One of the funnier things that has occurred in the past two weeks that I have subbed at Santa Barbara Junior High is this:
Every morning I put up a PowerPoint slide to be shown at the beginning of each class. It usually says something like,
"Happy Tuesday! September 23rd, 2008. Please take out:
•Pencil
•Agenda
•Science Log
•Homework from last night
HOMEWORK: Complete vocabulary list"
Boring, right? Well, on the days that we don't have homework, I like to throw in this line: "HOMEWORK: Enjoy life." And invariably, more than one student will ask me "What does it mean to enjoy life??" What's ridiculous is that they are seriously asking me what I mean for them to do that evening. They aren't quite sarcastic enough to be joking about not enjoying life because school is getting them down or something. They just want to know, "What does it mean to enjoy life?"
Seriously? Seriously.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Hello, people. I don't have much to say. All my days are a blur. Here is my note to my teacher yesterday (I'm subbing for the same class for two weeks):
Per. 1: Noah can't be with others.. always distracting
Per. 5: Gave Sal a referral for getting out of his seat for the 1000th time AND for poking/hitting a girl in the chest.
Per. 6: German still hardly working. It's like pulling a mule. I talked to him after class yesterday and today.
Ok, but that's all boring. What is interesting, in my opinion, is how much I tutor every week. Since last week I have added on four new tutoring clients, which puts my total at nine hours of tutoring every week. That is an added income of about 1200 dollars a month.
Yesterday I tutored a girl in the nicest house I have ever encountered in my entire life. She sometimes goes down to Los Angeles for acting auditions, and her mother and father are gorgeous, of course. Cars owned: New Mercedes, and Porsche 911. That's from what I've seen so far--there may be more.
I think the term I am looking for here is "exorbitant wealth."
Per. 1: Noah can't be with others.. always distracting
Per. 5: Gave Sal a referral for getting out of his seat for the 1000th time AND for poking/hitting a girl in the chest.
Per. 6: German still hardly working. It's like pulling a mule. I talked to him after class yesterday and today.
Ok, but that's all boring. What is interesting, in my opinion, is how much I tutor every week. Since last week I have added on four new tutoring clients, which puts my total at nine hours of tutoring every week. That is an added income of about 1200 dollars a month.
Yesterday I tutored a girl in the nicest house I have ever encountered in my entire life. She sometimes goes down to Los Angeles for acting auditions, and her mother and father are gorgeous, of course. Cars owned: New Mercedes, and Porsche 911. That's from what I've seen so far--there may be more.
I think the term I am looking for here is "exorbitant wealth."
Friday, September 19, 2008
This week has been hell. I am so tired and worn out! I substituted for the same 7th graders all week and I picked up all of these tutoring clients recently so my schedule has been something like:
Set alarm for 6:30, get up at 7am.
Leave for work by 7:15.
Teach periods 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 + a 20 minute reading period right before lunch.
Leave school at 2:30 and drive straight to tutoring.
Tutor from 2:45 to 3:45.
Drive to other tutoring, from 4:00 to 5:00.
Practice music with Brendan. (Or help someone move for three hours, or perform concert with Brendan)
Grocery shopping, etc.
Come home at around 10-11pm.
Catch up on emails, facebook, youtube, music.
Go to sleep at 12:30-1am.
Repeat.
ps. The 7th graders...suck. I sent students out of the classroom EVERY SINGLE DAY for misbehaving, talking back, having attitude, not listening, etc. It got so bad that the principal came in and lectured my 6th period class today. It was awesome. Then he took out four specific imps and spoke with them in private. Nice to know I've got support, eh?
Set alarm for 6:30, get up at 7am.
Leave for work by 7:15.
Teach periods 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 + a 20 minute reading period right before lunch.
Leave school at 2:30 and drive straight to tutoring.
Tutor from 2:45 to 3:45.
Drive to other tutoring, from 4:00 to 5:00.
Practice music with Brendan. (Or help someone move for three hours, or perform concert with Brendan)
Grocery shopping, etc.
Come home at around 10-11pm.
Catch up on emails, facebook, youtube, music.
Go to sleep at 12:30-1am.
Repeat.
ps. The 7th graders...suck. I sent students out of the classroom EVERY SINGLE DAY for misbehaving, talking back, having attitude, not listening, etc. It got so bad that the principal came in and lectured my 6th period class today. It was awesome. Then he took out four specific imps and spoke with them in private. Nice to know I've got support, eh?
Monday, September 15, 2008
Ok! I'm back to substituting again. Today was decent. I would give it 6 stars out of 10. I would say the best part was the totally gorgeous student teacher who will be accompanying me today, tomorrow, and Wednesday.
The worst part was students just talking and talking and talking and talking and talking...
The worst part was students just talking and talking and talking and talking and talking...
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Today I substituted for advanced 8th grade math at Santa Barbara Junior High.
It was fun! I had nearly all of my GATE students from last year spread out among my 5 classes. And, like I wrote about yesterday, they are still as wonderful as ever. Some of them still haven't stopped talking in class (just like last year), some of them still have braces on, still have the same haircut, and so on. And some have changed slightly, which is cool to see.
Being in the same town for 27 years and working with so many youth in so many different settings has allowed me to see all kinds of people growing up, and I like that. I like that a lot.
On a side note, I rode my bike to work, which was wonderful and quick. I rode downtown afterward and played on my computer in a Starbucks and a few of my students from the day saw me in there. "Hi, Mr. V!" and some giggles.
Later, at 10pm, I was grocery shopping (because grocery shopping at 10pm on a Friday night is a beautiful thing to do and it is never crowded) and saw two students that I have subbed for a lot at Dos Pueblos. We talked for a moment and that was cool, too. I know kids from all these different generations, and it's a bit trippy. I see styles in Junior high and high school, I see who is partying with who (on Facebook), I see people making college decisions, and I just have this sort of omniscient view of a lot of little lives around town. Sometimes I feel like a wise old grandfather who is watching his offspring grow up like a wild garden around him.
It was fun! I had nearly all of my GATE students from last year spread out among my 5 classes. And, like I wrote about yesterday, they are still as wonderful as ever. Some of them still haven't stopped talking in class (just like last year), some of them still have braces on, still have the same haircut, and so on. And some have changed slightly, which is cool to see.
Being in the same town for 27 years and working with so many youth in so many different settings has allowed me to see all kinds of people growing up, and I like that. I like that a lot.
On a side note, I rode my bike to work, which was wonderful and quick. I rode downtown afterward and played on my computer in a Starbucks and a few of my students from the day saw me in there. "Hi, Mr. V!" and some giggles.
Later, at 10pm, I was grocery shopping (because grocery shopping at 10pm on a Friday night is a beautiful thing to do and it is never crowded) and saw two students that I have subbed for a lot at Dos Pueblos. We talked for a moment and that was cool, too. I know kids from all these different generations, and it's a bit trippy. I see styles in Junior high and high school, I see who is partying with who (on Facebook), I see people making college decisions, and I just have this sort of omniscient view of a lot of little lives around town. Sometimes I feel like a wise old grandfather who is watching his offspring grow up like a wild garden around him.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Ok. It has been a few weeks now and I am definitely back from traveling around Mexico. In fact, I am so back that I have started substitute teaching again around town!
I almost got my job back, at Santa Barbara Junior High, where I worked for four months last year. Almost. The school wanted me, but, long story short, I basically didn't have enough credentials (or any sort of background whatsoever) in History and so the school district couldn't hire me.
So I am subbing. And guess what?? I've subbed three days already, and school has only been in session for two weeks. I got to do some pre-calculus for my friend Matt Long who teaches at Dos Pueblos High School.
Tomorrow I will be back at the junior high. For math. For advanced math, actually, which means one thing: I will get to see all of my beloved GATE students again.
Today, my friend Felipe went to visit some of his Young Life kids over at the junior high and so I went with him to visit.
IT
WAS
AWESOME.
I basically walked out of the hallways into the lunch area and was more or less mobbed by what seemed like my entire two GATE classes from last year. They are all still super funny and weird and beautiful and going to change the world. I just talked to a big huddle of students for the whole lunch period. It was wonderful. I got to hear how they went to Israel, Seattle, the movies, motorcycling, etc. I got to hear new inside jokes, hear about school and how all the little seventh graders are (not cool, apparently).
The principal was out there and when all the kids mobbed me he started telling seventh graders that I was a famous character from The Hills television show and that's why they were all so excited to see me. Just so you know, I look nothing like any of the people on The Hills.
I almost got my job back, at Santa Barbara Junior High, where I worked for four months last year. Almost. The school wanted me, but, long story short, I basically didn't have enough credentials (or any sort of background whatsoever) in History and so the school district couldn't hire me.
So I am subbing. And guess what?? I've subbed three days already, and school has only been in session for two weeks. I got to do some pre-calculus for my friend Matt Long who teaches at Dos Pueblos High School.
Tomorrow I will be back at the junior high. For math. For advanced math, actually, which means one thing: I will get to see all of my beloved GATE students again.
Today, my friend Felipe went to visit some of his Young Life kids over at the junior high and so I went with him to visit.
IT
WAS
AWESOME.
I basically walked out of the hallways into the lunch area and was more or less mobbed by what seemed like my entire two GATE classes from last year. They are all still super funny and weird and beautiful and going to change the world. I just talked to a big huddle of students for the whole lunch period. It was wonderful. I got to hear how they went to Israel, Seattle, the movies, motorcycling, etc. I got to hear new inside jokes, hear about school and how all the little seventh graders are (not cool, apparently).
The principal was out there and when all the kids mobbed me he started telling seventh graders that I was a famous character from The Hills television show and that's why they were all so excited to see me. Just so you know, I look nothing like any of the people on The Hills.
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