lighting a spark

Roz and Ben Zanders shared stories in a world of possibilities when someone entertains, or even embrace the possibility in an otherwise hopeless situation.

I'm sure you've all had teachers who have lit a spark in your life, one way or another. They have left a warm ember in your heart that you kept within you, and before you know it, it had lit up inside of you and have resided in there, with a steady burn.

Although I'm an English teacher, it was not my favorite subject in school. It was not because I did have excellent teachers, it's just that my Social Studies teachers have always lit a spark in me.


I have always maintained close ties with my first batch of students. Most teachers will never forget the first batch of kids that they taught. On the weekend before my birthday, I saw 3 of my former students, all professionals, all grown up.





It always gives me pride to see them, and how well they have succeeded in life. We talked about their high school days, the laughable moments and the silly stunts they pulled. I look at the man and two ladies and for myself, I wish that from then until my last teaching day, I can light a at least a tiny spark in my students' life.

scratch that...

i'm one of those kids who get very excited about new things. a new kin d of shampoo, new seasoning mix, a new candy flavor, new book.


a new program to create games.... hmmmm.


and so last year in my mythology class, i thought of using scratch. We didn't really get too far with it. I was a bat frustrated because I felt like an idiot most of the time. But then again, I wasn't a student of EDMT yet so it was not natural (yet) for me to get my fingers dancing on the keys to type and search for video tutorials.


I saw the video tutorials about scratch. it was simple enough, but I think someone, if not me, can make an easier and a simpler and ,ore effective video tutorial. My teacher in our Digital Media and Education Applications class have ingrained a standard in me about length and coverage of video tutorial. "keep it short and simple; break it down."


i'm gonna try scratch with my mythology class again. Maybe we'll get farther this year. :)

Here's Showing you what I Know

Wow, This is it, the last day. Unbelievable. No bull, I didn't think I would like this course as much as I do. I love this course, I've learned so much about different aspects of Media Presentation, and I am embarrassed to say that I haven't even seen all of the tech advice my teacher has prepared for us. No excuses, Sir B. I do want to take your course, (I mean audit it) because I think I want to learn more so I can share more with my kids.


In terms of my final media project, I am still undecided as to which media I will use. I have learned though that thoughtful planning and insightful thinking are both beneficial for a good choice. I am comfy with making slide show with audio, but is that the best medium for mt thesis presentation. I'm still not sure.


Here's what I know though. Technology, or media presentation tools in particular have been created to make the teaching and learning experience mire dynamic and engaging. This generation of students are more challenging to engage, and it is up to us, to keep up their interest. It is our responsibility to give them our best so that we can cultivate the best in them. (yes, this is still, no bull doodoo).



I have my first day of camp tomorrow, and I still have last day of school, as in my work, so I can't make it to my first class in camp. I could have easily just asked for a substitute and give my kids some busy work until I can meet them on Tuesday.
BUT...

I want them to feel that I am thinking about them, and I am excited about learning with them.


Paper or plastic"

Eerr, I mean a letter or something else?


I got on my trusty Mac and recorded a laughable video of me talking to them since I can't be with them live.



I used Keynote, got some images off the nest and pasted their URLs, and voila, uploaded it on YouTube.

And oh, this is also to show my latest action figure.


Of course I could've made an a longer video, but then I had to stop myself and assess the situation. I just want to introduce them to the course. That 3 minute video is actually long and cold be edited, now that I think about it, but then there's tomorrow, and the next day and that gives me time to think of exploring other media to use in class.


I'm thinking of trying Mr. Smith's top picks of free 3D animation software for my class. I'm so excited, I'm so excited!!!!


Thanks Mr. B, for giving us some direction to make our presentation skills better, and more organized (crossing my fingers on that).

a student made me cry

blasted journal writing prompt. it's a good thing i wore my water proof mascara today.

i try to improve my kids' writing skills by making them write short periods of time everyday. and at least twice a week, i ask them to respond to a journal writing prompt.

yesterday, i asked them to write at least 10 sentences on the topic "I love hanging out with _______ "

while sophomores made it seem like they were having all their teeth pulled. my freshmen were more receptive.

i have a slim and shorty in my class. instead of a couple, these two are tight best friends, more like brothers. slim and shorty both have a bit of a speech defect, but for some reason, they understand each other perfectly. they both serve as translators for each other.

and yes, i have both of them in the same class.

anyway, so shorty has been writing intently on his journal, and took a few minutes longer to finish his work. when he finished, he handed me his journal and told me to read it. so i did. "read it out loud," he said. i was surprised. normally they don't want to share journal entries.

i cleared my throat and read...

"...me and my girl made a promise to each other that we will be there for each other no matter what. we both hope and pray that some day we will marry and have our own family, but for now we just want to be together. i love hanging out with my girl because she makes me feel so happy and important."

the two female girls in that class were also moved by his entry. i looked at him and said. "shorty, why you do dat? you be making me cry now, that ain't funny." we all burst out laughing.

but i did cry. you see, (i know this will sound corny) most of the kids i have in my classes come from tough homes, mostly single parent families and most of the time, they are seen as trouble makers or "retards" in their other classes. my kids may take more time to learn what the other kids are studying, but they can learn. and they can be as soft and mushy as any "well behaved" regular ed young lady or gentleman.

sure i can tell shorty that this is all puppy love and you know "better not get your girl pregnant lest you wanna be someone's baby daddy" but i am not jaded like that. i just patted him on the shoulder and said "that was an awesome journal entry, shorty, i am happy that you and your girl have dreams together."

with that he gave me a sheepish grin. he was hugged by his girl classmates and slim and another guy classmate shook on it.

this is my family, and i sure am thankful to have these kids with me.

a lesson on dating vocabulary

my first period class are all boys. they're a great bunch. they come in, they sit. they work. everyone's happy. in between work we talk about , oh stuff. the other day they were talking about, oh girls. and then for some reason the conversation got to lil ol' me. they found out that i live by myself.




student 1 : but why?

me : because.

student 1 : BUT WHY? are you single?

me : oh, i've been married before

the rest just shrugged and someone else said " oh, i was about to say... you can't be single all this time..."



back to today. in one of our read and talk mornings, the subject went to the shore.

student 2 says he can't wait to to go down the shore so he can watch girls. i told him there weren't a lot of girls yet on the boardwalk.



student 2 : how do you know?

me : because.

student 2 : HOW?

me : because i'm down the shore most weekends.

others: why?

me : (oops) uhm, (in my faintest voice possible) my boyfriend lives there?





commotion.

student 1 : but you said yesterday that you were single.

me : i am.

student 2 : yo, miss you can't be single and have a boyfriend.

me : why not?

student 1 : you're just not. why do you say you are single?

me : uhm, because i'm not married and i live by myself.

student 3 : that just means you're independent.

me: okay...

student 1 : you're not single.

me: okay.

student 1 : do you like him?

me : duh, i guess so.

student 3 : miss then you are not single.

me : alright.

student : you're not, okay?

me : OKAY. grrr.





gee, this is more annoying than friendster's : "it's complicated."





btw : i am blogging this from my classroom. sigh. why is it not 3 pm yet?

fresh

i dunno what's with me lately, but since the patch, i've become more irritable and dead on serious when in comes to discipline.

i was telling off one of my boys and i was about to send him out of my classroom. my door was half open when some jack ass decides he wants a piece of the action and yells "SHUT UP!" at me at the top of his lungs as he strode by my hallway. when i turned to see who the culprit was, he ducked and ran for his life.

see virginia, the thing with teaching in the ed box is, my boys got my back. it's an unspoken rule that in the classroom, it is "alright" if they give me problems, but if someone outside of the class gives me a headache, they got my back.

by the end of the day i got the "boy's" name. "boy" is 17 and still a freshman (for the past three years). the next day, i pulled out his file from our database, tracked his schedule to serve him his lunch detention notice. i thought i saw him in the hallway, so i asked if indeed he was so and so. he said no. i said sorry for the mistake but i had the suspicion it was him. with the help of another teacher, who identified him, i served him his detention notice. boy went ballistic acting like a 6 year old having a temper tantrum.

boy : i ain't serving no damn lunch detention with you!"
me : what's the matter? well, when you shouted shut up, it was clear you wanted my attention. you're gonna have my complete attention now, all 25 minutes of it.
boy : it's my lunch time now, i'm gonna go get my lunch first.
me : no, you'll get lunch after your detention. lunchroom's not going anywhere.
(meantime, a couple of my kids already worked out a plan to look out for him in case he tries to hide)
boy : (mutters to himself) damn this shit...
me : noo-ni-noo-ni-noo.

boy sits in my classroom giving me killer looks

me: what's wrong with your eyes? better see an eye doctor for that.
boy : nothing's wrong with my eyes. what you talking about?
me : suits me just fine, you looking at me like that as long as you keep looking at me like that for the whole 25 minutes.
(boys looks away while i put on my mp3 player and busied myself tidying my desk)

a few of my boys "drop by" to say hello to him laughing at boy who got caught.

one of my boys, the "captain" of the group snickered and told him

"that's what you get for messin with our teachuh, n---- she's OG!"

my boys' got game

i love basketball, and it is always a treat for me to watch my students play. last tuesday i went to watch portions of four different games-- for the love of basketball, and more importantly, for the love of my kids.

our teams won all four games, i'm happy to say, but it wasn't about them winning. i just loved the fact that i get to see them play ball. it's like all of a sudden, my kids have morphed into these superheroes right before my eyes. they just shine. i feel like a proud momma all of a sudden.okay scrap that, maybe a proud cool aunt.

what struck me with this simple gesture of watching my boys play is the effect it had on them. i watched them play because i wanted to watch basketball, that was my primary reason. my second reason is to show support to my school's team, particularly to my students. i was a bit shy and uncomfortable showing up at their game because i'm a new teacher and all. normally i would be the loudest fan in the stands. i would yell myself hoarse until i can't teach the next day, much to the delight of my students. anyway, so back in tuesday's game i acted all prim and proper (gasp!) even though i was itching to jump, throw my fist in the air and scream my boys' names out loud. i didn't want to embarrass myself, and i didn't want to embarrass my students.

but you know what? i think my presence there meant a lot to them. it sure did mean a lot to me. seeing them shine in the court made me see them as even greater, cooler kids that they already are. i know my kids are not the easiest bunch to teach, and so far, my first few days have been an everyday struggle. when i watched them dance their way on the court and lord over the basket, i felt like i had the privilege of taking a sneak peek into the lives of my kids outside my class. they are just amazing. W, my soft spoken, shy sophomore in my first period class, towered in the game. he made those amazing rebounds and slammed shut the opponent with his in your face blocks. he was awesome. yet the next day, he took his place in my class as if it was just another day in school. i held out my hand and told him i saw him play and he did such a great job. he flashed me that smile that i know make the girls swoon. he's a good kid, W. J, another crazy cool kid from that class was an excellent guard. he's very graceful in the court and he can weave his way around the towering defensive players of the other team. T, my quiet and mostly unaffected sophomore in period 2 is dangerous in the court. he doesn't say much in class, but in the court, it's like watching him deliver a powerful speech. he says a lot with those magnificent lay ups and mad steals. he is just great. A, who is crazy already, one of my clowns in the 7th period class is monster in the court. he barely left the game. his energy is boundless. the fastbreaks that he pulled were just beyond words. he may goof off in class and drive me crazy with his constant pleas for more candy, but man A is very serious with his game.

i'm glad i showed up for their game. i'll make it a habit to watch them play whenever possible. for friday's game, A gave me a head's up on their schedule and told me i better show up on time. i showed up late, but i compensated by being the loudest, most annoying fan in the stand. A gave me a look of disapproval, almost telling not to be too excited, i looked at the team ( i made it a point to sit behind their bench) and i knew deep inside they appreciated this loud mouth.

unfortunately, my boys lost by one point, but it doesn't matter. i'll yell and cheer for them until the refs drag me out of the gym.

i love basketball. yun lang, tengks.

welcome to the box

music : estudyante blues by freddie aguilar


three days into my new job at the high school and i am slowly beginning to understand that i'm in this game for the long haul. i jokingly told karen that my kids are either going to drive me insane, or otherwise. with her signature laugh, she patted my shoulder and said "you'll be fine, they already like you. if you can get them to actually do work for five minutes, it's a beautiful thing."

great. 5 minutes out of the 50 minutes, that's what 10% productivity? help me. i want my mommy.

i have three 10th grade writing classes, one 9th grade writing and one 9th grade reading. of the five, the first two are the easiest to handle, probably because the 10th graders are more mature or probably also because they are at their calmest in the first couple of hours of school.

my 7th period class is a challenge. i have 5 boys and a girl that i have yet to meet. to say that my 7th period class is a rowdy bunch, is an understatement-- they're nuts. one of them K, have tricked me a couple of times. most of my kids come to class late, and naturally this is a problem. K, being the "helpful" goofball that he is, told me that if i see any of his classmates, (to) call them out and tell them to come inside. so i did. i saw Z and called him. he came quickly inside the classroom, a bit upset. i didn't think too much of it. i saw L and the same thing happened. L yelled at me and told me to close the door. he sat in the farthest seat in the room. Z asked me why i had to call him out. and then it hit me. my kids are ashamed to be seen coming inside my classroom. why? because this is the ed box class. sigh.

i sincerely apologized to the three boys, and i told them that it was not my intention to embarrass them. i then had the strong urge to smack K on the head for misinforming me. my fault actually.

i got a taste of action in my 8th period class. tweedle dee and tweedle dum decided to duke it out calling each other retards. at first it was casual, and then i got scared that they might really hurt each other. Tdee and Tdum were both tall, but Tdee was about 6'5". i tried to break up the fight because the three stoogies were just standing there watching the two beating the crap out of each other. Tdee almost snagged me and when i yelped, that's when he almost gained consciousness and let go of Tdum.

another teacher intervened. a few minutes later one of the security officers checked in also and asked if i wanted any of the boys to be taken out of the classroom. i looked at Tdee and Tdum. Their eyes were pleading not to be taken out. I told them we're fine.

I asked Tdee to stay after school for a few minutes. our conversation went on like this ...

me: I am very disappointed in your behavior.
him: come on miss, we was only playing
me: but how am i supposed to know when you guys are still playing or not?
you guys can seriously hurt each other.
him: didn't the old teacher tell you something about us. this is what we do.
we're just playing. just chill. do not come between us unless you see
blood on the floor.


me: (eyes wide open, jaws dropped) but what if you accidentally hurt me
while i'm trying to break you guys up? do you realize how big you are
compared to me? how easily you guys can send me flying against the wall?

him: (takes my face with both hands and levels his face on mine) miss, we're not
gonna hurt you. we like you. we won't even hurt a single hair of you.


was i scared when he held my face? no. i saw in his eyes that he was serious. he let go of my face and i raised my right eyebrow.

me : fine.


i extended my right hand as if to shake his hand, but i balled it into a fist. he reached out his right fist and we "shook" on it.


man, this is gonna be one hell of an adventure.


welcome to my world.

First Friday

music : back on the chain gang by the pretenders

and so it is, two days into my new gig as a high school english teacher, i am at a loss with how to get my "kids" to work. i never said it was going to be easy teaching these kids, but then my friends will tell you, i don't always go for what's easy. noo-ni-noo-ni-noo. if i can't beat my hyper kids, i'll join 'em. this means i might have to take an early trip to dunkin donuts and get a double shot of espresso to make it through the day. hrrrr.


the high school has been fine so far. on the first day the asst. principal already hooked me up with my classroom key and id so i can have access to the building. i like that i have my own designated parking spot. my classroom needs a little touch of jane, but i'll get there.

for now, i have to bury my head in making writing packets for edgar allan poe's cask of amontillado.

teacher durga is ready with her props : my EA Poe action figure, pictures of myself on my 2001 visit to his grave in baltimore, and a few books.

wish me luck on my show.

farewell friday

i just woke up from a buzz courtesy of 2 coronas and the crazy company of some of my fun loving, never boring co workers.
yesterday was one of the most bittersweet days i've had in the middle school. everyone was infected with holiday cheer. it should have been 100% happiness because friday was last day of the year and payday friday, but i was sad because this is officially my last day at the middle school, my home for the past four years.

i look back on things and i realize that i have no regrets about what happened. i had envisioned myself at this time of the year somewhere in canada, crying my eyes out, shivering in the cold, nursing a wounded heart. yet here i am, still in jersey. eyes clear, heart intact -- thanks to the men, women and children of this school who have taught this teacher so much.

i told my friend that at this point i have surrendered myself to the will of God. shocking right? but it's true. i used to pray for the things i want, the things i wish would happen. the past few months, i have learned to let go. i may not understand why things happen, but i know with faith, things will all work out.



i look at the girl who signed her resignation letter in june. the girl who wanted to forget everything, the girl who wanted to run away. she is still here, but there is a smile on her face and a song in her heart. many people got her back, and this is more than enough reason to embrace life.


now i understand why i was not able to get a full time job in september even though i sent in applications almost on a weekly basis. now i know why i got the job at my old school as a long term substitute providing in class support for the inclusion kids. now i know why i was not able to teach regular ed english and i had to hang out in karen's rooma nd get to know the wonderful students in her class. all of these things were in preparation for my next adventure, for my next show. with the help, guidance, wisdom and concern of karen, kay, brian, cynthia,and betsy i was able to see the special ed kids in my old school through different eyes. they are indeed special. not because of their special needs as students, but they are special because they try as hard, if not harder to succeed in school despite their needs. i have grown to love karen's kids. they make me laugh and they make me feel young. i have learned the power of patience and kindness because of these kids, and they had no idea that they were teaching me.

they threw me a party yesterday. they gifted me with a framed photograph of themselves. i already know where i will put that photograph in my new classroom in january. here are some pictures i took.

i said goodbye to my crazy 7th graders. i was hugged left and right, and i hugged back. one kid asked me to take a day off once in a while so i can spend the day in the middle school. another kid almost cried because he thought i was not going to leave the middle school. i have made a good friend with such awesome women-- a very talented and big hearted music teacher, and a gorgeous and caring research writing teacher. i will miss my family in the middle school, but i am comforted by the fact that i know i am always welcome to visit once in a while.

for now i look forward to establishing new relationships with my new students -- freshmen and sophomores, mostly potty mouthed six footers who i know are not the easiest bunch to teach. my only hope is that i can do right by them.

gandalf said something like this "the battle for middle earth has finally ended, the age of men has finally begun"

amen.

the best stress buster ....

is kissing the cutest pumpkin in the world.

yeah, i've been mum for a while. not for lack of anything to blog because believe you me virginia, a lot has happened. but i can't put a finger to it. what parts of my last two weeks can i blog about without compromising people's identities? hence the long absence.

anyway, i figured i can at least write about the mundane stuff and the gp stuff. so here goes.

i've been helping out my co-teachers in school as an in class support for a few inclusion classes as i've mentioned in earlier posts. i assist in two math classes, 3 science classes, 2 research paper writing classes and a sixth grade language arts class. my schedule is pretty much like it used to be -- averaging five classes most days.
i've been making progress in math. i was so thrilled to learn and actually understand the slope and math similarities. i wish i had this understanding in math when i was in high school. it would've made a whole lot of difference.

the research paper writing classes are the most rewarding for me because these classes make me feel very needed indeed. i have several students with learning disabilities and it is really quite a struggle for them to read, much more write a research paper. i have a lot of respect for their teacher. it is very very difficult not to lose one's head with a class like that.

i've befriended a 7th grader who just transferred from saudi arabia. i can only imagine how miserable it must feel to be transplanted from one's home to a totally new place where one does not understand the language. a smile from this kid was all i needed to decide that he will be my next gratis ESL project. i feel good to be able to help him in what little way i can.

this whole inclusion in class support thing has also opened my eyes towards the special ed kids. i've always thought i can never teach special ed kids because i lack the patience to deal with them. i think i'm getting better with relating to them. ah, must be my sense of humor that wins them over. these days i hang out with k and her kids. they are a crazy group, and they drive her nuts sometimes, but she loves them dearly. i'm beginning to fall in love with them too, because deep inside they are kids after all, they just learn differently.

i made a new friend. he just blows my mind to say the least, but it's been good so far. i enjoy the company and meaningful conversations. it's also a good feeling to have someone i can spend hours in the bookstore and ikea with as well as walks in the park.

here are the top pics and moments of the past 2 weeks....

sunday service at the times square church -- gospel choir extraordinaire

a walk in central park

beef goulash with dumpling



jonah's cute halloween costume

a water/lightshow in ceasar's in AC


a gigantic chupa chups from AC's biggest candy store


breathtaking fall foliage in dunkerhook park

and

sticky rice with green tea ice cream.



we're having a long weekend due to the NJEA's teacher's convention in AC. i'm going out with moonshine and pumpkin this morning, and meeting up with candy hopefully this afternoon.

i can't wait for chocnut's visit in the big apple. durga, chocnut and and moonshine will have a sleepover, a tour of the city's display windows, and lotsa lotsa talking.
screeeeee!!!!

recurring nightmare

so part of my job as a long term floating substitute (makes me sound like a hogwart's ghost, no?) is to be the in class support to the 8th grade algebra class.

ukinang shet. this is durga's worst nightmare come to life. here i am, 31 and re learning algebra.

whopee- effing- do.

iskul bukol and getting my toes wet again

music : these are days by the 10,000 maniacs

today concludes my babysitting job at the alternative school. of course spending 7 hours a day with each other, it couldn't be helped that i've bonded with them.

the three kids worked very well today. z went back to regular school and another 7th grader, v joined x and y. v was upset to know that i will not be there tomorrow. x and y are due back to regular school because they finished their 3 day suspension. v has until tomorrow.

tomorrow and saturday i go back to the liquor store in manhattan.

my former principal asked me to cover an overload 8th grade class tentatively until the end of november. starting monday i will be a long term sub back at my old middle school, so i am thrilled. so are my colleagues. i am excited to go back because i do miss my family at the middle school, and i miss the kids. i'm now excited to plan my wardrobe for the next several weeks. patay, kung kelan wala na akong pantalon na kasya sa akin. noo-ni-noo-ni-noo.


i must say that i will miss my co-workers at the liquor store no matter how short a time i've worked there. they are all good people. but my heart calls me back into the comfort of the classroom.

i hope things will work out well.

may the force be with durga.

a perfect fit

no this post is not about shoes, only a metaphor to the joy of affirming what i think is what is meant for me.

i subbed at the high school these past two days, and i freaking loved it! it gave me so much joy to be with this age group again. i am definitely going to work hard to get myself back in the high school classroom next year. please god, let me teach high school lit again.


yesterday i subbed for the spanish teacher at the academy. the academy is pretty much like rural high. this is the school for the smart kids -- the kids who exert more effort and who want to be pushed to their limits. these kids have an hour longer school day than the regular high school across the street. i felt like i was back home with these kids. they were a lot of fun. i met a few filipino students there and they were thrilled to have a filipina substitute teacher. a few cheeky juniors pledged allegiance to help me secure or help me look out for a teaching post next year only if i promise to teach senior english. ha! as if it's all up to me.


when i got in my car yesterday, i was excited to find out if i still have the durga touch with high school kids. my experience yesterday sealed that. yes, i am meant to teach high school. the kids were all worked up after their assigned work and we talked about oh almost everything. i learned another country yesterday -- i did not know that there is a country called Georgia, just south of russia. the georgia i know is the one north of florida. i also had a taste of the perils of teaching high school boys. we've been getting a lot of bad rap lately. teachers having affairs with students, which i find totally reprehensible.somehow, yesterday made me see how it is for weaker teachers who fall for silly child's play.

one cheeky senior thought it was cute to ask for my number. i gave him the number for DYFS, the Division for Youth and Family Services. this is the number to call to report child abuse and negligence and other issues. i would've given him the number for KB toys only i didn't know it by heart. he told me he was 18 and i said, i was 18 too, 13 years ago. i told him to go find somebody in the sandbox to play with. i'm done playing with boys.


the girls are a riot too. middle school girls are very tough. they are very resentful and stubborn. the high school girls are funny and they really crack me up. one of the girls wanted me to try her lip gloss on because she said it would look good on me, and of course i said, "is your lip gloss poppin?" and i burst into li'l mamma's song. the class burst out laughing. so yeah, yesterday, i was the coolest sub in the building.

but i don't play the cool card to be cool. i think i'm just naturally fit to deal with the teenager's mind. my sense of humor is just right for them, it's just the right amount of cheeky.


today i subbed for a well-loved technology teacher. and i got the freshmen. it was like a family reunion because these kids were the first batch of kids that i taught. i met up with all my "beloved" students, and you know what? they all love me now. one of them even took his shoe off even though he did not ask me for a pen, all in tribute to all the "good times" he had in my class. a lot of them complained about high school.
i told them it's just their freshman year, it's all going to get better.

of course in the midst of all the screams of joy upon seeing their old 6th grade teacher as a sub, i had to field questions about why i am subbing. i told them i thought i was moving to canada but i decided to stay. they all think i'm crazy to move to canada. a few of them remarked about how different i look. t, my truant student and b my little stinkbomber told me i look like i'm on drugs coz i lost a lot of weight. i told them i don't do drugs i just smoke pot. hahahahaha.

so goes the days of durga the happy wanna be high school teacher. please join me in my prayers that this padawan may teach high school again.

may the force be with me.

a lame pick-up line, and a day full of treats, sort of.

music : are you diggin on me? by joss stone


yippee, i got home "early" today.

the teacher i subbed for teaches 5th grade dual language so for today, i'm a professora. the class was very good, i must say. much tamer than yesterday's kindergartners. i had a boy named jesus, though. and i can't help but chuckle everytime i tell him to concentrate on his work and stop minding everybody else's business.

me : jesus, stop talking and mind your own business.
jesus, will you please be quiet? really.

yeah, it sounded perversely funny like that.


dual language classes are quite cool, but i must say i really need to learn a lot more spanish words. i tried reading a chapter on the chinook indians in the spanish history textbook. i think i understood only 20% of what i read. oh well.


i had two free periods today so i took the opportunity to go down to the local panera for lunch. i'ts been a while since i had their chicken tomesto sandwich. i also wanted to try moonshine's recommended drink, the chai latte. i got mine iced. it was yummy, but next time, i'll ask them to go easy on the sugar. so anyway, the cashier at panera was in flirt mode so he decided to hit on this hungry chick. i don't usually make small talk with clerks (unless, they're comic store/toy store clerks) but i'm no snob so i was polite. cheeky bastard asked me the usual questions, am i on break from work or school?
oh, you're substitute teacher?
how are the kids treating you?
i'd like to be in your class,

ladida-dida. so in my head i was, oh come on dude, all i want is to get my sandwich.
then when i handed him my money he just came up with "is it hot outside as well, coz it's hot in here. maybe because you're here."

no he didn't.
unfortunately, he did.

thank goodness jane did not laugh at his face. joffin just turned around and went straight to the bathroom, i didn't know who to feel embarrassed for, the guy or myself. i would've just walked out the back door but i had to wait for my sandwich, dammit. i just avoided the poor bloke.

that was just so lame.

note to self. stay away from the panera of that city.


back to the hall of justice...


so lately i've been telling my close friends about a minor inconvenience. lubs and richard said to buy toys. so i did.

i went to KB toys.


and look at what i got...



a new addition to my collection -- lady deathstrike. tee-hee. now i have to fish wolverine out of my toy box so she and he can duke it out. fun. fun.

i also got this



sweet huh? this'll do until i get my hands on the optimus prime convertible toy that matt talked about when we went apple picking. gotta have that. gotsa. gotsa.gotsta.


then i headed off to the public library to meet up with lynn, my librarian friend. yes, i am a librarian groupie. anyway, she tipped me off to two new books....



this is a twisted tale of twin taxidermists who stuffed their mom when she died.




and this one won the prince award.



to finish off my afternoon, i got me a venti




since j called for me to come in early and i can't drive all the way to mitsuwa for my green tea ice cream.

i tortured olivia for three hours today. i must say, it's been a great day of goodies.

it's back to the liquor store for me tomorrow after a run with j.she said she wants to run now too. great.


noo-ni-noo-ni-noo.

it's been a loooong day and night

music : rehab by amy winehouse

schwing!!!!


1. woke up at 4:30 this morning. couldn't go back to bed. checked the automated web based substitute program of my district and viola! i had 3 assignments to choose from. one was for the HS academy assignment, another was for a music teacher, and the last was for a kindergarten teacher subbing assignment. i chose the last one.

2. i had a class of 17 precocious kindergartners. boy, did i work hard for my pay today. there were fistfights, temper tantrums, a fire drill, a nosebleed, several crying bouts and song and dance numbers from yours truly to keep that class on its toes.

3. bless you pre-school and elementary school teachers. i dunno how you do it. i think the younger the students are, the harder it is to teach them. of course a lot of you might think otherwise. this is why i know i am best suited to teach high school. i can handle my classes easily.

4. a cute but very mercurial 6 year old student of mine asked me to marry him. he got on his knees and proposed with his chocolate pudding. this after i kissed his boo-boo on the finger. he's sweet, but very very moody. he threw a fit when i told him i need to hold so and so's hand because she wanted to be my walking buddy on the way to the cafeteria. when i told him that hitting is not good he scowled at and told me that i don't like him anymore. sigh. these kids.


5. now i remember why i quit teaching pre-school aside from becoming very disturbed that my morning shower repertoire consisted of nursery rhymes -- i just can't be the best pre-school teacher -- those kids are too young to be infected by my sarcastic bite.


6. after school today i went home, rested for an hour and headed to johnson field for a serious workout. ahem ahem. i jogged 4 rounds today alternated by 6 rounds of brisk walking. so yeah, i feel sore all over, dammit. but jane the jock is a happy camper. i ought to get them running shoes real soon.


7. had a lesson with j today which was basically a storytelling session for an hour. i tutored olivia for 1 1/2 hours, an hour's worth of tuck everlasting and half an hour's worth of the revolutionary war.

8. the bonus for tonight is i got to eat yummy and spicy korean soup.

9. the bad news is i didn't make it home until way past 9 pm.

10. i have a subbing assignment tomorrow - i'm gonna be a sub for a dual language teacher in one of the elementary schools.

11. i'd write more about subbing, but i'm just too darn exhausted. maybe tomorrow.


12. i could really use a cup of mitsuwa's soft serve green tea ice cream.

13. i've added the police's "every breath you take" in my guitar accompanied repertoire. tee-hee. it's sweet.


noo-ni-noo-ni-noo.

the supersoak incident

i've never really dealt with male adolescent hormones until recently. funny how three years of teaching high schoolers never prepared me for the crap i have to deal with my 8th graders.

you see, when i taught in rural high, my boys were pretty much respectful. the most excitement i got from my male students is them coming up with sassy remarks to shut me down when i go on my sarcastic tirade about anything. they tried. besides, there was another teacher they can throw their male horomones at. she's the hottie. i'd like to think i'm the cool one.

last week, one of my gregarious 8th graders who claims his meds wear off after lunch hence the inexplicable surge of energy and cause of my mid day headaches, had the audacity to ask me if i've been "supersoaked". some of his buddies were shocked at his remark. i know he was playing. he's a kid. but something told me i ought to check out on that song that he was referring to.

apparently, this english teacher does not know how to spell. i was desperately googling soldier boy (the alleged singer of this song) only to find out it's soulja boy (duh!).

true enough, this song is not butterflies and rainbows. it's about mary palmer and boy bastos in music.yes it's about the m word. alright. so how do i deal with this? i know my lil boy Z did not mean to allude to anything sexual by it. he was in it for the shock value. was i shocked? i guess. but i was more disappointed.

i spoke to Z this afternoon and i told him i saw the video on youtube. the look on his face was priceless. this was how our conversation sounded like :


me : so what's up with that supersoak? i told you i was going to find it. i'm really disappointed, you know?

Z : you found it?

me : yes

Z : i was just playin' Ms. A

me : stop playing Z, i'm your teacher, i'm not your peer. what does it take for you to respect me? how come i don't see you "play" with your other teachers? you don't act this way with mrs. p or ms. j. why me? is it, because i look young that's why you think it's okay?

Z : nah, i'm just playin with you because , you're alright ms. a. and i think you're my peer. you're my friend.

me : no i'm not, i'm 31 years old. besides, why would a 31 year hang out with a 12 year old? i could be your mother.

Z : na-ah you can't. my mom's 40.

me : i could be your sister. i am somebody's sister. how would you feel if somebody said something like that to your sister?

Z : Bam! i'd slam whoever that is so hard... but you're not my sister. i'm sorry, ms. A. you know i was just playing.

me : i know you were, but it still hurts my feelings that you can respect your other teachers and then treat me like one of your classmates.

Z : see, coz my other teachers, they be scarin' me. they like medea. you're not. you're okay.


argh. so my little pep talk ended there. Z felt really sorry for what he said. i find him sincere with his apologies. i keep forgetting that he's not 12, he's almost 14, but to me, all my students are kids. they run their mouths, but at the end of the day they're still kids. cheeky, but still kids.

i suppose i should be a bit glad that i am not compared to tyler perry's medea, but man sometimes i wish i can command that respect from some of them. this is why i don't like smiling at my students. i smile, and they think they can get away with playing.

sigh.

the jerry springerization of greek mythology

background music : song for the dumped by ben fold's five



i'm one big mythology fan. love love love it. i can go on and on for hours just talking about why i like reading and teaching it.

my students also observed that i am "nicer" and "more fun" when i teach a unit on mythology.

i have three classes -- three different levels. the first one is the most motivated . the second class is more difficult to motivate, but workable. and the third one, my smallest class (7 students) is a challenge.

this class hates anything that has something to do with work. they are not dumb kids, they just learn differently. i had 6 of the 7 when they were in 6th grade, and those 6 were quite the troublemakers in class. they act up when they get frustrated. and they get frustrated easily.


well, challenge schmallenge. i'll do what it takes to make them at least like mythology. i'd even buy that stupid grass skirt in party city just to get a laugh out of it. heck i dyed my hair pink once and that got my students' attention for a good month.

anyway, i tried to make the stories more "relevant" to them. instead of making them read the chapters silently, i gathered them around and read and rephrased the text for them. i felt it working.


fast forward to the greek creation myths, and zeus and his philandering ways -- the class went wild. here is what the discussion sounded like


b : dang! those gods are crazy!
h : zeus marrying his sister, that's nasty man! that's jerry springer right there!
me : wait 'til you hear about zeus' girlfriends
o : how many has he got?
me : a lot
s : more than hugh hefner?
me : hugh hefner's an amateur
b : dang ms. a, pardon my french, but that zeus is a manwhore!!!

i laughed out so loud, i almost fell off my seat.

h : if i was zeus i'd get me a paternity test, man. you don't know what these bitches be sayin, oops, my bad ms. a, didn't mean to use that language in front of you.

me : it's okay, just try not to say it again. oh they did have some sort of paternity testing then, hera would know if the demigod is a son of zeus



the bell rings and for the first time i was met with groans and complaints instead of "woo-hoo!"

b approaches me on her way out and says, "you alright, ms. a, i think i just might enjoy your class and them crazy gods. all you had to do is bring it down a bit, and we cool."


that made my day.

thanks jerry springer, i think i may just teach these kids something.