One of those days
In the magical world that is my school, things aren’t always rainbows and unicorns. There are days, like today, when I shutter to imagine life at some of the schools where my friends and roommates work. The constant interruptions, talking and glaring apathy – these are the banes of my classroom. In comparison to the violent outbursts and biting rhetoric of other students, my classroom management problems are often low-key. Today was different. And by that logic, I guess today was high-key.
It started out innocent enough. My principal had requested a lesson about Haiti, its history and the current challenges it faces in the wake of this month’s earthquake. I obliged, and put together something pretty good, I thought. From the looks of the kids in my audience, you would think I was forcing them to re-learn the alphabet. Bored and disengaged, they fought with me constantly. They seemed to feel entitled to an easy day, as if Fridays were just thrown in for good measure. And it just got worse, and worse and worse. Until my homeroom returned at the end of the day.
There was an assembly downstairs, and so their usual elective was cancelled and replaced with homeroom. To them, it was free time. For me, it was time to learn. Am I stubborn? Perhaps. But I wasn’t going to give slack to a class that hadn’t earned it. In times like these, I wrestle with a feeling pettiness, wondering if my application of consequences to one class or student is really warranted or not. It can come down to just a few kids – the difference between my tolerance of disruptions and a complete meltdown. And this was a meltdown. It got to the point that I could barely finish a sentence without someone laughing or shouting. I paused. Remained calm. And went for help. Now, this isn’t my usual response, but I was tired and it was Friday. After the lecture by my principal, the detention list was finalized, and I just sat down at my desk and stopped teaching, well aware of the fact that they were no longer learning.
Days like this don’t come often (I’m thankful for this), but they hold value in at least making clear my limits. And I hope, rather than seem like I gave up on them, my students realize I expect more and won’t settle for less. Most likely they’ll completely have forgotten by Monday. I’m sure it was to them, as it was to me, just one of those days.
- Jeff
Quote of the day
I was talking about Haiti with some of my students, and played the Help Haiti Now CD. Beyonce came on, singing a rendition of Halo. Keela, out of nowhere, says,
“My mom told me Beyonce and Jay-Z worship the devil so I can’t listen to their music. But I still really like how she dresses.”
And you just have to kind of stare for a second and, despite the strong inclination to intervene, you continue on with your day.
- Jeff
Redemption
These were waiting for me as I walked into the house today.
In response to my consumer complaints, I got what I asked for – a $15 refund from United for losing my bag and $7 worth of vouchers to buy new Jolly Ranchers. Sometimes, asking nicely for what you deserve can pay off.
- Jeff
Awards & honors
Congratulations are in order. I found this on my desk at the end of a long, hard day. And I didn’t even know I was nominated. Despite its lack of objectiveness and legitimacy, that it’s written on scratch paper horizontally and my name is spelled wrong, I’m considering listing it on my resume. Someone might believe it. She apparently does.
It’s strange how sentimental things like this can make my day. Too easy to please? Maybe. But if your looking to cheer me up, take a cue from Jazmine.
- Jeff
Listen up
As a history teacher, I’m always telling my kids about the importance of using primary sources in their learning. And when I teach about them, I usually reference things like diaries, photos and documents as places to look for information about the past. In my slavery unit this past month, I taught about the experience of slaves on Southern plantations using interviews of former slaves that were taped and transcribed for the Federal Writer’s Project in the 1930’s. They are amazing resources for my students to get insight into the daily lives of these important historical figures, but this type of rich and (practically) unfiltered primary source is rare.
During one of these lessons, all this talk about primary sources got one of my students thinking about the primary sources that we’ll be leaving behind. In other words, he wanted to know what the people of the future will be using to understand our history. It’s a fun thought experiment to consider – what are you leaving behind that will be around for someone to sift through, dust off and make conclusions about how you lived your life or what you thought? For me, it’s this blog, a few knick-knacks I’ve left around and probably some news articles that have quoted me. Not much, really – and probably more than most.
Even before I was a history teacher, and got on tangents about primary sources, I was interested in leaving behind something more. And I’m not the only one with this instinct. StoryCorps started as a small non-profit venture that set out to record the everyday stories of Americans from across the country. They wanted to capture the folklore of our day and cement it in the Library of Congress for all of posterity. I thought it was a fun idea, and I especially loved the idea of sharing our personal narratives with someone else. Check out the website for more information about how it works, but it really is quite simple. The website even gives little snippets of select interviews, like this one.
What started as a stationary booth in NYC has blossomed into a mobile listening booth that travels around the US and a second and third booth in DC and SF. They have expanded their mission and have collected tens of thousands of stories. And of those stories, I account for three. I’ve interviewed my closest of friends Diana and Gina, my grandparents Ed and Helen and my dad Mike. Over the last three years, I’ve gone to all three booths in NYC and SF and just recently interviewed my dad during the holiday. He wasn’t nervous at first, but I could tell the pressure was on – especially when I asked about his first kiss. The point of the interviews aren’t to role play Oprah or Dr. Phil – it’s more about revealing than revelations. I want to leave something behind that explains where my family came from and the people they were. My interview questions range form childhood memories to life regrets, and my partner can take it as deep or shallow as they want. If you are in any of the cities StoryCorps visits, I recommend making an appointment (hurry – they run out quick!) and picking a friend or loved one who you want to interview. It’s a great experience for both – and they give you a copy of the interview to take home – something you’ll have forever.
I just imagine the school kids of the future, listening in on these interviews, learning about our lives and the ways we thought and interacted. And the teacher who so eagerly uses the stories we told to teach his students about the past, a little more knowledgeable because of we left something behind.
- Jeff
The parents who went on vacation
One of my 6th grade students wrote this short story and showed it to me today. It was her homework, and it was shoved in my face at 7am. Overall, I’d praise her for her vivid use of detail and proper use of pro-nouns (although a bit overkill with the parenthesis). My one piece of advice was that she should try to grab the reader’s attention in the first lines of the story…not the last. Read on.
So…what do you say to something like that? Well, at 7am in the morning, you take a picture of it with your phone and try to laugh. Sometimes, that’s all you can do.
- Jeff
The best review game EVER
When I think of Jeopardy, I need to take a seat. Arguably the most popular review game for teachers, Jeopardy is an utterly exhausting experience. Aside from explaining the rules, you have points to keep track of, dozens of questions to plug into an often malfunctioning powerpoint template, and despite the thorough preparation, students always end up arguing. I used to use Jeopardy review as a way to prepare for a unit test – so it was happening almost every month in one of my classes. It was out.of.control.
This year, thanks to some tips from pro teacher (and forever roommate) Erika, I’m changing the game. Quite literally. Jeopardy may never reign as the go-to review activity again. But what could I possibly replace it with? When I realized my students had probably never sat down to watch an entire episode of Jeopardy, it made sense that basketball would win their favor. Erika’s review advice was simple:
1. Place an empty trash can at the front of the classroom
2. Give each student a scratch piece of paper
3. Set up three throwing point lines (1 point is close, 2 points is further and 3 point is near-impossible)
4. Split the class into two paperball teams
Once the logistics are taken care of, the game happens by itself. One player from a team (this alternates) answers a review question read by the teacher (usually from a study guide) and if they get it right, earn a point for their team. Then, they get the chance to take a shot and earn more points for their team. After crunching up the paper to make their ball, they can choose any of the throw point lines and shoot. If they make it, the points are all theirs. If they miss, we move on to a player from the next team.
The directions take about 3 minutes to explain. The set up takes about 1 minute to completion. And the game itself is stress-free. There’s not much arguing with a missed shot. To be sure, there can be a great deal of variation if desired. I decided to project an image of a basketball hoop on the wall, and I also made the rule that an opposing team can steal a question that isn’t answered by the original player. It’s really all in your hands. Make it as complex or simple as you want. In the end, you’ve got a great activity that really gets them focused on studying the material and reviewing the content before the big assessment.
And it’s fun.
- Jeff
Blind Child Area
I had never seen one of these before.
At first, I thought it was a joke…or a hallucination. It was just too out of place and strange to be real. But it was, to my dismay, real. Apparently parents of blind children (up to the age 12) can request that the city install a “Blind Child Area” sign that warns oncoming traffic of the possibility that a blind child will wander into the street. I guess that’s what it’s for. It just seems like such a strange policy. I suppose coming from a suburban city, I haven’t been exposed to stuff like this (although I would argue some people in Elk Grove drive a lot meaner and faster than in Philly). All in all, it feels unnecessary and kind of arbitrary. I can think of plenty of other people I’d rather be warned about. How about “Irresponsible, Wandering Child Area” or “Old Person Area” or “Crack House Area.” Nothing against blind children – I understand the need to make everyone in the neighborhood aware, but it sort of jolted me.
Every time I ride by the sign, I go extra slow and peak around cars to make sure no blind children are wandering in the street. Not sure, though, if this is simply increased awareness or contributing to an unhealthy paternalism of the blind.
Either way, I’m driving slower. And I suppose that’s a good thing in the end.
- Jeff
Bridesgroomsman
I’ve been in weddings before, but it’s always been traditional. I’ve done the role of the groomsman, and it was fun and all. But now, I want to be a bridesmaid. Totally strange to write. Probably stranger to read. I get it. But to be honest, I’m a lot closer to Diana than Harry, so why can’t I stand on her side of the aisle? Thankfully, Diana agrees.
But if I’m going to be in the wedding, standing with Diana, what should I be called? Originally, we called it a bridesgroom, only to find later on that the bridesgroom is the name of the groom (that would be Harry). I am certainly not the groom, so bridesgroom is out. Upon closer inspection, we discovered that I’m officially the “bridesman.” My spellcheck is currently underlining all of the above terms in bright red, informing that these are, in fact, not real words. But I’m going to just ignore that.
A bridesman, according to several sources, is a close male friend or companion of the bride and has no prior affiliation with the groom. They stand with the bride during the ceremony and participate in all of the bridal activities prior to the wedding (well, maybe not all of them). Now, I know what you’re thinking. Totally non-traditional. But what is tradition anyway? Usually, traditions maintain their stature not because they make our lives better, or because they even make sense – but because they are accepted. I say to hell with it. When it comes to people, I want to do what feels right. And this just feels right. I’m actually pretty proud of her for not bowing to the pressure of this genderized tradition.
Ok, so spellcheck is telling me genderized is not a word, either. To hell with it – I’ll wrap this up.
And my favoriate line from the wedding planner website:
“Men who fill the role of a bridesman usually do not want to wear a bridesmaid dress.” Usually.
- Jeff
Diana’s getting married
One of my closest friends through the years just got engaged a few weeks ago, and I’m all a jitter. The story of Diana and Harry is actually quite an old one. They met nearly five years ago this summer, in a hostel in New York. Diana and I were travelling up and down the east coast during our summer of love in D.C. We were both interning at agencies and made our get away every weekend. It was a summer I’ll never forget – and one in which I learned a lot about myself. It was also the summer Harry met Diana.
Well, technically Harry met both of us at once. He was an English tourist on his leap year during college and he was tall and he had a cute little accent. I remember it all very vividly. I even remember when Diana got his email address. It was harrythepimp. And yet despite that, Diana fell in love. In the weeks that followed, they hit if off. We planned to all meet in Philadelphia for a concert, and they shared their first kiss. Then, he visited D.C. and the rest….well, the rest is history. They stayed in touch over an entire continent and ocean and maintained a transatlantic relationship for three years. An impressive couple, we all knew this day would come. Now, the fun part: a wedding in London!
Congratulations, Diana & Harry, I love you both
- Jeff
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