Untitled Again

You know, it's pretty awesome when you meet people who have much better stories than you.  It gives you something to shoot for.  Keep adding to your story.

Coming Soon

In the next few days it is my goal to complete a commentary of sorts about popular music.  I'm tired of the questionable morals that have become so pervasive in music in the past few years.  Being at the forefront as a teacher and witnessing the near destruction of the American teenager, I've decided to take some sort of stand in an effort to decry the goings-on of the music industry.  Of course I  understand that my mere words are nowhere important enough to encourage any sort of change, but at least they're out there.  Soon.

The Teaching Dream

Is it too much to ask that my students will stand on their desks and passionately proclaim "O Captain my Captian?"  Will they ever seize the day and become extraordinary?  Will they break the cycle of Detroit dependance and explore and live self-sufficiently?  Will they read and imagine?

There is a genius writer in one of my classes.  Her stories are incredible and her mastery of the language is almost unparalleled for a ninth grader.  On Friday we talked for 20 minutes about her short story.  I was employing my Writing Center skills on her story, skills that are typically reserved for the collegiate papers.  It was a thrillingly successful moment in my young career and reminded me of the reasons that I got into the profession to begin with.  She is going to change the world with her words.

Great Movie Scenes III

This is perhaps the most the most incredible animated sequence of all time.  In four short minutes, an entire relationship is encapsulated.  We peer into Carl and Ellie's life together and love, laugh, and cry along with them.  We feel connected, a part of the journey in some way.  Animation, as far as I knew, wasn't supposed to do these things.  Animation was for the kids and artistry and short attention spans.  But the joy and emotion that we experience as we watch this truly happy couple...it's real.  These people could be anyone.  They epitomize what we want all relationships to be.  There is no strife or turmoil or anything that can't be solved by hugs and gentleness.  It's beautiful.  It may be excessively ebullient and too idyllic, but that's the point I think.  We are to look at this tranquil couple and want what they had.  It should become a goal, our aim.  True love conquers.

Of course, cynicism will erupt.  Their great adventure was living life together.  It was enough.  And yet Carl still regretted not going to Peru.  His travel-by-house idea was an homage to Ellie, for he felt like a failure because he didn't go.  So here begs the question: Did he settle in getting married before his explorations could be achieved?  I think we'll never know when the right time will be to settle down or who the right person will be.  I mean, at some point we are always settling.  I guess the trick is just settling with the best option, whatever that may be and however that may be accomplished...

The Question Of The Day

I asked this of my students today as a prereading exercise in preparation for "Romeo and Juliet."  Think about it...I don't have the answer.  All I have is an opinion.

"Do teenagers know what real true love is?"

Remember, I asked this of teenagers themselves.  I got many "yes" explanations.

I said "strongly oppose."

Hmm...

Aaron Carter

Last night I made my way down to the Aaron Carter concert.  It was held at the Magic Bag Theatre in Ferndale, a facility that can handle maybe 300 people at its absolute peak.  I was able to finagle a spot in the second row of general admission locations, near enough that I could touch Aaron (if I were so inclined).  I was adrift in a sea of women who were hellbent on making Aaron their lover.  I literally could only find three other men and, it being Ferndale, I may have been the only person on the main floor not lusting after Aaron.

The concert started off with some song that required Aaron and his dancers to run around the stage waving huge American flags.  Then he proceeded to run through his limited catalogue, seeming to genuinely enjoy the cozy venue.  Things got a bit stranger when it was announced that he needed to find two women for the next song and his bouncers searched for the lucky ones.  They then sat on stools and Aaron sang a soulful ballad to them and kissing both of them on the cheek.  It was kind of heartmelting...until he went back to the first one and full-on made out with her, sat on her lap, and used her phone to take a picture with her.  It made me feel awkward.  We got back on track when he changed into his #34 O'Neal Los Angeles Lakers jersey and sang "That's How I Beat Shaq" and "I Want Candy."  I was singing along and leaping out of my shoes.  His encore, of course, was "Aaron's Party," capping the night with the best teenybopper jam of the past 15 years.

Today, though, I felt a bit guilty.  I went to the concert for the novelty of the situation.  Here's this guy who used to be big time at 14 but playing the Magic Bag at 25.  He was once a star, and now he's almost completely faded.  He was reduced to singing the songs that made him famous as a tween star.  Isn't that degrading?  But wasn't I only there to see those songs?  Didn't I wonder if he'd sing them and how'd they sound if he did?  I was laughing all night in pure delight, but was that because of the performance or his fall from the top?  And if it's the latter, why do I enjoy this riches to rags story?

For the record, I had a very fun time, even disregarding his precipitous decline.  I don't have all the answers and still feel a bit dirty and strange, but I can't deny that it was an adulating atmosphere.

Rumblings And Ramblings

- I might have the most gifted 9th grade writer in the history of 9th grade writers in my English class.  Her short story was unbelieveable.
- Why don't people read anymore?  Aren't we technically growing more intellectually sound, what with the new technological advances (see what I did there?)  Then shouldn't we be able to realize that we cannot possibly be solvent as a society without the ability to read.  Reading has become a chore, not a necessity or a pastime.  We're creating machines to do the work (reading and critical thinking) for us.
- On a related topic, will this downward spiral away from reading for enjoyment ever run its course?  How do reach/encourage those who say they "hate" reading?
- Teachers do a lot of work.  Don't badmouth them.  Unless they're tenured.  Then you can say naughty things.
- Climbing is an excellent release and it's really cool as a barometer of physicality.  Once you start mastering routes, you can see yourself improving and getting stronger, more flexible, and better at problem-solving.
- I'm counting down the days to camp.  The Detroit metro area has been good to me, but those outsiders have sullied its good name.
- Aaron Carter concert tomorrow!  I'm so excited!  And he's coming to Ferndale!  Poor guy.
- How much control does an agent really have over an athlete's life?  Do they choose the free agent destinations, or are they at the mercy of the agent who is seeking a bigger payday?  I mean, some of the NFL free agent moves have been baffling.  Urlacher, not taking the Bears' offer?  Even if it was low?  Athletes talk about a perceived lack of loyalty being shown to them; to receive you must give.
- I'm totally optimistic about the Tigers this year...but I wouldn't be a true fan if I didn't have a little bit of hesitation thrown in there.  For example, is Torii Hunter really an answer at 37?  Should we expect regression from Cabrera or Fielder?  Is Scherzer for real?  Can Victor come back and start smacking the ball again?  Who are Peralta and Avila: All-stars, or replacement-level players?  Is Anibal worth the cash?  Do they have a closer?  Will it even matter?  Are they built for the randomness of the postseason?
- Speaking of postseason, it's tournament time!  Get ready 7th hour!  You're in for some super hoops action!
- My book list consists of Ulysses by James Joyce, A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, and On The Road by Jack Kerouac.
- 6 more school days until Spring Break!

The Vernal Equinox

Sometimes I feel like I don't really have enough time to think deeply and write thoughtful blog posts like I was in August.  I'm writing to get it done, as opposed to expressing my innermost ideas.  I'm not really sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing.  I mean, it's definitely not what I was looking for at the beginning of this project.  I wanted to let it all loose and learn about myself through my writing.  Thus far, I'm not wholly successful.  I'm getting to some good stuff, and there has certainly been a bunch that has happened these past seven months, but I still might not be achieving at my highest possible standard.  But there's still so much that I'm busy with that I never feel like I have enough time anyway.  It's hard...

But anyway, tomorrow is the first day of spring.  It doesn't feel like it, both because Christmas was last week and it's still in the 20's.  But it's officially spring.  Last spring I was working at Domino's and subbing in Warren Consolidated.  Now I'm worlds away from there.  I've got a "real" job and I'm finally using my degree.  It's so much fun to look back at arbitrary periods of time and see how many changes have occurred.  Good fun times for sure!

Spring Break

8 school days until spring break.  Colorado here I come!

12 Weeks

I only have three months of school remaining.  We've been through 28 weeks; only 12 are left.  In some respects it totally flew by, and in others it moved slower than a snail.  But as awful as it may have felt at times, I am learning a lot.  I know how to better deliver lessons and how to meld better with my classroom.  I can (hopefully) create a positive learning environment and see evidence of students' learning.  I have developed a good rapport with some choice students and feel honored to be a part of their high school experience (especially the Tedders and Amber and George and Melissa and Genesis).  I've met some awesome people and made some pretty great friends.  There are a lot of things I'm going to miss once I leave in June.  While it's so easy to focus on the negative aspects of this gig all the time, there are so many wondrous things that I really enjoy and may have a difficult time letting go of.

12 more weeks are all that I have left in Michigan.  After that, who knows?  I'll go to Maine and climb every single day with campers eager to learn.  Then I'll go to an awesome wedding and hopefully follow that up by floating down the Buffalo National River.  After?  I don't know.  I'm applying for teaching jobs in Morocco and Grand Isle, Louisiana.  I could do a whole slew of things.  The world will be mine for the taking.  I appreciate everyone who's helped me get to this place.  I'm so honored...

The Tournament

It's finally March!  We're back to my favorite time of the year: March Madness!  To be honest, I'm not even a big fan of basketball, but something about the thrill of the one-and-done nature of the tournament gets me going.  While I know I typically decry playoffs because of their random nature and the devauling of the regular season, the NCAA tournament gets it right.  All the top teams are so bunched together that this is probably the only way to choose a champion and, better yet, everyone agrees on it.  There's no convoluted BCS nonsense.  It's just two weeks of frantic hoops and dramatic moments.  It's kind of like the World Cup - I become super intrigued with a sport that I really have no consistent interest in, and yet I can't stop watching...and it comes every single year!  I'm currently trying to figure out a way that I can link the tournament games on Thursday and Friday with my lessons so I can show them in school.  During my high school days, those were literally my favorite days of the year.  The teachers would have the game on in the classroom and an extremely tiny amount of work would be done.  And this year, it's Michigan State against the Horizon League's finest in Valparaiso at 12:10 on Thursday from the home of the Pistons!  How can I possibly NOT show this game?  

Wahoo bracket time!

A Really Happy Moment

I was alternately floored and humbled and blown away this past weekend.  One of my friends is getting married in a few months and she was talking about her wedding party.  There are going to be seven on each side, and yet it was still so difficult for her to choose.  Then she told me that she wanted me up there with her and her brother would be on her fiance's side.  Unfortunately it didn't work out because he can't figure someone to cut from the rotation, but I was beyond happy nonetheless.  I couldn't believe she'd actually considered me.  I felt so honored.  She has been one of my best friends for the past six years, and yet I had no idea how much I must mean to her.  I mean, she is so much to me, and I know I'm cared for too.  It was an unbelievable feeling.  I want to continue being that person for her and for everyone else.  A lofty goal I know, but worth it.

Wow

Sometimes that's all you can say.  People can be interesting.

On the plus side, I got lead certified today!  It's scary to climb lead though.  Gotta get there!

The End Of Something

First of all, I'm not really sure what I wrote last night.  I had fallen asleep, woke up randomly and typed a few words about how I should be Nappy because I want to nap all the time (not sure if it was super clear) and then went back to bed and slept through my alarm.  It was a pretty odd night.

But...I had an awesome day today, in my English classes at least.  We read the Hemingway short story "The End of Something."  First I had the students predict what it was that was ending.  We got some pretty good ideas - marriage, relationships, life, reality - and then we started reading.  It's only a few pages long and took us about 10 minutes to complete.  Then I had the kids outline the characters as a class (there were only 3) and then sum up the theme (love doesn't always last forever).  Finally it was time for the big debate...

For those of you who don't know, the story is about a couple (Nick and Marjorie) who are fishing together on a lake near an abandoned mill.  Halfway through their day, they stop and eat on the shore, which Nick chooses as the optimum time to dump Marjorie.  After she leaves in a huff, Bill appears and asks Nick how it went.  Nick is irritable and Bill eats a sandwich from the picnic basket.

The biggest mystery to me (and, fortunately, the students as well) was Bill's appearance.  Was he there simply to provide moral support for Nick's decision as a good buddy, or was he something a little more, shall we say, intimate?  The class got going, with a fair amount of people in both camps.  We talked about Hemingway's checkered history (marriage after marriage, perhaps covering something up?) and used context clues from the story.  In the end, we failed to come to a conclusion, and yet I couldn't be happier.  The kids finally went deeper, and on a story that I wasn't sure they'd even understand.  I had people participate who had never raised their hands before.  Students were involved and focused and actually seemed to enjoy the story.  I was pumped.  I still am in fact.  There's hope for these guys yet.  The goal is to keep them this excited (that may be too strong of a word, but it sort of fits) for the rest of the semester.  Let's go!

Nappy

If I had a Star Fox 64 character, I think that would be my name.  I'm waaay too wore out.

The Hemingway Short Story Unit

I don't know what it is about Hemingway that draws me in.  Maybe the fact that he hunted lions in Africa in his spare time or that he had a house in Cuba.  Perhaps it's his outward masculinity that could be hiding an inward homosexuality or the caricature of him in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris.  I guess it could be his short, staccato-like sentences or literary accessibility.  Most likely it's a combination, which, when taken together, paint him as one of the greatest writers in American history.

He was concise and didn't mince his words.  He had emotions and put them down on the paper.  He didn't hide (or purportedly tried not to hide...but oh those whispers of homosexuality...) behind a facade of words.  He wrote about the way he felt.  He loved nature and adventure and manliness.  He wanted to share tales from his youthful home in Michigan and his grown-up experiences around the globe.  He talked about racism and sexism, hunting and fishing, and war.  He was one of America's most celebrated writers, the winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for Literature.

For some, he epitomized a generation, setting the stage for many to come after him.  For others, he's just a man who wrote stories.  For my students, I'd say he fits into the latter.  Hopefully I can change that.  I want my students to embrace the nature and the mystery that he weaves into his stories.  I want them to get a thrill out of his understatement and question his motives.  Maybe I can reach one student and he/she will go on to explore and question and scuba dive.  If this happens, I will be a success.

Road Trip 2008

I was trying to figure out a way to upload the video from the winter road trip during my sophomore year, but I can't figure it out since it's on Facebook.  Hopefully I'll find a way.  But just know that I'm thinking about traveling...again.

Can't get enough of this.  Everytime I watch it I get antsy.  I want to get moving.  I want to get out.  I feel confined.  I pine for the road, for the openness, for the freedom, for the friendship, for the experiences.  I want to relive it.  The greatest 9 days of my life.

Hooray For Boobies

Ok so this is bizarre.  I was working on school stuff Saturday evening.  I had no motivation.  I was worn out.  It was late and I had just turned on the study tunes, hoping they would assist me.  They didn't.  I threw on Moby and some other soft stuff.  I liked it and I smiled, but I certainly didn't increase my work output.  For some reason that I'm not entirely sure of, I next decided that The Bloodhound Gang would be next on my playlist.  I had only heard the song "The Bad Touch," but I guess I thought the whole album would be worth a spin.  I wasn't doing anything else worthwhile so I had nothing to lose.  And let me tell you: I was blown away.  It was absolutely hilarious.  It was raunchy and inappropriate and juvenile and disgusting, but boy did I have a fun time listening to it.  I mean, the album is entitled "Hooray for Boobies," so it's not like I didn't know what I was going to be in for.  The rhymes were so goofy and laden with late '90's pop culture references over a rap/metal/Beastie Boys style beat.  I think the sound was reminiscent of Cake, but with much less brass and more cursing and joking around.  I've been listening to the album pretty much nonstop for the past few days, especially the less school-friendly ones.  Boy it's a lot of fun!

Isn't it cool when you find new music?  You can't ever get enough.  You're searching for more, looking for another chance to listen or to discover or to have a conversation about it.  I can't quite explain it, but it's wonderful when it happens.

I'm so tired

"I'm so tired
I haven't slept a wink
I'm so tired 
My mind is on the blink."

I have no idea what's been going on, but I've been absolutely exhausted lately.  Ugh.  And here's the other thing I've noticed: "I'm so tired" is listed in lowecase on the back of The Beatles' White Album.  So is "Why don't we do it in the road."  Why is this?  The other 28 songs are listed in the traditional way.  And while we're on the subject, isn't it odd that there's a little baby noise at the end of "I'm so tired?"  What is going on with that?  It's low key and you really need to train your ear to hear it, but by golly it's there.  I'm not really sure why, except that it's kind of the theme of the album to mess with your head.  Job well done.

When I'm 67

Tomorrow is my grandpa's birthday.  If you couldn't tell by the blog title, he is turning 67.  He's lived a pretty full life, and yet he is still adding to his story even at this ripe old age.  He joined the military the day after he graduated high school, met my grandma when he was 18, and had his first kid when he was 20.  He was in the military for 20 years and served in Vietnam and Saudi Arabia.  He also was involved in manufacturing in Michigan.  Recently, he's been consulting in Kansas, Kazakhstan, and Australia (of all places) whilst retaining his vigor and drive.  He also quit smoking cold turkey in the late '80's and is a man of intense faith.  I think my grandpa is someone I should aspire to be like.

So where will I be when I'm his age?  Well, I guess the first thing I'm wondering is where did he see himself 44 years ago?  When he was my age, he had two kids, a wife at home, and a career in the Army.  I'm a teacher, a college graduate, and a wayfaring soul.  Perhaps we don't have anything in common beyond those genes.  But it's still something to inquire about: Where will I be at 67?

Will I have children and grandchildren?  Will I be married?  Will I still be working?  Will I have achieved my 23 year old goals?  Will I have settled?  Where do I live?  What will I want in my next 10 years?  Have I been impactful?  Have I been remembered?  Do I serve a purpose?  Do I stay true to my beliefs?  Am I trustworhty and loyal and friendly?  Do I smack waitresses on the behind and call them "toots?"  Am I an example?  Do I have faith in the world?  Am I the difference?

One Of Those Days...

...where everything goes wrong.  When frustration seeps through the cracks of your previously caulked facade and piles up in mounds all around you like so many dung hills.  When you realize that you spend 11 hours a day at an old school building getting metaphorically spit on while miscreants run the show and you know that you are, for all intents and purposes, powerless to prevent them.  When it gets through your thick skull that public education is a complete crock and that money is the name of the game and the school board works tirelessly to keep their positions and associated status.  When you go on a run to release the stress and end up swearing and thinking about alcohol and cigarettes, those twin vices representative of a lost hope.  When you're not the only one feeling this way.  Far from it, in fact.  When you feel worthless and your job feels pointless and the world seems hopeless.  When you are past the point of feeling sorry for these children and instead feel a mixture of fury and shame.

Well, I suppose, as Scarlett O'Hara reminds us, "Tomorrow is another day."

Take A Picture

The song that's been in my head all day.  Definitely brings me back to my preteen days when I'd throw Totally Hits 2 into the portable CD player and jam all day.  I don't think I appreciated the message to the song at that point; for that matter, I didn't even know what was going on.  I think I might have a better grasp on it now, but it doesn't make it any less of a fantastic song.

Great Movie Scenes II

This is the greatest scene from the greatest movie.  Oftentimes movies seem to acquiesce to the shorter attention spans exhibited by the younger generations.  If things aren't exploding and moving rapid fire from scene to shining scene, then kids are not interested.  And if kids are not interested, the conventional wisdom goes, then the movie is not worth a hill of beans, since teens bring in the most bang for the buck.  But Scorsese didn't exactly care about his box office take.  He wanted to make a movie that was genuine and unique and captured the exact mood for the time.  This scene does exactly that.

Watch it again.  Henry (Ray Liotta, perfectly cast) runs the joint.  He walks in through the kitchen and knows everyone.  They, of course, are happy to see him since he tips so well.  He interacts playfully with the doormen, the kitchen staff, and the host.  He accepts drinks from front-row big shots.  He is the hottest thing in the room, and he wants Karen to know it.  This is, I believe, the height of his gangster life.  Everything is going well for him.  People know him and, better yet, respect him.  He is comfortable in his lifestyle and epitomizes a man that is cool and collected in the face of a  potentially dangerous job.  He has his life on lockdown mode.

And then there's the filming technique.  Scorsese captures the action in one two-minute Steadicam shot.  While most modern films would be jumping from scene to scene every 15 seconds, Scorsese keeps the camera on Henry for a full 120 seconds, showing the action uninterrupted.  This serves a few purposes.  One, it levels with the audience.  He trusts that he has the audience's attention by now and they can handle a two-minute sojourn through an anonymous kitchen.  Two, it adds to the story.  As mentioned, Henry has the world at his fingertips and this scene is indicative of that very thought.

Don't forget the music!  The Crystals' "Then He Kissed Me" is one of the better '60's girl-group bubblegum pop songs.  It describes the relationship between a young man and woman from first date to marriage, directly paralleling Henry and Karen's future together.

A perfect song, a perfect camera shot, a perfect scene.

Writing Assignment: What Is Real Life?

I gave my students an essay assignment in which they were to write five paragraphs about their definition of real life and relate it to Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" and The Truman Show.  I was pretty worried about how this would turn out.  I don't exactly have the most motivated students in my classes, so I was trepidatious whilst assigning the essay.  As could be expected, I had a little less than half of the kids turn the essay in on time, but the answers that I received from those few "go-getters" that I have was pretty overwhelming.  These kids unleashed their hearts and souls and philosophical understandings.  I got rhetorical question after rhetorical question, proving that they were thinking, and thinking hard.  I got an email from a student at 1:20 in the morning.  I got varied ideas and out-there thoughts.  I got to see their writing styles and revel in their uniqueness.  These kids have experiences and parlayed those experiences into treatises proclaiming the lies and truthiness of life.  It was all at once refreshing and cynical.  It was deep and philosophical, even when they were surface diving (and vice versa, if that makes any sense).

Whenever I'm struggling to make it through the next 15 weeks, I need to take a second and think about the words of these students.  They are thinking.  They will achieve.  And I will be a part of that achievement.  I will be part of the roadmap that turns them into something extraordinary.

Life

I know that this blog title has the potential to be very misleading.  I mean, life is an extremely broad subject.  How could I cover everything?  Or remotely close to everything?  I guess what I really want to do is laud life's directions.  Anybody can take life and turn it into something unique and special.  We are not to sit back and let life rule us; rather, we should be embracing the turns and staggers and curveballs and make life something to be savored.

To see what I mean, please consider the following:

I have a friend who is finishing up his first year of teaching in Morocco.  He is helping to coach the track team and has just completed his first marathon.

I have a friend who is working in Dubai.  He has been to the Dead Sea and Oman for weekend trips.

I have a friend who is working on his doctorate in Mississippi, while building rock climbing walls, riding the mountain bike trails, winning triathlons, and still finding time to advance polymer studies.

I have a friend who is living in Las Vegas, pursuing his dreams and not letting anyone stand in his way.

I have a friend in Alaska who is in the middle of her first year performing physical therapy for the public school children who desperately need it.

I have a friend in Colorado preparing to leave for Cambodia with a team to help stop sex trafficking.

I have a friend in Michigan who is married.

Life is full of adventures and surprises.  The coolest part is that these wayfarers were able to impact my life at some point.  They stopped their forward motion and took enough time to inspire me.  What an incredibly selfless act.

Time to work on my own story and touch lives in the same way.

An Eagerly Awaited Weekend

It's been a long time since I've been this excited to have a weekend.  This past week back at school drained me.  Big time.  I want to relax and recharge.  I'm already counting down the days until Spring Break, and then the days until summer camp.  It's March.  Almost time!