There are some things I could be blogging about BUT I have reasons that none of them are happening. Here is a list of what I could have blogged about:
1. Things that were annoying/upsetting/maddening about the meeting I went to today.
2. My journey through the stages of grief over my job.
3. The heroes my students are going to be writing research papers about (Anyone real or imaginary that they know or not from 1950 or later)
4. Potential job sites in my very near future
5. Best forms of chocolate to be found in CA.
6. List of graduates I have to celebrate next weekend.
Instead you just get a list of my thoughts.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
People who have visited my classroom while I've been teaching.
1. My friend Kate, from Texas.
2. A group of people from the state trying to determine whether our school is following the plan they agreed to three years ago.
3. Superintendent Cortinez, who came today, just wandering into my classroom. I resisted the urge to tell him that he fired me but I think he figured that out when he asked me how long I'd been teaching.
2. A group of people from the state trying to determine whether our school is following the plan they agreed to three years ago.
3. Superintendent Cortinez, who came today, just wandering into my classroom. I resisted the urge to tell him that he fired me but I think he figured that out when he asked me how long I'd been teaching.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
I love most people who love Shakespeare.
I love Shakespeare and I've been lucky to have some amazing teachers who love Shakespeare to interact with. I was very excited to stumble upon a whole program (Shakespeare Festival LA) focused on education and Shakespeare and even more thrilled to see they offered a two day teacher workshop to assist me in teaching it in the classroom (And even more thrilled to see it was about romeo and juliet, a book I teach, but by far not my favorite so I have a hard time getting into it.) As I was listening to one of the presentations I realized how much I like a certain type of Shakespeare lover. Here is what the person must have:
1. They recognize that what Shakespeare is awesome at is word-smithing rather than amazing plot lines.
2. They have a child-like fascination with the English language that is fueled by the green light to discuss even letter choices within a Shakespearean text.
3. They are fascinated by the hegemony inherent in the plot rather than the "oh no, Romeo killed himself!"
4. While they may be able to quote some Shakespeare, they can't quote it all (unless they were in the play) and they only quote it if they have to. Mostly they just read it from the text.
5. They have an appreciation for adaptations and purity, falling prey to neither extreme.
6. It's not about Shakespeare being the end all be all writer. It's just about him being really good.
7. They understand that Shakespeare is meant to be ACTed. Reading it is just something we came up with.
8. They are willing to call Shakespeare on the bullshit that he does putting women down or the colonized down without having to apologize.
I miss having a University affiliation to get my scholar fix, but today I got it from the best kind of Shakespeare lover.
1. They recognize that what Shakespeare is awesome at is word-smithing rather than amazing plot lines.
2. They have a child-like fascination with the English language that is fueled by the green light to discuss even letter choices within a Shakespearean text.
3. They are fascinated by the hegemony inherent in the plot rather than the "oh no, Romeo killed himself!"
4. While they may be able to quote some Shakespeare, they can't quote it all (unless they were in the play) and they only quote it if they have to. Mostly they just read it from the text.
5. They have an appreciation for adaptations and purity, falling prey to neither extreme.
6. It's not about Shakespeare being the end all be all writer. It's just about him being really good.
7. They understand that Shakespeare is meant to be ACTed. Reading it is just something we came up with.
8. They are willing to call Shakespeare on the bullshit that he does putting women down or the colonized down without having to apologize.
I miss having a University affiliation to get my scholar fix, but today I got it from the best kind of Shakespeare lover.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
All of the good things about UCLA
Here is a list of ALL of the good things about UCLA:
1. There is a stretch of Sunset that you have to drive on to get there from here with no stop lights and curves that are big enough you don't really have to slow down. It may be my favorite part to drive in all of LA.
1. There is a stretch of Sunset that you have to drive on to get there from here with no stop lights and curves that are big enough you don't really have to slow down. It may be my favorite part to drive in all of LA.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
I've failed at writing this...
Here's a list of reasons I've failed lately:
1. I got the layoff notice.
2. Simon came to visit.
3. I've been sick the last few days
4. When my friends post, I forget that I haven't.
5. Some days, when you finish at school, you just need to relax. There was a big fiasco surrounding a conference we were supposed to go to this weekend and then it was off and then on and back and forth SO because I'm still under the weather, and I already have sub plans AND a sub, I'm taking a day off that will hopefully get me back mentally.
1. I got the layoff notice.
2. Simon came to visit.
3. I've been sick the last few days
4. When my friends post, I forget that I haven't.
5. Some days, when you finish at school, you just need to relax. There was a big fiasco surrounding a conference we were supposed to go to this weekend and then it was off and then on and back and forth SO because I'm still under the weather, and I already have sub plans AND a sub, I'm taking a day off that will hopefully get me back mentally.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
List of options for next year
There is a possibility that things will pretty much stay the same next year at school but there is an equally strong possibility that things will be VERY different. Here is a list of those options:
1. We'll start with the worst one: I get laid off. That would stink.
2. I continue teaching 3 of the 5 10th grade classes and 2 drama classes with the added 7th period Academic Decathlon.
3. I take the 3 11th grade classes that aren't AP and keep my two drama classes and the 7th period Academic Decathlon.
4. I teach 4 11th grade classes including the AP Language class and knock down to one drama class (and the 7th period you know)
5. I teach three 12th grade classes including the AP Literature class and keep two drama classes. (and 7th...)
6. Option four but I teach a newspaper class instead of a drama class
7. Option number 3 but one drama and one newspaper.
8. Option number 2 but one drama and one newspaper.
Who knows?
1. We'll start with the worst one: I get laid off. That would stink.
2. I continue teaching 3 of the 5 10th grade classes and 2 drama classes with the added 7th period Academic Decathlon.
3. I take the 3 11th grade classes that aren't AP and keep my two drama classes and the 7th period Academic Decathlon.
4. I teach 4 11th grade classes including the AP Language class and knock down to one drama class (and the 7th period you know)
5. I teach three 12th grade classes including the AP Literature class and keep two drama classes. (and 7th...)
6. Option four but I teach a newspaper class instead of a drama class
7. Option number 3 but one drama and one newspaper.
8. Option number 2 but one drama and one newspaper.
Who knows?
Monday, March 2, 2009
So I'm not in the best of moods
No idea why since I had an entertaining weekend. Doesn't change the fact that today I came to school angry. Here is a list of things I find myself wanting to tell people:
1. I can't take care of your classroom and my own.
2. I can't prepare your lessons and my own.
3. I can't spend the next two weeks preparing the tenth grade students for a high school exit exam.
4. I can't make the review slideshow you gave me to present in homeroom interesting.
5. I can't understand why the conversation you are having with your high school girlfriend is more important than you being in class.
6. I can't get behind your decision to paint graffiti for the rest of your life rather than at least graduate high school.
7. I can't help that you signed up for drama class, have been in it all year and now you decide that you don't want to participate.
8. I can't help you if you don't listen or ask questions.
9. I can't believe that you know everything when I don't even know everything.
10. I can't let you out of English class so you can take care of something for science, math, music, history, art etc. especially when I know you aren't going to make up the time missed in my class.
11. I can't let you work on other work for another class when I have assigned to you a task.
12. I can't give you an A just because you show up for class.
13. I can't let you keep Maus much as I'd like to- it's a $14 book making it the most expensive one in the bookroom.
14. I can't deal with your complete and utter apathy towards acts of genocide.
15. I can't understand why you're wasting my time by wanting to fail.
16. I can't improve this school's tests scores in the next month.
ok... maybe now it's out of my system. Let's hope so, or the ican't list may turn into things I have told my coworkers and students.
1. I can't take care of your classroom and my own.
2. I can't prepare your lessons and my own.
3. I can't spend the next two weeks preparing the tenth grade students for a high school exit exam.
4. I can't make the review slideshow you gave me to present in homeroom interesting.
5. I can't understand why the conversation you are having with your high school girlfriend is more important than you being in class.
6. I can't get behind your decision to paint graffiti for the rest of your life rather than at least graduate high school.
7. I can't help that you signed up for drama class, have been in it all year and now you decide that you don't want to participate.
8. I can't help you if you don't listen or ask questions.
9. I can't believe that you know everything when I don't even know everything.
10. I can't let you out of English class so you can take care of something for science, math, music, history, art etc. especially when I know you aren't going to make up the time missed in my class.
11. I can't let you work on other work for another class when I have assigned to you a task.
12. I can't give you an A just because you show up for class.
13. I can't let you keep Maus much as I'd like to- it's a $14 book making it the most expensive one in the bookroom.
14. I can't deal with your complete and utter apathy towards acts of genocide.
15. I can't understand why you're wasting my time by wanting to fail.
16. I can't improve this school's tests scores in the next month.
ok... maybe now it's out of my system. Let's hope so, or the ican't list may turn into things I have told my coworkers and students.
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