I was listening to a story on This American Life (are you listening to it yet? You should be, it's great) about a fellow who worked for the Justice Department and ended up being tried by the Justice Department for misconduct (the Justice Department was really just mad at him for being a jerk, he was acquitted).
We got a mattress today. It was delivered by two men (I don't think that one guy alone can or should carry a king sized mattress).
Names that I have been called while I'm working:
Mr. Bolland
Man
Maaaaine
Bruh
Mr. Uh..uh...uh....
Mr. Boldin
Mr. Bolden
Mr. Bills (a 7th grade science teacher last year who was white and apparently resembles me)
Mr. Bollen
Mr. Ballin
Mr. Bollent
Coach
Coach [insert incorrect last name from above]
Mr. Ryyyyyan
Names that I answer to while I'm working:
Well, pretty much everything above except for Man, Maaaaaine, Mr. Uh...uh...uh.., Bills, or Bruh. Keep in mind, also, that the "Mister" is usually more phonetically written as "Mistuh" or another mispronunciation. Oh, and I can thank those who decide to put the teachers' first names on student schedules for the Mr. Ryyyyan variant.
soooo...the biggest issue right now is adapting to the different moods of the classes. i had planned to work on writing with my kids for the next two weeks. however, after i looked at more of their "writing" thus far, i realized that it would be better to expose them to reading good writing, rather than trying to produce sub-par samples. so i had chosen to read "the most dangerous game" with them over the next 4-5 class periods, doing different activities and reading styles each day. the fact that my methods class included a section on "the most dangerous game" was pretty amazing. so i planned to do the baffle bag and "who am i?" activities with them before we actually started reading. first run-through: am-A-zing. probably the best class i've had all year. they participated, they were extremely well-behaved, they stayed focused, got really engaged into the material. they took notes during the activity. how crazy is that? then when we read, i had at least 8 or 9 kids volunteer to read, out of a class of 22 remedial students, which i thought was pretty interesting. they stayed focused during the reading, and they stayed focused during the writing activity after. it was great.
then my last block of the day. attempt #2. pretty much...if i said went down in flames, i don't think that would explain it. they wouldn't stay focused, they constantly had to comment on what other people were saying, they wouldn't participate, and they were just genuinely not engaged in the activity. i quieted them down twice as a class, and then decided it was enough. specific students were going through my consequences like fire and then getting my "i'm done with you for right now" comment, which means they've gone through all my consequences and the next step is a referral. that stops their behavior altogether (detention doesn't do it to a lot of students), but the damage was done. the class as a whole had been distracted, and was no longer on the train to literacy. so...proofreading worksheet time. i told them if we couldn't explore good examples of the written word together, then they were going to explore bad examples of the written word on their own, and be graded for it. i was worried about the "good" kids getting angry, since this was the THIRD time this year that block has been punished as a class. but the "good" kids kept doing work, silently, and diligently. i finally told J with 5 minutes left in class that i didn't have any more worksheets - he had done six pages - and that he could sit quietly until i was done with them. the kids that had detentions and behavior forms/parent phone calls are repeat offenders, and didn't seem to get the picture. until i yelled. i didn't really yell, but i definitely raised my voice when i held two of them after class. and after that, once they left, i cried. i don't raise my voice at these kids, they don't need that. everyone else in their life yells at them - "family", teachers, coaches...i had made a promise to myself that i wasn't going to do that. and i did. it got the point across - this wasn't a dialogue about their behavior. they had acted completely inappropriately, and they would be punsihed accordingly.
and i've gone on to blocks 1 and 2 today with the same results. block two was good, just chatty. block one couldn't handle it, so i got upset and punished them. it's not a hard concept - be quiet and ask appropriate questions. be respectful to yourself and others, and stay on task. asking if i, as a character, "got a donk?", is not appropriate, not really all that funny, and simply results in a parent call, a behavior form, and extra work for you class.
well done, jackass.
]]>As an American, I know very little about English history. I know that Robin Hood stole from Prince John, who later became King John and signed the Magna Carta. I know that British soldiers wore redcoats because it made them easier for revolutionaries to shoot (thanks, England). And I know that King George was a jerk who wanted people to pay taxes.
I think we can all agree that was great. I hope you didn't miss it.
Simple observation of Stina and I gives off the notion that we get along great, just like sisters should. The bond we now share is undeniable, yet it has not always been present. Growing up, Stina and I fell short of hating each other. Her proper tone and preppy gear annoyed me greatly; my tom-boyish ways were too different from hers. As we got older, we got a little closer, but we still were annoyed by the other's presence. Today, Stina and I talk almost everyday. I got all teary eyed the other day when I overheard her say that I, Crystal Stewart, had helped her to find her true calling in life. I am very grateful to know that Stina and I are very much alike; who knew teaching would be the factor that would bring us closer together!!!
P.S. Love you Stevie (aka Stina)!!! Month one is almost over!!!!
I just finished up my first paying writing gig. It's not much but now I feel like I have a little bit of a portfolio or something. I just wish that it paid more. Not because I want money or I'm greedy. I don't know, I just feel like if I made a real amount of money then I wouldn't have to worry about writing being an imaginary thing or I wouldn't feel as useless or that I'm just fooling myself or that there's something else, something better I should do.
My blogs are set to private. Join vox and friend me if you want to read.....
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