Day 16: Homework: Stay Alive.

I seem to be getting home later and later every day. Tonight, I was out with Matt and Cristi shopping for our secret buddies, children and selves at Target until about 10:30 PM, and Matt and I still had to finish our lesson plans when we got back. It was still worth every second though.

The astounding view from the roof this morning when I was at 7/8 grade recess. Such a gorgeous day.

The vignette bulleted-list style of yesterday's post worked well for me, so I'm going to continue on that route today.
-This morning, at morning meeting, we had a "riff-off" a la Pitch Perfect. Apparently some people didn't realize I actually can sing, judging based on the "oohs" and "ahhs" I heard when I stepped into the ring. ;-P Another teacher has planned a barbecue for the staff in the middle of July and we will be hosting a talent show that evening as well, so maybe I'll get to flex my skills again!

-I need to take a minute to just say that I cannot begin to express how lucky I am to have been assigned Megan as my I.C. She is wonderful in so many ways, abstract and concrete. Her advice about 1-on-1s has made me feel more confident as a teacher these past two days than I have in 1.5 years of working as a teaching fellow. She also stepped up and told our Program Director that my classroom arrangement was completely unsatisfactory, so before next week, I will have individual desks in my room rather than those horrid tables! This morning, she called an impromptu department meeting in between classes to announce that she officially accepted the Assistant Principal position at the wealthier public school she was interviewing at, and none of the four of us could have been more happy for her. She explained that ultimately she feels the best path for her is to start in a wealthier school to build her administrative skills and then transfer them into an underprivileged setting once she feels she is fully prepared. This makes a lot of sense to me and has made me feel better about the self-conscious privilege-checking I have been doing as I consider the possibility of starting my career out in a school that is not necessarily high-need.

Matt, Olivia, Lauren J. and Charlie performing the "Cup Song" from Pitch Perfect at All-School Meeting

-While I was not paying attention during a planning period today, I was jamming out silently to some music on my iPod and Francisco secretly filmed my embarrassing dorky moves and put the video on the teachers' Facebook page. I was honored though, and besides, just yesterday I was told I have "sweet moves" by a fifth grader, so no one else's opinion really matters.

-One of the tactics I have been trying to improve upon is the "warm demander" teaching method, which we lovingly refer to as "firmth" (firm + warmth). I think I used it more effectively than ever before this morning as a few of my students (including one of my advisees!) decided to test my limits by blatantly disobeying our classroom entrance procedure. I put my foot down with strength and confidence which I have never felt in myself before, expressed disappointment without brute anger and then quickly transitioned into a more positive tone to begin class, and the kids responded very well to it. I can feel myself growing every day.

My man Eric, having finished all of his homework early, folding origami using notecards

-In Acting elective today, I led an exercise in which we learned about how to use voices to portray characters and emotions. We listened to audio clips of people speaking and singing and then had to guess what they looked like. We then compared our guesses to what they really looked like. Among the clips I used were Susan Boyle, the homeless radio announcer guy and a short Caucasian Morgan Freeman impression artist. The idea was to show the kids that sometimes there can be a mismatch between looks and sounds, but even if our physicality cannot match a character, if we can use our voices properly, we can still portray them effectively. The kids seemed to really enjoy the activity, and I felt really good about having taught a younger age group for the first time! (Kudos to Lauren for letting me take the lead on this one!)

-After work, Matt and I stuck around and worked on next week's lesson plans until the school closed at 9 PM. We were not alone, and in the process, as the hours ticked by we found ourselves procrastinating more and more. Two of the teachers and I got in a debate over who was the cutest member of One Direction (Niall, duh) and proceeded to rope anyone who would listen into the conversation. We left the building right before the doors locked, in which case we would have been trapped for the evening (thank the Lord we made it out in time!) I walked with Matt and Cristi to Target, belting Taylor Swift songs along the way. Cristi needed to buy snacks for her kids, and we just needed a break. This was a fun trip and a nice way to clear our heads before coming home and plowing through the rest of the work. As Matt and I were approaching our dorm, we saw a $20 bill flying across the street, so we chased it and picked it up. We have not decided what to use it for, but we've agreed it will be some sort of partner-teacher treat to split.

-Shortly after that, when I came in the dorm, I found that there was a package waiting for me at the front desk from Nana and Pop-Pop! It was HUGE, but every single thing in it made me smile profusely. Firstly, Nana included detergent packets and disposable bowls and cups, all of which I had strongly considered buying at Target but opted against (as though I could sense I would not need them!) Secondly, the box included tons of snacks which I have been craving in my long work nights in my dorm. Thirdly, both Nana and Pop-Pop wrote me letters, and Pop-Pop's actually made me tear up a little at the end (though it was probably also fueled by exhaustion, but it truly did mean a great deal to me. Nana and Pop-Pop, if you are reading this, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Because of your generosity, I ended my day with a big smile!)

One of my advisees changed up the homework in our advisory room. I think it's still important to complete.

-The absolute highlight of my day though was my advisory period. Karla was absent today, but my other three kiddos and I had some nice conversations and really started to bond. I credit Eddy with a lot of it; much as he is the most vocal personality among my advisees, he is really stepping up as a leader in our little Crew G family to get Eric and Janice, who are much quieter, to talk and goof around a little (which is acceptable, given the relaxed nature of advisory periods and study hall). He made some fart jokes, which Eric fed off of, and then they both roped Janice into the conversation against her will, although she ended up laughing and enjoying it too.

Shortly after this photo was taken, this was accompanied by drawings.  I did not bother to photograph them. You are welcome.

Sure, these kids still have a lot of room to grow and I need to do a better job at recognizing their needs and addressing them, but at the end of the day, if they want to be the fart-joke crew and it makes them happy...

What I do it for... <3

...well, you know, I'm more than okay with that.

Until next time,
Nate