Our days are busy. I can account for every minute of the 10 hours I spend at school each day. From the time I pick up the boy from daycare to the time I put him to bed, I kiss and hug him to make up for the lost time we spent apart. When Robby comes home later from campus, I take the boy on a walk & we watch birds and fountains and trees together.
On Saturday mornings, while he sleeps with his papa, I clean the kitchen and apartment, do a bit of yoga to stretch out my tired muscles, and do a little graduate school work. Our days are predictable and busy, & though Robby misses all the days we would spend side by side, it feels good to be busy. When I drive through Los Angeles - heading towards downtown on the 110 with skyscrapers looming ahead & trudging on the 10 past Hoover & Vermont & Crenshaw - I feel a part of the city, as if it were a living organism in constant movement...each individual serves a purpose (albeit mine might be tiny) in keeping this massive sprawl functioning and flowing.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
3 weeks done, 10 weeks left 'til Thanksgiving!
My third and first full week of teaching has just ended. At first, I was impressed by my well-behaved 10th graders. But they caught onto how relaxed & easygoing I am, & in this third week they have taken advantage of my patience and flexibility. I stayed at work until 5:30pm yesterday (Friday) because I had some problem students to take care of. Disciplining students is a tiring and arduous process of progressive steps that start with warnings, detention, calls home, talks with administrators, and meetings with parents. Next week, I have meetings with parents.
Freshly frustrated on a Friday afternoon, & having to contend with Friday traffic, I came home flustered. I shared with Robby a sudden epiphany I had that afternoon: I don't deal with conflict well at all. I rarely encountered conflict in my family or my social circles, so I had never practiced dealing with inter-personal conflict. Now, after so many years of teaching, I understand why I've never been very good at dealing with conflict efficaciously and intelligently. I am usually driven by emotion when I argue with a student. I don't stop to think rationally & thoughtfully. I show my emotions too easily & react too quickly.
So next week, I will try to curb my emotions and deal with my few naughty students with as little expression as possible. I wrote a little note to remind myself of this new discovery, and I am eager to try again. My students need consistency, and I need to be consistently strict with them so that I can serve my purpose (teach) instead of dealing with the few annoying students who seem to take up most of my already spent energy.
As for Atticus, he is eager to be mobile. He loves to sit up, but he can't move around yet. He will sometimes lunge forward onto his belly, but all he can do from there is roll onto his back.
He completed his 6-month shots, & Robby said he was a trooper.
Atticus has also started to blow raspberries full of spit. Yesterday, while I was feeding him dinner, he began spitting it out in all directions. I hope this doesn't become a habit.
Yesterday was Robby & my 5th-year, first-date anniversary. We had a wonderful meal of masala dosas, saag, and rice. The weather is getting chilly, & Robby is always reluctant to take Atticus out on walks.
Here are some recent pictures of the boy. He is now 4 days short of 7 months old.
Freshly frustrated on a Friday afternoon, & having to contend with Friday traffic, I came home flustered. I shared with Robby a sudden epiphany I had that afternoon: I don't deal with conflict well at all. I rarely encountered conflict in my family or my social circles, so I had never practiced dealing with inter-personal conflict. Now, after so many years of teaching, I understand why I've never been very good at dealing with conflict efficaciously and intelligently. I am usually driven by emotion when I argue with a student. I don't stop to think rationally & thoughtfully. I show my emotions too easily & react too quickly.
So next week, I will try to curb my emotions and deal with my few naughty students with as little expression as possible. I wrote a little note to remind myself of this new discovery, and I am eager to try again. My students need consistency, and I need to be consistently strict with them so that I can serve my purpose (teach) instead of dealing with the few annoying students who seem to take up most of my already spent energy.
As for Atticus, he is eager to be mobile. He loves to sit up, but he can't move around yet. He will sometimes lunge forward onto his belly, but all he can do from there is roll onto his back.
He completed his 6-month shots, & Robby said he was a trooper.
Atticus has also started to blow raspberries full of spit. Yesterday, while I was feeding him dinner, he began spitting it out in all directions. I hope this doesn't become a habit.
Yesterday was Robby & my 5th-year, first-date anniversary. We had a wonderful meal of masala dosas, saag, and rice. The weather is getting chilly, & Robby is always reluctant to take Atticus out on walks.
Here are some recent pictures of the boy. He is now 4 days short of 7 months old.
Monday, September 6, 2010
6-month-old Atticus
New news about our precious baby boy:
1. He now chews on his feet. Robby likes to hold him on his chest with his feet up, so that his body is folded over.
2. He loves peek-a-boo. He'll stay entertained for over 15 minutes with this game, and he laughs loudly and in short bursts. Sometimes he even shudders with surprise.
3. He loves the little music aquarium tied to the side of his crib. We often hear him tapping the levers and pushing the button that emits music. Besides our computers, it's the closest to television he'll experience for awhile.
4. He loves to gnaw on Sophie the Giraffe. We received 5 of these for our baby shower, and we are convinced that it is the most awesome teething toy ever.
5. He is very good at sitting up. We put him sitting up on a vinyl picnic blanket and surround him with blankets & pillows, & he will happily watch us work at our computers. Sometimes, he will lunge forward onto his tummy and then roll over onto his back. He's close to getting mobile!
6. Unfortunately, he isn't completely sleep-trained yet. Once or twice a night, he will cry loudly until we pop the pacifier in mouth. A few times, he has cried out of hunger, so we have given in and fed him.
7. He is a very light sleeper, so when I get up at 5:15am, I can usually hear him stirring after I brush my teeth.
8. Knots of hair form on the back of his head because he rubs his head against the crib sheet. They're like little dreadlocks with lint mashed into them.
1. He now chews on his feet. Robby likes to hold him on his chest with his feet up, so that his body is folded over.
2. He loves peek-a-boo. He'll stay entertained for over 15 minutes with this game, and he laughs loudly and in short bursts. Sometimes he even shudders with surprise.
3. He loves the little music aquarium tied to the side of his crib. We often hear him tapping the levers and pushing the button that emits music. Besides our computers, it's the closest to television he'll experience for awhile.
4. He loves to gnaw on Sophie the Giraffe. We received 5 of these for our baby shower, and we are convinced that it is the most awesome teething toy ever.
5. He is very good at sitting up. We put him sitting up on a vinyl picnic blanket and surround him with blankets & pillows, & he will happily watch us work at our computers. Sometimes, he will lunge forward onto his tummy and then roll over onto his back. He's close to getting mobile!
6. Unfortunately, he isn't completely sleep-trained yet. Once or twice a night, he will cry loudly until we pop the pacifier in mouth. A few times, he has cried out of hunger, so we have given in and fed him.
7. He is a very light sleeper, so when I get up at 5:15am, I can usually hear him stirring after I brush my teeth.
8. Knots of hair form on the back of his head because he rubs his head against the crib sheet. They're like little dreadlocks with lint mashed into them.
Super-busy working mommy & daddy
Happy Labor Day weekend!
I have just completed my first week of school at Heritage College-Ready High School in Los Angeles. I am the only 10th grade English teacher, and & I have over 150 students. I am also continuing my EdD program at USC. Yes, after a year and half of not working, I am a sudden glutton for punishment.
The first week was a killer. I went to bed around 9pm every night. I'd wake up around 5:30am, leave for school around 6 of 6:15am, arrive at 6:40am, & prepare for classes until first period's bell rang at 7:45am. The kids get out of school at 3:30pm, and I leave campus around 4:30pm. LONG DAYS. Even though time flies when I'm at school, I can't believe I'm there 10 hours a day!
Since I teach only and all tenth grade English classes, I only have one prep right now, which is pretty sweet. I see each class only three times a week. Each class has 2 two-hour block periods and one 45-min. period. The entire school has 587 students and the majority are Latino. Since the school colors are white, grey, & black, freshman students wear white polo shirts, the sophomores wear grey ones, the juniors dark gray, & the seniors black. All kids wear either dress slacks or skirts, and their shoes must be black, white or grey. Teachers at Heritage are very strict about the uniform policy, and I have gotten into the habit of doing uniform and agenda-book checks at my door at the beginning of each period.
The students are very well-behaved and polite. They are a nice bunch of kids...good-humored, friendly, polite. Of course, each class has one or two loud, playful, distracting & distractible students, but they're 15 years old...I'm amazed there are only a few in every class. Even these kids are pretty receptive. I haven't any mean, malicious, or sullen kids. I've been very impressed so far. Good behavior goes a long way when it comes to a teacher's ability to actually teach a class.
Atticus is in day care full time, and it breaks my heart whenever I think about spending whole days without him beside me. I am in my third week of the fall semester at USC, so on Wednesdays, I have to bolt out of school at 3:30pm & rush to my 4pm class on campus. Classes end at 10pm, so by the time I come home, the bugger is already fast asleep, and I have to shower & rush to bed so that I can prepare for a long Thursday without any free periods. On Thursdays, I teach the entire day with only Nutrition and Lunch for breaks. But on Friday, I get a two-hour break from my free second period.
I don't know how I'm going to manage my homework from USC. Not only do I have weekly reading assignments to complete, but I must also participate on an online discussion board and write midterms & final papers. How my classmates in my program do this?!
Well, we're taking it a day at a time. & I make sure to spend every waking moment with Atticus on the weekends, when I can take him off of Robby's hands.
Week 2 of school starts tomorrow. Wish me luck!
I have just completed my first week of school at Heritage College-Ready High School in Los Angeles. I am the only 10th grade English teacher, and & I have over 150 students. I am also continuing my EdD program at USC. Yes, after a year and half of not working, I am a sudden glutton for punishment.
The first week was a killer. I went to bed around 9pm every night. I'd wake up around 5:30am, leave for school around 6 of 6:15am, arrive at 6:40am, & prepare for classes until first period's bell rang at 7:45am. The kids get out of school at 3:30pm, and I leave campus around 4:30pm. LONG DAYS. Even though time flies when I'm at school, I can't believe I'm there 10 hours a day!
Since I teach only and all tenth grade English classes, I only have one prep right now, which is pretty sweet. I see each class only three times a week. Each class has 2 two-hour block periods and one 45-min. period. The entire school has 587 students and the majority are Latino. Since the school colors are white, grey, & black, freshman students wear white polo shirts, the sophomores wear grey ones, the juniors dark gray, & the seniors black. All kids wear either dress slacks or skirts, and their shoes must be black, white or grey. Teachers at Heritage are very strict about the uniform policy, and I have gotten into the habit of doing uniform and agenda-book checks at my door at the beginning of each period.
The students are very well-behaved and polite. They are a nice bunch of kids...good-humored, friendly, polite. Of course, each class has one or two loud, playful, distracting & distractible students, but they're 15 years old...I'm amazed there are only a few in every class. Even these kids are pretty receptive. I haven't any mean, malicious, or sullen kids. I've been very impressed so far. Good behavior goes a long way when it comes to a teacher's ability to actually teach a class.
Atticus is in day care full time, and it breaks my heart whenever I think about spending whole days without him beside me. I am in my third week of the fall semester at USC, so on Wednesdays, I have to bolt out of school at 3:30pm & rush to my 4pm class on campus. Classes end at 10pm, so by the time I come home, the bugger is already fast asleep, and I have to shower & rush to bed so that I can prepare for a long Thursday without any free periods. On Thursdays, I teach the entire day with only Nutrition and Lunch for breaks. But on Friday, I get a two-hour break from my free second period.
I don't know how I'm going to manage my homework from USC. Not only do I have weekly reading assignments to complete, but I must also participate on an online discussion board and write midterms & final papers. How my classmates in my program do this?!
Well, we're taking it a day at a time. & I make sure to spend every waking moment with Atticus on the weekends, when I can take him off of Robby's hands.
Week 2 of school starts tomorrow. Wish me luck!
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