A New York City Teaching Fellow's Blog

Middle School

2010-08-18T05:58:00.001-07:00

I'm working on my final paper for the online courses that I'm taking. The topic is illusive: "What do middle schoolers do?" The instructor wants us to list books, movies, websites, cell phone usage, etc. to describe what middle schoolers do. I'm in a quandary over this. As I think of the differences in my middle schoolers from upper-middle class families in Houston versus my lower-income Dominican and Puerto Rican families that I work with in NYC, I'm painfully aware of how different the middle school experience can be!

"Miss, Can I...?"

2010-08-12T14:01:00.001-07:00

Heard at school ALL DAY: "Miss, can I help you move the stuff into the gym for the play?" "Miss, can I be the one to talk into the microphone for the Dance Competition?" "Miss, what are all these costumes for?" Miss, who did all of these scenery pieces?" "Miss, is it too late to sign up for the play?" "Miss, I want to sing at the dance competition. Can I sing AND dance?"

The really neat thing was when one of our students who normally only mumbles or vocalizes in a way that I cannot interpret ran to the microphone and launched into a crystal clear monologue taken from a radio show he had heard. Microphones and speakers should be required equipment in all classrooms of students with disabilities. You never know when someone will see a mic and find their voice!

Tomorrow is an exciting day, with the play and the dance competition. I am exhausted from trying to get everything ready, but it's a good kind of tired. Know what I mean?

Summer School

2010-07-25T06:03:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased (despite the heat) to teach summer school. There is a relaxed sort of energy to it. For starters, it's nice to see new faces. There are several teachers working in my school for the summer who normally teach at other schools during the year. (They are with us because their school did not offer summer school, and ours needed to fill a shortage.) Also, several teachers who are in my building normally during the year are working with other populations. For example, a couple of the 12:1:1 teachers are working with 12:1:4 kids. In my school, those ratios mean that teachers who normally work with Emotionally/Behaviorally Disturbed kids with Developmental Disabilities are, for the summer, working with students who have severe Developmental Disabilities, often combined with Medical issues.

I'm seeing alot more smiles from my fellow faculty members. That makes it so much easier to make it through the day.

We each had one observation. Mine went well, despite the fact that my printer did not spit out the proper number of pages that I needed.

I'm teaching drama for the summer, instead of music. We are doing an adaptation of Night at the Museum. More info on that in a future post!

The Baked Apple

2010-07-25T05:56:00.000-07:00

As a person who has live all of her life in the South (born in Louisiana, lived in Houston from 1985 til June 2009), I am quite accustomed to heat.

And please, fellow Manhattanites, do not talk to me about humidity. Instead, kindly refer to your maps. Houston (and Baton Rouge) are plenty humid, due to their proximity to large bodies of water.

The difference in New York is that we walk everywhere. You see, in the South, we move from one air-conditioned room to another, via and air-conditioned car that is parked within steps of whatever office, or home, or retail establishment we may be visiting. Not so in New York. We're going up and down subway steps (I'm waiting for the Bloomberg Initiative to clean and air condition the subways!), then walking a couple of avenues and several streets in order to arrive at our final destination. Til, of course, it's time to reverse all of those moves and go home.

We've had several consecutive days in the 90s, with a heat index into the hundreds.
Did you know that most New York City public schools are not air-conditioned? My classroom is air conditioned, but the hallways and common areas are not. This means that we teach in wonderful cool air, and then open the door to the hallway to feel the hot blast.

Alas. I will now cease my complaining. For now, I will also refer to my beloved city as The Baked Apple, instead of The Big Apple.

New Applicants

2010-07-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

Today I met a guy who was interviewing for a job at my school. It was incredible to imagine that I had been in his shoes only a year ago!

Funny, though, I shared the same butterflies in my stomach. Lots of smiles. Lots of balancing -- try to act confident, but maybe not too confident. Ask a number of questions in order to appear interested in the job. Try to muster intelligent responses to the questions the administration asks.

It was pretty cool -- they guy had seen my little group perform at Pace. He knew the name of one of my students!

I asked myself, if I knew then what I know now about teaching in a District 75 school, specifically in that school, would I do it? The answer: you betcha (to quote Sarah Palin)! Seriously -- I absolutely love my job. Each day I get a gift from some unexpected place. It could be a child who had previously been belligerent finally breaking out in a smile. It could be watching an angry, hostile rabble-rouser settle down and contribute to a job team. It could be helping to transform a student who previously could not sit through 2 minutes of drama warm-ups make it through an entire 40 minutes of participation with the group.

If they can make these sorts of transformations, I marvel at what I might be able to do in my own personal growth. Let's face it: everyone has flaws, quirks, habits, poor choices. Each day, I have the example of my students working valiantly to overcome seemingly impossible odds. And I know that my problems are, by comparison, oh so manageable.

Here's what has worked well for me

2010-06-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to cogently state what has worked well for me this year as a Teaching Fellow. Here are some scattered thoughts:

Avoid the negative. Schools in general tend to have lots of people lurking in the hallways and break rooms. They usually report that they are tired, things have never been worse, things used to be so much better, and nothing in the school is fair. Thanks to lots of work in positive thinking programs, I tried this year to steer clear of this kind of chatter. During a long, chaotic day, it can be lethal.
Don't take things personally. If they tell you to do something, it isn't that you have been singled out. Usually you've been asked to do something (fix a bulletin board, complete a data sheet, change something in your lesson plan) because somebody, somewhere else in the Department of Ed is watching the school. They usually don't look at the total student or the total program. They zero in on something, like bulletin boards, data, or lesson plan formats. If you've been asked by your administration to change something, just do it. Your life will be so much easier. Whatever pressure you are feeling, your immediate supervisor probably feels it 10-fold.
If you feel anger or frustration towards a kid, step back and take a deep breath. Dispel from your mind the thought that this is the day when you yell at him and he finally "gets it." Most educational experiences take place through long-term exposure to good information conveyed in a loving way. Most negative experiences in schools are due to a child remembering one day when a teacher yelled, threw an eraser, slammed a door, or worse.
Um...those statements were based on statistics I just made up. At least, it sounds correct.
Don't let the process of getting certified get to you. There are countless forms to complete, a few fees along the way. Mostly, there is a great deal of waiting. You wait to get into the Fellows' program. You wait to start training. You wait to find out your summer assignments. You wait for Fellows' training to end. You wait to make sure your Trans B papers are accepted. You wait to get a job. You wait for school to start so you can find out where your classroom is. You wait to meet the students. You wait...and wait...and wait...for the first paycheck. After awhile, the waiting ends. Or, you get so busy teaching, you hardly notice the waiting anymore.

More later.

My students will perform at the Fellows' Opening Ceremonies!

2010-06-19T09:57:00.001-07:00

It looks like it will happen...my students will perform on Monday for the Fellows' Opening Ceremonies. Nervousness doesn't begin to define my emotion. More like trepidation. We are taking selections from a larger performance of roughly 35 minutes and trimming it down to less than 5 minutes. Also, the original production was for 42 students. Our performance at Pace will have only 6 performers because of the time of day (getting parents to pick up after school).
Nonetheless, it is an honor -- no, it's a miracle -- to have been chosen to have students perform. Wish us luck!

How are the new Fellows faring?

2010-06-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

Hello out there...how are the new Fellows faring? If all goes well, you'll see me at the opening. My students have been selected to perform, but we're having trouble with transportation. I guess we will find out for sure who is going.

I would welcome a dialogue with anyone who has questions or comments.

It's hard to believe that I started this journey with the Fellows opening a year a 2 days ago!
Yes, it's worth it!

It's Been Almost An Entire Year!

2010-05-31T07:38:00.000-07:00

I have been humbled by several realizations: 1) it has been almost an entire year since I moved to NYC and began this journey with the Fellows; 2) several people have contacted me to let me know that they have read my Blog.
I'm sorry I let it go by the wayside. Truthfully, there were several weeks when it seemed irrelevant to update when there were no comments. Sort of like whistling in the dark, ya know?
However, with the new round of Fellows starting soon, I have renewed motivation.
The gist of the situation as of June 1, 2010 is this: I got a job at a District 75 High School in Manhattan. This is a school for students with multiple handicaps: mental retardation, physical challenges, emotional and behavioral challenges, and students on the autism spectrum. Most students have some combination of 2-3 of those "labels."
Last July, I went on more job interviews than most of my colleagues in the Fellows. I got extremely discouraged. I believe I was sort of an odd fit. I had taught before, but not as a certified teacher in a public school. I was older. And, I clearly had been searching for a new career, based on the job skipping in my resume from the prior 2 years.

The only job interviews that went anywhere close to a "let's have you in for a second chat" were music jobs.

Music jobs...

Imagine that! Here I had spent the past 20-some years teaching and getting burned out. I had spent the past 2 years trying desperately to find a job -- any job -- outside of music. I had even enrolled in an MBA program and was almost finished with it. Further, I had applied to the Fellows and had moved my life, and the life of my 18-year-old, clear across the country (selling the house, saying goodbye to friends, saying so-long to family) in order to get certified to teach Special Ed.

And they wanted me to teach Music.

Ugh.

I can only report that I was hit by some sort of reality check. Clearly if the only job interviews that went anywhere were in teaching Music to Students with Disabilities, then perhaps that was the good, orderly direction that the universe was sending my way.

At the very least, it appeared that it was the only way I was going to find a job.

So, I jumped in. I signed a contract. I sat for my school's Photo ID.

And I've never been happier.

More later. I'll update you on what has worked, what hasn't, and what I hope to achieve in the near future.

Ciao for now.

Oh -- I am enrolled at Pace. Don't worry -- it's a great school, even if you had not really ever heard of it prior to moving to NYC.

Anticipation

2009-07-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend is teeming with anticipation. I sent out several cover letters and resumes on Friday, and was shocked(because it's a holiday weekend) to get replies so I have an interview scheduled for this Wednesday at a school in the Bronx, and another interview that needs to be set up with a school in Brooklyn. I feel so lucky that D75 is city-wide; we can apply anywhere. This is working to my advantage, since I had originally thought that I would like living in the Bronx. Now that I'm here, I think I would rather live in Manhattan (who wouldn't?) or in Brooklyn.

Meanwhile, my much-awaited Field Training starts tomorrow. Am I bummed about the commute? Not really. It's a grand total of 16 sessions that will require me to dash from the Bronx all the way down to Pace. Surely I can endure that for 16 sessions. By the time I am halfway through, I'll find an easier, shorter way. And if not...well, one of the reasons I moved to NYC was because I have an odd fascination with trains.

I went to Mass today at a church very near my apartment. Lo and behold the entire Mass was a capella! Could it be that they are simply languishing in anxious wait for the arrival of Moi to deliver stunning keyboard kinesthetics each and every week? No...wait...a church wouldn't be lnaguishing, would they? More appropriately, a church would be in fervent prayer, pleading with the Higher Power to relieve them from their musical malaise. Hah! Let's hope! I wanted to speak to the priest after Mass, but he seemed to be doing the cursory handshake and smile. I'll send an email and if that doesn't generate any response, I'll send a hand-written note.

Of course, it could well be that the regular musician was on vacation. After all, it's a holiday weekend. Still, there was no mention of a musician in the bulletin. Let's hope.

In the meantime, I'm working away at assignments that are due for this week in SAF. (I forget what SAF really stands for. The basic idea is that we have a class/discussion in the afternoons 4 times a week for 2 hours that is facilitated by an Advisor from the Teaching Fellows. Someone who has more wisdom and experience, and who once was a Teaching Fellow.) Suddenly, it's a lot of stuff. Like -- there's a handout that requires us to group students in work groups and then explain why we chose the groups that we did. There's also a so-called Workfolio that's due (I'm still getting accustomed to edu-speak!). And then there's another random assignment that's due; I don't know exactly what it's called, but it involves taking 3 different students at different levels and writing something about diagnostics or assessments or something. Whatever. It all makes sense, and none of it is too difficult. It just takes organization.

I'm still taking a random online accounting course through U of Phoenix. I'm so close to getting the MBA with a focus in Accounting that I'm going to tough it out for as long as it's humanly possible. A gazillion people have an MBA. I had originally set out to do the MBA in Accounting when the markets suddenly melted down, curled up, sriveled up, and died. Then the NYC Teaching Fellows opportunity popped up and I think it would be an asset for consideration for administration -- or so I've been told.

Normally the U of Phoenix classes are extremely well-organized, with grading rubrics for each assignment, and a table that shows deliverables (is that MBA-speak or edu-speak? Not sure). However, they re-did the website so the rubrics have vanished (I emailed the prof and he doesn't know where they went) and the links that we need for this week's paper have been scrambled. On top of that, the disc which contains accounting problems that is due for next week does not seem to comply with my wishes. I can't get to the proper menu for the problems that are required for next week. Oh dear. I tried to spend this holiday weekend preparing for the tough 4 weeks ahead. Let's hope I can at least get an "E" for "Effort."

Fireworks last night were good, but we were near 29th street at 12th Avenue and all I could really see were the trees. My daughter promises that by next year, she will manage to get us an invitation to one of the private parties on the waterfront. Hm. We shall see. Knowing her, she might actually pull it off. Anyway, hat's off to the city for the 5 barges of explosives in the middle of the river, and the millions of people gathered around to watch. I thought the city did a great job of moving masses of people and keeping everyone calm.

Alas, I should return to my work on my MBA or my SAF, here in NYC where I'm studying the format of the IEP and the LRE in order to help schools respond to NCLB or CPAs with FASBs.

Did ya catch all of that?

There is Hope

2009-07-04T08:32:00.000-07:00

OK...I gotta admit...I'm the novice; the Green Pea; the Newb...whatever. But it seems like so many posts about teaching in NYC DOE are negative. Assaults. The Rubber Room. Whatever.

Anyone who has half a brain will surely realize that the schools are a mere reflection of what goes on in the larger society. These kids did not just spring up from beneath the subway tracks. They came from the gazillion homes, apartments, shared rooms, tenements, ghettos, and homeless sites we see throughout the city. Do they traipse into the classroom carrying the baggage of society's ills? I would be mystified if they did not.

My sincere hope is that I will bring a slight glimmer of hope to their day, for however few days they may care to show up in school. It can be done. People in this city are making a difference in kids' lives. Here is a link: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/07/02/autism.high.school/index.html

I was blown away. Within that link are several links to other sites on autism.

What an opportunity I've been given, as a New York City Teaching Fellow, to be of service in a way that few others can. If I can raise the achievement level of just one child who was otherwise considered a loss, I will consider myself a success.

That's do-able. There is enough support and there are enough ways to intervene, diagnose, teach, and assess to help at least one child out there. I can do this.

There is hope.

Happy July 4th Weekend, Everybody!!!!

2009-07-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

This is sooo totally cool! I am in NYC for the 4th of July Weekend, and I don't even have to check my ticket to see when my plane leaves.

For anyone following this blog from Houston...I sold my car this week! That's right! I have no more vehicle. I also don't have to panic everytime I pull into a gas station when I read the prices on the pump. I don't have to worry about the next repair bill on my 1999 vehicle that has 174,000 miles on it. And I don't have to make that next insurance payment. I never did find out what insurance would have cost for me and an 18-year old in NYC. Someone estimated it at $600 a month, which seemed about right. Ug. Dodged that bullet. I'm also really pleased that the car sold on Craig's List, rather than to the sleazoid "Sell your car for Cash TODAY!" guys. Two German students who want to travel to Canada bought it. They will roam about for 6 weeks, then try to sell it again. That might work. I think gas prices are supposed to go up some more, and the cost of Metro cards went up this week. It's a small car, good gas mileage -- and it no longer my problem!!! No more mad dashes down the six flights of stairs of my Greenwich Village walkup to move the car for the street cleaner! No more paying $35 to park it in a garage! No more tolls on the pike! Yippee!!

I must say, with my no-car status, I begin to feel like a true New Yorker. And it is truly an honor and a privilege to be a New York City Teaching Fellow.

First, some explanations: when I began this blog I really thought I would be writing at least once every-other-day. on the one hand, I'm sure you are pleased to not have my micro-announcements, on the order of Tweets, delivered to your blog reading lists. On the other hand, I do feel that the journalistic aspects of blogging have been lost in the great gaps in my posts.

Suffice to say that life is settling down, I'm settling in, and soon I shall be more diligent about updates.

Here is the current status: we have completed the first 2 week course at Pace, as I announced on my last post. In case I forgot to mention it, all of the District 75 Fellows are at Pace, and only at Pace. The other Special Ed people have been assigned to either City College or Hunter. This has turned out to be good...I had no idea that Pace had a reputation for being "one of those kinds of schools" but apparently to people from the East Coast, it raises a few eyebrows. Kudos to the Fellows office for arranging it all.

This week was a very light week for me and about half of the Fellows. We got our Field Training placements (for non-Fellows, that's where we are supposed to do our student teaching assignments during July). About half of us had to report on Thursday. I was fortunate enough to be in the group that doesn't have to report til Monday, July 6. I think that's a good thing. Having a few mornings off from Fellows obligations has been truly pleasant. However, on Monday, schools will have to deal with kids and their new Fellows. Those who went on Wednesday and Thursday of this week had the chance to meet the staff members and participate in professional development. Most of my fellow Fellows found this pointless, but...we shall see. It all comes down to whether or not they are truly expecting us.

Oh, my...speaking of that. Our FA (that's Fellows-speak for Fellow Advisor) warned us that some people would be very snooty to us. The Teaching Fellows are regarded as elitists, infantile, inexperienced, or just generally people of whom others are jealous. Fill in the blank. One of my fellow Fellows introduced herself to a gathering of teachers at her school who simply turned their backs and walked away from her when she indicated that she was a Teaching Fellow. Then, one brave person came back to her and asked, "So...you're planning to teach in the fall with NO prior experience?" The school administration at that location isn't much better. They have told her that she will conduct all of the Brigance testing for the summer school students. Brigance is a major part of the battery of assessments for students for the year. Why are they doing this over the summer, and why are they leaving it up to a novice teaching fellow who will only be there for one month? Mysteries and marvels. The real kicker: they haven't provded her with a binder that contains the entire Brigance testing materials. She had to ask our FA if there was such a binder, and could she purchase it online. Pushaw! Our FA will help to get her a copy. Those binders cost several hundreds of dollars. Each school should have at least one, if not more.

Anyway...
My school for Field Training is in the Bronx. I live in lower Manhattan right now. That gives me a commute of about an hour each way. That's not a big deal to me in the morning. In the afternoon it should be positively hair-raising. I have to leave my school, catch a bus, catch a train, and get to Pace University for classes from 1:15 til 6:30. It's not as bad as it sounds. There are only a total of 16 such occasions when I have to do this. It should be interesting, but not life-threatening. I'll take it one step at a time, and ask either the school or the prof at Pace to make the appropriate adjustment.

Speaking of profs at Pace, I was totally enthralled with the teacher we had for our first class. Our FA tells us that the next guy is really top-notch, but...I don't know...he has some pretty high standards to live up to in order to out-perform the teacher we had for Topics and Trends in Special Education. If you ever get a chance to meet professor Jan Yablow, do so. He is so filled with knowledge, it just comes bubbling out. Another nice thing: he was very charming and positive about the profession. Perhaps I've been around uptight musicians for too much of my education. In any case, Mr. Yablow, despite his 30+ years of experience as a state official, district official, and teacher of Special Ed, was able to bring a fresh and motivating spin to the whole scope of the profession. Really -- if you get the chance, you gotta meet this guy. Just got to the Whitney Museum. In retirement, he is now a docent.

Our FA is also a unique gem. She is on the website for the Fellows, but she is so much better in person! What a gift. She is part stand-up-comic, part coach, part shrink, part life-counselor, and generally a great person to have on your side! I'm so lucky to have her as my FA.

In addition to Field Training, sessions with our FA, and daily classes at Pace, we will also participate in Friday workshops with the Department of Education. The first one is a detailed workshop on the IEP. That's the document that spells out each Special Ed student's level of performance, goals, and services for the year. It's a federal document, really, since it has to be prepared and followed according to federal standards. However, we've done so much work on it in our Pace class, and now in our FA sessions. Hm. I hope this will be an interesting session with the DOE.

The other 3 Fridays in July will be taken up with Crisis Intervention Training. I'm totally psyched about this! That's where we learn strategies for de-escalating a student or a situation. We also learn how to protect ourselves and others physically in the event of assault. Whoa. Could be extremely useful info.

Speaking of the DOE, in one week we have had the sunset of Mayoral control of the schools, plus the rumor of the lifting of the hiring restrictions. We now have a school board, and principles now have the ability to hire us. Totally unrelated developments. I'm sad about one, and ecstatic about the other. I kind of liked the centralized control of having the Mayor at the helm, but it seems like the new board gives him as much, if not more, control of the schools. As for hiring restrictions, I figured they would get lifted eventually, but I'm thrilled that it is happening now.

We got paid our first stipend. Whoot! Money is a good thing. Speaking of which...I'm applying frantically for part-time work til I actually make it onto the payroll of the DOE. So far, an assisted living facility is willing to hire me, but I have to complete their physical exams. In the meantime, I'm applying at music schools, art schools, and special ed facilities. Something will turn up.

That's about it for now. Their's tons to report. I'll post again soon.

I Really Should Be Studying

2009-06-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

I really should be studying, but it's been so long since I've updated, I really felt the need to catch up.

We're completing the 2 week of class at Pace University. There are approximately 80 people who are designated to take positions in the NYC public schools in District 75, which is the designation for students with severe disabilities. The classes are great, but long. Most days we are in class from 9am til 6:30pm. This will go on til after July 4th; then we start each morning at our Field Training School, and then make the train trip to Pace for afternoon classes.

If I sound dry, wry or otherwise unenthusiastic, I'm exhausted.
I've found an apartment...after much ado! I answered a gazillion and one ads on Craig's list. Then I answered about 42 katrillion ads in The Village Voice. Houstonians would absolutely not believe the difficulty of renting in NYC. Of course, I have some significant hurdles to leap over. Let's start with my current credit report. Well...what do you expect after about 2 years of under-employment? Then we move on to the fact that I don't technically have a job until a principal signs a Letter of Commitment. Hm. And then there's this awkward little hiring freeze that the Union has forced the Dept of Ed to agree to until the 1200 teachers in the pool of laid-off teachers can be hired. At least, that's the concept of it. Nobody can really imagine a 3rd grade reading teacher from Staten Island making the trek each day to teach low functioning autistic children in the north part of the Bronx, but that, my friends, is the situation right now.

Back to the apartment thing. The other big dilemma is that I have a kid, a car, and a cat. Any one of those things complicates the search for an apartment in NYC. If it were up to me, I'd sublease a room in the Bronx. But...reality is, I have a kid, a car, and a cat. Landlords run from me as if I had the Swine Flu.

I worked with a broker, who left town on vacation after he handed the file over to the landlord. I was all approved, and was waiting for the landlady to call. I waited. And waited. And waited. Then, I waited some more. Keep in mind, I was commuting from New Jersey to make it in for numerous meetings with the Teaching Fellows. Not cheap. Not fun.

I answered one more ad for a sublet in Greenwich Village. We got it! We now live on the corner of Bleeker and 6th Avenue. Pretty swank. Tiny place, but swank. Oh -- I should mention -- we're on the 6th floor and there's no elevator. But, it's swank. I wish you could see it.

The joyous opening event at The Apollo Theatre was really cool. I did not know the tradition of the Tree of Hope that is placed on stage when someone performs. So, most of the speakers got on stage and rubbed the tree for good luck.

We saw some phenomenal public school performers (violins, twirlers, a band, some performance poetry/rap, a speech about economics) and heard some very inspiring speeches.

The Apollo Theatre was made all the more special today when I learned that Michael Jackson started his career there with the Jackson 5. For whatever you think of Michael, you can't deny that he's had a phenomenal career.

So at this point, we're on the eve of the final exam. we've done an entire 3 credit graduate course in 2 weeks, plus attended Teaching Fellows sessions from 4:30-6:30. Then we've had extra sessions from the DOE on things like data collection, assessments, etc. Papers, presentations, tests -- you name it. We've done it in the last 2 weeks. That's in the midst of applying for jobs, tending to family chores, getting summer field assignments -- busy, busy, busy!

Anyway -- speaking of tests. I've got a final tomorrow and a grid on disabilities due.
I'd write more, but I really should be studying!

We ascend from Texas to NYC

2009-06-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

OK, so this is catch-up day for the blog. There is so much to report, but I've been in OVERLOAD mode in order to report it all!
I made it to Minnesota, and met YAMI. I also met YAMI's room, and all of her stuff. Bear in mind: I was in my mother's Honda wagon. It's spacious for groceries. It is not designed for the wonderment of a Fashion Design major. The dress form went in first, then the sewing machine, then the serger, then the numerous vintage issues of Vogue, the boxes of fabric, the organizers full of beads, buckles, buttons, and other accessories. Then, the clothes, the posters, the textbooks. We filled the car, and still had a full dorm room. We ended up dismantling some fo the boxes and poking items in the tiny spaces that exist between items in a car. We looked something like the Clampetts (Beverly Hillbillies), packed up by the Weasleys (magically, from Harry Potter).

It was both joyous to see YAMI, but unsettling to realize that this was just her stuff, and the car we were taking to NYC was actually smaller.

Texas appeared on our horizons after our 2-day drive. What ensued was a frantic sale of goods on Craig's list. Now THAT is an amazing experience! We sold a Legos Table, Computer Carts, a Fridge, Washer and Dryer set, TV, Dining Room Set, 2 Sofas, Book Shelves, Baker's shelves.

And still we had a house full of stuff. How much stuff can 2 people really accumulate? HOW MANY STUFFED ANIMALS DOES ONE CHILD NEED? What didn't sell is safely put away in storage. Including the Piano. Ouch. That was tough to do.

Moving like this...it reminided me so of the 2 times we evacuated for hurricanes. Except this time, we weren't coming back.

The house is in process of being sold.

After a brief visit in Baton Rouge, we began the northern descent. Car trouble in Alabama delayed us for about 36 hours. No, wait, that doesn't begin to describe the gut-wrenching feeling of pulling off the freeway in Nowhere, Alabama, to hear the car (you know, the one that has all of our worldy goods that we have decided to take to NYC) come to a whirring stop, and simply not turn over again.

Fate, angels, good karma -- whatever -- we were very well taken care of. It seemed that my Ford Escort, c.1999, with 174,000 miles, needed a new timing belt. At the exit where we were there was a garage and a hotel. It could have been so much worse. After a recovered from the "OMG -- NOW what will we do?" the stay in Alabama gave me a day to rest and recover in prep for the journey to NYC.

Actually -- make that New Jersey.

I have become the stalker on Expedia. This little Texan has a car, a cat, and a kid. Any one of those is not a real problem in NYC hotels, though you will pay more. However, the combination makes us IMPOSSIBLE to place us into a hotel. Oh -- well -- maybe not every hotel. There is one hotel that was willing to put us up for the night. The rate was $169 per night (not bad), plus $100 per night for the cat (getting expensive), and $120 per night for the car (ya gotta be kidding).

So, knowing that we were here for at least a few nights til we secured an apartment, I booked us into a Motel 6 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Quite a place.

We're still here. It's been about 8 days. More updates later.

Stay tuned.

Updates

2009-06-14T08:22:00.001-07:00

Whew! It's been a long trek since I last posted. When I greeted you last from Senatobia, MS, I was en route to pick up my daughter from her freshman year at Univ of Minnesota. Sadly, she has decided not to return. Long story, which I'll get into later.

I've made the drive from Houston to Minnesota several times. My daughter attended Concordia Language Villages for several summers. The challenge of the drive from Houston to Minnesota is not the length of the journey -- it's staying awake during the long stretches in Oklahoma and Kansas.

This time, I was pleased to take the alternate route. I was departing from my mother's home in Baton Rouge, and was to drive almost straight north. The AAA maps had me routed on interstate highways, which would have taken me several hundred miles east only to have me then swerve over to go into the Twin Cities from Wisconsin. I thought I would be wise, and take federal highways. Save time. Save gas. Save miles. See the country.

See the country I did. It was intriguing for about the first 6 hours. However, I realixed that I had only made it through Tennessee and the day was over. Yikes! I would never make it to the Twin Cities on time for her to clean out her room and pack the car.

The neat thing was, on the way, I saw every imaginable form of school. Consolidated schools. One-room school houses. There was the 3rd school of the 2nd district of such-and-such a township, somewhere in Missouri. There were massive high schools. The other interesting thing were the numerous titles for school districts. Some are School Boards. Some are Public Schools. Again, the Consolidated School designation pops up. Some are just hte name of hte city and "Schools."

When I first moved to Texas I was stunned to realize how many public school disctricts were in the city called Houston. I think it's something like 34 different school districts? They are all called "Independent School Disctricts." Recall the Lone Star mentality. The designation of "Independent" school districts means that they are able to set their own curriculum and run their schools (budget, hiring/firing, athletics, etc.) however they darn well please. The concept of state standards is relatively new to Texas. It's a cumbersome, expensive prospect. Instead of state curriculum, each independent school district has its own curriculum planning committee, with employees, printed materials, workshops, seminars, teacher-in-service days -- you name it -- in order to impart that particular Independent School Disctrict's curriculum. Go ahead -- drink from the Kool-Aid!

Baton Rouge Schools, with which I am vaguely familiar, has only one main public school district in the captial city. This has been a little shaken recently when a region of the city, called Central, voted to withdraw funds and participation in the so-called East Baton Rouge Parish Schools. Seemed revolutionary at the time, but since then they've gotten bogged down in small-town politics and can't seem to move forward with a clear plan.

Bottom line on this post: as I drove across country through little tiny towns, it was apparent that education has so many looks, and feels so different, from one town to the next. It's amazing we can preserve any common American identity or culture, given the huge range of our educational expriences.

Greetings from Senatobia, Mississippi

2009-05-10T21:36:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Senatobia, Mississippi. Gee whiz! How would you like to be a first-grader tasked with writing that as you addressed your first envelope. I would imagine that more than one child has scrunched the letters around to the side, or simply gone on to the next line. How many letters is that anyway? I'll have to tell my daughter. She balked as a 1st grader that I had named her Jacqueline. I personally loved the name Jacqueline; still do as I type this. Admittedly it is a bit unfair. 10 letters, versus some name like Lisa, which only has 4. How about Ann? Ann gets off really easy in 1st grade. Two letters and then repeat the last one. Here's to the Anns of the world!

Senatobia, Mississippi is the first overnight stop in my road trip to pick up my daughter from the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities. Two days' drive up, then a day packing the car, and another two days back. Lots of time to reflect on the greater issues of education, relocating, career, and life while I drive.

The debate on Gotham Schools.org rages. What in the world did I get myself into? The proverbial can of worms writhes and wriggles over which teachers are better prepared: those who graduate from 4-year education degree programs, or those from alternative certification programs. Toss into the discussion the question of the excessed teacher pool leftover from last year (and the accompanying hiring priorities), and the writhing, wriggling can of worms boils over into a thick worm stew. Yuck!

Meanwhile, when I'm not perusing the internet or adding to the digital debates, I am working on my paper for Week 4 of my 6-week class on strategic issues. The fact that the professor let us choose our company and keep the same company for preparation of six papers for the course, combined with the fact that he approved my study of District 75 of the Department of Education has been a mixed blessing. On the one hand, I am enjoying the immersion research I am having to do on budgets, organizational structure, and mission for my soon-to-be employer. On the other hand, it's a little bit overwhelming. I wonder how much of this level of strategic planning goes into managing a school district. Or the Department of Education as a whole. It gets back to the debate, "If we ran the schools like a business, blah, blah, blah."

Wait. I don't know about that. Not alot of businesses are successful at strategic planning and implementation. Witness the current economy and we see disastrous examples of strategic planning and implementation. How can I be so sure? Well...do you think they planned to get us into this mess?

The week 4 paper is on Strategic Issues. We are to differentiate between generic strategies and grand strategies. Then we are to benchmark with other companies on at least 5 of the 15 issues outlined in the text by Pearce and Robinson: Strategic Management, 9th edition, 2004.

I'll keep you posted on my progress. It's due tomorrow at midnight. Don't forget, I'm driving about 13 hours tomorrow, from Senatobia to St. Paul. Should be lovely. Rolling hills, green grass, blinding rain, scattered tornadoes. Yes, yes, my mother told me: "Be Careful!"

Senatobia, Mississippi. Imagine trying to live here if you speak with a lisp. Thenatobia, Mithithippi.

I'll close tonight's entry with a spelling lesson. They only teach this way in the south, I think (I hope).

MISSISSIPPI is spelled M - I - crooked letter - crooked letter - I - crooked letter - crooked letter - I - humpback - humpback - I

I have not a clue as to how to spell Senatobia in Southern-ese.

Am I delusional? Is this really happening?

2009-05-08T18:52:00.000-07:00

Today, Toyota announced that it had record losses in the last quarter. This is the first time in the company's history that it will post a net loss for the year. And, next year looks like it will be worse. That's ominous. It also sounds like self-defeating prophecy. Oh well.

Why do I care? Well, from October 2008 until January 2009, I was employed by a Toyota dealership, located in the so-called Energy Corridor of Houston, Texas. In fact, being in NYCTF is not the first time I have been in a certification program. Formerly, I was in a program to attain status in Certified Toyota Sales.

"How did that go?" you might ask.

The location of the dealership where I worked is called the Energy Corridor because within a 10-mile strip of I-10, virtually every oil company in the world has an office. Chevron. Exxon. BP. Schlumberger. Shell. Conoco. A few others. They all sit there in gleaming glass towers overlooking landscaped lawns and shimmering fountains, waiting for the oil to flow in ecosystems throughout the world. Most of these people buy $50,000 every two years from their dividends and stock gains.

I thought I would be fine in the slumping economy. I even shrugged the day I walked into the dealership as CNN was showing all of the Toyota executives bowing their heads as the news of the first-ever loss for a quarter was announced. Ever the optimist and liberal, I thought globally, not locally. People will always buy cars. Bah. People in this part of THIS town will always buy high-priced cars.

So, I got my certification. Certified Toyota Sales. Yup. And then it all came tumbling down. Gas prices plummeted. Pink slips churned off HR printers.

People came into the car dealership thinking we were giving cars away. I never quite got that. Why, if Toyota posted a loss, would we give a car away? Wouldn't it make more sense for us to raise prices in order to offset losses?

Prior to that, from March 2008 until October 2008, I worked for a Financial Services company. We did financial planning, insurance sales...right...you probably know what I'm going to say next. Don't get me wrong, now is a wonderful time to consult with a financial planner. In fact, people have gotten the message that in a down economy, it isn't good enough to follow your own investments on the likes of E-Trade or Ameritrade, or whatever. No, you really need an experienced broker to give you sage advice. That's the key. Experienced. I was so green and everyone knew it. For that matter, everyone I was calling on was broke. And they were angry. Kind of like I felt after spending 3 hours with a Toyota customer only to have them walk out because I wouldn't take $10,000 off of the price.

I was new to financial services because I had taught piano in my home for 28 years. Ah, that's where the name comes from. For almost 3 decades, I taught upper-middle class, mostly private schooled children how to play Chopin, Mozart and Beethoven. It was idyllic. I was also suffocating in my 4 walls. I still love music. It's just the confines of my house were just that -- confines. To save my love of music, I needed to get out. I needed a different job.

I had always longed in an office. I wanted the business suits and the clickety-click of my high heels into the board room. Who knows, that might still happen. In the neo-economy. Post 09. Why did I leave piano teaching? My clientele was slipping. I had previously made an excellent living. However, kids were dropping. I could have replaced them, you know, drummed up more business. After all, most of my clients stayed with me for about 10+ years, through most of their school years. No. Time for something new.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I'm starting to get it that my timing is lousy.

I began to look into teaching as a source of stability. You know, health insurance, pension, salary (not commission). I k new I didn't want to teach music in public schools. I also didn't want to stay in Houston any longer.

NYC. That's it. I always wanted to move there. Thought about it right after finishing a Master's in Piano Performance. Trouble then was I listened to the naysayers, rather than to my heart.

Fast forward, and I'm on my way. I beat the odds and got into the NYC Teaching Fellows. I can even bring alot of the experience from teaching piano with me, since I worked with several special needs children through the years.

It should all work out, right?

Egads! No! This can't be happening! Public school teaching was supposed to be secure. Am I having a nightmare? Have I jinxed every profession I look at? Now I'm reading these press releases about the NYC Teacher hiring freeze. How is this even possible?

Sigh. Big sigh. Heave.

Yet, I really am going to continue with the plan. About 75% of my stuff is in boxes right now. I've contacted someone about buying the house. I cancelled internet today, for god's sakes! Now that shows a real commitment to moving!

But I wonder...am I delusional? Is this really happening...again? Like Toyota? Like the financial services company? Like piano teaching?

Ever the optimist...again...maybe I really am delusional. A school that had been trying to schedule a phone interview with me has persisted in its efforts to set up something. The Assistant Principal is clearly in overload mode. Hah! I call. He calls. I email. He emails. Seriously, several rounds of this over the course of 3 days now. He probably wants to hire someone to take his job just so he can catch up on email and phone calls.

Another school had set up a live interview for the first week of June. They've not called to cancel. Still another school emailed and said they would like for me to call them when I am on-the-ground in the Bronx. Another principal nicely wrote that he received my resume, and he would keep it handy if he had an opening. That was nice, and encouraging.

District 75, Bronx, is probably some of the least desirable teaching in the world. Probably nobody in the reserve teaching pool would touch those jobs, even if the city offeered to pay for their 2 hours of commuting time each day from Manhattan.

But, you know what? It really is right up my alley. I love special needs kids. I love making that connection where few others can. And I'm totally psyched to move to the Bronx. Crime and all.
(Speaking of delusional...don't kid yourself...there's plenty of crime in my neat upper-middle-class neighborhood of Houston. They just found a body last week in the bayou near my house! And 3 break-ins in the next block...crime is everywhere.)

So, if I am delusional, at least I'll get a change of venue for my delusions.

If nothing else, I'll get to go into the crown of Lady Liberty when she re-opens on July 4. That beats Hermann Park and the Houston Symphony any old day.

and, as my family loves to remind me, I can always move back to Louisiana.

La La.

My Goodness! Such invigorating colleagues!

2009-05-04T22:49:00.000-07:00

My Goodness! It seems that as a NYC teacher, I will have such invigorating colleagues. There are such opinions and ideas available. One could easily never crack an ed textbook...just go online. I really like the blog for Gotham Schools. And this one caught my eye today: http://itsnotallflowersandsausages.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-low-can-you-go.html
The teacher describes the antics of her colleagues during "demo" lessons (lessons which applicants present to groups of teachers). I'm glad I read it. Now I won't be offended if I face a group of teachers who are hung-over, asleep, eating breakfast, texting, or otherwise distracted. I'll just chalk it up to life amongst other teachers.

Swine Flu, WMD, and the 2000 Recount

2009-05-02T16:14:00.000-07:00

Swine Flu continues to grab the headlines. Right now I'm in LA LA Louisiana, where there are 23 suspected cases. No confirmed cases. Not yet. 23 suspected cases.

Great. So they've closed several schools, mostly in the heart of cajun country, which is Lafayette. The Baton Rouge diocese is trying to figure out if they should make an official recommendation on drinking from the chalice and exchanging the sign of peace. They showed a church on TV that had a huge bottle of hand sanitizer right next to the Holy Water font. Holy Sanitizer? 'Scuse me, Father...has this sanitizer been blessed?

Ahem. Back to the topic. 23 suspected cases throughout the state of Louisiana have caused Governor Jindal's office to recommend closing. SwineFlu.org (yes, there really is such a site) has posts for every state except Louisiana. A curious omission. Texas has 38 posts. Some other states have 40-something posts. Washington state has 72 posts. I guess they have much to say in Washington state on SwineFlu.org. New York has only 18 posts. A paltry sum in comparison to Washington state. For once, New Yorkers are out-done in the literary and speech departments.

I'd like to see something like the statistics on injuries and deaths from texting while driving. How about just general cell phone usage? I mean, isn't it true that more than 23 people die from regular flu each year, and it doesn't make headlines?

This all has the twinge of deja vu. The WMD search. You remember, a few years back when we were certain there were weapons of mass destruction. Out there. Somewhere. Let's invade someplace and then we can take control of the government. Yeah. Then we'll find them. Those elusive weapons of mass destruction.

CNN. com today mentioned something about a war against swine flu. Ah. You see. I'm not making up this connection. Just like we declared war in order to search for weapons of mass destruction, we are now going to declare war on viruses in order to search for cases of Swine Flu.

Briefly, a few days ago, they showed the nostalgic counter at the bottom of the screen on Fox news. It made me think of the vote recount in the 2000 election. The Florida votes would change for each of Gore and Bush as the chads were counted, recounted, contested, and ruled upon. Bush would go up one vote. Gore would go down. Gore up. Bush down. etc. I fully expect them to implement a SwineFlu count crawler if they can just...well...find a few confirmed cases.

Next school year I'll be painfully aware of public policy on these matters. I've been watching NYC DOE to see how panicky they get. You know, in Texas, they cancelled all public school athletic events. That's a BIG deal in Texas. Remember, I come from a place where they have high school football games in the Astrodome. Surely this is the plague, not just the alleged Swine Flu.

As it is, I still have to get all of my immunizations required by NYCTF and the DOE. Normally I balk, but think this time I will sally forth and expose my arm to the needle. Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and something else. I think it's Tyfoid. I know I had them when I was a child, but that's been awhile.

As I said in another post, this NYCTF thing is not for wimps.

Packing

2009-05-01T07:23:00.000-07:00

A now-familiar pattern emerges. I've been traveling to Baton Rouge, Louisiana (the city of my birth) frequently in order to help my mother. She is recuperating from her second heart valve replacement surgery in 3 years. It hasn't been easy for her. She doesn't especially like to be around people, and since Feb. 27 she has needed round-the-clock care. Not a pretty picture emotionally. Reclusive personalities do NOT thrive with personal care 24/7.

Since she's not very pleased about me moving to NYC (she would much prefer that I leave Houston, where I've lived since 1985, and move right back into my old bedroom -- but please close the door and don't bother her), I'm trying to spend as much time with her as possible. Ah! As I proof-read this, I begin to see another pattern-- that of mixed messages.

Lately I'm with her during the week, and at my house in Houston on the weekends. The now familiar pattern that I mentioned emerges. I have boxes. I certainly have stuff to put into the boxes. But all I want to do is prowl the internet, daydream, speculate, blog, read...and there is certainly enough material on hand to fill the hours doing these activities.

Alas. Time is of the essence.

I posted a bunch of appliances on Craigslist. Apparently I should be asking much more $$$ for this stuff. That's based on the overwhelming response to the ads. I thought $140 was going to be a tough sale for a 15-year-old washer and dryer pair. Literally dozens responses within hours of posting. Hm. Is it 'cause they are Maytags? Now, 1.5 days later, my email box is overflowing. Do this many people have such passion about clean laundry? Dunno. The same response was elicited by the post about the stove, the fridge, a TV armoire, and a dining room set. I'm weighing my options. I really thought this stuff would be tough to unload. I will be around another month. I think I'll hold off, use the stuff a little longer and re-post. At higher prices.

Sorry bargain shoppers. I've got bills to pay, too. Plus, you haven't read the letter from NYCTF that I have. All of this alarm about not finding a job. Yeah. I should hold out for higher resale prices if at all possible.

I find the dichotomy of the press from MYCTF to be almost schizophrenic. On the one hand, they tell you about the rewards of teaching. Helping to close the acheivement gap. Reaching out to children in NYC public schools. Changing lives, one child at a time. Wow. With all of those warm fuzzies, who needs comfort food?

On the other hand, they tell you it's the hardest job you'll ever do, you'll get angry and frustrated, and at least half the time, you won't know what you're supposed to do. So -- Young Fellow, here's a Master's degree program and a mentor to help you muddle through.

Then, after placing huge requirements (read this, sign that, respond to this, get your immunizations, take a 10 hour course online, now take 2 other 2 hour courses, send your transcripts, don't miss class over the summer OR ELSE) they tell you to find a job by such-and-such a date, but then...know that you may not find a job...it's not NYCTF's fault...it's because of the economy and the schools and the principals...but by Jan. 15 2010 find a job or we no longer love you. If you find yourself unemployed by Jan 16, 2010, you will no longer be in our special club of NYC Teaching Fellows.

Gee. In your last letter to me, you congratulated me for getting in.

I'm so confused. Does anyone else catch the mixed messages, or is it just me?

In 10 days I leave on a road trip for 2 days to Minnesota, pack up my 18 year old daughter who has just completed her freshman year at Univ. of Minn, Twin Cities, and return to Houston to make final closure on the house.

Given the market, I'm going to sell the house to an investor. Probably a short sale. The neighbors will be peeved. I bought the house in 1992 under very similar circumstances. These homeowners don't like investors or renters. Oh well. Maybe they would like to relieve me of my mortgage obligations.

My cat seems adorably oblivious to the brewing storm. He's been angry with me for taking him to a friend's house while I have been in Baton Rouge. Well...keep it in perspective. My cat is always angry.

For now he is curled up on my computer bag taking a nap. Note, he will perk up when I arise from this place and actually start fiddling with fun things like boxes and climb-ables. However, he has no idea that he will soon be loaded up into his cage in a very cramped Ford Escort from the last century (1999 was a great year for the Ford Escort, as my car exhibits), travel for 2.5 days, and arrive in the Bronx, NY, at a sublet that is as yet un-sub-let.

Well...I guess I better get busy. Sunday will be here before I know it, and then it's back to Mom in Baton Rouge to relieve the siblings.

Enrolled!

2009-04-30T22:39:00.000-07:00

Today, April 30, 2009, I officially enrolled in the New York City Teaching Fellows Program. This is definitely a serious move.

The NYCTF office made sure that I understood that I was not guaranteed a job. They also seem to be giving us a little more time this year to find employment. We have until mid-January 2010 to find a teaching position. If we haven't found anything by September, we are to enroll in an additional pre-service training, for which we will receive a stipend and we will not have to pay for college coursework which will continue. Hm. Sounds curiously like a practice teaching assignment. God, I hope that doesn't happen to me.

The fellowsplacement people have been extremely helpful. I've asked them a bazillion questions, and I'm not sure they knew all of the answers. In other words, I think on at least one occasion I sent them scrambling to find the proper reply. The quesiton I posed had to do with the District 75 schools. On the main District 75 site, they list something like 12 schools, plus home instruction and hospital instruction. Yet, when you pull up the directory, each school may have as many as 7 other locations and program.s My question had to do with writing a cover letter that really suited the person who would be reading it. I needed to know if each individual program had a principla, or if the principle at the main school would conduct the interview and hiring process.

NYCTF fellows' placement office says to address the cover letter to the principle. If anyone knows anything different, please let me know.

Another question: do we have DOE ID numbers so we can register on the Open Market Hiring system?

Alas, I diverge. Talking about jobs and careers always causes me to expound.

Enrollment. That was the main topic. So, apparently they anticipate that a fair number of people will not accept the invitation to join. This will allow them to consider one of the numerous people who have been awaiting a decision, at least 35% of whom must be on Live Journal.

Apparently less that 1 in 10 applicants got accepted. so, if they have accepted 750 of us (where did I hear that number), that means more than 7500 applied. Glad I got in with numbers like that.

Anyway, from here it should be a pretty intense process. The next thing to await: university assignments. I'm worried about money over the summer, but truthfully, I'm looking forward to the classes this summer. Special Ed, Bronx. Does anyone know which university program I'll be in?

Thanks for the comments.

46 Days

2009-04-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

The NYCTF Learning Management System provides a countdown of the 2 courses I have remaining to complete prior to beginning pre-service training. Today, the Learning Management System informs me that I have 46 Days to complete it. This will bring us to June 14. Pre-service training commences on the 15th.

My one complaint about the Learning Management System is that it is very slow. It challenges my Internet-Induced ADD. The other day, I had roughly 45 minutes of available time. I thought I might log in, complete some of the coursework, and then go about my business. I logged in and watched the download bar creep ever so slowly across the screen. C R E E P, C _ R _ E _ E _ P _ , C r e e ...Forget it! I "X" out of the screen and went back to Craig's list.

I'll get to it eventually. I'm actually looking forward to it.

Last night I participated in the Webinar for newly accepted applicants. Nice of them to host these events. I must say, all of my interactions with this organization have been positive. Perhaps the reason they recruit from all across the country is that non-New Yorkers really have a certain awe of the New York approach to things. You hold multiple occasions of the same basic event, you offer explicit transit system directions to local events, you give plenty of time for basics, a meat-and-potatoes sort of presentation, and then time for a Q & A. It's all so logical. This would never happen this way in Texas.

I know. I attended 3 different alternative certification meetings in Texas. Not good experiences. Very much in the mode of "This is Texas. This is the way we certify teachers. Take it or leave it. Bye now. We need to clear the building. Oh, and to participate in our alternative certification program you need to pay a $75 application fee, take a college entrance exam (despite the fact that you must have a college degree to enter an alternative certification program, one must also pay $29 to take the TASP, which is the Texas version of the ACT), then pay over $5900 + books and other fees for schooling, and then pay for certification, fingerprinting, background check etc...another $200. Now. Please leave. We need to clear the building."

Seriously. I will be so glad to relocate to NYC. I know, I know, I know that there are problems. But really...Texas is the state in which the legislature recently debated whether or not people should be allowed to carry firearms to work. They finally decided that it's OK, as long as you leave your gun and the ammunition in the trunk of your car. This -- in the middle of a down economy when people are getting pink slips.

Then, ever mindful of the needs of the education system, the following week the legislature debated whether or not college students should be allowed to have firearms on campus. You know, instead of taking the approach that college campus violence is a serious concern and maybe we should take steps to dis-arm everyone. Oh, no. In Texas the approach to violence is simple: "Lock and load!"

Not a single person that I talked to caught the irony that on the 6 o'clock news in which the reporter delivered the recap of the legislature's debate, the very next story was the report that Stephen F. Austin University had gone on temporary lockdown that day because there was a bomb threat. "No one was injured...Coming up next...weather and then sports!"

Thus, my heart has been warmed by the signs that I have seen on my recent visits to NYC, "If you see something, say something." Can you imagine if the Texas approach to the possibility of violence carried over to NYC? "If you see something, shoot first and ask questions later."

OMG

My years in Texas have been good, and I will miss certain aspects of the Lone Star State. However, the longer I stay, the more I realize that I actually don't belong here. My faith in the basic goodness of humanity somehow has been squelched by living in the Capital Murder Capitol of the World.

(soundtrack begins) "It's up to you, New York, New York!"

An Obsessive Mind is a Terrible Thing to Leave Unattended

2009-04-26T22:16:00.000-07:00

Do you remember that ad a few years ago...OK it was more than a few years ago. It was more like 15 years ago. But WHO's counting!!!

I think it was for the American Negro College Fund. They would show this person working diligently on homework, playing basketball, helping younger siblings, generally doing wonderful things. Then they would say in a very somber voice, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."

I would like to embellish upon that and say that for me, an obsessive mind is a terrible thing to leave unattended.

At the moment, I have LOTS going on in my head. My mom is needing someone to be with her while she recuperates from her second open-heart surgery. That's OK, but she lives in another state from where my house is, which currently needs lots of TLC while I try to market it to an investor. Forget the retail market right now...I'll never sell it that way!

Then there's the simple matter of packing up a house where I've lived for 17 years, raised a daughter, homeschooled, taught piano at home, etc. Yes -- packing it up and consolidating. No U-Haul for me. If it doesn't fit in the Ford Escort, it is NOT going to NYC with us!

All of that would keep me plenty busy.

Add to that the fact that I'm still finishing up this MBA. Someday, if I want to go into school administration (I think the buzz word is School Leadership), the MBA might prove useful to give my resume that certain -- ah-- shimmer.

And now -- enter my highly obsessive mind. Instead of tending to any of that business, I would much rather comb the NYCTF website for any new updates ( I can't wait to take the 2 new courses they posted), and then OBSESSIVELY look for apartments, sublets, rooms for rent, etc.
Then I want to gaze at the map, plan routes...Like -- hah! Routes to WHERE??? I haven't found out yet which college program I'm in, and I certainly don't have a school yet.

I should follow the 12-step advice and take it "One Day at a Time."

Yeah -- that's what I'll do. I'll take it One Day at a Time. But first, let me pull up craisglist again and see if anything new popped up!

Just kidding.

Alert: NYCTF is NOT FOR WIMPS!

2009-04-25T14:43:00.000-07:00

OK...I just need you people to know: NYCTF is not for the lazy, the non-proactive, the impatient, and definitely NYCTF is NOT FOR WIMPS!!!

Now truthfully, I am such a computer geek that I am loving the online courses. After completing my 10 hour Special Ed course, they posted links to two other courses, each of which is 2 hours in length.

Bear in mind, I'm still in an online MBA course, which has daily requirements for posting, individual and team work. However, being the technoid that I am, I love getting information on the net.

In addition to this, I've been informed that I will have to get shots. Yup. Immunizations. The same actually applies to my cat if we decide to fly to The Big Apple. The cat will be fine. I'm not so sure that I will be. I wonder if it is appropriate to ask for a general anesthetic in order to get immunizations.

I see from the NYCTF website that my undergraduate alma mater, located in the Deep South, courteously forwarded my transcripts to them. This is news. I was shocked that LSU did not have the ability for its alums to order transcript online through the PAWS system. (Get it...PAWS...Personal Access Web System...catch the wink to the famed LSU Tiger Mascot...)In fact, by STATE LAW, alums do not get a PAWS number. STATE LAW? Does the legislature of the Great State of Louisiana have nothing better to do than to draft, debate, and vote on legislation that pertains to the interfacing of LSU alums with the online system? Egads. Obviously I'm not the only one appalled by this, since they have the link to the statute on the PAWS website.

Harking back to behaviors I thought I had left in the last century, I wrote a letter, inscribed a check (for $1, since the first 2 transcripts sent on any one day are free but the 3rd one costs you a dollar, as per university regulations), addressed an envelope, and affixed a stamp to Louisiana State University requesting that they send 3 copies of my transcript to NYCTF.

Alas...I digress...but the transcript thing with LSU is in such stark contrast to the online coursework of NYCTF...or the rest of the world, for that matter.

I believe I mentioned the need to "man up" in order to fully participate in NYCTF.

Here's the reason I feel one cannot be a wimp and be a New York City Teaching Fellow: the whole admissions process is an endurance test. They should just give us the certification when we finally make it to June.

At this point, we have each undergone information gathering on the website in order to make the decision to apply, completed a fairly rigorous line of questioning and essay writing in order to complete the application, waited patiently for any word, received news of the interview, waited patiently, attended the interview, at which we waited patiently, waited patiently for the results of the interview, received word of acceptance, waited patiently, received word of books to read, eligiblity forms to complete, transcripts to send, immunizations, state testing, borough surveys, meet and greet, fingerprinting, job search info, etc., etc., etc., (please refer to my earlier post on all of the things to do even before training). The irony with all of this: I'm not even ENROLLED in the program yet! To my knowledge, none of us are, since I don't think they've posted the official enrollment details.

At this point in the process, I pity the poor individual who waits several days before checking the website. There's just so much information that goes up every few days.

And we haven't even enrolled yet.

I'm so excited to get my university assignment, I can hardly stand it. Did I mention patiently waiting?

I worked on my resume, but I have to leave it some critical spots blank for now because a) I don't fully understand the District 75 designation -- email is in to NYCTF office to find out how to seek jobs specifically District 75 Bronx), and b) I don't know which university program I'll be in.

Patiently waiting.
Teeming with excitement, but patiently waiting.

The Special Ed Online Course

2009-04-23T22:31:00.000-07:00

Kudos to NYCTF for putting together an outstanding 10 hour online course. The purpose was to get us introduced to the profession of Special Ed, some of the terminology, the structure of the NYC Department of Education (I had no idea that the mayor was in charge of it all), and a description of the various teaching environments of Special Ed. Overall, I found it interesting, and filled with information. the most helpful bits were about NYC schools in particular. Most of the Special Ed information I had read about elsewhere, though at this point I'm sure I'm in for several reviews of what makes in IEP, what are the laws surrounding Special Ed services, etc.

To summarize: the creators of the course did an excellent job of pulling together a vast amount of information and presenting it in a way that was easily understood, and actually very palatable.
Bravo!

Clearing the Personal Clutter

2009-04-19T22:27:00.000-07:00

So in my last post I talked about all of the stuff to do, and to REMEMBER to do in order to prepare for training, which is to prepare for teaching...Sigh.

I didn't even go into the myriad of personal tasks that I've got to tie up.
For starters, there's my house in Houston. Great neighborhood, but it needs some TLC. In this market, it will likely sell as a tear-down. Actually, in any market, it probably would sell as a tear-down. The bad news is that I will probably have to do a short sale. Oh well. Beats foreclosure.

Then there's packing. Oh, dear. Not only my stuff from 15 years of living there, but also the stuff of my 18-year-old child. We homeschooled there. Homeschooling generates alot of clutter. She is a fashion designer and costumer designer. Designers generate alot of clutter. I taught piano here. Teaching at home generates alot of clutter. You get the picture. I am SOOOOO looking forward to the zen of my existence in NYC. I won't be able to afford a large apartment, so: voila! out with all the clutter! Yippee.

I have numerous friends who have been with me on my journey as I changed from being a stay-at-home piano teacher to getting licensed to sell insurance, to selling Toyotas (yes -- I was a car salesperson!) to doing basic telemarketing, and now -- back to a totally different format of teaching. First of all, I need to meet with each of them and catch them up to where my thinking is at this point.

Houstonians are a very geo-centric group. Nobody in Houston really ever wanted to live in Houston, but once they're here, the general ease of living sort of intoxicates people into thinking that it's a great place to stay. Yet, nobody likes the weather for roughly 10 months of the year. The freeways are studies in the politics of the concrete lobbyists. There is positively NO scenery.

Thus, it will be tough to convince many long-standing things that this move to NYC will be a good thing. The best I can hope for is smug, tacit acceptance. Secretly inside many will think, "You'll be sorry...and then you'll move back!"

Actually, guys, I don't think so. Houston consistently has worse pollution ratings than NYC. And that's really saying something!

Anyway -- clearing the clutter in some of those relationships will be a formidable task.

I have now told my family in Louisiana. They know that I have wanted to relocate to NYC for quite some time. I must say, I expected far more "clutter" to clear with them to somehow gain approval for my decision to move even further from them. My mother has been very ill recently, and it has been convenient for me to be a mere 4 .5 hour drive away. Soon that will all change. However, JetBlue flies from JFK to New Orleans for only $89. I find that remarkable.

I look forward to finding a new group of friends, new community, new neighbors. I think once I'm settled in to the new environment, the old clutter in my mind will simply clear away.

Ah! So many details. So little time.

New York City Teaching Fellows

2009-04-16T20:47:00.001-07:00

In the last few days, I've grown accustomed to the sound of the New York City Teaching Fellows. As I've told more and more people about it, they seem suitably impressed. I'm frankly 100% impressed that I'm one step closer to having a job with a steady paycheck, benefits, and a clear career path.

Which brings me to my first realization: I've still got to market myself to principals. I've heard a few references of being relegated to a Teacher Reserve or teacher pool if you haven't found a school by a certain date. That's obviously not desirable, since those would be in schools where nobody else wanted to teach. However, I've always been able to bloom where I'm planted, so I think I could even survive that storm.

The storm that I'm not surviving so well is managing my thoughts. Constantly, my mind is racing from one detail to another: I have to find a place to store my piano, I have to sign up for standardized tests, how am I going to decide what to take and what to store, should I store things in Houston which is where I've lived since 1985, or should I store things in Baton Rouge, which is where my family is? WHAT ABOUT MONEY? Deposits, temporary housing, transportation to get there...it all costs money, which I seriously lack!!

Whew. Take a deep breath.

Today I realized that one source of my anxiety is that on the NYCTF site, there are numerous tabs, each packed with lists and descriptions about what to do and what to expect. Frankly, I'm quite impressed with this. I mean, the number ongoing tasks that the staff for the Teaching Fellows program have to deal with has got to be staggering. Remember: we think they are only dealing with those of us who have been accepted. They have also dealt with the thousands who applied and did not get accepted. All that paperwork. All that time spent poring over applications. I get bleary-eyed just thinking about it.

So far, I have identified the following tasks that have to be done before I can even start training. Oh yeah -- and none of these tasks actually relate to securing an actual teaching position, but I absolutely must do them in order to be eleigible to teach in the Fall:
1) Complete the Training and Job Search Preference Survey
2) Complete the Eligibility Verification Form
3) Arrange to have Transcripts sent from Undergrad school -- that was interesting...I graduated in 1985, before Al Gore, et al, invented the Internet. I am unable to log in to the LSU PAWS system to order a transcript online, and they don't accept registration over the phone. The rules explicitly state that Alums of the LSU are NOT allowed on to PAWS. I feel unappreciated by my undergrad institution. See if I contribute any $$$$.
4) Immunization Form -- that's going to be a challenge. I'll have to research that. I usually get deathly ill when I get an immunization.
5) Register for standardized testing. I have to take LAST and CST.
6) Read an extensive book, TdSA Special Education Guide Book. A mere 604 pages.
7) Read an Independent Study Guide

Additionally, MYCTF suggested I attend one of their classroom observation sessions. It's for 2 days in June, before the training actually begins.

Eventually they will publish a procedure for actually enrolling in the program. So far I'm just accepted, but haven't officially enrolled.

Also before training I will need to take a 10 hour online course.

I start university classes in June, along with subject area training. I also need to get fingerprinted. Maybe I should do that before training starts, since they have assured us that we will be VERY busy once training is underway.

Oh. Yeah. That job thing. I need to prepare my resume, cover letter, and get busy sending it out to principals.

Just re-reading what I've written, I understand how and why the staff members have things on separate little tabs on the NYCTF website. It's pretty overwhelming, and you don't need to know everything all at once. Just do the next right thing.

Any suggestions, anybody?

Thoughts on the Readings

2009-04-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

Wow. I could become a real Special Ed geek. I was fascinated by the learning process before. I've been an avid fan of pedagogical materials for several decades. This passion fueled my career as a teacher of classical piano, and also my experience homeschooling my daughter.

I'm doing the readings for our pre-service training. On p. 26 of the Special Ed Guide, I found the following:
"As a first-year teacher in a high-need school, you are not likely to be able to make school-wide changes. you will not be able to change your students' backgrounds or home lives. You are, however, in complete control of your own teaching, as well as your ability to serve as an advocate for your students' unique needs."

Exciting News

2009-04-14T23:05:00.000-07:00

After months of exploring options, and weeks of anticipating the results from the New York City Teaching Fellows, I received word: I have been accepted for the 2009 Cohort.

I have a gazillion emotions: excitement, fear, joy, trepidation, caution, daring...Notice that many of those emotions are in opposition to each other.

I received word on the NYCTF website on Friday. Thus far, I have been very cautious in telling others about it. For starters, I've been under-employed for so long that my friends, family, and acquaintances each will have an opinion as to what I should be doing, in what city, in which field, and for what amount of pay.

Then, there is the not-so-easy task of liquidating my life and possessions in Houston, finding an apartment, and moving to a city known for tiny, incredibly expensive apartments.

I will view it all as an adventure. Hah! Given my very slim bank account, it's right up there with rock climbing and bungee jumping!

The other concern is that I have so much reading to do. What is the length of that guide we're supposed to read? 900-and-something pages? Egads. Like -- I'm supposed to work between now and then, you know.

It will all work out. The universe has smiled upon my desire to move to the Big Apple and start a new chapter. I just need to do the footwork, and the details will fall into place.