Don’t Burn The Day

Yeah, I’ve been ranting quite a bit about this new school that I’m in. (and I still have fondness towards my former kiddos…. and their parents are still in touch with me.) But most of my rants have stemmed from the ridiculous large range of students’ levels in one classroom….to the point where the divide amongst kids are totally noticeable because the Native Speaker Students have become irritated by the Nons. Aye! It’s been a battle, but I am coming out on top… slowly, but surely.

Alas, the Director has agreed to allow me to create and lead an assessment procedure in which students in my first grade will undertake. So, not only was I gearing up for my NZ trip towards the end of Semester 1, I was busy developing an Assessment Placement Exam, that my lil’ rugrats will take at the start of Semester 2 (current day).

I asked for it, and now I’ve got it. After much research and comparison with various ESL/EFL placements exams conducted in the States for reference, along with tweaking the exam so that it also is in accordance to the school’s curriculum, resources and tools, and discussing matters with the Director and staff, the exam has been finalized, and has already been administered.

Today marked the 1st of 3 days of testing. Class 1 results are in….. awaiting for Class 2 (tomorrow) and Class 3 (the following day). And so far, I am very pleased and not tooooo surprised with the results of my students in Class 1. Let’s say 20% of the students in Class 1, look to be advancing into the soon-to-be EFL class, while the rest will be split between (2) ESL classes…. which is sooooo necessary as since EFL and ESL teachings have different objectives, thus need to be taught using different methodologies. I’ve been preaching and preaching and preaching….and they have listened, and now we’re taking action!

I find this all so exciting!! Stay tuned for more…

. . don’t burn the day. .

And here we go again… kudos LB on the ghostwriting… and eventually my tweaks….

Oh my sooo, here I am again..this time at blazing hot Lake Wanaka.  Well I’m going to make this report as brief/cliff notes as possible due to my exhaustation from the extreme adventure activities Mimi and I have done.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

• Drove 3 hours from Te Anau to Milford Sound and the view was absoluetley AMAZING!!!  Several thousands feet snow capped mountains with  turquoise-rivers rivers flowing into the pine forest dense valley with a small 2 lane highway snaking it’s way there.
• The drive was filled with crazy tight twists & turns, so TIGHT that when I made a sharp left turn on a bend…our bug spray and pen flew out the open window!  We were only driving 15km/hr but Mimi can attest that she had to keep her elbows inside the car to avoid “brushing” against the mountain wall.
  Then we drove through the one lane Homer Tunnel through a mountain and eventually made our way to Milford Sound.
• Eventually we made it to Milford Sound harbor, where stood mountains, dense ferns and trees, and the inlet of Sea Water from the Tasman sea.
• Mimi & I took a 1.5 hour cruise (*sound like Gilligan’s Islands) around Milford sounds and here are the highlights:  Surrounded by High Mountains, Sea Lions, Light house, dotted with water falls as high as the Empire State building and even DOLPHINS! 
• Then Mimi & I took a long well deserved nap in the van for 2 hours and drove back to Te Anau for another 3 hours to camp out.
• With the recommendation from Pete (Soan’s fiance) we had dinner at RedCliff.
  We started out with battered oyster served with Soy Sauce and chives.
  Mimi’s main Entree consisted of: Medium-Rare cooked Hare servered on top of a heaping pile of sweet potatoes and the most amazing sauteed Shitake Mushrooms EVER!..cooked in olive oil and garlic, served with a 2007 Pinot Noir.
  My taste buds enjoyed: Venison (deer steak) laid on top of the same amazing sauteed Shitake Mushrooms, with large beets and soft & moist turnips, and I washed it down with a 2007 Reisling White Wine.
  For Dessert we had good ol’ finish Rice Pudding served with local strawberries and cream….absoluetly DEELUSH!

Sunday, February 7, 2010
The next morning, we went grocery shopping at “Fresh Choice” in Lake Te Anau then drove to Lake Wanaka. (left at 9:30am and arrived at Lake Wanaka airport at 12pm)

• Mimi & I enjoyed a lunch of crackers, cheese, Pancetta (Italian Bacon), Dijon Honey Mustard, and 3 cheese Black Pepper Corn & Chive Cheese.  Then washed it down with water and Mango/Orange “Just Juice”.
  We checked in at “Sky Dive Lake Wanaka“  at 1pm by the Lake Wanaka Airport.
  After selecting the 12,000 feet dive (45 seconds) option with 2 DVDs (a video of your free falling with your tandem parter and another video taken from a seperate sky diver) and Free T-shirt.  We signed the liability waiver (including medical condition notification) and a personalize sound track of our 2 DVDs!
• Mimi & I both took seperate video interviews as a our Intro for our Sky Diving DVDs.
  Then we hopped on a small puddle jumper single propeller airplane and took off the air field.
  The plane was circling around the airport, every increasing it’s speed to catch the altitude of 12,00 ft; during this time we got a great view of Lake Wanaka and town, several smaller lakes, flowing of the river, green grasses, cows, sheeps, clouds and of course the surrounding Mountains!
• The plane ride was pretty smooth;there was 11 people in about a 20sq ft space with a ton of parachute gear.
  During the flight, I was actually really clam and relax throughout the ordeal, even ask Mimi herself.  I kept going over the instructions for the pre-jump.
  1. Put your legs behind the plane.
  2. Move your hips forward.
  3. Lay your head back on the right shoulder of your sky dive partner…then off you go.
  I heard the constant “thump, thump” of the propeller engine, then the door on my left hand side, slowly opens, the gush of the cold 12,000 ft altitude wind fills in the tight compartment of the plane.  I heard my heart beat but I remained calm and breathed in slow-consistent patterns.
  Being the FIRST PERSON out of the plane, I know I had to set the example and did my best to follow the instructions.
  As instructed, I reached up and grabbed the cold white metallic pole above me on the ceiling of the plane’s interior.
  Then I sat down on the edge of the plane and feeling the gash of the wind go across my body.
  I tucked my legs tight underneath the body of the plane, with my breathing picking up pace…moved my hips ever slowly forward and then laid my head back on my tandem partners shoulder.
  Then ALL of sudden, the coolness under my butt from the plane was gone and I felt nothing but a push forward,..then I tumbled and rolled forward into a tight flip.
  Next thing I know; I see clouds flowing passed my face, then the hurdling speed of wind going across my body as I flew down to the ground at 200km/hr.
  My instructors tapped my shoulders; indicating that I can release my hands from harness and be free to do what I want.
  I instinctly started dancing with my hands as I was ecstatic of “flying” again through the wind (went Hang Gliding at Queenstown a couple of days ago). 
  The surrounding view is totally breathless…words can’t express so it I won’t go any further.
  45 seconds later; I float down in a parachute and land on my bum on the field.
  I actually remained calm throughout the experience and I have the DVDs to prove it!
  Overall I must honestly say, it was one of the most thrilling and exhillerating events in my LIFE.
• After sky diving; it was soooo hot in the upper 80s; we took a dip in the cool refreshing Lake Wanaka.
  We rented a kayak and let’s just say that was an ADVENTURE itself…as Mimi would put it “It was supposed to be Relaxing!!!”…however the winds from the mountain proved to make it another adventure…our shoulders & arms got a work out…which would be needed later in our next Adventure (“Deep Canyoning in Niger River”)
• After we battled the elements of Wind & Water, we arrived onto shore with my broken sandals.
  We got a well deserved ice cream dip: Mimi had “Cookies-N-Cream” and I had a “Hokey Pokey” (New Zealand ice cream of Vanilla with chips & bits of caramel…hhhhmm”.
  So we ate our ice cream on the park bench as we watch the sunset over the mountains and lake…HOW ROMANTIC!
• Then we settled into the Holiday Park for our camper van and prepared a home cook meal of Spaghetti, Spanish Chorizo and Fresh Garlic bread; with “Speichter” to wash it down. “Local New Zealand beer…kinda like an IPA).
  After the scrumbtious meal, we settled in the night to gain our rest for “Deep Canyon of Niger Creek”.
   
  I wrote A LOT MORE than I originally intended and I apologize if it takes to much time.  However, I highly recommend sky diving and ice cream if you’re in the mood for adventure & relaxation!  Till the next time….Cheers Mate!
   
  -Lundy

Sooo basically…… I ditto the above, aside from me being #2 off of the plane for skydiving…. To be honest, I was totally chilled out about it all… wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be/should be. I more or less, had a “ain’t nuttin to it, but to do it!” mentality. Wanaka Skydive staff and instructors were super calm, professional, funny and fun to work with. I most certainly recommend them for sure!  But I will admit, after I saw Lundy just tumble off like a lil’ nugget, I had the immedite: “oh shit, I’m next” thought whirling ’round my head. But I really didn’t have time to react to my thoughts as my tandem instructor, Eric said.. “Ok Mimi, move to the edge.” I did as told, tucked my legs under as had been advised, flipped my head back and gave him the “OK, GO-SMILE”….AND DOWNNNNNN I WENT!!! I closed my eyes for the first .2 seconds but quickly opened them because I knew closing would just give me a more heightened/faster fall experience, and plus, I wanted to enjoy the freeeeeeee fallllllll riiiiiiide. Eyes Wide Open…… the scene was beautimousssssssssssss as described by L. I was totally rockin’ out to the camera lens (esp with Mac, my cameraman who flew besides us to capture it all — he was super charged up in getting me all pumped wayyyy up in 12,000 ft above ground!!!)  Landing was super smooooooth…….. and all I can say is, the next time…. I’ll opt for higher!

Monday, February 8, 2010

We just finished another magnificent adventure of deep canyoning today, which involved: hiking, climbing, waterfall abseiling (repelling with harness; think: rock climbing), jumping, sliding, zip-lining, swimming through AMAZING creeks, crevices, gorges etc etc…

Tomorrow: Hiking up Franz Josef Glaciers

. . don’t burn the day. .

OK soooooooooo much has happened in the last ummmmm 4 days!!! All thrillingly and chillingly worthwhile!

I’m gonna have to introduce a guest blogger and my travel buddy, Lundy this time around and give him credit because these are his notes of our trip so far…(with just a few tweaks by yours truly) Enjoy!!

Monday, February 1, 2010

• Landed in Christchurch, checked into uber-futuristic So Hotel and dined at Stone Grill restaurant for some ridiculous lamb shank with potatoes and Land Lover’s selects: lamb, pork, beef cooked on a slab of stone!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

• Met up with my former co-worker at my school last year / Kiwi friend / Christchurch native, Charlotte for some brunch at C1 Espresso and city frolic with our local tourguide.

• Picked up our campervan from hospitable and attentive Andrew of Cruzy Campers and drove from Christchurch to Lake Tekapo.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

• Slept in the camper van and awoke with a breakfast picnic spread alongside Lake Tekapo -stunningly blue-turquoise waters, surrounded my snow capped mountains, while feeding duckies…
• Drove from Tekapo to Queenstown, roughly 4 hour drive.
• Checked into a fab-luxurious hotel The Rees
• We have a balcony view of the turquoise color Lake Wakatipu surrounded by several mountains with tiny building and hamlets making up Queenstown.
• Celebrated my birthday w/ an  8 course dinner at the Rees restaurant which was absolutely delicioso!…including but not limited to: Pan Smeared scallops, grilled salmon salad, organic raised beef cutlets, lamb with white wine sauce, strawberry Pavlov dessert…and local brie cheese platter.
• Celebrated the rest of the night popping a bottle of champagne w/dessert on our room balcony overlooking Lake Wakatipu under with a clear night sky filled with beautiful bright stars…with some gift exchanges… let’s just say that “I’m alla dat and a bag o chips!!”

Thursday, February 4, 2010

• Today, we went JetBoating on the Shot Over Jet – a white knuckle, fast paced, adrenaline packed trip, consisted of blazing fast boat ride through turvy mountainous caverns and splashing waters….We felt like a James Bond – Indiana Jones mash up!!
• Then to dry off, we went hang gliding off of Coronet Peak  (about 4,000 feet)…flying even higher between soaring, majestic mountains with a pine forest, lush green valley…dotted with several sheep….hahaha.
• Now we’re about to head out to the Queenstown waterfront for some Fish & Chips and possibly a Pub Crawl.
• Planning to finish the night with a bottle of red wine on the balcony and watch the sun set over the mountains and feel the cool pine fresh air.

• Hitting the road early tomorrow to go bungee jumping.
• Then driving down to Te Anau & Milford sound for some glow worm caving, kayaking and cruise!
• Afterwards will be heading to Franz Glacier for some ice glacier hiking.
• Andddd.. to get a better perspective of the south Island, we’ll hit up Sky Diving at heights of in/around 15,000 feet!!!!!!

Pictures to come… but here’s one for now to keep ya’ll smiling…. I AM FLYING!!!! (errr hang gliding!!!!!)

. . don’t burn the day. .

In a previous post, I had mentioned that I’d be joining with some peeps here in some charity/volunteer work at the top of 2010….and that we have!  A few weeks ago, as a part of the BEAN Network here in the ‘Hai, several of us visited an orphanage for disabled children.  About 10 of us adults entered a small room of approximately 20-30 children, all anxious to meet their new adult-friends. For a period of just under 3 hours, we played, read books and fed these lil’ toddlers and watched them smile and made them chuckle till their belly ached!  But I gotta say, it was not easy!  I was zonked even after just 2.5 hours with these kids; I definitely came out with much respect to the orphanage handlers for sure. We’re hoping to return again in the near future to spend time in the infants room….

Now as we zip forward to the present-day,tomorrow night (aka evening before I jet down to NZ,) I’ll be swinging by with some peeps down to Cotton’s for another BEAN cause, in efforts to raise funds for Red Cross Haiti Earthquake Fund. I’ve been in contact with a few Stateside friends whose immediately families have miraculously survived, however others have lost distant relatives in this catastrophe. My thoughts and prayers are with each of you!  Those of you in the ‘Hai, come thru for a chill night and great cause!

About:

Everyone is looking for ways to help out Haiti, so come to Cotton’s, listen to some reggae, and ganbei to raise money for the Red Cross Haiti Earthquake Fund. All (100%) of the proceeds will be donated to this initiative and there are going to be truly excessive numbers of raffle prizes up for grabs.

50 RMB minimum donation, raffle tickets are 10 RMB each or 12 for 100 RMB. This has gotta be the easiest way to show your love that we’ve ever heard of.

If you’re hip and with it, do wear blue and red (or even a rasta wig) to show your support. We look forward to seeing you there!  Read more here.

. . don’t burn the day. .

I’m sure it comes to no suprise when I say these kiddos are not my most favorite bunch, however I’ve somehow muscled my way through and have officially completed Semester 1. Whoo! One down, one more to go!

If ya’ll will recall, I had been barking up a storm about the ridiculous hodgepodge’esque classrooms filled with native speakers sitting alongside those who don’t know basic phonetics to even more issues that I’ve chosen to refrain from sharing, because it’d just be a laundry list of rants…  but all in all,  I’d like to think I’ve done my best to bring all the students to a decent medium — even though, it meant I had to leave a few students behind without the necessary one-on-one attention and/or if  it meant I had to entrust the  patience levels  from those whose English language skills were above mediocre level.  I just had to do what I had to do.  Under EXTREME cases and ONLY under extreme cases, I sent notes home to parents reminding them to GET BOOKS OR AT LEAST MAKE COPIES OF TEXT BOOKS for their kiddos’ use for my class for goodness sake! alerting conduct/studies issues etc… things of which raised a few concerned brows on the Director’s face, but did I care? NOPE! I continued to truck along and DO MY JOB – that is, to edumahcate these lil rugrats – under my watch, under MY rules.

It’s funny, I almost felt the Director’s heart rate skip a beat a few times as since he feared any sort’ve direct communication on my part (though, he may think: confrontation) with the students’ parents. But this, I WELCOME! I am a firm believer in parents being ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS in their childs’ education. Their success growing up as an individual and citizen of global society is influenced by their surroundings  and credited to those around them; FIRST and foremost being their parents.   ( I heart my mom and dad.) And ya know what? Each time I had a direct conversation with a student’s parent, without fail, they thanked me for my CARE, ATTENTION, CONCERN and INVESTMENT in shaping their kid to be a better person: in studies and general, social skills. MMMHMMM! One parent even reached out her arms and gave me a HUG in APPRECIATION!

My philosophy: I don’t yell and I don’t go nuts on the kids (unless in EXTREME cases). I give them ample chances to improve (on whatever it is they need to improve on — especially in this school, where sensitivity levels amongst students/parents/administration is so high) and allow the kids, themselves to ACKNOWLEDGE AND CORRECT their own mistakes (whether academics or behavioral).   I find that at times, teachers/parents don’t give the kids enough credit on knowing what is right and wrong. THEY KNOW.

And while I’m at it…  there’s also  a HUGE difference when some teachers caress (yes, they do that here) and baby/pamper the students when they’ve done wrong. THIS IS A BIG NO NO!!!! THE KIDS ARE NOT BABIES.  They may not know how to drive a car at the moment, but THEY KNOW FUNDAMENTALS OF RIGHT AND WRONG. Don’t give into their babyface BS. THEY KNOW!

• So let THEM TELL YOU why they are in trouble (instead of wasting your breath and their short attention span). And/or if they truly don’t know, they’ll ask and will be interested in your answer to them.
• Let them TAKE OWNERSHIP for their actions (by thinking, stating and understanding their mistakes on their own).
• Let them TAKE INITIATIVE (by solving and suggesting ways to correct their boo boos).
• These are basic lessons of being a RESPONSIBLE student and kid in the world.

(Insert: PREACH! CAN I GET AN AMEN!?!)

I find that teachers often immediately yell and scream their heads off at the kids for  misbehaving or whatever the case may be, but teachers don’t allow for the students to acknoweldge and take OWNERSHIP for their behavior. But don’t get me wrong, at times, ya need to up the anty a lil bit and go ballistic on these kids to drive home your message.. (while you internally delight in the fact that the kid could sh*t his pants in any second)…. That’s when you know you’ve done your job well.

Which brings me to the point of why I initially started this post. I’ve battled quite a bit this year at this school. One major battle was to get the administration to conduct an assessment placement test to properly divide the students in appropriately level’ed off classrooms, thereby optimizing teacher resources, TIME and adding VALUE to the education of these boogers and their parents’ paid tuition fees.

PRO: I’m happy to say, we are implementing an Assessment Placement Test for my 1st graders at the start of 2nd semester!! A WIN for me!!

CON: More work for me, as since I am the one leading, training and curating this placement testing endeavor. (sigh, how/why do I get myself into these situations many times over??)

PRO: Planning/teaching will be much easier. Classrooms will be less of romper room (at least my class, especially if I get the “advanced” kiddos, while the other kids will learn through basic games etc… which is what they neeeeeeeed.)  Students will be more attentive and learn at their capable level with alike peers, thereby gaining an actual education in a relatively competive learning environment.

CON: The Director is STILL overly concerned with parents. Now, I’m not saying to disregard parents’  concerns/comments, however, he truly only REACTS to issues versus taking charge of how to run HIS division. Little does he know that parents have reached out to me personally via email/in person to discuss matters of the different level/best education for their kids. And IIII am the one who is feeding them the necessities behind proper level/course material for the students, and it is the parents who have told me that THEY AGREE with me and will “adamantly suggest” to the Director, the advent of proper placements.

PRO: In actuality, the Director has no idea that I am the one feeding info to the parents who, in turn, are telling HIM what to do. Mwahahahhahahahaha (clasping my hands)

Oh, Hello Mr. Burns!! ……

So there ya go. Fight and Win. That’s how I do!

. . don’t burn the day. .

As I skimmed through all my FB status ramblings and links n’ things, this particular link with the aforementioned title caught my eye…. and I hope it caught yours too….

This title/link was posted by a dear friend o’ mine, Phil, who had been interviewed by a cool lil’ webshow called, Capture Your Flag. Based on the premises of:  “Cultivating Passion. Mapping Purpose. Finding Fulfillment. Empowering You.,” Capture Your Flag’s host, Eric delved into the “becoming” of Media and Publishing Entrepreneur (and my good bud,) Phil McKenzie.

But before the clip, let’s do a lil’ background check ….

As Phil and I caught up and chit chatted the other evening (thank you technology for closing global gaps), we reminisced and realized that our friendship is 4 yrs strong.. (like whoa! crazy talk!) Where we both were in our lives, 4 years ago seems like an entirely whole other  lifetime… (and almost two)… In short, our fateful meeting at a P. Diddy showcase event that neither one of us wanted to be present at, but were forced to attend for one reason or another because of our work (ironically, neither of us are still involved in,  but at that moment, the whole world seemed to had weighted on our positions, go figure…)…. brought forth a story of boredom at a showcase to a pretty dandy friendship!

As many of you know (especially as fans of this blog, and thereby moi), I pride myself in those that I keep around me. My family is legit (duh, as I am firsthand indication as offspring) …and my friends are on point. Having various pools of ambitiously creative and driven friends around me, allow for amazing bonds, built on mutual respect, admiration, faith and support.

From his time growing up in Brooklyn and attending Brooklyn Tech to Howard University, to obtaining his MBA from Duke’s Fuqua Business school… to grinding it out on the trading floor of Goldman Sachs…only to eventually leave it to be involved in his passion for the Arts and Philanthropy sects….and now, a Media & Pub Entrepreneur… (phew!)… Phil shares his thought-provoking insight via his tale of twists and turns and lessons learned from all of his experiences, in an effort to cutting out the noise and defining his own freedom and life fulfillment.

Check out the clips below and his lifestyle e-zine, fittingly titled, FREE.   Enjoy!!

PS. Kudos Phinz!

Part 1 of 2

Part 2 of 2

. . don’t burn the day. .

Obama landed in ‘Hai-town today… and will move onto Beijing next to meet with PRC President, Hu Jintao…as part of his Asia Tour. Obama will be in Shanghai and Beijing from November 15 to 18 during a four-nation Asia trip that will also take him to Japan, Singapore and South Korea. Two Powerhouses. Big Talks. Let’s all hope for the best!

Though, I gotta say, it’s kinda cool for me to be able to say that I checked the ‘Hai before the President. ….and to think, it was only about a year ago when I was jumping off stage/steps in celebration for the man’s win… Good Times!

. . don’t burn the day. .

Book III: Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin

About:
In 1993 a mountaineer named Greg Mortenson drifted into an impoverished Pakistan village in the Karakoram mountains after a failed attempt to climb K2. Move by the inabitants’ kindness, he promised to return and build a school….. Over the next decade, Mortenson built not just one but fifty-five schools — especially for girls — in the forbidding terrain that gave birth to the Taliban.

Overall, a dense book filled with details of place names etc., yet, adventurous in capturing the trials and tribulations of Mortenson’s mission to promote peace, one school at a time. I skimmed for the most part when it came to super details of names/places etc, as since all that becomes mumbled jumbled in my head… but a poignant excerpt that stuck out to me:

Mortenson took a breach. He felt an ember of the anger he’d carried all the way from Kabul flare. “I don’t do what I’m doing to fight terror,” Moretenson said, measuring his words, trying not to get himself kicked out of the Capitol. “I do it because I care about the kids. Fighting terrors is maybe seventh or eighth on my list of priorities. But working over there, I’ve learned a few things. I’ve learned that terror doesn’t happen because some group of people somewhere like Pakistan or Afghanistan simply decide to hate us. It happens because children aren’t being offered a bright enough future that they have a reason to choose life over death….. If we try to resolve terrorism with military might and nothing else… then we will be no safer than we were before 9/11. If we truly want a legacy of peace for our children, we need to understand that this is a war that will ultimately be won with books, not with bombs.”

Ya know, as much frustration there is when it comes to teaching… and especially in a foreign land, where cultures can at times, collide, I can honestly say… that, as is, in the start of my 2nd year of teaching, it truly is one of the most rewarding thing I’ve done all my life….(Sure, we can also check off, getting folks tipsy via drink tickets and bottles + arousing music sensors in crowds, but teaching is a different kind of reward.)

I had mentioned in a previous rant of a post that I had missed my former students and had been itching to make a surprise visit to check on my lil’ babies. But before I get into all of that, I’d like to say: for the record, all is getting a bit more dandier in the new school. No rocky boats since I last posted…. and the kids (and parents) have finally gotten into gear that I’m a teacher not to be messed with when it comes to providing a meaningful education to these brats, oops, I mean students….And you guessed it, my fantabulous school-wide presentation of the Ninja Turtles’ Introduction to Italy surely made the Director + school-wide staff + special professor guests from the University of Taiwan in attendance, RECOGNIZE that I’m not a force to be reckoned with…. + the awesomeness of me! HA!

Anyhoots, so last week, I decided to take my 1 day off from work…and travel 1 hour back to my former school to see my mini-me’s from last year. I was first bombarded by colleagues asking/encouraging me to return as since “my replacement” has been causing a lot of parental disturbance. But that’s a wholllllllllle other story. Basically, the “new teacher” isn’t so great and COUNTLESS issues have arose… thus, making me feel quite sad; I feel as if I have “abondoned” my lil cherubs. What hit home the most when when the students-themselves, came up to me and told me their own reasons for why they want me back instead of having their current teacher. I got the “the new teacher is nice but…….. we like you to teach us! The new teacher doesn’t ____________yada yada” Among the many complaints, the new teacher is slamming the kids with 25 spelling words on a Friday for a test on Monday…and they gotta look up and define each word from dictionary…and apparently the new teacher isn’t correcting the hefty assignments that she is giving out etc etc. It makes me sad… because these kids are REALLY, TRULY, ABSOLUTELY lil baby geniuses. They’ve learned more than the average 1st grader in USA last year. I’ve been receiving phone calls and emails from these former student parents in search of advice etc from me…and it, in some ways, makes me feel guilty a tad. I can only hope that these kids will not turn and feel overwhelmed, discouraged and disenchanted with their English studies. Le sigh.

Nevertheless, it felt GREAT to be with them again. The wides eyes and smiles as their heads turned when I silently and surprisingly walked into the classroom = PRICELESS!! One by one, I heard “Ms. Mimi!” Soon, they ran to give me hearty hugs and grafitti’ed their chalkboard with all sorts of loving messages:

Then, just the other night, a former’s student’s parents invited me out to dinner as a belated thank you… lovely family…and such a cutie of a son! He lost his two front teeth…but was still adorable as ever! He ordered a watermelon juice, “to be like Ms. Mimi.” This kid knew NO English at the start of the year last year. I ended up providing extra tutoring hours to him for the first semester…and just the other night, the kid was carrying on a conversation with me.. and actually, really “confiding” in me on things happening with his studies, new teacher etc. “When new teacher talks, I don’t understand. But, when Ms. Mimi talks, I can understand.” – verbatim from a Japanese/Chinese mix boy. Such a cutie!

Tea is good. Three cups, even better.

. . don’t burn the day. .

Sooooo I’ve for surely taken full advantage of my newfound recreational time: gym, occasional ultimate frisbee, weekly new restaurant discoveries with my SH Fam, Sunday Brunch deal finds, the arts, movies, live music (I really wanna build on this, this year: I saw a pretty cool Swiss/Chinese Mash Jazz band the other night, called Sonic Calligraphy: Thumbs Up esp since they performed one of my faves, “Summertime” by George Gershwin…. ) and …… reading!

Nate the Roomie (avid reader) and I have agreed upon a 2-person book club! …and it’s the coolest, most freshest 2-person book club ever!! (ha!)

Book One = EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE by Jonathan Safran Foer

Nate had first read this and suggested the book to me, despite admitting to how depressing and sad the story is. Yeah, go figure. But the premise of the story intrigued me enough:

Nine-year old, Oskar has a wonderful relationship with his father; one of their favorite games was a sort’ve scavenger/treasure hunt where the father would leave clues around for Oskar to detect and eventually unfold it’s mysterious treasure. One day, the father reveals a new kind of scavenger hunt in which he leaves no clues, though “no” clues could still be a clue; this of course, leaves little Oskar bewildered not knowing if anything was a clue or not.. and only receiving a shoulder shrug + smile combo from his father whenever he questioned if a certain something was a clue or not. Then…………. his father passed in the 9/11 WTC Attack, leaving Oskar devastated and also relentless in uncovering what this last treasure could be. One evening, Oskar finds a beautifully shaped blue vase on top of father’s closet in father’s room. Inside its vase is a plain envelope with the word, “BLACK” written on its outside, and an odd-looking key inside. Oskar racks his brain and decides that this key could belong to someone by the last name of “Black,” thereby, uncovering its treasure. He then, takes out a NYC phone book and starts to track down each and every “Black” in the NYC area from A to Z…….. knocking on each person’s door…….. and ………. the story unfolds magnificently ….. where you’re guaranteed to find it hard to put the book down! (I did!)

.. Letter Writing
.. I Love You’s

. . don’t burn the day. .

President Obama on Education…

. . don’t burn the day. .