(sound of a sigh)

Today was one of those days. Because it was one of those days teaching, it held the hardest and the sweetest things possible. The difficult moments highlighted the fact that you can not predict human behavior. The good moments made things just seem right. I helped my students divide a whole into tenths, hundredths, and thousandths and then convert that to it's decimal equivalent. I listened to a student read a book that is a grade level beyond what she came in reading. I wrote a paragraph with a student who normally ends a writing period with a blank paper.

I'm tired because of the tough stuff. I know I'm a teacher because all of the other stuff is good stuff.

Music on the Tee-vee

Over the weekend, I had a theme of good music - brought to me by the television.

It started with a little Fearless Freaks (a documentary about the Flaming Lips which I highly recommend). It seemed a little disjointed in the beginning and then turned out to be brilliant. It reminded me of their music.

Then a little channel flipping brought me some old school Rolling Stones. PBS was playing the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus. It's a little bit of 1968 perfectness.

morning internet research

There is nothing like a little early morning w.w.w. time to bring an interesting thing to your life:

• is your rent too little, too much or just right for your area?

Jumpy

In the past two days, three cars have backfired outside of my window. I'm easily startled. The sound of a gun outside of my window is basically guaranteed to get a jump out of me. Three times in two days seems like some type of punishment.

P.S. My roommate has been trying to get me to watch American Idol for quite some time. Tonight, I caved. [It's cold and my only other real option is laundry]. What I've taken from this experience is a reconfirmation of my amazement at the things people do. American Idol also seems like some type of punishment...and it's leaving me jumpy, too.

Snacks

I have a pretty real need to eat on a once every two hours schedule. I get faint (which actually almost happened in my classroom today and has now become my new biggest fear, totally trumping rats). I get grumpy. I get the shakes.

But, I also just enjoy the eating. Sometimes, I think that I'm too quick to fall to my momentary thoughts of pretzels or yogurt. Right now, rather than analyzing the clapping during the State of the Union, I'm wondering if the 4 snacks of tonight means that I have to be done.

I'm just not sure.

Stations

I've recently been thinking about my appreciation for the people in my lives who have distinct stations in their world. Over there, that's their music station. Around the corner and you hit their computer station. A little bit further down, entertainment station.

I was concerned because I didn't think I had stations and I was going to have to fight my nature to develop some. On my ride home from work, I realized that I actually do have stations; mine are just a little further apart.

I have a work station--my classroom. If I try to do work outside of this station, I fail horribly. This week, I've tried to bring work home each night and left the school around 4. It should have worked. But, oh it did not. When I stay at school until 6 p.m., I get tons done...just like tonight-Woo-woo.

Then, I have my rest station-my apartment. I putter. I talk to people I like. I sit quietly. I catch up on the world that can be reached through the w.w.w. It's lovely.

My final station is the rest of the world. It's the station that reminds me that I actually do like others and that fun can be had outside of rest stations. It's just that sometimes, I forget.

Post ELA calm

Today, my class and I took a trip to the MOMA. Beside the time one of my students decided that gently touching a Monet painting was a good idea, the trip was great. They discussed what they noticed. They talked about colors. They decided that either Matisse or Matisse's mom really loves the color red--which is the only good reason his would paint his red studio red. It was no visit to see Chihuly but it was nice to have a relaxing morning.

After I gave a teacher point to a man who was about to run over my class we boarded the bus, I was greeted with a few rounds of "The Wheels on the Bus" sang by the toughest of the tough kids.

We returned to school in time for lunch, finished our drawings of our places, learned how to write capital G through K, and listened to a story about a boy who finds himself flat (again).

Although not an academically focused day, it felt like a normal day. Everyone was calm. No one did anything that caused me to need to call in some school based support. And, I did not have to run out of the building as soon as legally allowable because of the stress. The tests are over and my class is back to their old collective self. I am back. It's good.

My use of time

I have a friend who is an expert at hobbies. She paints, knits, welds, plays guitar, dances salsa (or whatever dance is available at that time in her tiny town), attends all sorts of interesting events, is learning about herbal medicine, and has made a weekly tradition of hanging out in a public place because she was afraid she was not interacting with enough random people from her town. When we talk, I'm always amazed at what she is doing.

My stories usually revolve around Target. I do more than go to Target. But, somehow it always comes up.

NYC 1-Me 0

Today was one of those days. It started off good--resting at home followed by a lunch at some famous chef restaurant. Then, I took to the street. I was on the search for black shoes. I searched several blocks this way, several blocks that way, and then right back to where I started. After heading several more blocks north, taking a subway up 30 more blocks, I ended up with a little bag for my iPod and tired feet. I was cross checked by an angry lady during a detour to look at lacy things, was huffed at by angry lady no. 2 as she rushed up the escalator, and was generally surrounded by too many people. Some days NYC seems to hold all of those things that keep me entertained. Today was not one of those days.

My pipes

So, there has been a problem with my heat all winter. The one heater that has worked consistently is in the bathroom. During one of our few cold bits this winter, my roommate and I turned on the oven and slept in hats. Eventually the problem was fixed, but only kind of. I guess they've been working on it.

Tonight, there was another surprise visit from the guy who is doing the work. I am wearing two sweaters and slippers. The guy who was looking at my pipes turned to me and said, "You know what you need to keep you warm?"

I knew where this was going and tried to head him off at the pass. I kind of shouted things like gloves, jumping jacks, more clothes.

"No, a man."

Oh, Queens.

E-L-A (English Language Arts for those of you who do not spend your day with children)

My third graders have slugged their way through the big test. My fourth graders have one more day. Our days are returning to normal. No one is having major emotional outbursts due to test stress anymore. We are having lessons that do not begin with me saying, "On the test....". I feel like I'm able to actually teach normal things again soon. I don't really mind test prep, in the general sense. Kids should be tested so we know what they know. But, there was a day when my major literacy instruction was the process of elimination. I don't know that the process of eliminating one out of four things will really produce children with a love of literature.

*Teaching related side note: At this moment, I have apple stickers and an old school pencil top erase in my pocket. I normally am packing some type of teaching related materials. But, rarely does it include anything apple related. I am firmly anti-apple.

Update

The Toys R Us people did the right thing. They gave the baby the money. Good job. I can shop there again. Oh wait...I don't really go to the Toys R Us so much.

Baby Lin

Normally, I don't see the blog as a soapbox. After reading some news this morning, I decided to make an exception.

At the stroke of midnight, January 1, a little baby named Yuki Lin was born in NYC. She was the New Years Baby. Toys R Us has a contest to award a $25,000 savings bond to the first baby born in the New Year. Unfortunately, the company decided to take back the award because of her parents' immigration status.

After an afternoon talking with my students about Martin Luther King and three years of interacting with many children who probably share an immigration history with this baby, I was upset. It seems like we should be past this type of discriminatory thinking. Each day, my students are able to navigate their ways through multiculturalism with very few bumps. It seems like the adults cannot figure out what my 8, 9, and 10 year olds have down.

So, I wrote an email to the Director of Corporate Philanthropy and the Director of PR at Toys R Us. I used words liked marred and unethical. Now, I'm going to have to figure out what I can do next.

feel the love

Somehow, my class has gotten very lovey over the past few days. I think it was because we were away and their collective hearts grew fonder. There has been some spontaneous declarations of their love. Several essays have been written. And, cards abound.

I'm sure something has to do with the fact that I'm calmer than I was during the hailstorm of holiday preparation. Also, no school after school. I'm exuding calm. They are responding well.

It's reinforcing my whole connection between the Dog Whisperer and teaching.

vay-ca-tion!

I'm back, back from the other coast. It has changed me. As I got ready to leave the house this morning, I thought, "Do I need to wear my jacket?"

My apartment is located well above the equator. It is January.

I need a coat.