Live. Love. Laugh.
That's what is embroidered on Noreen's throw pillow on our couch. I'm thinking personalized throw pillows could be big this year.
It is late afternoon and sunny in Berkeley. I'm typing this from my room looking out into the living room looking out at the hills. Very pretty. Let's work backwards. I just got home and ate a soy corn dog from Trader Joe's. I bought 2 boxes. I will kill them by the end of the week for sure. Caught up with Noreen about our weekends, found out she's going to be a Geisha for Halloween and that is why there is a Kimono in our foyer, discussed the new facebook thing and how it is weird and freaks us out, admired how beautiful the apartment looks after I vaccumed, and discussed how I will try a veggie dog at Top Dog tomorrow because I'm really just into all kids of dogs.
My commute seems to be getting shorter or I need to stop driving so fast, I dunno. I made it back to Berkeley after work today in 25 minutes and was planning (as I have been for the last 2 weeks) to get my residential parking permit. BUT, I left the paperwork at home, THEREFORE, I took my chances at the 2 hour parking where I normally park there for 4 hours without getting ticketed (knock on wood). So far parking is the only thing yet to fail me. I have found that I am blowing out the speakers in my car because to relieve my stress of the day I turn the radio on as loud as possible and scream into the steering wheel. It's a sight I'm sure. Soon I will begin on my long list of Books-On-Tape. I'll read more this year than I did in college. NOTE: It is very weird referring to college in the past tense and I try to avoid it at all costs.
Before I left Vallejo I stopped for gas at Safeway. It is right next to my school and has the cheapest prices right now. $2.79/gal and it only took me $27 to fill up my car. That was actually pretty exciting. I also bought some bananas, pears, bottled waters and a case of Fresca. I then ran into one of my students (one that is in a gang) and she was hanging out outside Safeway with some friends. Then I said Hi and probably humiliated her...oh well! She's really a good student and doesn't look like she's in a gang. I really am confused about gangs now.
Before I left school I had to call Jose Garcia's parents. This is the second time I have called his mother and the first time I called his Dad. Neither answered the phone (thank god) but this time I wrote a script on my whiteboard of what to say on the answering machine and if they would have answered the phone. It went something like this:
"Hi! My name is Mariam Al-Shawaf and I am an English teacher at Franklin middle. I am calling about your student, Jose Garcia...."
This time I left my cellphone number because last time the Mom never called me back. They say not to give out your cell number but really I don't care. Kid's on my last nerve.
Before I called Jose I erased my whiteboard for the day (it's kind of theraputic to see the day just vanish under the eraser, I like it) and wrote the new date on the board, tomorrows journal entry # and the giant test I am giving them on friday that I am praying they do not fail.
To 5th and 6th period. What USED to be my favorite class of the day because they USED to keep their mouths closed when I was giving directions...teachers are serious when they refer to the first 2 weeks of school as the "Honeymoon period." Last friday they were terrors. And really I have a lot of patience with kids and give them the benefit of the doubt whenever possible. But I had tried really hard to make grammar less boring for them and made Grammar Jeopardy and that they even had the nerve to talk incessantly pissed me off. And basically I told them that on friday after leaving completely shutdown and doubting whether I could really handle this job right now.
Over the weekend I went home for a day to visit my Mom b/c she's all alone at the house right now and she gave me this book called "The Essential 55" by Ron Clark. They just made a movie about him. He was a young teacher who did great, unconventional things in the south and Harlem. At this point I had asked fellow teachers for some tips but everyone does things differently and so I had to figure out what was going to work for me and what was not. So I read this book and I hope one day I get to meet this Ron Clark because he has great ideas. At first I thought that I could have all my own teaching ideas and methodologies, but really I don't know that much about teaching. I know a lot more now but I'm still learning a lot and at this school there are so many people willing to help me that it's great support. But I really got into this book. I tweaked his discipline procedures slightly because he was dealing with the 5th grade, and they look something like this:
Name on Board: Warning
1 Check: Lunch with me. No talking.
2 Checks: Call home/extra homework
3 Checks: After-school detention/Letter home
4 Checks: Parent/Teacher conference
5 Checks: Don't go there...
If someone would have told me I'd have a discipline procedure let alone a plan I'd have laughed at them. As I did up until this past weekend. But 7th graders are not mature. They do not have self-control and they need just as much structure as elementary school kids. This has come as a shock to me. I am not a discipline-type person and I hate having to be mean and stict and all that. I have changed so much is that respect since I started teaching. I refuse to take any crap from these kids. I let them talk, we laugh, but sometimes it gets out of hand.
So today was a breakthrough. I announced the new plan. We wrote a journal entry on self-control and talked about it. When kids talked I wrote their names on the board (I was impressed with myself that I followed through with that, but I had to) and then people shut up. It was silent today. I had scared the shit out of them. Not to mention they also had a discipline assembly (I LOVE assembly days just as much as I loved them as a kid...no class!) and I sat in with the kids while the other teachers stood off to the side. Our principal is VERY strict and no-nonsense and she had ME freaked out. She asked all the kids to sit up straight and I straightened up so fast and couldn't take my eyes off her. Later, our principal, Ms. Golden, introduced all the staff and I actually had my own mini cheering section when she called my name. That was pretty cool.
During my lunch/4th period prep me and another teacher began switching classrooms. Mine is a very large science room and just too big. It's not condusive to discussions like this other room is that I'm switching into. Plus this lady is a science teacher, so yeah. But now that just means I have to re-do everything before Back-To-School Night...which is currently terrifying me but that's for another day.
3rd period got the same speech as 5th/6th period and they are suppose to be my smart class! But things went very well in that class too. There is this kid Raymond that I am concerned about. He does his work and doesn't disrupt class really. He's just kind of a freak. I worry that he's going to be a social outcast when he gets to high school. He keeps making these cone-shaped fingers out of paper and wearing them to class. He does have friends. They're kinda weird kids too. But they give me something to laugh at so I let them be weird.
1st and 2nd period. They have the worst behavior, but they have some of the best kids. I think that's what makes them so entertaining and fun, but at the same time hard to handle. Jose is in this class and so lots of the problems, sadly, fall on him. He is going to be placed in an opportunity class at the end of the month, but for now I am being told to "deal with him." Basically Jose and I are going to be spending a lot of lunches together this month. There is this kid Darrell and he is one of my favorites. He dances for me in class, does great impressions of gangsters in movies, and still likes me even when I come down on him. I respect the kid a lot. There are a lot of stories I'd like to tell in here but they are better told in person because of the ebonics factor that goes along with it. But this one time Darrell was trying to explain plot to the class through this movie, something like Menace to Society or something and he went on for about 10 minutes without anyone stopping him. I couldn't stop laughing and the class had seen it to so they'd all jump in saying
"Den she'd fight a man cause he slept with another woman and her baby's daddy done given him the drugs..."
"BANG BANG BANG then he'd shoot 'em and take the money that his motherf-ing..."
I had to stop it there. But it was hilarious.
The short and long of it is that school is going right now. Not good or bad really, just kinda moving at a swift pace. My kids can't really write sentences let alone paragraphs so we are behind to say the least. But all the other teachers seem to be in the same boat. I'm trying my best right now to balance out work and my own time. It's really hard and some days are easier than others, but it's gotten better now that I am getting more of a hold on things. There are days though when I am just so glad to get home, then I open the door and there is a dead mouse in the trap...so I mean "going with the flow" has really developed a whole new meaning for me. Now it is time for my daily Berkeley stroll so I can say that I do actually live here.
XOXO
Spoon
It is late afternoon and sunny in Berkeley. I'm typing this from my room looking out into the living room looking out at the hills. Very pretty. Let's work backwards. I just got home and ate a soy corn dog from Trader Joe's. I bought 2 boxes. I will kill them by the end of the week for sure. Caught up with Noreen about our weekends, found out she's going to be a Geisha for Halloween and that is why there is a Kimono in our foyer, discussed the new facebook thing and how it is weird and freaks us out, admired how beautiful the apartment looks after I vaccumed, and discussed how I will try a veggie dog at Top Dog tomorrow because I'm really just into all kids of dogs.
My commute seems to be getting shorter or I need to stop driving so fast, I dunno. I made it back to Berkeley after work today in 25 minutes and was planning (as I have been for the last 2 weeks) to get my residential parking permit. BUT, I left the paperwork at home, THEREFORE, I took my chances at the 2 hour parking where I normally park there for 4 hours without getting ticketed (knock on wood). So far parking is the only thing yet to fail me. I have found that I am blowing out the speakers in my car because to relieve my stress of the day I turn the radio on as loud as possible and scream into the steering wheel. It's a sight I'm sure. Soon I will begin on my long list of Books-On-Tape. I'll read more this year than I did in college. NOTE: It is very weird referring to college in the past tense and I try to avoid it at all costs.
Before I left Vallejo I stopped for gas at Safeway. It is right next to my school and has the cheapest prices right now. $2.79/gal and it only took me $27 to fill up my car. That was actually pretty exciting. I also bought some bananas, pears, bottled waters and a case of Fresca. I then ran into one of my students (one that is in a gang) and she was hanging out outside Safeway with some friends. Then I said Hi and probably humiliated her...oh well! She's really a good student and doesn't look like she's in a gang. I really am confused about gangs now.
Before I left school I had to call Jose Garcia's parents. This is the second time I have called his mother and the first time I called his Dad. Neither answered the phone (thank god) but this time I wrote a script on my whiteboard of what to say on the answering machine and if they would have answered the phone. It went something like this:
"Hi! My name is Mariam Al-Shawaf and I am an English teacher at Franklin middle. I am calling about your student, Jose Garcia...."
This time I left my cellphone number because last time the Mom never called me back. They say not to give out your cell number but really I don't care. Kid's on my last nerve.
Before I called Jose I erased my whiteboard for the day (it's kind of theraputic to see the day just vanish under the eraser, I like it) and wrote the new date on the board, tomorrows journal entry # and the giant test I am giving them on friday that I am praying they do not fail.
To 5th and 6th period. What USED to be my favorite class of the day because they USED to keep their mouths closed when I was giving directions...teachers are serious when they refer to the first 2 weeks of school as the "Honeymoon period." Last friday they were terrors. And really I have a lot of patience with kids and give them the benefit of the doubt whenever possible. But I had tried really hard to make grammar less boring for them and made Grammar Jeopardy and that they even had the nerve to talk incessantly pissed me off. And basically I told them that on friday after leaving completely shutdown and doubting whether I could really handle this job right now.
Over the weekend I went home for a day to visit my Mom b/c she's all alone at the house right now and she gave me this book called "The Essential 55" by Ron Clark. They just made a movie about him. He was a young teacher who did great, unconventional things in the south and Harlem. At this point I had asked fellow teachers for some tips but everyone does things differently and so I had to figure out what was going to work for me and what was not. So I read this book and I hope one day I get to meet this Ron Clark because he has great ideas. At first I thought that I could have all my own teaching ideas and methodologies, but really I don't know that much about teaching. I know a lot more now but I'm still learning a lot and at this school there are so many people willing to help me that it's great support. But I really got into this book. I tweaked his discipline procedures slightly because he was dealing with the 5th grade, and they look something like this:
Name on Board: Warning
1 Check: Lunch with me. No talking.
2 Checks: Call home/extra homework
3 Checks: After-school detention/Letter home
4 Checks: Parent/Teacher conference
5 Checks: Don't go there...
If someone would have told me I'd have a discipline procedure let alone a plan I'd have laughed at them. As I did up until this past weekend. But 7th graders are not mature. They do not have self-control and they need just as much structure as elementary school kids. This has come as a shock to me. I am not a discipline-type person and I hate having to be mean and stict and all that. I have changed so much is that respect since I started teaching. I refuse to take any crap from these kids. I let them talk, we laugh, but sometimes it gets out of hand.
So today was a breakthrough. I announced the new plan. We wrote a journal entry on self-control and talked about it. When kids talked I wrote their names on the board (I was impressed with myself that I followed through with that, but I had to) and then people shut up. It was silent today. I had scared the shit out of them. Not to mention they also had a discipline assembly (I LOVE assembly days just as much as I loved them as a kid...no class!) and I sat in with the kids while the other teachers stood off to the side. Our principal is VERY strict and no-nonsense and she had ME freaked out. She asked all the kids to sit up straight and I straightened up so fast and couldn't take my eyes off her. Later, our principal, Ms. Golden, introduced all the staff and I actually had my own mini cheering section when she called my name. That was pretty cool.
During my lunch/4th period prep me and another teacher began switching classrooms. Mine is a very large science room and just too big. It's not condusive to discussions like this other room is that I'm switching into. Plus this lady is a science teacher, so yeah. But now that just means I have to re-do everything before Back-To-School Night...which is currently terrifying me but that's for another day.
3rd period got the same speech as 5th/6th period and they are suppose to be my smart class! But things went very well in that class too. There is this kid Raymond that I am concerned about. He does his work and doesn't disrupt class really. He's just kind of a freak. I worry that he's going to be a social outcast when he gets to high school. He keeps making these cone-shaped fingers out of paper and wearing them to class. He does have friends. They're kinda weird kids too. But they give me something to laugh at so I let them be weird.
1st and 2nd period. They have the worst behavior, but they have some of the best kids. I think that's what makes them so entertaining and fun, but at the same time hard to handle. Jose is in this class and so lots of the problems, sadly, fall on him. He is going to be placed in an opportunity class at the end of the month, but for now I am being told to "deal with him." Basically Jose and I are going to be spending a lot of lunches together this month. There is this kid Darrell and he is one of my favorites. He dances for me in class, does great impressions of gangsters in movies, and still likes me even when I come down on him. I respect the kid a lot. There are a lot of stories I'd like to tell in here but they are better told in person because of the ebonics factor that goes along with it. But this one time Darrell was trying to explain plot to the class through this movie, something like Menace to Society or something and he went on for about 10 minutes without anyone stopping him. I couldn't stop laughing and the class had seen it to so they'd all jump in saying
"Den she'd fight a man cause he slept with another woman and her baby's daddy done given him the drugs..."
"BANG BANG BANG then he'd shoot 'em and take the money that his motherf-ing..."
I had to stop it there. But it was hilarious.
The short and long of it is that school is going right now. Not good or bad really, just kinda moving at a swift pace. My kids can't really write sentences let alone paragraphs so we are behind to say the least. But all the other teachers seem to be in the same boat. I'm trying my best right now to balance out work and my own time. It's really hard and some days are easier than others, but it's gotten better now that I am getting more of a hold on things. There are days though when I am just so glad to get home, then I open the door and there is a dead mouse in the trap...so I mean "going with the flow" has really developed a whole new meaning for me. Now it is time for my daily Berkeley stroll so I can say that I do actually live here.
XOXO
Spoon