Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
The past two weeks have led me to this:
Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.
There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the Earth
-Rumi
There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the Earth
-Rumi
Thursday, January 07, 2010
2009 Reflections
I wanted to take a few minutes to just stop and reflect on last year and where I am now...
2009 was a great year for me. I entered the start of last year putting the mess that was 2008 behind me, and was determined to make 09 better. I think that outlook really drove the rest of the year for me. In 2009 I:
Got into the teaching groove:
I made it through my first year as a teacher, which was a remarkable feat. I entered year two of teaching feeling prepared and in control, a drastic shift from the year before.
Stayed healthy:
After wallowing in self-pity for the end of 08, I made a drastic shift in 09 and focused on taking care of myself. This meant that in the springtime, I worked out at least 3 days a week for the most part. It also meant that I focused my summer decisions on myself and my health. Although I still got some crazy ear thing (cough cough, shingles) in March, I took care of myself in 2009.
Let it Be:
In January 09, I let go of trying to make everything happen the way I wanted it to when I wanted it to. I basically had to say: this is the situation, let it be. And it worked. I was a much happier person for it. I also learned to be by myself, which is hard for me since I usually make such an effort to surround myself with the people I love. Doing this was the best decision ever, because eventually, that stuff organically reappears in your life if you don't force it.
Took a trip:
I rewarded myself thoroughly for the craziness of making it through my first year teaching with a well-deserved trip to COSTA RICA. My surfing and yoga month was an experience I will never forget. It was just what I needed.
Bonded:
The last important highlight for 2009 was the fact that I bonded with so many remarkable people, both from work and outside of work. Back to "letting it be," in doing that, I found myself surrounded with the people that I admire and respect, and with people that make me feel happy.
Now, in thinking about 2010, here are some areas of focus for me:
Staying healthy:
I need to re-focus on this now that the indulgences of the holidays are behind us. My goal is to work out at least 4 days a week and to run a 10 K before summertime.
Figure out my life:
Ha. If only I could do this in a year... anyway, I have such a love/hate relationship with teaching, and my mind is all over the place. I need to figure out where I can best contribute to the world at large and be happy doing it.
Take photos:
I am in the process of buying my first SLR, and I can't wait to take it out and about. I want to begin taking this a bit more seriously and really devoting some of my time to practicing and becoming better.
Travel:
While I already have one ticket under my belt for February (Dominican, YEAH!), I'd like to take about a month-long trip this summer. Some thoughts are either a Latin American Adventure (surprise surprise) OR a Morocco/Egypt escapade.
Don't Judge:
I am great at finding a group of people I love and respect and admire...I'm less good at accepting those that don't fall into that category. If you don't work hard, I judge. If you have different political views, I judge. If you sound stupid on a train, I judge. Am I a horrible person? Maybe. Am I being honest? Absolutely. I need to be better at not judging. Basically, I want to work on re-wiring my brain so that I'm more accepting of people I may not necessarily agree with.
2009 was a great year for me. I entered the start of last year putting the mess that was 2008 behind me, and was determined to make 09 better. I think that outlook really drove the rest of the year for me. In 2009 I:
Got into the teaching groove:
I made it through my first year as a teacher, which was a remarkable feat. I entered year two of teaching feeling prepared and in control, a drastic shift from the year before.
Stayed healthy:
After wallowing in self-pity for the end of 08, I made a drastic shift in 09 and focused on taking care of myself. This meant that in the springtime, I worked out at least 3 days a week for the most part. It also meant that I focused my summer decisions on myself and my health. Although I still got some crazy ear thing (cough cough, shingles) in March, I took care of myself in 2009.
Let it Be:
In January 09, I let go of trying to make everything happen the way I wanted it to when I wanted it to. I basically had to say: this is the situation, let it be. And it worked. I was a much happier person for it. I also learned to be by myself, which is hard for me since I usually make such an effort to surround myself with the people I love. Doing this was the best decision ever, because eventually, that stuff organically reappears in your life if you don't force it.
Took a trip:
I rewarded myself thoroughly for the craziness of making it through my first year teaching with a well-deserved trip to COSTA RICA. My surfing and yoga month was an experience I will never forget. It was just what I needed.
Bonded:
The last important highlight for 2009 was the fact that I bonded with so many remarkable people, both from work and outside of work. Back to "letting it be," in doing that, I found myself surrounded with the people that I admire and respect, and with people that make me feel happy.
Now, in thinking about 2010, here are some areas of focus for me:
Staying healthy:
I need to re-focus on this now that the indulgences of the holidays are behind us. My goal is to work out at least 4 days a week and to run a 10 K before summertime.
Figure out my life:
Ha. If only I could do this in a year... anyway, I have such a love/hate relationship with teaching, and my mind is all over the place. I need to figure out where I can best contribute to the world at large and be happy doing it.
Take photos:
I am in the process of buying my first SLR, and I can't wait to take it out and about. I want to begin taking this a bit more seriously and really devoting some of my time to practicing and becoming better.
Travel:
While I already have one ticket under my belt for February (Dominican, YEAH!), I'd like to take about a month-long trip this summer. Some thoughts are either a Latin American Adventure (surprise surprise) OR a Morocco/Egypt escapade.
Don't Judge:
I am great at finding a group of people I love and respect and admire...I'm less good at accepting those that don't fall into that category. If you don't work hard, I judge. If you have different political views, I judge. If you sound stupid on a train, I judge. Am I a horrible person? Maybe. Am I being honest? Absolutely. I need to be better at not judging. Basically, I want to work on re-wiring my brain so that I'm more accepting of people I may not necessarily agree with.
Monday, January 04, 2010
Six weeks and counting...
The first day back at work after an idyllic winter break required a drastic purchase to maintain some semblance of sanity for the next six weeks:
Depart: | Philadelphia, PA |
|
| Depart: | Sunday, February 21, 2010 | 11:30 AM | SDQ |
| Arrive: | Sunday, February 21, 2010 | 02:08 PM | PHL |
Thursday, October 29, 2009
MJ
There's a new generation of MJ fanatics, and one of them is in my classroom. Today, I saw her bust some unreal MJ dance moves in front of 300 plus people during a field trip to a hip hop performance.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Progressive education
We've taught you that the earth is round
That red and white make pink
And something else that matters more
We've taught you how to think
-Diffendoofer Day
My thoughts are a-brewing about next steps. Get excited, world.
That red and white make pink
And something else that matters more
We've taught you how to think
-Diffendoofer Day
My thoughts are a-brewing about next steps. Get excited, world.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Did I mention?
That my kids this year are brilliant? Oh, and this class of fifth graders also happens to be the Say Yes class, which means, among other things, they have college paid for to any university they choose to attend when they graduate from high school.
Rules we live by:
Work Hard. Love Learning. Respect our Community.
To set the tone for the class:
Day one:
Read Up the Learning Tree, a story about a slave boy who wasn't allowed to read and climbed a tree every day to learn to spy on a teacher's lessons and carved letters into the tree.
Day two:
Introduced these images of a bus school program in the slums of India.
Homework:
Draw connections between Henry in Up the Learning Tree and the students in India.
Start of Day Three:
Beautifully brilliant discussion about Henry and the students in India. Students started the discussion by talking about how grateful both Henry and the students in India were to just have the opportunity to learn and how they took advantage of any resources they had, even if they didn't have much to work with. They talked about how much they wanted to learn. They also talked about how the school in India had varying ages and that it must be hard to teach all those different ages on their correct levels. Then, we started talking about what this makes us think about the opportunities we have. The students talked about how lucky they were to have what they have and especially with Say Yes. Then, one girl said: We could start a program like Say Yes for the students in India! This sparked what one of my students called "an explosion of our minds!" Where literally every single student had their hands raised with ideas about what we could do to make the education experience for students in India and students around the world better. Their ideas included:
-Creating a Say Yes Program in India
-Building them a school
-Sending them our extra books and resources
-Building a classroom inside an RV for the students
-Creating a charity
-Going to India as a class and teaching the students what we know
-Bringing the students to our class for a year
-Creating a program for retired teachers to go teach in India
-Creating a program for teachers in the summer to go teach in India.
My mind was literally blown. They were such brilliant thinkers and social entrepreneurs I couldn't get over it! The beautiful thing is they were having a discussion in which they built off of each other's ideas and used accountable talk prompts like, "I agree with ____," or, "to add onto what ____" said....they were communicating better than 95% of adults communicate with one another. I kept telling them how floored I was with their ideas! I asked them how many of them were just in love with the conversation and all of their hands shot up, some shot both hands up. Some of them were having a hard time with the idea of "loving learning" on day 1. I told them that THIS is what loving learning feels like, and it was like a light bulb clicked in their heads. I asked if they were just in love with learning at that moment and again all hands shot up.
I could not ask for a better way to end week 1. What a beautiful thing to witness.
Rules we live by:
Work Hard. Love Learning. Respect our Community.
To set the tone for the class:
Day one:
Read Up the Learning Tree, a story about a slave boy who wasn't allowed to read and climbed a tree every day to learn to spy on a teacher's lessons and carved letters into the tree.
Day two:
Introduced these images of a bus school program in the slums of India.
Homework:
Draw connections between Henry in Up the Learning Tree and the students in India.
Start of Day Three:
Beautifully brilliant discussion about Henry and the students in India. Students started the discussion by talking about how grateful both Henry and the students in India were to just have the opportunity to learn and how they took advantage of any resources they had, even if they didn't have much to work with. They talked about how much they wanted to learn. They also talked about how the school in India had varying ages and that it must be hard to teach all those different ages on their correct levels. Then, we started talking about what this makes us think about the opportunities we have. The students talked about how lucky they were to have what they have and especially with Say Yes. Then, one girl said: We could start a program like Say Yes for the students in India! This sparked what one of my students called "an explosion of our minds!" Where literally every single student had their hands raised with ideas about what we could do to make the education experience for students in India and students around the world better. Their ideas included:
-Creating a Say Yes Program in India
-Building them a school
-Sending them our extra books and resources
-Building a classroom inside an RV for the students
-Creating a charity
-Going to India as a class and teaching the students what we know
-Bringing the students to our class for a year
-Creating a program for retired teachers to go teach in India
-Creating a program for teachers in the summer to go teach in India.
My mind was literally blown. They were such brilliant thinkers and social entrepreneurs I couldn't get over it! The beautiful thing is they were having a discussion in which they built off of each other's ideas and used accountable talk prompts like, "I agree with ____," or, "to add onto what ____" said....they were communicating better than 95% of adults communicate with one another. I kept telling them how floored I was with their ideas! I asked them how many of them were just in love with the conversation and all of their hands shot up, some shot both hands up. Some of them were having a hard time with the idea of "loving learning" on day 1. I told them that THIS is what loving learning feels like, and it was like a light bulb clicked in their heads. I asked if they were just in love with learning at that moment and again all hands shot up.
I could not ask for a better way to end week 1. What a beautiful thing to witness.
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Making the classroom a happy place
Here is my classroom, eagerly awaiting 25 new faces to enter its doors tomorrow:
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Quick Blurb
There is a lot of ridiculousness happening right now, and all will be blogged shortly, but this I had to get down:
Every Tico I have spoken to has lied to me about their age. And the number of kids/wives/girlfriends they have.
Real suave guys.
Every Tico I have spoken to has lied to me about their age. And the number of kids/wives/girlfriends they have.
Real suave guys.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Surfing, Yoga, Pilates and five forties
Yesterday was a blissfully perfect day. It started off early with some surfing, and Gabby even got a little riskay and paddled out! I on the other hand, enjoyed some olas tranquÃlas in the white wash, soaked in the sun and salt water, and let the salt water cure my cold. I even caught a wave or two, which was nice.
We headed back to Escuela del Mundo, went and got some local food at the soda (gallo pinto, juevos, ensalada, jugo de limón), and then cooked in the sun by the pool until yoga.
Yoga time thoroughly kicked my ass and cleansed my body and soul. I have never sweated so much in my life, and it felt great. I had so much energy during class, and did some poses that I have never been able to do. This also did a good deal on my cold, and by the end, I felt nice and refreshed.
Through some connections, we were able to go to a free two hour pilates class en Playa Hermosa, which is a much more laid back beach than Jaco. We did half of the pilates class right on the beach, and the rest on a second floor hut overlooking the beach. Our sivasina was to thundering tropical rain surrounding us and ocean waves crashing against the sand. When class was done, we chatted with Ali, the entrepreneur that is opening this new pilates studio, and we watched the most incredible sunset from her boyfriend's restaurant next door. This is when we decided that it might be a good idea to extend our stay...
But, a night a Friday in Jacó isn't complete without some debauchery, so, to balance out a morning of health and happiness, we bought 5 forties of imperial and had ourselves a good ol' time with some beerpong and flipcup. Let´s just say team America held their own. Fuck ya. And, to cap of the night, in true baller fashion, not one, but TWO guys at the house got their third nipples pierced. Yes...their third nipples. No further comments are necessary.
I'm sad to see some of the coolest people we've met here head back, but I suppose that's all part of the traveling experience. It also gives us an excuse to have a reunion in the not-so-distant future.
Now, we're off on a few day adventure on the Caribbean coast.
¡Pura Vida!
We headed back to Escuela del Mundo, went and got some local food at the soda (gallo pinto, juevos, ensalada, jugo de limón), and then cooked in the sun by the pool until yoga.
Yoga time thoroughly kicked my ass and cleansed my body and soul. I have never sweated so much in my life, and it felt great. I had so much energy during class, and did some poses that I have never been able to do. This also did a good deal on my cold, and by the end, I felt nice and refreshed.
Through some connections, we were able to go to a free two hour pilates class en Playa Hermosa, which is a much more laid back beach than Jaco. We did half of the pilates class right on the beach, and the rest on a second floor hut overlooking the beach. Our sivasina was to thundering tropical rain surrounding us and ocean waves crashing against the sand. When class was done, we chatted with Ali, the entrepreneur that is opening this new pilates studio, and we watched the most incredible sunset from her boyfriend's restaurant next door. This is when we decided that it might be a good idea to extend our stay...
But, a night a Friday in Jacó isn't complete without some debauchery, so, to balance out a morning of health and happiness, we bought 5 forties of imperial and had ourselves a good ol' time with some beerpong and flipcup. Let´s just say team America held their own. Fuck ya. And, to cap of the night, in true baller fashion, not one, but TWO guys at the house got their third nipples pierced. Yes...their third nipples. No further comments are necessary.
I'm sad to see some of the coolest people we've met here head back, but I suppose that's all part of the traveling experience. It also gives us an excuse to have a reunion in the not-so-distant future.
Now, we're off on a few day adventure on the Caribbean coast.
¡Pura Vida!
Friday, July 10, 2009
A miracle
Yesterday, something miraculous happened. Yesterday, I stood up on my surfboard and rode not one, but a few Costa Rican waves. It wasn't pretty, nor was it graceful, and yes there were injuries, but man, it happened, and it felt good.
Truth be told, it would have been quite embarrassing had I not stood up yesterday. I mean, our instructor, Yeudi, is the baby amongst the instructors, and we have an inkling (or more than an inkling) that he was getting shit for our shittiness, which is, by the way, clearly our fault and not at all his fault.
So basically we decided it was time to stop being an embarrassment to our surfing instructor. Thus, the miracle.
Truth be told, it would have been quite embarrassing had I not stood up yesterday. I mean, our instructor, Yeudi, is the baby amongst the instructors, and we have an inkling (or more than an inkling) that he was getting shit for our shittiness, which is, by the way, clearly our fault and not at all his fault.
So basically we decided it was time to stop being an embarrassment to our surfing instructor. Thus, the miracle.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Biting My tongue
Girl Surfer 1: Man I like really want a tattoo. This girl that was here before got this really awesome tattoo that said "peace" in Arabic, it was like so cool.
Guy Surfer: Uh ya except she's going back and enlisting in the military, which is ironic...
Girl surfer 1: ya it like really made me want to get a tattoo.
Me: WTF!!!!
Guy Surfer: Uh ya except she's going back and enlisting in the military, which is ironic...
Girl surfer 1: ya it like really made me want to get a tattoo.
Me: WTF!!!!
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
A good ass-kicking
So I think it's fair to say that with all my indulgence (which I have very much enjoyed) this past month, I have needed a solid ass-kicking. I think this month will give me exactly that, and I love it.
Yesterday we began our surfing and yoga classes. At 2:30, we went to the beach for two hours of surfing fun...or waves kicking our asses repeatedly, whatever. It went a little something like this: Fight the waves until you get to the surf instructor, climb on the board, clinging to the edges for dear life, get pushed into the wave, attempt to stand (or not), fail, grab the board and do it all over again. For two hours. I mean, I kind of enjoyed the physically arduous task of getting tossed around helplessly for two hours...err...masochistic? Maybe. Needless to say, I did not gracefully stand up on the board and ride a beautiful Costa Rican wave as of yet, but what's the rush? We have a whole month!
An hour and a half after, we enter yoga class one, complete with jelly-like limbs from our previous debacle. I don't know which was more taxing, the physical exhaustion from trying to contort my body in vinyassa poses for an hour and a half, or the mental exhaustion from trying to reach a meditative state as mosquitoes eat my body alive. Next time, I will lather my body in bug spray.
And today, we do it all over again. I have to say, there is something gloriously relaxing about spending a month doing physically draining activities...They keep you focused in the present and don't give your mind the downtime necessary to obsess over anything remotely stressful or draining.
All in all, I could get used to this.
Yesterday we began our surfing and yoga classes. At 2:30, we went to the beach for two hours of surfing fun...or waves kicking our asses repeatedly, whatever. It went a little something like this: Fight the waves until you get to the surf instructor, climb on the board, clinging to the edges for dear life, get pushed into the wave, attempt to stand (or not), fail, grab the board and do it all over again. For two hours. I mean, I kind of enjoyed the physically arduous task of getting tossed around helplessly for two hours...err...masochistic? Maybe. Needless to say, I did not gracefully stand up on the board and ride a beautiful Costa Rican wave as of yet, but what's the rush? We have a whole month!
An hour and a half after, we enter yoga class one, complete with jelly-like limbs from our previous debacle. I don't know which was more taxing, the physical exhaustion from trying to contort my body in vinyassa poses for an hour and a half, or the mental exhaustion from trying to reach a meditative state as mosquitoes eat my body alive. Next time, I will lather my body in bug spray.
And today, we do it all over again. I have to say, there is something gloriously relaxing about spending a month doing physically draining activities...They keep you focused in the present and don't give your mind the downtime necessary to obsess over anything remotely stressful or draining.
All in all, I could get used to this.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Monteverde: Cloud Forest
The cloud forest en Monteverde has a series of 8 hanging bridges that allow one the surreal experience of floating above the tree tops and amongst the clouds.
It was a challenge to capture everything we were taking in via photos...
But this is a small taste.
Que disfruten.
Friday, July 03, 2009
Color accent happy
Gabs and my biggest struggle: naps. Yes, naps. We take them, convinced that we will wake up refreshed for a night on the town, but instead end up sleeping well through the night and into the morning hours.
Today we break that trend. It is 9:00 pm and we are sitting at a bar watching el partido de fútbol entre Costa Rica y El Salvador, with dos imperiales and our computers. Life is good.
Needless to say, today was a day of indulgence...but I suppose that has been the story of my life for the past month, and will likely be the story of my life for the near future.
After breakfast, complete with Gallo Pinto (which I have been craving since my days in Nicaragua) and fresh fruit (which Gabby loves...ha), we were whisked off towards Volcán Arenal and the Baldà hot springs.
One of the major highlights of our trek was our discovery of the color accent setting on our cameras. This setting has opened a world of picture-taking possibilities.
If you thought I was camera-happy before...you have no idea what this has done to me.
After a few tourist detours, we stopped for a "light lunch" which consisted of mounds of food at an open buffet, followed by a half hour full-body massage.
We then hit up the Tabacón hot springs...
The hot springs are near el volcán and are tucked into the rainforest. On a good day you can see the volcano from them.
On a day like today, the steam, mist, and fog all blend in together with the springs and waterfalls. I'll take it.
We decided that Tabacón is great honeymoon spot, or a great retired folks vacation spot. While it looks tranquil in the pics, it's actually an upscale hotel of sorts. If you ever venture to Tabacón, steer clear of the overpriced pool bar.
And this is when Gabby almost lost her swimsuit to the waterfall:
And some more color accents:
After our hot spring adventures and some more food indulgence, we finally arrived in pitch darkness to watch the flowing lava of el volcán...and what we saw was...nada. Darkness. Here are some pictures of us admiring the theoretical active volcano that exists behind the clouds:
All in all, I'm quite satisfied with this day, but the gluttony makes me crave a month of surfing, yoga and minimal eating binges even more. Now it's time for some more imperial and fútbol. Tomorrow, Monteverde.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Planeando
I've been here less than 24 hours and I think I'm extending my stay...
July 2: Explore San José, especialmente el mercado
July 3: Monteverde for rainforest and canopy tours
July 4th: Volcán Arenal and Baldà hot springs
July 5th-30th: Surfing and Yoga in Jacó. Weekend trips include kayak and snorkeling, waterfall hike, and a trip to the Caribbean Coast to meet up with Berger around Tortuguero.
July 30th-August 4th: Granada Nicaragua
August 5th: Return to NYC.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
En Costa Rica
After a crazy whirlwind of finishing my first year as a teacher, moving apartments, and celebrating MJ with some of my favorite people, Gabby and I have begun our Costa Rican Adventures.
We are currently in San Jose in a neighborhood called Barrio Amón. The cab driver was trying really hard to convince us not to come to this part of San Jose, but my trusted Lonely planet says it's the safest neighborhood to stay for tourists, so I'm feeling a little confused. So far it seems pleasant enough, although I don't want to spend too much time in the city.
We have five days before our surfing and yoga program begins in Jacó, so we'll spend today figuring out how to maximize those days before we take off.
I don't know if anyone still reads this blog, but I'll try to keep it updated during my month here, if for nothing else, then for conserving the clarity of memories made.
We are currently in San Jose in a neighborhood called Barrio Amón. The cab driver was trying really hard to convince us not to come to this part of San Jose, but my trusted Lonely planet says it's the safest neighborhood to stay for tourists, so I'm feeling a little confused. So far it seems pleasant enough, although I don't want to spend too much time in the city.
We have five days before our surfing and yoga program begins in Jacó, so we'll spend today figuring out how to maximize those days before we take off.
I don't know if anyone still reads this blog, but I'll try to keep it updated during my month here, if for nothing else, then for conserving the clarity of memories made.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
H1N1CATION!
PS 161 was shut down by the chancellor from Thursday May 28th until Tuesday June 2nd because of an unusually high number of absences due to flu-like symptoms. Hope no cases are confirmed...
On the plus side...that means 5 days of unexpected vacation!
Heeeya!
On the plus side...that means 5 days of unexpected vacation!
Heeeya!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Before Celebrating...
Before jumping up and down in celebration of my student's progress in their English Language Arts standardized test scores, it's important to critically examine the political motivations for showing gains in this year's test scores.
Seems to me that Bloomberg needs the scores to look good for his political ambitions, and the test was perhaps conveniently easier this year...
Standardized tests are just political ploys. They mean nothing.
Seems to me that Bloomberg needs the scores to look good for his political ambitions, and the test was perhaps conveniently easier this year...
Standardized tests are just political ploys. They mean nothing.
Monday, May 04, 2009
Collaborative Team Teaching
I just spent the last four hours having a mind-blowing conversation about creating an inquiry-based CTT classroom next year. I can't describe how grateful I am to be exactly where I am today-working at my school with talented and inspiring colleagues and friends. Building off of the ideas of talented, ambitious and passionate teachers and learners makes me passionate about life, the work I get to do every day, and the movement we are creating together.
Friday, May 01, 2009
It's official:
A month of surfing and yoga in Costa Rica.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
New York John F Kennedy Intl (JFK)
Departure (JFK): July 1, 6:00 AM
Arrival San Jose Juan Santamaria Intl (SJO): July 1, 11:45 AM CST (morning)
Saturday, August 1, 2009
San Jose Juan Santamaria Intl (SJO)
Departure (SJO): August 1, 11:35 AM
Arrival (ATL): August 1, 5:56 PM
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
New York John F Kennedy Intl (JFK)
Departure (JFK): July 1, 6:00 AM
Arrival San Jose Juan Santamaria Intl (SJO): July 1, 11:45 AM CST (morning)
Saturday, August 1, 2009
San Jose Juan Santamaria Intl (SJO)
Departure (SJO): August 1, 11:35 AM
Arrival (ATL): August 1, 5:56 PM
Monday, April 27, 2009
Decisions Decisions
Sunday, April 26, 2009
A Perfect NY day includes:
-A beautiful day on the beach
-Jewelery shopping on the streets of Soho
-A friend's friend's art gallery
-Closing out Essex
Sigh. My life is wonderful.
-Jewelery shopping on the streets of Soho
-A friend's friend's art gallery
-Closing out Essex
Sigh. My life is wonderful.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Where did time go?
I only have 9 weeks left with my kids. What? What happened to time? As crazy as my class is, it just hit my how much I'm going to miss them. I really love them, and they know that. The other day during a "community meeting" about respect, one student said, "Ms. Sadek you care about us too much." Another chimed in, "Ya for real! You like our mom!" Then another, "My mom doesn't even care about me this much!"
My heart melted.
It got me thinking...should I loop up to sixth grade with my kids that will be staying at our middle school? Would I be able to handle the hormonal tantrums of my kids as sixth graders? Do I want to do another year of not knowing the curriculum of that grade?
Better figure it out quickly...I've already turned in my preference form for my top three grade-level choices, and if I want to make changes to that, I should do it soon.
My heart melted.
It got me thinking...should I loop up to sixth grade with my kids that will be staying at our middle school? Would I be able to handle the hormonal tantrums of my kids as sixth graders? Do I want to do another year of not knowing the curriculum of that grade?
Better figure it out quickly...I've already turned in my preference form for my top three grade-level choices, and if I want to make changes to that, I should do it soon.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Books Books Books
Every once in a while I go on a huge book-buying binge. Unfortunately for my suitcase and my back, the latest hit me when I was in Madison.
What books I buy usually says something about where I am life-wise. So, again, for my own memory, here are some highlights of books acquired:
Siddhartha: Hermann Hesse
The Alchemist: Paolo Coehlo
Bird by Bird: Anne Lemott
Essential Rumi
Palestine Peace not Apartheid: Jimmy Carter
Unfortunately, It was Paradise: Mahmoud Darwish
Darwish Collection
A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers will Rule the Future: Daniel H. Pink
The Great Gatsby: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Anthem: Ayn Raynd
What books I buy usually says something about where I am life-wise. So, again, for my own memory, here are some highlights of books acquired:
Siddhartha: Hermann Hesse
The Alchemist: Paolo Coehlo
Bird by Bird: Anne Lemott
Essential Rumi
Palestine Peace not Apartheid: Jimmy Carter
Unfortunately, It was Paradise: Mahmoud Darwish
Darwish Collection
A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers will Rule the Future: Daniel H. Pink
The Great Gatsby: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Anthem: Ayn Raynd
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Escape Java Joint and Art Gallery.
I just discovered the coffee shop of all coffee shops. If I lived in Madison, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't leave this place.
I am, after all, an escapist at heart.
I am, after all, an escapist at heart.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
A Shift in Mindset
In taking this week to remove myself from my everyday life, I've noticed a shift in mindset since I was last in Madison. I'm still grappling with how to articulate it, but I think I came closest to verbalizing it when out to brunch with a dear friend this morn.
I've mentally decided to simply remove myself from the career treadmill of life...a treadmill who's pace seems to be set by everyone but myself. From here on out, I set my own direction, my own pace. And often, that direction is not linear, the end goal ambiguous.
It's deliberately about the journey and not the end result.
I've mentally decided to simply remove myself from the career treadmill of life...a treadmill who's pace seems to be set by everyone but myself. From here on out, I set my own direction, my own pace. And often, that direction is not linear, the end goal ambiguous.
It's deliberately about the journey and not the end result.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Siddhartha
Siddhartha listened. He was now listening intently, completely absorbed, quite empty, taking in everything. He felt that he had now completely learned the art of listening. He had often heard all this before, all these numerous voices in the river, but today they sounded different. He could no longer distinguish the different voices-the merry voice from the weeping voice, the childish voice from the manly voice. They all belonged to each other: the lament of those who yearn, the laughter of the wise, the cry of indignation and the groan of dying. They were all interwoven and interlocked, entwined in a thousand ways. And all the voices, all the goals, all the yearnings, all the sorrows, all the pleasures, all the good and evil, all of them together was the world. All of them together was the stream of events, the music of life. When Siddhartha listened attentively to this river, to this song of a thousand voices; when he did not listen to the sorrow or laughter, when he did not bind his soul to any one particular voice and absorb it in his Self, but heard them all, the whole, the unity; then the great song of a thousand voices consisted of one word: Om-perfection.
(Siddhartha, Herman Hesse)
(Siddhartha, Herman Hesse)
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Rules For Teachers 1872
1. Teachers each day will fill lamps, clean Chimneys.
2. Each teacher will bring a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day's session.
3. Make your pens carefully. You may whittle nibs to the individual taste of the pupils.
4. Men teachers may take one evening each week for courting purposes, or two evenings a week if they go to church regularly.
5. After ten hours in school, the teachers may spend the remaining time reading the Bible or other good books.
6. Women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed.
7. Every teacher should lay aside from each pay a goodly sum of his earnings for his benefit during his declining years so that he will not become a burden on society.
8. Any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents pool or public halls, or gets shaved in a barber shop will give good reason to suspect his worth, intention, integrity and honesty.
9. The teacher who performs his labor faithfully and without fault for five years will be given an increase of twenty-five cents per week in his pay, providing the Board of Education approves.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Music in the classroom
I got a beautiful new smartboard in my classroom a few weeks back, and it has completely revolutionized my school day. Not only can I now show awesome videos, newspaper clips, and other awesome multimedia resources to enhance student learning, but, it has made MUSIC an integral part of our day, which make me and all my kids much calmer and happier.
With pandora stations pre-created for different moods, the kids start the day with the Miles Davis station, and quietly shuffle in, eat breakfast, put their things away, and copy down their homework. During independent reading, I go with some Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman, or Ani Difranco. During focusing sessions, Chopin is a favorite. And, depending on my moods, sometimes I'll throw in some Keller Williams, afro-funk or thievery corporation. Lisa Hannigan has been this week's addition.
Today, during silent reading time, after I had turned on the music, J.U came up to me and said, "Ms. Sadek? Can you play Tracy Chapman's "talking bout a revolution? I'm reading an Obama book and I think it would get me into it." This made my heart swell just a little.
Not only is the class calmer and happier, but they are connecting their music to their reading in unexpected ways. I mean, who doesn't want music integrated into their everyday lives?
With pandora stations pre-created for different moods, the kids start the day with the Miles Davis station, and quietly shuffle in, eat breakfast, put their things away, and copy down their homework. During independent reading, I go with some Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman, or Ani Difranco. During focusing sessions, Chopin is a favorite. And, depending on my moods, sometimes I'll throw in some Keller Williams, afro-funk or thievery corporation. Lisa Hannigan has been this week's addition.
Today, during silent reading time, after I had turned on the music, J.U came up to me and said, "Ms. Sadek? Can you play Tracy Chapman's "talking bout a revolution? I'm reading an Obama book and I think it would get me into it." This made my heart swell just a little.
Not only is the class calmer and happier, but they are connecting their music to their reading in unexpected ways. I mean, who doesn't want music integrated into their everyday lives?
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Finding the Hilarity
I've noticed that my blogs have become...lazy. My favorite type of blog post to write is when I attempt to capture awkward life moments because, let's face it, we all know these situations happen to me more often than the norm.
I did a little reading of my blog over the years and the dwindling of quality entries about ridiculous situations became quite apparent. Perhaps I stopped finding the hilarity in life in the same way I used to? Truth be told, I'm pretty sure I lost the ability to laugh at the absurdity of it all during the soul-sucking year of 2008, but, now that my life is not falling apart and my soul has been conveniently returned in near tip-top shape, I'm pretty sure that is no longer the problem. I have miraculously returned to finding moments of hilarity, insanity, and ridiculousness in my everyday life.
I'm just not writing about it.
Maybe I'm just being lazy. Maybe the amount of ridiculous incidents in and out of the classroom are just too many to capture via blog. ¿Quién sabe?
Regardless, capturing these moments needs to happen, so that I can refer back to them and chuckle at myself all over again.
I did a little reading of my blog over the years and the dwindling of quality entries about ridiculous situations became quite apparent. Perhaps I stopped finding the hilarity in life in the same way I used to? Truth be told, I'm pretty sure I lost the ability to laugh at the absurdity of it all during the soul-sucking year of 2008, but, now that my life is not falling apart and my soul has been conveniently returned in near tip-top shape, I'm pretty sure that is no longer the problem. I have miraculously returned to finding moments of hilarity, insanity, and ridiculousness in my everyday life.
I'm just not writing about it.
Maybe I'm just being lazy. Maybe the amount of ridiculous incidents in and out of the classroom are just too many to capture via blog. ¿Quién sabe?
Regardless, capturing these moments needs to happen, so that I can refer back to them and chuckle at myself all over again.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Skinny Jeans
As the year has progressed, the jeans in my classroom on my tween girls have gotten tighter and tighter, and less and less appropriate. They can't sit on the rug because their booties hang out, and their shirts are to short to cover potentially exposed arenas.
So today, I busted out some blunt one on one convos about the appropriateness of 5th grade clothing with a handful of my students. The conversations went something like this:
So, I've become really worried about the way some of you girls are dressing in school. Skinny jeans are not appropriate clothing for a 5th grader, especially in school. You are all starting to grow up and it's not appropriate or safe to attract attention to yourself by dressing the way you do. You can't even sit on the rug because your jeans hang so low! I'm hoping you decide to stop dressing like this outside of school too, but whenever you're anywhere around me, I want you dressing differently from now on. And yes, that means I'll call you out if I run into you dressed like this on the weekends. And yes, I'll continue to call you out for dressing like this until you're 18.
Each girl flashed me a variation of incredulous looks at the start of the convo, But, as my speech progressed, they slowly reverted back to their innocent, child-like selves, nodded their embarrassed heads in understanding, and vowed to the end of skinny jeans in my classroom.
Good riddance.
So today, I busted out some blunt one on one convos about the appropriateness of 5th grade clothing with a handful of my students. The conversations went something like this:
So, I've become really worried about the way some of you girls are dressing in school. Skinny jeans are not appropriate clothing for a 5th grader, especially in school. You are all starting to grow up and it's not appropriate or safe to attract attention to yourself by dressing the way you do. You can't even sit on the rug because your jeans hang so low! I'm hoping you decide to stop dressing like this outside of school too, but whenever you're anywhere around me, I want you dressing differently from now on. And yes, that means I'll call you out if I run into you dressed like this on the weekends. And yes, I'll continue to call you out for dressing like this until you're 18.
Each girl flashed me a variation of incredulous looks at the start of the convo, But, as my speech progressed, they slowly reverted back to their innocent, child-like selves, nodded their embarrassed heads in understanding, and vowed to the end of skinny jeans in my classroom.
Good riddance.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
At a Loss
As an elementary school teacher, I am the single adult responsible for 24 children for the majority of their day. In that, I have the responsibility for reporting alarming behavior that may warrant further intervention.
When a child displays alarming behavior that causes a teacher to seek further intervention, you expect that the child will then get the services they need and deserve. In higher income school districts, that would happen. But, in a lower-income school, what happens when the child's insurance doesn't cover the services that the current situation requires? If all the red flags and warning signs are there, it is all clearly documented, but the child cannot receive the necessary interventions, what happens? Are there no emergency intervention resources available to these students?
It seems like nobody knows the answer, or there simply isn't an answer. All we're left with, then,is a really large, frightening flaw in the services available to these students.
This is exactly how scary situations happen in schools, and only after they happen, people ask: Why didn't anyone stop this? All the warning signs were there!
When a child displays alarming behavior that causes a teacher to seek further intervention, you expect that the child will then get the services they need and deserve. In higher income school districts, that would happen. But, in a lower-income school, what happens when the child's insurance doesn't cover the services that the current situation requires? If all the red flags and warning signs are there, it is all clearly documented, but the child cannot receive the necessary interventions, what happens? Are there no emergency intervention resources available to these students?
It seems like nobody knows the answer, or there simply isn't an answer. All we're left with, then,is a really large, frightening flaw in the services available to these students.
This is exactly how scary situations happen in schools, and only after they happen, people ask: Why didn't anyone stop this? All the warning signs were there!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
To de-stress...
I like to cook meals that look pretty. This is:
1. Lentils with zucchini, squash, yellow and red peppers
2. Tilapia with curry spice, tomatoes, spinach, and portabella mushrooms.
3. Asparagus.
Almost makes up for nearly getting run over by a car today. Oh, and the shingles.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Thank Yous
So 3 doctors, 3 different antibiotic prescription, 1 anti-inflammatory prescription, and 2 very large percocets later...my ear is still a large red balloon and I can't really turn my neck because my glands are so swollen.
But, I am very grateful to friends accompanying me to the ER at very inconvenient hours, co-workers covering my class so that I could catch a last-minute doctors appointment, and the constant flow of phone calls from my wonderful colleagues and friends at PS/MS 161.
Now, here's hoping my ear deflates!
But, I am very grateful to friends accompanying me to the ER at very inconvenient hours, co-workers covering my class so that I could catch a last-minute doctors appointment, and the constant flow of phone calls from my wonderful colleagues and friends at PS/MS 161.
Now, here's hoping my ear deflates!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Cooking Skillz
So I'm really proud of myself right now. Usually...okay all the time, I cook pasta. I'm pretty good at varying up pasta sauces, but that's pretty much it.
But, lately my roommate and I have been pushing our cooking boundaries. Lentils, fava beans, eggplant, etc.
Well, this is my newest creation, and probably the best meal I've ever cooked (which may not be saying much, but honestly it was pretty awesome).
Eggplant, ground beef, fresh mozzarella, spinach, tomato sauce, onions, garlic, olives, spices...soooo good.
And doesn't it look pretty?
Monday, March 16, 2009
Comin' Home
New York to Madison
Thursday April 9th
Depart 9:05 am
Arrive 10:58 am
Madison to New York
Friday April 17th
Depart 11:40 am
Arrive 3:00 pm
Thursday April 9th
Depart 9:05 am
Arrive 10:58 am
Madison to New York
Friday April 17th
Depart 11:40 am
Arrive 3:00 pm
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Birthday love from my kids
My kids are orchestrating and extravagant birthday celebration for me tomorrow. They've made decorations, assigned the class food to bring, and talked to my principal about calling me in for a "meeting" so that they can set up. Clearly, they're not so subtle about their little plans, but I humor them.
So, I just got a call from one of my kiddies saying:
F: Miss Sadek...?
Me: Hi F.
F: Ms. Sadek I just wanted to tell you I'm going to be a littttttle late tomorrow.
Me: Why are you going to be late?
F: Well the place we ordered the cake from doesn't open until 7:30.
Me: (crack a smile) You didn't have to get me a cake F_, but thank you. I'll see you tomorrow.
click
Click.
I kind of love them.
When did that happen?
So, I just got a call from one of my kiddies saying:
F: Miss Sadek...?
Me: Hi F.
F: Ms. Sadek I just wanted to tell you I'm going to be a littttttle late tomorrow.
Me: Why are you going to be late?
F: Well the place we ordered the cake from doesn't open until 7:30.
Me: (crack a smile) You didn't have to get me a cake F_, but thank you. I'll see you tomorrow.
click
Click.
I kind of love them.
When did that happen?
Monday, March 09, 2009
Una Pregunta
My girls come upstairs to have lunch with me today, just because they felt like hanging out. I was amused so I let them hang out. We sat around the round table as they fought for their turn to talk and tell me stories of boys, clothes, and hobos. But, the most surprising part of the conversation went something like this:
N: Ms. Sadek I have a question
Me: Ya?
N: (hesitates) Do you go to the gym so that you can watch boys with their shirts off?
Me: WHAT?
Other girls: (Fits of laughter)
N: No, I mean one time, my mom made me go to the gym and there was this guy that was sweaty and gross but then he took his shirt off and he looked good.
Me: No, N. I do not go to the gym to watch boys take their shirts off.
N: Ms. Sadek I have a question
Me: Ya?
N: (hesitates) Do you go to the gym so that you can watch boys with their shirts off?
Me: WHAT?
Other girls: (Fits of laughter)
N: No, I mean one time, my mom made me go to the gym and there was this guy that was sweaty and gross but then he took his shirt off and he looked good.
Me: No, N. I do not go to the gym to watch boys take their shirts off.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Today, I got hit on by a puppet
The 40 year old, large, balding gym teacher was walking around with a firefighter puppet on his hand today. Don't ask me why. I have no answers.
As I was walking my children up the stairs, the gym teacher and his puppet proceed to wave at my children. I awkwardly walk past him and the puppet, ready to go up the next flight of stairs, when the little firefighter puppet on the balding man's hand looked me up and down and said, "Mr. ____, who is that?"
The balding large man responded to his firefighter puppet, "That's Ms. Sadék, she's a new teacher at our school." The kids giggled. I was mortified, and of course, extremely awkward.
The puppet responded, "Oooh! Do you like firemen Ms. Sadék?" The bald fat man flashed creepy smile. Giggle giggle giggle, went the fifth graders as they watched their teacher melt into the ground. "Eeeer no?" I finally spat out. I quickly mumbled a goodbye and my giggling kids and I proceeded back to our classroom.
I never thought I'd say this, but today, I'm pretty sure I got hit on by a puppet.
As I was walking my children up the stairs, the gym teacher and his puppet proceed to wave at my children. I awkwardly walk past him and the puppet, ready to go up the next flight of stairs, when the little firefighter puppet on the balding man's hand looked me up and down and said, "Mr. ____, who is that?"
The balding large man responded to his firefighter puppet, "That's Ms. Sadék, she's a new teacher at our school." The kids giggled. I was mortified, and of course, extremely awkward.
The puppet responded, "Oooh! Do you like firemen Ms. Sadék?" The bald fat man flashed creepy smile. Giggle giggle giggle, went the fifth graders as they watched their teacher melt into the ground. "Eeeer no?" I finally spat out. I quickly mumbled a goodbye and my giggling kids and I proceeded back to our classroom.
I never thought I'd say this, but today, I'm pretty sure I got hit on by a puppet.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Math Test Day 1
The end is near for standardized tests. Tomorrow is my last day of testing for this school year. My kids rocked it today. Hopefully they'll do just as well tomorrow.
Oh, and...I was the translator for the math test for my two Arabic speaking boys today. I saw the test for the first time at 8:45, administered the test for my 11 English Language Learning students, then tested the two boys separately and translated every question for them verbally from English to Arabic. That was a crazy experience.
Oh, and...I was the translator for the math test for my two Arabic speaking boys today. I saw the test for the first time at 8:45, administered the test for my 11 English Language Learning students, then tested the two boys separately and translated every question for them verbally from English to Arabic. That was a crazy experience.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Pinch Me
There's nothing quite like the feeling of being a first year teacher and waking up on Monday morning at 6:00 AM to a text that says: STAY HOME! NO SCHOOL!
I don't know if it's more exciting to have a snow day as a teacher or as a student. I'm going to go ahead and say it's more exciting as a teacher.
I love my life.
I don't know if it's more exciting to have a snow day as a teacher or as a student. I'm going to go ahead and say it's more exciting as a teacher.
I love my life.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
And it's all small stuff
Whenever we hold on to our anger, we turn "small stuff" into really "big stuff" in our minds. We start to believe that our positions are more important than our happiness. They are not.
(Don't Sweat the Small Stuff; Richard Carlson)
(Don't Sweat the Small Stuff; Richard Carlson)
Friday, February 13, 2009
Made it to Winter Vacation!
It was a rough week, but I'm home free! Now, the only thing standing between me and the Puerto Rican beaches is a glorious weekend in NYC.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Dream a little dream
I've had the most intense dreams I've probably every had in the past few months, and when it happens, I'm generally jolted awake with a very strong emotional reaction, and not a good one.
I'm thinking that my subconscious is attempting to tackle emotions that I've managed to conveniently tuck away in the daytime. Needless to say, it's making my few hours of rest more intense than necessary.
Has anyone written down their dreams before?
I'm thinking I might try this out.
I'm thinking that my subconscious is attempting to tackle emotions that I've managed to conveniently tuck away in the daytime. Needless to say, it's making my few hours of rest more intense than necessary.
Has anyone written down their dreams before?
I'm thinking I might try this out.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Ooooh, we're halfway there!
Oooh living on a prayer
Take my hand, and we'll make it I swear
Oooh, living on a prayer!
I'm officially more than halfway done with the school year.
And Wednesday is the 100th day of school.
Booya!
Take my hand, and we'll make it I swear
Oooh, living on a prayer!
I'm officially more than halfway done with the school year.
And Wednesday is the 100th day of school.
Booya!
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Saturday, January 31, 2009
I'm Back
Okay, so my blog hiatus is over. I needed a break, but I'm back, literally and figuratively.
I finally feel like myself again. Adjusting to my new life as a 5th grade teacher in NYC public schools has been by far one of the hardest things I've ever done. But, I'm finally at a place where a ridiculous day at school does NOT mean that my whole life is in a chaotic, emotional, ridiculous state along with it. I've been able to separate the emotions of work from taking over my emotions and my life post-work, and that in itself is a huge milestone. I'm making time to be with my close friends (who I could not survive any of this without), to work out, and to do some of the things I love most about New York.
January has been the best month of this crazy journey so far. It has been a great psychological victory to have a month like this one under my belt, and June finally doesn't seem an eternity away.
Highlights of the month include:
-Finally signing up for a gym
-An epiphany about education after speaking with a mentor
-My kids taking the ELA state test (two standardized tests down, one to go)
-Witnessing the INAUGURATION of President Barack Obama
-Seeing some of my favorite people in DC.
-Lost nights with Ms. Corey
-In The Heights with my TFA girls
-Tarot card night with the best girls alive (sans that tarot cards...)
In two weeks, I'll be off to Puerto Rico for a very needed vacation with KG.
Hey, I'm worth it.
I finally feel like myself again. Adjusting to my new life as a 5th grade teacher in NYC public schools has been by far one of the hardest things I've ever done. But, I'm finally at a place where a ridiculous day at school does NOT mean that my whole life is in a chaotic, emotional, ridiculous state along with it. I've been able to separate the emotions of work from taking over my emotions and my life post-work, and that in itself is a huge milestone. I'm making time to be with my close friends (who I could not survive any of this without), to work out, and to do some of the things I love most about New York.
January has been the best month of this crazy journey so far. It has been a great psychological victory to have a month like this one under my belt, and June finally doesn't seem an eternity away.
Highlights of the month include:
-Finally signing up for a gym
-An epiphany about education after speaking with a mentor
-My kids taking the ELA state test (two standardized tests down, one to go)
-Witnessing the INAUGURATION of President Barack Obama
-Seeing some of my favorite people in DC.
-Lost nights with Ms. Corey
-In The Heights with my TFA girls
-Tarot card night with the best girls alive (sans that tarot cards...)
In two weeks, I'll be off to Puerto Rico for a very needed vacation with KG.
Hey, I'm worth it.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Our President Finally Embodies the Complexites of America
In First Family, a Nation’s Many Faces
By JODI KANTOR
WASHINGTON — The president’s elderly stepgrandmother brought him an oxtail fly whisk, a mark of power at home in Kenya. Cousins journeyed from the South Carolina town where the first lady’s great-great-grandfather was born into slavery, while the rabbi in the family came from the synagogue where he had been commemorating Martin Luther King’s Birthday. The president and first lady’s siblings were there, too, of course: his Indonesian-American half-sister, who brought her Chinese-Canadian husband, and her brother, a black man with a white wife.
When President Barack Obama was sworn in on Tuesday, he was surrounded by an extended clan that would have shocked past generations of Americans and instantly redrew the image of a first family for future ones.
As they convened to take their family’s final step in its journey from Africa and into the White House, the group seemed as if it had stepped out of the pages of Mr. Obama’s memoir — no longer the disparate kin of a young man wondering how he fit in, but the embodiment of a new president’s promise of change.
For well over two centuries, the United States has been vastly more diverse than its ruling families. Now the Obama family has flipped that around, with a Technicolor cast that looks almost nothing like their overwhelmingly white, overwhelmingly Protestant predecessors in the role. The family that produced Barack and Michelle Obama is black and white and Asian, Christian, Muslim and Jewish. They speak English; Indonesian; French; Cantonese; German; Hebrew; African languages including Swahili, Luo and Igbo; and even a few phrases of Gullah, the Creole dialect of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Very few are wealthy, and some — like Sarah Obama, the stepgrandmother who only recently got electricity and running water in her metal-roofed shack — are quite poor.
“Our family is new in terms of the White House, but I don’t think it’s new in terms of the country,” Maya Soetoro-Ng, the president’s younger half-sister, said last week. “I don’t think the White House has always reflected the textures and flavors of this country.”
Though the world is recognizing the inauguration of the first African-American president, the story is a more complex narrative, about immigration, social mobility and the desegregation of one of the last divided institutions in American life: the family. It is a tale of self-determination, full of refusals to follow the tracks laid by history or religion or parentage.
By JODI KANTOR
WASHINGTON — The president’s elderly stepgrandmother brought him an oxtail fly whisk, a mark of power at home in Kenya. Cousins journeyed from the South Carolina town where the first lady’s great-great-grandfather was born into slavery, while the rabbi in the family came from the synagogue where he had been commemorating Martin Luther King’s Birthday. The president and first lady’s siblings were there, too, of course: his Indonesian-American half-sister, who brought her Chinese-Canadian husband, and her brother, a black man with a white wife.
When President Barack Obama was sworn in on Tuesday, he was surrounded by an extended clan that would have shocked past generations of Americans and instantly redrew the image of a first family for future ones.
As they convened to take their family’s final step in its journey from Africa and into the White House, the group seemed as if it had stepped out of the pages of Mr. Obama’s memoir — no longer the disparate kin of a young man wondering how he fit in, but the embodiment of a new president’s promise of change.
For well over two centuries, the United States has been vastly more diverse than its ruling families. Now the Obama family has flipped that around, with a Technicolor cast that looks almost nothing like their overwhelmingly white, overwhelmingly Protestant predecessors in the role. The family that produced Barack and Michelle Obama is black and white and Asian, Christian, Muslim and Jewish. They speak English; Indonesian; French; Cantonese; German; Hebrew; African languages including Swahili, Luo and Igbo; and even a few phrases of Gullah, the Creole dialect of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Very few are wealthy, and some — like Sarah Obama, the stepgrandmother who only recently got electricity and running water in her metal-roofed shack — are quite poor.
“Our family is new in terms of the White House, but I don’t think it’s new in terms of the country,” Maya Soetoro-Ng, the president’s younger half-sister, said last week. “I don’t think the White House has always reflected the textures and flavors of this country.”
Though the world is recognizing the inauguration of the first African-American president, the story is a more complex narrative, about immigration, social mobility and the desegregation of one of the last divided institutions in American life: the family. It is a tale of self-determination, full of refusals to follow the tracks laid by history or religion or parentage.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Half empty? Half full?
The Bad
-There are 6 whole instructional days left until break.
-My patience for children is d-w-i-n-d-l-i-n-g.
-There is not enough time to explore the city.
-I have had no hot water in my apartment since YESTERDAY MORNING.
-NY can feel lonely and scattered.
-My good friend is moving off of our couch.
-My real roommate is crazy and a downer.
-Grad school is a waste of my life.
-They didn't tell any of us we'd have to pay for grad school until we'd already started.
-I have zero money to pay for said grad school.
-I am emotionally exhausted...almost to the point of numbness.
The Good:
-I have all my limbs (thanks Zoe)
-I can dance.
-It was 60 degrees and sunny out today (December 15th)
-My kids and I walked to a show at the Apollo theater today.
-I WAY lucked out with my school relative to others.
-I don't live in Madison anymore.
-I don't live anywhere near my family anymore.
-It is not November 2007.
-I finally live in NY.
-There are only 6 more instructional days until break.
-My brother is visiting me.
-BECCA is visiting me.
-This year is almost over.
-LOST starts on January 21st.
-I have plans a-brewing for a wonderful summer.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Shout-outs and Sorries
Student: I wanted to give a sorry to ____ because I said his pimple look like Rudolf. And I wanted to give a shout-out to Ms. Sadek because she look hot today
Me: ...uhhhhh....Okay! Next?!
Class: (fits of laughter)
Soooo awkward.
Me: ...uhhhhh....Okay! Next?!
Class: (fits of laughter)
Soooo awkward.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Making Changes
My kids have started the popularity game. And it's a mean game. We finally tackled it as a class yesterday, but the two kids who have been the meanest weren't ready participate.
I gave one of them the day to let it sink in, and then we had a heart to heart this morning about her behavior. Here's her free-write in response:
I feel like someone opened a Door in me, and it's a nice door. This is my rule. If you see me being mean to someone you give me detention. I am going to say sorry to the people I have been mean to right now.
Sometimes they blow my mind.
I gave one of them the day to let it sink in, and then we had a heart to heart this morning about her behavior. Here's her free-write in response:
I feel like someone opened a Door in me, and it's a nice door. This is my rule. If you see me being mean to someone you give me detention. I am going to say sorry to the people I have been mean to right now.
Sometimes they blow my mind.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Pragmatism
In the words of this girl:
Emotion is taking a backseat now, and strength is riding shotgun.
I am willing this into reality.
Emotion is taking a backseat now, and strength is riding shotgun.
I am willing this into reality.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
A Journey of Sorts
The past two months, I read a sequence of books that have begun to lead me through the process of untangling my thoughts, making sense of this past year, and solidifying beliefs on feminism and spirituality.
This list is more for my own memory than for anything else...
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Standing Alone: An American Woman's Struggle for the Soul of Islam by Asra Nomani
The Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman's Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine by Sue Monk Kidd
A Thousand Splendid Suns By Khaled Hosseini
Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea
This has been the hardest year of me life, no question. The next year definitely won't be a walk in the park...but let's hope I come out stronger and with a lot of tough questions answered come June.
This list is more for my own memory than for anything else...
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Standing Alone: An American Woman's Struggle for the Soul of Islam by Asra Nomani
The Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman's Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine by Sue Monk Kidd
A Thousand Splendid Suns By Khaled Hosseini
Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea
This has been the hardest year of me life, no question. The next year definitely won't be a walk in the park...but let's hope I come out stronger and with a lot of tough questions answered come June.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Lesson planning is like...
An endless stream of all of the work that went into planning an @ conference or Retreat...
...With none of the fun that comes with the conference itself.
Two and a half weeks til winter break.
...With none of the fun that comes with the conference itself.
Two and a half weeks til winter break.
Friday, November 21, 2008
On Soulmates
Assignment:
Free-write about an issue you care about
Student writes:
Girlfriend
My girlfriend and I are soul mates. But we fight about EVERYTHING. Like, what are we going to name our kids?
Free-write about an issue you care about
Student writes:
Girlfriend
My girlfriend and I are soul mates. But we fight about EVERYTHING. Like, what are we going to name our kids?
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Stopped me in my tracks
For women particularly, but not exclusively, the restrictions and repression breed not always compliance but rather conflict and dissonance. I know this because I lived this way myself for a decade, from my late teens into my late twenties. I lived a double life, secretly satisfying my curiosities about men while lying to my parents because I knew that I was crossing boundaries that weren't supposed to be crossed. I couldn't live with the lies, deceit, and hypocrisy after my marriage fell apart, when I realized that we aren't meant to suffer so deeply just to deny our true selves and realize societal, parental, and external expectations for ourselves....
In any society governed by oppression and rules that don't make sense, there will be rebellion, even if it's expressed privately. To express such rebellion publicly is to me the sign of a mature individual and a mature society.
(Standing Alone by Asra Nomani)
In any society governed by oppression and rules that don't make sense, there will be rebellion, even if it's expressed privately. To express such rebellion publicly is to me the sign of a mature individual and a mature society.
(Standing Alone by Asra Nomani)
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Truth be told..
I'm feeling kind of lousy. I hear that's kind of how you're supposed to feel around November as a first year teacher. That doesn't make it any easier. It's a bit like culture shock. The honey moon's over, you're far away from the finish line and now it's all just painfully real.
I get up and its dark. I get out of school and its dark. Sometimes I see sunlight through windows in a classroom that smells like non-deodorized pre-teens and dead mice.
Sometimes my kids are lovely. Sometimes they're not lovely at all . But always, their stories are emotionally draining and make it impossible to separate work from home and home from work.
They are literally years behind in school, and they don't even realize what that means for their lives. Sometimes I just want to scream: YOU'RE ELEVEN AND READING AT A SECOND GRADE LEVEL! YOU DON'T KNOW YOUR TIMES TABLES! WAKE UP!!!!! Sometimes it's like running on a treadmill and not getting anywhere.
Today, June seems awfully far away.
I get up and its dark. I get out of school and its dark. Sometimes I see sunlight through windows in a classroom that smells like non-deodorized pre-teens and dead mice.
Sometimes my kids are lovely. Sometimes they're not lovely at all . But always, their stories are emotionally draining and make it impossible to separate work from home and home from work.
They are literally years behind in school, and they don't even realize what that means for their lives. Sometimes I just want to scream: YOU'RE ELEVEN AND READING AT A SECOND GRADE LEVEL! YOU DON'T KNOW YOUR TIMES TABLES! WAKE UP!!!!! Sometimes it's like running on a treadmill and not getting anywhere.
Today, June seems awfully far away.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
History through my students' eyes
As I walked through Harlem on the way to school this morning, up Amsterdam and past the Apollo theater, the world felt different. Only a few hours before, this same path that I was walking was filled with jubilant chanting, marching, and ecstatic celebration.
My students described their experience living in Harlem during this historic event:
All of a sudden people just started banging pots and pans up and down the halls of my building chanting OBAMA! OBAMA
It was so crazy in my building. People were banging pans together and even shooting guns into the air to celebrate
The streets were so loud I couldn't sleep!
I looked out my window and one guy was yelling OBAMA! He saw me and said, "Hey girl why aren't you celebrating?!" So I started yelling "OBAMA" out my window too.
My dad just kept on hugging me, screaming and crying, and yelling, "I can't believe it!"
My classroom broke out into chants and cheers as we watched Obama's speech today. "It's Obama's day!" said my AP to my students. "You will remember this day and tell your children and your children's children about this day."
When talking about what the are feeling about this very moment:
I was just thinking that Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation to free slaves in the country and about how now we have our very first African American president. A lot has changed.
Why do people keep saying he's black? He's not just black he's also white because his mom's white. So why is everyone calling him just black?
I'm sorry but slavery, that's trash. What did slaves do to anybody except be forced to live here and work without any rights?
Now that we have our first African-American president, it makes me think that I can be the first Dominican president.
----------
My students described their experience living in Harlem during this historic event:
All of a sudden people just started banging pots and pans up and down the halls of my building chanting OBAMA! OBAMA
It was so crazy in my building. People were banging pans together and even shooting guns into the air to celebrate
The streets were so loud I couldn't sleep!
I looked out my window and one guy was yelling OBAMA! He saw me and said, "Hey girl why aren't you celebrating?!" So I started yelling "OBAMA" out my window too.
My dad just kept on hugging me, screaming and crying, and yelling, "I can't believe it!"
My classroom broke out into chants and cheers as we watched Obama's speech today. "It's Obama's day!" said my AP to my students. "You will remember this day and tell your children and your children's children about this day."
When talking about what the are feeling about this very moment:
I was just thinking that Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation to free slaves in the country and about how now we have our very first African American president. A lot has changed.
Why do people keep saying he's black? He's not just black he's also white because his mom's white. So why is everyone calling him just black?
I'm sorry but slavery, that's trash. What did slaves do to anybody except be forced to live here and work without any rights?
Now that we have our first African-American president, it makes me think that I can be the first Dominican president.
----------
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Elections
Picture from huffingtonpost.com
Last week, my students made their voices heard by casting their votes at our PS. 161 mock elections.
The results:
In the 5th grade, 89 students voted for Obama. 1 voted for McCain.
In the 6th grade, every student voted for Obama.
Today, I cast my vote for Barack Obama.
Have YOU voted?
Friday, October 24, 2008
Less than 2 months in the classroom...
and my kids beg to dance to "numa numa."
Let's see how many more @ dances they'll know by heart by the end of the year.
Let's see how many more @ dances they'll know by heart by the end of the year.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
If you want to cause a corps member meltdown....
Yesterday, after surviving possibly the worst day of school so far-complete with not one, but two temper tantrums, both of which involved screaming, crying, and kicking things-I came home to my apartment at about 7:30 pm ready to crank away on my work.
I was feeling good, on top of things. Ya, there were two ridiculous tantrums, but I survived them. And, I'd had an incredibly productive Sunday! I had actually created all of my lesson plans for the week-first time all year. All I needed to do was get home and plan for my yearly one-to-one meeting with my principal that was happening the next day. Should be a piece of cake...I have my data, I have my tracking tools, I know where I want my students to be...I just have to type it all out, print out all the beautiful excel trackers I've created...it'll be great.
So I come home and am chatting it up with my roommate as I'm looking for my beautiful laptop with all of my beautiful pre-created lesson plans and beautiful pre-created trackers...and then I ask..."Hey do you know where my computer is? It was sitting right here on the coffee table"
She stops, turns around, and quickly goes to her room saying, "you know what I think happened...I think my friend took your laptop by mistake earlier today."
"Where does she live?"
"...Brooklyn"
2 hours, a nervous breakdown, and 20 missed calls to the poor girl who stole my laptop later, my computer was back in my loving arms.
Moral: Don't ever fucking steal a corps member's laptop.
I was feeling good, on top of things. Ya, there were two ridiculous tantrums, but I survived them. And, I'd had an incredibly productive Sunday! I had actually created all of my lesson plans for the week-first time all year. All I needed to do was get home and plan for my yearly one-to-one meeting with my principal that was happening the next day. Should be a piece of cake...I have my data, I have my tracking tools, I know where I want my students to be...I just have to type it all out, print out all the beautiful excel trackers I've created...it'll be great.
So I come home and am chatting it up with my roommate as I'm looking for my beautiful laptop with all of my beautiful pre-created lesson plans and beautiful pre-created trackers...and then I ask..."Hey do you know where my computer is? It was sitting right here on the coffee table"
She stops, turns around, and quickly goes to her room saying, "you know what I think happened...I think my friend took your laptop by mistake earlier today."
"Where does she live?"
"...Brooklyn"
2 hours, a nervous breakdown, and 20 missed calls to the poor girl who stole my laptop later, my computer was back in my loving arms.
Moral: Don't ever fucking steal a corps member's laptop.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
A fifth grader's thoughts on Social Security
My second priorities is socials security, I pick this prioritie because we don't want people to get hurt and stuff like that, we don't want people to do bad things. For example, what if a person go's in your house and you don't have social security, so the person steels from you and you can't do nothing about it. What are you go to do?
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
A Milestone
A lot of folks have been asking me to blog or talk about life as a teacher. The truth is, most of the time I don't know where to begin. I spend 10 plus hours in my classroom every day, and could probably write novels about each day and the feelings that I have to unpack and sort through when I get home, that is, in between creating my lesson plans and grading papers. Without having time to properly reflect on each day in my own head, it's a challenge to try to articulate any of it in blog form and to friends.
Forgive me.
But, today it is time to blog about something incredible that happened.
A bit of background. Every few weeks, I give each of my students a reading test to measure their reading progress. The first round of these that I did felt like someone was perpetually slapping me across the face. Yes, I had heard over and over that my students may be well below grade level, but to SEE it and HEAR it in MY students is something very very different.
The first week of school, one of my lowest-level reading students tested at a "K" level. A K is equivalent to about an early second grade level?
And yes, I teach 5th grade.
So her and I had a reality check conversation, set our end of the year goals, and set our daily goals for what exactly she needed to do to reach her first of 6 benchmarks in order to meet her goal.
Today I tested her again. She whizzed passed the K, proudly read through the L, and confidently read at a solid M level until our time ran out, and I had to tell her that we'd have to wait to try the N tomorrow. She looked like she was about to cry, grabbed her goal tracker and ran out the door (with permission) to show the principal all of the growth that she was able to make in one month.
Today was the first day that I saw, heard and felt the tangible results we achieved together for all of our hard work this past month.
It has made why I do what I do so much more real.
Forgive me.
But, today it is time to blog about something incredible that happened.
A bit of background. Every few weeks, I give each of my students a reading test to measure their reading progress. The first round of these that I did felt like someone was perpetually slapping me across the face. Yes, I had heard over and over that my students may be well below grade level, but to SEE it and HEAR it in MY students is something very very different.
The first week of school, one of my lowest-level reading students tested at a "K" level. A K is equivalent to about an early second grade level?
And yes, I teach 5th grade.
So her and I had a reality check conversation, set our end of the year goals, and set our daily goals for what exactly she needed to do to reach her first of 6 benchmarks in order to meet her goal.
Today I tested her again. She whizzed passed the K, proudly read through the L, and confidently read at a solid M level until our time ran out, and I had to tell her that we'd have to wait to try the N tomorrow. She looked like she was about to cry, grabbed her goal tracker and ran out the door (with permission) to show the principal all of the growth that she was able to make in one month.
Today was the first day that I saw, heard and felt the tangible results we achieved together for all of our hard work this past month.
It has made why I do what I do so much more real.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
CNN commentary: So what if Obama we a Muslim or an Arab?
By Campbell Brown
CNN
Editor's note: Campbell Brown anchors CNN's "Campbell Brown: Election Center" at 8 p.m. ET Mondays through Fridays. She delivered this commentary during the "Cutting through the Bull" segment of Monday night's broadcast.NEW YORK (CNN) -- You may find it hard to believe that this remains an issue in this campaign, but it does.
The candidates, both candidates, are still getting questions about Barack Obama's ethnicity and religion. If you are even semi-informed, then by now you already know that of course, Barack Obama is an American.
Of course, Barack Obama is a Christian. Yet just a few days ago, there was a woman at a rally for John McCain incorrectly calling Obama an Arab:
Woman at rally: I don't trust Obama. I have read about him and he's an Arab.
Sen. John McCain: No ma'am, no ma'am. He's a decent family man, citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues. That's what this campaign is all about. He's not, thank you.
Now, I commend Sen. McCain for correcting that woman, for setting the record straight. But I do have one question -- so what if he was?
So what if Obama was Arab or Muslim? So what if John McCain was Arab or Muslim? Would it matter?
When did that become a disqualifier for higher office in our country? When did Arab and Muslim become dirty words? The equivalent of dishonorable or radical?
Whenever this gets raised, the implication is that there is something wrong with being an Arab-American or a Muslim. And the media is complicit here, too. »
We've all been too quick to accept the idea that calling someone Muslim is a slur.
I feel like I am stating the obvious here, but apparently it needs to be said: There is a difference between radical Muslims who support jihad against America and Muslims who want to practice their religion freely and have normal lives like anyone else.
There are more than 1.2 million Arab-Americans and about 7 million Muslim-Americans, former Cabinet secretaries, members of Congress, successful business people, normal average Americans from all walks of life.
These are the people being maligned here, and we can only imagine how this conversation plays in the Muslim world. We can't tolerate this ignorance -- not in the media, not on the campaign trail.
advertisement
Of course, he's not an Arab. Of course, he's not a Muslim. But honestly, it shouldn't matter.
CNN
Editor's note: Campbell Brown anchors CNN's "Campbell Brown: Election Center" at 8 p.m. ET Mondays through Fridays. She delivered this commentary during the "Cutting through the Bull" segment of Monday night's broadcast.NEW YORK (CNN) -- You may find it hard to believe that this remains an issue in this campaign, but it does.
The candidates, both candidates, are still getting questions about Barack Obama's ethnicity and religion. If you are even semi-informed, then by now you already know that of course, Barack Obama is an American.
Of course, Barack Obama is a Christian. Yet just a few days ago, there was a woman at a rally for John McCain incorrectly calling Obama an Arab:
Woman at rally: I don't trust Obama. I have read about him and he's an Arab.
Sen. John McCain: No ma'am, no ma'am. He's a decent family man, citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues. That's what this campaign is all about. He's not, thank you.
Now, I commend Sen. McCain for correcting that woman, for setting the record straight. But I do have one question -- so what if he was?
So what if Obama was Arab or Muslim? So what if John McCain was Arab or Muslim? Would it matter?
When did that become a disqualifier for higher office in our country? When did Arab and Muslim become dirty words? The equivalent of dishonorable or radical?
Whenever this gets raised, the implication is that there is something wrong with being an Arab-American or a Muslim. And the media is complicit here, too. »
We've all been too quick to accept the idea that calling someone Muslim is a slur.
I feel like I am stating the obvious here, but apparently it needs to be said: There is a difference between radical Muslims who support jihad against America and Muslims who want to practice their religion freely and have normal lives like anyone else.
There are more than 1.2 million Arab-Americans and about 7 million Muslim-Americans, former Cabinet secretaries, members of Congress, successful business people, normal average Americans from all walks of life.
These are the people being maligned here, and we can only imagine how this conversation plays in the Muslim world. We can't tolerate this ignorance -- not in the media, not on the campaign trail.
advertisement
Of course, he's not an Arab. Of course, he's not a Muslim. But honestly, it shouldn't matter.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Author of the Kite Runner's Wash Post Article:
McCain and Palin Are Playing With Fire
By Khaled Hosseini
Sunday, October 12, 2008; Page B05
I prefer to discuss politics through my novels, but I am truly dismayed these days. Twice last week alone, speakers at McCain-Palin rallies have referred to Sen. Barack Obama, with unveiled scorn, as Barack Hussein Obama. Never mind that this evokes -- and brazenly tries to resurrect -- the unsavory, cruel days of our past that we thought we had left behind.
Never mind that such jeers are deeply offensive to millions of peaceful, law-abiding Muslim Americans who must bear the unveiled charge, made by some supporters of Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin, that Obama's middle name makes him someone to distrust -- and, judging by some of the crowd reactions at these rallies, someone to persecute or even kill. As a secular Muslim, I too was offended. Obama's middle name differs from my last name by only two vowels. Does the McCain-Palin campaign view me as a pariah too? Do McCain and Palin think there's something wrong with my name?
But never mind any of that.
The real affront is the lack of firm response from either McCain or Palin. Neither has had the moral courage, when taking the stage, to grasp the microphone, turn to the presenter and, right then and there, denounce the use of Obama's middle name as an insult. Instead, they have simply delivered their stump speeches, lacing into Obama as if nothing out-of-bounds had just happened. The McCain-Palin ticket has given toxic speeches accusing Obama of being a friend of terrorists, then released short, meek repudiations of some of the rough stuff, including McCain's call Friday to "be respectful." Back in February, the Arizona senator apologized for the "disparaging remarks" from a talk-radio host who sneered repeatedly about "Barack Hussein Obama" before a McCain rally. "We will have a respectful debate," McCain insisted afterward. But pretending to douse flames that you are busy fanning does not qualify as straight talk.
What I find most unconscionable is the refusal of the McCain-Palin tandem to publicly condemn the cries of "traitor," "liar," "terrorist" and (worst of all) "kill him!" that could be heard at recent rallies. McCain is perfectly capable of telling hecklers off. But not once did he or his running mate bother to admonish the people yelling these obscene -- and potentially dangerous -- words. They may not have been able to hear the slurs at the rallies, but surely they have had ample time since to get on camera and warn that this sort of ugliness has no place in an election season. But they have not. Simply calling Obama "a decent person" is not enough.
Is inaction tantamount to consent? The McCain campaign certainly thinks so when it comes to Obama and incendiary remarks from the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. By their own inaction, then, are McCain and Palin condoning these slurs? Or worse, are they willfully inciting the angry and venomous response that we have been witnessing at their rallies? If not, then what reaction are they hoping to evoke by their relentless public suggestions that Obama is basically an anti-American liar who won't put "country first" and has an affection for terrorists? Do they not understand the kind of fire they are playing with?
I -- and, I suspect, millions of Americans like me, Republicans and Democrats alike -- couldn't care less about Obama's middle name or the ridiculous six-degrees-of-separation game that is the William Ayers non-issue. The Taliban are clawing their way back in Afghanistan, the country that I hope many of my fellow Americans have come to understand better through my novels. People are losing their homes and their jobs and are watching the future slip away from them. But instead of addressing these problems, the McCain-Palin ticket is doing its best to distract Americans by provoking fear, anxiety and hatred. Country first? Hardly.
Khaled Hosseini is the author of "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns."
By Khaled Hosseini
Sunday, October 12, 2008; Page B05
I prefer to discuss politics through my novels, but I am truly dismayed these days. Twice last week alone, speakers at McCain-Palin rallies have referred to Sen. Barack Obama, with unveiled scorn, as Barack Hussein Obama. Never mind that this evokes -- and brazenly tries to resurrect -- the unsavory, cruel days of our past that we thought we had left behind.
Never mind that such jeers are deeply offensive to millions of peaceful, law-abiding Muslim Americans who must bear the unveiled charge, made by some supporters of Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin, that Obama's middle name makes him someone to distrust -- and, judging by some of the crowd reactions at these rallies, someone to persecute or even kill. As a secular Muslim, I too was offended. Obama's middle name differs from my last name by only two vowels. Does the McCain-Palin campaign view me as a pariah too? Do McCain and Palin think there's something wrong with my name?
But never mind any of that.
The real affront is the lack of firm response from either McCain or Palin. Neither has had the moral courage, when taking the stage, to grasp the microphone, turn to the presenter and, right then and there, denounce the use of Obama's middle name as an insult. Instead, they have simply delivered their stump speeches, lacing into Obama as if nothing out-of-bounds had just happened. The McCain-Palin ticket has given toxic speeches accusing Obama of being a friend of terrorists, then released short, meek repudiations of some of the rough stuff, including McCain's call Friday to "be respectful." Back in February, the Arizona senator apologized for the "disparaging remarks" from a talk-radio host who sneered repeatedly about "Barack Hussein Obama" before a McCain rally. "We will have a respectful debate," McCain insisted afterward. But pretending to douse flames that you are busy fanning does not qualify as straight talk.
What I find most unconscionable is the refusal of the McCain-Palin tandem to publicly condemn the cries of "traitor," "liar," "terrorist" and (worst of all) "kill him!" that could be heard at recent rallies. McCain is perfectly capable of telling hecklers off. But not once did he or his running mate bother to admonish the people yelling these obscene -- and potentially dangerous -- words. They may not have been able to hear the slurs at the rallies, but surely they have had ample time since to get on camera and warn that this sort of ugliness has no place in an election season. But they have not. Simply calling Obama "a decent person" is not enough.
Is inaction tantamount to consent? The McCain campaign certainly thinks so when it comes to Obama and incendiary remarks from the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. By their own inaction, then, are McCain and Palin condoning these slurs? Or worse, are they willfully inciting the angry and venomous response that we have been witnessing at their rallies? If not, then what reaction are they hoping to evoke by their relentless public suggestions that Obama is basically an anti-American liar who won't put "country first" and has an affection for terrorists? Do they not understand the kind of fire they are playing with?
I -- and, I suspect, millions of Americans like me, Republicans and Democrats alike -- couldn't care less about Obama's middle name or the ridiculous six-degrees-of-separation game that is the William Ayers non-issue. The Taliban are clawing their way back in Afghanistan, the country that I hope many of my fellow Americans have come to understand better through my novels. People are losing their homes and their jobs and are watching the future slip away from them. But instead of addressing these problems, the McCain-Palin ticket is doing its best to distract Americans by provoking fear, anxiety and hatred. Country first? Hardly.
Khaled Hosseini is the author of "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns."
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Parent Calls
So far I've spoken to the parents of three students.
My first phone call was in English
My second was in Spanish.
My third was in Arabic.
I love my job.
My first phone call was in English
My second was in Spanish.
My third was in Arabic.
I love my job.
Monday, August 25, 2008
First steps in my classroom
Today was my first real day in my classroom at my school, and the clearest description of my initial sentiments was...overwhelmed.
I was overwhelmed by the fact the the teacher who just retired after 22 years left me all of his possessions.
All. Of. Them.
Piles and piles and piles and piles of books, text books, test prep books, old wrapping paper, old bulletin board paper, old loose-leaf paper, old student work, old student notebooks, old art projects, glittery snowflakes whose glitter is no longer on the snowflakes but rather at the bottom of my bookshelves/ And, did I mention piles and piles of books?
Walking into my classroom I didn't really know where to begin. There were mismatched desks set up in clean rows waiting to be molded in the way that I chose, shelves and shelves of books waiting to be sorted through, and of course, the dreaded cabinets with unknown belongings and the possibilities of animal droppings waited to be peeked in.
After getting over the initial shock of just how much work setting up my classroom would actually take, I realized that I actually am really lucky. I am LUCKY that I have a school with books! Some schools don't have ANY books! I am SO LUCKY that my library is leveled...many of my TFA friends have had to level their libraries from scratch! I am even MORE lucky that my literacy coach and other new teacher coaches spent hours of their lives this summer sorting through the learning lounge where even MORE leveled books exist. I am LUCKY to have piles of materials to sort through and keep, lucky to have a smart board in my classroom, and yes, I am lucky enough to have a beautifully air-conditioned room.
I am also so appreciative of the staff at my school. They are all REALLY helpful and doing just about everything they can to make us new teachers feel a part of the team and that the work ahead of us is manageable. I didn't go more than 20 minutes today without a fellow teacher peaking his or her head in, and actually spent a good chunk of time poking my head into the fourth bilingual grade classroom across the hall and asking for advice on just where my centers should go and just how I should arrange my desks, which just turned into him helping me move all of my desks around for about 40 minutes. Our new teacher mentors were just wonderful and would drop by to help us move bookshelves, desks, rugs, chairs, and whatever else. My fellow fifth grade teachers are also fantastic people and I know that I can and I will be leaning on them for a lot of support this year.
Basically, although I'm overwhelmed with the mountain of work that is ahead of me in the next few days (and I suppose the next two years), I am starting to realize just how lucky I am to be working at my school.
Tomorrow, Sydney and Izaz take on my classroom with me. three people to tackle the mountain of my classroom is certainly better than one...
I was overwhelmed by the fact the the teacher who just retired after 22 years left me all of his possessions.
All. Of. Them.
Piles and piles and piles and piles of books, text books, test prep books, old wrapping paper, old bulletin board paper, old loose-leaf paper, old student work, old student notebooks, old art projects, glittery snowflakes whose glitter is no longer on the snowflakes but rather at the bottom of my bookshelves/ And, did I mention piles and piles of books?
Walking into my classroom I didn't really know where to begin. There were mismatched desks set up in clean rows waiting to be molded in the way that I chose, shelves and shelves of books waiting to be sorted through, and of course, the dreaded cabinets with unknown belongings and the possibilities of animal droppings waited to be peeked in.
After getting over the initial shock of just how much work setting up my classroom would actually take, I realized that I actually am really lucky. I am LUCKY that I have a school with books! Some schools don't have ANY books! I am SO LUCKY that my library is leveled...many of my TFA friends have had to level their libraries from scratch! I am even MORE lucky that my literacy coach and other new teacher coaches spent hours of their lives this summer sorting through the learning lounge where even MORE leveled books exist. I am LUCKY to have piles of materials to sort through and keep, lucky to have a smart board in my classroom, and yes, I am lucky enough to have a beautifully air-conditioned room.
I am also so appreciative of the staff at my school. They are all REALLY helpful and doing just about everything they can to make us new teachers feel a part of the team and that the work ahead of us is manageable. I didn't go more than 20 minutes today without a fellow teacher peaking his or her head in, and actually spent a good chunk of time poking my head into the fourth bilingual grade classroom across the hall and asking for advice on just where my centers should go and just how I should arrange my desks, which just turned into him helping me move all of my desks around for about 40 minutes. Our new teacher mentors were just wonderful and would drop by to help us move bookshelves, desks, rugs, chairs, and whatever else. My fellow fifth grade teachers are also fantastic people and I know that I can and I will be leaning on them for a lot of support this year.
Basically, although I'm overwhelmed with the mountain of work that is ahead of me in the next few days (and I suppose the next two years), I am starting to realize just how lucky I am to be working at my school.
Tomorrow, Sydney and Izaz take on my classroom with me. three people to tackle the mountain of my classroom is certainly better than one...
Friday, July 11, 2008
I'm a teacher
I'm officially a teacher. On Monday, my 4 person collaborative group and I met and taught the 17 beautiful second-graders we are teaching this summer, and meeting them and working with them makes why I am here and doing what I am doing so tangible.
It's hard, I'm not going to sugar coat it. I get up at 5 every day, on the bus at 6:15, and don't get back to campus until 5. I work on lessons as soon as I get back, and sometimes I have sessions at night. We have our rough drafts for the following week due along with our final drafts and prep materials for the following day lesson, so there's always something to be done and never a stopping point. I haven't gone to bed before 12:30 any night, with the more likely sleeping time has been 1 or 2. That is an average of 3 to 4 hours of sleep a night, and by Thursday afternoon I am delirious.
We teach one subject each week, and then rotate the next. This week I taught math, and next I will be teaching a morning block of phonics and interactive writing. When we're not teaching, we're learning through curriculum and literacy lessons, corps member adviser sessions, or lesson plan creation at our school sites. Lunches are generally working lunches.
We get observed once a week, and I have never seen a better way of giving feedback than the TFA way. My adviser basically watches my class and writes down practically everything I say and do and then everything the students say/do in response, making the feedback debrief probably the most useful thing I've ever received. I can target the areas I need to work on with such precision because of this process, and am so excited at how clearly I can see my areas for improvement and the steps I need to take to work on them. I'm guessing this will make my learning curve high, and I can already see huge progress in my lessons and in my execution in the classroom.
It's hard, and I love every minute (except the bus ride). I don't even want to think about how tired I will be in 2 weeks, but I never dread waking up in the morning, and as soon as I see my kids, all my energy rushes back and I just get caught up in their bubbling excitement.
Kyle, we'll see if I get to blog again. It's doubtful.
It's hard, I'm not going to sugar coat it. I get up at 5 every day, on the bus at 6:15, and don't get back to campus until 5. I work on lessons as soon as I get back, and sometimes I have sessions at night. We have our rough drafts for the following week due along with our final drafts and prep materials for the following day lesson, so there's always something to be done and never a stopping point. I haven't gone to bed before 12:30 any night, with the more likely sleeping time has been 1 or 2. That is an average of 3 to 4 hours of sleep a night, and by Thursday afternoon I am delirious.
We teach one subject each week, and then rotate the next. This week I taught math, and next I will be teaching a morning block of phonics and interactive writing. When we're not teaching, we're learning through curriculum and literacy lessons, corps member adviser sessions, or lesson plan creation at our school sites. Lunches are generally working lunches.
We get observed once a week, and I have never seen a better way of giving feedback than the TFA way. My adviser basically watches my class and writes down practically everything I say and do and then everything the students say/do in response, making the feedback debrief probably the most useful thing I've ever received. I can target the areas I need to work on with such precision because of this process, and am so excited at how clearly I can see my areas for improvement and the steps I need to take to work on them. I'm guessing this will make my learning curve high, and I can already see huge progress in my lessons and in my execution in the classroom.
It's hard, and I love every minute (except the bus ride). I don't even want to think about how tired I will be in 2 weeks, but I never dread waking up in the morning, and as soon as I see my kids, all my energy rushes back and I just get caught up in their bubbling excitement.
Kyle, we'll see if I get to blog again. It's doubtful.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Queens
I'm all moved into my dorm room in Queens and it feels like freshman year all over again, except that most of the people I'm meeting are actually really awesome and with super interesting stories.
I live in a suite with 10 girls. We share a common living space and a half kitchen. I live in a triple with two girls, one from Chicago that went to Michigan and one from Jersey that went to Rutgers. We share a bathroom with the double room next door.
Yesterday I got here after spending a relaxing Saturday and Sunday afternoon with some of my favorite people ever. I arrived to 550 corp members going through 10 stations of paperwork, fingerprinting, etc. Very organized and very overwhelming. It was so so great to see familiar faces amongst the crowds, and especially to see Ms. Katy Hayes at the laundry station after a 2 week hiatus.
I guess it finally hit me that I'm doing this, like...for real, during our official welcome last night. I got butterflies and was like ooooooooh mannnn. I've been waiting for that to catch up with me.
This week is nice. We have a few days to get settled before the real work begins next week, and for that I am grateful. Today I will make a target run, perhaps go see our beautiful new apartment, and open a checking account. I got a little preview of my new neighborhood yesterday, and it made me so happy.
More updates to come. Miss everyone. A lot.
I live in a suite with 10 girls. We share a common living space and a half kitchen. I live in a triple with two girls, one from Chicago that went to Michigan and one from Jersey that went to Rutgers. We share a bathroom with the double room next door.
Yesterday I got here after spending a relaxing Saturday and Sunday afternoon with some of my favorite people ever. I arrived to 550 corp members going through 10 stations of paperwork, fingerprinting, etc. Very organized and very overwhelming. It was so so great to see familiar faces amongst the crowds, and especially to see Ms. Katy Hayes at the laundry station after a 2 week hiatus.
I guess it finally hit me that I'm doing this, like...for real, during our official welcome last night. I got butterflies and was like ooooooooh mannnn. I've been waiting for that to catch up with me.
This week is nice. We have a few days to get settled before the real work begins next week, and for that I am grateful. Today I will make a target run, perhaps go see our beautiful new apartment, and open a checking account. I got a little preview of my new neighborhood yesterday, and it made me so happy.
More updates to come. Miss everyone. A lot.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Black Sand Beaches
Sunkissed and smiling ear to ear after spending the day on black sand beaches in El Salvador. Me encanta la vida.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
El Salvador
The lonely planet has never scared me prior to going to a country. It scared me last night before we hopped on a bus to El Salvador.
Luckily, a few lovely AIESECers picked up, and our last adventure begins.
Oh, and we saw some dudes carrying machetes. Awesome.
Luckily, a few lovely AIESECers picked up, and our last adventure begins.
Oh, and we saw some dudes carrying machetes. Awesome.