Last Post

My last post reads like an idealistic, unrealistic, dreamy joke to me. I will update soon.

It is pretty amazing really how little time is left until the summer. Although the weeks may seem slow one-by-one, blended together, it is unbelievable how quickly this year is rushing by. Indeed, summer does not seem close enough at times, but once it is here, our anticipated relief and release from the shackles of school may actually be more of a reflective longing and unexpected nostalgia. Only time will tell how we will really feel on that last day; on that evening when we will all sit together outside somewhere, thinking about how the past 10 months have meant different things to each of us, but to all of us an experience hard to explain, yet filled with a present and perhaps future lifetime’s inspiration.

Dance Battle! - i.e. last night

From the speakers to the floor to your feet to your heart, the bass sends you into cardiac arrest faster than a 70-year-old on speed. Logic lost to passion, hips to the beat, your everything is seduced by the scarcely lit, sophisticated hideaway. The DJ spins the table hard, transitioning seamlessly as one beat flows into the next. God of the alcoholic waterfall, the bartender releases a biblical flow of charismatic cocktails.

The dance floor? Impossibly empty. Indeed, potential performers abound, however, all seem powerless to contest the vacant abyss. Carefully, an inspired group of males form a dancing crescent moon, their solidarity protecting them from the social awkwardness of dancing alone.

The beat begins to stir my feet; I can no longer contain the urge to resist. Tempting a friend with a swing of the hips and a suggestive hand, I lead a friend into the middle of the musical inferno. Heat burning from the eyes of the crowd sets our pores ablaze, but we care not. Our bodies overwhelmed with the universal music, our minds wonder whether all consider the dance floor, let alone the establishment, an exclusive arena. We are not simply the sole beings on the dance floor, but very clearly a part of the small percentage of White individuals in a business frequented by primarily African-American clientele.

As the night progresses, performers who had previously lurked in safer shadows make their way to center circle. A soft brush upon my left shoulder beckons for my attention. Turning my head to meet my admirer, the words “time to battle” caress my ear. A challenge awaits. A crew? Yes, I came with-- ah, a dance cr-, yes, well I-, pick someone? Long before I realize, I have entered my first dance battle. I choose my first enemy.

Kicking, bouncing, sliding, his feet carry him onto the floor. The rhythmic motion is smooth but repetitive. Unclear on the logistics of dance battles, I hesitantly inquire as to the exact timing of my turn. A familiar tap on the shoulder and now it is I who stands to show the crowd my rhythmic prowess. “Go girl!” sails above the beat, “Get it!” What is more? The dancing itself or the shock factor that the body is white? No time to consider; only for I to meet the beat that it speaks.

Turns are taken and the finale awaits. Foreign to the proceedings, I am shaken by the presence of two members of the opposing crew sharing the floor. One leaps with sky high jumping jacks, while the other drops to the floor to push up against the pounding. Inspired by their athletic motions, I jump in, completing a triangle at the center of the room. With a jumping jack of my own I dive downwards, only to push it away. I break out a fish flop move and find myself on my back. Wearied by the lactic acid rushing my thighs I hope to God that I can successfully complete the sequence. Push, thrust, kick! My body projects upwards and I land on my feet. The rush of adrenaline can only be pacified by the relief that I have triumphed.

As we walked into the lounge only a couple of hours before, I wondered if the establishment would accept us. Would we be ignored? Shunned? Judged? A dance battle earning the respect of the crowd later, and the cultural plunge has been completely successfully. Indeed, upon first sight all would have labeled me an outsider, including myself; however, a test of the unknown crowd’s approval would prove my initial judgment of them as exclusive and me as too uncommon, wrong. Next time I take a cultural plunge, I shall not hesitate to bridge the gap.

Score Reports

Here is the data from the Algebra 1 final. It is organized by teacher. Note that the scores of the teacher on the left dramatically stand out. It is rumored that this teacher may have doctored his scores in some fashion.

Overall, all teachers have absurdly low scores, but in comparison, my students' scores aren't bad!

Website!

Check out this website that I created for my UNCC classes!

http://sites.google.com/site/letstacklewordproblems/Home

Also, good times in ISS (in school suspension). Three of my kids were in there today (this is a punishment for "acting a fool" in class - they go to a room and do word searches all day unless teachers give them work.) Gathering the three around me, I talked them through the lesson for the day. It is a great way to ensure that they don't feel totally lost when they get back to class from ISS and for them to see that I care. Hopefully they don't abuse this and try to get into ISS on purpose!

Recent Events!

Goodness has it been long! Overall I am much, much happier! Life at school is calmer; I know students are learning better and I am far more mentally and emotionally healthy because of it .

Here are a few recent highlights:

1) Making a player run a significant sprint after cursing in practice.
I have recently taken an assistant coaching position at a local high school (although this school shares similar to demographics to my school, the team is all white with the exception of two Asian players). The dynamic is totally different from that between me and my students. There is an automatic level of respect that the head coach and I receive that is not exactly as inherent at school. Lax practice has become the saving grace of my day, something that I look forward to when I wake up, at lunch time, and when I go to sleep at night. Our game schedule extends from March until May, so it will help carry me through this spring.

2) Relationships with students are far better than last semester.
While I continue to bounce students who are too behaviorally challenging to stay in the classroom if we are to learn anything, my relationships with even these students are filled with greater trust and support than last semester's. Whenever I ask a student to leave class that day, I make a strong point to hold a brief discussion with the student in the hallway. It usually ends in the student's apologizing for his or her behavior and our leaving on decent terms.

3) Referrals rain from the sky at times.
Indeed, I have been called a B far less this semester and more importantly, with less sincerity (now it's more to show out in front of peers than to express true disdain for me); however, student disrespect to one another is extremely high. Not a day goes by without a student flagrantly cursing out another student, calling someone stupid, a faggot, a stank a** b****, or at the very least mouthing f*** you to a peer. But! I am remaining calm, which is the most important thing to relax a verbal altercation and get the class back on track.

Shout out to Midd Women's Basketball! After a solid run this year, their season saw it's last game come and go this past Saturday. I wish all those on the team good cheer and high spirits in the painful, awkward first week of dead time after the season. My thoughts go out in particular to the seniors who ended their college athletic careers this weekend and those who decided not to play this year, may all be content with their time and decisions. If you have lost passion for the game, rekindle some this spring through maintaining and fostering strong friendships through playing some spring ball!

First Day - Take Dos. Time to be straight up.

A section of the speeches I gave to my Intro students today (keep in mind that it is a remedial math class).

"You are in this class because of one of three reasons. Either one, you are lazy and didn't do your work last year or last semester; two, you skipped class and failed due to attendance or missed material; or three, at some point in your educational career so far, whether it was in elementary school or middle school or at home, you got severely screwed over by either a teacher, your school, and the system."

"Some of you guys didn't have a teacher for an entire year of your education. Others had a teacher that just passed out worksheets and sat in the back of the class. Well I am making a promise to you today that I am not going to be that teacher that quits on your halfway through the semester, that hands you a sheet of work and sits in the back of the room, or tells you that you will amount to nothing. I will do everything I can to make sure that you are as successful as you can be, but you need to fulfill your end of the bargain and work hard with me."

One-on-one with a student, in response to a student saying he didn't like one teacher last semester because she got in his face and told him he wasn't doing anything for himself and wouldn't make it. "Boo, I am not going to get in your face like she did. Well, actually, I might. But if I do it will only be to tell you what an amazing student you can be and how much of a shame it is that you are not living up to the great things you can do. Is it ok if I get in your face for that." Response: nod and shy smile.

Fun one of the day: Student moves tongue in cheek mimicking a sexual endeavor; my response: "Austin, save it for your dreams or for after school." Austin laughed, and returned to the task at hand.

Overall, a solid day, complete with a roommate discussion of just how screwed up our schools and the educational system are.