Reality

One H-U-G-E advantage about going back to school has been that I know what is in front of me with "the real world." I have mentioned it a few times to the college kids (when the topic is brought up), but I don't think they have taken me too seriously. Really, I think because I am Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky (aka. "Papa J") that I am not taken serious at times when I really mean to be. (A stupid, stupid curse I have given myself!)

Reality hit the campus a few days before Spring Break. A college buddy was telling me that they weren't sure that they wanted to be a teacher, and they weren't sure what they wanted to do. This weekend, which I was laying down cement for a grade school (Seriously, that's what I did this weekend! I have the pictures to prove it!!) the idea of graduation was brought up, with much glee, but when the "What are you doing after graduation?" question was brought up...well, I saw a lot of burnt out light bulbs over a lot of heads.

To go to school for nearly two decades and then to finally know that it is over. No more classes, no more homework, no more school...to be followed by, no more allowence. What they decide to do after graduation will be the first permante decision of their life. This isn't study abroad, this is where they want to live. Now some kids are excited. I'm hearing San Fran, LA, Seattle, I know one who is going to Canada, a few going to Hawaii, and one lucky person is going to South America. Others are just going to live around old Arcata and work for a year to make some extra money.

Then there's my group who is still working getting in the credital program. There big question is "where they want to teach." Which is bit of a strange questions, when the real question should be "Where am I needed?"

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good: I have been excepted into the Credital program. Yeah me! On Friday I will arrange with the education folks where I will be placed. Well, frankly, I can't believe I am at this point. I will be a real teacher starting Aug 6th. I will get entire weeks where I am alone in the room teaching kids...stuff. (Reality just hit me. I am now more excited/nervous/anxious/etc.

The Bad: After my acting class yesterday a student asked I could have a beer with them. (Rule #29 in Jon's book of life "Never turn down a free beer. However #30 is "Never have more then three free beers because you will go down The Road Less Travelled." Ya know ;) Anyway, they wanted to talk to me because we are close to the same age, and sometimes it is hard to talk to a nineteen year old about your problems (And it is! Believe me!). They weren't excepted into the schools wildlife master's program. It's tough when you set your sites on one goal and then that goal is taken away. But you have to remember that maybe things happen for a reason. I sat there with my beer and let them vent. They felt better afterwards. But, as a lot of people "In the know" know, sometimes change is a very, very good thing!

The Ugly: 50 days! That's how many I have as of midnight tonight. My workload is so big it's silly. I have barely worked on my capstone project because of all the reading I am doing. My peers are starting to get their graduation gifts (Everything from a trip to Italy to a Memory Quilt.) Hearing all this stuff is giving me a case of "Senioritze" which I really don't need at this point. Luckily, I have passed all my midterms.

50 frickin days!

My 1980's movie plot trip!

Ok, here's the scenario: I am suppose to leave Portland at 3:15 Sunday, arrive in Arcata at 5:40pm, and Monday at 9:00 am I have my interview for the credital program. Seems easy enough.


What happened instead was my flight leaving Portland was delayed and arrived in Redding (a layover between Portland and Arcata). Then after being delayed again the plane took off. Now my first clue that we were in trouble was when the passenger sitting next to me noticed how the one of the tires on the plane looked flat as we were taxiing down the runway. My second clue was about ten minutes into the flight the landing gear opened and closed. (And let me just say I have flow a lot in my years, but I have never felt a plane shake like it did as when they just decide to open and close landing gear doors that fast.) About twenty minutes into the flight the pilot announces we have to circle the airstrip while the coast guard is doing a rescue. Twenty minutes later, the plane begins to descend, landing gear is down and everything. But with a few thousand feet to go, the landing gear retracts and we take back off into the sky. The pilot tells us that the fog was too thick to land. Then after circling again for another half and hour the pilot announces we are going back to Redding because our landing gear has a problem and can only be fixed in Redding.

The funny part: As we land in Redding the flight attendants are telling us to "be nice to the ticket agents regarding getting flights because they have a tough job!" (And really, is there NOT a job that deals with people that isn't stressful?)

So, now the whole plane is sitting at the airport. There is only one rental car place open and they are telling us they have no cars. The airline says they are going to bring buses from Arcata to pick us up but they won't be here from five hours! At this point it is 8pm, which means the buses won't be in Redding till 1am, which means I won't be back in Arcata till 5am because it is a four hour drive. So I decide to get a bite to eat at a Chinese restaurant with Abbie (Hi Abbie!) and some people I met on the plane! That's when the airline announces that the buses are not coming! The airline would follow this with "The next available flight is 5pm tomorrow!" (Not good!!!)

Soon the car rental place realizes they have vans they can rent out. (Really? What kind of genius is that that you NOW realize you have vehicles to rent! LAME!) So with a team of passengers we rent a van to do the 299 drive, and I drove! So after driving back to Arcata and taking other people home (My own "Little Miss Sunshine", and I fell like Grandpa!) I made it back home late night/early morning, and made it to my interveiw a couple of hours later.

So you bet your ass I am demanding my money back from the airline!

Elephant

In the case of retail vs Internet, I have to vote for retail.

When I was back in Portland two weeks ago I went to Powell's books (This was the best book store I had ever been in back during my Xmas break.) As I was in there looking around I thought to myself that there are a lot of books I don't think Amazon has (they are more books you would find on Ebay). It occurs to me that when you go on Amazon you are going in there to look for a certain book. You might find recommendations to a book similar to the one you are looking for, but it is still Amazon's opinion you are listening to. So looking around Powell's I decided to have some fun and go into sections of the books store (which is the size of a city block mind you.) I have never explored. I grabbed a bunch of books and went to the coffee shop to read them. Anyway, this dialog from a book below sort of hit me when I was talking to someone who doesn't know what to do with their life after graduation. I'm just posting it for my own indulgence really. But I hope you enjoy it.


This is from Terry Moore's "Strangers in Paradise." This is a graphic novel (comic book. I know. No grief please!), about two girls living together and struggling through life. It is a romantic comic (no super heroes), and although Terry, who's a guy, wrote this about a woman talking about a woman, the message is pretty universal. I think we all have faced this at one time or another. But in life some realize the elephant later then others.


"Okay, picture this...somebody points out an elephant in your living room, and this is the first time you've see it. So you're standing there wondering how in the world an elephant got in your living room, when it hits you... he must have been there all along. Today I saw an elephant in my life and it was like, an epiphany! I mean, I've always chased the all-american dream. Y'know? A husband, kids...stuff like that. But the harder I tried to get it, the further it slipped away and for me, there was never any plan B. It it hadn't been for Katchoo, I don't know what I would have done. Katchoo gives me the only hug I get at the end of a bad day. The only loving smile. The only gentle caress. Can you blame me for being grateful? For accepting comfort from another woman when man on the planet seems to have orders to screw me over! And she never asks for anything. She never makes demands, she never questions or criticizes me! She's just there for me. Always. I've spent my entire life looking for a man like that...but I found a woman instead! So, it must be love, right? And when you're in live you're supposed to do something about it, right? Only I could never quite bring myself to take that last, big...final step. Then I saw the elephant." ~Terry Moore

A word from a professor

Last week my mentor (who I have decided to remain nameless) talked about a possible strike that might happen in the next few weeks. It might be the biggest strike in California history (even U.S.). There is a bit of paraphrasing because my notes are back in Arcata. What is said here is from my memory, and I can't write everything she said. The first few sentences I feel we have all talked about at one time or another. But the second part I have never really thought about. The professor admitted that she was on her soapbox about this. But this was her view of world events.


The professor: "I am nearing the end of my career, but if there is a strike I will support my fellow educators. When you read about these athletes and celebrities getting millions of dollars while many teachers won't make more then a fraction of that. And it pains me that CEO's and politicians continue to damage this world just to make money. As a teacher for many decades I think what if a student of mine became a head of a corporation, or a senator. It would be great if they did become one. But what they do destroy our world. If I was their teacher I would keep wondering what I could've done different. I had this student for a year, and they were in my school of several years you would like to think you are making a difference, because it's not just about what they are learning, it's about the adult they are going to become. When you see the damage that is being done in the world, and you as future teachers "want to make a difference" did you fail? The strike will happen because CEO's of school and businesses that control our school are not meeting the teacher's or student's needs. We can't effective teach with the little money we have."


And there you go.


I do find it funny that A-list (and some B-list) actors get more money then even doctors! On AOL, there was a story talking about how much "characters" from television shows make with their jobs in real life. Example: Patrick "McDreamy" Dempsey makes several million dollars a year as an actor (mostly from the television show "Grey's Anatomy"), yet his character of "Dr. Derek Sheperd" who is a neurosurgeon makes (One of the top in the nation according to the show) $375,000 dollars a year.

Maybe I should've taken classes at the Groundlings?

Also, some of those businessmen she is mentioning are building some buildings around California. The school system is more worried about their images then the students. So, once again, education is yet another industry that is run by the ever loving $$$$$.


"That’s the way of the world. Plant your flower and you grow a pearl. A child is born with a heart of gold. The way of the world makes his heart grow cold"~ E,W, & F

The halfway mark

At 2:14pm yesterday Spring Break officially started. I would've gotten out of town right away but I have a second job on Saturdays I do so I will fly out tomorrow morning. I must say this semester really has flown by although I have been counting down the days like counting the seconds right before the New Year. The work loads have been coming in spurts instead of a constant flow. Last week of a bit difficult with two midterms (Damn English Department!) and three papers due. Top priority over Spring Break will be a haircut! (Which I haven't had since mid-Dec. I look like Chia-pet hippie!) A trip back to Powell's Books (If anyone has a book suggestions let me know!), and a trip to Seattle tomorrow night.

So, as I might have stated before, out little Education major is quite a..."creative" bunch. The other night a group of us got together to talk about "What makes a good teacher?"

Note: This was follow by a lot of gossip about all my peers, something I have sadly grown quite use to with my last few chapter of my life because I let it surround me. And while I have grown quite numb of it certain characteristics were brought up that I think is worth talking about. Actually, the big two characteristics that some of my peers seem to be lacking With that said...

I think the most important thing about being a teacher is flexibility. When you look at today's teacher they have to be able to teach a room full of students who each have a learning style that works best for them (and remember, they have to follow national and state standards). My peers are learning this quick at their observations. I have gotten this note really quick working at the pre-school (Fifteen minutes max!) So people who have to follow "the rule book" word for word might have a bit of trouble being a teacher. The key word here is "Adaptability."

Then there's classroom management. The very first thing a teacher will do is get to know everyone. The second thing the teacher will do is set the rules. Sadly, this is where a few of my peers fail. Recently, I had heard how one of my peers was attempting to control a room of 1st graders, and..well...the 1st graders won. It's not about attitude or being forceful, it's about the demeanor of the teacher that sets the example for the children.

As I start to wrap up my time in school I plan talking more about teaching. Before my blog has been about my experience in college, and what is going through my head. But now I can talk about my major since I have a clear picture where I will be directing my energy.

"Those who educate children well are more to be honored than parents, for these gave only life, those the art of living well." ~Aristotle

BAULULLA!

When I do my top ten lists I usually work on them through out the year. One of the lists I am making for April is the "Ten most fascinating people I have ever met", and well, I met someone who makes the top 3 yesterday. His name is Chris, he's a part-time professor and full time student. And he can speak 14 languages, several of which are fluent. It was amazing to hear him go from German to Chinese. He learned Bulgarian on a flight to New Zealand (I am really! Who wants to learn Bulgarian!) He had a lot of funny stories, he grew up in Utah and just loves to study language.

The subject title "Baululla" mean "not wonderful" in Mandarin (changed a bit for English speakers), but it's a cool work to say. And it works for me as a teacher to say instead of any of the naughty words.

In case you want to learn it. It's Ba-u-lul-la, not a wonderful thing. (Heh, I almost quoted the Lion King in that last sentence.

WHAT IS WITH THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT!

So, as I have mentioned once, the general idea of majoring in Education is to take classes in the subject we did when we were younger (English, history, math, etc.) Yesterday we had to a major phonetics mid-term. Now I'm pretty good at transcribing...however it would help if I was doing real words. The professor gave us a list of made up words (aka. Lewis Carroll/Dr. Suess words) that I had to figure out and transcribe. HOW DUMB! Is that really going to make any of us better teachers! The entire class was pissed. (And I do mean the entire class, after the midterm all of us, ALL OF US, went to the closest bar and got shit faced silly!) Today most the class have written to their advisers, and heads of the school to complain. I have decided to go to the source of the matter and discuss this.

Really, one of the single dumbest things teachers do is "Trick" students. And yes teacher do this. For example, imagine if you got a question "Which is the largest state in the U.S." and the answers were A. Florida, B. Missouri, C. California, D. None of the above. The correct answer will be "D", but how is that helping the student. At least if there was "All of the above" that gives the student an idea of the answer, but "none of the above" does nothing. How can I transcribe a word when it isn't even a real word. (Note: I am not transcribing from English to phonetics, but phonetics to English. Get it?)

I don't feel the English department knows that as "future teachers" that they are example, as teachers themselves, for us to admire. Seriously, I don't think they even understand our major. I'd like to challenge them to teach a 1st grader to write a complete sentence!


"Have no fear at perfection, you'll never reach it." ~ Salvador Dali

Six Things

I had completely forgot about this. TwilightSpider (who I didn't think existed on Blogger) had challenged me to write six random things about myself. I probably didn't think about it because I already to my top ten lists. However, here is another peak at me.

1. I like to do randomly drive somewhere on Sunday mornings. I suspect it's because I use to go on Sunday morning drives with my pop as a kid, but also I like exploring California and trying to see every bit of it.

2. When I was a kid, on a dare, I touched a lit car cigerette lighter. I was actually convinced myself that is wasn't that hot. I was wrong.

3. I have a fear of looking straight down. Although I live on the top floor of a building, and love flying and skyscrapers I just hate heights. I can climb a mountain just don't ask me to look straight down a cliff.

4. I like ketchup on my mac and cheese. I don't know how people are grossed out about it. It's actually quite tasty.

5. I love honesty. Something that completely drives me nuts is when people will beat around the bush about something making it a bigger matter then just telling you directly the truth. Random example, if you lost something that was lent to you just tell the person that lent it to you that you lost it. That person won't want to hear how you will give it back to them later if you don't have it.

6. My favorite pasttime as I talk to people on the phone. Taking a bottle of Elmer's glue, squeezing out the glue on the bottle and watch it dry for a few hours. It sounds weird, but it's fun to peel off the glue when it is completely dry.

I feel like I am forgetting something?