I was all set to skip school tomorrow - call in sick and try to get caught up, but then I realized that my kids actually need me to be there tomorrow. They made plans to stay after school, because I told them they needed to, and if I don't show up, I'll never get them to come back again. So I have to go to school. So what if I didn't grade the binders, and if I didn't get the chance to, or rather couldn't bring myself to make some solid lesson plans for tomorrow. It's better that I go in there and wing it then if I just skip out altogether. It was a strange epiphany, though, that the kids actually rely on me.
One goal for next year - I need to keep on on grading and make my grading system more transparent.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Eat Fresh
On Friday, I held detention. After skipping twice and getting written up, BC finally showed up. Since he had cut class that day, he had to make up his quiz, which he did fairly well on. The great thing was that he couldn't even cheat. It was a good afternoon overall - I had two other students stay for a little extra help, with one of them telling me he had never been this crunk over math before.
Of course, I had to take BC home. Since it was my last soccer game of the season, I convinced him, with a little help from his sister, to come to watch the game. Now, BC and I have known each other all year long - he's in my homeroom class, which is relatively small, and we get on pretty well, despite the fact that he plays a lot and likes to cut class. He's certainly a likeable guy; every girl in the hallway he says "Hey friend." He's six foot two, skinny, hangs out with the kids who think they're thugs, but is a bit more respectful, and a little goofier.
Anyway, we head from his house back to the game, and I'm starved, so we stop at Subway. He says, can't I just wait in the truck, and I tell him, no, not if you want to eat. So we go in, and I ask him what he wants. There's a bit of a line in the place, a pregnant young woman and another with a list that makes me think she's ordering for a construction crew, so he has plenty of time to think about it. Just get me something you think I'll like.
What do you want BC?
You know me, just get me something you think I'd like.
And then the lightbulb goes off. He's never been to Subway before. He's never been to anywhere like Subway before. This kid has lived his whole life in the hood.
What vegetables do you want on it?
Aww, you know.
I ended up just getting him the same thing I got. I made him pick out his own bag of chips though. I like this kid a lot. I'd love it if he came out for the soccer team next year. I'd love it even more if he passed something this year. Especially if he passes my class, which would mean he had actually learned something. I would really love to take him somewhere, anywhere, really, but the Delta. He'd be a fun kid to take on a road trip, back up to Massachusetts or something. I can't even begin to imagine the things I'd learn if I spent a few days on the highway with BC. I wonder what he would think if I took him home with me, what he'd think of my hometown, my house, the woods, the mountains. What he'd think about my family. Most likely, I'll never figure out these things, but maybe next year, when I'm ready to leave, and he's (hopefully) about to graduate, I'll call up his mom and say, listen, I want to take Barry on a little trip. I'll bring him back safe.
It just kills me how little these kids know about anything outside the Delta. If there is only one place you're ever going to go in your life, that's bad enough, but if that one place is the Delta, probably the single most backwards plot of earth in the country, then that's really something else. My experience with BC isn't a singular one - another teacher took a student out to eat who didn't know what mozzarella sticks were, and kept asking how much a glass of water cost. These kids have such limited experience, rich, I'm sure, but extremely narrow. Every once in a while I ask myself, who am I to judge that a broader base of experience would be better? Still, I'd take BC cross-country with me in an instant.
Of course, I had to take BC home. Since it was my last soccer game of the season, I convinced him, with a little help from his sister, to come to watch the game. Now, BC and I have known each other all year long - he's in my homeroom class, which is relatively small, and we get on pretty well, despite the fact that he plays a lot and likes to cut class. He's certainly a likeable guy; every girl in the hallway he says "Hey friend." He's six foot two, skinny, hangs out with the kids who think they're thugs, but is a bit more respectful, and a little goofier.
Anyway, we head from his house back to the game, and I'm starved, so we stop at Subway. He says, can't I just wait in the truck, and I tell him, no, not if you want to eat. So we go in, and I ask him what he wants. There's a bit of a line in the place, a pregnant young woman and another with a list that makes me think she's ordering for a construction crew, so he has plenty of time to think about it. Just get me something you think I'll like.
What do you want BC?
You know me, just get me something you think I'd like.
And then the lightbulb goes off. He's never been to Subway before. He's never been to anywhere like Subway before. This kid has lived his whole life in the hood.
What vegetables do you want on it?
Aww, you know.
I ended up just getting him the same thing I got. I made him pick out his own bag of chips though. I like this kid a lot. I'd love it if he came out for the soccer team next year. I'd love it even more if he passed something this year. Especially if he passes my class, which would mean he had actually learned something. I would really love to take him somewhere, anywhere, really, but the Delta. He'd be a fun kid to take on a road trip, back up to Massachusetts or something. I can't even begin to imagine the things I'd learn if I spent a few days on the highway with BC. I wonder what he would think if I took him home with me, what he'd think of my hometown, my house, the woods, the mountains. What he'd think about my family. Most likely, I'll never figure out these things, but maybe next year, when I'm ready to leave, and he's (hopefully) about to graduate, I'll call up his mom and say, listen, I want to take Barry on a little trip. I'll bring him back safe.
It just kills me how little these kids know about anything outside the Delta. If there is only one place you're ever going to go in your life, that's bad enough, but if that one place is the Delta, probably the single most backwards plot of earth in the country, then that's really something else. My experience with BC isn't a singular one - another teacher took a student out to eat who didn't know what mozzarella sticks were, and kept asking how much a glass of water cost. These kids have such limited experience, rich, I'm sure, but extremely narrow. Every once in a while I ask myself, who am I to judge that a broader base of experience would be better? Still, I'd take BC cross-country with me in an instant.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Wanted:
You can't teach (well) without sleeping. And yet, you can't teach well in a small enough number of hours to allow for sleep. I wish I had a person who would do all my lesson planning for me. I mean, really, DD, RC and I, as a house, could hire a fourth person (welcome back Stu?) to do all our lesson planning for us. He could also cook us meals when we got home from our exhausting days at work, and maybe try to keep the kitchen clean and ant-free. Really, if there are any volunteers out there, we'd probably give you free rent and a small stipend. Sorry, no health insurance.
Duties:
Plan interesting, alligned, and engaging lessons for algebra I, algebra II, english II and english III.
Cook 3-4 healthy, gluten-free meals a week.
Keep the kitchen reasonably clean.
We're accepting applications starting immediately.
Duties:
Plan interesting, alligned, and engaging lessons for algebra I, algebra II, english II and english III.
Cook 3-4 healthy, gluten-free meals a week.
Keep the kitchen reasonably clean.
We're accepting applications starting immediately.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Diet: Part Deux
Instead of the outrageously impractical diet that Dan and I proposed, I am just going to slowly exclude unhealthy things as I feel capable.
I'll start with Snickers. These have become a staple for me down here. Odd, considering I never really liked them at home. They just feel like they pack the most punch in terms of calories, and I when I hit hour 9 of that 16-18 hour work day (not including the work I do at home), I need something to keep going. But they are bad, very bad, and so from now on, no more snickers, or other candy bars.
I'm also cutting out school lunch. Aside from certainly being unhealthy, it's gross, and expensive ($2.50 a pop for teachers). Goodbye, John Wayne Caserole, goodbye jello-embedded pinapples, and goodbye, footlong hotdogs. Hello PB&J and more fruit.
The real thing I need to do, so that I'll be able to keep up with my boys on the field and beat up my roommates is get myself in shape. Teaching really is a profession that doesn't tend to encourage an active lifestyle. The lifestyle it encourages, I believe, is fairly accurately represented below:
So, in summary, more of this:
and this:
and a little less of this:
I'll start with Snickers. These have become a staple for me down here. Odd, considering I never really liked them at home. They just feel like they pack the most punch in terms of calories, and I when I hit hour 9 of that 16-18 hour work day (not including the work I do at home), I need something to keep going. But they are bad, very bad, and so from now on, no more snickers, or other candy bars.
I'm also cutting out school lunch. Aside from certainly being unhealthy, it's gross, and expensive ($2.50 a pop for teachers). Goodbye, John Wayne Caserole, goodbye jello-embedded pinapples, and goodbye, footlong hotdogs. Hello PB&J and more fruit.
The real thing I need to do, so that I'll be able to keep up with my boys on the field and beat up my roommates is get myself in shape. Teaching really is a profession that doesn't tend to encourage an active lifestyle. The lifestyle it encourages, I believe, is fairly accurately represented below:
So, in summary, more of this:
and this:
and a little less of this:
Thursday, January 11, 2007
New Mexico City
Capitals According to my kids
New York - Harlem
New Mexico - New Mexico City
Arkansas - Helena, Lake Village, or, my personal favorite, Greenwood
Pennsylvania - Lansing
California - Compton
The last one was said in jest, but the rest were completely serious. I get a kick out of these guys. They're better. After some late-night practice, Chopper know will never forget Augusta and Montpilier.
New York - Harlem
New Mexico - New Mexico City
Arkansas - Helena, Lake Village, or, my personal favorite, Greenwood
Pennsylvania - Lansing
California - Compton
The last one was said in jest, but the rest were completely serious. I get a kick out of these guys. They're better. After some late-night practice, Chopper know will never forget Augusta and Montpilier.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Just texin to mess wit you
This is the text message I recieved upon touchdown at the Memphis Airport after a fantastic week and a half at home. It made me (almost) glad to be back.
Wat up mr. G this [km] i was just texti to mess wit you since i aint heard from you in a min...[0000000] this my number if you want to call in holla
It was immediately followed by this one:
I'm bout to leave in a couple days i'm goin to the national guard
KM, if you recall, dropped out about a month ago. So to get this message from him really made my day. I ran into him today, as I was coming back from practice, and hopefully, we'll be able to have lunch or something before he heads out. He says he's getting 60 grand a year, which includes a check for his little girl. As we said goodbye today, he said, "see, i'm trying to do something with my life, trying to stay out of trouble" I wish him all the best of luck.
Wat up mr. G this [km] i was just texti to mess wit you since i aint heard from you in a min...[0000000] this my number if you want to call in holla
It was immediately followed by this one:
I'm bout to leave in a couple days i'm goin to the national guard
KM, if you recall, dropped out about a month ago. So to get this message from him really made my day. I ran into him today, as I was coming back from practice, and hopefully, we'll be able to have lunch or something before he heads out. He says he's getting 60 grand a year, which includes a check for his little girl. As we said goodbye today, he said, "see, i'm trying to do something with my life, trying to stay out of trouble" I wish him all the best of luck.
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