Recently

Last week I was in the great city of San Diego, which we all know means.... (By the way how terrible was Anchorman 2?)

[caption id="attachment_1810" align="aligncenter" width="600"] The only day I actually made it to the beach.[/caption]

I was there for a teaching conference for the AP Psychology class I am teaching next year.  For those of you who are like app Psychology what is that?  It is the Advanced Placement Psych, the college version in a high school classroom.  In other words a ball of full for adolescent teenagers!

This conference itself was so inspirational for me.  I love hearing good teachers give lessons and help me be better at what I do.  I will say though that being a student again was hard.  Sitting in a chair from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm with a lunch break was torture on my back and attention span.

While I was struggling to stay awake and attentive I realized that teachers are the absolute worst students in the world.  When our teacher gave us group work I would roll my eyes and act like it was the hardest thing in the world to read two pages and tell someone about it.

The people behind me were on the computers the whole time watching the World Cup.  Which, by the way if another person tells me they played soccer in high school and that they have always loved soccer I am moving to Canada.

The whole class (including me) was on their phones checking gmail and texting.

The older folks in the class threw a temper tantrum when we went over the changes in diagnosing people with a psychological disorder (DSM 5 changes for the two of you who are also psychos).

And because it was a room full of teachers everyone thought they were smarter than the rest, tried to correct the instructor, and would talk and talk and talk just to hear their own voice.

As a species we are not so spectacular when combined in large groups.  Thanks non teaching friends for putting up with me!

Also my dog ate my students homework.  Well she tried, I stopped her, but the irony made me giggle.



Also go see 22 Jump Street.  I have not laughed that hard in a movie for a very long time!  If you were not super keen on the 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street was amazing!

And on one last note,  I have been living in these tank tops from Target.  I bought one in every color and they are the essence of my summer wardrobe, They were all under ten dollars a shirt, so I say that is a win win!  Maybe even wear it when you go laugh your face off at Channing and Jonah.

[caption id="attachment_1807" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Go buy ten of these from Target, You will thank me later[/caption]

 

Don't forget about Listed Tuesday!  Make a list slap on the button and have some fun!

Nine to Five: Or Whatever a Teacher Works

As I am getting ready to go to my 9 - 5 (more like 7 - 1 during the summer) I thought I would take a quick minute and link up with the lovely Helene and Sarah for #9to5totalsocial.

If you are a regular reader here you know that my full-time job is to teach.  Specifically I teach hormonal seniors in high school about Literature and Psychology.  There is a lovely tab to the right full of my teaching stories if you are interested in what happens from day to day.

[caption id="attachment_940" align="aligncenter" width="702"] My Psychology class this year. They thought taking a photo where they are sleeping was hilarious.[/caption]

I am currently teaching Summer School, because I am a sucker love making children read The Crucible and write research papers in one week's time and then do it all over again the next week.

Most days I love my job.  My students can be bright, insightful, and compassionate.

I love teaching them about the world around them and watching them become uncomfortable with injustice and seek ways to make the world around them better.

I love when we read the ending of Of Mice and Men together and half the class screams when George pulls the trigger and the other class throws their book down.

I love that I make them line up along the wall of our class and chuck their books at the wall when they are angered or upset at the injustice they just read about.

I love that I can create a space where teenagers feel safe to be a little nerdy and can love reading.

I also love when they fall short of the list above.

I love when I get a paper about Bill Gatsby the founder of Microsoft who was trying to win the love of a woman named Daisy.

I love when I get a Wikapedia article in paper format with my students name on it (I have a few students who are apparently contributors to Wikapedia).

I love when I tell them a paper is due at midnight and half the class thinks midnight is noon.

I love when they tell me that they hate summer school and reading.

I love when I ask what computer games they play and they say "computer games".

I love every single time they walk in my class and say, "are we doing anything today?"

Things I do not love include watching them graduate and mountains of paperwork that seems to get bigger every year.

Oh and I have some rather awesome co-workers that have even better stories of children being brilliant and utterly befuddling.

[caption id="attachment_1753" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Yes from time to time I look like this at my job that I get paid for.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1701" align="aligncenter" width="600"] I also get to go to the movies for free from time to time.[/caption]

Alright I am off to read the ending of The Crucible with the summer crew.  Pray I don't cry when Proctor refuses to sign his name and ultimately finds his redemption. What do you do for your work and what do you love about it?

AMC Theaters Won't Hire Me

Well it is summer time for this little teacher and she is in need of some extra cash!  I am teaching summer school, kill me, because I need money to pay bills, but I also want a little money to actually have some fun this summer.  I wanted to make a little extra fun money and I wanted to do it with the least amount of energy exerted ever.  I then thought of the most perfect job ever, AMC ticket seller person.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300"] via[/caption]

How hard is that job?  The answer: It isn't hard at all.  In fact Penny could probably figure it out.

All I would have to do is sit in air conditioning and find out how many tickets to the 4pm showing of 22 Jump Street Nana and her friends wanted.  Easy peasy. I would have even been fine with an 18 year old kid being my manager and telling me to keep the line outside moving.

I went over to my local AMC theater and asked the manager if they were hiring ticket sellers.

He said yes they were looking for summer employees and asked if I knew anyone who was interested.  I told him I was interested and he asked about my schooling.  I told him I already graduated college and work as a High School English teacher.  Then he laughed at me.

He told me that they only hire  are not educated, which I thought was grossly unfair.  I went to college for over 7 years in order to not be able to get any job in the world that I want?  Ludicrous!

I was at the movie theater later that week with my work and I watched the ticket man struggle to figure out how to print 60 tickets for our group. I turned to my boss and told her my story and that they only hire uneducated people and we laughed.

I almost told his manager that I was available to work for the summer but thought better of it.

Since then I have thought of other jobs that would give me some cash for easy work but have not heard back from the applications I turned in.

If you are a manager in a nearby AMC, 24 Hour Fitness, Massage Envy, Mystic Tan, or other stupid easy receptionist jobs, help an educated woman make some money to go to a concert or two this summer!

An Ode To My Psychos

I meant to post this on Thursday morning.  However, the end of the school year was insane and I couldn't finish this post in time.  So pretend like it is Thursday as you read it or just think that I gave a final on a Sunday morning, whatever floats your boat! 

As you read this I am probably with my Psychology class eating bagels and finishing a movie about an alcoholic.  We know how to party.  Today is the last day of the school year and I can tell you that this year was a hard one.  I could write a whole post about that, but really who cares, right?

Despite the difficulties I had in my job this year, my 9th period Psychology class was a constant source of joy in my life this year.  I had such a unique and beautiful group of students this year that I wanted to share a few moments that will continue to make me smile in years to come.

[caption id="attachment_940" align="aligncenter" width="702"] kids we all know I am far too entertaining for you to fall asleep.[/caption]

Here are the best moments from my year with my Psychology class.

While talking about reproduction:

Ms T: I do not really want to teach you all that stuff so I will just review really fast what you should have learned in Biology.  To make a baby you need a sperm and an egg.  So who brings the sperm to the party?

Male Student: I bring the sperm to the party Ms. T.

The rest of the year that was the student's saying.  Way to not make things awkward.

While talking about the five senses:

Ms. T: If you had to give up one of your senses which would you give up and why?

The Boy Who Brings The Sperm To The Party: I would be blind because I would make my hot wife be my eyes.

While Learning about Freud

Ms. T: Trying to read the word pessimism out loud in class stares at the word for a good 30 seconds trying to figure it out.

Student: Ms. T, isn't the word pessimism?

Ms. T:  Oh yeah!  It was Freud so I thought it had to do with male parts and I was trying to figure out how to explain it or just skip over it.

Still Talking about Freud

Ms. T: Freud believed people were either anal retentive or anal explosive.

Students: ANAL EXPLOSION!

Ms. T:  I mean Expulsive. Ugh!

While talking about gifts we have and what we do well

Female Student:  I am a very positive person. I wake up every morning and jump out of bed because I am so happy.  The only time I get sad is when I have to go to bed.  It is OK though because I wake up happy the next day.

[caption id="attachment_1712" align="aligncenter" width="600"] My happy student. She looks a little less happy because she just cried her eyes out at graduation.[/caption]

I have so many beautiful, silly, meaningful, thoughtful, ridiculous memories with this class.  I am so grateful to them for being so bright and happy each day.  For never asking me if I was going to hand back any of their work and for never telling anyone I never updated the new homework website we were supposed to use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's Always Chinese Hitler

Hey Oh!  On Tuesday I shared some of my favorite pick up lines that I have heard in my life.  I promised I would tell you which of these fine fellas I actually went on a date with and i am ready to break it down for ya.  Before I do though please do not judge me too harshly!  Also you will see that the bar is set pretty low so if you are a mildly interesting fella who isn't too creepy there is probably hope for you.

- I was just sitting here drinking alone and wanted to know if you wanted to get coffee next week.

To be fair I did go out with this guy, but we just finished the hardest class and final ever.  I can understand drinking alone, that one time. 

- So wanna get dinner at Denny’s?

College days man.  Denny's was quite the romantic spot between the ages of 14 - 20. 

- Wanna come over and watch Indiana Jones tonight?

No I didn't want to come over and watch Indiana Jones, but I did and we dated for a month.  Then his mom made me chicken when I was a vegetarian and we broke up. 

- Have you ever been to the three dollar theater?

We didn't go to the three dollar theater.  We went to Baja Fresh instead.  I ordered nachos.  He never asked me out again. 

- Can I come over to your house and watch the latest episode of The Office?  I will bring cup of noodles for a snack.

So maybe I had no idea the cup of noodles were part of the deal.  He showed up to my house in jammies and a cup of noodles for each of us.  Then I ate it and he offered to get me more because "I have tons of these in the trunk of my car."

- I am training to become an ultimate fighting champion.  My cage name is Prince Of Pain.

It's true I dated the Prince Of Pain, POP.  Then he married one of my best friends.  It's the circle of love. 

As I look back on all these winning moments in my life I could lose hope.  However, when things get tough I remember that Chinese Hitler sent me the following email earlier this school year and apparently I have quite the fan base for 24 year old Chinese fascists.

---

From:wor-god (Hitler)
Date: Fri, Nov 22, 2013 at 9:56 PM
Subject: Hello, pretty girl, I want to be friends with you
To: erica jacquline

You must think of how I get your e-mail, and one of my friends in the U.S. you go to school, he let me see your picture, I think you're beautiful, I love you, so I want to my friend your mailbox and decided to become friends with you, I am a Chinese, I am 24 years old, if you prefer, we can continue to further develop our relationship.

---

I just copied and pasted this from my email account word for word.  You can not make stuff like this up.  Also I was really scared for like four months and just recently thought it was funny and I should share it with you. 

 

[caption id="attachment_1701" align="aligncenter" width="600"] None of these people are Chinese Hitler. They are just friends from work that laughed at the Chinese Hitler email.[/caption]

Rescued By A Hobbit In A Motor Boat

I am starting to write a book about all the random stories I have complied as a teacher of international students.  I asked my mom to remind me of any of the crazy things that have happened over the last three years.  She brought up all my favorite stores that I already had planned on writing.  Then halfway through dinner she looked at me and said, "Remember when your kayak sank in Catalina?" I actually had forgotten about that time, but that moment in my life, now with two years time to heal, was one of the most ridiculous.  Of course I will write about it in my book, but I thought I would share it with you in a more simple form with some visual aids.

This particular story takes place in April of 2012.  I was teaching juniors and seniors in high school at my current job and I was forced to chaperone the 8th grade class on their trip to Catalina.  When I tried to protest that I was much more valuable actually teaching my students on campus and they should get a teacher that you know actually taught 8th grade, I was told, "You are the only girl who works here that is adventurous and kind of outdoorsy."  I learned that "outdoorsy" meant that I took my classes outside to read a couple of times.

It was my first year there and I think contracts hadn't been handed out yet, so I sucked it up and rode the boat with 25 8th graders and 2 male teachers.

We boarded the bus and within ten minutes one of the kids was carsick and threw up on the bus.  In that moment I knew the trip was doomed.

After what seemed like the world's longest bus ride and then boat ride we arrived to our isle destination for the next three days, Catalina: the Island from Hell.



The first couple days were fine.  I had to make 6 of the most unwilling girls do things like wear a wet suit and go snorkeling.  I had to pretend like it wasn't the most disgusting thing in the world when our instructor told us to pee in our wet suits and that countless people before us had peed in the wetsuit we would be wearing that afternoon.  I kept it together when I had to eat the most disgusting camp food known to mankind.  I was cheerful to sleep in a cabin that did not have windows or electricity.  I even was willing to share the Oreos I brought with the girls (by share I mean bribe. I gave them a cookie every time they did something they didn't want to do).

Day Two and I was still hanging in there.  I was forcing myself to be positive for the kids and it was working.  In the afternoon my group was to go kayaking and I was actually excited for this activity.  I am pretty great at the kayak and well I didn't have to wear the pee suit for this activity. The instructor asked me to go in a kayak by myself and help her lead the group.  I said sure and went out on the Pacific Ocean armed with an oar and a life vest unaware of the danger that would befall me in 30 minutes.

I paddled out a ways and guided the kids to their destination. This part was easy and I was pretty proud of myself for how amazing I was at kayaking.  As a group we went around a part of the island for about half a mile.  As we were going I noticed that it was getting harder and harder to paddle. I had to put much more effort into it and I was getting tired really fast.  All that confidence I once had was quickly leaving.

After a struggle I made it to the group and we were linking up to get ready to go into a cave.  One of the boys held out his paddle so I could reach for it and link up.  I reached for the oar and he quit paying attention and moved his oar before I had a grip on it, 8th grade boys!  I was leaning out too far and my kayak tipped over and I fell in the freezing cold water.

All the kids were laughing, as they should have been it was funny, and were trying to help me get back in my kayak.  For some reason I couldn't get back in.  I kept trying to push myself in and as soon as I would be about to get in the kayak would flip over again.  I went through this process about 30 times and the kids instructor was getting really pissed off at me.  She held my kayak still yelled at me to get in the boat.  By this time I was holding back tears and was freezing cold.

Finally I got in the boat and it did not flip over.  Instead it sank. Yep my kayak sank in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with me in it.  At this point I was done.  There was no happiness to be found on the island from Hell.  The instructor was mortified and apologized for getting mad at me for not being able to get in my boat.  She realized that the kayak must have had a hole in it and was taking on water the whole time which made it tip over easily.  She called the shore and asked for someone to come rescue me and my boat.

I trended water for like 20 minutes and waited for my rescuer to arrive.  In many ways I understood why Rose wouldn't share her piece of wood with Jack and that scene from Titanic came alive for me in that moment, except Leo was a group of 13 year old children.  I would never have shared my door with them.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="650"] via[/caption]

Now I should tell you I have seen enough movies where people need to be rescued from the water and I was pretty excited for what was going to happen next.  I was anticipating being saved by a guy that looked like this:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="465"] via[/caption]

And instead a motor boat pulled up with this:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] via[/caption]

When my hobbit rescuer tried to help me in the boat I almost took him with me.  I am pretty sure sending a guy that was maybe 5'2 to save a girl who is 5'10 was the best idea ever.  In fact I would pay money to watch Frodo save Heidi Klum one day.  Yes I just compared myself to Heidi Klum.

After the first failed attempt he decided he needed to save the boat before he saved me.  He got the kayak tied to the motor boat and 10 minutes later decided he should save the human freezing in the water.  I told hobbit boy that I would push myself up on the boat and he just needed to help me find the bottom so I didn't fall in.  He agreed and i pushed myself up. I told him I was ready to get in the boat and he looked over and forgot about me.  I then fell in the boat and scrapped the whole right side of my body on the boat.  He looked over and said "oh are you ready to go back now?"

We took off and I sat shaking I was so cold and wet.  He had a nice jacket on and was dry, and continued to wear his warm jacket.  A real hero.

I realized in my frozen state that I had been lied to all these years in movies.  When you are rescued from the ocean you will not be rescued by Thor, there are no blankets to make you warm, no hot cocoa to ease your troubles, a hobbit won't even give you his jacket to keep warm.  Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock you lied to me!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] via[/caption]

I made it back to my cabin, found the staff bathrooms and took the longest hot shower ever.  I then put on all my clothes and sat on my bunk bed and at the rest of the Oreos I brought for the children.  The rest of the day I just watched and did not try to pretend it was fun.  The next morning as soon as the sun came up I jumped out of bed and yelled, "We go home today!"

I then had to force a girl to go snorkeling again and she cussed me out in Chinese, or at least I think she did, I don't speak Chinese.  I got on another boat this time a little wiser and a little beat up and knew I would never go back to the Island from Hell ever again.

Days I Really Love Being A Teacher

It turns out I have missed wiring on the daily so I think I will come back to this whole blogging thing,with some more scaled down posts for the next few weeks while the school year continues to wind down.

Monday I went on a field trip with all the Juniors and a few of my favorite teachers to the Nixon Presidential Library.  Before going there I knew that Nixon was a president and that he resigned due to Watergate.  That was it.  When I left I knew that he grew up in California (his childhood home is actually the site of the library), that his first house did not have a bathroom but it did have a goat, and that JFK was the first man to walk on the moon.  That last one might have been something one of the students taught me.

[caption id="attachment_1634" align="aligncenter" width="600"] The first home Nixon grew up in.[/caption]

I just love days that are out of the norm from a regular teaching schedule.  I can get really tired on field trips making sure the kids are nice and do not run off to make out and learning about things at the same time.  But it is fun to force them to take photos with you in front of the helicopter Nixon rode while his resignation from the presidency was taking effect.

[caption id="attachment_1635" align="aligncenter" width="600"] My Asian Possey[/caption]

It was just the right way for me to get back in the swing of work after two weeks sitting in a room giving AP Exams.  In case you want to know what hell will be like part of it will be proctoring exams for hours on end without being able to talk to anyone and no bathroom breaks.

This is the time of year where I always ask myself why I am a teacher.  The hours are tough, the kids can be brats because their hormones are freaking out, and summer is so close we can all touch it.

But this is also the time of year that I am grateful that I am a teacher. Students finally get the drill and are used to me and what I expect of them, they ask beautifully insightful questions about social justice based on the books we read (of Mice and Men at the moment), and it probably helps that teacher appreciation week was a few weeks ago.  For the first time since I worked at my school I was actually appreciated with flowers, candy (ugh) and gift cards.



 

[caption id="attachment_1637" align="aligncenter" width="600"] There was a KitKat Bar attached to this which I ate before I became so witty.[/caption]

PS - we as a society need to come up with a way to appreciate teachers that is not getting them fat, if ya know what I mean.  #seasonticketstotheducks #anewcar

Erica Jacquline On Hiatus

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] via[/caption]

Happy Monday Blog Friends!  How was your weekend?  Mine was really good. I just got stuff done.  You know what I mean right?  LIke things you put off for a whole year and in one weekend you begin to tackle all of it.  Let's just say my guest room is finally acceptable for humans to come for a visit.  So pack your bags and come on over! Sorry it is not cute and Pinterest inspired so I didn't take a photo of a standard room.  Imagine the most basic bedroom in your house and then picture it in California,  There is your mental photo.

Over the weekend of productivity I a lot of time reflecting on where I am in my life and what I want to accomplish.  I am feeling really good about things right now and I want to keep that feeling alive.  Part of me loving how I felt this weekend was really disconnecting from technology.  I spent time at the pool listening to a neighbor laugh out loud at every text he got, at lunch with my family today, at the mall buying things for an upcoming bachelorette party, reading a book (I have only read 1 book in 2014 and it makes me sad), and not being on the computer or phone.  It was glorious.

I really started to feel a little too acttached to my blog and social media.  Like if I did not write a post every weekday I would stress out and think about my numbers plummeting and everyone jumping ship to go read posts from a blogger who had her ish together.  One of the things I really loved, blogging, had become a chore and a stress for me.  And tho sweetened I sat down to figure out how to help alleviate that.

I decided for the month of May I will take a hiatus from blogging.  All I mean is that if I don't want to write a post one day I won't.  If I do want to write a post I will.  May is notoriously terrible for teachers and this year I know is going to be so far beyond crazy that I needed to let something go to help me make it through.

I will not be having sponsored posts this month as I did not think it was fair to my sponsors to have a blogger that is not sure when or if she will post.  However, they will still be there on my sidebar for you to pursue their blogs and show them some love.  And in June I will be back in full force posting like a fend again and sharing some amazing bloggers with you all.  That is unless California falls in the ocean by then or I run away with some hunk to Hawaii and start a whole new life off the grid.  Either way things are bound to be exciting round these parts.

In sort I will be posting this month and it will just be when I feel like writing will bring me life and joy instead of take it away.  So I hope you will stay around through this month and enjoy the posts that may or may not be coming!

You also should watch this video on social media and technology.  I watched it as I was thinking about all of this and it might have made me cry.

PS the one thing I will do for sure each week is Listed Tuesdays.  So make sure you come back and add your link to a post that is a list, that is it!

An Ode To The Men I Work With

An Ode To The Men I Work With

by Erica Jacquline

I am writing this poem for the men that work at my school.
Women have dominated education for years so the fact that you work here is pretty cool.
Let me first say I am glad we are such great friends
Because of that fact I know that after this poem I will not need to make amends.

I am writing this verse because there're some things I need to say Some things that cannot be said while we gather and pray. One of the topics of my forthcoming discretionShall include the communal commode which is not a lunchtime conversation. You see the bathroom is one that is shared, And the ladies on staff are really quite scared. From the shavings in the skin to the seat that is left upUs ladies are afraid to finish more than one coffee cup. 

While I am at it I am just so amazed You made it to work at all, sometimes you look quite dazed. Your shirts are all wrinkled and on Mondays you wear jeansBecause your "Domestic Engineer" did not have time to finish the laundry, whatever that means. OK, OK my gripping is done, Let us reflect on the times we had some fun. There are all the times we went out to lunch, And the only thing on the menu I wanted was Hawaiian Punch. 

My favorite lunch memory I can recallWas the time we went to the Chipotle by the mall. You were not there so we gave you a callYou were at the Chipotle on by the gym, that detail was small. 
I must admit you have taught me so much About sci-fi, comics, and Batman at lunch.I will never forget the time I said I liked Thor's butt.And you were all awkward and yelled "what the what?!"

You guys make work fun and you gave me baseball ticketsEven though sometimes you are not really "with it" When I hang out with you I will never frown, But for the love of all that is holy put the toilet seat down!

You can read more of my take on menial things and the humor I find in it all on my blog Erica Jacquline.  Follow along on Bloglovin - Twitter - Instagram

 

I wrote this post for Endlessly Beloved this week, but I liked it os much I thought my readers would probably respond to it better.  And I was not sure that many people saw it so I would share it here for a little Sunday Funday action.

PS - to the men that I work with that actually read my blog, I only included you in a work poem because you have been some of my most loyal readers this year.  Thanks for all your support and encouragement!  You guys really make work much more fun everyday!

Teacher Fashion On A Budget

I have tried to write like five posts for today and my brain is just not working right.  I am going to blame the mountain of work that I have had on my desk at my real job for the last day, month, year.



Sweater - Target // Pencil Skirt - Old Navy - similar here // Shoes - Roxy

Who are we kidding. I am so entertaining this photo would never happen in real life.  My Psycho Psychology class is just so sweet they thought it would be the funniest thing in the world to pretend to sleep.  I don't get it but it made their day.

Here is  my teacher fashion on a budget.

I decided I really like this outfit and I will pretend to be a fashion blogger and tell you where my outfit came from. I work at a private school.  The subtext of that statement is I make less money than the underpaid public school teachers.

Shopping on a dime, looking professional, and young are my priority when it comes to fashion.  I love these sweaters from Target.  I have three in different colors.  They are so versatile and go with a lot.  Plus in Southern California there is not a lot of weather so this sweater is all you really need on those "winter" days.

The skirt from Old Navy has been in my closet since my first year teaching in 2007.  This thing goes with everything and will not wear out.

The shoes from Roxy I actually bought at Ross.  They are not the most professional shoes in the world, but on long teacher days my feet do not hurt and they are pretty cute too. That is all I have for you today.

What is your favorite piece of clothing that you found on a budget?  Where would you recommend shopping?  What is your favorite comfortable item that you make work with a work wardrobe.

Hello, My Name Is

We made it to Friday!   I don't know about you but id did not seem like it was ever going to get here.  I might be really excited for the weekend because it is a 3 day weekend over here. I hope you all have a 3 day weekend and spend some time thinking about Martin Luther King Jr and his impact on our world.

That is a weird intro to follow the title of this post.  MLK Jr. and Voldemort share nothing in common and I apologize for my lack of transition.

In case you are new around here let me tell you a little about me.  I work as a teacher and counselor at a high school in Southern California.  The school I work for has a huge population of students from Asia who have come to America to learn English and earn a high school diploma with the hopes of going to a good college in America.

I really love the population of students I work with.  One of the things I love the most is learning from them about a part of the world I have yet to visit.  I also love that we do things differently.  One of the most obvious examples is in the way they choose their names.

When they come to our school we give them the opportunity to choose a nickname or an American name.  The process by which they do this is hilarious and I want to share some of my favorite with you now.

I Love Basketball Names

Alan Iverson (as a first name)

Michael Jordan (first name)

Howard

Dwight

Kobe

I Love Pop Culture Names 

Harry Potter (again as a first name)

Beyoncé

I Found A Website of Popular Baby Names From 1920

Mavis (beacon teaches typing)

Rita

Shirley

Henry

Mabel

I Want To Be Original Names

Quintella

Kalyn (to be pronounced KEElin)

Afra

Po

Ethnicity Ambiguous Names

Tores

Jamile

Quintella (again)

Rico

Arturo and Esmi (they are brother and sister. To be fair they lived in Spain for a long time)

The Terrifying Names

Lucifer

I Only Know a Few Words In English Names

Tree

Blue

Bunny

April

Yoyo

Twitter (Just Kidding, but really it is bound to happen soon)

I had a conversation with one of my classes last year about their names and asked where they came from.  The categories above are pretty much what they told me.  I had the funniest image in my mind and wanted a brave student to go to the office and ask for a name change.

I thought it would be hilarious if one of my students went into the office and said they wanted to change their name to Voldemort, totally serious and dead faced.  I work at a Christian school and I know how that would play out.  For some reason I just thought it would be the funniest thing in the world.  I pictured him going to class and having his name on the roster as Voldemort and his teachers calling him "The One Who Must Not Be Named."

I have a student who has accept this challenge, but has yet to work up the courage to do anything about it.  I have faith that by the end of the year Voldemort will attend my school.

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And now I would like to introduce you to one of my first blog friends Brittany from Blissfully Britt.

Britt is a a college student in Minnesota freezing her booty off right now. She didn't tell me that I am just guessing that anyone who lives in Minnesota is always cold.

If you want to read more about her booty check out her post Getting Cheeky With It (sorry for the awkward transition!) Also read her post about her cute pup getting older,  Growing Pains.

And now she will tell you a little about herself and why you should be blog friends.

 

Where have you traveled to? What has been your favorite place and why?

 

I love love love Chicago. I actually only went there for the first time a few years ago but I now I go at least twice a year. My boyfriend is from there so that may have something to do with it. But I really do just love everything about the city. It such a beautiful place, the food is the best around, and there is so much to do. Outside of the US though, Madrid, Spain. The Best. 

 

Do you have a fury friend? Tell us about them. (He is super cute by the way)

 

In June, on a whim my boyfriend and I drove four hours away to pick out our baby. We had gotten the okay from my mom the night before (we live with her) and I wasn't risking her changing her mind so off we went the next morning. We fell in love with our little guy because he was so playful and the fluffiest thing ever. He is the sweetest little Bichon Poodle and we named him Colby Jack :) Yes, like the cheese. 

 

What song is your jam right now? 

 

On any given day the answer to this would be anything by Justin Timberlake, but to change it up I am going to go with All Of Me by John Legend. Ever heard of it? If not go listen now! It is the sweetest song ever and makes me so happy. 

 

What do you love about blogging?

 

I am about to cliche here but honestly it is so true. The best part about blogging is the friendships that come out of it. But aside from that I just enjoy writing typing my thoughts and if I want to I am able to go back and look at what was going on at a certain point in time. 

 

Favorite Movie, TV show, book?

 

Favorites are always so hard for me. How do you just pick one? My all time favorite movie is How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days. But I also love The Bourne Trilogy, Spider-Man, and What A Girl Wants. For TV shows I would have to go with Parenthood, Numbers, White Collar and Brothers & Sisters. 

You can follow Britt on Twitter, GFC, or Instagram

Oh The Places You'll Go

So I am pretty sure I have mentioned this before, but I teach a lot of wonderful international Asian students.  You should probably read about the amazing and weird.

This is the girl's basketball team at my school.  They won their first game last week.  They are so short and cute! .

One of the things I love most about teaching an international crowd is that I get to learn a lot about another culture.  In my English classes and now in my counseling office some of my best times come from language breakdowns and attempts to translate phrase directly from Chinese into English, and the hilarity that ensues!
 
Today I am going to share with you some of my favorite Chinese idioms translated into English.  These sayings are extremely useful in breaking down national borders and making friends.  If you find yourself in a situation and need to make a new Chinese friend try one of these. 


Little Three 
This is how you communicate the idea of a mistress.  This was my first saying I learned while at my job, which is odd.  Actually it happened because there are a lot of Little Threes in the books we read first semester, The Crucible and The Great Gatsby in particular. 

You Are A Light bulb
While might seem nice, it is not.  My students asked me what I was doing one night and I told them I was spending time with my friend and her boyfriend.  They all freaked out and called me a light bulb.  I asked them what it meant and essentially it means you are the third wheel, but meaner.  As if it isn't awkward enough they think that you not being with someone you love makes you shine bright for the world to see and make fun of you.  Thanks guys!

People Mountain, People Sea
this one means you are in a large crowd of people, say in Beijing.  Really it means there are so many people it is like a mountain or sea.  


I Will Give You Some Color! See, See?
The equivalent of "you want to take this outside?"  The meaning of this one is I am going to make you bleed and give you bruises.  It is a happy saying. 


Horse Horse Tiger Tiger
This has nothing at all to do with a zoo!  It just means "so-so" or "whatever."  If some one asks you how you are and you are OK you can reply "horse horse, tiger tiger."  Actually I do not recommend you do this, I have tried it in my classes and they just look at me like I grew an extra arm right before their faces. 


Not Three, Not Four
From what I understand this one means you are weird.  You do not fit into any grouping, you are not a three and not a four.  Maybe you are a five but the translation breaks down. 

My Head Is Heavier Than My Foot
May told me this one day on the way to school.  She was trying to tell me she had a head cold or that she was congested that morning.  It took many people to decipher this one.  It is now my favorite way to tell people I am a little under the weather. 

I feel like I am forgetting one, but I guess there will have to be a part two. Actually, I already know there will be.  Check back next week when I teach you all my favorite Chinese sayings you should use when you travel abroad.  Now go out and make some new friends!

Tales From The Classroom A Link Up Announcement

One my favorite topics to write about is teaching.  I am sure it gets a little boring to those of you who are not in the teaching profession or maybe it makes you so happy to not be a teacher.  

I like to write about it because it gives my work and life more meaning.  It teaches me to be more intentional and pay more attention to the little things that make my life as a teacher more meaningful.  I think it is important to remember the great moments that happen in the classroom, because there will be plenty of times that things go wrong. 

I thought it would be a great exercise for me to share something from my week in the classroom each week.  It will help me be more accountable to looking for the great and joyful things that happen on a regular basis that i might otherwise overlook or ignore. 

I started to think about it and I realized that many of my favorite bloggers are also teachers or students and they too might have a story to contribute each week.  I am making my Thursday posts a link up for anyone who is interested.  Link up every week or every once in a while.  

I really am looking forward to reading your stories

Things you can write about:

- A silly student story

- A learning moment 

- A heart warming moment

- Fashion from the classroom 

- A lesson from the school of hard knocks (that is life y'all!  anyone can come up with one of those!)

- A lesson you learned in any environment classroom or just life in general

- Something you have done in your classroom that you are proud of

- Anything related to teaching, learning, and school

Here is a link to the post that I wrote that inspirited this whole link up.

Just a note, please be sure to respect the privacy and anonymity of your students.  I will usually change their names if they do not know I am writing about them.

I am looking forward to hearing about your experiences in the classroom and being encouraged by all of you incredible people out there.  

Be sure to slap this little button on your post and come back here to link up on Thursday and read your amazing classroom stories. 

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Use Your Phone, Kill Your Brain

From the looks of my most recent google image search "Smart Phone Ecards" it is pretty clear to the world that smart phones are making us dumb, anti social freaks. I do not intend to write what we all are thinking or have already conclude about the world of the smart phone.  Rather I hope to approach this topic from a new level: Smart Phones the demise of creativity.

Hundreds just like this one.  Google it!

Before Thanksgiving break I was teaching my Psychology class about thinking and creativity.  I love my students, but they are some of the least creative people around.  Part of it is because they are international students and English is not their first language, part of it is because they were not taught how to be creative. Instead they memorize thousand of things.  Writing a create story is so much harder for them than having to recite the dynasties of Ancient China.

In my little experience of life it seems that the ability to think creatively and problem solve is a lost art.  When kids have issues in life they grab their cell phone to find the answer.

If you get lost on the freeway your google maps will either help get you out of a jam or will get you even more lost.

If you do not know what to write for a paper just google good paper topics and you will find an array of previously written essays on any topic.

Looking for tips on how to ask that hot coed out?  Just find a YouTube video of your "new best friend" who will teach you the tricks needed to hook a hottie.

I think that growing up without a phone that had me constantly connected to the world was one of the greatest things about my childhood.  When a problem came up I had to figure something out to get myself out of a problem.  When I got in a fight in the middle of Jack in the Box with two of my best friends I had to ask the manager to use the phone there to call my mom and ask her to pick me up.  If that happened today I would have called my mom and saved myself from embarrassment, but not from a great story.

And they were dang great at their life!

On that note I think that smart phones are robbing society of rich story telling.  Let me illustrate with an example from my personal life. 

My first two years of high school I was in marching band.  I know that is already embarrassing.  I actually loved playing in the orchestra and marching band was just something to get through before I could sit in a chair and play my oboe for a few months.

One day during practice on the field our band director was not pleased with our marching or or playing or something nerdy.  He freaked out and started to yell at us, maybe our lies were off and we looked like an octopus, I don't remember.  He then thought he was a drill sergeant and told us we had 10 seconds to place our instruments on the sidelines and get back in place to try it again.

We all took off running.  I looked to my left and to my right and saw a few of my friend slip on the field, did I mentioned it rained the night before and the field was still wet?  A thought crossed my mind Wow, they look silly.  I sure hope I don't fall.

And then I fell.

I fell fast and I fell hard.

When I realized what happened I tried to get up but I could not.  My knees were in extreme pain and I could not move.  I had hurt my knees so many times in my life that I knew what was happening and I knew I would be OK. I hadn't dislocated my knee this time so it wasn't that serious of an injury.

I was not getting off the field so my director and band leader came  over to see what was going on.  I told them I couldn't get up on my own and they helped me get off the field and sit on the bleachers.  I told the band leader to call my mom and she would come get me.  It wasn't that big of a deal and I just needed my knee brace and some Advil.

He ran off to the office to call and about five minutes later I heard sirens, and watched as a police car, ambulance and fire truck pulled on the track right behind me.

At first I thought someone else at the school was hurt and I was instantly concerned for their well being.

The EMTs ran out of the ambulance and yelled, "Where is she?"

I looked around for their victim and was shocked when they said I was who they were looking for.

They rushed over, took my pulse and decided that my heart rate was high and I could go into shock or something silly.  I told them to call my mom and they could leave.  They said she told the school to call 911 and I had to go to the hospital in the ambulance.

It turns out the band leader had someone in the office call the school nurse who then called my mom.  By the time the message got to my mom I was lying unconscious on the field, hemorrhaging blood, and would forever live without the use of my legs.  Of course she wanted the school to call 911.

I was then wheeled off the field and strapped down on the gurney.  I waved to my classmates and took of in my chariot.  The bell rang and everyone at my school got to try and look in to the ambulance to see what sucker was being taken to the ER.

This story is one that followed me all through high school.  People thought I made up an injury for attention and others thought it was funny.  I thought it was funny and it is a great story from my high school days.

It is a story that I would have never had the opportunity to live and tell if I had a smart phone.  I would have just called my mom told her what happened and she would have come to the school and signed me out for the day.

Although, it was not fun to have all that attention and go to the hospital I had an experience.  I have a story to tell and I am glad that it happened.

My encouragement for us to to use our phones wisely but not to miss out on exciting life events that might happen.  To enjoy the developments of our times and to continue to live simply.  Put your phones away and get into some trouble, find a way to solve a problem that only involves your brain, write a creative story, unplug and look out at creation.  Do something that you will remember years from now because I am pretty sure you are not going to recall all those great time you had refreshing your Instagram feed 1, 5, 25 years from now.

You should also check out this giveaway on Rachel's site over at Postcards from Rachel. It is open internationally and closes December 18th.

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