Enough for now?
I don't have as much time these days to post since I'm not withering away inside a little cubical. This is good news for me, but not so good news for you, my loyal and loving reader.
Last week so many things happened with the kids that it was almost like a montage that should be in an 80's movie about teaching as opposed to actually happening it was almost bizarre. I'll try to run through them quickly, just for the record.
Emily, the good kid gone bad, gone good, gone...pregnant decided to have a "miscarriage". Well everyone at school thinks that's what happened, besides me and the counselor who know the truth. I know it's awful, but I was so proud of her for making that difficult decision and giving herself the opportunity to e awesome. I bought her a turkey sandwich when she told me. Actually a full foot long sub. these are the little things I can do. ...but come to think of it, she actually got herself kicked out of my lass today. Sometimes I feel like we are so close and other times, she is just outright insolent. I'm sure by tomorrow she and I will have everything repaired. She probably can't figure out if she is supposed to be a good girl or a bad girl now and is trying to figure out where she fits. I was trying to ignore this behavior for a long time, but that just didn't work out and ended up becoming too distracting for everyone in class. I've never really kicked a kid out of class before for being disruptive, I try to always work through it, because it seems to me that if a kid is misbehaving, and they get kicked out, they sort of just get what they want...and don't really learn anything for the whole period. But today it was just too much. She got kicked out with TT the girl who got arrested and said she didn't want to get kicked out of school because she'd miss my class. Both of these girls want to be good so often and sometimes they are outright demons. Do you think they are Geminis too?
Tiara and another girl came to my class high and instead of turning them in, which maybe I should have done, I gave them a stern talking to about the situation. See, all that happens when they get caught is that their parents get called - and I happen to know that both of these girls’ parents don't really care. Wouldn't it make more sense if I just showed them that I cared? It seemed to have a really positive impact...and not just on them.
Antonio, the boy who hates me, no longer does and gave me a book of his poetry to bridge the gap. He said he saw how I handled the situation with Tiara and A. Did I mention this boy is very observant?? He said that he could tell I was "for real" and that he could trust me. He told me about how he didn't write poetry for a couple months because he.... oh brace yourself.... couldn’t afford a notebook. He said he usually doesn't talk about stuff like this because he's too proud, but he thought he could tell me. And, he wanted someone to look at his writing and be proud of him for what he had accomplished. He actually is very advanced, uses a large vocabulary and FORM that he copies from other poets!! It's amazing. The journal he gave me must have had 50 poems in it that he works on all the time. I've already known about his background because child services are often at his house and he comes from a broken and abusive home. But its different to read something in a file than to have a kid tell you, because he trusts you. Totally different. Antonio will have unlimited notebooks from me.
Several kids bonded together and demanded that I start a poetry club. We met on Thursday of last week for our first meeting and ten kids showed up and requested assignments and lessons on poetry - What? They talked about field trips and literary magazines and a slam night. I've never seen kids so psyched about something academic. But I kind of roped myself into teaching an extra class, just one that happens to be after school. The principal saw that meeting took place was blown away with how much interest we had (and growing) so he offered me money from his very strict budget to put together a publication by the end of the year. The students cheered when I told them that we were going to have to work really really hard and maybe meet more than once a week if we are going to accomplish all of the goals the outlined. We talked about how teenage poetry is terrible and why and how we can stretch ourselves to avoid as much of that as possible. Their first assignment is to observe and eavesdrop on someone in the subway and write a poem in first person as if they were them - using one metaphor or simile that they've never heard before or believe is incredibly original. They were so excited for an assignment...how can I get my classroom to get this excited??
Today I went to the BODIES exhibit with some of the tenth graders. These sexually active kids didn't know if the penis went into the vagina or the uterus. They didn't know that a baby doesn't grow in the intestines. The exhibit was sufficiently gross enough to maintain their enthusiasm and attention and it spurred fantastic and necessary conversations. Science is amazing.
* please note that all names of students are changed, thank you *
In other news, TIGERSAW came through town with LITTLE WINGS and stayed at my place. We ate hotdogs and crashed like a big sleep over party - the kind of awesome sleepover with unlimited soda. Booyah! In the morning we mastered the invention of "fiziti" a fizzy, hot tea drink. Making a beverage simultaneously hot and carbonated is harder than it seems, let me tell you.
Nic finally got back from Wisconsin. My favorite part of Nic's business trips is that he always sends me a postcard. The most recent one read "J - Maybe our next apt should be near here? Maybe too long a commute? See you soon! - Nicholas" I like that most of these postcards come (and sometimes are mailed) after he arrives back home. My least favorite thing about Nic's business trips is that he's gone for a long time and I can't stand not talking to him everyday. Plus, he knows how to work the DVR and I don't. Read about Nic in my cast of characters: http://liveinloveetc.blogspot.com/
Oh! On Thursday I got to see Adrian at Rififi again, where we did our favorite thing - which is to go see a burlesque show and not actually go in to see the burlesque show. Instead have a drink and wait for it to be over and then get breakfast by ourselves. The breakfast was a bonus this time. Adrian drinks dirty martini's with extra olives. This is funny because Adrian doesn't really drink. You can read about her in my cast of characters, too: http://liveinloveetc.blogspot.com/
Enough for now? Goodnight. Yes, Yes, I love you, too.
Last week so many things happened with the kids that it was almost like a montage that should be in an 80's movie about teaching as opposed to actually happening it was almost bizarre. I'll try to run through them quickly, just for the record.
Emily, the good kid gone bad, gone good, gone...pregnant decided to have a "miscarriage". Well everyone at school thinks that's what happened, besides me and the counselor who know the truth. I know it's awful, but I was so proud of her for making that difficult decision and giving herself the opportunity to e awesome. I bought her a turkey sandwich when she told me. Actually a full foot long sub. these are the little things I can do. ...but come to think of it, she actually got herself kicked out of my lass today. Sometimes I feel like we are so close and other times, she is just outright insolent. I'm sure by tomorrow she and I will have everything repaired. She probably can't figure out if she is supposed to be a good girl or a bad girl now and is trying to figure out where she fits. I was trying to ignore this behavior for a long time, but that just didn't work out and ended up becoming too distracting for everyone in class. I've never really kicked a kid out of class before for being disruptive, I try to always work through it, because it seems to me that if a kid is misbehaving, and they get kicked out, they sort of just get what they want...and don't really learn anything for the whole period. But today it was just too much. She got kicked out with TT the girl who got arrested and said she didn't want to get kicked out of school because she'd miss my class. Both of these girls want to be good so often and sometimes they are outright demons. Do you think they are Geminis too?
Tiara and another girl came to my class high and instead of turning them in, which maybe I should have done, I gave them a stern talking to about the situation. See, all that happens when they get caught is that their parents get called - and I happen to know that both of these girls’ parents don't really care. Wouldn't it make more sense if I just showed them that I cared? It seemed to have a really positive impact...and not just on them.
Antonio, the boy who hates me, no longer does and gave me a book of his poetry to bridge the gap. He said he saw how I handled the situation with Tiara and A. Did I mention this boy is very observant?? He said that he could tell I was "for real" and that he could trust me. He told me about how he didn't write poetry for a couple months because he.... oh brace yourself.... couldn’t afford a notebook. He said he usually doesn't talk about stuff like this because he's too proud, but he thought he could tell me. And, he wanted someone to look at his writing and be proud of him for what he had accomplished. He actually is very advanced, uses a large vocabulary and FORM that he copies from other poets!! It's amazing. The journal he gave me must have had 50 poems in it that he works on all the time. I've already known about his background because child services are often at his house and he comes from a broken and abusive home. But its different to read something in a file than to have a kid tell you, because he trusts you. Totally different. Antonio will have unlimited notebooks from me.
Several kids bonded together and demanded that I start a poetry club. We met on Thursday of last week for our first meeting and ten kids showed up and requested assignments and lessons on poetry - What? They talked about field trips and literary magazines and a slam night. I've never seen kids so psyched about something academic. But I kind of roped myself into teaching an extra class, just one that happens to be after school. The principal saw that meeting took place was blown away with how much interest we had (and growing) so he offered me money from his very strict budget to put together a publication by the end of the year. The students cheered when I told them that we were going to have to work really really hard and maybe meet more than once a week if we are going to accomplish all of the goals the outlined. We talked about how teenage poetry is terrible and why and how we can stretch ourselves to avoid as much of that as possible. Their first assignment is to observe and eavesdrop on someone in the subway and write a poem in first person as if they were them - using one metaphor or simile that they've never heard before or believe is incredibly original. They were so excited for an assignment...how can I get my classroom to get this excited??
Today I went to the BODIES exhibit with some of the tenth graders. These sexually active kids didn't know if the penis went into the vagina or the uterus. They didn't know that a baby doesn't grow in the intestines. The exhibit was sufficiently gross enough to maintain their enthusiasm and attention and it spurred fantastic and necessary conversations. Science is amazing.
* please note that all names of students are changed, thank you *
In other news, TIGERSAW came through town with LITTLE WINGS and stayed at my place. We ate hotdogs and crashed like a big sleep over party - the kind of awesome sleepover with unlimited soda. Booyah! In the morning we mastered the invention of "fiziti" a fizzy, hot tea drink. Making a beverage simultaneously hot and carbonated is harder than it seems, let me tell you.
Nic finally got back from Wisconsin. My favorite part of Nic's business trips is that he always sends me a postcard. The most recent one read "J - Maybe our next apt should be near here? Maybe too long a commute? See you soon! - Nicholas" I like that most of these postcards come (and sometimes are mailed) after he arrives back home. My least favorite thing about Nic's business trips is that he's gone for a long time and I can't stand not talking to him everyday. Plus, he knows how to work the DVR and I don't. Read about Nic in my cast of characters: http://liveinloveetc.blogspot.com/
Oh! On Thursday I got to see Adrian at Rififi again, where we did our favorite thing - which is to go see a burlesque show and not actually go in to see the burlesque show. Instead have a drink and wait for it to be over and then get breakfast by ourselves. The breakfast was a bonus this time. Adrian drinks dirty martini's with extra olives. This is funny because Adrian doesn't really drink. You can read about her in my cast of characters, too: http://liveinloveetc.blogspot.com/
Enough for now? Goodnight. Yes, Yes, I love you, too.
posted by j-e-s-s-i-c-a at 9:56 PM
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