Pushing them even more. . . .

The last four months have been spent pushing my kids harder than they've ever worked before. My teaching partner and I have taken them to levels that I don't think they've ever been. It has been an incredibly hard road, but we've hung in there and are seeing some amazing results. They're starting to get accepted to high schools (GOOD high schools), they're becoming more responsible, they're test scores are increasing, and they're working harder. Like I said, it's been a rough couple months.

The funny thing is, the next four months are the hard part. This is very difficult for Jessica and I to imagine, but it's true. Not only do we have to get them ready for high school (incredibly challenging high schools at that), but we are also going to be dealing with "senioritis." And so it begins.

This week we've added two new things to our rooms. I have started a "9th grade Reading" book shelf, accompanied with a list of standard 9th grade literature. I'm very excited to see what kinds of things they choose and if they are really going to be up for that challenge. This thrills me. I've never had the opportunity to share really incredible literature with my students, and I cannot wait to start showing them some of my favorites.

Jessica and I are both adding a chart that tells everyone what schools the kids have been accepted to. It's the size of a wall, and whenever they get accepted to a different high school they can add it under their name. We've been desperately trying the route of positive reinforcement over negative, and it seems ot be working. I think this will be something they can be proud of, not to mention the reality check that they will get each time they look at it - ONLY FOUR MORE MONTHS. I'm excited to see how the kids respond!

Finally leaving the house . . .

The last few weeks have been crazy busy (as usual), with the end of the quarter looming. This week I decided I was going to leave the house, as opposed to my normal routine of waking up at 5AM, going to work for 13 hours, coming home, eating, grading papers and passing out. It's time to get out and about!

On Wednesday I met the knitters up at Brehon Pub on Wells Street just outside of downtown. It's a small little pub with minimal tv's which are turned all the way down. We usually take the back room and the waitress knows us by name. Special for the day: Fat Tire $4 and Pulled Pork Sandwich $5.50. A perfect dinner for the week I've had this week! I've been working on my first fair-isle scarf for Holly's birthday (which was yesterday). The progress has been slow, but it's coming along. I think this outing alone took me through the rest of the week successfully.

This weekend is going to be just what I needed. I slept for about 10 hours last night (a little sleep deprived, I think) and did not even move until about 6:00 this morning. This morning I'm going to meet Cate at "Orange with a Peel," do some shopping at Ann Taylor Loft, and then head home for maybe a nap and some lounging. Tonight, I'm meeting Joy up at Bloke's and Birds for a few drinks and time with friends. It's been so long since I've been out and about in the city, that I'm really looking forward to it.

2012 already?

My intention was to start the new year with a new post and new insights. Didn't quite happen.

So here we are at the end of January, almost the end of the second quarter and I've been in the city for just a bit over 6 months. I still cannot believe that I live in this city. I still walk down the street, look around and am amazed. I know that there will be bad days, but I hope I don't lose this feeling for a very very long time.

It is currently 7 degrees outside and feels like -9, with the expectation of 4 - 6" of snow tomorrow. So this is a Chicago winter. Last weekend we got 8 inches of snow, it melted off, and now we are to get 6 more. Welcome back to the midwest. I don't mind it so much, except that my thin Arizona blood has not quite thickened up for this yet. I'm freezing my ass off! I must admit though, I do appreciate the fact that our building is all windows. With it getting dark so early, I can't imagine being back in a concrete building with no windows. I think I would go crazy.

Mom and Dad came out last weekend for the first time. We had a great time, and did lots of incredible things. I think they were a little overwhelmed by the city, as they haven't been here in over 30 years. When they arrived, they met me at school and I gave them the grand tour. I must admit, it's a pretty impressive building with great things to brag about! We went back and met Eric for dinner up on Clark St. at Galway Arms (great local Irish pub with great food). On Saturday we decided to go to the Museum of Science and Industry down in Hyde Park. I was trying to find something that dad would enjoy (as well as mom), and this seemed like just the right place. When we got down there, we realized that the U-505 boat was there and bought tickets to tour the inside. It was quite a tour! The museum has built an entire underground wing to host this U-boat with a HUGE exhibit. Dad was completely enthralled the entire time. We also saw the Rocky Mountain Express at the Imax theater about the Canadian Railroad going through the Rockies. It was impressive as well. After the museum, I took them to Lou Malnati's on Lincoln Ave. for some authentic Chicago-style pizza. Delicious. As always.

On Sunday we went out to brunch at Orange with a Peel (my favorite brunch place so far), and then to the Episcopal church on Fullerton. While breakfast was delicious, I need to remember that dad prefers a more traditional breakfast for next time. It was a little to "tastefull" for him . . . pear, cucumber, orange, pecans, cinnamon-maple, ginger, etc. A bit too much. Church was interesting though, cold in the building, but interesting. After church we headed over to the Navy Pier and walked out onto the end. I have not been out there yet, and it was probably too cold to do it on Sunday, but we had a great time! The lake is so beautiful, it doesn't even matter what time of year. When we finally went back inside the peer, we had Chicago-style hot dogs and Garrett's popcorn. Couldn't get any better for a Sunday afternoon.

Finally, on Sunday night, we went to see "Million Dollar Quartet" at the Apollo Theater. It was a show about Johnny Cash, Elivs Presley, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis meeting at the Sun Records studio in the 50's, and creating a recording together. It was very well done, with all live music, which dad loved. A perfect ending to a wonderful weekend. They went home on Monday morning, after making pancakes and eggs for breakfast.

Even though we had a fantastic time, I am desperately looking forward to this weekend full of nothing. Drinks with the girls on Friday night, lesson plans and grading papers on Saturday and brunch with the knitting girls on Sunday. It will be nice to have nothing to do for the first time in a month.

One for the books.

Let me preface this post by saying it may be a bit tainted by my sheer exhaustion. Here's the last three weeks:

• Working 12 - 15 hours a day doing home visits three or four nights a week


• Coaching 4-6th grade boys at the Youth Soccer League at school


• Going home every other weekend to see Uncle John who is now in a nursing home with cancer

Needless to say, I'm a little tired and a bit overwhelmed, but today was one for the books.

The morning begins with me not even wanting to get out of bed (for the first time since school started), and reluctantly coming in to work. At 7:43 I receive a call from the office stating that there is a parent in the office waiting for me. May I also add that this parent and I have had innumerable conversations and contacts about her daughter who, at the time being, is not making the most intelligent of decisions. These contacts have not all been favorable, and she is convinced my teaching partner and I are picking on her daughter.

She wanted to discuss an incident that happened on Friday, so I indulge her. The conversation quickly turned to attacking my teaching partner and I (again), which simply pushed me over the edge. I had had enough. I said to her all of those things I've wanted to say to her, including, but not limited to:

• I only believe about half of what my students tell me about their parents, perhaps you should reconsider what you're believing from your daughter


• I have 60 students under my care for 8 hours a day, if you think that I have the time and energy to pick on your daughter, you are absolutely wrong.


• If your daughter was making all the right decisions and there were no behavior issues in the classroom at all, we would not be standing here having this conversation.


• I understand that I teach urban students, that is exactly what I have been teaching since I started and exactly why I took this position in the first place.

Many of these were in direct response to things she said to me, including "I simply want the stigma that's on my daughter to be gone," "If you can't handle teaching 8th graders, perhaps you need to have a conversation with the director and try another area," "My daughter was coerced into writing her testimony through the threat of suspension and singling her out from the other students," etc, etc, etc. Needless to say, the conversation did not end well and I am seriously beginning to doubt whether or not I should have opened my mouth at all. After last year, I am so nervous about standing up for myself to a parent, however, I was simply through allowing her to walk all over me.

And yet, I am always shocked at how quickly the tides can turn. After school I visited a student's home who is severely special ed, and I have had a difficult time being patient with him over the course of the past few months. To be honest, I am not sure why this particular child has been so trying, I'm usually very good with my lower students. Yet this student . . .

I was a bit nervous about going to his house, as I did not think his mother spoke any English. Much to my surprise, it was actually pretty good. We started discussing this student and within 10 minutes she was in tears about how concerned she was regarding next year. She's a single mother, trying to raise three children and she really doesn't know how her oldest will make it through high school. I assured her that I understood, as I myself has a brother who is as low as her son is. Breaking into tears again, she began to thank me endlessly for helping her with her son and for really caring about him, as most schools just pushed him (and her) aside. Talk about guilt. I'm frustrated because he cannot focus for more than 30 seconds at a time, and she's ecstatic that someone actually cares. Confirmation #1 that I needed today.

Confirmation #2 came at my next home visit. I drive almost 3 miles and pull up to a very dark house, where an older woman answers the door. I am not even sure that I'm in the right place. She brings me inside and sits me down on the couch, all the while jabbering on in Spanish. Once she realizes that I cannot speak spanish she starts to slow down a bit and we have a very broken conversation, all the while I am desperately hoping that this is my student's house. After a few minutes, my student and his mom come tromping up the stairs - boy was I glad to see them! We have a wonderful conversation (the mother speakigng as much English as she can) and I ask them questions about his trophies, medals and soccer teams. About 30 minutes in, mom asks if I would like some arroz con leche (rice with milk), and before I know it I have a steaming mug of milk in front of me. Absolutely. Delicious. Too soon it is time to go and I stand to say my good-byes. The mother disappears and comes back with an entire cheesecake she has bought for me. Her son translates for her as she tells me how grateful she is that I have come to see them and are interested in her family. She is so thankful that I care for her son and have taken the time with him. Then she welcomes me back to their house at any time, to spend some time with their family. I fight the tears from my eyes. It was exactly what I needed.

I find that so often I get caught up in the negativity, and forget to look for the good things that happen. The stupid mothers will always be there and they will always have something to grumble about, but it's the ones who are grateful and happy that I should be focusing on.

What a Grand Grand Opening

This week has been one for the books.


Upon returning to work Monday morning I started feeling a bit congested and sneezy. By Tuesday, it was a full-blown, first-of-the-season cold. Ugh. I have not gotten sick in quite a while, and now I get a stomach flu virus and a cold within two weeks of each other. Needless to say, I could not take any time off yet (sub plans are NOT in the stars this early), so I toughed it out (miserably, I might add).

The whole week, the school is in chaos as we are preparing for the Grand Opening celebration on Thursday night. No one knows exactly what's going on, as the network has taken over the preparations, but we know it's going to be HUGE. By Wednesday afternoon, there are people running through the hallways laying enormous electrical cords, covering emergency lights and setting up other sorts of lighting. On Thursday, our wonderful director calls me into his office to ask if I would be willing to speak to the news cameras if they ask. Whoa. So much for keeping under the radar this year. Mind you, I still have a horrible head cold - which I jokingly bring up. In the end, I concede and walk away wondering how this is all going to shake down.

The evening rolls around and it is downright chilly. Eric comes down around 5:00 in hopes of missing traffic, and we go get a quick dinner. The program doesn't start until 7:00, so we just hang out in the general area until the big wigs start showing up. Mayor Rahm Ehmanuel. Governor Pat Quinn. Numerous Senators and Representatives. Aldermans from a 1/2 dozen districts. I was "assigned" to the 8th grade girl saying the pledge of allegience to help calm her nerves and help her practice. Consequently, I was right in the middle of all this madness. It was pretty damn cool. I stayed behind stage with her and talked to every big wig that came by and offered her a "good luck - you'll do fine."

FINALLY, at 7:30 the show starts. The Director is more animated and inspiring than I've ever seen him, followed by the boy scouts raising the flag and Alejandra saying the pledge. The music teacher's professional Mariachi band begins to play the national anthem as a crystal clear tenor voice flows over the crowd. The crowd is silent, facing the flag with every single hand covering their hearts. When the music ends, the crowd explodes into applause and the Director steps down. The next hour consists of big wigs talking, saying thank you to other big wigs and finally leading up to the Governor's speech. By this point, it's so cold and has been so long that I don't remember what is said.

Mr. CEO takes the mic back and begins to explain how when UNO celebrates something they do it in a BIG way (boy, he's not kidding). He asks the crowd to turn toward the building and the lights go down. What follows next is the most impressive grand opening for a school I have ever seen. Smoke, light show, confetti streamers shoooting out into the crowd. Then finally, lights on the roof, followed by another round of smoke, and a pretty impressive fireworks display, all done to heart-thumping house music. The crowd went crazy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO2b0jpIRec

After all is said and done, we all go to our classrooms and they open up the school to the 500+ people that are still there. Inside, all our rooms are immaculate, and they have a videor looped in every classroom of the 100 parents that petitioned the capital for 6 weeks in order to get the money used to build this school. Finally, at 10:00 we are so exhausted that we call it a night and head to our homes. What a grand, Grand opening.

http://www.wbez.org/story/shiny-charter-school-southwest-side-92058

http://dimitrephotography.smugmug.com/EventsUNO/UNO-Soccer-School-Opening/19053842_4gTm2C#1481821995_kbq7dnx

Good and bad. But mostly good.

This week has been one of the most exhausting weeks I have had in recent memory. To the nature of starting a barnd new school, we have all been working non-stop from 7:30 - 3:30 with about a 5 minute lunch and only 1 prep the entire week. I was so physically drained yesterday, that I passed out on my bed, fully-clothed as soon as I walked in the door. The balls of my feet have been swollen for two days, making walking quite difficult. Trying to solely entertain 8th graders for 8 hours a day is absolutely exhausting.

However, despite all of these thins, I cannot believe the difference in the school, the staff, the attitudes and the administration. My director has been in my room three times this week already. Twice, he took time to talk to the kids and get to know them a bit. He established expectations in regards to dress code and instantly picked out my "problem boys," making sure that they know who he is. All of our teachers are on the same page in regards to uniform, discipline and behavior in the hallway. My teaching partner is struggling, but looking for help and actually using the advice given.

As exhausted as I am, I cannot even begin to express what a difference this school is. It's everything we wanted the Don to be, but for some reason just could not pull it off. Is it the red tape? The public school system? The government? Administration? Teachers? I am beginning to think it cannot be nailed down to one single thing. So many things have gone awry in our public school system, and all we continue is put a bandaid on a pulsing artery. Where do we begin to fix the heart of the problem? Does the state make the changes, or the national government? Is deregulation the answer? It seems to be working for this charter network.

Encouraged.

Today was the first day. The first day of school in a new city, a new school, with new colleagues and new kids. Surprisingly, it went very well. I must admit, however, I have not been that harried before a first day of school since my first day of teaching. Ever. No copies made until first hour prep, due to the lack of a copy machine this past week and over the weekend. Coffee spilled all over my brand new pants suit, and leaving quite a bit of stuff in my car due to lack of time to carry it to my room before having to be at duty THIRTY minutes before anticipated. Yet despite all of the setbacks, I would say things were successful and I am feeling very much encouraged. Completely and utterly exhausted, but encouraged.

I only have two classes, to whom I am teaching both reading and writing to. This being my fifth year, I am really trying to steer my instruction in a different direction. I am trying to delve deeper into both areas than I have in the past. Of course this means more work for me, but to be honest, I'm feeling inspired enough lately, that I don't mind this extra work. I want to be the best version of myself over the next 10 months. I don't want to look back at myself in June and not even recognize the person I have become.

For the first time in a long time, I feel that I can fully support the vision of this network and understand the goals they have set up in order to be successful. I feel as if they are doing things the RIGHT way. It's nice to work in a place that makes me feel this way. Who knows what next month will hold, but right now I am proud to be a part of this school and network.