As Robby and I settled into domestification, we are exploring our new down-home town & avoiding the 405 freeway. Culver City is awesome. The weather is perpetually cool, mostly sunny, there is little traffic congestion, the beach is hear, and there is an overall homely feeling about this small suburb nestled in the middle of L.A. sprawl. What can I say? Robby & I have grown to like the suburbs, where we don't have to fight over parking spaces, settle with expensive, unrecognizable vegan food (I'm reminded of Main Street, Santa Monica), and run almost-red lights in order to get anywhere. We like the lack of crowds and the ability to walk to & support small business.
We've discovered a few delightful and not so delightful establishments:
1. Tanner Cafe: We walk here when we need to get work done but can't seem to do it at home. This chill cafe has great '90s rock and classic reggae playing all the time, great coffee (I drink the chai), and delicious pastries that taste homemade. Today, we hung out there for 4 hours, and nobody bugged us about staying so long because it wasn't very crowded.
2. Ice Skating Rink: A favorite site for us, especially 11-1pm on Saturday nights, when there's adult skate for $8. Dim lights, old-school hip hop and '80s, & a stone's throw from our place.
3. Father's Office: At least 3 people recommended this trendy bar when they heard that we were moving to Culver City. This place is known for its unique hamburger & herbed sweet potato fries. We've been twice already. It's not a place we ever need to go to again. Sure, the burger is fantastic (complicated patty, caramelized onions, arugula, & gruyere cheese), but it's $12 & uber-trendy - low lights, loud music, crisply dressed patrons...Plus, there's no waiting list. If you want a table, you have to be a vulture, hover over customers who are sipping on beers, munching on french fries, and shouting over loud electronic music, , then swoop in as soon as they start standing. You order your food at the bar, and the restaurant doesn't provide ketchup because it's too cool for it. I brought my own last time, and passers-by gave me a funny look when they saw the Heinz bottle on the table.
4. Indian Sweets & Spices: Cheap, vegetarian Indian food. $7 for a plate with naan, rice, 2 side dishes (like channa masala or aloo gobi) & a mango lassi. Not bad, huh? The ladies who work there are a bit cranky, but the food is delicious, and the eatery is inside a little Indian market.
5. Red Mango: We hear that this frozen yogurt place was open in Korea LONG before Pinkberry existed. In fact, Pinkberry took the yogurt idea from Red Mango and brought it to America. Red Mango's yogurt is creamier than Pinkberry's, and it's cheaper too. I like the cereal toppings, especially Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
6. Akasha: A fancy schmancy organic restaurant in downtown Culver City. It's very expensive and the portions are small, but the food is experimental and interesting. It's not a place we'd ever need to go to again, though. Our one meal put a big dent in our wallets.
7. Culver City Farmers Market: Great place to purchase fresh produce. The people who work the booths are friendly, and there are a few stalls to buy pre-made food. We've had dinner here a few times, and it's expensive ($9-12), but the atmosphere beats the restaurant setting. There's hot, pre-made Korean, Hawaiian, Peruvian, BBQ, & Mexican. Trader Joe's is nearby too, so we like to hit the farmer's market first, then walk to Trader Joe's to buy milk & other stuff.
8. The Creek: Nearby, there is a creek that runs from Jefferson Avenue & La Cienega to Marina del Rey. This little cement canyon with low water is frequented by sea gulls, herons, ducks, and jumpy fish. It looks like the L.A. River, where the car race in Grease or motorcycle chase scene in Terminator 2 were filmed, but it looks more like a river. We've run and ridden our bikes along this creek before. There are underpasses under each large street (Centinela, Inglewood, Lincoln...), and many people either use the route as for exercise or transportation. It's a peaceful place to exercise (I've given up the idea that I'll ever escape the humming of cars), and the route dumps you on the expansive, clean Marina del Rey Beach. Breathtaking.
That's all we've explored of Culver City so far. We have a few more destinations to explore, and I'll be updating our discoveries regularly.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
My students in Palo Alto SLAM!
A few years ago, in the middle of a poetry unit, I showed my sophomore students Def Jam Poetry, an HBO show produced by Russell Simmons & hosted by Mos Def. This show consists of poets who "slam" on stage. Most of the poetry has a hip-hop, rhyming slant to it, but not necessarily. The poetry addresses issues from personal (love & loss poems) to political, and nearly all have a left-leaning viewpoint. Some of it has profanity, but I try to show the students PG-13 poems & skip through the ones laced with vitriolic obscenities.
Last year, two former students, inspired by Def Jam Poetry, decided to form the Paly Slam Poetry Club. Since then, they've organized at least 3 slam poetry events. I sponsored the club last year and went to one, and I was floored by the talent of the student poets who performed. The poetry varied in tone, style, and length. 45 students showed up to poetry slam in my classroom in June 2008. We moved stacked the desks near the walls & invited attendees to sit on the floor. Then we proceeded to turn out the lights. At first, the atmosphere was a little awkward, but as some students mustered up the guts to take the stage at the front of the class, more students came up to read for the first time. By the end of the slam session, we all felt cleansed & renewed - even though many did not read, they felt emotionally connected to the ones who had. For me, it was an eye-opening experience. Teenagers have a lot of say, and many have the eloquence to write it & the bravery to perform it in front of large groups of people.
One of the co-presidents of Paly's Slam Poetry Club just sent me a youtube link to one his performances at Gunn High School. The poet Shihan from Def Jam Poetry inspired him most to write. Here's a taste of Dan's poetry:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAwRy4O_CII
Enjoy!
Last year, two former students, inspired by Def Jam Poetry, decided to form the Paly Slam Poetry Club. Since then, they've organized at least 3 slam poetry events. I sponsored the club last year and went to one, and I was floored by the talent of the student poets who performed. The poetry varied in tone, style, and length. 45 students showed up to poetry slam in my classroom in June 2008. We moved stacked the desks near the walls & invited attendees to sit on the floor. Then we proceeded to turn out the lights. At first, the atmosphere was a little awkward, but as some students mustered up the guts to take the stage at the front of the class, more students came up to read for the first time. By the end of the slam session, we all felt cleansed & renewed - even though many did not read, they felt emotionally connected to the ones who had. For me, it was an eye-opening experience. Teenagers have a lot of say, and many have the eloquence to write it & the bravery to perform it in front of large groups of people.
One of the co-presidents of Paly's Slam Poetry Club just sent me a youtube link to one his performances at Gunn High School. The poet Shihan from Def Jam Poetry inspired him most to write. Here's a taste of Dan's poetry:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAwRy4O_CII
Enjoy!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Surviving the First Week of School
As grumpy as I am about having to acclimate to the school schedule again (mostly waking up at 6am & having a constant stack of homework to grade), I am relatively happy about my new position at this high school. I am officially labeled a "magnet" teacher, which means most of my classes fall within the magnet program, which attracts students from all over Los Angeles and offers a specialization and more rigorous study.
My schedule is as follows:
English 11 honors [two sections] (magnet)
English 10 (magnet)
English 10
English 10H (magnet)
I teach a total of 5 classes. With six periods in the day, my free time falls in first period.
Predictably and heartbreakingly, there is a lack of students of color in the honors classes. It's what we educators have come to call the "achievement gap", and it occurs in every school. The achievement gap is attributed to race & socio-economic status for numerous reasons, and schools struggle to maintain equal opportunities for all students to learn and perform to their potential. The gap is most apparent in standardized tests, where Black & Latino students score lower than White & Asian students. We also see it in the racial demographic of our "college prep" and "honors" courses. It is a phenomenon pervasive in public schools and a reflection of inequalities on a larger scale - socio-economically, historically, politically, etc.
My schedule is as follows:
English 11 honors [two sections] (magnet)
English 10 (magnet)
English 10
English 10H (magnet)
I teach a total of 5 classes. With six periods in the day, my free time falls in first period.
Predictably and heartbreakingly, there is a lack of students of color in the honors classes. It's what we educators have come to call the "achievement gap", and it occurs in every school. The achievement gap is attributed to race & socio-economic status for numerous reasons, and schools struggle to maintain equal opportunities for all students to learn and perform to their potential. The gap is most apparent in standardized tests, where Black & Latino students score lower than White & Asian students. We also see it in the racial demographic of our "college prep" and "honors" courses. It is a phenomenon pervasive in public schools and a reflection of inequalities on a larger scale - socio-economically, historically, politically, etc.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Jeanne cleans room, Robby zoom zooms
I finally received the keys to my classroom and took a look inside. Not bad. Spacious, though it's crammed with 37 desks - I better not get 37 students. I scrubbed cabinets, wiped desks, emptied cupboards, organized paperclips, pins, & rubber bands, posted colored paper on the bulletin boards, stapled pre-made letters to them, arranged 34 desks & unsuccessfully tried to make the room feel less crowded, & placed my lesson plans in a filing cabinet. In other words, I beautified my room the best I could. Below are the results. Not bad, huh?
It's a typical classroom of a large public school: built in the early 1900s (1911, to be exact), light blue walls, built-in chalk trays & book cases, long windows covered by bars, brown tiled floors, & misshapen, wobbly student desks of different shapes & ages. I turned one desk over to find a colorful array of chewing gum stuck beneath it. Once in awhile, I would feel something gooey on my fingers as I moved a desk and find hair gel on the bottom edge. Ewww.
The Big Day: Wednesday, September 4th. I'm still holding my breath.
On Robby's side of the planet, he has bought a new-ish car.
Yup, after living on the westside for 8 years, Robby is officially a convertible-driving California. Now, all he needs is a pony tail, a surfboard, & a pair of Ray Bans. Pony tail...check.
This pristine prize is newer than his 1991 Mazda Protege...by 3 years. He has bought a 1994 Mazda Miata. Below are all the reasons why he loves it (I've been listening to him yap about it for the past 2 days):
- it "handles" well
- it has pop-up lights
- it purrs beautifully
- it is in good condition (only 80-some thousand miles on it)
- its air conditioning vents spin in all directions
- it's got a good clutch
- the back window zips open
He is very pleased with his purchase. I call it vintage because the interior looks like something out of "Beverly Hills 90210" - tan dashboard, round a.c. vents. It feels very early '90s to me. He has been glowing every day since he drove it home, but he is feeling a little separation anxiety from parting with his beloved Protege.
Happy Labor Day weekend!
It's a typical classroom of a large public school: built in the early 1900s (1911, to be exact), light blue walls, built-in chalk trays & book cases, long windows covered by bars, brown tiled floors, & misshapen, wobbly student desks of different shapes & ages. I turned one desk over to find a colorful array of chewing gum stuck beneath it. Once in awhile, I would feel something gooey on my fingers as I moved a desk and find hair gel on the bottom edge. Ewww.
The Big Day: Wednesday, September 4th. I'm still holding my breath.
On Robby's side of the planet, he has bought a new-ish car.
Yup, after living on the westside for 8 years, Robby is officially a convertible-driving California. Now, all he needs is a pony tail, a surfboard, & a pair of Ray Bans. Pony tail...check.
This pristine prize is newer than his 1991 Mazda Protege...by 3 years. He has bought a 1994 Mazda Miata. Below are all the reasons why he loves it (I've been listening to him yap about it for the past 2 days):
- it "handles" well
- it has pop-up lights
- it purrs beautifully
- it is in good condition (only 80-some thousand miles on it)
- its air conditioning vents spin in all directions
- it's got a good clutch
- the back window zips open
He is very pleased with his purchase. I call it vintage because the interior looks like something out of "Beverly Hills 90210" - tan dashboard, round a.c. vents. It feels very early '90s to me. He has been glowing every day since he drove it home, but he is feeling a little separation anxiety from parting with his beloved Protege.
Happy Labor Day weekend!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Today was pre-registration day at Venice High School, and the magnet coordinator called me to tell me that I'd be in Room 122. I showed up to look at the room. There were lots of kids milling around, & I could tell that kids generally segregated themselves by race.
Just looked at the racial demographics of Venice High on the California Dept. of Education website. In 2006-7, there were over twice as many freshmen students than senior students. That's a bad sign...
Stats say,
66% Latino
10% Black
14% White
9% Asian, Pilipino, Pacific Islander
53% of the students are on free or reduced meal plans.
Wow, very different than Palo Alto High School. Look here:
6% Latino
4% Black
59% White
19% Asian, Pilipino, Pacific Islander
4% of the students are on free or reduced meal plans.
I aim to maintain the style of teaching I developed at Paly. But I will have to adjust to the new environment. Reluctantly, I might find myself lowering expectations - I hope not. We'll see. I'll have to gauge what the students are capable of before determining what expectations to set.
Robby is using the food processor tonight to make dal. He is very excited to make dal for me and he is using the big pasta cooker that Nina bought for us. Thanks, Nina! He also surprised me with a blueberry smoothie. Mmm!
Just looked at the racial demographics of Venice High on the California Dept. of Education website. In 2006-7, there were over twice as many freshmen students than senior students. That's a bad sign...
Stats say,
66% Latino
10% Black
14% White
9% Asian, Pilipino, Pacific Islander
53% of the students are on free or reduced meal plans.
Wow, very different than Palo Alto High School. Look here:
6% Latino
4% Black
59% White
19% Asian, Pilipino, Pacific Islander
4% of the students are on free or reduced meal plans.
I aim to maintain the style of teaching I developed at Paly. But I will have to adjust to the new environment. Reluctantly, I might find myself lowering expectations - I hope not. We'll see. I'll have to gauge what the students are capable of before determining what expectations to set.
Robby is using the food processor tonight to make dal. He is very excited to make dal for me and he is using the big pasta cooker that Nina bought for us. Thanks, Nina! He also surprised me with a blueberry smoothie. Mmm!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Photos of our new apartment!
Our apartment is finally looking like home!
Robby dutifully wipes the kitchen counter after doing the dishes, and I've convinced him that closing drawers and cupboard doors after opening them will make him a more decent person. Plus, I've promised Hollywood Thai food in two weeks if he continues this behavior. My desk is assembled, but I'm missing a chair, waiting to see the furniture of a few generous aunties. We just pulled out the thick Turkish towels yesterday, & they are divine. We've retired our mismatched, bachelor/ette towels, but I told Robby to reassure them that they are now deemed "special" beach towels, so that they don't feel abandoned.
We're using all the wedding gifts - plates & glasses, citrus juicer, food processor, salt & pepper shaker, spices, mixing bowls, cutting boards & utensils. So thank you, everyone for equipping our household with such cool stuff!
So here are some pictures of our apartment:
Robby dutifully wipes the kitchen counter after doing the dishes, and I've convinced him that closing drawers and cupboard doors after opening them will make him a more decent person. Plus, I've promised Hollywood Thai food in two weeks if he continues this behavior. My desk is assembled, but I'm missing a chair, waiting to see the furniture of a few generous aunties. We just pulled out the thick Turkish towels yesterday, & they are divine. We've retired our mismatched, bachelor/ette towels, but I told Robby to reassure them that they are now deemed "special" beach towels, so that they don't feel abandoned.
We're using all the wedding gifts - plates & glasses, citrus juicer, food processor, salt & pepper shaker, spices, mixing bowls, cutting boards & utensils. So thank you, everyone for equipping our household with such cool stuff!
So here are some pictures of our apartment:
Thursday, August 21, 2008
We're Back! & exhausted....
we've been settling in our new apartment these past few days. we've made three trips to target already, and robby always groans, "i never want to move again!" we've bought some shelving, a vacuum, & some light fixtures. we've just unrolled a crate & barrel 8' by 10' rug from the gandhis - it'll take up at least half of the floor space in our living room & we really like it. we've made great progress in putting things away and storing boxes. we need a few more pieces of furniture, and we will finally be able to call this place home when the last empty cardboard box has been emptied (there are still many boxes in the bay area that belong to me, so this settling will take a while).
yesterday, we strolled around sepulveda a bit - checked out the surprisingly empty ymca across the street. there are a few restaurants nearby, like pho show (asian fusion) & vinotheque (fancy cheese & wine), & we found two cafes (one with wireless). on the corner of franklin & sepulveda is an ice skating rink, which is a nice landmark for people coming to our new home. we're near a popular taco stand called tito's tacos, & the dmv is a stone's throw away (in case robby gets another ticket). plus, target, bed, bath & beyond, & ross are all less than a 5-min drive away. ralph's & costco are about 10 min away. best of all, my high school is less than 10 minutes away, & we've made it to usc in 15 minutes. even though the usc is further away from culver city than robby's hollywood apt., it takes less time to get there because there is very little traffic on jefferson avenue & fewer turns. we also found out that there are 8 farmers markets on the westside of LA each week.
disappointingly, there are a few thai restaurants, but they are all self-proclaimed thai-chinese restaurants, which probably means that they don't do either foods well. we heard that these were once chinese restaurants that are trying to jump on the popular thai bandwagon. we'll have to keep searching for a good thai & sushi restaurants.
we're happy with the size of the apartment, but we scuffle a bit over sharing space. robby wants a weapons wall (i think he is joking...i hope he is joking) & he collects a lot of random paraphernalia. much of my belongings are still in the bay area, so we still have yet to clash about whose stuff gets to be put on display. last night, he grilled salmon & made rice using spices from uncle david, and we had a nice candlelit dinner next to our new trashcan & partly filled spice rack.
we haven't separated for the past 2 months, so both of us are eager to start working. i think we've run out of things to talk about! my high school begins on sept. 3, and after a meeting with the magnet coordinator & dept. chair, i can see that i'll be on my own for much of the year. there will be meaningless bureaucracy coming down from the district (senseless mandates & endless standardized tests), and there is a clear lack of trust of the teachers (like having to request markers & chalk from the dept. chair instead of retrieving them from the supply room ourselves, having to sign in & out in the main office every day, and not having keys to the building). i've also found that just a few incompetent employees severely hinder teachers from doing their job. for these few systematic reasons i miss paly, where practically everyone is reliable & teachers are trusted to show up & perform well.
yesterday, we strolled around sepulveda a bit - checked out the surprisingly empty ymca across the street. there are a few restaurants nearby, like pho show (asian fusion) & vinotheque (fancy cheese & wine), & we found two cafes (one with wireless). on the corner of franklin & sepulveda is an ice skating rink, which is a nice landmark for people coming to our new home. we're near a popular taco stand called tito's tacos, & the dmv is a stone's throw away (in case robby gets another ticket). plus, target, bed, bath & beyond, & ross are all less than a 5-min drive away. ralph's & costco are about 10 min away. best of all, my high school is less than 10 minutes away, & we've made it to usc in 15 minutes. even though the usc is further away from culver city than robby's hollywood apt., it takes less time to get there because there is very little traffic on jefferson avenue & fewer turns. we also found out that there are 8 farmers markets on the westside of LA each week.
disappointingly, there are a few thai restaurants, but they are all self-proclaimed thai-chinese restaurants, which probably means that they don't do either foods well. we heard that these were once chinese restaurants that are trying to jump on the popular thai bandwagon. we'll have to keep searching for a good thai & sushi restaurants.
we're happy with the size of the apartment, but we scuffle a bit over sharing space. robby wants a weapons wall (i think he is joking...i hope he is joking) & he collects a lot of random paraphernalia. much of my belongings are still in the bay area, so we still have yet to clash about whose stuff gets to be put on display. last night, he grilled salmon & made rice using spices from uncle david, and we had a nice candlelit dinner next to our new trashcan & partly filled spice rack.
we haven't separated for the past 2 months, so both of us are eager to start working. i think we've run out of things to talk about! my high school begins on sept. 3, and after a meeting with the magnet coordinator & dept. chair, i can see that i'll be on my own for much of the year. there will be meaningless bureaucracy coming down from the district (senseless mandates & endless standardized tests), and there is a clear lack of trust of the teachers (like having to request markers & chalk from the dept. chair instead of retrieving them from the supply room ourselves, having to sign in & out in the main office every day, and not having keys to the building). i've also found that just a few incompetent employees severely hinder teachers from doing their job. for these few systematic reasons i miss paly, where practically everyone is reliable & teachers are trusted to show up & perform well.
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