Let me tell you a story. Today, at Radio City, I had some time to kill and a phone call to make. Last week I demoed at two amazing schools. I was told to call East Side Middle School on Monday, but I honestly forgot with my parents arriving and all that. So today when I was waiting to graduate, I was talking to my friend Meredith, and I said, we'll maybe I'll call right now. So I walked up the stairs in the lobby and made a phone call. When I got through to the principal, he said - and I quote - "We would like to offer you the job." Well, let me tell you, that was the best graduation present I ever got. Of course I know after studying at NYU that I can be a great teacher, but it's different when someone you don't know believes in you enough to offer you a great job at a really great school. I was honored. I told the principal that I was at my graduation and that I would call him tomorrow. It was like something out of a movie. And then I spent the rest of my night with my family and my wife celebrating my Master's degree and my new job, eating and drinking as much as we could.

Now I'm home and it's late at night and I've come to the end of my time as an NYU blogger. I want to thank the school for the opportunity and the challenge to document my time here. It has been wonderful to process the experience in cyberspace and I hope it has been helpful and interesting to read a real person's point of view. I wish the best to all of my colleagues - those that graduated today (including fellow blogger Thad) and those that have another couple of years. May you be as happy when you finish as I am right now. I will never forget my time at New York University. Thank you to Nan Smithner, especially, my mentor in the Ed Theatre department. You are a wonderful person, and who knows, perhaps I will see you again when it's time for that dang PhD!

Cheers, all!

Now I only have two papers left in my graduate career. How strange to say that after all this writing. I wonder how many pages I've written over the last two years all together. Perhaps if I ever get bored one day I'll count them all.

I'm looking forward to May. Graduation will be a big deal because both of my parents are coming, as well as my aunt and my dad's wife. My dad has never been to New York and he's in for a MAJOR culture clash. (He lives on a farm.) It should be pretty funny. Also May brings the beginning of my work as a long-term sub at School of the Future. I'm not exactly sure when I'm taking over - it depends on when my friend has her baby - but it'll be a great transition between grad school and real life, I think. Not to mention, I need the money.

One thing that does make me sad is that after this week, I won't see my little 4th and 5th graders anymore. I've grown really attached to them - in a different way that I grew attached to my first class of high school students. They don't know that next week is my last week, and I'm kinda afraid to tell them. So depressing! I feel like I'm abandoning them in the middle of the school year. I guess in a way I am, but it can't be helped.

Later today, I will go see the fruits of my friend Tyson's labor. To be specific, he has been teaching at Friends Seminary and is directing a production of PIPPIN. I think it'll be fun to see what he's accomplished and feel confident that it will be brilliant. It's nice to see such a huge accomplishment from someone I started graduate school with. It feels like things are coming full circle.

Well, that's all for me this morning. Cheers!

Is it wrong that I do not want to commute to the far Bronx or Washington Heights to teach? I don't think I should have to ride the train for an hour. Is that unrealistic?

Is it also unrealistic that I could get a job in a top school being a new teacher? I hope not. And by top, I just mean pretty good.

How many schools should I have already applied to? So far, it's only ten.

What if I have my choice of two schools? How will I ever decide?

Should I apply where I student taught just because I "get" that school?

Is it wrong that when I see a description of a school being "strict" I get a bad feeling about them?

So many questions. So much mystery as to where I will be in a few months. Thankfully, I did get hired to teach English this summer at a charter high school in Williamsburg. I'm really excited about that opportunity.

Back to my final papers...

First up was the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. We were hoping to catch the cherry blossoms, but they weren't quite at full bloom. Still, it was pretty there and it reminded me of a park I spent a lot of time at in London. I started to get a sunburn, though, so I looked for some shade and waited for the others.

Next, we went to the Brooklyn Museum and saw the Murakami exhibit. It was AMAZING! He is a pop artist genius and I loved looking at everything. My favorite part of the exhibit were the films, including a ten-minute cartoon about two friends who travel to outer space and fight a giant monster who poops at them. Yes, you read that right. I also loved the Louis Vuitton room even though a small painting was $6000. His comment on Japanese Manga and use of water (and other liquid) imagery in his work is provocative. It was definitely one of the coolest exhibits I've seen.

Later, we ventured to Fort Green where we spent the rest of the day celebrating Spring in moderation. There were so many people out and about, and my friends and I decided that the most beautiful people in New York must live in Fort Green. I hope to go back there soon and soak up more of the laid back Brooklyn vibe.

Tonight I saw a great show at New York Theatre Workshop called 'The Sound and the Fury'. I don't have the energy to describe it because I have to write a paper about it before tomorrow night's class, but I'll just say that it was fantastic and definitely my favorite thing I've seen lately. Look up the producing company, Elevator Repair Service, for more information.

This week is Spring Break for NYC public schools, so I won't be teaching. But I WILL be spending every waking moment finishing my requirements for NYU. I have to complete my culminating project (which I spent 8 hours on today) as well as two other papers that I haven't started. I've been feeling overwhelmed, but it's crunch time now, and I can't afford to procrastinate anymore without suffering serious consequences. So with that, I'll sign off and get back to work.

There have been some fantastic things going on in a class I'm taking called Experimental Performance. Obviously, NYU offers some world-renowned professors and those professors often know a lot of famous people. Tonight in class, my professor introduced us to an incredible experimental performer named Orlan.

Orlan is a French woman who has been working in experimental performance for many years. Instead of script or a canvas, she uses here own body as the text and subject of her work. Her most famous works are a series of surgeries that were performed on her. Using only local anesthetics, Orlan was able to do live broadcasts from the operating table and answer questions from people around the world.

There is a long history of people using their bodies as their canvas. Artists like Franko B come to mind, who performed a ritual type of bloodletting about his own diagnosis of HIV+. But Orlan says she is not masochistic like many others - she does not feel pain while the art is happening, only joy, as she reads from her manifesto.

If this sounds interesting or bizarre to you, I encourage you to look at Orlan's website where there is much more information. And by all means, avail yourselves to what New York has to offer. Don't got see only Broadway shows; take a chance on some type of experimental work. It almost always fosters good conversation

For starters, there's final projects. I have to do a thesis of sorts which talks about my dual degree program and reflects on my experiences here at NYU. I talked to a friend who told me that he just threw some stuff together last minute, but I hate doing that. See, I always set really high expectations on myself. Like, I MUST write something amazing. I can never just skate through an assignment or paper. I must be some sort of masochist or something. I also have this crazy project due in Experimental Theatre that's taking up all of my thinking time. I honestly think it's going to bomb and I'm going to end up having to write a paper. For that reason, I don't want to describe the project idea here...just in case it never exists.

Of course, there's also the stress of looking for a JOB. My first teaching job. I have put a lot of expectations on this first job, too. I want it to be perfect because I really don't want to bounce from school to school. However, people tell me that I'm being too hard on myself. I just laugh when people say that. They have no idea.

With all this complaining, I have to say that I'm a reluctant optimist. I know that things will work out OK for me. I'll get a teaching job and it'll probably be a good one. I know I'm a good teacher and I have an A+ education to back it up. But right now, I'm in the trenches and wishing for a time-machine so I could jump in and just head straight for day one of Fall '08. I'm ready.

I recently say the Program in Educational Theatre's production of Kindertransport. It's a play about a young girl growing up in occupied Germany whose parents choose to send her to England to avoid the concentration camps. The production was directed by David Montgomery and played at the historic Provincetown Playhouse. Overall, it was a good show - most of my complaints had to do with the script needing to be trimmed. After the show, there were survivors of the real Kindertransport who spoke to the audience. It was fascinating to see them on stage telling their own personal stories. It was a great night.

Speaking of the Provincetown, I hear that Edward Albee is re-directing two of his best one-acts, American Dream and The Sandbox. Back in the day, many of Albee's plays premiered at the Provincetown, which is on the Western side of Washington Square Park. Albee is one of my all-time favorite playwrights, and I'm hoping to be able to catch this new (old) set of one-acts as I've never seen them produced.

A few weeks ago, I saw the touring company of Macbeth starring Patrick Stewart. It was a bit of a sensation due to its featuring of Captain Piccard as well as some innovative interpretation of the witches. I really loved the show because the director was clever in his choices and the actors seemed to really get into the depths of their characters. I wasn't completely sold on the witches' rap, but the accompanying projections against the stark white walls helped me get into it more.

I also recently saw Richard Foreman's new show, Deep Trance Behavior in Potatoland. If anyone has seen Foreman, you know it's hard to convey the experience in words because that's just what it is - an experience. I wrote a paper about this show for a class I'm taking with Richard Schechner so I don't feel like rehashing my reaction here, but in a nutshell, I would recommend it. It's still playing so go check it out.

And finally, not a play but still worthy of mentioning, I was able to watch a taping of Saturday Night Live a couple of weeks ago. I must say that this was one of the best things I've done since moving to New York. Although I did start waiting in line at 4am for tickets, it was completely worth it. To be in that historic studio was amazing and I felt so refreshed because I've never done anything like it. The show was also hilarious, but I was so intrigued with watching the goings-on of the backstage folks who are carrying out their work right before your eyes and just behind the camera. There were times when I thought the backstage people were the real show - it was kind of surreal. If you haven't gone to a taping of SNL, you really should treat yourself.

That's all for now in the tales of my adventures!

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!

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. :)

Me and my girls on my last day.

Me and my brother in front of the ugly pictures of our youth.

I am also starting a new semester of student teaching very soon. I'm placed at a progressive school in the East Village and will be working with 4th and 5th graders. This is going to be a special challenge for me as I don't know how I'm going to react to younger kids. I have a special bond with teens (usually), and I hope I can create the same environment with younger kids, too. It's kind of uncharted territory for me, so I'm a little nervous. At any rate, I haven't visited the school yet, but will be doing so very soon. I hope then to settle my nerves and have a clearer view of what is to come.

I still think about my old students from last semester all the time. One of them even called me the other day to say something like, "Thanks for being cool. Come back and visit us." It was really sweet and unexpected. When I was in the midst of student teaching there, my students would often pop up in my dreams because I was thinking about them (and teaching) so much. I know I'll remember them for a long time.

Our trip to San Francisco was amazing and energizing. When someone asked me what we ate, I said "we ate the town." It did feel like that as we went from one incredible meal to the next. Oh, how I miss you, vegetarian burrito from Taqueria Cancun! Sigh. We also had a great time with a lot of old friends and attended our friends' baby shower. It was held at the gay and lesbian center (even though they're not gay) and followed by a session of karaoke. We made my pregnant friend sing "Papa Don't Preach," and it was the highlight of my trip.

So now I'm back to business. Heading back into that school frenzy of student teaching, going to class, studying, etc. I'm going to post a few choice photos of recent times...

Happy Spring '08!