote. Since she’s a woman, she broke the law.
Seldon: Your honor, this trial is ridiculous. If the voting had been done by her brother, it would have been honorable. But having been done by a woman, it is said to be a crime. I believe this is the first instance in which a woman has been accused in a criminal court merely because of her gender. Now I would like to call Miss Anthony to the stand to testify in her own defense.
Judge: No, I will not allow it!
Shock and upset from Susan, Seldon, and crowd.
Judge: The 14th Amendment gives no right to a woman to vote, and the voting of Miss Anthony was in violation of the law. Jury, you must find a verdict of guilty.
Seldon: Your honor, I must object. In a criminal court, the jury must independently decide the innocence or guilt of the defendant.
Judge: Mr Clerk, record a verdict of guilty!
Jeers and cries out from crowd. “What?!” “No fair!” “Unfair trial!”
Judge: I will now read Miss Anthony’s sentence for committing this crime. Has the prisoner anything to say why sentence should not be pronounced?
Susan, standing; loudly: Yes, your honor. I have many things to say. In your ordered verdict of guilty, you have trampled underfoot every vital principle of our government. My natural rights, my civil rights, my political rights, my judicial rights are all alike ignored!
Judge: The court orders the prisoner to sit down! It will not allow another word! The sentence of the court is that you pay a fine of $100 and the costs of prosecution.
Susan: May it please your honor, I shall never pay a dollar of your unjust penalty! And I shall earnestly and persistently continue to urge all women that resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.
Narrator 9: After this unfair trial, more Americans began to respect Susan and the other suffragettes. Susan and Elizabeth continued writing, touring, and speaking about equality and women’s suffrage. They presented Congress with a Woman Suffrage Amendment, but the legislators rudely interrupted and laughed.
Narrator 10: Elizabeth helped women win rights to own property and divorce abusive husbands. She drafted and submitted a constitutional amendment for woman suffrage in 1878. She died in 1902 after a long and successful career.
Narrator 11: In 1906, after more than six decades of tireless work, Susan gave her last speech.
Susan: I am here for a little time only, and then my place will be filled. The fight must not cease! You must see that it does not stop! Failure is impossible.
Narrator 12: Susan B Anthony died two days later. The fight did not stop with her death, however. Alice Paul helped form the National Woman’s Party in 1913. She organized parades and picketing of the White House. Her militant tactics got the suffragettes arrested and thrown in jail, where the women went on hunger strikes.
Narrator 13: Fourteen states gave women the right to vote between 1896 and 1918. New Zealand was the first nation to grant suffrage, in 1893. By 1918, women in Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Germany, Russia, Austria and Poland could vote.
Narrator 14: In 1919, the US Congress finally passed the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote. In 1920, the bill was ratified. Susan and Elizabeth’s dream had finally came true, seventy-two years after the first public proposal of woman suffrage.
Carrie Chapman Catt: To get the word ‘male’ out of the Constitution cost the women of the country fifty-two years of pauseless campaign,... During that time they were forced to conduct fifty-six campaigns of referenda to male voters; 480 campaigns to get Legislatures to submit suffrage amendments to voters; 47 campaigns to get State constitutional conventions to write woman suffrage into state constitutions; 277 campaigns to get State party conventions to include woman suffrage planks in party platforms, and 19 campaigns with 19 successive Congresses.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Eff You?
Yesterday, first period, upon completing a great reading lesson using a story in the--gasp!--anthology, I said, Okay, we'll finish this up tomorrow!
"We won't be here!" they all piped up.
"And why not?" I demanded.
"We're going on a field trip!" they cried.
I just shook my head. "When I was I going to be told about this?" I muttered to myself.
Fast forward to 10.00am. I had just given the students a fun crossword to practice different word forms.
Announcement: "Pardon this announcement. Grade teachers, please be advised that there will be an assembly starting at 10.10. Please bring your classes down at that time."
"Okay, guys, so I guess you've only got ten minutes to work on it, do what you can..."
--
Seriously, what the f%$#? If anyone has a question about the level of respect given to teachers today, or lack thereof, direct them here.
This kind of thing is just plain old rude. The administration clearly has zero respect for anyone else in the building--not teachers, not students, either. I feel like they're saying to me, "Eff you. We don't care about you or the fact that you're actually doing your job. Do whatever random shit we throw at you, because actually teaching and setting good examples for the children is at the end of the priority list."
It is absolutely ridiculous and it is EXACTLY why I'm leaving my school and the NYC public school system. Eff you right back, I say. I don't have to take this nonsense!
"We won't be here!" they all piped up.
"And why not?" I demanded.
"We're going on a field trip!" they cried.
I just shook my head. "When I was I going to be told about this?" I muttered to myself.
Fast forward to 10.00am. I had just given the students a fun crossword to practice different word forms.
Announcement: "Pardon this announcement. Grade teachers, please be advised that there will be an assembly starting at 10.10. Please bring your classes down at that time."
"Okay, guys, so I guess you've only got ten minutes to work on it, do what you can..."
--
Seriously, what the f%$#? If anyone has a question about the level of respect given to teachers today, or lack thereof, direct them here.
This kind of thing is just plain old rude. The administration clearly has zero respect for anyone else in the building--not teachers, not students, either. I feel like they're saying to me, "Eff you. We don't care about you or the fact that you're actually doing your job. Do whatever random shit we throw at you, because actually teaching and setting good examples for the children is at the end of the priority list."
It is absolutely ridiculous and it is EXACTLY why I'm leaving my school and the NYC public school system. Eff you right back, I say. I don't have to take this nonsense!
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
old lady, part 2
At precisely 6.32 this morning (two minutes after my alarm went off), I suddenly realized that I forgot the school meeting yesterday afternoon. Whoops.
This afternoon, while parking, I noticed some recycling bags that held a couple stacks of 1990s National Geographics. I was, still am actually, disturbed and sad and tried to decide if I should rescue them. I was already carrying two heavy tote bags so I couldn't have lifted them right then, but part of me still wants to go back down there and 'steal' them away. By which I mean put them in my car to bring to school.
This afternoon, while parking, I noticed some recycling bags that held a couple stacks of 1990s National Geographics. I was, still am actually, disturbed and sad and tried to decide if I should rescue them. I was already carrying two heavy tote bags so I couldn't have lifted them right then, but part of me still wants to go back down there and 'steal' them away. By which I mean put them in my car to bring to school.
Monday, April 07, 2008
old lady
I fell asleep at 9.45 on Friday night.
And at 10.30 on Saturday night.
Then around 10pm on Sunday night.
Sigh.
And at 10.30 on Saturday night.
Then around 10pm on Sunday night.
Sigh.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Fun?!
Two weeks ago, we focused on sequence in reading. One day I had the students unscramble a story and put it in order. They did quite well with that, which was a relief. Another day I read to them from a picture book, Remember the Ladies. They had to take notes on some names and dates, and then I asked them to answer some sequence questions. (Multi-tasking galore in this one! I was really proud!)
On yet another day, I read them another chapter of an interesting book we'd started the week before. I put some events from the book on sentence strips and put them on the board. I gave them a few minutes to organize them in their notebooks. Then I called up six students to take one sentence each, and they put themselves in order. I let the class rearrange the people and their events until all were correct.
Several students left before we finished this activity, for services. A couple minutes later, I got a phone call from one of those teachers. "I have [so] and [so]. They said they wanted to come back to class because you were doing something fun?" I said, surprised, "Oh, well, we finished that one but right now we're doing some magazine work. But sure, they can come back to class if you're okay with it."
We finished up our media unit last week. To combine a group project with a jigsaw review, I had the students create a commercial: I collected a couple random household items (a film canister, a chipclip, a keychain), and let them draw one as well as one of the ad techniques we'd learned. They had to use these things to create a commercial. I gave them a half class period to prepare, and first period, when I let them go, I heard one girl exclaim, "This is gonna be fun!"
The next day they performed the ads, which I recorded with my camera on a tripod. The review part--they were supposed to definite several of the terms, and many of the ads didn't actually use the correct technique--didn't go so well. But they seemed to have a good time, especially when I plugged in the camera to the computer (more than thirty students cannot crowd around a single computer, but at least I'm "using technology"!) and let them watch the movies of themselves. I told them to look at how they did, because we'll be doing more performances later in the year. They laughed and cringed at themselves on camera.
While I will never, ever claim to be a perfect teacher, or even necessarily an exemplary teacher, days and comments like these sure make me feel good about my class. Now if only I could figure out how to work the next two weeks--incorporating some kind of research, reading, writing and of course learning about women's history, plus maybe beginning poetry?--I'd be golden.
On yet another day, I read them another chapter of an interesting book we'd started the week before. I put some events from the book on sentence strips and put them on the board. I gave them a few minutes to organize them in their notebooks. Then I called up six students to take one sentence each, and they put themselves in order. I let the class rearrange the people and their events until all were correct.
Several students left before we finished this activity, for services. A couple minutes later, I got a phone call from one of those teachers. "I have [so] and [so]. They said they wanted to come back to class because you were doing something fun?" I said, surprised, "Oh, well, we finished that one but right now we're doing some magazine work. But sure, they can come back to class if you're okay with it."
We finished up our media unit last week. To combine a group project with a jigsaw review, I had the students create a commercial: I collected a couple random household items (a film canister, a chipclip, a keychain), and let them draw one as well as one of the ad techniques we'd learned. They had to use these things to create a commercial. I gave them a half class period to prepare, and first period, when I let them go, I heard one girl exclaim, "This is gonna be fun!"
The next day they performed the ads, which I recorded with my camera on a tripod. The review part--they were supposed to definite several of the terms, and many of the ads didn't actually use the correct technique--didn't go so well. But they seemed to have a good time, especially when I plugged in the camera to the computer (more than thirty students cannot crowd around a single computer, but at least I'm "using technology"!) and let them watch the movies of themselves. I told them to look at how they did, because we'll be doing more performances later in the year. They laughed and cringed at themselves on camera.
While I will never, ever claim to be a perfect teacher, or even necessarily an exemplary teacher, days and comments like these sure make me feel good about my class. Now if only I could figure out how to work the next two weeks--incorporating some kind of research, reading, writing and of course learning about women's history, plus maybe beginning poetry?--I'd be golden.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
joke's on you
The Grey Bunnies came into my classroom yesterday after lunch, and they kept glancing at me and giggling. I gave the Look, and they'd look away, still giggling. The whole class kept looking at me! It rather unnerved me, and not just because I'd had to sleep. I thought that maybe something was on my face, or my outfit was ripped, or they noticed I was particularly ugly that day (no sleep! didn't care!). I stayed steely and went to collect the homework.
The first table just looked at me with empty desks. They just shrugged when I said, "No homework?"
I was unnerved by the still-looking-and-giggling, so I stood to the side, glaring and harrumphing at them.
A girl raised her hand. "I don't think anyone did their homework today." Barely repressed giggles.
"Oh really? Maybe we need a test then! Snarl!" glare glare.
"Miss! It's just a joke! April Fool's!"
"Haha," I said, unamused, stalking to my desk. I glared at them some more. But then I couldn't help a small smile unfolding on my face, and the class erupted in whoops and cries. "Ooh, we got you, Miss!" They were quite proud of themselves. I said dryly, "The real joke would have been *everyone* doing their homework!"
After a minute or so of their hysterics, I told them to quiet down and get to work. And they did.
Last period, the Herd walked in and sat down. They kept their desks were completely empty and they were looking at me expectantly.
I walked across the room and tried not to laugh. "Won't work on me, guys! Get to work!"
They groaned and I did laugh. "[Grey Bunnies] already did it, they ruined it for you!" They went, "Aw, man!" and laughed ruefully, and got to work.
As shitty as the day was for me yesterday, it really wasn't too bad. These kids are goofballs but for the most part are sweet and innocent enough. And somehow, I've earned their respect and they work for me (well, with prodding, often, but still). Thank god.
The first table just looked at me with empty desks. They just shrugged when I said, "No homework?"
I was unnerved by the still-looking-and-giggling, so I stood to the side, glaring and harrumphing at them.
A girl raised her hand. "I don't think anyone did their homework today." Barely repressed giggles.
"Oh really? Maybe we need a test then! Snarl!" glare glare.
"Miss! It's just a joke! April Fool's!"
"Haha," I said, unamused, stalking to my desk. I glared at them some more. But then I couldn't help a small smile unfolding on my face, and the class erupted in whoops and cries. "Ooh, we got you, Miss!" They were quite proud of themselves. I said dryly, "The real joke would have been *everyone* doing their homework!"
After a minute or so of their hysterics, I told them to quiet down and get to work. And they did.
Last period, the Herd walked in and sat down. They kept their desks were completely empty and they were looking at me expectantly.
I walked across the room and tried not to laugh. "Won't work on me, guys! Get to work!"
They groaned and I did laugh. "[Grey Bunnies] already did it, they ruined it for you!" They went, "Aw, man!" and laughed ruefully, and got to work.
As shitty as the day was for me yesterday, it really wasn't too bad. These kids are goofballs but for the most part are sweet and innocent enough. And somehow, I've earned their respect and they work for me (well, with prodding, often, but still). Thank god.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Somebody Punch Me
Maybe that will make me sleep? Or at least make me pass out.
God, I'm so boring and bored, but mostly, so fucking TIRED. My legs were fizzy fuzzy last week because I was bodily exhausted.
And apparently I didn't get enough rest last night, because today I just got tireder and tireder. As a bonus, a headache crept up on me this afternoon but didn't really affect me until I lay down to go to bed EARLY.
Now it's been almost an hour and a half after I tried to sleep. First there was a B-52's song in my head--only two lines, on repeat--now it's a song from Oklahoma. Still. Nearly an hour later.
As a real bonus, I came up with some further good ideas about school tomorrow. Dammit.
God, I'm so boring and bored, but mostly, so fucking TIRED. My legs were fizzy fuzzy last week because I was bodily exhausted.
And apparently I didn't get enough rest last night, because today I just got tireder and tireder. As a bonus, a headache crept up on me this afternoon but didn't really affect me until I lay down to go to bed EARLY.
Now it's been almost an hour and a half after I tried to sleep. First there was a B-52's song in my head--only two lines, on repeat--now it's a song from Oklahoma. Still. Nearly an hour later.
As a real bonus, I came up with some further good ideas about school tomorrow. Dammit.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Cute Overload Links
No, wait, don't go. Really, check these out!
This one actually made me laugh out loud. Like, three times. Okay, four.
This video is mildly entertaining and/or weird, but the caption wasn't lying about the "oddly intriguing soundtrack." Wow, that song is amazing! I just bought it on iTunes, it's called Ievan Polka.
Enjoy!
This one actually made me laugh out loud. Like, three times. Okay, four.
This video is mildly entertaining and/or weird, but the caption wasn't lying about the "oddly intriguing soundtrack." Wow, that song is amazing! I just bought it on iTunes, it's called Ievan Polka.
Enjoy!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
this will make your life better
I promise.
Enjoy. :)
Now go to youtube and find the other episodes. There's even a wordwang!
Enjoy. :)
Now go to youtube and find the other episodes. There's even a wordwang!
Friday, March 21, 2008
gimme some green, baby
So in the next couple months, the government will be returning a couple thousand of my hard-earned dollars. I've got an intense internal debate going on about what to do with it. Have a listen.
Sensible Me: "Put it all in savings! Max out your Roth IRA contribution from last year! You'll need the money when you're old."
Shopper Me: "Naw, I'll never be old. I'll just keep it in checking and not worry about spending. I need some new clothes anyway!"
Photographer Me: "Clothes, schmothes. Who cares what you wear? BUY A DSLR, STUPID!!!"
More Sensible Photographer Version of Me: "Too much money gone at once! Buy a zoom lens for the film camera!"
Hardcore Photographer Me: "That thing is a piece of crap and you want a DSLR anyway. Save the hundred bucks and BUY A REAL CAMERA!"
Wanderlust Me: "Um, hello? No point in any camera at all if you're sitting at home all the time. Get out and GO somewhere!"
Maploving Me: "But to where? Glacier? Alaska?"
Passport-Stamp-Seeking Me: "Pshaw. The US is for sissies. Go to Patagonia! Or Peru! Or Vienna! Or Cinque Terre!"
Hardcore Photographer Me: "Are y'all high? Why go to an amazing place without an amazing camera?! BUY A CAMERA, DUMBASS!"
Travel-lovah Me: "But waaah, I haven't gone anywhere. If I buy a camera then I'm wiped out and can't travel!"
Realist Photographer Me: "And there's no reason to go somewhere incredible with a good camera if you don't know how to USE it, or understand how to make good pictures. Take another class or something."
Fit-Conscious Me: "Speaking of classes, get your lazy ass a trainer. Jeez."
Pennypinching Me: "Earn interest, use it later! BANK! SAVINGS!!"
Tired of Hearing Voices Me: "Shut up, all you troublemakers. I can't do anything with it at all. I'll need it for bills soon anyway. I hate decisions. Go away!"
Sensible Me: "Put it all in savings! Max out your Roth IRA contribution from last year! You'll need the money when you're old."
Shopper Me: "Naw, I'll never be old. I'll just keep it in checking and not worry about spending. I need some new clothes anyway!"
Photographer Me: "Clothes, schmothes. Who cares what you wear? BUY A DSLR, STUPID!!!"
More Sensible Photographer Version of Me: "Too much money gone at once! Buy a zoom lens for the film camera!"
Hardcore Photographer Me: "That thing is a piece of crap and you want a DSLR anyway. Save the hundred bucks and BUY A REAL CAMERA!"
Wanderlust Me: "Um, hello? No point in any camera at all if you're sitting at home all the time. Get out and GO somewhere!"
Maploving Me: "But to where? Glacier? Alaska?"
Passport-Stamp-Seeking Me: "Pshaw. The US is for sissies. Go to Patagonia! Or Peru! Or Vienna! Or Cinque Terre!"
Hardcore Photographer Me: "Are y'all high? Why go to an amazing place without an amazing camera?! BUY A CAMERA, DUMBASS!"
Travel-lovah Me: "But waaah, I haven't gone anywhere. If I buy a camera then I'm wiped out and can't travel!"
Realist Photographer Me: "And there's no reason to go somewhere incredible with a good camera if you don't know how to USE it, or understand how to make good pictures. Take another class or something."
Fit-Conscious Me: "Speaking of classes, get your lazy ass a trainer. Jeez."
Pennypinching Me: "Earn interest, use it later! BANK! SAVINGS!!"
Tired of Hearing Voices Me: "Shut up, all you troublemakers. I can't do anything with it at all. I'll need it for bills soon anyway. I hate decisions. Go away!"
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Happy Spring!
Guess what:
- On Tuesday I filed my taxes and will be looking forward to a sizeable return.
- I also made some parent phone calls. Including positive ones!
- Many kids didn't do their essays last night, which sucks, but today I made them all do/redo/improve them. And it went fairly well.
- I went out for a photowalk after school today, to a large park (which abound in this area). The digital shots aren't fantastic, but I think I got some decent ones with the film camera. I am looking forward to exploring more of that park as spring moves forward.
- I've worked out for three days in a row! After nearly two months of sloth! I feel good!
- It's a long weekend! WOOO!!!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Lucky Me 2006
Anyone who's ever seen my apartment would know that I'm a packrat. I just can't bear to toss something that has a story behind it, that represents a particular moment in my personal history.
There's a green plastic necklace, a cheap clover-shaped trinket emblazoned with "Lucky You 2006" and a beer logo on the back. It hangs on my bathroom doorknob, rattling and knocking every time I open or close the door. Looks like a piece of junk, but I'd hate to forget about the night I got it.
Midway through my second year of teaching: I was settled and much more confident in my classroom. I had recently met a few more people in New York, but still led a fairly lonely life. I'd been single for several years and spent my weekends holed up in my tiny room. So when one of my school friends invited me to a St Patrick's Day happy hour, I easily agreed. There were plenty of cheap green drinks and cute boys. My friend made sure to introduce me to her friend behind the bar, a burly Island guy named, appropriately, Vinnie. He instantly flirted with me, and before I left I gave him my number.
He texted me for the next few days, calling me sweet and cute. I was flattered but it felt a bit weird; I'd talked to him for all of five minutes, that was moving a bit fast. Soon he asked me out for dinner that Friday night. Of course I agreed; who am I to say no to a date?
But the real reason that I said yes was to make that week go faster; a week after that, I knew I was going to be seeing another boy, A., at a group bar outing. After meeting at a teacher-blogger gathering, he and I had been emailing for a couple months. I was ridiculously excited to see him again; I knew there would be sparks.
So in the meantime, I went out with Vinnie. He was a very nice guy, a bit older than me, with a young daughter and a dog. He treated me to a drink and then a fancy dinner at a Union Square restaurant (I believe I had a baked potato; one of my best qualities is that I'm a cheap date). He drove me home, and I was relieved. I felt nothing and he realized it, too. He was nice about it, though, and we didn't speak again.
The next weekend, I saw A. again. We talked and flirted all night, but for some reason (?!), he didn't ask me out. It took him nearly another week, and I almost went out of my mind, waiting anxiously. We finally went out on a real date on Friday, March 31, and it lasted until four in the morning. I knew that it was the beginning of something big, something great.
We've been together for just about two years now, and indeed, lucky, lucky me. I'll hang on to that cheap green necklace for as long as I can.
There's a green plastic necklace, a cheap clover-shaped trinket emblazoned with "Lucky You 2006" and a beer logo on the back. It hangs on my bathroom doorknob, rattling and knocking every time I open or close the door. Looks like a piece of junk, but I'd hate to forget about the night I got it.
Midway through my second year of teaching: I was settled and much more confident in my classroom. I had recently met a few more people in New York, but still led a fairly lonely life. I'd been single for several years and spent my weekends holed up in my tiny room. So when one of my school friends invited me to a St Patrick's Day happy hour, I easily agreed. There were plenty of cheap green drinks and cute boys. My friend made sure to introduce me to her friend behind the bar, a burly Island guy named, appropriately, Vinnie. He instantly flirted with me, and before I left I gave him my number.
He texted me for the next few days, calling me sweet and cute. I was flattered but it felt a bit weird; I'd talked to him for all of five minutes, that was moving a bit fast. Soon he asked me out for dinner that Friday night. Of course I agreed; who am I to say no to a date?
But the real reason that I said yes was to make that week go faster; a week after that, I knew I was going to be seeing another boy, A., at a group bar outing. After meeting at a teacher-blogger gathering, he and I had been emailing for a couple months. I was ridiculously excited to see him again; I knew there would be sparks.
So in the meantime, I went out with Vinnie. He was a very nice guy, a bit older than me, with a young daughter and a dog. He treated me to a drink and then a fancy dinner at a Union Square restaurant (I believe I had a baked potato; one of my best qualities is that I'm a cheap date). He drove me home, and I was relieved. I felt nothing and he realized it, too. He was nice about it, though, and we didn't speak again.
The next weekend, I saw A. again. We talked and flirted all night, but for some reason (?!), he didn't ask me out. It took him nearly another week, and I almost went out of my mind, waiting anxiously. We finally went out on a real date on Friday, March 31, and it lasted until four in the morning. I knew that it was the beginning of something big, something great.
We've been together for just about two years now, and indeed, lucky, lucky me. I'll hang on to that cheap green necklace for as long as I can.
Friday, March 14, 2008
How To Be A Dork and Make Your Students Laugh
Tell them to write a procedure for entering the room and then act out their actions.
I walk to just outside the door and say, "Okay, what do I do first?"
"Enter the room!"
"Okay, what next?"
"Sit down!"
"Okay!" and I sit down on the floor right inside the door. Guffaws and giggles.
"NO! Go to your seat!"
"OH! Okay." Walk to my desk.
"NOW sit down."
"Alright!" I sit down on the floor, next to the chair. More giggles.
"NO! You have to pull out the chair and sit on it!"
"OH!! Okay. Got it. What now?"
"Go in your bookbag and..."
I look at them, bewildered, and say, "But how will I fit in it? It's so small...."
Guffaws and eyerolls.
"OPEN your book bag!"
"OH, I see!"
and so on.
It was good fun, I say. :)
I walk to just outside the door and say, "Okay, what do I do first?"
"Enter the room!"
"Okay, what next?"
"Sit down!"
"Okay!" and I sit down on the floor right inside the door. Guffaws and giggles.
"NO! Go to your seat!"
"OH! Okay." Walk to my desk.
"NOW sit down."
"Alright!" I sit down on the floor, next to the chair. More giggles.
"NO! You have to pull out the chair and sit on it!"
"OH!! Okay. Got it. What now?"
"Go in your bookbag and..."
I look at them, bewildered, and say, "But how will I fit in it? It's so small...."
Guffaws and eyerolls.
"OPEN your book bag!"
"OH, I see!"
and so on.
It was good fun, I say. :)
Friday, March 07, 2008
I call it, "Shut Up."
Playlist made today while grading in my room. I sang and chair-danced happily the whole time.
-Burrito (live), Pete Yorn
-Cry Me A River, Justin Timberlake
-Daisy Girls, Haley Bonar
-Dirty Pop, NSync
-Dirrty, Christina Aguilera
-Dream Lover, Mariah Carey
-Extraordinary Machine, Fiona Apple
-Eat for Two, 10,000 Maniacs (unplugged)
-Geek in the Pink, Jason Mraz
-Get Gone, Fiona Apple
-Happiness Runs, Donovan Leitch
-I'm a Slave 4 U, Britney Spears
-Testing 1, 2, 3, Barenaked Ladies
-The Chain, Fleetwood Mac
-Toxic, Britney Spears
I told you, shut up. :)
-Burrito (live), Pete Yorn
-Cry Me A River, Justin Timberlake
-Daisy Girls, Haley Bonar
-Dirty Pop, NSync
-Dirrty, Christina Aguilera
-Dream Lover, Mariah Carey
-Extraordinary Machine, Fiona Apple
-Eat for Two, 10,000 Maniacs (unplugged)
-Geek in the Pink, Jason Mraz
-Get Gone, Fiona Apple
-Happiness Runs, Donovan Leitch
-I'm a Slave 4 U, Britney Spears
-Testing 1, 2, 3, Barenaked Ladies
-The Chain, Fleetwood Mac
-Toxic, Britney Spears
I told you, shut up. :)
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Great Debates
So I have plenty of time where I don't work--ie, the whole day after school is over--but days like today make up for it. I worked solidly from 7.30 until almost 3.30. On my two preps I graded papers and snacked. Perhaps this is why I keep forgetting what day it is. Most of the day I thought it was Wednesday (is it? oh crap), and driving home I would have sworn it was Friday.
This week I've gotten a bit behind on homework, because my classes increased by nearly fifty percent, and also because there's been 98% of the assignments turned in. (Yay!) That means each pile is nearly one hundred papers. (Boo.) By the end of the day I was caught up to yesterday's, but then I gave a quiz, so I've got two piles waiting for me at school. Bleh. I'll catch up during the Big You Know What next week.
Anyway, we've been discussing newspaper editorials, so I've been having the kids write some editorials about issues close to their hearts--but with a twist. They had to write for both sides of the argument. First was about candy and soda in schools, and next was whether homework should be assigned every night. There are some very amusing bits and pieces from them, so I thought I'd share some with you!
"First of all kids do enough work at school and when they get home they are tired and they just fell like laying down and watching some tv and playing some video games. They also feel like laying down on the couch and reading a book. That is why I think kids should not get home work every night."
"I also think that we shouldn't get homework every night because when we get a lot of homework teachers act like there's never a tomorrow. And by the way I'm sorry for what I just said but it's the truth."
"Homework always makes you aware of things that can happen in the real world, and when you get older.
...
Homework just makes us knowledgeable. Homework isn't really a problem, because it is easy easy as a matter of fact. Sometimes it's even fun. The trick is, is to focus and pay attention in class because the homework you get is related to the classwork."
"Also is that we might have a stomach ace or a headace then our head would hurt more because they are thinking about when they would have time to do there homework."
"Yes you will learn more stuff. You will pass tests. You will be smart."
"Also some kids won't do it and fail. So why give us homework if they know we won't do them. It is something we all hated as a child so why not break the cycle. Bad enough we even go to school."
"Sometimes when you see people walking down the street that look like a complete failuer you ask your self why is that man like that, did he achieve or reach the goal of college. does he have a job or did he do any thing in school. To get the grade you gotta get the points you have to put the effort, in classwork and HOMEWORK."
"Teachers usually give us homework based on what we learned in class that day.They don't want us to forget or fail (which to me is very generous). :)
For me if I don't get homework every week I'll 95% forget what I did even the day before. I mean I hardly even remember what I did yesterday (what did i do yesterday?). Yes, sometimes teachers go hard on us with homework but I suppose they don't (at least not all) do it to be mean (I hope)."
"Another lethal issue with homework is that some kids crack and lose their mentality."
And my favorite:
"I'm sure teachers hate paperwork. And if they were in our shoes. They would regret switching shoes. Having paperwork as homework. IF TEACHERS HATE PAPERWORK WHY GIVE IT AWAY!"
This week I've gotten a bit behind on homework, because my classes increased by nearly fifty percent, and also because there's been 98% of the assignments turned in. (Yay!) That means each pile is nearly one hundred papers. (Boo.) By the end of the day I was caught up to yesterday's, but then I gave a quiz, so I've got two piles waiting for me at school. Bleh. I'll catch up during the Big You Know What next week.
Anyway, we've been discussing newspaper editorials, so I've been having the kids write some editorials about issues close to their hearts--but with a twist. They had to write for both sides of the argument. First was about candy and soda in schools, and next was whether homework should be assigned every night. There are some very amusing bits and pieces from them, so I thought I'd share some with you!
"First of all kids do enough work at school and when they get home they are tired and they just fell like laying down and watching some tv and playing some video games. They also feel like laying down on the couch and reading a book. That is why I think kids should not get home work every night."
"I also think that we shouldn't get homework every night because when we get a lot of homework teachers act like there's never a tomorrow. And by the way I'm sorry for what I just said but it's the truth."
"Homework always makes you aware of things that can happen in the real world, and when you get older.
...
Homework just makes us knowledgeable. Homework isn't really a problem, because it is easy easy as a matter of fact. Sometimes it's even fun. The trick is, is to focus and pay attention in class because the homework you get is related to the classwork."
"Also is that we might have a stomach ace or a headace then our head would hurt more because they are thinking about when they would have time to do there homework."
"Yes you will learn more stuff. You will pass tests. You will be smart."
"Also some kids won't do it and fail. So why give us homework if they know we won't do them. It is something we all hated as a child so why not break the cycle. Bad enough we even go to school."
"Sometimes when you see people walking down the street that look like a complete failuer you ask your self why is that man like that, did he achieve or reach the goal of college. does he have a job or did he do any thing in school. To get the grade you gotta get the points you have to put the effort, in classwork and HOMEWORK."
"Teachers usually give us homework based on what we learned in class that day.They don't want us to forget or fail (which to me is very generous). :)
For me if I don't get homework every week I'll 95% forget what I did even the day before. I mean I hardly even remember what I did yesterday (what did i do yesterday?). Yes, sometimes teachers go hard on us with homework but I suppose they don't (at least not all) do it to be mean (I hope)."
"Another lethal issue with homework is that some kids crack and lose their mentality."
And my favorite:
"I'm sure teachers hate paperwork. And if they were in our shoes. They would regret switching shoes. Having paperwork as homework. IF TEACHERS HATE PAPERWORK WHY GIVE IT AWAY!"
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
minor miracle
Two, actually.
One: I *wanted* to stay after school today! I need to work on finding/selecting read alouds and I didn't have enough time on my prep today.
Two: I had to leave right away though because of a doctor appointment. I got to the office right at the appointment time and settled in with a book. Usually I'm in the waiting room for nearly an hour. So color me shocked when I was all done--out the door--in a mere twenty minutes! Good job, doctor down the block!
----
And now a query/ponderance. Tomorrow I should really make an effort to take some pictures for this week's assignment--bracketing f-stops. This is the technical stuff that I signed up for a class to learn and practice, so bad job me for not practicing yet this week. But I don't know where to go. I've gone to the park the last two weekends and it's boring, and empty too. I want to practice candids and other movement-type shots. Probably not a good idea to go all the way into the city for that, so should I just get in the car and drive again? Hm.
One: I *wanted* to stay after school today! I need to work on finding/selecting read alouds and I didn't have enough time on my prep today.
Two: I had to leave right away though because of a doctor appointment. I got to the office right at the appointment time and settled in with a book. Usually I'm in the waiting room for nearly an hour. So color me shocked when I was all done--out the door--in a mere twenty minutes! Good job, doctor down the block!
----
And now a query/ponderance. Tomorrow I should really make an effort to take some pictures for this week's assignment--bracketing f-stops. This is the technical stuff that I signed up for a class to learn and practice, so bad job me for not practicing yet this week. But I don't know where to go. I've gone to the park the last two weekends and it's boring, and empty too. I want to practice candids and other movement-type shots. Probably not a good idea to go all the way into the city for that, so should I just get in the car and drive again? Hm.
Yo, colleague.
When you ask me something twice in five minutes one day, and then ask a THIRD time half a day later? It makes me want to ignore your request completely. I heard you the first time! Have I not delivered books quickly all year? I've got other shit to do than fetch your latest whim. Respect that please!
Thank you.
Thank you.
Monday, March 03, 2008
musing
So this morning I prepared myself to be a hardcore strict badass once again. My classes were nearly doubled in size, with three of my best students removed as an extra cherry on top (my students are now able to recognize that this is sarcasm!).
So I wore a suit and my hair up, and I had all the students, new and old, rewrite the daily procedures. I assured all the students that we do NOT have any nonsense in our classroom. I briefly went over rules/expectations, and then jumped into the lesson.
Working with the media literacy stuff, there are so many great opportunities to get the kids actively engaged with something. Last week they explored newspapers, and at the end of the week I might let them go through magazines. But, where do I draw the line with being on task? With the newspapers, there were always a few who were reading the sports or admiring the dresses (post Oscar issues) or some nonsense. That makes me want to snap at them and take evreything away. Magazines are even worse. I can't afford to buy those, so they'll have to bring in or I'll use some of an old stash from previous years. But still, I want the kids to analyze and think about the content and meanings, not flip through lazily to look at pictures. Ack.
I would love to assign them a project creating their own magazines. Should I assign it as a group project? I kind of want each of them to come up with their own idea, a cover, including a picture and titles, and then one or two articles (including an editorial?). We need to review the writing process, which I think could make work with this.
Also, I really want to do a project for women's history. The kids already wrote regular biographies and brochures, so I don't want to do those again. What about a diorama? Would it be difficult to show suffragettes or others in a shoebox? The issue is research and plagiarism--not enough of the former and too much of the latter. Also, I'd need to prepare a list of women to investigate. I started some notes and thinking about this today and I don't want to wait too long to get started. Ideas or suggestions?
So I wore a suit and my hair up, and I had all the students, new and old, rewrite the daily procedures. I assured all the students that we do NOT have any nonsense in our classroom. I briefly went over rules/expectations, and then jumped into the lesson.
Working with the media literacy stuff, there are so many great opportunities to get the kids actively engaged with something. Last week they explored newspapers, and at the end of the week I might let them go through magazines. But, where do I draw the line with being on task? With the newspapers, there were always a few who were reading the sports or admiring the dresses (post Oscar issues) or some nonsense. That makes me want to snap at them and take evreything away. Magazines are even worse. I can't afford to buy those, so they'll have to bring in or I'll use some of an old stash from previous years. But still, I want the kids to analyze and think about the content and meanings, not flip through lazily to look at pictures. Ack.
I would love to assign them a project creating their own magazines. Should I assign it as a group project? I kind of want each of them to come up with their own idea, a cover, including a picture and titles, and then one or two articles (including an editorial?). We need to review the writing process, which I think could make work with this.
Also, I really want to do a project for women's history. The kids already wrote regular biographies and brochures, so I don't want to do those again. What about a diorama? Would it be difficult to show suffragettes or others in a shoebox? The issue is research and plagiarism--not enough of the former and too much of the latter. Also, I'd need to prepare a list of women to investigate. I started some notes and thinking about this today and I don't want to wait too long to get started. Ideas or suggestions?
Friday, February 29, 2008
Happy Leap Year
My warm up today asked the students what they would do to make today special, since it's an extra day to the year. Most of them were like, meh, nothing.
As for me, I took a sleep during my last-period prep, and man, I was out. It was a busy day and I felt tired all day. There was a coverage, but it was pretty easy.
This has been a nice week with my kids. We started a media unit, and they seem to be enjoying it. I'm making more of an effort with reading things and they're responding by working. Two boys in the Grey Bunnies are working on turning themselves around, and I am happy and excited to reinforce their positive changes.
Unfortunately, next week all my classes will change. Drastically. With bunches of new students. The wondrous small classes are officially over, and I am dreading the change. I don't want to catch up a bunch of kids who weren't lucky enough to get me as a teacher the first time around. I really don't want to have to rearrange and reorganize my seating charts; this year I've had ample space for the chatty ones to be alone so they can focus and work harder. I don't want to have to reteach routines and expectations and grammar. I really don't want to deal with behavior problems. My kids, annoying though they can be, are a pretty sweet bunch. And since there are/were so few of them, they've been fairly easy to handle, because I know how to prevent problems and teach them what to do and what not to do in my room. So now I'm really scared that all my hard work is going out the window.
As is my habit, I am pretending it won't happen, in a vain attempt to ignore the dread I feel.
Dammit. My classroom has been my haven this year, the only positive thing I could rely on and count on and feel good about. Please think good thoughts for me, that the 'old' kids will help keep the new ones in line, and that I will be able to shape the classes well.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
?
Do I need to revoke my 'teacher blogger' status now? I haven't written much about school, but hey, this was a blog before teaching, it will stay one after, and at least I'm putting stuff up, even if it's just pictures. Right?
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
vacation travel
I moved to New York in June 2004. That August, my mom came to visit. That Christmas, 2004, she visited again. That February, I returned home to Seattle to visit. That April, two friends from school and I went to Las Vegas. In the summer of 2005 , I went to Seattle and drove back to New York. The next Christmas, my mom and I went to Barcelona and Paris. February 2006 was Prague. April, New Orleans. Summer, Seattle with Boyfriend. Another Christmas, Amsterdam. In 2007, February was London and Paris with Boyfriend. April break, back to Seattle. The summer, Australia! Christmas, Seattle again.
And now, 2008 February=nowhere. :(
I have been extremely lucky to have traveled so much in the last few years. Of course, it's one of my priorities, and I had a per-session job those years, so I did have the money for it. This year, my homework center was cut because of budget (even before the big city cuts), so I don't have extra money. (The Christmas trip was paid for with a voucher we got last February, so that didn't really cost much.) It's pretty depressing to be forced out of the habit. I miss my passport!
I have friends in town but they're not here, so I'm alone. I suppose I can't say I've never had this much free time alone, because there were plenty of empty days during the summers, but still, it's not exactly fun and exciting. It is all too easy for me to indulge my slothful hermit tendencies.
Speaking of indulgence, I just took a look at lenses for my film camera. There are 50mm lenses and 100-300mmlenses for under $80!!!....I'm so tempted, but I just can't let myself buy anything like that. At least, not yet. Sigh.
And now, 2008 February=nowhere. :(
I have been extremely lucky to have traveled so much in the last few years. Of course, it's one of my priorities, and I had a per-session job those years, so I did have the money for it. This year, my homework center was cut because of budget (even before the big city cuts), so I don't have extra money. (The Christmas trip was paid for with a voucher we got last February, so that didn't really cost much.) It's pretty depressing to be forced out of the habit. I miss my passport!
I have friends in town but they're not here, so I'm alone. I suppose I can't say I've never had this much free time alone, because there were plenty of empty days during the summers, but still, it's not exactly fun and exciting. It is all too easy for me to indulge my slothful hermit tendencies.
Speaking of indulgence, I just took a look at lenses for my film camera. There are 50mm lenses and 100-300mmlenses for under $80!!!....I'm so tempted, but I just can't let myself buy anything like that. At least, not yet. Sigh.
Monday, February 18, 2008
stupid and random
So...apparently this is Monday? We have no school this week, so I wouldn't know.
It's not even 10.30 and I can hardly keep my eyes open. And I didn't get up until ten this morning. Why the hell am I so tired already?
I went to two medical places today, which means I had a lot of down time. I read a book but didn't work on photos at all.
I had two phone interviews today, and one last Friday. Cross your fingers for me.
I think I forgot to have dinner, so I had some ice cream.
Tomorrow I have to get up to move my car and will make myself go somewhere interesting to take photos. As long as I won't have to walk much.
I miss my boyfriend. a lot.
this post should self destruct in three seconds.
....
BOOM.
It's not even 10.30 and I can hardly keep my eyes open. And I didn't get up until ten this morning. Why the hell am I so tired already?
I went to two medical places today, which means I had a lot of down time. I read a book but didn't work on photos at all.
I had two phone interviews today, and one last Friday. Cross your fingers for me.
I think I forgot to have dinner, so I had some ice cream.
Tomorrow I have to get up to move my car and will make myself go somewhere interesting to take photos. As long as I won't have to walk much.
I miss my boyfriend. a lot.
this post should self destruct in three seconds.
....
BOOM.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Moving Forward, I Hope
Film, Steps
So I love taking pictures. Have since I got my first cheap 35mm in middle school. (Before that I had a bright yellow Kodak 110 camera--remember those?!) I took random pictures of our cat, or of my bedroom wall (at one age-covered in kitties and puppies and flowers; at a later age-covered in Mariners), because I couldn't think of anything else. When I took my first Europe trip, I thought it was extravagant that I took three and a half rolls of film in three weeks. (Isn't that hilarious? Now I'll take that many digital photos in a single day. Or of a single sunset.)
I also took 34 rolls of film during the ten months of AmeriCorps. Clearly, I've gotten a little more obsessed as I've gotten older.
Just over a year ago, I bought a pro account on flickr. Four months later I began a daily photo project. Two months after that I bought a much nicer camera. There are a lot of moments that I wish I could capture on camera, but am too shy or don't have the right equipment. Other times I see a scene that I know that someone else, more artistic and creative than I, could make incredible, but I can't see it, so I take a mediocre shot.
In the past year I do think I have noticeably improved as a photographer. I don't know any technical things, however, and I also think that is noticeable. Additionally, I don't have photoshop. Because of all that, all of my photography basically pales in comparison to most people on flickr.
Worse, lately I've been completely uninspired and uncreative. Perhaps being sick and fatigued played a role in that, but really, it's clearly a mental state. I'm so uncreative I didn't even know how to play with barbies, and I name stuffed animals after themselves.
Sometime last year I began looking at photography classes, and even posted about it. But around the new year, when I let myself evaluate my priorities and interests, I decided to work on photography and commit to taking a class.
So I did! Yesterday was the first meeting!
I wrote that I would commit an hour a day to working on photography, but already I've been laying around home all day long, doing nothing at all, let alone practicing with pictures. Partly because it's so LAME and BORING and STUPID to keep taking so many stupid pictures in my own apartment. And also it's cold outside, and also ALSO because I hurt my foot and ankle trying to do picture stuff yesterday, because I am an IDIOT.
Sigh.
So I love taking pictures. Have since I got my first cheap 35mm in middle school. (Before that I had a bright yellow Kodak 110 camera--remember those?!) I took random pictures of our cat, or of my bedroom wall (at one age-covered in kitties and puppies and flowers; at a later age-covered in Mariners), because I couldn't think of anything else. When I took my first Europe trip, I thought it was extravagant that I took three and a half rolls of film in three weeks. (Isn't that hilarious? Now I'll take that many digital photos in a single day. Or of a single sunset.)
I also took 34 rolls of film during the ten months of AmeriCorps. Clearly, I've gotten a little more obsessed as I've gotten older.
Just over a year ago, I bought a pro account on flickr. Four months later I began a daily photo project. Two months after that I bought a much nicer camera. There are a lot of moments that I wish I could capture on camera, but am too shy or don't have the right equipment. Other times I see a scene that I know that someone else, more artistic and creative than I, could make incredible, but I can't see it, so I take a mediocre shot.
In the past year I do think I have noticeably improved as a photographer. I don't know any technical things, however, and I also think that is noticeable. Additionally, I don't have photoshop. Because of all that, all of my photography basically pales in comparison to most people on flickr.
Worse, lately I've been completely uninspired and uncreative. Perhaps being sick and fatigued played a role in that, but really, it's clearly a mental state. I'm so uncreative I didn't even know how to play with barbies, and I name stuffed animals after themselves.
Sometime last year I began looking at photography classes, and even posted about it. But around the new year, when I let myself evaluate my priorities and interests, I decided to work on photography and commit to taking a class.
So I did! Yesterday was the first meeting!
I wrote that I would commit an hour a day to working on photography, but already I've been laying around home all day long, doing nothing at all, let alone practicing with pictures. Partly because it's so LAME and BORING and STUPID to keep taking so many stupid pictures in my own apartment. And also it's cold outside, and also ALSO because I hurt my foot and ankle trying to do picture stuff yesterday, because I am an IDIOT.
Sigh.
Friday, February 15, 2008
What does it say about me that...
--While reading this fun, grammar-related post(check out the graph!), followed a link to this article(word nerdy stuff), I saved it in my favorites, under "Fun Reading"?
--When Jon Stewart did his opening bit and then cried out, "The writers are back!" and the audience burst into thunderous applause, I actually teared up?
--When I tried to play Wednesday's episode of American Idol but it was stupid Big Brother instead, I was rather upset?
--Last night when I should have worked on cleaning and tidying, and gone to bed at a decent hour, I stayed up til 12.30 watching tv and doing nothing?
--When Jon Stewart did his opening bit and then cried out, "The writers are back!" and the audience burst into thunderous applause, I actually teared up?
--When I tried to play Wednesday's episode of American Idol but it was stupid Big Brother instead, I was rather upset?
--Last night when I should have worked on cleaning and tidying, and gone to bed at a decent hour, I stayed up til 12.30 watching tv and doing nothing?
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Hey, Asshole
If you keep leaving asshole comments, I will keep deleting you.
Eff you, and go AWAY.
The rest of you lovelies, I'm sorry you had to see this. I like all of you, I promise.
Eff you, and go AWAY.
The rest of you lovelies, I'm sorry you had to see this. I like all of you, I promise.
Monday, February 11, 2008
hey, guess what?
I worked out yesterday! I hadn't for over two weeks, because this nasty coughy cold thing kicked my butt and I didn't want to make it worse by increased breathing (which has brought on the phlegmy cough). I didn't gain any weight or anything; I probably lost a teeny bit with all the coughing and not eating much. I was doing so well about getting into a routine, for nearly a month, before I had to stop. Then being inactive for so long, I worried about being unable to do much, but I completed everything just fine. And now today my arms and bum are sore! Yay!
And apparently I'm also trying to make up for lost 'time' by posting three times right in a row. Sorry, I'll give you a break now. :D
And apparently I'm also trying to make up for lost 'time' by posting three times right in a row. Sorry, I'll give you a break now. :D
Unprofessional
Exhibit A:
I got a voice mail last week from a guy from a bank, saying we'd met at school sometime in the last year. I called him back, left a message, the next day he called me back, then got another call and called back like ten minutes later. And finally I said hello to him and said that I didn't remember him. It really took about five full minutes of this 'conversation' for me to remember the meeting he was talking about--it was my second year of teaching! This is my fourth, which means that he 'was just following up on the questionnaire' I filled out, it took two or three YEARS!
He wanted me to go to another meeting so he could tell me about some weird programs or something, and he would be 'in the area' the next day. I asked, "In the area or in the school?" Then he claimed he'd be at the school, around 3 or 4, meeting with the parent coordinator. I replied that school's over by three and I could try to stop by the room.
On Friday, I got an eighth period coverage and completely forgot. He called me a little after three, saying he was at school. I said, oh sorry, I forgot and I already left, I'm on the freeway. He said something about how he was there to meet with me, implying bad on me for promising to go and then not. But I ignored that because A)that's a lie, and B)you called me TWO FREAKING YEARS late, buddy. You lost any and all right to be respected as a professional. Good luck.
Exhibit B:
This morning a student walked in twenty minutes late. I sent her right back out to get a late pass. She returns five minutes later with no pass, saying something about signing a paper. I testily replied she needed to bring something back with her, so I sent her back to get an actual pass. Two minutes later, one of the security guards shows up at my door with the student. The guard tells me (with just enough attitude to let me know she thinks I'm being totally unreasonable) that "we're not doing late passes anymore." Per the principal. The guard claims the late students sign something and they update the attendance and "then come right up to class."
Wehhell. FIRST of all, I'm just doing one of my jobs, trying to keep my students accountable for their actions. I certainly don't need to be told off by a security guard about me trying to keep the school, you know, secure.
Second, this student didn't do a damn thing until I sent her to get something. Which means that she was able to come up to class the first time with no one stopping her to question her or give her a pass. This is a problem, no? So what happens when teachers don't send a kid back to get a pass? Nothing, that's what, the kid doesn't show up on the attendance for the day. And the principal keeps threatening us, the teachers, for the discrepancies in attendance.
Then, THIRD, I had a chance to ask my department AP about this later in the day. She said that her students (the next grade) had late passes that day. Ohhoho! Isn't that interesting! I asked if she could ask the principal about that, for some clarification, because obviously us teachers have not ever been told anything at all about passes or a lack of them (I just send kids because it's the right thing to do), and now apparently security guards are either making things up or upholding different rules and expectations. Either way something needs to be done.
This is just ONE reason our school is ridiculous.
Oh, and this guard's snippity attitude might be related to Exhibit C, which actually happened a month or two ago. It was in the middle or late part of the day, class is going on, the students are silent as I'm teaching or they're reading or whatever. And there's a group of people RIGHT outside my door, four guards and a parent or someone, talking very loudly. Practically shouting, and in an empty hallway, and again, right outside my door. In the middle of class. It was disruptive! So I opened the door and said quietly and kind of shyly, "Um, excuse me, it's kind of loud out here, and we're quiet in here, would you mind keeping it down?" Feeling kind of silly, because truly, this shouldn't even be happening.
None of them even apologized, this one kind of just stared at me as if *I* were the rude one (!!), and they moved away. Really? Attitude? I don't think I'm in the wrong to politely ask for a quiet environment so we can teach and learn!
My goodness, people, what is this school coming to, I ask you?
I got a voice mail last week from a guy from a bank, saying we'd met at school sometime in the last year. I called him back, left a message, the next day he called me back, then got another call and called back like ten minutes later. And finally I said hello to him and said that I didn't remember him. It really took about five full minutes of this 'conversation' for me to remember the meeting he was talking about--it was my second year of teaching! This is my fourth, which means that he 'was just following up on the questionnaire' I filled out, it took two or three YEARS!
He wanted me to go to another meeting so he could tell me about some weird programs or something, and he would be 'in the area' the next day. I asked, "In the area or in the school?" Then he claimed he'd be at the school, around 3 or 4, meeting with the parent coordinator. I replied that school's over by three and I could try to stop by the room.
On Friday, I got an eighth period coverage and completely forgot. He called me a little after three, saying he was at school. I said, oh sorry, I forgot and I already left, I'm on the freeway. He said something about how he was there to meet with me, implying bad on me for promising to go and then not. But I ignored that because A)that's a lie, and B)you called me TWO FREAKING YEARS late, buddy. You lost any and all right to be respected as a professional. Good luck.
Exhibit B:
This morning a student walked in twenty minutes late. I sent her right back out to get a late pass. She returns five minutes later with no pass, saying something about signing a paper. I testily replied she needed to bring something back with her, so I sent her back to get an actual pass. Two minutes later, one of the security guards shows up at my door with the student. The guard tells me (with just enough attitude to let me know she thinks I'm being totally unreasonable) that "we're not doing late passes anymore." Per the principal. The guard claims the late students sign something and they update the attendance and "then come right up to class."
Wehhell. FIRST of all, I'm just doing one of my jobs, trying to keep my students accountable for their actions. I certainly don't need to be told off by a security guard about me trying to keep the school, you know, secure.
Second, this student didn't do a damn thing until I sent her to get something. Which means that she was able to come up to class the first time with no one stopping her to question her or give her a pass. This is a problem, no? So what happens when teachers don't send a kid back to get a pass? Nothing, that's what, the kid doesn't show up on the attendance for the day. And the principal keeps threatening us, the teachers, for the discrepancies in attendance.
Then, THIRD, I had a chance to ask my department AP about this later in the day. She said that her students (the next grade) had late passes that day. Ohhoho! Isn't that interesting! I asked if she could ask the principal about that, for some clarification, because obviously us teachers have not ever been told anything at all about passes or a lack of them (I just send kids because it's the right thing to do), and now apparently security guards are either making things up or upholding different rules and expectations. Either way something needs to be done.
This is just ONE reason our school is ridiculous.
Oh, and this guard's snippity attitude might be related to Exhibit C, which actually happened a month or two ago. It was in the middle or late part of the day, class is going on, the students are silent as I'm teaching or they're reading or whatever. And there's a group of people RIGHT outside my door, four guards and a parent or someone, talking very loudly. Practically shouting, and in an empty hallway, and again, right outside my door. In the middle of class. It was disruptive! So I opened the door and said quietly and kind of shyly, "Um, excuse me, it's kind of loud out here, and we're quiet in here, would you mind keeping it down?" Feeling kind of silly, because truly, this shouldn't even be happening.
None of them even apologized, this one kind of just stared at me as if *I* were the rude one (!!), and they moved away. Really? Attitude? I don't think I'm in the wrong to politely ask for a quiet environment so we can teach and learn!
My goodness, people, what is this school coming to, I ask you?
Advertising Thumbs Up
I recently realized that Apple deserves major advertising kudos--they always use fantastic, catchy music, and they never rely on sex appeal or other objectification. Good job! Now if only I could afford some of their products....
I'm not sure what product it's for (tv maybe?), but that commercial with the Gingerbread Man on the phone? And he's like, Oh, I look so tasty! Then he takes a big bite--crrrunch--, he cries, OUCH! and then, YUMMY! Cracks me up every time.
On the flip side [which reminds me of one time I used that expression in class, and the kids turned their papers over to the other side! ha! ack!], I want to MAIM and KILL the Geico and Campbell's advertising teams. Seriously, shut the #%@^ up!
I'm not sure what product it's for (tv maybe?), but that commercial with the Gingerbread Man on the phone? And he's like, Oh, I look so tasty! Then he takes a big bite--crrrunch--, he cries, OUCH! and then, YUMMY! Cracks me up every time.
On the flip side [which reminds me of one time I used that expression in class, and the kids turned their papers over to the other side! ha! ack!], I want to MAIM and KILL the Geico and Campbell's advertising teams. Seriously, shut the #%@^ up!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Life Travel List
According to Smithsonian's January 2008 issue, there are twenty-eight places to see before you die. "Whether you visit only a couple of these destinations or all 28, your life will be enriched by the experience."
Portals into the Past:
--Mesa Verde (Colorado)
--Pompeii (near Naples, Italy)
--Tikal (Guatemala)
--Petra (Jordan)
Feats of Engineering:
--Pyramids of Giza (Egypt)
--Taj Mahal (Agra, India)
--Easter Island (way west of Chile)
--The Great Wall (China)
A Matter of Timing (to be seen at certain times of year):
--Aurora Borealis (Alaska/Yukon)
--Serengeti (Tanzania and Kenya)
--Iguazu Falls (Brazil)
--Macchu Picchu (Peru)
Triumphs of Vision:
--Musee du Louvre (Paris, France)
--Zen Garden of Kyoto (Japan)
--Uffizi Gallery (Florence, Italy)
--Fallingwater (Pennsylvania)
Scale New Heights:
--Yangtze River (China)
--Antarctica
--Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)
--Grand Canyon (Arizona)
In the Presence of Gods:
--Pagan (Burma/Myanmar)
--Parthenon (Athens, Greece)
--Angkor Wat (Cambodia)
--Ephesus (Turkey)
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow:
--Venice (Italy)
--Amazon Rain Forest (in parts of eight South American countries!)
--Great Barrier Reef (east of Australia)
--Galapagos Islands (west of Ecuador)
I've seen the Louvre, the Uffizi, Venice, the Parthenon, and the Great Barrier Reef. If I follow through with China this summer, I'll see the Great Wall (and I'm not sure about the Yangtze, I'll have to check the sample itinerary). Seeing those places has certainly impacted me--they are all beautiful, stunning, inspirational in their own ways.
In the last year or so, reading National Geographic Adventure, South America is definitely on my list. There are so many treasures, both natural and historical, and it's kind of overwhelming. And it seems expensive, since those are the kind of experience you need a guide to make the best. I don't know if I'll ever be able to afford it, but I would certainly like to make it to one South American country in the next couple years. (I think Peru seems like a good start.) (Our school cut all after-school programs last month; we've had our own budget issues even before the city-wide cuts. This means I have no more extra income, so I'll have to get used to continuing not traveling.)
I think Yellowstone is a treasure that everyone should experience. I've never been to Yosemite or Glacier National Parks; I hear those are gorgeous, amazing places (and they're on my own list). The Australian Outback is an incredibly unique and beautiful, though harsh. It's a place and lifestyle unlike any other. Any or all of those destinations should definitely be on a list like this one.
So what do you think? How many have you visited? How many are on your own "list"? Anything you think should be added?
Portals into the Past:
--Mesa Verde (Colorado)
--Pompeii (near Naples, Italy)
--Tikal (Guatemala)
--Petra (Jordan)
Feats of Engineering:
--Pyramids of Giza (Egypt)
--Taj Mahal (Agra, India)
--Easter Island (way west of Chile)
--The Great Wall (China)
A Matter of Timing (to be seen at certain times of year):
--Aurora Borealis (Alaska/Yukon)
--Serengeti (Tanzania and Kenya)
--Iguazu Falls (Brazil)
--Macchu Picchu (Peru)
Triumphs of Vision:
--Musee du Louvre (Paris, France)
--Zen Garden of Kyoto (Japan)
--Uffizi Gallery (Florence, Italy)
--Fallingwater (Pennsylvania)
Scale New Heights:
--Yangtze River (China)
--Antarctica
--Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)
--Grand Canyon (Arizona)
In the Presence of Gods:
--Pagan (Burma/Myanmar)
--Parthenon (Athens, Greece)
--Angkor Wat (Cambodia)
--Ephesus (Turkey)
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow:
--Venice (Italy)
--Amazon Rain Forest (in parts of eight South American countries!)
--Great Barrier Reef (east of Australia)
--Galapagos Islands (west of Ecuador)
I've seen the Louvre, the Uffizi, Venice, the Parthenon, and the Great Barrier Reef. If I follow through with China this summer, I'll see the Great Wall (and I'm not sure about the Yangtze, I'll have to check the sample itinerary). Seeing those places has certainly impacted me--they are all beautiful, stunning, inspirational in their own ways.
In the last year or so, reading National Geographic Adventure, South America is definitely on my list. There are so many treasures, both natural and historical, and it's kind of overwhelming. And it seems expensive, since those are the kind of experience you need a guide to make the best. I don't know if I'll ever be able to afford it, but I would certainly like to make it to one South American country in the next couple years. (I think Peru seems like a good start.) (Our school cut all after-school programs last month; we've had our own budget issues even before the city-wide cuts. This means I have no more extra income, so I'll have to get used to continuing not traveling.)
I think Yellowstone is a treasure that everyone should experience. I've never been to Yosemite or Glacier National Parks; I hear those are gorgeous, amazing places (and they're on my own list). The Australian Outback is an incredibly unique and beautiful, though harsh. It's a place and lifestyle unlike any other. Any or all of those destinations should definitely be on a list like this one.
So what do you think? How many have you visited? How many are on your own "list"? Anything you think should be added?
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Friday, February 08, 2008
Smithsonian Blew My Mind Today
Apparently orcas are dolphins, not whales!
Is this common knowledge? How did I not know this?
I had to share with the Herd this afternoon, and at least one smartypants kid shouted out, "I knew that!" (No really, he's really smart. I'm not surprised he knew something like that.)
Later, when the kids were practicing writing biographies, I was circling and checking, you know, as I am wont to do. This little boy (and I do mean little, he's my height when I'm sitting down!), who's below level but tries so hard, had written a paragraph with some things out of order. And so my reaction before I vocalize anything was, "Oh oh oh!" or somesuch. (I tend to be a bit overdramatic with these things. You're not surprised, are you?) And he echoed me quietly, "Oh oh oh." The girl across the desk giggled and I suppressed my own to give him a Look. He goes, "oh, my bad." Hee! Adorable.
Is this common knowledge? How did I not know this?
I had to share with the Herd this afternoon, and at least one smartypants kid shouted out, "I knew that!" (No really, he's really smart. I'm not surprised he knew something like that.)
Later, when the kids were practicing writing biographies, I was circling and checking, you know, as I am wont to do. This little boy (and I do mean little, he's my height when I'm sitting down!), who's below level but tries so hard, had written a paragraph with some things out of order. And so my reaction before I vocalize anything was, "Oh oh oh!" or somesuch. (I tend to be a bit overdramatic with these things. You're not surprised, are you?) And he echoed me quietly, "Oh oh oh." The girl across the desk giggled and I suppressed my own to give him a Look. He goes, "oh, my bad." Hee! Adorable.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
more randomosity from my brain
- I hate the way Oprah cuts to commercials, all jarringly and way too often.
- I've realized that I am way too susceptible to suggestion. When watching Top Model, I feel fat. When watching What Not to Wear, I fix my closet. When watching "Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?" on Oprah, I pick up tidbits on my floor.
- And we really need to stop some of this food advertising. Did I tell you guys about the kid who tried to insist that PopTarts were healthy breakfast food because they have fruit in them?! I want to tell them, if you take a piece of poo and roll it in oats, does it become healthy food? Sheesh.
- The other night I couldn't sleep, so the next evening I took one of my old sleeping pills. But I stayed up too long and watched American Idol. I don't actually remember it, but I do remember asking myself if it was Twin Audition Day on the show, because everyone had a little carbon copy in front of them. Also there were six judges of various size and there was a second tv screen coming out of the real screen. It was really freaking trippy, man.
- Last night on American Idol (I'll watch audition shows of anything), when Simon said in his precious accent, "I'm going to steal your dog," I kind of loved him.
- Stephen Colbert might be replacing Jon Stewart as my tv husband.
- Where do regular people store their balance balls? Mine used to be trapped in the closet (ha!) but right now it's on top of an upside down chair. Is there a normal resting place that I just don't know about?
- Sourdough bread just can't be beat.
- I look through a camera viewfinder with my left eye. I realized a couple weeks ago that I'm probably the only one. Am I a freak? Do you all look with your right eye?
- Hm, I think need more chocolate in my kitchen.
- The other day I saw something that was up in April 2008. I thought to myself, oh, that's not til next year! Something like half an hour later, I realized that it *is* 2008. Ten minutes ago I remembered that it's already the second *month* of 2008!
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Good news!
--My college friends S and B just got engaged! Woo!!!
--Yesterday my friend N showed up out of the blue! She just walked in to the teacher's room. Everyone was so surprised and happy to see her. She's the one who moved to New Orleans and began teaching not just a new grade level but also a new subject. I miss her and my other friend N too, who's in Texas.
--Boyfriend is leaving for ten days in Italy in just over a week! I'm so excited for him, and jealous too. :)
--My high school friend S and her husband are coming to visit New York (and me!) in less than two weeks! I haven't seen them in over a year and a half and can't wait to show them my cute apartment, and the city.
--Yesterday my friend N showed up out of the blue! She just walked in to the teacher's room. Everyone was so surprised and happy to see her. She's the one who moved to New Orleans and began teaching not just a new grade level but also a new subject. I miss her and my other friend N too, who's in Texas.
--Boyfriend is leaving for ten days in Italy in just over a week! I'm so excited for him, and jealous too. :)
--My high school friend S and her husband are coming to visit New York (and me!) in less than two weeks! I haven't seen them in over a year and a half and can't wait to show them my cute apartment, and the city.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
things that go through my brain
Whenever I go to the park, as I did this afternoon, I think about the Sims. And Field of Dreams.
If you build it, they will come.
Did you ever play SimCity (thanks, BF)? I'm talking about the early 90s version, without the internet or individual characters, where you got to choose your geographic area and then could build chunks of roads, buildings, housing tracts, malls, etc. You would know you were successful because stoplights would appear on the roads and flea-sized cars would run around the highways and buildings. Then you got to build more parts of your city until the cars slowed and disappeared.
The park is interesting to me. The city makes no money to provide a place for people to jog, for children to play, for horseriders to explore (where do people store horses in New York City?!), for lovers, friends and families to roam and stroll together, for people like me to get outside just because. But on days like this, there are always plenty of people, of all ages, out and about, enjoying the space and place, breathing outdoor air. Do these people come to the park every weekend? Every day even? Only once in a while? What brought the elderly woman in a fur coat and hat to the park road, perched on her portable chair cane in the sunshine?
Will parks ever go out of style? More and more people spend more and more hours inside, with television and computers and video games, so do the officials want to cut down on park space? What about the money thing--how much are green areas threatened by greed? Many parks must be in prime real estate and would make some companies billions if transferred to retail or residences. Who's protecting the interest of the "eco freaks," as one magazine letter put it? With the ever increasing crowding in cities, will there ever come a day that natural trees go the way of the dodo? Does that even make sense? Is it good for children to grow up in urban locations with only occasional visits to the park, as opposed to having backyards and forests freely available?
Also, why does the back staircase sometimes smell exactly like a horse stable?
If you build it, they will come.
Did you ever play SimCity (thanks, BF)? I'm talking about the early 90s version, without the internet or individual characters, where you got to choose your geographic area and then could build chunks of roads, buildings, housing tracts, malls, etc. You would know you were successful because stoplights would appear on the roads and flea-sized cars would run around the highways and buildings. Then you got to build more parts of your city until the cars slowed and disappeared.
The park is interesting to me. The city makes no money to provide a place for people to jog, for children to play, for horseriders to explore (where do people store horses in New York City?!), for lovers, friends and families to roam and stroll together, for people like me to get outside just because. But on days like this, there are always plenty of people, of all ages, out and about, enjoying the space and place, breathing outdoor air. Do these people come to the park every weekend? Every day even? Only once in a while? What brought the elderly woman in a fur coat and hat to the park road, perched on her portable chair cane in the sunshine?
Will parks ever go out of style? More and more people spend more and more hours inside, with television and computers and video games, so do the officials want to cut down on park space? What about the money thing--how much are green areas threatened by greed? Many parks must be in prime real estate and would make some companies billions if transferred to retail or residences. Who's protecting the interest of the "eco freaks," as one magazine letter put it? With the ever increasing crowding in cities, will there ever come a day that natural trees go the way of the dodo? Does that even make sense? Is it good for children to grow up in urban locations with only occasional visits to the park, as opposed to having backyards and forests freely available?
Also, why does the back staircase sometimes smell exactly like a horse stable?
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