Student in the Teachers' Lounge

I arrived at my new student teaching placement yesterday with excitement, even in the pouring rain. This Spring I will be working with a class of 4th and 5th graders at a school in the East Village. I was a little nervous to meet the kids, but luckily, a friend of mine had taught there last semester. She let me in on some of the little important details that make schools so different from one another. These little bits of info are like a coded teacher language that lets us know what kind of political stance a school takes and even how to expect the students to behave, etc. All I knew going in was that my new CT is strict but fair, the teachers go by first names and the kids are "amazing".

Fortunately, I was able to stay after our quick introductory meeting and spend some time with my new class. It's so different from being in a class with teenagers! In some ways, it's easier because there's no reason for you to feel nervous about looking like a fool. That's because these 10 year olds constantly make fools of themselves in the most endearing ways. Remember playing? As in let's cut up little drawings of soldiers and have a battle, or let's stack up these blocks into a fort? It certainly takes me straight back to childhood to watch and participate in other kids' play.

Their openness with play continued into more complicated subjects. I had two conversations that began with the old joke, "Guess what?" Only, the "jokes" were actually personal things that these two boys really wanted to reveal to me. Here they are:

"Guess what?"
"Guess what what?"
"I'm French!"
"That's so cool!"
After approving of his French-ness (from the heart - I love all things French), I realized what he was telling me was so much more. He was saying I'm still new here, I feel different from the others, I'm unique...all those things. I noticed later when he was playing alone that he would probably need some extra attention.

This one took place during a one-on-one reading session.
"Guess what? Guess what?"
"What?"
"I'm dyslexic!"
"Oh, well that's OK. I know a lot of people who are dyslexic."
"Yeah, that's why reading can be hard for me sometimes."
Wow, I thought. If we could all be this open about our disabilities and learning issues, wouldn't we feel a lot more at ease. I had just met this kid an hour earlier and here he was telling me what some might find embarrassing. We got back to reading and went along as before - me knowing his secret, and him knowing I know it. It was a nice moment for the first day.

Next week I start officially. I'll be sure to post more info and anecdotes when I experience them. Happy weekend!

Today I woke up torn about which Democratic nominee to choose. I felt that both Obama and Clinton were strong candidates who would provide a much needed change if elected. The problem for me was, which would be better? Then it hit me - I'll ask my trusty 8th graders.

At the school where I am tutoring two days a week, election discussion has been high on our list of topics in Humanities. Students are well informed this year, most likely due to the historic nature of the Democratic ticket. These kids care passionately about issues and yet are not able to cast their votes.

When I entered class this morning, I asked my CT if I could do a little experiment. I had decided that due to my indecision, I would poll the 8th graders and vote for whoever got the majority vote. I explained this to the students saying that I know that they wish they could vote and how impressed I am with their attention to the issues at a young age. I offered up my plan and they really took to it! They would get a say in this election, however tiny it might be.

The students cast their vote quickly - everyone knew who their candidate was. After I tallied the votes with another student as a helper, I asked for a drum roll. By an average of about 2 to 1, Barack Obama was our candidate! I announced that I would leave school that afternoon and proceed directly to my polling place and cast their vote. The kids were excited and cheering. It was a great feeling.

Today was a rare teaching moment that I think I'll remember for a long time. You may think I'm crazy to trust a bunch of 8th graders with such an important task, but I think if I don't trust and respect them, what am I doing teaching them?

Happy Super Tuesday...

and yes, I know Hillary won. :)

Well, I am finally starting to feel better after a lengthy battle with the flu. It all started about 10 days ago when I came home from student teaching. I was really tired and already had a bit of a cough. After laying down for a couple of hours, I got up and felt...weird. Soon I was throwing up and it didn't stop until 5 o'clock the next morning. It was easily one of the worst night of my life, but after a few days I started to feel better. Now, all that's left is that lingering cough.

Everyone always told me that teaching little kids will make you sick. I guess that's true as I haven't been sick in a long time. After last week, my immune system is hopefully much stronger!

Apart from being very germy, the kids are amazing. I'm having a great time working with younger students. I think this is partly because I remained open-minded when I started. As you know, last semester was with 11th graders, which is a completely different ballgame. I was nervous about switching age groups so drastically, but I really feel like I've adjusted pretty well.

Last week I taught my first drama lesson on they book they are reading. It went very smoothly and I think the kids enjoyed it as well as deepened their understanding of the story. It's so nice to hear kids say, "YES," when they learn we're going to do drama work. Or ask me with an overly-excited tone to pleeeeeease read with them. What a difference an age makes!

Next week, we have our winter break, so I won't see them again until the 25th. During the break, I intend on catching up on sleep and remaining healthy. Tonight I'm going to see Macbeth at BAM. It stars Patrick Stewart and is supposed to be amazing. I'll post my reaction here.

By the way, I've seen several good shows lately. If you have a chance, go see the Living Theatre's Maudie and Jane. Judith Malina is a legend in the NY experimental theatre scene, and now at the age of 81 is still doing inspiring work.

Cheers!

Life in the elementary school has been treating me rather well over the last week. I've been using drama in the classroom almost every day. The kids are just amazing and I'm so thankful that this placement is going so well.

In other news, I saw Macbeth with Patrick Stewart and I have to say that he was incredible. I love going to BAM to see plays because I know it's always going to be something exciting. This particular production of the Scottish play was the best I've ever seen, but I was a little spooked by the witches. It's not that they were scary - actually they WERE - but also the double-double song was RAPPED instead of sung. I kind of liked it but I also thought it was a bit cheezy. Other than that, I loved the show.

This semester is chugging along at a steady pace. Soon it will be time to look for jobs. Today I got a letter in the mail making sure NYU was spelling my name right on my diploma. It was kind of freaky to see something so definite. It's true that in three months I'll have a Master's degree - actually the first female in my family to earn one. And my father was the first male to go to college. So we're breaking records together. :)

Tomorrow night I'm going to go see Ed. Theatre's production of Kindertransport. Thinking back on their last production, I'm sure this one is going to be great as well. I had the opportunity to meet the playwright last summer in London, and I was part of a group that used the script to teach young people. It was a memorable experience and the script itself is really good, so I can't wait to see it.

Have a great weekend!