2002-02-22
Holler back epiphany, posted at 8:29 a.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com Bear with me, as I present a long-ass, disorganized, stream-of-consiousness entry today. There's a cool classroom story at the end. The rest is sort of twaddle. But read away.Now that I'm working out a lot more, I'm thinking a lot more, and thus I'm writing a lot of entries in my head. Unfortunately, my lack of time I afford myself to write everyday makes my entries seem truncated. Ah well.
Last night, Josh and I took an unscheduled trip out to Trader Joe's, the world's greatest grocery store. It's good that I spend time with Josh outside of the apartment. It helps me to remember that he's a cool guy with a unique perspective on the world, and not just a messy slob who has been living rent-free in our house for six weeks who doesn't clean up his dirty clothes or wash his dishes. He's apparently got housing lined up now. I can't wait for him to be gone. Our house is beginning to feel like a dorm, and that's not in a good way.
I'm pretty sore today. I did squats yesterday morning, and it's kicking my ass right now. I woke up a bit late today (5:25am), and didn't get to the gym until 6:15am, but still had a good workout. I did 30 minutes on the eliptical machine, burning 500 calories, then worked on my arms and shoulders for about a half hour before having to truck out of there at 7:30.
I arrived to school today at 8:15. Ugh. That's the second time this week when I have arrived considerably after eight o'clock, and I've had kids waiting outside my door both times. Oh well. I'm not required to show up until 8:15, but almost everyone shows up much earlier. Me, I spent most of the year arriving before 7am.
I'm still not positive what I will do tonight. I'm thinking I have to go to the euchre game, but hopefully I can cut out early. Michelle also got pulled into it, and we have similar "we feel like we should, but don't really want to" sentiments. At least I won't be alone.
Have I mentioned that it's too bad that Michelle has a boyfriend? Especially now that I've met him. He's a nice guy.
(Insert awkward transition here)
I'm looking more forward to the new Alanis Morissette album than any album in probably a year. I even called a record store to ask about it. Apparently it isn't released until next Tuesday. I think Alanis is very underrated - her music is brilliant, and if you can connect with the lyrics (I can), then she's even moreso. She's more into stream-of-consciousness lyrics than she was with Jagged Little Pill, so it's less coherant and "traditional," but I love it. I've heard the new song about five times, and ache to hear it again. I turn on the station that plays her all the time, as well as VH1, in hopes of hearing it. It's also sort of unusual that I enjoy her music so much, because she's so much into Oprah/therapy type of lingo. Even though I'm not really into that stuff (or, in general, songs about it - Dar Williams' "What Do You Hear In These Sounds" in one of my least favorite songs of hers), I like it coming from Alanis. Phrasings from her last album like, "You were the best platform from which to jump beyond myself" are lines I can really connect with, even if they seem a bit... I don't know... overly theraputic. Apparently, the new album has more of this type of language, as well as her stream-of-consciousness rants that I love.
My current CD wish list: Alanis Morissette, Unger Rug Swept; Macy Gray, The Id; Mary Lou Lord, Live City Sounds; The Strokes; Pete Thorn
Today is an amazing day. It's sunny, it's Friday, and I have so many people to do things with tonight that I'm having a tough time deciding. My kids have been great all day. I'm enjoying teaching at this moment right now more than any time in recent memory.
***
Something amusing happened yesterday. Okay, so I have 86 students in my classes. All are African-American except for one, who is Latino. Anyhow, this weekend, with the help of a website planning guide for teachers that CBS made, I constructed an assignment to go with The Rosa Parks story on CBS on Sunday (starring Angela Bassett, who I've had a celebrity crush on since Strange Days, and Cicely Tyson, who I think is one of the most brilliant actors working today). They have to watch it, create a character chart (for our current characterization unit), and answer a couple of essay questions. No big whoop. I basically just wanted to make them watch it. I designed an alternate assignment for kids who didn't have a television or who bitched about it. But I hope most of them watch it.
Anyhow, this kid - let's call him, um, Tyrone - raised his hand. Tyrone is a funny kid, with lots of charisma and street smarts, but who has a hard time putting his thoughts into words on paper (he's fine talking all through class, though. no problems there. nope.) I like him, and he likes me. I know he has issues; once, he was taken out of my classroom by the police. But as far as I know, he's a good kid, even if he is by far the loudest kid in that particular class. Anyhow, he raised his hand, and asked, "Mr. Epiphany, are you going to watch it?".
"Heck yeah," I responded.
He grinned and said, "Wow, you are so into our heritage, man!".
I didn't quite know how to take it. There was a hint of condescension in his voice, but perhaps I was mistaking that for bemusement. I wasn't sure. I hate to be looked at as the "white liberal teacher desperately trying to relate to his Black students," and I had a feeling his comment might have been precipitated by that attitude.
Anyhow, I answered by saying, "Yes, I'm interested in African American heritage. But it's important to realize Rosa Parks isn't just a Black hero. She's a hero for all people - for all people who have ever stood up for anything, for anyone who has ever said, 'I'm not going to take it anymore,' for anyone who wanted to change the world. Rosa Parks is a hero for everyone, including me. That's why I'm watching it."
(I decided it wouldn't be a good idea at that moment to mention my crush on Angela Bassett.)
The kids took it well. They were all like, "okay then."
They're amusing me so much at this moment. Today, we're working with subject/verb agreement. The subject in question was the word few. The verbs in question were has and have. A girl was having a hard time figuring out what it would be. The trick I told them was to first figure out whether the subject was singular or plural, then plug the words he or she in front of the word for singular nouns, and they for plural nouns. This will help them determine which one it should be.
Anyhow, this girl - let's call her Shanika - was having a hard time with it. Few is plural (one of only four pronouns that are plural, by the way. Words like everybody, which you assume would be plural, are singular), so I told her to plug the plural common pronoun in front of it. She was trying to, but still was getting the wrong answer. Suddently, though, she got it. She nearly shouted out, "They have!". Then she said, "Oh, okay, Mr. Epiphany. Holler back!". At this, I started cracking up, letting spill out my signature giggle, which I don't often express in front of my kids. I just couldn't hold it in. The kids exploded in laughter. All over a little "holler back." I just found it so funny. To Shanika, "holler back" was her word for "epiphany."
And how I love it when a kid has an epiphany.