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May 31, 2005
Board of Education
Nothing beats having EVERY student engrossed in learning math, especially at the end of a long school year. I ordered 20 chessboards for my classroom and set up lessons for chess. I had one slight problem, as I only barely knew how to play chess myself. However, I've read multiple books and used enough online resources to validate the usefulness of chess in math classes and to teach it. I could still lose easily to many players, but I have improved considerably.
Every day I was modeling a new strategy or how to read/write chess notation, but otherwise the students have taught each other. I had five students who originally knew how to play, now I have 80 little chess masters. They all know how to write chess notation, they all can castle, and they don't want to stop playing. I've set up a tournament where the top three players get these cool glass chess sets over the next few days, and then we'll play once a week.
Here's the big Funny. The principal at my new school just called me. I assumed it was for the final interview, but it was actually because she is being fired/transferred to another school. It is still likely that I can get the job, but I have to interview with the new principal. Since I rejected all other offers in favor of this one, I could seriously be screwed. I guess this gives me some serious motivation to ace the interview, right?
Posted by G at 05:02 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
May 28, 2005
One reason to love Texas
I've always been in love with Molly Ivins. Now I'm in love with Senfronia Thompson, a Texas representative.
Being a woman with a brain in Texas is tough enough. Being a political woman is tougher, and being a political woman with a SPINE is the toughest of all.
Just so everyone knows, Kay Bailey Hutchinson has no spine, and I met her at my university graduation. If she had implants, they would be the most genuine thing about her.
Back to one of the few remaining reasons to love Texas. Here's Representative Thompson's speech and
Molly Ivin's link.
Courtesy of Molly Ivins. Here in the National Laboratory for Bad Government, it's Duck and Cover time -- the Legislature is in session. The Can't-Shake-Your-Booty bill passed the House, saving us all from the scourge of sexy cheerleaders. But nothing else is getting done. The state is being run by people who do not know how to govern. Keep in mind that based on past form, whatever lunacy is going on in Texas will eventually sweep the country.
Rarely are the words of one state legislator worth national attention, but when Senfronia Thompson, a black representative from Houston, stalks to the back mike with a certain "get-out-of-my-way" look in her eye, it's, Katie, bar the door. Here is Thompson speaking against the Legislature's recent folly of putting a superfluous anti-gay marriage measure into the state constitution:
"I have been a member of this august body for three decades, and today is one of the all-time low points. We are going in the wrong direction, in the direction of hate and fear and discrimination. Members, we all know what this is about; this is the politics of divisiveness at it's worst, a wedge issue that is meant to divide.
"Members, this is a distraction from the real things we need to be working on. At the end of this session, this Legislature, this leadership will not be able to deliver the people of Texas fundamental and fair answers to the pressing issues of our day.
"Let's look at what this amendment does not do: It does not give one Texas citizen meaningful tax relief. It does not reform or fully fund our education system. It does not restore one child to CHIP [Children's Health Insurance Program] who was cut from health insurance last session. It does not put one dime into raising Texas' Third World access to health care. It does not do one thing to care for or protect one elderly person or one child in this state. In fact, it does not even do anything to protect one marriage.
"Members, this bill is about hate and fear and discrimination. . . . When I was a small girl, white folks used to talk about 'protecting the institution of marriage' as well. What they meant was if people of my color tried to marry people of Mr. Chisum's color, you'd often find the people of my color hanging from a tree. . . . Fifty years ago, white folks thought interracial marriages were 'a threat to the institution of marriage.'
"Members, I'm a Christian and a proud Christian. I read the good book and do my best to live by it. I have never read the verse where it says, 'Gay people can't marry.' I have never read the verse where it says, 'Thou shalt discriminate against those not like me.' I have never read the verse where it says, 'Let's base our public policy on hate and fear and discrimination.' Christianity to me is love and hope and faith and forgiveness -- not hate and discrimination.
"I have served in this body a lot of years, and I have seen a lot of promises broken. . . . So . . . now that blacks and women have equal rights, you turn your hatred to homosexuals, and you still use your misguided reading of the Bible to justify your hatred. You want to pass this ridiculous amendment so you can go home and brag -- brag about what? Declare that you saved the people of Texas from what?
"Persons of the same sex cannot get married in this state now. Texas law does not now recognize same-sex marriages, civil unions, religious unions, domestic partnerships, contractual arrangements or Christian blessings entered into in this state -- or anywhere else on this planet Earth.
"If you want to make your hateful political statements then that is one thing -- but the Chisum amendment does real harm. It repeals the contracts that many single people have paid thousands of dollars to purchase to obtain medical powers of attorney, powers of attorney, hospital visitation, joint ownership and support agreements. You have lost your way. This is obscene. . . .
"I thought we would be debating economic development, property tax relief, protecting seniors' pensions and stem cell research to save lives of Texans who are waiting for a more abundant life. Instead we are wasting this body's time with this political stunt that is nothing more than constitutionalizing discrimination. The prejudices exhibited by members of this body disgust me.
"Last week, Republicans used a political wedge issue to pull kids -- sweet little vulnerable kids -- out of the homes of loving parents and put them back in a state orphanage just because those parents are gay. That's disgusting.
"I have listened to the arguments. I have listened to all of the crap. . . . I want you to know that this amendment [is] blowing smoke to fuel the hell-fire flames of bigotry."
Then they passed the amendment.
Posted by G at 09:59 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
May 25, 2005
Bob Ross Lovin'
Everyone knows how much I love Bob Ross. I have no artistic talents, and some people would say that neither did he. However, his voice and paintings can drop my stress and blood pressure by 90 percent. I remember seeing some episodes of his show where his son was also doing paintings.
Wait.
He had a son? Really? This poster child for Thorazine was able to have sex? I really couldn't picture it for a moment, but then I realized I could. I could picture him and his semi-hippy wife in bed. She would be grabbing at his enormous hair, moaning. Now his famous comments have much more meaning.
Mmmmm, just perfect.
Nice and easy, nice and easy.
Steady.
Slow, steady strokes.
Mmmm, there's a river, gushing down.
Remember, there are no mistakes, just happy accidents.
Posted by G at 08:16 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
May 23, 2005
Evolution
I really don't like when the kids touch me, but some of them are just hypnotized. I strongly discourage it. I'll be working with a group at their desks and one of their pencils will drift over and touch my arm. I'll withdraw and the pencils reach out again. This happens all the time.
I can't help it if my arms are hairy like a monkey. My family genes made the leap from ape to man, but just didn't leap far enough. When I was a kid, the tops of my arms and palms were hairy, but the hair has circumnavigated the arms in adulthood. One girl in my class asks me during a lesson last week why I don't shave my arms. About five other kids chime in with their support of that concept. Abandoning the chess notation lesson for a moment, I explain that shaving my arms would take a long time, plus they really should be thinking about their math lessons. The one girl won't let it go.
"You'll get more dates with the girls if you're less hairy," she tells me. I decide not to tell her that my boyfriend prefers me as furry as possible, instead thanking her for the advice and that I'll look into it. Back to chess notation, at least for another fifteen minutes.
Posted by G at 10:42 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
May 22, 2005
The missing entries May 7-12
Meet the new math coach of a middle school in Harlem!
All of this week I've been commuting like a crazy monkey to various schools in the city. I finally had it narrowed down to a high school in Harlem that was amazing, organized, and has high-performing students, or a middle school that is in a fair amount of chaos. At the high school, I would be the bottom rung boy and would probably have to teach French as they don't need a full schedule. Although I would be okay with teaching French, it means I would be doing a lot of work just developing multiple lesson schedules.
At the chaotic middle school that has no classes pertaining to the school title (each school in NYC has a theme now), I would be a math coach. Their new principal is a fairly good person, the staff is a mix of brand new teachers thrown in with a few experienced staff. I would be in charge of staff development, get all sorts of training for myself, and co-teach one class with another teacher.
Derrick and I debated (I talked, he listened and asked questions) and I hope this is the right choice. Some people have suggested that I move to the high quality school, but this middle school is a unique opportunity that will only last for a few years. This coach position will be phased out eventually but will make my ability to switch to another school later almost bulletproof.
Both positions would be challenging, but I think the math coach position is a better opportunity. I'm sure that if it isn't, I'll be bitching and moaning about it in this blog.
May 10, 2005
Wall of Voodoo
That's what Derrick calls it. I call it my last line of defense against my plague-bearing children. I know why Derrick thinks I'm hypochondriac, as I just shelled out $30 bucks for another two months of vitamins. I just look at my family history and how many fewer sick days this year, so I'll continue this rigorous and ridiculous process.
Every morning, I religiously take a general multi-vit (non-iron variety), a vitamin B-complex, a vitamin C (slow release), and on alternative days a vitamin E. When I'm sick, I also add garlic and echinacea.
Maybe it has a placebo effect. Maybe it all works and will extend my life past that of a normal human. Maybe it just turns my pee a horrendous yellow as the majority of it is filtered out. I just know that I don't feel right leaving the bathroom in the morning unless I've choked down the horsepills with some refreshing NYC water directly from the taps.
It could be worse. I could be addicted to horoscopes, or crystals for auras, or coffee enemas, or some kind of crystal horoscope enema.
I think a little paranoia is acceptable. Remember, they really MIGHT be out to get you.
May 07, 2005
Zeitzeuge of NYC
Blog meets are fun gatherings, with the added terror of possibly being judged and written about on the internet. As I only had three beers, I was able to remember this time much better than last time, I didn’t give Ms.Ouizer a hickey, and I didn't tickle people. I know I babbled some because of my nervousness, but I think most people had enough drinks not to notice. Some notes about new people:
Scott/Palochi is not pronounced the way I thought he would be pronounced (it is more like a friend of sweet spiced tea than a Greek name). I had the same problem as a child with book names like Hermione and Penelope. He is also MUCH, MUCH taller than I expected, and has a movie star quality.
Charles/Poguego is also taller than I expected. Actually, I had no expectations except for him to be funny and probably fabulously cute. He and his friend Karla were both extremely funny and fabulously cute, so they totally met my expectations. I will never vomit near prostitutes with expensive panties because of their dire stories.
Eric/We, Like Sheep is like Mao Tso Tofu from my local sketchy Chinese delivery place. Sweet and hot, with lots of hair. I don’t mind it in my Chinese food, and I don’t mind it on guys. I had read his blog for some time and liked it, but never really knew what he looked like, so it was a bonus.
Alan/SomeAmusingBlogPun is as tall as I expected. He and his boyfriend Brian were really funny and sweet. Alan has a dry sense of humor that was making me laugh, and we talked about the hostage switch that sent Derrick to Michigan and Alan to NYC.
There were some other new guys that I’m checking out via blog, including an interesting guy with a great Mountains of Madness title. Was his name Dagon in real life? Couldn’t be.
Much drunken photography still has me seeing spots in my vision, I was happy to see my regular friends that I see so infrequently, and Barrage has beer on tap. It’s a good thing.
Posted by G at 11:19 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
May 19, 2005
Lychee
I'm not terribly in love with my own blog at the moment, but I just had to cry out a terrible warning.
Not about Frist's nuclear option, although that is just criminally tragic.
Not about Uzbekistan's graphically horrifying massacre of civilians and our own guilt for supporting a despot's regime.
No. I don't care how convenient it is, no matter what. If your boyfriend makes himself a few lychee martinis at your place over the weekend and sensibly stores the remaining lychees in a container in your fridge, DO NOT EXPERIMENT by putting them in your oatmeal in the morning. Also, if the first bite makes your face grimace up like Dick Cheney during a constipation moment, don't continue eating it just because you don't have time to eat something else.
Go to school hungry. And don't think about the news of the world.
Posted by G at 07:10 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
May 17, 2005
Welcome to the mess
I had been having tons of problems with spam, so I made the bright idea to switch to a better server. They were supposed to switch over on the 20th, but they decided to do it on the 14th.
Since that point, I've been trying to get the silly thing set up. I could have begged for help from Dan, but I figured that he has enough headaches.
Basically it was like a sitcom baby delivery. I've been running around with hot water and towels, but I have no idea how to deliver babies, or code HTML. Now it is up and running, and I am covered in the computer equivalent of placenta.
Poor Derrick and Charlie had to deal with some seriously cranky Glenn all weekend as I tried to fix the blasted thing. It is creakily working, and I am going to experiment more.
Things are okay in life, and I'll post more news in the next few days.
Posted by G at 10:24 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
May 16, 2005
Testing?
My blog is really screwy. We're barely talking to each other right now.
Posted by G at 10:11 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
May 06, 2005
Ahhh, alcohol.
Long week teaching- done.
Interviewing- some done.
Old friend passing away and repressing of emotions- done.
Bathroom and guest room cleaning for Homer- done.
Head shaving- done.
Dog walking and pooping- done.
Time for lively and lovely friends, liberal libations, and as the French call it, "le weekend."
Posted by G at 05:17 PM | TrackBack
May 05, 2005
Post-Interview
As I sucked in my gut in order to close the pants on my suit, I knew that I might need to cut back on the beer, gravy, and ice cream sundaes. I'm not really sure why sucking in air helps close the pants, but I know it looks mighty silly. Once I was transformed into "Proper Business Glenn," I clicked my little business heeled shoes down the sidewalk. My dress shoes sound like a woman's heels, adding further to my feeling of silliness.
I was catching people looking at me on the subway and on the streets. They saw a businessman in a suit, rather than the moderately silly man I see in the mirror every day. With the traditional suit attached to the strange bald head and beard, I must have looked a bit juxtaposed. Add the backpack filled with resumes and portfolios, and who knows what they thought. I was thinking that my back hurt from the coat, my neck chafed at the tie, and my feet ached in the dress shoes. When I am Grand Poobah of the Universe, I will declare Casual Decade.
The interview itself, the first of six schools I applied to, was a non-event. I was grilled by a committee of ten people, but I do what I do best- talk and think on my feet. I was nervous leading up to the meeting, but I know that I did well. Now I just have to interview at five other places in the evening for the next week. Not good, not bad. Just a lot of commuting and saying the same positive things.
I'm really not sure if I want to wear this damned suit each time. I think I'll wear a pair of old boxers to the final school. At least it would be memorable and will be better than my school. I could write about some of the nightmare things that are happening at my school, but I'm just using them as motivation to find another place.
Posted by G at 05:52 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
May 03, 2005
Forays into the job market
Wish me luck. I'm going to my first interview at another school tomorrow night. It's a high school in Harlem. I've applied at about 12 different places, 4 have called me back so far for interviews.
I'm wearing my suit again. I'm a bit nervous, as I've only worn the silly thing to my Mom's funeral (bad time) and last year's graduation ceremony (my iPod got stolen). Let's hope that this time around will be a happy day in the suit.
Posted by G at 11:07 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
This is MY MIDDLE SCHOOL. Honestly.
I went to this middle school in NM. I can totally see this as a delayed weapon.
The whole story is in the extended entry, if the link doesn't work.
CLOVIS, N.M. - A call about a possible weapon at a middle school prompted police to put armed officers on rooftops, close nearby streets and lock down the school. All over a giant burrito.
Someone called authorities Thursday after seeing a boy carrying something long and wrapped into Marshall Junior High.
The drama ended two hours later when the suspicious item was identified as a 30-inch burrito filled with steak, guacamole, lettuce, salsa and jalapenos and wrapped inside tin foil and a white T-shirt.
"I didn't know whether to laugh or cry," school Principal Diana Russell said.
State police, Clovis police and the Curry County Sheriff's Department arrived at the school shortly after 8:30 a.m. They searched the premises and determined there was no immediate danger.
In the meantime, more than 30 parents, alerted by a radio report, descended on the school. Visibly shaken, they gathered around in a semi-circle, straining their necks, awaiting news.
"There needs to be security before the kids walk through the door," said Heather Black, whose son attends the school.
After the lockdown was lifted but before the burrito was identified as the culprit, parents pulled 75 students out of school, Russell said.
Russell said the mystery was solved after she brought everyone in the school together in the auditorium to explain what was going on.
"The kid was sitting there as I'm describing this (report of a student with a suspicious package) and he's thinking, 'Oh, my gosh, they're talking about my burrito.'"
Afterward, eighth-grader Michael Morrissey approached her.
"He said, 'I think I'm the person they saw,'" Russell said.
The burrito was part of Morrissey's extra-credit assignment to create commercial advertising for a product.
"We had to make up a product and it could have been anything. I made up a restaurant that specialized in oddly large burritos," Morrissey said.
After students heard the description of what police were looking for, he and his friends began to make the connection. He then took the burrito to the office.
"The police saw it and everyone just started laughing. It was a laughter of relief," Morrissey said.
"Oh, and I have a new nickname now. It's Burrito Boy."
Posted by G at 08:23 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
May 02, 2005
Naughty things with Ken
It really should have been crystal clear to my parents even when I was a child. My sister Bonnie was a huge victim of the whole Barbie target market, but poor Barbie always was left alone in the dream house, the Corvette, even on the ponies.
Ken and any other paramours disappeared within weeks of purchase. For some reason, they always found their way to my playbox, and always managed to lose their clothes.
Naked Ken. Naked GI Joe. Naked Bionic Man. I was absolutely fascinated with getting them naked, even as a six year old. I loved the muscular arms, the strong broad torsos, and the velvet chest hair on some of them. They were confusing, as I appeared hung like a horse compared to their featureless crotches, but I still identified with them.
I've definitely grown up, as I like my men to have anatomically correct packaging, but the whole super flexible legs that could go over their heads is still quite nice.
Here's a site that I definitely would have found educational as a child.
Posted by G at 10:05 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack