Airplanes are so "ray-tard-day"

I don't know whether packing at 4am the day of my flight, was the level of efficency I was striving for when I intially figured out my schedule, but I'm pretty certain that I haven't forgotten anything... Yet to find out though. But I somehow managed to pack 6 pairs of shoes and I'm certain my Indian clothes alone weigh 35 lbs. Eek!

Work was pretty much jammed packed with last minute things that had to get submitted to TFA and to my principal before I flew, making sure that proper sub work was prepared, kid-proofing my room for my mini-vacay, and making sure all the pets were in proper hands. Not to mention teaching as well... (on a side note... I love teaching biology)

Even Snapple, Bubbles, Kermit, and Rene (respectively my turtle, goldfish, and 2 frogs) are happily basking in an environment of serenity without my rambunctious students...

Bombay/Mumbai, India:

The flight was great...which only seems to be the natural response when my airplane chair reclined into a bed and the food served was a 5-course meal with an ice cream sundae for dessert. I love airplane rides, since its a great time to catch up on my movies. I saw three Indian movies, and being the hopeless romantic that I am.. I cried through each one. The poor air hostess was concerned by the third movie tear fest about my mental stability. Did you know that the number of beers boarded annually onto Continental airplanes are 1,475,520.

How is it people don't know that they have assigned seating on an airplane? Maybe its just Indians? At Newark, there was a mob to get on the plane.. so much for the color coded Zoning on your boarding pass to create calm and orderly boarding. Then on the plane, an Indian family just dropped their stuff in first class and made themselves at home... when in  actuality their seats were in row 35....Maybe it was their first time on an airplane? None the less amusing human behaviors.

I haven't been to India in over 2 years, yet the changes they have made is noticable. With new bridges spanning acoss the ocean linking different corners of the city, to the extensive makeover of Bombay International airport the approach of a new dawn is evident on India's horizon. Yet, you still find oddities that will marvel you in every corner. For instance the 4-door sedan with a rope tied to another mid-sized car on the highway. Apparently this method of towing is normal. Or the fact that food vendors are busiest around 12-4am, while living in the US you are considered lucky if you find a grocery store opened 24hrs.

This picture was hilarious. On the very top of the picture it says lose 10kg and 20 inches in 22 hours... sounds amazing no?

Its literally 95 degrees Farenheit here. HOT and HUMID... this is not a good combination for a girl who wears makeup. Luckily I packed for summer. Be ready for a tanned freak when I return. Sigh.

Okie dokie I have to go now.. I have to take a shower, so that means I have to turn on the water heater. Maybe I'll take a cold shower. It might be nicer anywho.

PS - why don't they like using toilet paper here... thankfully Alifiya packed some... Sigh of relief..

Stolen Graces...

Well today has been a day of numerous changes. My teaching cohort has decided to go in favor of a new schedule which will give us teachers some free time during the day.. Hmm.. can this be so...? We are changing course from our jail-like existence. Nervous giggle. Gasp. Faint.

Besides the constant flurry of students who were confused and frustrated whilst waving their schedules frantically in my face grunting for help...somehow under the misunderstanding that I could read writing going in a pendulum-like movement. My day thus far has gone well.

Today I came upon quite the predicament. Since I work in an environment where if I leave something unattended it eventually goes missing, I have learned to be vigilant over the things I hold dear to my heart. Its either that or I bribe my dearest custodians to give me cabinets and a desk that locks. Considering I am naive and quite trustworthy I just throw my purse and other belongings into my desk, which has a central lock locking all the drawers. I then leave the rest of my artifacts in God's hands.

Now I have this one student in particular who is a known kleptomaniac. I have been understanding and I have been patient with his so called "obsession." Today in my Period 3 class he asked if he could sit at my desk and work. I usually allow students I trust to sit there, but the problem arises when a kid I know has trouble literally tattooed all over his body asking to sit at my desk. I of course being me said, "No problem!" insert fake enthusiasm  Considering the keys to my desk are around my neck and I could keep an eye on him I didn't think he could do that much damage... I should have bitten my tongue when I made such a ridiculous remark. But after 53 minutes of observing, I noticed he was trying to "jimmy" my central desk lock with a scissor. He was quite talented and if I had inhaled any more lead paint during infancy I would have missed it all together.

At the moment it's Period 5 and he's back in my class asking for permission to sit at my desk. I can't say NO, you are trying to break into my desk, since that would be ANTI-everything I learned in TFA. So the best I (a college graduate, mind you) could come up with was to just sit at my desk during my free period and pretend like I was doing work.
 I am too nice to say anything and too embarrassed to move all my belongings to another locker from my desk… since he is sitting right next to me.

Sigh, what I need to do is "Put my foot down"...as someone close to me would say... and stop being a pushover.

Teaching...

1st day of the school year: August 28th, 2009

This was the statement which was racing through my mind after the first day of school. "What the fuck did I get myself into this year!" Then after literally hyperventilating for a few minutes I broke down in tears.... After calming down, I packed up my things and drove home, hoping Day 2 would be much better...

I figured after my first year of teaching where upon I did not break down even once... my second year would be a breeze. Little did I know that my patient, all-loving demeanor with my students would actually come back to wreck havoc on my life as I know it. My principal decided to change me from teaching 9th and 10th grade in the Main building to our outside "2nd Chance Academy"...because I had such good rapport with my students. Who better than me to teach the students which no veteran teacher wanted in their classrooms...

I no longer see any of my friends anymore.
I'm isolated, and alone outside.
The best part is that No one cares...

Actually me bitching on and on about the students would be a dishonor to them.. because even though they are in this Academy due to their severe behavioral and emotional issues, because they just got released from Juvenile detention, or simply because they enjoyed skipping classes and roaming the hallways...they all are students. My students. My lost souls....

I sent home a Parent Survey....

What makes me hate my job... isn't the students. It's the people I either work with or work for. They should make force every supervisor and administrator including the Superintendent of Schools to teach a class at least once a day so that some form of reality enters their waking hours. Because at the moment they are delusional hallucinating zombies wandering our hallways dictating their laws.

Because of the lack of support we teachers receive in our classrooms, emotionally disturbed youngsters receive minimal care and the usual bureaucratic run-around―usually resulting in their being thrown back into the classroom to create havoc for the total learning situation.

For the time being...
I ignore.
I think ignoring is my new favorite weapon.
I ignore, and eventually they calm down.
Big deep breaths.
Everyday.
It is what keeps me sane.