Oil Spills, the book

We have day-long meetings these days, and it's hard for me to sit still. I've tried weighing myself down with boxes, and that helped somewhat.

But today we got to read new books. Mine had a sad otter on the front. It was tragic.

It's a hilariously not-so-age-appropriate book about oil spills, with a clear political bent. So sad! Apparently there's an oil spill a day somewhere. And if I learned anything from Saved By The Bell, it's that ducks don't like oil spills and it's sad for everyone.

Wangari Maathai

I got to sit on the floor and be read to today. It was inspiring. 

Another teacher read us a kids book about Wangari Maathai, who is maybe the most amazing lady. 

She was born in 1940 grew up in a village in Kenya, helping grow crops. She was a stellar student and won a scholarship to go to college in the U.S. She ended up with a Masters and then got a PhD from the University of Nairobi. This was way before Columbia accepted ladies, period.

When she returned to Kenya, there had been tons of deforestation. So she planted some trees, planted more, and got local women to plant trees themselves. Somehow in the process, she spent time in prison for causing trouble. This whole thing started the Green Belt Movement, which has now resulted in over 30 million trees being planted. 30 million!

Am I the only one who didn't know about this? 

She got the Nobel Peace Prize and is now part of Kenyan Parliament.

Cheesy moment? Yes. 

Inspiring? You bet.

Hello, ladies!

Project!

We will open with 6 classrooms, each of which needs to be named after a special lady. Some parameters:

• She must have gone to college.
• She must have had a positive influence on her community or profession.
• Her accomplishments must be able to be understood by 5- and 6-year-olds.
• As a whole, the group needs to be ethnically diverse.

So far, I've got Majora Carter, Michelle Rhee, and Indira Gandhi.

Suggestions?

I need to doodle

We have lots of meetings before school begins. I'm all for it, really. It builds school culture and sets expectations.

But I have to be on my best behavior.

This is hard for me because I can't sit still. One of our professional norms is "Be Fully Present" and I really can't.

I usually doodle, and the helps me focus. But I've been getting some sneers, so I've tried not to doodle. It doesn't work. I nod off.

Back To School

On the first day of 90+ heat, my summer is officially over. And I started teaching at a new school. Eek!

It's brand new. Like first year new. 

We're on a bright yellow floor in a giant middle school building. It's a typical NYC public school building, which means it has a labyrinthine system of up and down stairwells, old brass doorknobs that say "NYC Public Schools," and gigantic windows that require multiple pulleys and poles to open.

The cafeteria has scary, anthropomorphized foodstuffs painted on its walls. I hope I adjust.

So far, it's just teachers. Kids come later.

Summering

You can't argue with 6 weeks of paid vacation, on top of other vacation, so I won't. But summer can be difficult. 

I don't do well without routine. When I was in elementary school, I would make myself a daily schedule:

• 8:30 wake up
• 9:00 swim
• 10:00 snack
• 10:05 saved by the bell (it was on TBS)...

But so far, I have been keeping busy. For example, I have gone to IKEA twice on the water taxi. And I might go again because it's that fun. Today, I am looking forward to a trip to the hardware store and the laundromat. Adventure!

Chapter Complete

Official last day. Had to say goodbye to the deli slicer... the giant spider on the ceiling... and everything else.

Hey, at least I got to be a touristy mom and document everything with my camera. And they gave me a plant.