Yesterday some friends and I drove to Solo to hang out and to celebrate some calm. Three friends have parents and/or friends coming within the next month, one got a promotion over the weekend and will have a lot more responsibility at work, one is facing language school evaluation tests this week, and I was headed back to school after spring break. So it was nice to get out of town and spend some time together before we all get too busy to.
We definitely had some unexpected highlights of the evening.
The first was finding Mason jars at Ace Hardware!! Ace Hardware here is VERY different from Ace Hardware in America. Basically, it's not even a hardware store. It is a very expensive upscale home furnishings store. They do have small lawn and garden, automotive, and power tool departments in which most of the items are imported. I don't shop there very often because I can't afford much there. But they sell imported Tide laundry detergent (for $22) and GooGone (for about $12 a bottle) and scented soy candles (for $17) and reed infusers (for $25). I sometimes like to go in and just walk through the aisles and smell all of those familiar smells. Anyways, I have never ever ever seen Mason jars for sale in Indonesia, so when I found them for a dollar each, I bought 6 pint size ones, and they are now my new drinking glasses. Stoked.
The second was stumbling upon a children's hip hop dance competition in the mall. With the exception of one kid who could spin on his head, the competition mostly consisted of 12 year olds in baggy clothes trying to look as ghetto as possible while they jumped up and down and waved their hands in the air on stage. We spent 99% of the time trying not to laugh at them, bless their hearts. It was definitely some great amusement for the evening!
The third thing happened while we were enjoying frozen yogurt and donuts, also in the mall. There were four guys and a girl sitting at the next table over from us, and soon after we sat down, one of the guys came over and asked us if we would be willing to model for him. Turns out, he's a local fashion designer and is planning on doing a shoot soon with his new line. I got his (very awesome looking) card and said we'd be in contact if we are interested. Playing it cool. I have to confess, I kind of want to do it just for the experience of having done it. A new adventure!
Other than that, there was one very amusing conversation that took place...
Aswan: I want to go to palace.
Me: You want to go to the palace?
Aswan: Yes.
Me: It's already dark out though... Wouldn't it be better to go during the daytime so you can see?
Aswan: Um... Maybe. We can go another time.
*an hour later while eating dinner at the best Italian restaurant on Java*
Aswan: PAYLESS! You thought I said PALACE! I said PAYLESS!
Me: .....what are you talking about?
Aswan: Earlier I said I want to go to Payless. The shoe store in the mall. You thought I said palace.
Me: OOOOOOH! Yes, yes I did.
Aswan: That's why I was so confused! I didn't know why I had to go shoe shopping in the daytime! I thought maybe it was an American thing, like you only shop for shoes when it's light out or something.
Me: Hahaha! No, it's not. We can go to Payless tonight. Do you need more shoes?
Aswan: Yes. I need variety.
Me: Oh my goodness...
Aswan: I like shopping!
Haha... For the record, even once I realized what he was saying, I still couldn't tell the difference between his pronunciation of "palace" and "Payless".
19 March 2012
18 March 2012
Home
Home from Bali. When I unpacked, I put everything I bought on the kitchen table for Aswan to review. And I realized what is most important to me. Not new clothes. Not souvenirs. It was FOOD. I bought about 20 pounds of food. Havarti cheese. Arm and Hammer baking soda. Lindt chocolate. Muesli bars. Candied cashews. Balinese coffee. And on and on and on. ILOVEFOOD! Haha...
I also had another realization today as I was thinking about going back to work tomorrow. I would take 20 hours on a bus to Bali with 14 high schoolers over going to work any day - it is way less stressful. And if you have never spent 20 hours straight locked on a bus with 14 teenagers, then you don't fully understand the complexity of the situation. Let me be clear - I came to the realization that I am REALLY dreading going back to work this week. And it is 100% because of the environment of conflict that has somehow been cultivated at our school this year. It seems like every day there is this coursing undertone of division and judgement and hurt. It rarely affects me directly. But I feel it. And it wears on me. I didn't realize how much until I spent a whole week away from it. This week in Bali was so low key and laid back and full of good memories and time spent with some of my favorite people in the world.
So I think that's why I'm still awake at 12:09 the night before school starts. I want to enjoy the last hours of my week away. I'm not ready to let it go yet. I don't want to go back to work.
Summer, please hurry up.
I also had another realization today as I was thinking about going back to work tomorrow. I would take 20 hours on a bus to Bali with 14 high schoolers over going to work any day - it is way less stressful. And if you have never spent 20 hours straight locked on a bus with 14 teenagers, then you don't fully understand the complexity of the situation. Let me be clear - I came to the realization that I am REALLY dreading going back to work this week. And it is 100% because of the environment of conflict that has somehow been cultivated at our school this year. It seems like every day there is this coursing undertone of division and judgement and hurt. It rarely affects me directly. But I feel it. And it wears on me. I didn't realize how much until I spent a whole week away from it. This week in Bali was so low key and laid back and full of good memories and time spent with some of my favorite people in the world.
So I think that's why I'm still awake at 12:09 the night before school starts. I want to enjoy the last hours of my week away. I'm not ready to let it go yet. I don't want to go back to work.
Summer, please hurry up.
11 March 2012
09 March 2012
Pi Day!
Pi day is a math holiday celebrated on March 14th (3-14). I began celebrating it in my college nerd days, and I brought it to Indonesia with me. Since pi day occurs next week and we have spring break next week, we celebrated it today instead. Students memorized the digits of pi (record for the day – an 8th grader recited to 123 decimal places from memory), wrote songs about pi (I might try to load some of the videos later if the internet is behaving… HILARIOUS stuff), and ate lots and lots of pi! I mean… PIE!
Yesterday, the three math teachers made the nerdiest, silliest pi shirts we could think of out of some old shirts and sharpies we found.
And then I couldn’t resist trying on the crown intended for the winner of the pi memorization contest. So here is me web-camming myself (and a clearer shot of my shirt – anybody know what it means??? Only a few students could figure it out!).
Happy Pi Day a few days early!!
07 March 2012
SRSLY?
Am I the only person alive who can’t understand the stupid internet security thingies that I have to type in order to post stuff on the internet?
I always get them wrong multiple times, and then I feel dumb, and then I just don’t want to post anything anymore.
The alternative is the audio captcha, where you can listen to words equally as jumbled up as the examples above and try to type what you hear. You should try one of those once, just for fun, even if you aren’t blind.
I AM NOT A MACHINE!
9th Grade Test
They came mostly prepared. But they still can't figure out that if they have a question, they should not carry their test through the room all the way to my desk to ask or shout my name loudly. RAISE. YOUR. HAND.
I've gotten a couple of interesting questions from them this period though.
1. Problem: Write the equation of a parabola whose vertex is at (-2, 3) and whose focus is at (-4, 3).
Student: So is this saying that the vertex is at (0, 0)?
Me: No. It says right there it's at (-2, 3).
Student: Oh..... *long pause* Why?
2. Problem: BONUS - A cell phone tower services a 14 mile radius. On a hiking trip, you are 7 miles east and 12 miles north of the tower. Are you in the region served by the tower? You must show work to get the bonus point - you can't just guess yes or no!
Student: Do we have to show work to get the bonus?
3. Problem: Tell what kind of conic is represented by the given equation.
Student: *loudly without raising hand first* For number 8, are there 2 "l"s in ellipse or just 1?
I've gotten a couple of interesting questions from them this period though.
1. Problem: Write the equation of a parabola whose vertex is at (-2, 3) and whose focus is at (-4, 3).
Student: So is this saying that the vertex is at (0, 0)?
Me: No. It says right there it's at (-2, 3).
Student: Oh..... *long pause* Why?
2. Problem: BONUS - A cell phone tower services a 14 mile radius. On a hiking trip, you are 7 miles east and 12 miles north of the tower. Are you in the region served by the tower? You must show work to get the bonus point - you can't just guess yes or no!
Student: Do we have to show work to get the bonus?
3. Problem: Tell what kind of conic is represented by the given equation.
Student: *loudly without raising hand first* For number 8, are there 2 "l"s in ellipse or just 1?
FINALLY!
Tonight at the store, I found somebody who gets even MORE attention than me!
First of all, let me preface this by saying the roads were busy and the store was packed when I got there. While driving (only about 1/2 a kilometer), two different guys shouted things at me, two teenage girls on a motorbike screamed, "YOU ARE MY SEESTER!", and more than a few kids dropped their toy cars to stare at me driving by. When I got to the store, there was a herd of parents with small children crowded around the front, waiting for their son or daughter's turn to ride the lone mechanical pony or car or whatever it is. They all stopped to watch me walk by. Once in the store, a few people in the checkout line got distracted from pulling items out of their baskets as I walked by.
So I got the few things I needed while pretending to not understand the things other shoppers whispered to one another about me being white.
Then I got in the checkout line. There were 3 people in front of me: an older lady, a young girl with a jilbab (head covering) on, and a man covered in tattoos. He had lots of piercings too. And wouldn't you know, it took that little girl a solid minute to even notice that I was standing there because she was too busy staring in awe at the tattooed man.
And then when she noticed, her eyes got really big. And she looked at me for 5 seconds. Then looked back at the man for 5 seconds. Back at me. Back at the man. She was visibly conflicted about who deserved to be stared at more. Until finally she had to turn around to pay for whatever she was buying, and the moment was over.
I was tempted to get the guy's number so I could invite him with me everywhere I go to offset the attention on me. But in the end, I just paid for my things, waded back through all the crying children waiting for their turn on the pony, and came home.
First of all, let me preface this by saying the roads were busy and the store was packed when I got there. While driving (only about 1/2 a kilometer), two different guys shouted things at me, two teenage girls on a motorbike screamed, "YOU ARE MY SEESTER!", and more than a few kids dropped their toy cars to stare at me driving by. When I got to the store, there was a herd of parents with small children crowded around the front, waiting for their son or daughter's turn to ride the lone mechanical pony or car or whatever it is. They all stopped to watch me walk by. Once in the store, a few people in the checkout line got distracted from pulling items out of their baskets as I walked by.
So I got the few things I needed while pretending to not understand the things other shoppers whispered to one another about me being white.
Then I got in the checkout line. There were 3 people in front of me: an older lady, a young girl with a jilbab (head covering) on, and a man covered in tattoos. He had lots of piercings too. And wouldn't you know, it took that little girl a solid minute to even notice that I was standing there because she was too busy staring in awe at the tattooed man.
And then when she noticed, her eyes got really big. And she looked at me for 5 seconds. Then looked back at the man for 5 seconds. Back at me. Back at the man. She was visibly conflicted about who deserved to be stared at more. Until finally she had to turn around to pay for whatever she was buying, and the moment was over.
I was tempted to get the guy's number so I could invite him with me everywhere I go to offset the attention on me. But in the end, I just paid for my things, waded back through all the crying children waiting for their turn on the pony, and came home.
06 March 2012
Messy
Me: Ben. You need to start picking up your garbage before you leave my classroom. I'm tired of cleaning up your desk for you every day.
Ben: Think of it this way - I'm teaching you how to be a good wife someday.
Ben: Think of it this way - I'm teaching you how to be a good wife someday.
05 March 2012
Julian is Showing Some Improvement
Poem for today.
Ms. [my last name] was a teacher,
She really should have been a preacher,
Because she has a soft voice,
People have to rejoice,
She looks like Taylor Swift,
Which is really big gift.
At least this one rhymes.
Also, the family who was out of country having a baby that I was covering Yearbook class for came back! This is my first day of NOT having yearbook class, and I'm not sure what to do with my extra planning period today... It feels weird.
Ms. [my last name] was a teacher,
She really should have been a preacher,
Because she has a soft voice,
People have to rejoice,
She looks like Taylor Swift,
Which is really big gift.
At least this one rhymes.
Also, the family who was out of country having a baby that I was covering Yearbook class for came back! This is my first day of NOT having yearbook class, and I'm not sure what to do with my extra planning period today... It feels weird.
9th Grade Gets Pantsed
I realize I just posted about 9th grade less than 2 minutes ago. But then this happened.
Me: Richard. Have you found your math book yet?
Richard: No. It's lost.
Me: Have you been looking for it?
Richard: No.
Me: You should. Because if you don't find it, you have to pay for it. And in the meantime, you have no math book.
Richard: How much does it cost? I'll just buy a new one right now.
Me: Or you could just look for your old one.
Richard: I always lose things. Everything. Pens. Pencils. Papers. Books. Everything.
Me: Perfect...
Ani: Oh, I understand that! I always lose things too! I lost two cell phones on the angkot (public minibus) last year!
Me: Wow... TWO?
Ani: Yeah. And then I lost my pants on the angkot.
Me: Richard. Have you found your math book yet?
Richard: No. It's lost.
Me: Have you been looking for it?
Richard: No.
Me: You should. Because if you don't find it, you have to pay for it. And in the meantime, you have no math book.
Richard: How much does it cost? I'll just buy a new one right now.
Me: Or you could just look for your old one.
Richard: I always lose things. Everything. Pens. Pencils. Papers. Books. Everything.
Me: Perfect...
Ani: Oh, I understand that! I always lose things too! I lost two cell phones on the angkot (public minibus) last year!
Me: Wow... TWO?
Ani: Yeah. And then I lost my pants on the angkot.
Voodoo and Seating Charts
The 9th graders officially think I do voodoo on the board during class. They are basically in awe of how math works every time I explain a complicated problem. They understand how to do it, but they still claim that I do black magic. I find this extremely amusing.
Right before 9th grade, during 10 minute break, a 10th grader came to my room with a proposed new seating chart. See, there is this girl he likes, but there are also 2 other boys in the 10th grade who like her. Hence, he needs to sit extra close to her so he can impress her with his mathematical prowess (or so I assume his thought process went). So in this proposed new seating chart, said girl is sitting in the very back corner desk with the boy who made the chart seated immediately next to her. Then everyone else in front of them and diagonal from them is a girl. Clever boy.
Right before 9th grade, during 10 minute break, a 10th grader came to my room with a proposed new seating chart. See, there is this girl he likes, but there are also 2 other boys in the 10th grade who like her. Hence, he needs to sit extra close to her so he can impress her with his mathematical prowess (or so I assume his thought process went). So in this proposed new seating chart, said girl is sitting in the very back corner desk with the boy who made the chart seated immediately next to her. Then everyone else in front of them and diagonal from them is a girl. Clever boy.
Hints
Ways I can tell that my house was built by Asians. Exhibit 1.
I have to stand like this to wash the dishes. The countertops are not even 3 feet high.
Oh, Those Jagas of Mine
*First, I just need to say that the majority of the following conversation took place between me and a jaga that I am friends with. So while it starts out sounding kind of creepy when taken out of context, it was not at all. He was teasing me.*
Jaga 1: *While opening the gate* You need to take responsibility.
Me: What are you talking about?
Jaga 1: You just really need to take responsibility.
Me: For what?!
Jaga 1: For being in my dreams so much lately.
Me: WHAT?! Those are your dreams, not mine! You're the one who has to take responsibility!
Jaga 1: I guess so. But I can't help it. I think I just miss you, so I meet you in my dreams. I haven't seen you for a long time.
Me: I know. Someone asked me the other day if you still work here because nobody has seen you for like a month. Have you been working night shift?
Jaga 1: Yeah, for 2 weeks now, I've been working the overnight shift. *pulls a stool out of the jaga shack and pats the seat* Here. Sit.
Me: It looks like it's gonna rain. I should get home.
Jaga 1: Talk to me for a minute. I'm bored here by myself.
Me: Fiiiiiine. But only for a minute.
Jaga 1: When are you getting married?
Me: In July. When are you getting married?
Jaga 1: HA! I have to find somebody who wants me first. I cry a lot these days.
Me: Don't cry! Why do you cry?
Jaga 1: One, because I'm still single. Two, because you're getting married.
Me: Haha... Don't cry!
*enter Mas Wiwin - a janitor*
Jaga 1: Hey! She's getting married in July!
Mas Wiwin: Really? I'm getting married in June!
Me: NO WAY! Are you REALLY?!
Mas Wiwin: Yup. I got a village woman to marry me!
Me: Are you lying??
Mas Wiwin: Nope. She's going to move in with me and my mom and bring me lunch at school so I don't have to go out in the rain!
Jaga 1: Luckyyyyy...
Me: Oh...
*enter Jaga 2*
Jaga 1: Hey, they're both getting married this year!
Jaga 2: Yeah, when ARE you and Aswan getting married?
Me: Probably July.
Jaga 2: How old are you?
Me: 25
Jaga 2: Yeah, you better get married now or you'll be too old.
Me: I'll be expired.
*exit Mas Wiwin, who went home for the night*
Me: Well, I better go home. I think Aswan is there, and we didn't eat dinner yet.
Jaga 1: You make him dinner?
Me: Yeah...
Jaga 2: *to Jaga 1* Aswan is a lucky man. She's skinny AND she cooks.
Jaga 1: And she's BEAUTIFUL!
Haha... Whenever I have a bad day, I just hang out by the front gate.
Jaga 1: *While opening the gate* You need to take responsibility.
Me: What are you talking about?
Jaga 1: You just really need to take responsibility.
Me: For what?!
Jaga 1: For being in my dreams so much lately.
Me: WHAT?! Those are your dreams, not mine! You're the one who has to take responsibility!
Jaga 1: I guess so. But I can't help it. I think I just miss you, so I meet you in my dreams. I haven't seen you for a long time.
Me: I know. Someone asked me the other day if you still work here because nobody has seen you for like a month. Have you been working night shift?
Jaga 1: Yeah, for 2 weeks now, I've been working the overnight shift. *pulls a stool out of the jaga shack and pats the seat* Here. Sit.
Me: It looks like it's gonna rain. I should get home.
Jaga 1: Talk to me for a minute. I'm bored here by myself.
Me: Fiiiiiine. But only for a minute.
Jaga 1: When are you getting married?
Me: In July. When are you getting married?
Jaga 1: HA! I have to find somebody who wants me first. I cry a lot these days.
Me: Don't cry! Why do you cry?
Jaga 1: One, because I'm still single. Two, because you're getting married.
Me: Haha... Don't cry!
*enter Mas Wiwin - a janitor*
Jaga 1: Hey! She's getting married in July!
Mas Wiwin: Really? I'm getting married in June!
Me: NO WAY! Are you REALLY?!
Mas Wiwin: Yup. I got a village woman to marry me!
Me: Are you lying??
Mas Wiwin: Nope. She's going to move in with me and my mom and bring me lunch at school so I don't have to go out in the rain!
Jaga 1: Luckyyyyy...
Me: Oh...
*enter Jaga 2*
Jaga 1: Hey, they're both getting married this year!
Jaga 2: Yeah, when ARE you and Aswan getting married?
Me: Probably July.
Jaga 2: How old are you?
Me: 25
Jaga 2: Yeah, you better get married now or you'll be too old.
Me: I'll be expired.
*exit Mas Wiwin, who went home for the night*
Me: Well, I better go home. I think Aswan is there, and we didn't eat dinner yet.
Jaga 1: You make him dinner?
Me: Yeah...
Jaga 2: *to Jaga 1* Aswan is a lucky man. She's skinny AND she cooks.
Jaga 1: And she's BEAUTIFUL!
Haha... Whenever I have a bad day, I just hang out by the front gate.
29 February 2012
Jokes, Courtesy of 10th Grade
Q: What do you call a donkey with its head chopped off?
A: A DEAD DONKEY!
Q: What do you call a sine that is co?
A: A COSINE!
Also, last night Julian apparently spent quite a bit of time writing more poems, this time about his classmates. "There once was a boy named Zach, who played music like Bach." Another started, "There once was a boy named Ben, who liked Esther even though she doesn't like him." But my favorite was:
There once was a boy who liked schnitzel,
And he liked to eat pretzels,
Too.
Goodness, what am I going to do with this class?
A: A DEAD DONKEY!
Q: What do you call a sine that is co?
A: A COSINE!
Also, last night Julian apparently spent quite a bit of time writing more poems, this time about his classmates. "There once was a boy named Zach, who played music like Bach." Another started, "There once was a boy named Ben, who liked Esther even though she doesn't like him." But my favorite was:
There once was a boy who liked schnitzel,
And he liked to eat pretzels,
Too.
Goodness, what am I going to do with this class?
The Expanse Between Maturity Levels is Vast
So if you've been reading my blog lately, you've surely become accustomed to some of the bizarre things we talk about in 8th - 10th grade. However, I rarely mention my first class of the day - 11th and 12th grade PreCalculus. I'm still not sure if they are incredibly more mature than the younger classes, or if they are all just brain dead that early in the morning, thus creating the illusion that they are extremely well behaved.
Anyways, here's a conversation that took place this morning that I think gives you a pretty good idea of the maturity gap between this class and my other classes.
Student: Do you know the verses that say that if you forgive others, God will forgive you, but if you don't forgive others, God won't forgive you?
Me: Yeah...
Student: Does that make God an unforgiving God?
Holy cow.
Anyways, here's a conversation that took place this morning that I think gives you a pretty good idea of the maturity gap between this class and my other classes.
Student: Do you know the verses that say that if you forgive others, God will forgive you, but if you don't forgive others, God won't forgive you?
Me: Yeah...
Student: Does that make God an unforgiving God?
Holy cow.
28 February 2012
Poetry
I gave the 10th graders a new seating chart today, and I then proceeded to spend the first 10 minutes of class listening to them complain about it. Subsequently, they now know that if they have a problem with the seating chart (or any other decision) I have made, they can come TALK (not complain) to me about it after class IFF (if and only if) they have a valid reason AND a possible solution to offer. Goodness.
I have one student who is hyper-chatty no matter who he is sitting by. I've even tried seating him alone in the front of the room. Then he tries to talk to me the whole time. Recently, I've been bombarded with incredibly BAD jokes such as, "Hey what is Sun Joon's brother's name?" And the punch line is him screaming, "MOON JOON!!!! GET IT?!? SUN JOON AND MOON JOON!!!" (Sun Joon is a student whose brother is actually named Sun Ho.) Said student has been banned from telling jokes in the classroom. He managed to sneak one in today though by raising his hand and asking me, "What is the similarity between a hexagon and a pentagon?" I was about to give him the geometric answer when he shouted, "THEY RHYME!!! GET IT?!? HexaGON and pentaGON!!!"
I looked at him skeptically, to which he responded, "What? Did you fail English or something? Why aren't you laughing? THEY RHYME!" I thought long and hard about pointing out that this is his second year in a row in the 10th grade, but I decided against it. Instead, I simply told him that those words don't rhyme. He insisted they do. So instead of arguing, I moved on. Then after the lesson, I had the class get started on their homework and (using some online help), I wrote the following poem and gave it to him. His name is Julian, BTW.
There once was a boy named Julian
Who only dreamed to be a beautician
But sadly, he was too Beckettian
So instead he became Belarussian
I asked him if it rhymed or not. He checked and said, "Of COURSE! The last word in each line ends in -ian!" So just to check, I said, "Wait. So you're telling me that your name, Julian, rhymes with the word 'beautician'?" He very confidently said it did. He then asked me to define beautician, Beckettian, and Belarussian for him. Once he was satisfied in knowing what the poem actually meant, he quieted down, and I thought the matter was dropped.
But when the final bell rang, he came over to my desk, dropped a piece of paper on it, and said, "Now I wrote a poem for you. Read it."
There once was a woman named Abby
Who was always very naggy
She was very mean to Julian
She thought he was a hooligan
She always made him fail
Because she thinks he wants to do nails
Can I just say - BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
I have one student who is hyper-chatty no matter who he is sitting by. I've even tried seating him alone in the front of the room. Then he tries to talk to me the whole time. Recently, I've been bombarded with incredibly BAD jokes such as, "Hey what is Sun Joon's brother's name?" And the punch line is him screaming, "MOON JOON!!!! GET IT?!? SUN JOON AND MOON JOON!!!" (Sun Joon is a student whose brother is actually named Sun Ho.) Said student has been banned from telling jokes in the classroom. He managed to sneak one in today though by raising his hand and asking me, "What is the similarity between a hexagon and a pentagon?" I was about to give him the geometric answer when he shouted, "THEY RHYME!!! GET IT?!? HexaGON and pentaGON!!!"
I looked at him skeptically, to which he responded, "What? Did you fail English or something? Why aren't you laughing? THEY RHYME!" I thought long and hard about pointing out that this is his second year in a row in the 10th grade, but I decided against it. Instead, I simply told him that those words don't rhyme. He insisted they do. So instead of arguing, I moved on. Then after the lesson, I had the class get started on their homework and (using some online help), I wrote the following poem and gave it to him. His name is Julian, BTW.
There once was a boy named Julian
Who only dreamed to be a beautician
But sadly, he was too Beckettian
So instead he became Belarussian
I asked him if it rhymed or not. He checked and said, "Of COURSE! The last word in each line ends in -ian!" So just to check, I said, "Wait. So you're telling me that your name, Julian, rhymes with the word 'beautician'?" He very confidently said it did. He then asked me to define beautician, Beckettian, and Belarussian for him. Once he was satisfied in knowing what the poem actually meant, he quieted down, and I thought the matter was dropped.
But when the final bell rang, he came over to my desk, dropped a piece of paper on it, and said, "Now I wrote a poem for you. Read it."
There once was a woman named Abby
Who was always very naggy
She was very mean to Julian
She thought he was a hooligan
She always made him fail
Because she thinks he wants to do nails
Can I just say - BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Yeah, I Did That...
Current Facebook status of a student I taught Algebra 2 to my first year here.
"I love how about 5 years ago when I learned imaginary numbers I saw no practical use for them and I figured I would never use them again. I use them all the time now."
Validated.
"I love how about 5 years ago when I learned imaginary numbers I saw no practical use for them and I figured I would never use them again. I use them all the time now."
Validated.
Papua
Over the past few years, I’ve had several friends who have moved to work in Papua – not to be confused with Papua New Guinea, which is its own separate country. Papua shares the island of New Guinea with PNG, but Papua, also known as Irian Jaya, is actually a part of Indonesia.
In this picture, Australia is the large land mass at the bottom, Papua New Guinea is on the east side of the big island, and the west side is occupied by Papua.
In spite of the number of friends and acquaintances of mine who live there, I know relatively little about Papua and its culture. Through the Facebook page of a family I know who works in northern Papua, I found a link to the website of an Indonesian photographer who travelled there (a loooong trip. Java – where most of the population of Indonesia lives – isn’t even shown on the map above because it’s so far away) to photograph and put a face on the HIV/AIDS pandemic currently happening.
So if you’re like me and are curious to know more, click HERE to see some awesome pictures, and be sure to click “Show Caption” at the bottom of each photo in the slideshow to read and learn!
27 February 2012
10th grade
Me: Joseph, why aren't you sitting in your assigned seat?
Joseph: WHOA! How can you tell?
Me: Um... Because I have eyes... And you normally sit in the front row. But now you're not. JinDo is. It's kind of obvious.
Joseph: But we're both Korean. How can you tell we switched seats?
Me: I CAN TELL YOU APART!
Joseph: WHOA! How can you tell?
Me: Um... Because I have eyes... And you normally sit in the front row. But now you're not. JinDo is. It's kind of obvious.
Joseph: But we're both Korean. How can you tell we switched seats?
Me: I CAN TELL YOU APART!
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