THE INTERN

I have been subbing lots and I intended on writing more! The last time I subbed was at Dos Pueblos, my favorite school to sub at ever because the students are just amazing. Case in point:

When I subbed for a math teacher on Wednesday, I got to talk with this hilarious girl I've subbed for before. I actually was a teacher's aid for her 5th grade class, and her playground supervisor, but that's another story. I told her I did photography full time now, and we got excited talking photo stuff and before you know it, I LANDED MYSELF A NEW INTERN. How awesome is that?? If all things go well, I intend on bringing her to weddings with me, teaching her how to edit, grooming her to the point where she has the resources to run her own business or just work with me all the time. Geez I love my life.

Photos I've been working on (all taken in the last couple of weeks):

Today I am substituting for a Spanish class at Dos Pueblos High School. I've watched the first half of Take The Lead five times now. It's a pretty great start to a movie! But now I have to rent it to find out the rest...

Subbing high school is simply the best (sorry junior highers, but it's true)! I've finished a book, had kids smile and cheer at me as they come in, edited through some wedding photos, replied to emails, played a couple of games of Dominion online, followed up on a couple of blogs, and had time to write this little post here.

Enjoy something I've worked on today!

It’s been a while since I’ve written, and I’ll tell you what--I’ve got no excuses! Since you saw me last, I’ve turned down a teaching job and am pursuing photography full-time. Well, pursuing is not quite the right word. I’m succeeding at doing photography! Taking pictures, coupled with tutoring and substituting is earning me more than I did last year teaching 50+ hours a week. But it’s not about the money, baby! For me, it’s really about not getting burned out and doing what I love. Substituting keeps me connected to the youth, another thing that I love.

Speaking of which, I’m in a classroom right now! Subbing for a math class that is showing the movie Stand and Deliver for the next two days. Easy? Yes. The best thing about today was that I’ve seen SO many of my past students in the classes here. This is my first day subbing at Santa Barbara High School, which is the school that receives nearly all the students that come from the Junior High where I worked that past three years. And one JUST walked in and said this: “MR. VAN NOSTRAND! Oh my gosh. This is the best teacher in the world!” Great way to start my day.

And here is what I got to work on while I was ‘working:’

Guess what? I went through this entire year without crying. Haha, does that sound ridiculous? Well, I consider it something like a minor accomplishment, especially in my first year; especially teaching three classes of the lowest eighth grade math students in the school.

More than that, I've actually built something like a business on top of teaching my first year. I shot five weddings this year, two proms, traveled to Austria, New York, art gallery openings, political campaigns, four birthdays, family shoots, model shoots, theater shows, dog sweaters, and more!

What a rush to get paid doing what you love!

xo, Phil
ps. To see some of those images:

http://www.phillipvn.com
http://www.facebook.com/phillipvn
http://phillipvn.smugmug.com

One month and counting until school gets out! Did you know that the last day of school is on my birthday? This year I've taught two kids how to solve the Rubik's cube, I've given tons of riddles for students to solve, I've talked with countless parents, I've gotten frustrated a lot, laughed a lot, slept with my head on my desk (after work!), helped with the skateboard club, bike club, and photo club, went to Austria and New York, and taught for my very first year ever.

Junior High Math.

You know you're doing something right as a teacher when a student asks with kind eyes if there are going to be any teachers like me next year in the high school.

Awwww

Excerpt From an Intercepted Note Between Two Girls Talking About One Guy:

"...Ohh yeah then he aske m 'how am I a manwhore' and Im all like OMG yew seriously dont know. dude you go out with one girl then you break up with her. then the nxt day you have another girl. how could you NOT know."

Response:

"hahaha wooooow he's stoopid I also told him to slap himself bt I 4got y oh nd I 4got y I called him a dumass =D haha wooow!"

Yes, she really drew a sideways smiley face.

Two days ago I gave a warm up question that said: "1. What's up?" The next two questions were math questions, don't worry, but I like to keep the kids entertained every once in a while. Some students raised their hand and asked how to answer the question... Most people did NOT answer "Not much," or "Nothing." Almost everyone got all smart-alecky and answered literally: "The sky," "the ceiling," etc. One person that I called on got very literal:

"The ceiling, the floor, a classroom, another ceiling [we are in a two story building], the sky, birds, clouds, space, stars..." and this cute little wandering-lost-puppy of a girl pipes in with eyes wide "and then Jesus."

Haha, you had to hear her to understand, because she's not religious or anything, maybe Catholic background, but it certainly made me smile.

Now, I'm not usually one to complain, but allow me to take some time and...vent.

I'm not sure if this day could be more stressful. The day started off fine and I got to school on time. But by second period I had a student jumping around swearing because he burned his arm on the old fashioned heating vents in the classroom. After swearing once I asked him to stop and he proceeded to curse in the next sentence ("Yeah, but that s*&# is hot!"). So I asked him to step outside since by this time class was clearly disrupted. He refused, swearing again, and I asked him to please not make me call a security guard to take him out of my classroom. At this point he jumps up and throws his desk aside, storming out of the class with the cloudiest look on a kid's face I have ever seen. ps. This guy is like 6'2", maybe 180-200 pounds and in junior high.

Am I done? I wish. My little cold starts getting worse and I sneeze about 8 times during fourth period. Throughout the day I am trying to talk to the principal because on my watch during Young Life last night some students left early and were seen smoking pot by the custodian.

Fifth period I've sent out two or three students throughout the class for disruptions, talking, laughing, etc. The girl I accused of smoking weed (turns out it was not her) asked me why I "had to rat [her] out like that."

And sixth period a girl scratched the face of one of this ADD kid that would not do a single thing if I didn't hound him all the time. He had three welts across his cheek. He said she just did it out of nowhere. So I sent them both to the office.

I feel like I am in an urban school in New York or something. I know it's not as bad as that, but seriously some of the kids I teach are messed up in the head, in the home.

Yesterday after school these two 13 year old girls stayed and we talked. Well, first I kept them after because they don't know anything and to be quite honest I have a problem with taking it personally when students don't learn crap, and then I feel like I have to teach them no matter what instead of just letting it go. I'm working on it!

After I showed them how to do their homework, they just stayed and one of them started sharing about her life. Now, these are the lowest achieving 8th graders in the school, and I have three classes of them. I think these are representative of a lot of my students' situations at home.

•She said she might get sent to another school for her poor grades.
•She said that her whole family is stupid. That the only one who graduated...HIGH SCHOOL... was her cousin or aunt.
•She said her dad calls her dumbass "and worse."
•She said her brother doesn't even work anymore, and he tells his mom he is going to school but she thinks he is just taking money to buy pot.
•She said her brother comes home at 5 or 6 in the morning and sleeps on the couch.
•She said her whole family comes from bad blood and indicated the general direction of her future by making a funnel in the air. All going downward.
•She said her dad is from the worst part of Mexico.
•She told me about her grandmother's revolver and how she keeps it in the kitchen (in Mexico).

And on and on...It's too much for me, people! What can one person do? I told her she is going to change her family's bloodline, change the direction of her life. She could be the one to bring them honor. I don't know. It's so ridiculous. I feel very discouraged at this public school.

ps. This whole conversation started when we were talking about what she likes or what she wanted to do. Her answer: nothing. At all. No hair, makup, teaching, kids, nothing. No reading, writing, acting, fashion, nothing. She said her brother is the same way and wanted to kill himself but he is going to go into the army so he has some purpose in his life, and if he dies at least it will be with some meaning...

It's been a while. I know.

A couple of weeks ago we hit the half-way-through-the-year mark. I asked the students for feedback and received some pretty great responses. Most involved just asking for more bathroom passes and less homework. Here is a cute one that I responded to:

"Dear Mr. V
What I like in this class is that when we see videos everyone is quite. Also that I like to sit next to E. because she's smart and I am to but when we work in group me and her always use are brain and we also help each other in our work. That's what I like from math class."

And here is one to keep me my ego in check:

"I like hand on activities. Just work sheets. To improve you could not be so boring and not talk as much and be more caring, and let us eat in hear."

Last:

"Nothing has to be improved or deproved. :) "