Day after tomorrow, I and 120 7th graders (oh and some other teachers/sponser) will spend 4+ hours on busses going to Little Rock.
They don't know it yet, but those 7th graders are going to have to endure my creamy white skinny calves. I also plan to take an mp3 player and a book.
Hopefully, nobody will expire or be left behind.
4.22.2008
4.16.2008
Another feline escape...
Before I blog what I'm getting ready to blog, I need to say that I LOVE my co-teachers. Just about every day I am thankful to have spent my first year teaching on a team of people who obviously love and care about their students. They have all been so helpful and encouraging to me all along the way and so patient with my cluelessness. If I were to consider trying to find another position at another school, leaving my team would be the number one con. Not only that, but they are funny and fun and I like hanging out with them and I have no problem thinking that we could/would be friends outside of the confines of this mutual employment.
However...
Today, we were all together when the discussion came up about Obama's recent comments that have been getting so much media attention lately. In the past few months, I've sat quietly while the lunch room discussion has regularly scoffed or openly ridiculed O's statements and or campaign. I'm really fine with that and am quite content to keep my own council. I sometimes wonder if it's just that I don't really get off on "mixing it up", especially when I'm obviously in the minority or if I just don't have the balls to take a stand...but that's probably another blog.
Anyway, so two of these favorite people of mine started to paraphrase O's comments in exactly the way that I feel like what he actually said has been pulled out of context, woven and spun into some horrific statement declaring that O thinks he's better than small town folk.
My take on those comments: 1) All I've seen or heard has been a very short sound bite. I've not read or seen the entire speech or even the statements surrounding "THE SENTENCE". How could I begin to think that I can draw accurate conclusions without any sense of context?
2) Maybe he didn't express what he meant very well. So what? The guy is human. Are you telling me that there's no way that what he said couldn't be mis-interpreted? At least in intent? Especially by an apt opponent that is grasping at anything to discredit him in any way? To my knowledge, he's yet to "mis-remember" time when he was under sniper fire...
3) Whipping this little statement into a huge mole-hill of controversy is exactly the kind of political bs that I'm sick to death.
4) I am quite certain that O doesn't think he's any better than any one else any more than Hillary or McCain or even GW. I'd never think that I was the cock-eyed optimist, but even if I completely disagree with political decisions that are made, I've never thought that GW, or Bill C or Hillary or McCain or Nader or Edwards or Giuliani or anybody trying to be the President could be a complete idiot or even evil. The enormity of the responsibility seems to prohibit it in my mind. The president is not a Monarch or Dictator who have unmitigated power that could easily corrupt. One of the things I remember from Constitution class is that there are checks and balances all along the way. It just seems to me that who ever is president or trying to be president, is doing the best that they can and they truly believe that what they are doing is best for our country. Obviously, that person is not always going to be able to please everybody or have everybody agree with him/her. That's part of the job.
Anyway, back to the story:
So, when my beloved co-teachers were espousing a paraphrase characterizing the sentiment that it seems HC and a lot of media seem to want us to hear, I simply said, "I don't think he actually said it like that..."
Another co-teacher said, "Why? Are you closet Obama fan?"
"Yeah."
Another teacher: "Are you really?"
"Yep."
short silence that could have become really uncomfortable except that all of our attention was immediately drawn back to the task of corralling students.
That was it. I wonder what lunch topic of conversation will be like tomorrow...
However...
Today, we were all together when the discussion came up about Obama's recent comments that have been getting so much media attention lately. In the past few months, I've sat quietly while the lunch room discussion has regularly scoffed or openly ridiculed O's statements and or campaign. I'm really fine with that and am quite content to keep my own council. I sometimes wonder if it's just that I don't really get off on "mixing it up", especially when I'm obviously in the minority or if I just don't have the balls to take a stand...but that's probably another blog.
Anyway, so two of these favorite people of mine started to paraphrase O's comments in exactly the way that I feel like what he actually said has been pulled out of context, woven and spun into some horrific statement declaring that O thinks he's better than small town folk.
My take on those comments: 1) All I've seen or heard has been a very short sound bite. I've not read or seen the entire speech or even the statements surrounding "THE SENTENCE". How could I begin to think that I can draw accurate conclusions without any sense of context?
2) Maybe he didn't express what he meant very well. So what? The guy is human. Are you telling me that there's no way that what he said couldn't be mis-interpreted? At least in intent? Especially by an apt opponent that is grasping at anything to discredit him in any way? To my knowledge, he's yet to "mis-remember" time when he was under sniper fire...
3) Whipping this little statement into a huge mole-hill of controversy is exactly the kind of political bs that I'm sick to death.
4) I am quite certain that O doesn't think he's any better than any one else any more than Hillary or McCain or even GW. I'd never think that I was the cock-eyed optimist, but even if I completely disagree with political decisions that are made, I've never thought that GW, or Bill C or Hillary or McCain or Nader or Edwards or Giuliani or anybody trying to be the President could be a complete idiot or even evil. The enormity of the responsibility seems to prohibit it in my mind. The president is not a Monarch or Dictator who have unmitigated power that could easily corrupt. One of the things I remember from Constitution class is that there are checks and balances all along the way. It just seems to me that who ever is president or trying to be president, is doing the best that they can and they truly believe that what they are doing is best for our country. Obviously, that person is not always going to be able to please everybody or have everybody agree with him/her. That's part of the job.
Anyway, back to the story:
So, when my beloved co-teachers were espousing a paraphrase characterizing the sentiment that it seems HC and a lot of media seem to want us to hear, I simply said, "I don't think he actually said it like that..."
Another co-teacher said, "Why? Are you closet Obama fan?"
"Yeah."
Another teacher: "Are you really?"
"Yep."
short silence that could have become really uncomfortable except that all of our attention was immediately drawn back to the task of corralling students.
That was it. I wonder what lunch topic of conversation will be like tomorrow...
4.06.2008
...and then...
So, I've been planning to blog for weeks now, but I just didn't have anything profound on the brain to share. Still don't. This may be boring.
-Enjoyed my first real Spring Break. It came just in time. Didn't do much of anything. I bought some shoes, but I already blogged about that.
-I have exactly 8 weeks left of school. Woohoo! Summer vacation cannot be overstated enough as a perk of being a school teacher.
-When I was in about 7th grade, I discovered a comic book/graphic novel that, much like Battlestar Galactica now, signifies the singularity of my own geekdom existence: Elfquest. It claims to be the longest running independent comic book in existence. I just re-read the original 4 Graphic Novels (which tell the story of the original quest) last week. It holds up. With a large cast of 3 dimensional characters and a sweeping epic of a story, I really can't believe that more people don't talk about it like Lord of the Rings. I'm even more amazed that it hasn't been tapped for a movie franchise. The visuals/storyboards are already there. The characters/conflicts/lovestory/sex are already there. And to some extent, the rabid, albeit maybe more sparse fan base is already there. It is a comic book, but that's what all the movie execs are looking for, right? And the big difference is that there's a lot more female characters to work with and to entice female audience than just about any superhero movie. I don't know.
-I also re-read Ender's Game. It's right up there with A Prayer for Owen Meany in the all time favorite books. I just wish I could find something else that came close to it. Any ideas on good "soft" Scifi?
-Benchmarks start in one week. I'm not really looking forward to it. I don't think I'm a bad teacher, but I don't know what else to do to motivate these students and I'm afraid of how those scores are going to look. I still think they're too coddled.
-I should have mowed this weekend, but the lawn mower wouldn't start, so that was enough of an excuse for me.
-I finally ordered a new computer last week. Dell had a good deal I couldn't pass up. I don't spend any money easily and purchases more than about $20 cause me to vacillate incessantly. (incidentally, the last two words of the last sentence would make my 7th graders brains explode...but so would "incidentally".) I also get nervous about buying a mass marketed computer because of the recording applications I use it for. However, I've not really recorded much of anything for quite some time, so why does that matter? why indeed...
-I need to get to writing. I've had some ideas and just haven't sat down and done anything. Again, just because I have a job and I don't have to worry about music providing a living, that doesn't mean that I have any more self-motivation or discipline.
-I have a gig in 5 weeks. I need to figure out how to get some people there and I'd really like to debut at least a couple of new songs. Of course, that means I need to write them. I also need to start playing more so that I have at least a little bit of callouses.
I told you. This was going to be boring.
-Enjoyed my first real Spring Break. It came just in time. Didn't do much of anything. I bought some shoes, but I already blogged about that.
-I have exactly 8 weeks left of school. Woohoo! Summer vacation cannot be overstated enough as a perk of being a school teacher.
-When I was in about 7th grade, I discovered a comic book/graphic novel that, much like Battlestar Galactica now, signifies the singularity of my own geekdom existence: Elfquest. It claims to be the longest running independent comic book in existence. I just re-read the original 4 Graphic Novels (which tell the story of the original quest) last week. It holds up. With a large cast of 3 dimensional characters and a sweeping epic of a story, I really can't believe that more people don't talk about it like Lord of the Rings. I'm even more amazed that it hasn't been tapped for a movie franchise. The visuals/storyboards are already there. The characters/conflicts/lovestory/sex are already there. And to some extent, the rabid, albeit maybe more sparse fan base is already there. It is a comic book, but that's what all the movie execs are looking for, right? And the big difference is that there's a lot more female characters to work with and to entice female audience than just about any superhero movie. I don't know.
-I also re-read Ender's Game. It's right up there with A Prayer for Owen Meany in the all time favorite books. I just wish I could find something else that came close to it. Any ideas on good "soft" Scifi?
-Benchmarks start in one week. I'm not really looking forward to it. I don't think I'm a bad teacher, but I don't know what else to do to motivate these students and I'm afraid of how those scores are going to look. I still think they're too coddled.
-I should have mowed this weekend, but the lawn mower wouldn't start, so that was enough of an excuse for me.
-I finally ordered a new computer last week. Dell had a good deal I couldn't pass up. I don't spend any money easily and purchases more than about $20 cause me to vacillate incessantly. (incidentally, the last two words of the last sentence would make my 7th graders brains explode...but so would "incidentally".) I also get nervous about buying a mass marketed computer because of the recording applications I use it for. However, I've not really recorded much of anything for quite some time, so why does that matter? why indeed...
-I need to get to writing. I've had some ideas and just haven't sat down and done anything. Again, just because I have a job and I don't have to worry about music providing a living, that doesn't mean that I have any more self-motivation or discipline.
-I have a gig in 5 weeks. I need to figure out how to get some people there and I'd really like to debut at least a couple of new songs. Of course, that means I need to write them. I also need to start playing more so that I have at least a little bit of callouses.
I told you. This was going to be boring.
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