Let's break it down into life categories this week...
School
LOVING it. First week of full, distinct grade lessons with pre-assessment and teaching objectives... That may not sound fun to you, but I'm enjoying getting to the core of what I'm here to do! The kids are about where I expected them to be, but it's nice to know for sure where they are and what skills need work. The first class of every grade unfortunately is tending to draw the short straw; I make fantastic changes after I see what went well/wrong in the first section =) We'll fix that.
Also, I might have a Friday job! There's a charter school that operates out of the same building as my public school and they don't have a music teacher this year... but the principal approached me about working Fridays for her students!! The school is only K-2 so far so I'd probably be able to squeeze them all into a day. And I could double on lessons. And instruments. And classroom. Waiting for ETM's approval, but even if they can't take on another partner school I may still be able to work for the charter if they have enough flex budget... we'll see!!
Home
Taking care of an apartment is tiresome work. Today (no school--thanks Judaism!) I cleaned and swept and did (am doing--just got one load in) laundry all day in addition to finishing up lesson plans. And I still want to exercise tonight... we'll see if that happens based on when another washer frees up for load #2... Additionally, I've had pleasant, VERBAL exchanges with several neighbors today. Who says you never meet your neighbors in New York? =)
Fun
Meghan had quite the birthday weekend!! We went out 3 nights in a row with varying degrees of partying intensity. Add one more sunrise evening to the list =) In other news I will not be spending any more money on fun until at least November.
Commute (might as well get its own category--at least 10 hours/week!)
I love crosswords now. Also, just finished "The Handmaid's Tale"--EXCELLENT read!! One of those "Oh man I really want to finish this, but wait--that means there's no more book to read! Must put down... Must read..." books. Highly recommended.
Love & Hugs,
Kate =)
Monday, September 28, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Cookies, Take Two
Success.
Apparently it is not enough to simply offer cookies. They must be left out on a plate in the main office for a full day. Cookies gone. I even got a "That was you who brought those? Just for that I'm bringing you that ladder first thing tomorrow morning" from the custodian. Now, if you've followed this blog for any length of time, you know as well as I do that there may or may not actually be a ladder in my room any time tomorrow. But at least they've been bribed.
Also, I feel a greater sense of familiarity with the teachers now... the lack of a teacher's lounge for mingling certainly doesn't help with getting to know people, but at least they come to class with their kids so they get to know me a little. I say hi to them in the halls now, and I think I have most of their names down.
Also, the KIDS!! Since I arrive and leave school roughly when they do and am frequently in the halls tracking down late classes (and ones that, for lack of a sub, don't exist for the day because their students have been split up into other classes--insane!), I get a lot of face time with kids outside of class. They all call out my name and wave and hug when they can... not altogether astonishing (FYI elementary kids like attention), but encouraging nonetheless. =)
Also, I'm addicted to almonds as an afterschool snack. Craving food high in natural fats means...?
Also, I've been using "Also" a lot lately. Oh Dwight...
Love, Hugs, and Funfetti Cookies!
KP =)
Apparently it is not enough to simply offer cookies. They must be left out on a plate in the main office for a full day. Cookies gone. I even got a "That was you who brought those? Just for that I'm bringing you that ladder first thing tomorrow morning" from the custodian. Now, if you've followed this blog for any length of time, you know as well as I do that there may or may not actually be a ladder in my room any time tomorrow. But at least they've been bribed.
Also, I feel a greater sense of familiarity with the teachers now... the lack of a teacher's lounge for mingling certainly doesn't help with getting to know people, but at least they come to class with their kids so they get to know me a little. I say hi to them in the halls now, and I think I have most of their names down.
Also, the KIDS!! Since I arrive and leave school roughly when they do and am frequently in the halls tracking down late classes (and ones that, for lack of a sub, don't exist for the day because their students have been split up into other classes--insane!), I get a lot of face time with kids outside of class. They all call out my name and wave and hug when they can... not altogether astonishing (FYI elementary kids like attention), but encouraging nonetheless. =)
Also, I'm addicted to almonds as an afterschool snack. Craving food high in natural fats means...?
Also, I've been using "Also" a lot lately. Oh Dwight...
Love, Hugs, and Funfetti Cookies!
KP =)
Friday, September 18, 2009
I feel like I'm taking crazy pills...
Though I spent 6 (unpaid) hours at school today, I accomplished very little. Why? Because it seems everything and anything related to the New York City Department of Education and its school system comes up a day late and a dollar short.
Exhibit A: Teaching License
Arrives! In September. 3 months after it's of any use for this school year...
Exhibit B: Class Schedule
It's made! Less than 12 hours before school starts. And it's got a lot of conflicts...
Exhibit C: Custodial Help
They finally filled my request! 4 hours after I made it. And not accurately enough to complete this project... Examples include finally unlocking a closet filled with musical instruments but failing to have time to help move any of said instruments (keyboards are a two-person job), finally arriving to slice off a lock to another closet only to interrupt a class period, finally delivering a ladder that is 3 feet shorter than I need to hang up posters. And seriously, none of these half-results occurred within 4 hours of the initial request. None.
So we'll see what gets done this year. The good news is I have all my instruments but keyboards, I have a good amount of posters up (although none higher than 6 feet), and everyone is friendly enough. Although no one ate any of the two dozen cookies I made for and offered to them today. Who are these people, and how am I going to eat 2 dozen funfetti cookies?? (If you book a flight now, you are welcome to share them with me =)
Also, I woke up late yesterday morning due to a faulty alarm clock battery--7:00 is the time I leave, not the time I frantically brush my teeth and assemble my belongings--and broke a flip-flop today. Good thing I can get ready in 8 minutes (new record!) and that Old Navy's on my route home. And that they had one--ONE--pair of flip-flops in my size. That happened to be the color of the ones I broke (white, FYI). Also, free bagel lunch today and wonderful Office premiere yesterday. I remain glass three-quarters full. I have to.
=) Kate
Exhibit A: Teaching License
Arrives! In September. 3 months after it's of any use for this school year...
Exhibit B: Class Schedule
It's made! Less than 12 hours before school starts. And it's got a lot of conflicts...
Exhibit C: Custodial Help
They finally filled my request! 4 hours after I made it. And not accurately enough to complete this project... Examples include finally unlocking a closet filled with musical instruments but failing to have time to help move any of said instruments (keyboards are a two-person job), finally arriving to slice off a lock to another closet only to interrupt a class period, finally delivering a ladder that is 3 feet shorter than I need to hang up posters. And seriously, none of these half-results occurred within 4 hours of the initial request. None.
So we'll see what gets done this year. The good news is I have all my instruments but keyboards, I have a good amount of posters up (although none higher than 6 feet), and everyone is friendly enough. Although no one ate any of the two dozen cookies I made for and offered to them today. Who are these people, and how am I going to eat 2 dozen funfetti cookies?? (If you book a flight now, you are welcome to share them with me =)
Also, I woke up late yesterday morning due to a faulty alarm clock battery--7:00 is the time I leave, not the time I frantically brush my teeth and assemble my belongings--and broke a flip-flop today. Good thing I can get ready in 8 minutes (new record!) and that Old Navy's on my route home. And that they had one--ONE--pair of flip-flops in my size. That happened to be the color of the ones I broke (white, FYI). Also, free bagel lunch today and wonderful Office premiere yesterday. I remain glass three-quarters full. I have to.
=) Kate
Monday, September 14, 2009
That was easy!
Not.
But it could have been a lot harder!
First day of school ever done forever. Still winding down from the day but overall pleased with the way things went. It took a few periods to fully reconnect with teacher instincts and rhythm but by the end of the day I had things down. I have a very busy schedule--but let's not ignore the accomplishment of possessing a schedule itself. That I received last night. And then another one this morning that strategically avoided 9:00 lunch breaks. Great news bears.
Things I learned today:
*Curly hair means pretty teacher.
*Pre-Kindergarteners have no idea how to sing? (We'll fix that.)
*All classroom teachers are equal, but some classroom teachers are better at classroom management than others. HUGE effect on my classroom management.
*It's not easy to put a kid in time out on Day 1. But you gotta do whatcha gotta do.
*Commuting up and down 4 flights of stairs all day wears out feet. Also, dehydration. (Office is back this week! =)
*Must snap out of teacher mode on public transportation. I almost broke up a pre-teen near-fist fight on a bus but then thought better. And then moved.
Still no instruments, still no ETM-provided posters. Working on it.
Love, Hugs, and TEACHING MUSIC!!
=) K
But it could have been a lot harder!
First day of school ever done forever. Still winding down from the day but overall pleased with the way things went. It took a few periods to fully reconnect with teacher instincts and rhythm but by the end of the day I had things down. I have a very busy schedule--but let's not ignore the accomplishment of possessing a schedule itself. That I received last night. And then another one this morning that strategically avoided 9:00 lunch breaks. Great news bears.
Things I learned today:
*Curly hair means pretty teacher.
*Pre-Kindergarteners have no idea how to sing? (We'll fix that.)
*All classroom teachers are equal, but some classroom teachers are better at classroom management than others. HUGE effect on my classroom management.
*It's not easy to put a kid in time out on Day 1. But you gotta do whatcha gotta do.
*Commuting up and down 4 flights of stairs all day wears out feet. Also, dehydration. (Office is back this week! =)
*Must snap out of teacher mode on public transportation. I almost broke up a pre-teen near-fist fight on a bus but then thought better. And then moved.
Still no instruments, still no ETM-provided posters. Working on it.
Love, Hugs, and TEACHING MUSIC!!
=) K
Friday, September 11, 2009
Addendum
So in reviewing last night's post I discovered I took on a much angrier tone than I intended in discussing music teacher qualifications and DOE expectations... Apparently the stress of not having one's classroom together plus long days and commutes plus an increasingly noisy upstairs neighbor puts on a bit of an edge... Apologies all around.
Mostly the situation of the musically deficient music teacher is more sad--sobering--than anything else. It's frustrating that the system would allow music teachers with little to no proficiencies into music classrooms with young, inexperienced, impressionable children eager to absorb whatever the music teacher sets forth as information and demonstration. It's sad that no one has told this woman that she probably shouldn't be a music teacher. I'm reminded of the plights of poor John Stevens or Sanjaya Malakar--it's not their fault that a panel of judges and a dumb voting public enabled their lackluster selves into the upper parts of the final 12... Their first, last, and only decision in the whole process was auditioning.
Omg this neighbor... I don't understand why anyone needs to watch what sounds to be news this frickin loud... Earplugs and moving my pillow haven't worked; trying fan as white noise tonight although it's rather cold. I'm giving this chump until Tuesday, then it's going down.
=) Kate
Mostly the situation of the musically deficient music teacher is more sad--sobering--than anything else. It's frustrating that the system would allow music teachers with little to no proficiencies into music classrooms with young, inexperienced, impressionable children eager to absorb whatever the music teacher sets forth as information and demonstration. It's sad that no one has told this woman that she probably shouldn't be a music teacher. I'm reminded of the plights of poor John Stevens or Sanjaya Malakar--it's not their fault that a panel of judges and a dumb voting public enabled their lackluster selves into the upper parts of the final 12... Their first, last, and only decision in the whole process was auditioning.
Omg this neighbor... I don't understand why anyone needs to watch what sounds to be news this frickin loud... Earplugs and moving my pillow haven't worked; trying fan as white noise tonight although it's rather cold. I'm giving this chump until Tuesday, then it's going down.
=) Kate
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Trivia and a rant. And a sunrise.
Facts you may or may not have known about New York City:
*People use the word "piggyback" frequently in conversation. As in, "To piggyback on that idea..." etc. I've heard it at least 2 dozen times in the past month, 4 times in the past 2 days.
*People use the term "bad news bears" frequently in conversation. Great news bears.
*9pm is domino hour on the streets of Inwood. Like, middle-aged men play dominoes on folding tables they set up on street corners.
*Ceilings and floors are paper thin. My upstairs neighbor watches the news, listens to heavy-bass hip-hop music, and may or may not play video games with machine gun sounds. Interesting fellow. I just wish he weren't so interesting at 1 in the morning...
*It's possible to lug around a guitar and a bag full of poster board through public transportation and not totally smoke everyone who comes in one's path. That may say more about my commuting skills than New York City.
*The Department of Education doesn't screen their music teachers for musical proficiency. Allow me to elaborate.
Our training days include a number of DOE (Dept of Ed) music teachers that are either co-teaching with ETM hires at our partner schools (schools with at least one ETM teaching artist) or working at schools formerly supported by ETM (who no longer need an ETM teaching artist because they finally got the DOE to give them a music teacher). Anyway. Many of these DOE teachers are just as competent as the rest of us--not to toot any horns but ETM is proud to be fairly selective in their hiring, and why wouldn't a music education organization?--but some... well... one...
Today I sat next to a DOE teacher who has been teaching PreK-1 at partner school new this year to ETM. They've hired a fabulous teacher for 2-5, but I will say that she definitely has her work cut out for her... The DOE teacher cannot match pitch (read: if tone deafness exists she's got it), cannot conduct a 4-beat pattern even with one-on-one instruction from four different people, cannot handle a guitar to save her life (guitars are hard to figure out at first... but not as hard as she makes it). Of course her incompetency reflects poorly on her own training (if she even has any credentials), but it seems that ultimately it reflects most poorly on the NYC DOE. How did this woman get hired??? Not every music teacher is going to be exceptionally proficient at every musical skill, but without the ability to sing, play a simple instrument, or display any semblance of coordination, she's going to have a tough time providing anything useful for her students. Littluns especially need superb modeling to assist in developing the foundation for the rest of their music education...
It's easy to second guess the situation and fall back on warm fuzzy excuses like "Well she must really be passionate about music" or "She must really connect well with the students". In reality, however, it IS important that a music teacher be a good if not great musician. Teachers who teach reading know how to read. Teachers who teach math know how to perform arithematic. Ridic.
But I digress... back to the illumination of little-known NYC.
*Sometimes waking up at 5:45am for an hour plus commute isn't so bad...
=)
KP
*People use the word "piggyback" frequently in conversation. As in, "To piggyback on that idea..." etc. I've heard it at least 2 dozen times in the past month, 4 times in the past 2 days.
*People use the term "bad news bears" frequently in conversation. Great news bears.
*9pm is domino hour on the streets of Inwood. Like, middle-aged men play dominoes on folding tables they set up on street corners.
*Ceilings and floors are paper thin. My upstairs neighbor watches the news, listens to heavy-bass hip-hop music, and may or may not play video games with machine gun sounds. Interesting fellow. I just wish he weren't so interesting at 1 in the morning...
*It's possible to lug around a guitar and a bag full of poster board through public transportation and not totally smoke everyone who comes in one's path. That may say more about my commuting skills than New York City.
*The Department of Education doesn't screen their music teachers for musical proficiency. Allow me to elaborate.
Our training days include a number of DOE (Dept of Ed) music teachers that are either co-teaching with ETM hires at our partner schools (schools with at least one ETM teaching artist) or working at schools formerly supported by ETM (who no longer need an ETM teaching artist because they finally got the DOE to give them a music teacher). Anyway. Many of these DOE teachers are just as competent as the rest of us--not to toot any horns but ETM is proud to be fairly selective in their hiring, and why wouldn't a music education organization?--but some... well... one...
Today I sat next to a DOE teacher who has been teaching PreK-1 at partner school new this year to ETM. They've hired a fabulous teacher for 2-5, but I will say that she definitely has her work cut out for her... The DOE teacher cannot match pitch (read: if tone deafness exists she's got it), cannot conduct a 4-beat pattern even with one-on-one instruction from four different people, cannot handle a guitar to save her life (guitars are hard to figure out at first... but not as hard as she makes it). Of course her incompetency reflects poorly on her own training (if she even has any credentials), but it seems that ultimately it reflects most poorly on the NYC DOE. How did this woman get hired??? Not every music teacher is going to be exceptionally proficient at every musical skill, but without the ability to sing, play a simple instrument, or display any semblance of coordination, she's going to have a tough time providing anything useful for her students. Littluns especially need superb modeling to assist in developing the foundation for the rest of their music education...
It's easy to second guess the situation and fall back on warm fuzzy excuses like "Well she must really be passionate about music" or "She must really connect well with the students". In reality, however, it IS important that a music teacher be a good if not great musician. Teachers who teach reading know how to read. Teachers who teach math know how to perform arithematic. Ridic.
But I digress... back to the illumination of little-known NYC.
*Sometimes waking up at 5:45am for an hour plus commute isn't so bad...
=)
KP
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Work in Progress... minus the progress...
Take that Wednesday, Tuesday won this blog war.
Today was my first official day as a teacher. No kids until Monday, but I got to sit through professional development that didn't apply to me (never will) and get down to the hardcore setup of my classroom. Kind of.
As mentioned previously, my room acted as storage for basically the whole school this summer. Extra furniture is allegedly being "taken care of" by the time Monday rolls around. "Ok, so if your room was storage, then clearly you at least have everything you need in the classroom," you might respond. False. No, friends, instruments are stored in a closet no one will access until later this week and music-themed decorations are in a closet (in my very room even) with a lock no one will slice open until later this week. Oh, and have I mentioned I'm not there later this week? That this was my one and only day to set up? I'm already anticipating a lump of instruments and a cascade of closet materials cluttering my room upon my arrival Monday. Welcome to music, kids...
In other news I do like being part of a school community, even if I'm not really an employee and everyone's too busy to tell me what the hell is going on. Although I did receive a school tour--unexpected and definitely helpful!! I <3 my assistant principal, way nice.
So I spent 9 working hours at school today, will get paid for 6, didn't take a lunch break until 3, and still have to get down to the main office some time to press out more die-cut letters for bulletin boards I didn't even know were mine until today. By about October, I expect my classroom and instructional organization to rock. But let's not expect anything grand until then.
Then I exercised (I was on a roll!), skyped with my Malaysian friend Ellen (so she's not actually Malaysian...), conference called Meghan into the action, and now am feeling suddenly exhausted. Every time I feel that way I remember the time my junior high French teacher explained to us that there are some words in French for which there is no English cognate. Her example: there is no single English word to indicate sudden exhaustion. Alors, je suis fatiguée.
=P
K
Today was my first official day as a teacher. No kids until Monday, but I got to sit through professional development that didn't apply to me (never will) and get down to the hardcore setup of my classroom. Kind of.
As mentioned previously, my room acted as storage for basically the whole school this summer. Extra furniture is allegedly being "taken care of" by the time Monday rolls around. "Ok, so if your room was storage, then clearly you at least have everything you need in the classroom," you might respond. False. No, friends, instruments are stored in a closet no one will access until later this week and music-themed decorations are in a closet (in my very room even) with a lock no one will slice open until later this week. Oh, and have I mentioned I'm not there later this week? That this was my one and only day to set up? I'm already anticipating a lump of instruments and a cascade of closet materials cluttering my room upon my arrival Monday. Welcome to music, kids...
In other news I do like being part of a school community, even if I'm not really an employee and everyone's too busy to tell me what the hell is going on. Although I did receive a school tour--unexpected and definitely helpful!! I <3 my assistant principal, way nice.
So I spent 9 working hours at school today, will get paid for 6, didn't take a lunch break until 3, and still have to get down to the main office some time to press out more die-cut letters for bulletin boards I didn't even know were mine until today. By about October, I expect my classroom and instructional organization to rock. But let's not expect anything grand until then.
Then I exercised (I was on a roll!), skyped with my Malaysian friend Ellen (so she's not actually Malaysian...), conference called Meghan into the action, and now am feeling suddenly exhausted. Every time I feel that way I remember the time my junior high French teacher explained to us that there are some words in French for which there is no English cognate. Her example: there is no single English word to indicate sudden exhaustion. Alors, je suis fatiguée.
=P
K
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Not being able to think of a good title probs spells trouble for the post...
Apparently blog inspiration only hits on Wednesdays and Sundays... or maybe those are the days that most frequently entertain boredom...
Meghan is here! We spent the last few days indulging in free and cheap NYC--success! Proudest accomplishment: receiving the equivalent of 2 beers and a personal pizza all for $6. PS: I kind of like beer now.
We visited my classroom Thursday... The room is huge, and clearly this fact has not escaped school administrators/custodians who have thusly used the space as a catch-all storage center for the summer. I have twice as many chairs, tables, chalkboards, and filing cabinets as I need, along with 4 computers (out of 4) that don't work. For whatever reason, the powers that be elected that the MUSIC supplies--a keyboard lab of 20 units and various other large and small classroom instruments--be stored in a closet down the hall behind piles and piles of general classroom teacher materials that won't be distributed until Tuesday. In general, I have my work cut out for me.
Tuesday will be spent in orientation and professional development meetings in the morning and classroom assembly in the afternoon. Between having to switch all my extra furniture for things that actually belong in a music classroom, decorating the walls with supplies to which I may or may not have access ("We'll either find you the key to that closet or slice off the lock..."), and putting up bulletin boards, it'll be a full afternoon. The first week of lessons may involve a lot of imaginative visualization of a nice-looking classroom...
I am a New York State Certified Teacher. Several months late and several dollars short, but good news for next year.
Continuing to carve out potential community... Meghan and I attended a young adult brunch after UU service today and met a lot of really nice people! Some slightly more awkward than others, but overall a nice bunch. =)
Hungry!
Kate
Meghan is here! We spent the last few days indulging in free and cheap NYC--success! Proudest accomplishment: receiving the equivalent of 2 beers and a personal pizza all for $6. PS: I kind of like beer now.
We visited my classroom Thursday... The room is huge, and clearly this fact has not escaped school administrators/custodians who have thusly used the space as a catch-all storage center for the summer. I have twice as many chairs, tables, chalkboards, and filing cabinets as I need, along with 4 computers (out of 4) that don't work. For whatever reason, the powers that be elected that the MUSIC supplies--a keyboard lab of 20 units and various other large and small classroom instruments--be stored in a closet down the hall behind piles and piles of general classroom teacher materials that won't be distributed until Tuesday. In general, I have my work cut out for me.
Tuesday will be spent in orientation and professional development meetings in the morning and classroom assembly in the afternoon. Between having to switch all my extra furniture for things that actually belong in a music classroom, decorating the walls with supplies to which I may or may not have access ("We'll either find you the key to that closet or slice off the lock..."), and putting up bulletin boards, it'll be a full afternoon. The first week of lessons may involve a lot of imaginative visualization of a nice-looking classroom...
I am a New York State Certified Teacher. Several months late and several dollars short, but good news for next year.
Continuing to carve out potential community... Meghan and I attended a young adult brunch after UU service today and met a lot of really nice people! Some slightly more awkward than others, but overall a nice bunch. =)
Hungry!
Kate
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Blurbs beat paragraphs
For some reason whenever I start typing in this box my brain tells me, "Look at all this space! You need to fill it with lots of words!" and I wax longwinded. Blurbs are more fun. So I present to you, in no particular order, a collection of status updates stored in my head over the last week but never published--until now!! =)
Kate Phillips...
didn't know broccoli could go so rotten so quickly.
singlehandedly fixed the leak in her fridge. Until the next time she changes the cold setting.
is fairly certain she does not have bedbugs but rather gnats. ...Hooray?...
walked from 91st St & 5th Ave to her apartment (Thayer & Broadway) in her least comfortable flip-flops simply because it was nice outside. Look it up, you'll understand why she currently is sporting blisters and achy quads.
went all New York on her upstairs neighbor with a pension for watching loud TV late at night by knocking on his door and requesting the volume be turned down at 1am. Then she went all Midwest and wrote a thank you note.
is super pumped for MEGHAN to come this afternoon!!
gets to visit her school tomorrow and hopefully rope MEGHAN into being her roadie/assistant mule...
loves Central Park under a cloudless blue sky. Or any sky, really. But particularly those without clouds.
smells Wartburg in fall weather. And misses it a little.
loves you all--come visit soon! Or at least call =)
<3 KP
Kate Phillips...
didn't know broccoli could go so rotten so quickly.
singlehandedly fixed the leak in her fridge. Until the next time she changes the cold setting.
is fairly certain she does not have bedbugs but rather gnats. ...Hooray?...
walked from 91st St & 5th Ave to her apartment (Thayer & Broadway) in her least comfortable flip-flops simply because it was nice outside. Look it up, you'll understand why she currently is sporting blisters and achy quads.
went all New York on her upstairs neighbor with a pension for watching loud TV late at night by knocking on his door and requesting the volume be turned down at 1am. Then she went all Midwest and wrote a thank you note.
is super pumped for MEGHAN to come this afternoon!!
gets to visit her school tomorrow and hopefully rope MEGHAN into being her roadie/assistant mule...
loves Central Park under a cloudless blue sky. Or any sky, really. But particularly those without clouds.
smells Wartburg in fall weather. And misses it a little.
loves you all--come visit soon! Or at least call =)
<3 KP
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