Like the umbrellas that litter the tracks of the d train line,
I am tired from a long day's work, fighting forces of nature bigger than me,
and I lay here, a little broken.
Not broken beyond repair, but I have outlived my five dollar life span,
have done my best to shield against the driving rain and gusty winds
and at the time when I need just a little fixing,
I am tossed away with yesterdays free newspaper and an old gum wrapper.
So loved in times of panic, so lost in times of sun,
this is the life of a five dollar umbrella.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
things that i have learned
1. urban kids are way obsessed with piercings and tattoos. they will ask you about them over and over, usually while you're talking about something else.
2. they will do anything to get what they want. i got more compliments on my hair and my tie on the day of my first test than i have the entire time here
3. they do not understand why you drink so much water
4. just because someone takes notes and does the work does not mean they understand
5. sometimes the kid who does nothing in class will ace your test
6. sometimes it is better to ignore their misbehavior than to address it. the less time you spend yelling, the better
7. they care so much about what other people think of them, that if you make it uncool to talk, they'll finally shut the hell up.
8. candy works wonders
9. they are gayer than you think
10. they will act like they hate you in class, but they love you in the hallway.
11. they desperately want your approval, even when they tell you they don't care
12. sometimes, it is just better to let them sleep
2. they will do anything to get what they want. i got more compliments on my hair and my tie on the day of my first test than i have the entire time here
3. they do not understand why you drink so much water
4. just because someone takes notes and does the work does not mean they understand
5. sometimes the kid who does nothing in class will ace your test
6. sometimes it is better to ignore their misbehavior than to address it. the less time you spend yelling, the better
7. they care so much about what other people think of them, that if you make it uncool to talk, they'll finally shut the hell up.
8. candy works wonders
9. they are gayer than you think
10. they will act like they hate you in class, but they love you in the hallway.
11. they desperately want your approval, even when they tell you they don't care
12. sometimes, it is just better to let them sleep
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
A week and a few days
Looking back on my first full week, plus a few days, has been a great tool thus far. My first week went better than I had expected, in retrospect. I was prepared for the worst and for the most part have been pretty lucky with the students I have and the great faculty I work with. My surprise of the year came when I found out that in addition to my 16 periods of earth science, that I would also be teaching 3 periods a week of “literacy support” to 10th graders. Essentially, my school is trying to prepare the 10th graders for the litany of Regents tests they’ll have this year as best they can, and for some reason they think having an 11th grade science teacher working with them three hours a week is going to help. Fortunately for them I was a liberal arts major in college, not a science geek, and have a pretty healthy amount of opinions and tactics at hand to help get kids more involved with reading and writing. They have been by far my most challenging group—I think there was something wrong with the water the year they were born because the 10th grade class at everyone’s school seems to be the worst. Still, no one is threatening to pee on my desk, which means I’m better off than some.
Looking forward to next week and the week after, as I am getting exponentially more comfortable with this as time goes on.
Looking forward to next week and the week after, as I am getting exponentially more comfortable with this as time goes on.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
My last Sunday...
... this is the last Sunday I will have where I am not required to do anything for school, probably until xmas break, if not until next summer.
and what am i doing with my time?
slept 'till noon, made a late pancake breakfast, waiting for food to settle before hitting the gym. i straightened up my room a bit, hung up some school clothes, and in general have just been lazing about. tomorrow is labor day, so i have one more day to prepare for class on tuesday, but at this point, i am feeling a bit like i know so little about what this week will look like that there isn't much i can do at this point but try to relax and take a few deep breaths.
i plan on prepping materials for next week this week, so i am ahead of the game.
i do have to create a curriculum for my new elective that i was assigned to teach, a three-day-a-week school skills class for 10th graders. we're not giving homework in this class, so i believe that i'm going to focus on literacy and real-world topics in science. i am going to start them off with an excerpt from "the world without us" and go from there. i'd like for us to read "fast food nation" as a class and discuss the reading group topics suggested by the publisher. these kids have a very intimate relationship with fast food and i would like for our class to examine that a little deeper.
would also like to read "stiff" by mary roach, because kids like that gross stuff and its easy to read, and science-y. we'll see how that goes.
on another note:
sarah palin? really?
insulting.
its as if mccain thinks that any woman will do. this woman is the harriet miers of the 2008 election-- totally unqualified and wet behind the ears. mccain just took the reasoning out of any "obama isn't experienced enough" argument because your VP pick is supposed to be someone you believe to be ready to lead as president should you keel over and die, which is more likely to happen to mccain in the next four years than anyone else.
what an f-ing joke.
and what am i doing with my time?
slept 'till noon, made a late pancake breakfast, waiting for food to settle before hitting the gym. i straightened up my room a bit, hung up some school clothes, and in general have just been lazing about. tomorrow is labor day, so i have one more day to prepare for class on tuesday, but at this point, i am feeling a bit like i know so little about what this week will look like that there isn't much i can do at this point but try to relax and take a few deep breaths.
i plan on prepping materials for next week this week, so i am ahead of the game.
i do have to create a curriculum for my new elective that i was assigned to teach, a three-day-a-week school skills class for 10th graders. we're not giving homework in this class, so i believe that i'm going to focus on literacy and real-world topics in science. i am going to start them off with an excerpt from "the world without us" and go from there. i'd like for us to read "fast food nation" as a class and discuss the reading group topics suggested by the publisher. these kids have a very intimate relationship with fast food and i would like for our class to examine that a little deeper.
would also like to read "stiff" by mary roach, because kids like that gross stuff and its easy to read, and science-y. we'll see how that goes.
on another note:
sarah palin? really?
insulting.
its as if mccain thinks that any woman will do. this woman is the harriet miers of the 2008 election-- totally unqualified and wet behind the ears. mccain just took the reasoning out of any "obama isn't experienced enough" argument because your VP pick is supposed to be someone you believe to be ready to lead as president should you keel over and die, which is more likely to happen to mccain in the next four years than anyone else.
what an f-ing joke.
Friday, August 8, 2008
wait, this might be random
i tested it again, just to see what happened, and got this
this might all be a fluke.
in other news, while at a bar on the lower east side tonight, i ran into heather matarazzo, the actress who became famous for her role in the dollhouse, and who was a reoccurring character in season 4 of the l word. in case you don't remember, she played stacy merkin, the journalist who jenny lovingly referred to as "the vagina wig". if you're unfamiliar with the reference, just google the word "merkin" and you'll see why.
she is much skinnier in person than i thought she would be.
this might all be a fluke.
in other news, while at a bar on the lower east side tonight, i ran into heather matarazzo, the actress who became famous for her role in the dollhouse, and who was a reoccurring character in season 4 of the l word. in case you don't remember, she played stacy merkin, the journalist who jenny lovingly referred to as "the vagina wig". if you're unfamiliar with the reference, just google the word "merkin" and you'll see why.
she is much skinnier in person than i thought she would be.
this blog's reading level
came across this website, via the slog (www.thestranger.com/blog), where it will test the reading level of your blog. as it turns out
i am a little disappointed. i am a high school teacher after all, and should be working to increase the literacy of our youth. how am i supposed to do that when the reading level of my own blog is at junior high? i suppose i should start using more five-dollar words.
i am a little disappointed. i am a high school teacher after all, and should be working to increase the literacy of our youth. how am i supposed to do that when the reading level of my own blog is at junior high? i suppose i should start using more five-dollar words.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
creativity strikes
jaclyn is out of town until saturday, so i have some more free time on my hands than usual. plus, i am not taking any more classes until the beginning of september, so right now my agenda is full of teaching, still, and working out. in the interim, i picked up these plain white slip-ons at payless for $9.99, and then gave them my own brooklyn flavored design. for some reason i can't figure out how to get the photo reversed, so for now you get the mirrored image, but you get the point. they're pretty sweet. i have a few ideas for another pair, in a very small size 7, for jac when she gets back. i don't have enough space to do a map like the one on the left, but perhaps something reminiscent of that design will do...
hope you are well.
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