I subbed a science class yesterday that didn't have lesson plans, I designed a lesson using Blue Planet episode on "The Deep" ocean to teach students about how environmental conditions of the deep ocean and animal adaptations of the organisms living there interact. Today when I debriefed the teacher on what I did they saw the "Adaptations" notes on the white board and said, "Oh no, you didn't talk about evolution in my class did you? I don't want no law suit, I don't even touch on evolution or adaptation."
WHAT THE FUDGE! Are you kidding me? Science teachers not teaching Evolution or natural selection or adaptations? That's like teaching algebra but not teaching kids how to count to 10, its fundamental to biological understanding. Not only that our School District Curriculum and the Washington State Standards require it.
So I wrote this email, but never sent it, because even though I am a staunch Atheist and a firm believer that this type of bullshit needs to stop immediately, I am in the process of applying for jobs and don't want a mess on my hands. So here is the un-sent email.
Dear Teacher Who Won't Teach Evolution in Science,
You said something this morning that kind of perplexed me about not teaching evolution or adaptation. So I checked to see what our school district and state say about teaching evolution, natural selection, and adaptation.
Here's what I found. Not only is it ok, it is part of our district curriculum and the state science standards. So although the fear of a lawsuit from a parent is there, you have your school districts go ahead as well as the state requirement to cover the material. Legally you would be safe if you taught it, and you should.
Teaching evolution in school is really important regardless of people's religious affiliations, school is a secular institution and science and inquiry and biology and evolution are secular institutions continually moving toward teaching proven, evidence based, curriculum and theories.
Also, the evolutionary theory of adaptation by natural selection can and does explain how life has come into being the way it is on this planet and to deprive students of this understanding of the fundamental roots of life's functions and manifestations is irresponsible and unfair to them as well as a major hinderance to their future contributions to the human condition on this planet.
Please consider these standards when planning your curriculum next year.
Tacoma 6th Grade Science Curriculum
Fall 6th grade
Diversity of Life
Students observe and maintain protists, plants and animals in the classroom and study their characteristic features. The study progresses from macroscopic to microscopic observation to discover the fundamental unit of life, the cell. Students then investigate organism subsystems and behaviors, ****and consider their diversity of adaptive structures and strategies.****
Fall 7th Grade
Populations and Ecosystem
Students raise populations of organisms to discover population dynamics in a range of conditions. Reproduction, heredity and **** natural selection are explored as ways to understand both the similarity and the variation within and between organisms.****
State Standards
6-8 LS3A
++++The scientific theory of evolution underlies the study of biology and explains both the diversity of life on Earth and similarities of all organisms at the chemical, cellular, and molecular level. Evolution is supported by multiple forms of scientific evidence. Explain and provide evidence of how biological evolution accounts for the diversity of species on Earth today.++++
6-8 LS3E
++++Adaptations are physical or behavioral changes that are inherited and enhance the ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in a particular environment. Give an example of a plant or animal adaptation that would confer a survival and reproductive advantage during a given environmental change.++++
6-8 LS3F
Extinction occurs when the environment changes and the ++++adaptive characteristics of a species, including its behaviors, are insufficient to allow its survival.++++ Given an ecosystem, predict which organisms are most likely to disappear from that environment when the environment changes in specific ways.
6-8 LS3G
++++Evidence for evolution includes similarities among anatomical and cell structures, and patterns of development make it possible to infer degree of relatedness among organisms. Infer the degree of relatedness of two species, given diagrams of anatomical features of the two species (e.g., chicken wing, whale flipper, human hand, bee leg).++++
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Laid Off and then Laid On
After the Title 1 money ran out last week they informed me at X Middle School I would be getting laid off two weeks before school was out, leaving my little devil angel's to return back to from whence they came and me with two weeks of subbing at the end of the year. But magically, once the school and the schedulers realized what a disaster it would be to re-release my little kiddos into the population of regular classes what a catastrophe they would have one their hands. Then they magically "found" more funding and informed me that I could stay on till the end of the year. Yes I want to see my darling 8th graders off into the pre-high school sunset but also I realized what a challenging last two weeks it would be with apathy at an all time high at XMS.
Other than that things have been good. Hal and I have been working our asses off in the yard planting our first urban Garden. Right now we have manufactured garden space out of every nook and cranny of the yard and have managed to plant 30 sunflower plants, 8 beets, 6 cucumber hills, to pumpkin hills, two rows of carrots, two rows of spring onions, about 40 sweet onions, ten potatoes, 6 corn, 6 strawberries, two raspberries, grapes, blueberries, and have plans for peas and leafy greens soon to follow. The soul turned out to be just fine and with a little love and care we've got ourselves an impressive first garden effort. Urban gardening is awesome, it forces you to be resourceful, imaginitive and crafty with the difficult space you are given to work with. Pictures and updates on garden life to come.
We're all settling into a nice little life just in time for summer to come and blast the walls of routine.
SO much summer coming.
Sasquatch at the Gorge in two weeks with a gang full of crazy people in a RV.
Bu Crew Men's Campout at the Gorge with all the class of 2004 bro's friends
4th of July at the rents who's coming?.
Fly TO TEXAS FOR MASON AND REESE's WEDDING July 14th
String Cheese Incident at Horning's Hideout Oregon with the usual summer deviants
Camp Conco Family Campout in Eastern Washington with the fam and cousins
Possibly saturday night of Meltdown
Playing Big Bottom fest near Packwood in the white pass area
then the school starts up again!
Have a nice week y'all
Other than that things have been good. Hal and I have been working our asses off in the yard planting our first urban Garden. Right now we have manufactured garden space out of every nook and cranny of the yard and have managed to plant 30 sunflower plants, 8 beets, 6 cucumber hills, to pumpkin hills, two rows of carrots, two rows of spring onions, about 40 sweet onions, ten potatoes, 6 corn, 6 strawberries, two raspberries, grapes, blueberries, and have plans for peas and leafy greens soon to follow. The soul turned out to be just fine and with a little love and care we've got ourselves an impressive first garden effort. Urban gardening is awesome, it forces you to be resourceful, imaginitive and crafty with the difficult space you are given to work with. Pictures and updates on garden life to come.
We're all settling into a nice little life just in time for summer to come and blast the walls of routine.
SO much summer coming.
Sasquatch at the Gorge in two weeks with a gang full of crazy people in a RV.
Bu Crew Men's Campout at the Gorge with all the class of 2004 bro's friends
4th of July at the rents who's coming?.
Fly TO TEXAS FOR MASON AND REESE's WEDDING July 14th
String Cheese Incident at Horning's Hideout Oregon with the usual summer deviants
Camp Conco Family Campout in Eastern Washington with the fam and cousins
Possibly saturday night of Meltdown
Playing Big Bottom fest near Packwood in the white pass area
then the school starts up again!
Have a nice week y'all
Monday, May 3, 2010
Goodbye Whitman Co., Benjamins, Precious People, Too Many Things, Pot Bellies, Flipping Kids Over, ....Choice.
I suppose after a long blog drought I would have something important to say. But alas I don't, thus the lack of blogging. I mean there are a lot of things going on to write about but I'm so busy living them and trying to keep up with life that writing it down seems impossible. Some pretty pretty pretty big things have been happening lately. I recently defeated a demon that has been clawing at my back for 5 years. The freedom of this beast is a little overwhelming and a bit scary because I forgot what it was like to live without always looking over your shoulder. I still do sometimes.
New people have been swirling in and out of my life, so fast they're like whispy whisps of whispers in the days and nights. I can make out the forms of all these new people but I don't ever seem to be able to grasp them as the float by. A few constants remain, family life is uneasy but positive, its seems like the peaceful moments in our family come from everyone knowing that everyone else is finally doing fine, if even for a day, but hopefully more. Those moments seem so difficult to grasp sometimes. So many things to balance. Family relationships, romantic relationships, friendship, career relationships, finances, leisure, soul searching, playing music, appreciating music, physical fitness, mental fitness and regulating external chemical intake.
Things that are a constant nag lately are worries of money. Stupid stupid money that makes the mice run the race. It buys many things, like concert tickets, and power bills, and new microphones, and things and more things and then some things. And whats worse I want these things. I want stuff now, how did that happen, I used to pride myself on only a few things, my ukulele Bertha, my woven yarn-billed hat from a friend in Australia, my Subaru Warrior, and a 1982 WSU hooded sweatshirt worn nearly through from love. Now I have many things, and want more. Is it possible that America has its hooks in me?
Also, I'm getting kinda fat. No long walks on the tundra and no teaching PE, and no snowmobile airport pick ups along with lower 48 restaurant food have made old Kale a little pot belly. Its like a sign of laziness. My daily reminder that I should be doing better to take care of myself, but monday comes and its back to the routine. Kale-self goes back on the burner for sheer convenience. So many other things to take care of besides the gut. I can only hope that the summer outdoors doing manual labor will get me back to bad ass I can be.
And work, oh work. Not teaching. Not school. Not learning. WORK. I've had successes. I've had shining moments in teaching. I'm making a difference. But the atmosphere at my school is pretty desperate and negative and it works its way into your bones by the end of the day. I can't wait for summer simply because I don't know how many more months of negativity I can stand.
I was telling my roomate Kyle about something I've realized at school. The truest teaching moments for me, the reason that keeps teachers going, isn't those shining glimmers of a lightbulb flashing in the brain of a young learner, but the lazer beams of light that come out of a kid when the kid FLIPS. And flip you say, what is flipping a kid?
Well, flipping a kid has become my passion and my art at work. Its a weird theory, but its worked many times for me and I'm hoping to continue to hone it forever. When you see a kid that has been shit on by life, and I mean elephant shit on, stuff you and I never had to go through, and they've dealt with in whatever way was most effective, they've lashed out like a snake in a corner and, or shut down like a rock, or got wasted to make it go away, and there is simply no granules of a hopeful life left in them, you simply have to infect them with what you got, real logical positivity towards the awesome.
Most kids in this situation have lost the ability to find the forest from the shit trees. This is where logic, planning and rational thought are the most amazing with kids. If you sit down day after day and help the kid plan on getting out of shit, then eventually one day the kid will pull back the last branch of the shit forest and gaze into the vast golden valley of realizing they can take care of themselves and even have a pretty ok life. It takes patience, careful character study, and thinking out loud for the kid so that they can start to see how a good decision would like in the situation they just fucked up.
I'll tell you what doesn't help these kids. Kicking them out of class for sagging their pants, chewing gum or drinking a gatorade. I'll tell you what doesn't help these kids, silent rooms of rows and paper. Sometimes the best lessons and classes are the ones that are spontaneous and family building. An, argument, a realization, you just stop the class and point out logically and realistically what happened or whats actually going on and every can all see and agree. If you can string together enough moments where your kids have all shared the same thought then they can truly know how similar we all are and let theirselves come out and relax.
When you see that dark hollow of a kids eye light up as they realize for the first time they're not a failure and that they actually want to and can get better, it is the moment they flip. A flipped student is like a person who wants to get sober for the first time. They might stumble and fall along the way, but their ship is righted and going in the correct direction. And to be clear, I don't mean that they're going in the Anglo-Saxon Religious Upstanding route, they're going on a route that at least they can choose. Choice and ultimate choices is the meaning of freedom (and the burden). But when you have no choices and no where to turn, there are no choices but simply mazes.
Am I making the right choices myself? Am I free finally? Sometimes it sure doesn't feel like it. Other times I truly fly.
New people have been swirling in and out of my life, so fast they're like whispy whisps of whispers in the days and nights. I can make out the forms of all these new people but I don't ever seem to be able to grasp them as the float by. A few constants remain, family life is uneasy but positive, its seems like the peaceful moments in our family come from everyone knowing that everyone else is finally doing fine, if even for a day, but hopefully more. Those moments seem so difficult to grasp sometimes. So many things to balance. Family relationships, romantic relationships, friendship, career relationships, finances, leisure, soul searching, playing music, appreciating music, physical fitness, mental fitness and regulating external chemical intake.
Things that are a constant nag lately are worries of money. Stupid stupid money that makes the mice run the race. It buys many things, like concert tickets, and power bills, and new microphones, and things and more things and then some things. And whats worse I want these things. I want stuff now, how did that happen, I used to pride myself on only a few things, my ukulele Bertha, my woven yarn-billed hat from a friend in Australia, my Subaru Warrior, and a 1982 WSU hooded sweatshirt worn nearly through from love. Now I have many things, and want more. Is it possible that America has its hooks in me?
Also, I'm getting kinda fat. No long walks on the tundra and no teaching PE, and no snowmobile airport pick ups along with lower 48 restaurant food have made old Kale a little pot belly. Its like a sign of laziness. My daily reminder that I should be doing better to take care of myself, but monday comes and its back to the routine. Kale-self goes back on the burner for sheer convenience. So many other things to take care of besides the gut. I can only hope that the summer outdoors doing manual labor will get me back to bad ass I can be.
And work, oh work. Not teaching. Not school. Not learning. WORK. I've had successes. I've had shining moments in teaching. I'm making a difference. But the atmosphere at my school is pretty desperate and negative and it works its way into your bones by the end of the day. I can't wait for summer simply because I don't know how many more months of negativity I can stand.
I was telling my roomate Kyle about something I've realized at school. The truest teaching moments for me, the reason that keeps teachers going, isn't those shining glimmers of a lightbulb flashing in the brain of a young learner, but the lazer beams of light that come out of a kid when the kid FLIPS. And flip you say, what is flipping a kid?
Well, flipping a kid has become my passion and my art at work. Its a weird theory, but its worked many times for me and I'm hoping to continue to hone it forever. When you see a kid that has been shit on by life, and I mean elephant shit on, stuff you and I never had to go through, and they've dealt with in whatever way was most effective, they've lashed out like a snake in a corner and, or shut down like a rock, or got wasted to make it go away, and there is simply no granules of a hopeful life left in them, you simply have to infect them with what you got, real logical positivity towards the awesome.
Most kids in this situation have lost the ability to find the forest from the shit trees. This is where logic, planning and rational thought are the most amazing with kids. If you sit down day after day and help the kid plan on getting out of shit, then eventually one day the kid will pull back the last branch of the shit forest and gaze into the vast golden valley of realizing they can take care of themselves and even have a pretty ok life. It takes patience, careful character study, and thinking out loud for the kid so that they can start to see how a good decision would like in the situation they just fucked up.
I'll tell you what doesn't help these kids. Kicking them out of class for sagging their pants, chewing gum or drinking a gatorade. I'll tell you what doesn't help these kids, silent rooms of rows and paper. Sometimes the best lessons and classes are the ones that are spontaneous and family building. An, argument, a realization, you just stop the class and point out logically and realistically what happened or whats actually going on and every can all see and agree. If you can string together enough moments where your kids have all shared the same thought then they can truly know how similar we all are and let theirselves come out and relax.
When you see that dark hollow of a kids eye light up as they realize for the first time they're not a failure and that they actually want to and can get better, it is the moment they flip. A flipped student is like a person who wants to get sober for the first time. They might stumble and fall along the way, but their ship is righted and going in the correct direction. And to be clear, I don't mean that they're going in the Anglo-Saxon Religious Upstanding route, they're going on a route that at least they can choose. Choice and ultimate choices is the meaning of freedom (and the burden). But when you have no choices and no where to turn, there are no choices but simply mazes.
Am I making the right choices myself? Am I free finally? Sometimes it sure doesn't feel like it. Other times I truly fly.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Washington Educator Career Fair...
The last time I went to this meet and greet market I was horrified by all the school districts only there to shake your hand and give you a website. Last time I went to the career fair I desperately needed a teaching job (my first one) and ended up moving to an Eskimo village in Alaska due directly in part to this exact career fair. Last time I went with a great great amazingly awesome wingwoman and freshly back from her adventures in Peru she will go with me again today (having met the Hawaii people last time).
This year I am not so doe eyed and freaked out. This year I have 3 years of teaching under my belt. This year I realized that all the school districts that are trying to hire you on the spot are probably doing so because they can't hold onto teachers fast enough. This year I will take more pens.
This year I will look for the right job. The thought of scraping by as a substitute for another year is rather dreadful, and yes I would really like health insurance, but there's no way I'm moving to east BumbleF**k for a job anytime soon. I have some definite prospects for right here in Tacoma next year and I owe it to myself, my family, my increasingly important friends to stick around and give life here in the Puge a real try.
This year I am not so doe eyed and freaked out. This year I have 3 years of teaching under my belt. This year I realized that all the school districts that are trying to hire you on the spot are probably doing so because they can't hold onto teachers fast enough. This year I will take more pens.
This year I will look for the right job. The thought of scraping by as a substitute for another year is rather dreadful, and yes I would really like health insurance, but there's no way I'm moving to east BumbleF**k for a job anytime soon. I have some definite prospects for right here in Tacoma next year and I owe it to myself, my family, my increasingly important friends to stick around and give life here in the Puge a real try.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Spring Break Wrap Up
Holy Cow. What a break.
Started off a little slow. Then wednesday I went to Steven's Pass to ski with my friends and it was the best day ever. Sunny most of the time. No feet of powder but instead super nice groomer runs that we decided to totally bomb down. I've never got so many runs in for a day.
Then good times with friends thursday night at the house. Friday night I went to Olympia and saw two incredible bands that were new to me with my best buds Randy and Suzye. First was MARS RETRIEVAL UNIT. They were super good funky spacey jazzy tribally proggy rock that had me shakin my booty real hard. Then they were followed by THE SPECIAL PURPOSE, equally amazing and bad ass. Then last night I went and TAPWATER open for The Special Purpose in Ballard at the Nectar Lounge. Tapwater was insane good and spanned such a wide divide of genres from drum circle to Elton John to Funky Bluegrassy type stuff. So much fun and I got to see my Seattle friends which seems to be a much more regular thing!
Then today. The Iverson Clan celebrated the resurrection of the Lords only Begotton son by going to a semi seedy Lounge in the holy land of Fife for dinner followed by a spirited evening of gambling at the Emerald Queen Indian Casino. I got a super super sick easter bunny basket from my mom and dad. The "basket" was a kitchen compost bin thing and it was full of super good candy and TOOLS! I'm so so so so so so so grateful that I didn't have to spend my day in some stuffy church listening to an ancient story that may or may not of even happened. Instead I spent it with my parents and grandparents and had a blast (and won 80 bucks woot woot). Despite the fact that the only Easter I've ever known has been a commercial one (and will remain that way), I am thankful that these days exist because people worship magical sky people periodically throughout the year, it gives me and me heathen family yet another reason to be together and enjoy each others company.
Have a good week.
Started off a little slow. Then wednesday I went to Steven's Pass to ski with my friends and it was the best day ever. Sunny most of the time. No feet of powder but instead super nice groomer runs that we decided to totally bomb down. I've never got so many runs in for a day.
Then good times with friends thursday night at the house. Friday night I went to Olympia and saw two incredible bands that were new to me with my best buds Randy and Suzye. First was MARS RETRIEVAL UNIT. They were super good funky spacey jazzy tribally proggy rock that had me shakin my booty real hard. Then they were followed by THE SPECIAL PURPOSE, equally amazing and bad ass. Then last night I went and TAPWATER open for The Special Purpose in Ballard at the Nectar Lounge. Tapwater was insane good and spanned such a wide divide of genres from drum circle to Elton John to Funky Bluegrassy type stuff. So much fun and I got to see my Seattle friends which seems to be a much more regular thing!
Then today. The Iverson Clan celebrated the resurrection of the Lords only Begotton son by going to a semi seedy Lounge in the holy land of Fife for dinner followed by a spirited evening of gambling at the Emerald Queen Indian Casino. I got a super super sick easter bunny basket from my mom and dad. The "basket" was a kitchen compost bin thing and it was full of super good candy and TOOLS! I'm so so so so so so so grateful that I didn't have to spend my day in some stuffy church listening to an ancient story that may or may not of even happened. Instead I spent it with my parents and grandparents and had a blast (and won 80 bucks woot woot). Despite the fact that the only Easter I've ever known has been a commercial one (and will remain that way), I am thankful that these days exist because people worship magical sky people periodically throughout the year, it gives me and me heathen family yet another reason to be together and enjoy each others company.
Have a good week.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Idaho and Spring Break
I drove to Idaho yesterday and some crazy things happened.
I would post it here but I want you to have the choice of whether or not to read it. But seriously its got some stuff a lot of people won't want to hear so tread lightly.
http://outoftheclosetatheist.blogspot.com/
In other news. Spring break is going along nicely.
I want to build a firepit, get the house ready for all the guests we'll be having soon.
We will be running a little boarding house here soon enough.
I was gonna get some yard work done but its crap outside.
Open Mic night tonight. Might play a new song Kyle and I wrote:
Its a Home
Grow your roots deep down
There's magic in the soil
Particles separate the water
You know more than you'll ever know
You Know more than you'll ever know
Its such a tiny thing
To plant the first seed
You'll know exactly what to bring
You'll know just what you need
Its a home, a home, a home.
Build this home brick by brick
Raise the roof by myself
Paint the walls marigold
And put your picture on the shelf
Its such a tiny thing
To plant the first seed
You'll know exactly what to bring
You'll know just what you need
Its a home, a home, a home.
I would post it here but I want you to have the choice of whether or not to read it. But seriously its got some stuff a lot of people won't want to hear so tread lightly.
http://outoftheclosetatheist.blogspot.com/
In other news. Spring break is going along nicely.
I want to build a firepit, get the house ready for all the guests we'll be having soon.
We will be running a little boarding house here soon enough.
I was gonna get some yard work done but its crap outside.
Open Mic night tonight. Might play a new song Kyle and I wrote:
Its a Home
Grow your roots deep down
There's magic in the soil
Particles separate the water
You know more than you'll ever know
You Know more than you'll ever know
Its such a tiny thing
To plant the first seed
You'll know exactly what to bring
You'll know just what you need
Its a home, a home, a home.
Build this home brick by brick
Raise the roof by myself
Paint the walls marigold
And put your picture on the shelf
Its such a tiny thing
To plant the first seed
You'll know exactly what to bring
You'll know just what you need
Its a home, a home, a home.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Lucky Kale
Just got home from taking grandma and grandpa to the Muckleshoot Indian Casino. We ate dinner and gambled a little. Gambling at Reno and Indian Casino's is a family pastime of ours on both sides of the family and being able to take my G and G out to get out of the house is a really good thing for them. They get to eat some big portions of food which is good because they're both underweight and they get to have a little fun.
Lately though I've been really lucky, and tonight was no different. I played slots with G and G for a while then broke off and hit the black jack table. I turned 20 bucks into 160! This has happened the last 3 times I've gone bringing my total for winning over the last month to nearly 400. Crazy.
Went and saw Repo Men with my friend Randy on Saturday. It was really gory and brought up some crazy social commentary on the price of good health. This in conjunction with the fact that the first stem cell grown organ was transplanted into a English boy recently makes me wonder if for a price we will achieve immortality someday.
Saturday was insane nice. I bought a lawnmower and mowed our lawn, played a full game of tennis with my room mate and now I can barely walk.
ONe more week till spring break. Thanks be to Allah.
Have a good week!
Lately though I've been really lucky, and tonight was no different. I played slots with G and G for a while then broke off and hit the black jack table. I turned 20 bucks into 160! This has happened the last 3 times I've gone bringing my total for winning over the last month to nearly 400. Crazy.
Went and saw Repo Men with my friend Randy on Saturday. It was really gory and brought up some crazy social commentary on the price of good health. This in conjunction with the fact that the first stem cell grown organ was transplanted into a English boy recently makes me wonder if for a price we will achieve immortality someday.
Saturday was insane nice. I bought a lawnmower and mowed our lawn, played a full game of tennis with my room mate and now I can barely walk.
ONe more week till spring break. Thanks be to Allah.
Have a good week!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Drama Drama Drama
This week has been all drama. Kids goin down left and right. Threats of semi gang like beat downs, pill popping and smokin dope in the bathroom not to mention sexual harrassment, IEP's and suspensions galore...and thats just the students. Then you got all the crazy backdoor teacher stuff going on and I can officially say that I have seen my fair share of drama behind the scenes at school this week all the while being not involved in any of it.
I realized today that my last two jobs might lend me more to a new profession someday. In Alaska I basically got a crash course in teaching every subject, fixing computers, writing IEP's, implementing special education, staffing issues and management, budget planning, scheduling and all sorts of counseling and curriculum.
Now in my bizarre Title 1 position in a mostly poor urban school I have got to see a whole new side of education. Lately my job has been a constant balance of relationships. Balancing the counselor's recommendations, with the principals oversights, with the over 15 teachers with whom I support and work with every day as well as the struggling students that I have to try and build back up to functional. I am truly behind the scenes of an entire school and it is daunting, fascinating and very very very frustrating.
And to think, I used to be just a biology teacher.
I don't know where I should steer the next steps of my career. I don't want to be a political pawn and micromanaging nightmare like principals have to be. I don't know if I can go back to just teaching science. I don't want to be a counselor or really a special ed teacher any more. I wonder if I could just be a teaching consultant and get hired privately to go into classes or schools and help them break down whats going on in their school. The outside perspective is really weird and sometimes extremely important.
Yes officially it is almost spring break too. I think they named it that because its finally spring and we are all about to break.
This weekend I'll be house sitting as my parents go to Peoria for Mariners spring training. I'm gonna go see a Peninsula High Baseball game after work tomorrow and after that I dunno.
I'm feeling disconnected from some of my friends lately. Hope to see them soon. This working full time thing is whack.
Love
I realized today that my last two jobs might lend me more to a new profession someday. In Alaska I basically got a crash course in teaching every subject, fixing computers, writing IEP's, implementing special education, staffing issues and management, budget planning, scheduling and all sorts of counseling and curriculum.
Now in my bizarre Title 1 position in a mostly poor urban school I have got to see a whole new side of education. Lately my job has been a constant balance of relationships. Balancing the counselor's recommendations, with the principals oversights, with the over 15 teachers with whom I support and work with every day as well as the struggling students that I have to try and build back up to functional. I am truly behind the scenes of an entire school and it is daunting, fascinating and very very very frustrating.
And to think, I used to be just a biology teacher.
I don't know where I should steer the next steps of my career. I don't want to be a political pawn and micromanaging nightmare like principals have to be. I don't know if I can go back to just teaching science. I don't want to be a counselor or really a special ed teacher any more. I wonder if I could just be a teaching consultant and get hired privately to go into classes or schools and help them break down whats going on in their school. The outside perspective is really weird and sometimes extremely important.
Yes officially it is almost spring break too. I think they named it that because its finally spring and we are all about to break.
This weekend I'll be house sitting as my parents go to Peoria for Mariners spring training. I'm gonna go see a Peninsula High Baseball game after work tomorrow and after that I dunno.
I'm feeling disconnected from some of my friends lately. Hope to see them soon. This working full time thing is whack.
Love
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Proud to be a Tacoman
Lately I'm starting feel very happy and proud of my armpit of the world town Tacoma. I decided a few weeks ago that I don't care if anyone comes and visits here because they live in some fancy shmancy uber trendy metropolis like Seattle or Portland. It no longer offends me when countless offers for a place to stay are never taken up. I like that no one likes Tacoma. More for me. And when you say "Oh I live in Tacoma" and they say "Oh...thats nice," and back away as if Tacoma is infectious and they could catch it I say "Yeah back away baby, Tacoma is infectious and the people there, wells, we's likes it and we don't needs no stinkin more of your snobbery round these parts neithers."
The reason that I like Tacoma so much is that it feels like home now (it did once before but I left for some reason). And those big cities are like Disney Land. Fun, Exciting, Expensive and at the end of the day you're sick of the cotton candy and stupid mascots. I think a lot of people try to leave Tacoma and do, but they always come back, because its hard to escape. I know a lot of UPS people that went to school in Tacoma and think if they stay then they would be one of "thoooose" people that never left their college town. But I would say, the real Tacoma is not on UPS soil.
In one twenty four hour period I was in a high rise apartment in down town, a small local establishment in Ruston, rolling through the ghetto in a BMW and thrift store shopping in a Christian Retirement Home Shop.
Another reason that I'm starting to get pumped is that I think there is a void in Tacoma, a potential for greatness. People want to be unified under a single banner of funky goodness and ultimate joy. No one has stepped up and said WE ARE HERE AND WE WANT TO GET DOWN. We are making some good contacts with booking people for farmers markets and other venues and I think the summer might actually be a time for Bison Hunter to start making itself known. Exciting indeed.
Also, I don't want to get my hopes up toooo high but I feel like I'm super close to getting this job for next year. I really really really want it and think that I could be really great for the school. With
In other fun news, I'm finally making it to the star state. That's right, Texas baby. At the end of July I'm flying directly into the heart of George Bush International Airport to meet up with and attend my best friend from college's wedding to a really nice girl. I'm really excited to go and I can't wait to get stared at and gawked at with my long hair and beard.
And Last but not least. If you are a substitute teacher with no health insurance and need some cheap glasses I got just the place for you! Value Village has many many prescription glasses that will fit any budget. Of course the styles are a little out of date and may make you look like a guy who drives a sketchy van but hey there is no price for good eyesight. Just check out these tri-focals I picked up yesterday, they are my exact prescription!
Have a good day.
The reason that I like Tacoma so much is that it feels like home now (it did once before but I left for some reason). And those big cities are like Disney Land. Fun, Exciting, Expensive and at the end of the day you're sick of the cotton candy and stupid mascots. I think a lot of people try to leave Tacoma and do, but they always come back, because its hard to escape. I know a lot of UPS people that went to school in Tacoma and think if they stay then they would be one of "thoooose" people that never left their college town. But I would say, the real Tacoma is not on UPS soil.
In one twenty four hour period I was in a high rise apartment in down town, a small local establishment in Ruston, rolling through the ghetto in a BMW and thrift store shopping in a Christian Retirement Home Shop.
Another reason that I'm starting to get pumped is that I think there is a void in Tacoma, a potential for greatness. People want to be unified under a single banner of funky goodness and ultimate joy. No one has stepped up and said WE ARE HERE AND WE WANT TO GET DOWN. We are making some good contacts with booking people for farmers markets and other venues and I think the summer might actually be a time for Bison Hunter to start making itself known. Exciting indeed.
Also, I don't want to get my hopes up toooo high but I feel like I'm super close to getting this job for next year. I really really really want it and think that I could be really great for the school. With
In other fun news, I'm finally making it to the star state. That's right, Texas baby. At the end of July I'm flying directly into the heart of George Bush International Airport to meet up with and attend my best friend from college's wedding to a really nice girl. I'm really excited to go and I can't wait to get stared at and gawked at with my long hair and beard.
And Last but not least. If you are a substitute teacher with no health insurance and need some cheap glasses I got just the place for you! Value Village has many many prescription glasses that will fit any budget. Of course the styles are a little out of date and may make you look like a guy who drives a sketchy van but hey there is no price for good eyesight. Just check out these tri-focals I picked up yesterday, they are my exact prescription!
Have a good day.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
New Attitudes and Government Crackdown
Controversy is all over Tacoma School District. The word came down that 4 middle schools are performing in the bottom 5% of the State and that the federal government requires said schools to take one of four Reform measures including closure, staff turnover, and school restructuring. My middle school doesn't fall into these categories because somehow they have been increasing scores of the lowest performers for a couple years despite being title 1. Never the less restructuring will take place and the whole school staff is in uproar over the endless possibilities of possible ramifications. People are fearful of losing their jobs and the backdoor nepotism politics that plague schools nation wide. The school is also has a considerable degree of gossip and staff click groups with some significant trust issues.
And then there I sit, with an expiration date on my service date, I lose my job no matter what. Last week I had a break down because I was trying desperately to save every child no matter what. I will still try but a staff member made a very important point to me on Friday after participating in my class and seeing what I was up against. Basically the staff member said that I had in impossible group of kids that were simply dumped on my by teachers who really couldn't handle them. My job has no definition but to simply help kids, I do my best to find their missing work, get them organized, tutor and help them and reteach if necessary but if the kid simply doesn't or won't make the decision to work on fixing their situation its really not up to me to beg them. I look at a failing student (who doesn't try as opposed to one who is trying but failing) like a person addicted to drugs/alcohol. They have to hit rock bottom and realize that they can't do it (or not do it) on their own and that they need some help. Until they hit this point they are going to continue the same shit that got them there, all I can do is be there for them and help them if possible.
I also realized that no one is really checking up on me or watching me so why am I so paranoid I'm not doing job right? Thank Jesus of Christopolis I am a born hard worker, because if someone wanted to cut corners this would be the job for them. Fortunately I love kids and wanna help them so I work my ass off all day despite the fact that no one is watching (and I'll lose my job anyway).
So with this new, don't let it get to you, attitude this week is going a lot better. I'm picking my battles, investing my energy where it can do the most good. And, that has made all the difference.
Band Practice is going well, making some major strides in the areas of Improvisational Comfort Levels between me and Kyle, I learned how to make FAT reggae beats and melodies, and we are in the process of recording and writing all the possible lyrics so that while we are improvising live we can simple pick a set of lyrics and go from there instead of being tied to a specific song.
Lots of crazy nice weather up here, thank you global weirding I guess.
Peace
And then there I sit, with an expiration date on my service date, I lose my job no matter what. Last week I had a break down because I was trying desperately to save every child no matter what. I will still try but a staff member made a very important point to me on Friday after participating in my class and seeing what I was up against. Basically the staff member said that I had in impossible group of kids that were simply dumped on my by teachers who really couldn't handle them. My job has no definition but to simply help kids, I do my best to find their missing work, get them organized, tutor and help them and reteach if necessary but if the kid simply doesn't or won't make the decision to work on fixing their situation its really not up to me to beg them. I look at a failing student (who doesn't try as opposed to one who is trying but failing) like a person addicted to drugs/alcohol. They have to hit rock bottom and realize that they can't do it (or not do it) on their own and that they need some help. Until they hit this point they are going to continue the same shit that got them there, all I can do is be there for them and help them if possible.
I also realized that no one is really checking up on me or watching me so why am I so paranoid I'm not doing job right? Thank Jesus of Christopolis I am a born hard worker, because if someone wanted to cut corners this would be the job for them. Fortunately I love kids and wanna help them so I work my ass off all day despite the fact that no one is watching (and I'll lose my job anyway).
So with this new, don't let it get to you, attitude this week is going a lot better. I'm picking my battles, investing my energy where it can do the most good. And, that has made all the difference.
Band Practice is going well, making some major strides in the areas of Improvisational Comfort Levels between me and Kyle, I learned how to make FAT reggae beats and melodies, and we are in the process of recording and writing all the possible lyrics so that while we are improvising live we can simple pick a set of lyrics and go from there instead of being tied to a specific song.
Lots of crazy nice weather up here, thank you global weirding I guess.
Peace
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