Daffy Duck

Four years ago, I taught Advanced English I, and last year, I taught most of those same students in IB English 3. I've gotten close with several students, and have a cartload of letters of recommendation to complete. The deadline for many of them is December 1, and, really, they take a long time, especially when you really like the kid. This is Daffy's. Pearl's - perhaps to be posted tomorrow - was also a doozy. Both left me with tears in my eyes; these are great kids that are moving on, and I'll miss them. A handful of this group, I hope, maintains contact with me for the rest of their lives.

I have two more letters of rec to finish before tomorrow afternoon. They take me at least an hour each to finish, and today - attempting to complete them while readying tomorrow's start to the Fences unit - they kept me at school until after 8pm. The Journalism teacher came down, asked me why the hell I was still there, and I made myself walk out with him. We were the last two cars in the parking lot. But I didn't feel like I worked hard. Maybe because I have a stack of grading that I just haven't gotten to yet.

I hope I've anonymized this enough. I've changed some wording here and there in the final copy:



To whom it may concern:

I am full of pride as I recommend an outstanding student and person, Daffy Duck, to your learning institution. Daffy is one of the most memorable students to cross my path during the seven years I have been teaching English at Daffy Duck High School, and I am confident that his dedication, insightfulness, and skills in writing and speaking will greatly benefit your institution should he be accepted.

I have known Daffy for four years, teaching him in two advanced courses (English I Honors and IB English III). Through this time, I have had the pleasure of getting to know this young man as both a student and a person. Daffy is a sensitive soul – an old soul, if you will – and this sensitivity informs his approach both in the hallways and the classroom. He is perceptive and reflective far beyond his years, and these traits are meshed with strong academic skills and work ethic, to produce a student who is a pleasure to have in a classroom.

As a ninth grader, Daffy was a perceptive young man who worked hard and produced good work for me. He received outstanding grades – in the upper 10% of his class – throughout the course, but he made his mark on my memory in several other ways. At 14, Daffy was driven but modest. He had taken the SAT in middle school, he told me, and wanted extra work to improve his critical thinking skills. Throughout the year, his question to me was always, “Was that too literal?” and, often, it was. But Daffy’s drive and attention to detail eventually won out, and he started being able to construct effective thesis statements and start saying interesting things about the literature we read.

After the ninth grade, I continued to keep close tabs on Daffy’s success; he’s one of those kids that a teacher really roots for, because he is what Daffy Duck school is all about – a hard-working smart kid with some roughness around the edges, and a student who will be a first generation student at a major university. As expected, Daffy did well in English II Honors. At the end of the course, both that teacher and I recommended Daffy for International Baccalaureate English III, a rigorous course that incorporates several externally-assessed oral and written assessments. Over the summer, I was surprised to find that I would be teaching that advanced course, and of course looked forward to Daffy being on my class list again. The course was demanding, but Daffy did well; despite added pressures in his life (his mother charges him rent, forcing him to get a job, at which he sometimes works 30-40 hours a week), he came through every time with high-quality essays and presentations. The IB program rigorously assesses both oral and written work, and Daffy works hard at both. He consistently comes off as engaging and genuine in both his writing and speaking – a somewhat rare trait for a 16-year old when talking about literature. The IB English is taught only at the Higher Level at Daffy Duck school, and students are required to work very hard, and even with Daffy’s stressful schedule, he was always a pleasure to have in the classroom.

Writing a letter of recommendation for Daffy Duck is a difficult task. Not because I will struggle with things to write (on the contrary, it will be difficult to keep this to one page), but because my task is to make it known to a college - any college, in fact (I'm that confident in Daffy's potential to be a scholar) - that it would be very lucky to have this young man enroll. There is a consistent undercurrent of respect and genuine esteem for this young man throughout the faculty of Daffy Duck School; we will all miss him. And I could go on and on about this student’s accomplishments – a canvasser for the Maryland Democratic Party, member of the National Honor Society, President of the Model UN – but know this most of all: Daffy Duck is a student with extraordinary potential. He is extremely hard-working and honest, and he combines it with a genuine intellectual curiosity rare for a high school student. I look forward to watching him continue to grow and become a productive member of society, and recommend him without reservation to your university. Please contact me at XXX if you have any questions.

Slyvia Plath, Eminem, and wonderful 9th graders

I'm feeling so good right now with my 9th graders that I walked up to my supervisor and asked her if she wanted to do my observation today. ...

But I digress. She had to watch some of my classes on Monday, and the report about 10th period was not good. I assured the woman who sat in on my class that the group of kids were great kids. And they are - my favorite class, a group of respectful, bright, needy ninth graders who help me end every day on a good note. And we have a good relationship. The most effective classroom management for me has always been getting kids to feel bad about themselves if they misbehave, and use the fact that it's a personal affront to me to utilize this management. And it's honest classroom management. I feel bad when kids misbehave, and they should, too. So I've got them to the point where I can hear them getting a little rambunctious and I'll say, "Now, don't you all disappoint me now," and then you can hear a pin drop. The class is just full of great kids who make me laugh and make me happy to be there in front of them, with them, teaching them. I might be romanticizing this class too much, and certainly they let me down sometimes, but right now I couldn't be happier with them.

And, of course, the observation went great. Their drill was cornier than I usually do - they had to pretend that their mind was divided into four parts, for different parts of their personality, then had to name and give a color for each part and explain it. I wanted them to associate colors with emotion and tone, because I felt like it would help them in thinking about Sylvia's Plath's mildly tough "Apprehensions". So we spent five minutes on that, then five minutes sharing (I had to disappoint no fewer than 6 volunteers after 7 already shared) then read and dissected the poem, annotating it and discussing it at length. I got every single kid involved, except for dour Darien, who looked like he was having a bad day. We then ended with me modeling and them constructed an observation/effect/larger implication thesis statement and a little discussion about Eminem. Because, he, like Plath, seems to be one of those artistic types that lives through his art. But, as the kids rightly pointed out, he now has his daughter that he's into, and hopefully that's his new medium (to use Plath's word). So hopefully no heads in ovens for him.

They then created thesis statements with devices like "apocalyptic imagery" and "shifts of dreamlike imagery from mellow to nightmarish", connected to well-argued effects and larger implications that were really thoughtful. We'll see how they defend them tomorrow in their homework.

...

I wish I could say the juniors were going as well as the 9th graders. I'm excited about the starting the new book (Kiss of the Spider Woman), but feel like I'm a little in a holding pattern right now before we start. Today, we read and analyzed Borges' poem "Limits", but in reading their responses, I'm not sure if they got it. Back to the drawing board tomorrow. More teaching, less assigning. I have to plan a lesson that will change all their lives forever, and worry about catching up the twelve kids who were gone today (field trip and Ring Day).

Everything Zen

So far this year, my first period class has been my least favorite; about 8 kids come late nearly every day, and wonder why they're not passing. There are a couple of kids that act out nearly every day in ways that just confound me - walking across the room in the middle of a lesson for no good reason, continuing mean under-the-breath comments, etc. I can always handle a kid who wants to do well but doesn't, but this class features a couple of kids that, so far, are almost totally unpleasant to be around. It was my only class with no A's.

Today, however, even they were wonderful. Focused, in their seats, and participating in the day's activity. And it was me, not them. I felt so zen today, a result of five days away and a well-planned lesson. We needed a fresh start from The Odyssey, which went on too long and ended with far too many days of group presentations. I started the Fences lesson with a series of poems about fences. Students tackled the literal and metaphorical meanings of fences, then we read "A Fence" by Carl Sandberg. Kids marked it up, discussed it, and wrote several paragraphs about it. All without complaining. All, even, with excitement. I sure was. Tomorrow, I've got Sylvia Plath's "Apprehensions" and Langston Hughes' "As I Grew Older", both of which prominently feature walls/fences, and both in wildly disparate ways.

On Thursday, I'll start getting them into the characters of Fences, hold class tryouts, and start getting ready to read this thing.

I needed the sick day because I was sick, but I also needed the sick day because I needed a fresh start. It worked. I'm even excited to get back there tomorrow.

Calling in sick

I felt more horrible at 7am when I called in sick than I had in several days. My throat was a brillow pad, and my voice was that of a frog. "Hi," I stammered. "This is _______ _______, and I have to take a sick day."

I apparently wasn't the first to call, and she sighed and said, "Well, you're not goign to have a sub."

She waited for my reply, but I didn't give one.

"But if you're sick, you're sick."

I said "yes," and that was that.

Then I get a text from a colleague at 8:30: "We have 3 people out and you don't have a sub!"

I wonder if the kids do have a sub by now. I feel a little bad, but I take sick days very sparingly - I've never gone over three in a school year, and that was the year I had my two major surgeries (planned at break times, to minimize the days out). And I really am sick, although getting up and moving around a bit after sleeping in has made it feel a lot better. I'll rest more this evening, and make it in tomorrow.

Barack to the future?

Yesterday I found myself engaging in one of my favorite pleasures - sleeping in until around 8:30/9, then leisurely eating breakfast while I waited for Meet the Press comes on. I spent a few years not really watching Meet the Press - the product of working a lot of Sunday brunches - but have been trying to get back into it since I was put on Sunday nights at the restaurant.

I love it. And I'm starting to get really excited about the election. For the last few months, I've been living my life in the foregone conclusion that Barack Obama would not win the Democratic nomination, that it would be Hillary, and that this was too bad on a lot of levels - that it emphasizes the monarchy-like way we do politics in America (Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton), that she's such a politician (a thermometer, not a thermostat), and that I wasn't sure if she could win in the general election. And I don't mind her that much; she's a smart lady who would do a good job. But I just think there are much better candidates available on the strong Democratic side.

And now that Barack has some distance in his lead in Iowa, I think his candidancy might be possible. If he wins Iowa, and picks up some momentum in the five days until New Hampshire, he could really win this thing. But the debates in early December are going to be key. I might have to figure out a friend with cable so I can watch them.

It's getting exciting.

This is what happens when I blog on Ny-Quill

Sometimes on Sunday nights, I find myself flipping and finding 102.7, listening to a classic edition of Casey Kasem's Top-40 show from the mid-1980s. Tonight, he mentioned a poll of the five most fashionable female singers, as decided by college students. The most fashionable was Whitney Houston (Belinda Carlisle was #2, Sade was #3, and #4-5 was a three-way tie between Madonna, Susanna Hoffs, and Janet Jackson), and Kasem's description of her - "sleek, sexy, assured, and clean-living" - almost sounded ironic, knowing the state of Whitney today.

It occurred to me that if I were a film producer, I'd try to create a comeback vehicle for both Courtney Love and Whitney Houston. Make some sort of movie with them. Love is a great actress - she captured the screen in The People Vs. Larry Flynt, and Houston held her own in the few films she did. It could work. A Thelma and Louise for the 2000s, something like that.

Courtney Love is on my mind because Hole has been coming up a lot on my I-Pod lately. I've asked for Nirvana's Unplugged in New York DVD for Christmas, and am excited about possibly getting it; it's, for my money, one of the greatest concerts ever captured on CD, and seeing it on DVD all together is something that excites me a lot. But, as far as studio albums go, I'd put Live Through This next to any Nirvana studio album. It's that good. Revolutionary, even. And the songs have been popping up a lot lately on shuffle; they're good workout songs - angry and loud and driving. It's hard to feel like being a little lazy when Courtney Love is screaming, "Go on, take everything! Take everything, I want you to go on, take everything! Take everything!" in your ear (that's "Violet").

I love being at the gym and being in a totally different world than everyone else, a world created by my headphones. The music shifts from Simon and Garfunkle to Nelly, from the Dixie Chicks to Jay-Z as mixed by DJ Danger Mouse, to Ella Fitzgerald to Pearl Jam, and I feel like I'm playing a joke on all of the people there, a joke they don't even know if being played. And I smile to myself, and go on with my workout, totally lost in song.

Speaking of which, someday, I'd like to be able to know Young MC's "Bust a Move" well enough to try to tackle it during karaoke. I might even classify it as a life goal.

I need to figure out an interesting place to celebrate my friend's birthday on Wednesday. One of our usual haunts could work - our "regular three" bars are The Brewer's Art, Joe Squared, and Ale Mary's - but I'm thinking that since it's a special occasion, I should try to branch out. Holy Frijoles could work, but we've been there once this year already, and he doesn't really like Mexican food. I was thinking maybe Ryan's Daughter; I just wish it wasn't so expensive. James Joyce might be a possibility, as I know he's never been there. Or maybe Mick O'Shea's. Or maybe a night of Midtown Yacht Club and then the Spy Club (but the lighting of the monument next week probably will feature this place prominently). Anyone know of any good trivia places in Baltimore on Wednesdays? I do consider myself a bit of an expert on Baltimore bars, but still am coming up empty - any ideas overall? I'd like it to be close to 83, for easy access and exit (even a little bit for me, as I'm there for just a short time before having to go to class).

I am taking a sick day tomorrow, just because I want to know I'm over this thing for real. My fever hit 102 yesterday, and I feel a lot better today, but not all the way. One more day of rest and I should be all set.

Before I take the Target brand Ny-Quill and go to bed

For some reason, I happened over to the guestbook on the former site of this blog, and was reminded that I used to blog to bare my soul, and it connected with people. I don't write very personally anymore. "Here's what I did today and my feelings about it." I wonder if this blog has been dying a slow death over the last few years. I'd like to write more revealing, personal entries, but too many people I know read this thing now. I have to accept that it's no longer anonymous. Maybe it's a good thing that I'm not baring my soul for all to see, especially as I'm 30 years old and, to some, that might seem a little silly now. But I do miss it. I was a lot happier then, easier in letting people in on my feelings because I'd already done it online, for practice.

I wasn't expecting to be home tonight. I had to wait tables, and I figured I'd have to close - it's my first shift in a week - but my cold is not letting go. I'm at the point now where I'm sore and achy everywhere. I took two tables and went home. I'm now contemplating whether I'll go into school on Monday or not. I'm thinking that it's the perfect day to take a sick day - I've been legitimately sick for almost a week now and could use another recovery day, I'm between units and it works pedogically, and, importantly, I just feel a little frustrated right now with the direction I'm headed with the 9th graders and could use another day to figure it out. I need to teach, not assign. I feel like this week has been a nadir for me as a teacher in the 2007-2008 school year. All good teachers have plenty of doubts and points of reflection, and this one could be the major one for this school year. I need to talk it out with someone, in fact, but my teaching mentors are either disappointing me or nowhere to be found.

I'm going to take some Target-brand Ny-Quill and go to bed.

Thanksgiving and Beowulf

Thanksgiving was great. Spent it over at a friend's house, eating lots of good food, playing euchre, and playing video games. Dates like Thanksgiving always concern me, since I'm a vegetarian, and it's one of those days that people make a big deal out of it. I prefer to be quiet about my vegetarianism - I have friends I've known for several years who don't know I'm a vegetarian - because people get so judgemental about it. But it's impossible to be quiet about it on Thanksgiving. I hate when people make me things special, or make a big deal out of it. When I was younger, I loved making a big scene out of it, but now I recognize it as a personal ethical decision, not a grandiose one. So people only know when it comes up. But, I've got to say, I loved the vegetarian stuffing the host made. Craisins, walnuts, and apples were the chief ingredients, and it was one of the best things I've ever had. So, it wasn't a bad thing that they made a deal out of it. Mmmmm.

Today, I had an awesome workout (2 hours), then rewarded myself by seeing the 3-D version of Beowulf. It was good, but the last movie I sat down to watch was 300, and I think it was too soon to sit down in front of another CGI-animation type of movie. I just craved realism so much during it that I got really bored. It's certainly well made, with several thrilling sequences, but I wish I had chosen American Gangster instead.

Colds and crummy teaching

The week was only three days long, but it felt like 30. I still haven't gotten over my cold, which occasionally sits back on its haunches but often lashes out at my throat. I'll wake up, and feel fine, and then feel terrible by the late morning. It has kept me from sleeping at times, but has also kept me feeling exhausted. I've lost my voice and regained it. The congestion is never-ending. It's just crummy. And when I'm sick - even when I have a little cold like this - I become whiny. And it hasn't been severe enough to take a day off, although maybe I should have. It's just enough to make me feel miserable.

My reflection at the end of this week - which saw me finish the Odyssey unit, set to begin the Fences unit on Monday - is that I'm not being an effective teacher with my 9th graders. I'm too focused right now on covering stuff, and not on teaching skills. I'm being a great assigner, but not a great teacher. I read a line in my grad school text that sent chills down my spine, something about how classes that focus on content over skills do not effectively educate young people. I recognized myself in it, and, honestly, I have no idea what I'm going to do on Monday to correct it. I need this break and this reflection time.

I know I need to run off 135 copies of Fences sometime before that, and our copier keeps jamming and I'm actually considering bringing it to Kinko's and spending a few hundred dollars and having the kids bring me a couple bucks each for it. We'll see.

Sleeping eight hours tonight. Tomorrow, it's the Lions and tilapia (no tofurky this year), possibly at a friend's house, possibly just chilling here if I don't feel well enough. Either way, I'm excited about the down time.

My cold is one of those where I wake up feeling pretty good but by noon I feel like hell. I left school today at 2:50 to go home and lay down. Now I feel alright again. I am looking forward to this four-day break. I'm going to take Ny-Quill and get a good ten hours of sleep tonight and try to kick this cold in the butt.

***

The readership of this blog is bumping into my real life more and more. When one puts his life on the Internet, it should be expected that people find it. I have long known a few students who have read this blog. I have long known that a few colleagues have, and that even a few parents have. Today, I went to the gym and was asked about it. This evening, I noticed a hit from a 9th grade student's facebook profile. My daily hits have increased just a bit, but from November 2006 to November 2007, my monthly hits have gone from around 5,000 to nearly 7,000. I'm not entirely comfortable with this, but I'm trying to remember that I'm not writing about things I'm embarassed about, that I stand by my words and it's not important who is reading it. I guess.

Weekend close

Two unique things I did this weekend:

1. Helped a 92-year old woman down the stairs. I was in front, and her 71-year old daughter was in back. She's an old Polish lady and said her "nyeah" just like my Grandpa did.

2. Called up Car Talk in order to be a caller on their show. I'll let you know if it happens.

Ah... a three-day week this week. I'm working my kids very hard - both grade levels - and giving them all Thanksgiving off. After all, it's the best holiday there is, isn't it? Just about - not commercial, just about something we should all do a bit more of (give thanks).

I'm not going home to Michigan, and am sifting through a few offers here in Baltimore to sit in with someone's family or hang out with friends. Just a handful of my friends are going home, so most of us out-of-staters are in a similar boat, which is nice. Thanksgiving travel is just so terrible that I'm glad I did it two weeks ago instead. I'm not sure if I'm going to sit down for any special meal with anyone, though, as I think I'd rather just be a ghost this weekend - finish up my big projects (in one case, start it), exercise a lot, and relax/reflect a bit - and give thanks that this semester is drawing to a close.

Sunday Six

1. Last night, I worked a party next door to the restaurant. I made $10/hr, plus $3.50 in tips (tip cup at an open bar). This isn't terrible, but the restaurant was friggin' busy, and I know I would have hit triple digits pretty easily. Hopefully tonight is likewise busy because I'm alone on the floor. Because of #3, I want to make some money.

2. On Thursday/Friday, I felt a cold - maybe worse - coming on. I was worried that my busy weekend wouldn't give me any chance to rest and fend it off. As it turns out, though, I stayed in on Friday night, my class on Saturday was not strenuous, and work at the restaurant was pretty easy. So I think I fended it off. Ironically, with all my medical problems (detached retinas, broken/arthritic foot, head surgery), I don't get sick very often. I don't remember getting an illness in the last several years - nothing worse than a day-long headcold, at least. I'm as healthy as an ox! (Or at least as healthy as a half-blind, limping ox with head lumps!)

3. I bought a computer yesterday. I was going to wait until Black Friday to see if there were any good deals, but I hate shopping for high pressure items with a lot of people and salespeople around. I went with Dell again. I got a great deal, including an educator discount and an interest free for 12 months deal - the same deal that I used with Bobbie's computer I bought for him, the same deal for my school computer. It's a desktop, and I think it's going to be really nice. Since my television is a 12-year old $125 TV, and my DVD player is a $29.99 model that screetches, I'll probably take to watching movies on the 20" flatscreen monitor. I'm excited.

4. What tipped the balance is that I decided that the last month of my courses this year needed a reliable computer. I keep expecting this one to just die. Today, I got a message that I had 0 MB of storage space left, that this was dangerously low and made the computer instable. I have no idea how so much room is being used up - I guess my music? probably more likely viruses... - but went ahead and deleted MS Works and a few other things that I never use. Hopefully it can last me the next couple of weeks so I can transfer all my files over to the new computer before this one crashes. It's six years old and gasping. I'm no computer expert but I think I know that this is one is just about dead.

5. My cold is feeling gone enough for me to go to the gym for the first time in a week and a half. It's pretty bad, but I've been living terribly unhealthily lately (probably why I got a cold in the first place). I've been eating junk food - two bean burritos at Taco Bell at 10pm after working last night, a candy bar on Wednesday (I don't know if I've ever really bought a candy bar before) - and that's a result of not exercising. I hope to have a healthy holiday week. I'm not going home for Thanksgiving - just getting together with friends, and getting my two huge projects done for grad school. Hopefully I can get on track with other things as well.

6. If you haven't noticed, I revised, replenished, and categorized my links to the right. Please check them out. If anyone has other suggestions for those Baltimore Education Links or Outside Baltimore Education links, please let me know.

How to eliminate gang graffiti in your classroom

The day I returned after having a sub, several desks sported fresh initials written in red magic marker - "MCN".

I thought it was really someone's initials, so I looked through all my classlists to see if I could place him/her. Yes, kids who graffiti are sometimes that dumb as to put their actual guilty information on the graffiti.

A student informed me, however, that it was not a person's initials, but rather the initials of a gang called "Murder City N******". Some research on the web revealed these guys to be Bloods. It was written in red, after all.

No amount of scrubbing with strange chemicals swiped from the janitor's closet could get the magic marker off the desk. After several different attempts at eliminating the gang graffiti, it had barely faded.

So before parents came in for Parent-Teacher conferences, I decided to just change the graffiti. Instead of "MCN," it now says "I (heart) my MOM." The handwriting doesn't match up as well as I'd like, but I did my best.

Parent-teacher conferences

Six parents. Five good conversations. One bad one that turned good.

I wish it was 25. My ninth graders need so much help.

Six parents out of 170 children... I just don't get it. I hope I get a torrent of phone calls and emails next week. Maybe I just have to have a week of calling home.

I'm fairly sick. I have my share of medical issues for someone my age - broken and arthritic foot at 29, detached retinas at 26, lumpectomy at 30 - but don't get colds or flus much. I don't remember if I ever really got sick at all in the last several years. It's not yet sick - I went to work today, I was fine - but it could turn into something more. My day tomorrow is a day of class and a 3pm-11pm shift at the restaurant, so the rest I should probably be getting won't be happening.

News

1. So we read the first half of The Odyssey. Now we're on the second half. It would take us all the way to Christmas to try to get the whole thing done, so I broke it up into groups. Each group has two chapters to teach to the class. The concept of group presentations sounds so good at first, when I'm planning it, but we've been doing them a week and interruptions to instruction have extended it to next week. And I don't know if I can stand to sit through another one. Oh. my. gosh.

2. Today was "Bring your parent to school day." I love this day and I got a few parents in. Other than the mouse in first period - which got trapped in a plastic bin of mine - disrupted things. I have no phone, so couldn't call anyone, so I ended up putting a bag over the bin, then carrying it down three flights of stairs and outside, to set it free. But by the time I got down, it was dead. The kids were all screaming in class.

3. The death of Kanye West's mom really makes me sad. I bet the music that this produces is going to be some of the most powerful you're ever going to hear.

4. I think I'm getting strep throat.

The kids are bad and I am tired

"Shut the F up you bitch!"

Tiffany was giving her presentation when suddenly she broke out in that torrent of curse words. She was yelling at someone who had whispered something to her. I didn't hear it. I put her in the hallway to figure things out. It was a kid Rashawn in the front row. He was whispering to someone else, she thought he was talking about her, confronted him, and he whispered back that she was a B.

The kids all wanted to jump him because he got her in trouble. And he's always starting stuff.

Tiffany's in the hall, crying. Saying she's going to get him.

I walk her down to Guidance. I pull him out, take him to a different, empty classroom. I have no phone and can't get anyone there to help me. The class seems like it could be on the verge of really banking this kid.

By the end of the next period - which, thankfully, and ironically, included an assembly about safety and conflict - both kids were in the Guidance office with the counselor and I, talking it out. She's so good. Told the kids that this was something insignificant, that apologies needed to be said, and that they would come out in five minutes smiling about it. We left, and five minutes later, Rashawn and Tiffany exited, with the appropriate grins.

I made Rashawn stay, because this kid's one of the brightest kids in the class yet is failing. I had the counselor pull his grades. 55, 50, 55, 60, and 70. Does no homework at all. Gets 90s on quizzes. We talk about strategies he must undergo for success.

I take him back to the classroom and give him a planner that the MSU people gave me when they came to my school to try to recruit. I teach him how to use it. Now it's third period.

Kids shuffle in and I begin my lesson. At the moment when we're about to begin presentations, there's a PA announcement for me. The Assistant Principal is requesting my presence in an IEP meeting for an autistic kid I teach a few periods later in the day. Apparently this meeting for one student is more important than the 33 students who sit in front of me in my classroom, confused and rambunctious. I had no notice that I would be required to attend the meeting, and, even when I go there, I add nothing other than I alreay wrote down. He's a nice kid. He works hard. He doesn't score well on quizzes or tests. That's what I wrote.

I return to my class after it ends and the room is nearly trashed. I left my worst class and they took advantage of it.

It's lunch period. Justin stops by to see me. I taught Justin 9th grade and 11th grade. One of the brightest kids I've ever taught. He's applying to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and he'll probably make it. Not only is he very bright (SAT scores through the roof), and a hard worker (nearly perfect GPA), but he's also an African American male. So he'll have his choice of a college. And it's MIT, and has been for a while.

The thing with Justin, though, is the details. I'm happy to write him a letter, but he needs it by Thanksgiving. Most students give teachers a few weeks. Most teachers require it. Not Justin. I'm going to do it, but it takes a while to write a good letter of recommendation that doesn't sound like every other letter of recommendation. Justin's will be good. He's a special kid (not only is he a great student, taking the very toughest courses, but he's a varsity athlete). But I wish I were writing it in my head for a few weeks before I actually had to sit down and write it. I'm the token Humanities teacher doing him one, though, so it's my job to tell these folks that this is a well-rounded, unique, intelligent kid who is more than just a great scientific mind.

Next period, I have students get into groups with their drafts they brought today, for a spirited peer review. As I usually do, students who don't come prepared go off to the side, while I figure out what to do with them. The thing is, in this class, it ends up being 2/3 in this group, and only 1/3 in the completion group. I'm pissed off and I make it known. I send them in the hallway and get the rest of the class started on their activity. Then I lecture them about life in the hallway, not before shushing them about talking while out there, saying, "Excuse me, you didn't bother to come prepared to my class, and now my plan for the day has to be adjusted, and now you're interrupting my instructions to the rest of the class that is prepared. Be quiet."

Class goes well after that, but I hate being mean.

Tenth period, my favorite class, shuffles in next. I start class by sending one student around the building, telling her to come back in ten minutes. I need to lecture the class and don't want to embarass her. Then I send three other students in the next room so I can lay into them privately. Then I tell the rest of the class that the group performance yesterday was an embarassment. One person did all the group's work, and noen of the rest of them could even answer questions. I tell them that I expect never to see a presentation like that again. Then I go talk to the three kids. I tell them that their work was not up to standards. The girl in charge of summary took hers from Sparknotes, and I explained this was plagiarism. "But I typed it up myself!" she retorted, and actually believed it. Just because you don't know how to copy and paste doesn't make it not plagiarism...

And then I head out to my class, where I finish all the work before class and some during class. The class remains stupendously bad. I'm there until 9:15pm. I head home. It was a long day.

No conference this year

This weekend is the National Council of Teachers of English conference, and I'm supposed to present for the second year in a row. Our presentation was a big hit last year ("Beyond the Dead White Men: How you can, and should, diversify your curriculum") and we planned on doing something similar again. A colleague wrote up a proposal back in January and we're still set to do it. But we're not. Or at least I'm not. I just can't.

1) We're not getting any money to go. Travel (China Bus, $40), Lodging (unknown, though I could probably find a friend's couch in Brooklyn), and the conference cost ($240) is too much. I also have to factor in the money I won't be getting for waiting tables this weekend, which hopefully will be a couple hundred more towards a new computer.

2) Nearly forty teachers are going to be out on Friday, for a huge number of conferences and trainings around the country. The building will be a hellhole - classes often do not have subs when teachers are out - and I feel the need to be at school a bit. Okay, now, everyone hold a finger in the dam!

3) Parent-teacher conferences are Friday. I haven't been that great about contacting parents this year, at least ones who are not on my e-mail list, so I look forward to it. Since I only had about 5 or 6 per class (15-20%) come to Meet the Teachers Night, I'm not anticipating a lot, but I'm hopeful. Since probably half of my students earned grades under a 70, I'm hoping I'll get a whole bunch of parents. Though my comment of "Parent Conference Requested" with nearly every ninth grader prompted all of two phone calls from parents (2 out of 130...).

4) I'm committed to do a presentation for Open House on Thursday night. We present on Thursday, I believe.

5) Big essay due tomorrow night for Grad School. Big assignment due Saturday for Grad School.

I love the NCTE Conventions I've been able to attend, but I just can't do it this year. Sorry. Some of my colleagues may carry the torch.

This is fun

But I will wear my heart upon my epiphany in baltimore
For daws to peck at.

Which work of Shakespeare was the original quote from?

Get your own quotes:

Real gangsters don't text message

The school was teeming with police today when I arrived, and shortly thereafter I heard why: some kids were trying to get some other kids as retribution for what happened after school on Friday, whatever that was. Kids got text messages all weekend that something was going to go down, and to wear black (neutral gang color) if you weren't involved. The day was strange and nervous - a girl whose father is a cop for Baltimore City heard there would be gunfire at the school, so he pulled her out, and several kids followed; teachers were asked to do extra hall duty and to ask everyone for an ID. Thankfully, nothing happened; but when I left at 6pm, the pitch black parking was almost completely empty, an unusual sight for that time. Kids and teachers apparently hightailed it out of there pretty quickly. Except for me and a few others. I had papers to grade!

New computer and Sunday nights

Today was the last straw: my CD disc drive broke, nixing my capabilities for making mixed CDs for Christmas. I'm now officially in the market for a new computer.

I've been steadily paying down bills for a long time now, and have gotten into a nice habit of coming home from waiting tables, and putting the exact amount I've made on one of my credit card bills, or one of my other debts (grad school debt right now is hitting me hard). And I've been putting parts of my salary away for the summer and not touching it, so hopefully this next summer will be a lot more pleasant. Now I think I'm going to start putting some away not only for the summer, but also for a computer. I made $310 this weekend waiting tables (two shifts, not bad), so I'm pretty much 30% of the way there now.

I love working Sunday nights - such nice people, and generally pretty laid back. Unfortunately, the most memorable table of the weekend was a complete asshole who tiped me $11.25 on $138.75, but tonight a few couples came close to making me forget about that one guy. A couple of British guys came in and told me they'd been coming to the restaurant for ten years, and they were so nice to talk to. "Tell me," one said in his thick accent. "Does Jennifer Love Hewitt still work here?" And my eyes flickered for a second, and I realized they were talking about my old friend Jenny, who does have a passing resemblence to Ms. Hewitt (I can't believe I'd never picked up on it before). Sadly, she's no longer there (but, happily, she now has a real job), though. I'm the veteran of the place now. I wonder if I'll ever quit. I'm addicted to waiting tables, I think.

Football and Loving the cultured hell that tests your youth

Today was the day of the big game, and it was one of the best football games I've ever witnessed. I tend to get bored by all the starts and stops of football (unlike baseball, which I think of as a fluid sport), but somehow was looking (and not talking with former students as they paraded by) during every great play, and ended up being more into the game than anyone in my section - jumping around and yelling my head off. I witnessed passes and catches that I'd rank as the best passes and catches I've ever seen, and was so happy to see three kids I taught last year be the stars of the game. A victory.

One kid runs like a deer, and had several long carrries today; he's a modest, quiet kid, and last year, when I was his teacher, he told me he was a "pretty good baseball player." I know that doesn't sound modest, but he's so unassuming and quiet - almost speaking in a whisper - that it came off as such. Then the season came around, and he had pretty severe turf toe and didn't try out because of doctor's orders. He looked real good today, and I'm hoping he surprises me and becomes a star for me this year. I need some surprises on the baseball team.

Another kid is the little brother of Mr. Superstar Student Athlete, who graduated last year. This kid's kind of a screw-up - not a good student, not engaged in class, gets in innocent trouble quite a bit. His big brother was a kid I coached for four years, and he always had maturity beyond his years, so the kid brother's behavior always struck me as odd. And I'm sure it's not fun to live in the shadow of a great older brother. [Just ask my little sister, ha ha.] So this kid was another star today, and it was so great to see him shine. His brother is playing ball at a school down south - full-ride scholarship - and couldn't make it to the game, so this was all Devin's day, and I was so proud of him.

And that's not even talking about the phenom sophomore, who was probably the game's biggest star, who I don't know at all. I do know the quarterback, though, and he's another of our school's great football kids - an unassuming, hard-working, modest athlete who, despite being starting quarterback of the team since he was a freshman, is actually kind of a nerd.

The day was a great one for football, and I left just superbly happy. I saw tons of former students, from "Bobby," who is successfully in the middle of his sophomore year at University of Maryland, to my baseball team captain from last year (now at St. John's in Manhattan), to kids I've taught over the last six years. My first year's students are now juniors in college, and I saw a couple of them - he a sophomore in my class in 2001, my first semester teaching, and later a captain for our team the first year I coached. Another kid, Micah, told me he's studying to be an English teacher.

Our school has a lot of pride, which is a good thing, and something my 9th graders don't quite get yet. It was Homecoming week last week, and several of the 9th graders didn't participate. One boy looked at me - dressed in my school colors, and partipating every day - and said, "See, we don't love this school. We're just going to this school because we got in." And he didn't understand all the school spirit: "Why?" he asked honestly. "Does everyone go crazy about that stuff here?"

And I half formed my thought before I answered back that he wasn't working hard enough to have pride yet. On Monday, I'll go into it more: pride comes from doing something yourself and working very hard to succeed at something. Most of my 9th graders - about 40% of the kids passed the first quarter, that's it (5 A's out of 130 students, about 15 B's, and about 25 C's, the rest D's and F's). They're just not working hard. Middle school came easy to them, and high school isn't. It's an adjustment. By the end of their course with me, and moreso at the end of their four years at the school, they'll feel they've soaked their sweat and their blood into their work, and they'll see that that's what pride comes from. Not wearing school colors and saying "Rah, rah," but, rather, earning something and recognizing the institution that made you earn it.

The whole shack shimmies!

My last few times singing karaoke, I have come up with a signature song. Since it's a male/female duet, and we only had one female in our group yesterday, I informed her that we'd be singing together and that the song was a surprise.

She pressed, though, so I told her that I'm not sure, but that I think we're going to go there in a car that seats about 20. And that we're about to set sail.

She got it, and asked me, "So, um, what's the condition of the tin roof?"

"It's pretty rusted, actually."

And our names came up and Walt's Inn cheered us on. I took a cab home. That kind of night.

House concert was cancelled because the performer was sick, so we had an unexpected night on the town instead.

Bottled water

Water from drinking fountains in BCPSS is still not safe to drink. Dr. Alonso's plan to combat the lead in the water is to continue with bottled water. Despite the graphic I just saw on FOX 45 news, the bottled water aren't small individual bottles that we hand out to the students. Rather, it's those huge water cooler type bottles.

We've had bottled water for the last five years, so nothing has changed for our school. Some time in last year, the city put up signs next to the water fountains proclaiming them to be safe, but they were never turned on. Turns out that's a good thing, I guess, since lead is still there.

The problem with bottled water is that the waters are often empty - especially on days that it's really needed, like those horribly hot days in August/September and May/June. The water is rarely cold and is often just room temperature. And often there are no paper cones to drink water out of - the dispensers for them break all the time, so they end up in a tube balanced on top of the large bottle, and invariably end up all over the place. And, lastly, there just aren't enough of them - generally two per floor in a huge school.

I hate them. I can't believe we still don't have drinkable water in the schools, though I agree with Dr. Alonso that there a lot more important issues and supply shortages in city schools than to ante up the millions to replace all the pipes. It still sucks, though.

******

Last night, I was on the way to sleep when I felt an ich on the bottom of my foot. I used my big toenail to scratch the itch, not thinking much else about it. Well, I woke up this morning with a raw open sore at that very foot. I apparently scratched myself raw, like a dog. Think I'm stressed out a bit?

* Grades due tomorrow. Still three huge stacks.

* Class was tonight, or else I would have stayed at school until 9 or so to finish. Couldn't do it. Went to my horrible class to turn something in, then waited for break so I could duck out and grade some more.

* House concert on Friday. Only two reservations. House not clean. I work tomorrow night so I'm not sure when I'll be cleaning the tumbleweeds of dog hair that are blowing through our house.

On a positive end, I gave an incredible Odyssey project assignment today that I'm really excited about. The kids even are, too - except for my class of negative nancies in first period, who whined and whined about too much work.

day off

Sadly, my short trip to Michigan is over. I came back yesterday, and even subconsciously tried to extend the trip a bit in my mind by accidentally keeping my phone on silent long after the flight landed. I received six calls between 3p and 6p, so I was glad I did; it's nice to feel needed, but one thing I've noticed more than any other thing this semester - the busiest, and not the happiest semester of my life - is that alone time is at a premium and is rarely available.

I accidentally, but thankfully, planned the trip the rub up against Election Day, which is a day off for teachers. It could not have come at a better time; grades are due tomorrow, and so is a big assignment for my Educational Research course. I'll be working on those things today, then hopefully getting some housework done in preparation for the house concert on Friday.

In southwest Michigan

My mom's recent health scare prompted my dad to worry about the financial health of the local Wal-Mart. "I'm not sure if it's going to make it," he said, with a grin. Well, mom and I were able to venture out there today, twice. The place runs my hometown to the point where you almost have to succumb, no matter my usual political inclinations (actually, I've come to conclusion that all the big retailers do a lot of shitty things, and I wonder how places like Target get off scot-free, so I go to Wal-Mart on occasion even in Baltimore).

I was shocked that they have no Michigan State gear, though. All University of Michigan. For all those Walmart Wolverines, don't you know?

I wish this trip was longer. I've got one full day. But wow it's nice to relax and not think about my busy, harried life in Baltimore for just a bit.

Calling them on it

I did it for the first time ever tonight: it was a slow night at the restaurant, and one table of five yuppies kept me an extra half hour. I didn't mind - they were nice, and happy, and fun to talk to. Then, they left their tip. $15 on $150.

I couldn't believe it. So, on their way out, I actually said something: "Was there a problem with the service?" in my nicest voice. I was the manager on duty and I just felt like I had to do it. The last one stopped, apologized profusely, and explained that splitting up the check must had confused them. I don't totally buy it, but she left me $10 more while her friends waited outside. I felt sort of bad, because she sort of got stuck with it since she was the last out, but am glad I got some more money. It turned what would have been a horrible night into just a mediocre one.

I head out of town tomorrow. It's been a hard week at school - grades are due, lessons feel too day-by-day, and I'm at the point in my grading where I feel like I am just shifting papers from one pile to the next, that I'm so far behind that I don't even want to start. Tuesday is Election Day, and I'll be back, and there's no school, and I'll probably head into the school and get all my grading done then.