President's Day

During homeroom last Thursday, we discussed what we were going to wear for Valentine's. Red is the right answer in case you were wondering... pink and purple not so much.

So, I quickly steered the conversation to President's Day. I asked them, "What President are you going to dress up as for President's Day?" I got a lot of Lincolns and Washingtons of course, but my favorite response was Benjamin Franklin. I told the kid, "Franklin wasn't a president." He looked at me indignantly and said, "He's on a hundred dollar bill." Which was fairly solid logic. But, we cleared up that misunderstanding.

faculty meeting

I loathe faculty meetings. I noticed that both my team members were absent as were the other 7th grade LA teachers. I felt abandoned... and stupid. Shocking, it was a colossal waste of time. But all was not in vain, there were two classic quotations from our erudite learning coach: 1) "the great autonomy of it all" and 2) "making connections with yourself".

honesty

When I went to pick up my class in the gym this morning, one of my students came up to me with three pips surrounding her. She says, "Hi, Ms. M. Not to be rude, but that is seriously the worst outfit you've worn all year." So, I've been a little self-conscious all day, but she did have a point. It's kind of out there.

even distribution

Whenever there's a discussion about class makeup, the administration says it's random. However, the fact that two of our kids in the past two weeks have been charged with criminal activity, one attempted suicide and our scores at the beginning of the year were 20 points below the school average leads me to believe otherwise. Clearly, my team has been dumped on; and there are days that if I get any teaching done, I'm lucky. I try not to get upset, but look at it as both a mission ground and incentive to apply to other schools and school systems.

the year of git 'er done (get her done)

I'm realizing a month and a half into 2010 that this is the year of rainmaking. I'm being very "pro-active"-- as opposed to "reactive". I've started multiple balls rolling. I envision myself keeping about 4 bowling lanes busy. It's hard work, but I'll get more strikes that way. I realize that in order to get the hotdog on my plate, I'm going to have to fork it and place it on the bun myself (it's a family story involving my brother and uncle). In honor of this insight, I've been sending out resumes and cover letters to schools I want to teach at in lieu of waiting to call me. I've been researching summer adventures, jobs, and schools. It takes a lot of faith and chutzpah because I hate rejection... and there is going to be a lot of impossible going on here. But, I feel I'm gaining a clearer vision of who I am and what I want to do. For instance, I'm taking the writing class, which I'm afraid is a bust, but I'm learning a lot about my hangups about writing and places I really need to grow. The class is helping me realize why my stuff isn't sellable as is. And, I tried a new church this morning instead of settling for the one I've been going to. And, I called a friend when I was feeling lonely, and we went for a lovely, long walk and chatted Calvin, Luther and theology. My life is still full of challenges, but I'm feeling less the victim with these crazy moves. Even with the diastrous romantic experiment of New Year's, I still learned a lot.

Also, the year of git 'er done has made me repeat and use my mom's mantra: "Sometimes, good enough is good enough." The centers aren't perfect, but, regardless, I'm starting them up in two weeks from Friday. I'm going to Richmond next weekend even though it's not a long weekend and I have a ton of work to do (and I'll have fun). I realize I spend way too much time waiting for the ideal, and it's simply not going to happen in this life.

a bust

I had my first drug bust as a teacher yesterday. One of my students, C, got back from a 10-day suspension on Wednesday after the snow days. He was well-rested and raring to go. He was fine on Wednesday; well, he didn't open a book in my class, but he didn't kick anyone or anything. But, come Thursday morning, the School Resource Officer (a police officer who works in the school, short SRO)caught me in the hall around 8:30 to tell me that he'd heard from several students that C had told him that he'd been bragging about bring Jack Daniels to school, but he'd hid it during intramurals on the way to the bathroom. (I didn't tell the officer that I was the one who'd given him permission to leave the gym.) The SRO just told me to be on the look out and to ease drop on conversations.

I came back to my room and C was at his locker waiting for the custodian to unlock it. Apparently, another kid had put his lock on C's locker. But, C lost interest and left his bookbag in my teammate's room. So, when he was off to his class, we decided to search his bookbag. Lo and behold, I found a little Axe bottle in one of the many side pockets. I opened and smelled it; it was whiskey all right.

We decided to take the bottle up to the SRO who smelled to confirm our suspicions. It wasn't cologne. We took it to the principals, and they took it from there. C got charged with illegal substances and a ten-day suspension. He's fast-tracked to the bad kid school.

CD Review: Mat Kearney's City of Black and White

(This was my first assignment for my freelance journalism class.)

My sister Susan is on top of all things new in pop culture because she has to be. It’s her passion… and job. Especially when it comes to music. In the music, nee the coolness department, I used to be an embarrassment to her; then as we matured, I progressed from a project to a challenge, and am now an opportunity. According to her, the work involved in making me cool is the equivalent to a second job. And, for the most part, I’m a willing recipient of her efforts in my coolness makeover.

For the most part… But, even little sisters need some self-respect. So, I resisted her recommendation of Mat Kearney based on the song “Nothing Left to Lose”. I turned the station whenever that song played because of its annoying chorus that reminded me of a preschool rhyme in how it extended the end of each line with an “ee-ee-ee”, demonstrating a serious error in judgment and taste.

However being the wily, persistent marketer she is, Susan slipped a Mat Kearney song onto a mix she sent me. Susan, aware of a) my strong aversion to Mat Kearney’s apparent lameness and b) my weakness for poetic lyrics, chose the perfect song. “What’s A Boy to Do” hooked me with the lines “Guess I’m looking for the right way to do this/ Guess I’m looking for the right things to call pretty” that got lodged in my psyche. It’s as if Mat and I became friends over a cup of coffee and great conversation. My sister is good at what she does.

But, it wasn’t until I bought “City of Black and White” that I became an official Mat Kearney fan. If that yellow CD had been fabric, it would be threadbare. Kearney is also good at what he does. He provided excellent thought-provoking company for my work commute for several months. He has intelligent, introspective lyrics that escape self-absorption. His gaze reaches above the rim of his belly button without coasting down the vapid road to pop.

He extracts the essence of the human condition from the mundane, foregoing sentimentality in order to reach something greater: compassion and connection. For example in “Closer to Love”, he sings, “She got the call today, one out of the grey/ And when the smoke cleared, it took her breath away/she said she didn’t believe, it could happen to me/ I guess we’re all one phone call from our knees/…. And don’t apologize for all the tears you’ve cried/you’ve been way too strong now for all your life….”

Then, with the chorus in “Lifeline”, he redeems the “ee-ee-ee” fiasco with these lyrics: “The world is too big never to ask why/ The answers don’t just fall from the sky/I’m fighting to live and feel alive….” Instead of wallowing with the emo kids in perpetual angst, Kearney wrestles with the black and white in order to grasp hope and meaning. He’s looking for the right thing to call pretty and invites us to join him.