Student in the Teachers' Lounge

Last weekend I had the chance to do a group-led drama workshop with about twenty young people. It was the culminating project for a class called Teaching Through Drama. My group, after working for a whole week on the planning process, pulled all our ideas together and managed to form a cohesive, fun lesson.

We looked at the issue of when and when do we not speak out. The issue is rich with dramatic possibilities. We explored examples such as when you hear racist comments between strangers on the subway, when you hear someone call for help, when you see someone who looks sketchy but might be hurt. There are many examples of times in our lives when we are confused about whether or not we should speak out. Our workshop utilized some of our best drama techniques to dive into that issue.

Working with the young people was great fun as was watching my colleagues teach. At NYU, we develop such a appreciation of our peers and their individual teaching styles. I personally love watching my friends teach because I learn so much from them - not to mention how great it is to see people you love doing what they love to do. I have to take advantage of these opportunities in grad school because next year we won't be together anymore, we'll be teaching in the real world!

I've heard that the first year of teaching is rather lonely. I can totally see that. I'm so used to turning to my classmates and my CT to help me process or reflect on my teaching and next year I won't have anyone there with me to do that. I'm a little worried about that, but I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

I hope everyone is having a good week whoever and wherever you are!

I just woke up to register for my last semester at NYU. I have to tell you, it feels really weird to say that. For the last year and a half (two by the time I'm finished) NYU grad school has been the defining thing in my life. When it's over, I think I'm going to feel a little lost.

Before I came to NYU, I lived in San Francisco. I was on an over-extended break from college and just living the working life. For five years, I was in a rock band that was moderately successful and for six years I worked at the worlds best record store, Amoeba music. There, I ended up as an ad copy writer with an office - if you can call it that - and was pretty well set up. And yet, I wanted more out of life. I always felt that I could succeed in higher education, but it took me a long time to get here.

What changed for me was my returning love of theatre. After undergrad and doing theatre since middle school, I'd had enough. I took a break of about four years when I did absolutely no theatre at all. Soon though, I missed it, and in San Francisco I started working with a company called The Cutting Ball. I spent a great two years with them at the end of my time in SF working on a handful of really amazing productions. I guess Cutting Ball was the change I needed.

Once I realized that I had more to offer than ad writing, I started to be serious about looking for graduate school programs. I asked advice from everyone I knew and emailed professors at schools I was interested in. My problem has always been that I have too many interests, so it was really difficult to narrow down what I wanted to do. In the end, I applied to a few different programs, got accepted to three - including one in LONDON - and chose to come to NYU. I still remember when I got the envelope saying I was accepted. I was riding front-seat-middle in a pickup truck on the way to do Macbeth. Lesley called me to say she could read through the envelope something like, "I'm pleased to inform you..." It was a great day.

And now it's almost over. My life has obviously changed drastically since moving to New York for grad school. It's one of the best things I've ever done for myself. When I'm finished here I know I'll have a solid education and be (mostly!) ready to handle teaching. Though my time is limited here, I'll try to enjoy it as much as possible!

-G

http://www.cuttingball.com

So much has happened in the last two weeks - I don't even know where to begin. I had a visitor from California, a dear old friend. She's 4 months pregnant and I got to feel the baby kick - so amazing and weird! We had a great time hanging out and eating lots of yummy food.

I've been working hard on my school projects. I have so many last minute things to do, but I'm in a really good spot right now. I basically spent all of Thanksgiving weekend working. I know it's going to pay off though, because my stress level is already lowering.

I did manage to carve out time to go to the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. We decided the night before with a logic that went something like, we LIVE in New York and can WALK to the dang parade, so why not?! Lesley and I got up at 7am and stumbled cross town, found a great spot and camped out till 9 when the parade started. It was really fun to see all the floats and balloons in person. We even saw Dolly Parton!! That was better than Santa Claus for me. :)

Thanksgiving day was fun because we spent it with friends and food. How can you go wrong with that?

Tonight I saw the Wooster Group's production of Hamlet. It was...intense and beautiful. I can't really say more about it right now because my thoughts are still coalescing. I am, however, worn out from the experience.

Tomorrow begins a new week of student teaching - only four more to go. I can't believe it. I hope everyone has a great week.

I really cannot believe that I only have three more weeks of student teaching at my crazy placement in the Lower East Side. I only say crazy because it's been such a ride. Unpredictable, sometimes depressing, many times hilarious. And only three weeks until I'm out of there - believe it or not, I'm feeling sad about it.

I've said many times on this blog that student teaching is really difficult. It's emotional and it can strip you of your confidence. But then, after a while, you adjust as well do in almost any situation. Now it just feels like I work there and my students have expressed sadness about my leaving. Of course, I haven't made connections with every single kid, but the ones I have connected with, I'm really going to miss.

Everyone around NYU is prepping for finals and doing final projects. I recently turned in a huge writing project for my expository writing class. It was a multi-genre project about the back-stories surrounding my tattoos. I wrote poems, a movie review, stories and a play. It was a difficult project to finish because I don't normally consider myself a writer of fiction. However, I have no shame, and I've included a poem that I wrote about my grandmother below. The tattoo that corresponds with the poem is shown underneath. Enjoy!

Hello House

Hello, house,
She would always say
When we walked in through
The three doors
On our way into the kitchen –
The door to the garage,
Then the big wooden one
And finally the screened.

Hello house!
Every single time, and
When I was young,
I would groan with embarrassment
When she greeted her own house
As if it could hear her,
As if it could talk back.

One day I had had enough.
“Why do you always say that?” I demanded.
“Because if these walls could talk,
they would have so much to say.”
My grandmother thought one day
The house might just choose to respond.
In a large, booming and creaky voice,
It would say,
Hello, Robbie! Welcome home.
Sadly, it never did.
And then she was gone.

Someone else lives in that house now.
I wonder if they appreciate it as much as she did.
I wonder if it misses her greeting,
And if in the dead of night
Or at the birth of a new day
It whispers to its brick-thick self,
Hello house.