More Time for Procrastination.

How wonderful is it that we get an extra hour of work time today? I love daylight savings. I am also pleased at the thought that it will be light by the time I get to work tomorrow morning. Something about getting to work when it is still pitch black outside is seriously depressing.

You know what else is seriously depressing? The thought of my students coming in tomorrow sleep deprived and pepped up on sugar. Boo on Halloween.

Speaking of which: the other day I was driving to JHU for class and I was stopped at a stoplight. The house on the corner had a huge picture of Michael Jackson hanging outside the top floor windows. I thought it was nice that Michael J still had fans to support him in this time when he is the butt of so many jokes and so much speculation. Then, as I was making the left hand I actually gasped in fear and surprise because there was a lifesized picture of him standing at the window on the porch. Then I realized: Halloween decorations.

A Complaint.

I need to start updating more frequently. At various points throughout my day, I will think to myself: "That would be something nice to share" or "I bet so-and-so would enjoy reading about that"...and then I run out of time to post. I have decided that I will attempt to post something -- anything -- on my blog each night. Or more realistically, every other night.

At this point I don't think anyone is really reading this -- so it'll be more so that I can look back at it later and smile (or cringe). After all, this is a journal of sorts.

Probably the most eventful thing that happened last week is that my kiddies and I took a field trip to the Baltimore Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. I was so overwhelmed by how well my students behaved (for the most part -- there was one fistfight, but that didn't happen until the end of the trip while we were on the way back to the buses). It was truly wonderful to be able to let down my guard a little on the bus and let the kids see that I am actually a pretty nice person.

It was a wake up call though. Probably my biggest reason for doing Teach For America was to provide a context for my future. I know that I want to work with education policy and whatnot...and teaching was supposed to provide me with some insight into what is actually wrong with the system that we have now. TFA has done what I hoped it would do...it has given me a lot of motivation to change things.

When we went on the field trip I could see how huge the disparity in education for children can be based on where they are born and what they are born into. The Meyerhoff had opened its doors to 900 children from various schools throughout Baltimore. I watched as the white, uniformed children were escorted through the front doors and into the front rows of the auditorium. Each child was accompanied by an adult chaperone -- one per every two children. Meanwhile, I had five students clinging to each arm and about four holding onto other parts of my body (legs and butt included) as we were escorted through the back door to the nosebleed sections.

It was incredible to see -- it was as if I was in a segregated courtroom in the 1930s...all the black children up in the mezzanine and a sea of white faces and blonde hair on the ground level. I started to tear up a little when one of my students reasoned that they had to sit on the hard wood chairs because they were black and had behavior problems. Outside, chaperones warned their children not to stare at my students as they passed us on the sidewalks (sadly, I'm not even exagerrating).

I wonder if the children in their schools have problems like ours...lead-filled water, children throwing bricks at each other and breaking each others arms, biting, screaming, naked men that wander through school halls...

P.S. Happy Halloween.

Starved for Entertainment.

I am close to caving on the cable front. Jamie and I have survived quite blissfully without cable for the past three months. Sure, it kind of sucked to not be able to watch the Olympics. And maybe it wasn't the best thing to have to watch the political debates through a thick cloud of static (through which -- one should note -- George W. still looked like a monkey). But then came America's Next Top Model...and all of the sudden, the extra money may be worth it.

Now, it should be noted, that I have actually only watched two episodes of this show. The last two episodes of last season...but seriously, it was high quality television.

I'm pulling for Tocarra or Norelle. The former actually seems to have a shot, and the latter is just so hilarious to watch (even if only in the clips they put online). Anyone want to pay for my cable?

A Walk in the Woods

Jamie and I took a walk in the neighborhood this morning -- a nice opportunity to take in the beautiful day and enjoy some of the fall foilage. I figured I would share some of it with the few of you who still might check this sorry blog.

I'm thinking about a makeover (for the website). Anything to keep me from having to start actually thinking about lesson plans...

Kick in the Rear.

In order to entice me to finally finish knitting his sweater, Jamie posed with the scraps.


Finish this sweater or else...

Right now I have the back completely done, and most of the front (just doing the shoulder). But the thought of sleeves makes me want to leave it as a vest. Then I think of Jamie in a sweater vest and I vow that this sweater will be done by the boy's birthday on December 19th. Or maybe our anniversary on the 22nd. Or maybe Christmas...whatever, it'll get done. (right??)

UGH. School tomorrow.

Brain Indigestion.

So I have forgotten to bring my wallet with me to work four days in a row. That is a four days worth of driving to and from Baltimore during which I could have needed my driver's license. Four days in which I might have needed some spare change for a meter or a soda. Four days in which I might have wanted to have some form of I.D.

Seriously, I think I'm losing my mind. With all of the knowledge that comes with teaching and going to Johns Hopkins, I am losing basic survival skills...like walking. I damn near sprained my ankle again when I totally bit it while walking my kids out at the end of the day. They were all laughing at me without the tiniest ounce of sympathy...those little conniving...poofaces.

Actually. This week was still good. The kids were good. I'm getting better each day. Yesterday, Alexis was sooooooo good the entire day. It was amazing. I had to keep on praising her...stickers, notes home, lunch with me, hugs...but seriously, it made my day. Yes, I am aware of the fact that it will be back to the same old fighting, punching, name-calling, pouting, screaming, running, back-talking, chin-kicking Alexis when we get back on Monday but still...

Rapture.

I am in love with our postman. Today he let me in when I had my hands too full to open the door. Then, he delivered me the 4th season of Dawson's Creek. I gave him a freshly baked (well...last night) blondie in return. Whenever we bump into each other it's always the day after I bake something so he always gets some. He better love me too.

Those blondies are good.

Today teaching was amazing. My kids learned stuff -- lots of stuff! We talked more about segregation and about discrimination. We mastered place value and the expanded form. They told me about the various stages of the life cycle. It was a dream. Except for the fact that I had to send two students to the office. Oh, and the fight. Oh, and all the yelling I had to do to get them to sit quietly. BUT. THEY. DID.

I'm giddy.

Driving Along in My Automobile...

...when some a-hole decides to rear-end me and then tear off. Bastard got away. But I did get to meet some of the kind staff of the Maryland State Troopers.

Aside from that my days have been pretty good. I'm horrendously overworked and stressed, but other than that? Good. I think I may be breaking out in some serious acne for the first time in ever, and my stomach does drop at the thought of actually doing my Johns Hopkins work. But, working with the kids is fun -- in a often painful sort of way.

It has its highs: the discussion my class had this afternoon about segregation and racial apathy (one of our newest vocab words!)when one of my students likened Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Jesus and started said comparison with, "I would like to make a connection..."
When James (my most challenging student) gave me a drawing of himself so that he could come home with me.

Unfortunately, at this point I think the bad outnumbers the good: so much yelling. I watched another teacher (the computer teacher) actually punch two of my kids for talking out of turn. She prefaced it with: "Ms. U, turn around so you don't have to see this". The fact that my kids get into fistfights every. two. minutes. Or maybe the fact that I have three students (in THIRD GRADE) who cannot read or write above 1st grade level. One of my kids got suspended for 3 days because he brought a cigarette to school and lit it. Or the fact that I still waste so much time having my kids sit in the dark trying to be quiet and still for one minute (it is inevitable that the first five minutes are spent trying to get them to sit still for five seconds).

Bah. Teaching. I want a break.