Jetsetters

One of Robby's classmates calls us "jetsetters". So far this year, we've been to New Jersey, Denver, and San Francisco. Tomorrow, we're leaving for Utah for a wedding. May: Chicago; June: Japan; July: Berlin... I swear, Robby needs a secretary for all the conferences he goes to. I have to plan the Japan trip and Robby needs to plan Chicago, Berlin, and our subletters for the two months we're gone. Who knows how we'll afford these travels? The experience is more valuable than worrying about how we'll pay for it...I think.

Jetsetters we are!

We love Live Theatre!

A few nights ago, we saw live theatre: Taking Over, a one-man show by Danny Hoch. We saw it almost a year ago in Berkeley. His performance is moving and dynamic. It's all about the recent gentrification of Brooklyn. His audience really relates to the stories because many of us who go to the shows are the ones who are gentrifying the "dangerous" neighborhoods. At the end, he read letters from audience members. They share their confusion: "Wait, I'm a white male from Missouri living in Harlem. I'm voted for Obama & I'm a good guy. How come you don't have a character like me in the play?" I think people walk away thinking about his message. They try to think about a solution. Hoch presents the paradox that people always move away from home to find themselves. Why has Brooklyn turned into a sojourn for these yuppies? I walked away thinking, "What would it have been like to have stayed in Orange County all these years?" He's right, many kids from the suburbs move to the city to discover their identity and fall in love with the grittiness and density of the urban environment. But, eventually, we all leave. We leave the cities after having raised the housing prices and the price of almond croissants. In our wake, we leave a myriad of art galleries and cafes. Even though, Hoch doesn't give a solution, he gives us plenty to think about, and he offers a voice to those who don't have one.

Newly Unemployed

What does one do when one is unemployed?

Well, I now wake up at 7:30am instead of 6am.

Cleaning: I cleaned the entire apartment in 2 hours and vowed that we would never move into a larger domicile. Vacuuming was the best part of it.

Art: I started painting again. I began with different henna designs, and Robby and I have come up with a series to work on.

Attempted Tutoring: I wanted to flier USC campus to advertise myself as a writing tutor until I discovered that the Writing Center offers free services for undergraduate and graduate students. Now, I will have to find a different location to advertise in... But I did get to make a flier, and I love making fliers.

Letter writing: This is the time to renew old friendships. I need stationery.

Facebook: I've been communicating with former students through Facebook. It's fun. Some are on it 24/7 (via phone).

Freaks & Geeks: We have 2 episodes left. It gets better and better. It took at least 10 episodes for the stories to congeal and continue from episode to episode, and now the show isn't just about incredibly embarrassing moments but about risks, relationships, and growth.

Theatre: We've seen Gran Torino in the theatre. Awesome, but sad. Clint Eastwood, is a fantastic director and actor, & they just don't make movies like that anymore. We rented My Winnipeg, but it was boring and tried too hard being artistic. Last night, we watched Idiocracy, a silly movie about 2025 and the proliferation of idiotic people in the world. Much of the dialogue reminded me of teenage speak. See the next blog entry for live theatre.

So, I've been keeping myself busy. I've made a checklist (I love making lists) to things to do. Lots to do!

Last Day of Work

So today has come and passed. I bought five dozen donuts today for my two classes. For the past 3 days, I've spent $85 & bought 12.5 dozen donuts for my students. For a few classes, the students had to write first and final drafts for their final test over 2 hours, so I had to bribe them a little by offering donuts after they finished their first draft. I know it took them quite a bit of patience and focus in order to write for 2 hours straight. For the other classes, we had presentations and brought food.

This afternoon, after sixth period final, a few students came by to visit and Robby helped me clean up the last of my belongings. I posted up the juniors' Harlem Renaissance posters and the sophomores' To Kill a Mockingbird projects, hoping that the next teacher will leave them up there at the beginning of the next semester. I took pictures of my empty classroom, and as Robby waited outside, I stood for a few minutes with the lights out and spun around once before leaving. I wanted to soak it all in - soak the memories, soak in all the kids who walked through the door. I felt good...a little sad, but good.

I feel very fortunate to have had my own classroom. I did not have to share my space with any other teacher, and I had complete ownership over MY space. It was like a quiet little haven for me (quiet when the kids were gone), and though there are dirty little crevices between bookshelves and in corners, spaces into which I have never ventured, it was MY space, my windows, my sanctuary.

Now, I am onto other things. I don't know what lies ahead of me. I will definitely stay in education, but I need a break from classroom teaching. Robby thinks I will go back to teaching in the future. I hope so. It is both thankless and rewarding. For some classes, thankless from August to May and rewarding from May to June. Even when one class out of five is like that, it takes a toll on my mind. As much as I tell myself to focus on the wonderful students, I always examine where or who I fail. Oh, what a tumultuous career!

Three days of school left! (Jeanne)

I recently decided to resign from my teaching position. I have had enough of teaching - too much prolonged abuse, I suppose, from the students. Granted, most of the students are darling angels who love to learn, the few incorrigible ones prevent me from teaching. I've disappointed myself by not sticking with the program, but they've disappointed me as well. I have tried to be as consistent and perky as I could be, but it is difficult to motivate a class where 70% of the students are earning Ds & Fs. I just can't sustain a career in teaching if it's going to be like that. I want to be able to teach, not babysit, and all semester long I haven't found the answers to my dilemmas.
Maybe this is only a break from teaching. I don't know if I will return to this rewarding but thankless job. It is extremely worthwhile, and I love the relationships that I am able to form with impressionable and optimistic young people. But I encounter constant teenage angst - teenagers who can't articulate their thoughts, teenagers who can't control their mouth, teenagers who badger and pick on each other, teenagers who can't envision long-term goals.

Maybe I was meant to do something else.