Phoenix Rising

Use What You Can

MCAS Rankings came out for the state and my school sits pretty at #4 in the state for math (I'd say #3 since the #1 school only tested 23 sophomores) and #8 in English. We beat out the Newton's and the Wellesley's and such, so we're pretty psyched.

As a 9th grade English teacher, my focus is on introducing things to them that they will see in MCAS year so it will be more of a review then and less teaching. Sonnets are frequently on the MCAS so i decided to introduce them to Petrarch and Shakespeare's Sonnets. At this point in their academic careers, they only know Shakespeare as the man who writes the sucky plays.

I play up to them asking if they have boy/girl friends and if not, do they have crushes. I always have to model the thinking for them so I start telling them about my crush. Once I have sufficiently embarrassed myself, it is cool for them to open up. Once we have that discussion, I introduce them to Petrarch's Laura and we talk about the notions of love and beauty.

Then I ask them what a parody is. **crickets**

What I love about working with kids is when I give a name to something they already know and they can make the connection. I know they will never forget it. I ask them if they watch the Scary Movie movies. Yup. So what are those movies about? "Well they make fun of other scary movies." Ok, then, we are almost there. I give them the literary definition of parody. Then I present my coup de grace... Ridin' Dirty and White and Nerdy. Once the kids analyze the language of both songs.  i present Shakespeare's sonnet 130 My mistress' eyes are nothing like then sun... and BAM! (as Emeril says, I got 'em) Still high off of something they enjoyed, they were more than willing to dive into this sonnet and examine how Shakespeare undermines Petrarch's ideal of beauty.

Then the fabulistic part of it all, when we get to the couplet.... they nailed it hook, line, and sinker. I think I teared up a bit. It's not honest to compare a woman to things they can in no way actually be like. Just like when men say they don't like women with makeup and then they think all those singers are so pretty. It is great that he says, no, you aren't those things. You are beautiful the way you are. You are worth more than those false comparisons. And I. Still. Love. You.

There is hope after all.

Lackadaisical Numismatists and such...

I am really trying to figure out how it is that I technically get off at 1:55, yet I never leave the building before 3:30.  And that is only because I have to pick my son up from the bus stop. For kids that complain about doing work, they damn sure never leave when the bell rings.  They pop in and out and I have to shoo them out the door.  The funny thing is they tell me i am so mean (i take that as a compliment) but they won't leave me alone.

Today our Friday routine began.  They take a vocabulary quiz (hence the title of this post) in the beginning of the class and the rest of the class is dedicated to independent reading.  They were so EXCITED when they found out they could read a book of their choice in class... but became less excited when they got their instructions for the reading. So not only are they responsible for note taking, they have reflections due for every chapter they read. And the best part? I got to catch up on some paperwork. Ab fab, for sure.

My idea of publishing a literary magazine is going forward, so I'll be very busy with that as well.  And I'm trying to get the school to enter into the poetry out loud competition.  They read poems chosen by the arts council, not the made up poetry where people try to sound all deep and they are...well, not.

Life, as usual, is busy. No real time for the bullshit. We had a little get together at the Milky Way after school. Sharing our days pretty much had everyone cracking up. I talked about my girl that was supposed to be writing an essay about a minor character that influenced a novel but she ended up ranting about how her cousins and uncle came to live with them, now their house is overcrowded. i love the kids.

There are tons of awesome things to do this weekend. I'm definitely spending some time with my guys and then maybe a little shopping and a lot of grading. Warning notices are due Monday. Ha. And people say teachers don't work for the money they earn. Meh.

Whew!

So the first two days of school have passed. And surprises of all surprises, I'm still standing.

Day One: I go in that muhfucka sharper than a tack, ok?  Hair, fresh; makeup, flawless; outfir, banging and shoes...what you know about that?! Running late but sharp as hell.  I dropped my son at his bus stop and then tore down blue hill ave at breakneck speed to get to my school. Traffic was backed up. Parents were dropping their kids off in the faculty lot, going in one way streets, and just generally being asses. Once I get in the building, large ass children were EVERYWHERE. So I'm trying to get the office and then get to my mailbox so i can get to homeroom. Once i finally got to the 4th floor (without an elevator key!!) My homeroom kids were already trying to get in the room. I wanted to kick their asses out til 7:20, but since it was the first day i let them come in and get settled while i had some coffee and a little breakfast.

If no one ever told you, being a homeroom teacher SUCKS. There were about a gazillion forms, fees, locker assignments, announcements and shit that I had to get through. The kids for the most part were OK.

My free periods are 2nd and 3rd, so I was settling in to straighten my files etc, when some kids come marching in and shit followed by a teacher. She introduces herself and tells me she's teaching in my class this period. What. The. Fuck? I'm pissed, so i gather my stuff and head to God only knows where because the teacher's lounge isn't finished and all my new buddies were in classes. I eventually copped a squat in the library.

No real teaching was done. The day was largely administrative. Laying down my rules, talking over school policies and discussing our school procedures.  All with the inference that I will lay the smack down on any of those candy asses that try to fuck with me.

Frustrated...I Got A Reason

Just sing that title in your head like Remy Ma's "Conceited".

My life is NOT going the way I want it to right now. It seems like I don't have control over a fucking thing and it is aggravating. Especially for a chick like me that is used to making a way out of no way (can the church say amen?)

Anyway, I was blessed with offers of three teaching positions ( which is absolutely unheard of according to those in the know) after a small kerfluffle, I accepted one of the positions.

In trying to use my summer to prepare for the upcoming school year, I began emailing my new department head with some questions. Needless to say the answers have NOT been encouraging. The first of which is that there are NOT enough grammar books for every student to have one. You. Have. Got. To. Be. Shitting. Me. And I found this out by merely asking what the 9th grade grammar sequence is so I could roughly sketch out my year. It only got better. Vocabulary? On backorder. Grammar? Not so much. Independent reading? Whatyoutalkinabout Willis?! When I asked about teacher's editions of the texts, I was treated to a dissertation about rat pack tendencies and the Great Depression. If you are lost, then so the fuck am I.

And they wonder why no one wants to teach the kids.

I PASSED!

I have jumped yet another hurdle in my quest to teach the kids some shit.  In Massachusetts, prospective teachers are required to take the MTEL. High school teachers must take two parts, Communication and Literacy and their subject area. I took the Communication and Literacy joint back in March and passed. I took the English portion in November and was anxiously awaiting my test scores which were mailed on December 23 (y'all know i'm an impatient heffa).  I wasn't sure if my scores would be forwarded since I had a different address when I registered. Anyway, i got tired of checking my mail box like a crack head, so I decided to check my profile on the Deaprtment of Education's website. And there was my PASS in all it's glory.

Now, I just have to complete 3 months of teaching 8th and 10th graders and I am good to go.

What's Going On?

"Don't punish me with brutality, Talk to me, so you can see, What's Going On?" - Marvin Gaye

• Captions on a photograph: white people find, black people loot. 
• Footage of a black man getting the holy hell beat out of him by three white cops.
• Bill Bennett hypothesizing on aborting all black babies to lower the crime rate.

All this shit is happening in 2005. So why is it inconceivable to think that Jonathan Kozol's  accusation of a new brand of segregation in the schools is so far fetched?

Now, I'm biased. I love this man. I remember reading Savage Inequalities and I cried. I admit, it's not too hard to make me cry but this was more so out of anger, sadness and a feeling that it was all in futility. No matter what we (Black folks) did, what we achieved, how far we've come, etc. we'd always be niggas in the eyes of most and not worthy of anything. Kozol looked around a Chicago school and thought: my God, what have these children done to deserve this. And it's always been my thinking that anyone who could harm a child is just an evil motherfucker.

But that's what's done. A school in the inner-city looks very different from a school in the 'burbs. And if the goal of public education is to make schooling equal...well, something is rotten in Denmark. These politicians are horrible. They talk out of both sides of their damn mouths. But as soon as the budget starts looking funny? Slash education funding. (But there is a $200 million bridge to Nowhere)No Child Left Behind? It might be a'ight if you fund it properly. But then they have the nerve to complain about the products of these public schools. You get out of a system what you put into it. I was riding behind a car the other day and the bumper sticker read "if you think education is expensive, try ignorance." Could anything be more true? Let's just bring it down to a basic level. I could wax poetic about the children being the future and shit...But I won't. mainly because I'd just throwup in my mouth. Most of these ignorant little fucks running around today...well the future is pretty damn dim if we have to count on them. It isn't even entirely their fault. If we don't teach them shit, what are they supposed to do? Teachers are paid poorly and if Shit Romney has his way, pay increases will be based on students' MCAS scores among other things. 

And in a perfect world, parents would be really involved in their children's lives and be active in their school community. They'd join the booster club and raise money for the things the schools need.   And volunteer to monitor lunches and sell candy and attend recitals and plays and festivals and open houses and all that other good shit.  Speaking from a single mom's perspective, sometimes it's hard enough to check homework and listen to him read before bed nevermind all the other stuff.

I don't have an answer. For education to be so damn important, it's corrupt as hell. Countries like New Zealand and Australia have National Curriculums that are working pretty well for them. But their populations aren't as diverse. Hell, you can't even emigate to Australia and work at Starbucks or some other shit. Your ass needs to be able to provide a service or fulfill a vital need. But anyway, a national curriculum wouldn't work in the good old U S of A anyway. God forbid that Shanequa get the same education as little Connor. I'm bewitched, bothered and bewildered or however the damn song goes. All I can do is start my own grassroots campaign in my classroom.