Poets

I did my best to restrain myself from jumping up and down when my students read on Friday. Writers everyone, writers! Here's a collection of lines from my students' poems. I have my work cut out for me.

I am small in this big world
from underneath the sun

I'm from L.A. and Belize
from the Killing Room
Spain, Italy and Mexico
Baseball and chanting in the dugout
from don't put that there and stop crying
Big mama, Mississipi, Louisiana, and New York

I'm from the Freckles,

with lots of Matza and wine because I'm Jewish

I'm from the Native Americans, the Cubans and the Blacks

I am the future doctor
I admire no one because I am myself

I'm from another place, celestial, 

and eternal

I'm from Pangea

The sea resides inside of me

Like my father before me

I am from the city

Where lights have soothed me to sleep

Thinking of my past and my indefinite future

Looking Back, Then Forward

Tomorrow will be my first official day at my new school - its hard to get to sleep. Plans are about as ready as they can be and I know I'm ready too.But tonight, I can't help but think about my old students and colleagues. I miss them.

The students I taught for two years will become 8th graders and my old colleagues will each be starting something new too. I know I'll be thinking about them tomorrow even as I welcome new students and a new community of teachers and parents into my life.

Running Start

This Inspires Me

I'm convinced. Starting the day with a run can do wonders. Even if you  have to wake up at four, snooze once or twice, and make it out the door, in the dark, a half hour later - miracles can happen. Let me explain.

* Stress the size of gigantic bagels, disappear.

I woke up today to a visual consolidation of my stress. I saw myself in bed, holding on, to a gigantic, heavy bagel. Of all things! A gigantic bagel? And why on earth was I holding it? Obviously it didn't land on me, I was clinging on to a gigantic bagel of stress. This of course, made me laugh and by mile four, everything felt a bit lighter. I felt like I did better today, with the problems that came up. I carried the stress around for awhile but eventually, figured out a way to let it go.


* Time, flies.
 
Our school held a parent orientation today between 7-9am. It didn't feel like two long hours about supply lists, carpool plans, and parent booster clubs - time didn't feel wasted. I imagined these students in my classroom; reminisced about my parents visiting school with me; and pictured myself as a parent. There was a really good energy and I was inspired by it.


* Writers, appear.

I met a student today who will be in my advisory and humanities class. Initially, she was very quiet and I spent several minutes talking mostly to her mom. Then, out of nowhere she told me, "I love to write too. I already have two chapters." To my surprise, she's already read my bio on the school's website and noticed that I also, love to write. She made my day.

I know the four a.m. routine will be difficult to keep once the school year starts to roll. Whatever happens, I just wanted to bottle up today in a post.

loving labels

I'm a teacher.

It is reassuring in these unbelievably uncertain times to know what it is that I do. If nothing else.

To love the label, even if this teacher label could fall off at anytime - or be torn off - OR I may not be given a new label to write teacher on after its off. Or to be the teacher but be labeled a long term substitute instead. You get the idea. What do I tell people when asked? What do I prefer? Teacher.

On Generation Meh, Henderson, sums it up - career labels, like other labels (gender, sexual, political, cultural), could never begin to define a person. But having for once, an easy career label, is a relief. I very much feel her when she says, "You might also be a million other things, but it’s a starting point, a place to hang your hat."

With the new year, starting off not only on a blue moon but a blue note, as it has for me and some of my close friends, I really enjoyed the first day of school and seeing my students. I enjoyed returning to a familiar place and to being around them. In my eyes, they represent pure potential. They inspire me to live life fully and force me, despite it all, to be present.

the kids

the kids - I heart them very much.

my partner teacher - I heart her too.

even though I'm a long term substitute and my union and my district most likely are not looking out for me, once I'm in my classroom with the kids or in my slc with my colleagues (old ones and really interesting, personable new ones) - I'm more than happy to not have the time to think about them (my union and my district).

its late on a Friday night, I should be out but I feel very sleepy, reflective and inexplicably happy.

my students and I did a tremendous amount of work during this second week of school. when I see them in the morning around 8:30 - its like whoa dude, its early. and when a few stay behind to chill, to study or because they must (detention), and its around 4:30 - I'm like dude, this is crazy isn't it?

two old students from my first year of teaching, came to visit after school this week. they were more than a handful, they were everyday of my first year - they challenged me, to bits, it was an initiation. I was so happy though, to see them. middle school was not easy for them but they made it to high school in one piece. and the feeling right now is this - wow, we made it. through middle school.

tiles we made for a library garden service project

Coming of Age

Middle school is the time to rebel.

That was the time when ...

- I said, "Grandma! I don't want you to walk me to school!"

- I stayed after school longer than I was supposed to

- Started talking back to my elders

- I didn't want to be perfect at anything anymore

It's so hard to remember this as I work with my students and runners.

It's only now, when the school is quiet and I'm going over what happened during the course of the day that I remember - how vulnerable I was, how defiant I was and how important it was for me to be all of that in order to get to where I am today.

It's part of the process.