Blogzilla

I feel like it has been about 3 months since I have updated "where's the beach?". Here's an overview of today's overwhelming post:

1. I have a big boy job. And it involves convincing 12 year olds that they are scientists.
2. We have a big boy house. Or we're renting one. Or a floor of one. Built in the 1800's.
3. I'm learning how to be a teacher, (oh, and we're in Atlanta now) and apparently that involves a lot of acronyms.

And here's a video from my favorite 90's Nickelodeon show.

1. JOB
After a few interviews that ended with "it's not me, it's you", Rachel B. Noel, part of the Denver Public School system, welcomed me with open arms to guide their 7th grade life science scholars and their 8th grade physical science tweens. I got this call on Friday, and it conveniently excused me from a TFA session on "acronyms in everyday life".

Noel is relatively new school, opened in August 2002, and serves the Montbello community. Serving a student population where 90% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch, Noel Middle is a perfect example of the achievement gap. In 8th grade science, in 2008, 7% of Noel students were "proficient" by state standards, compared to 47% state-wide. I have a big task ahead of me, to prove to the students and their families that they can do much better that this. Unfortunatly, the zip code that these students are born in is too big of a determinate of how they will succeed in school.

2. HOME, Home on the range!
They just don't make em' like they used to. So we went Victorian with a 4 story brick house circa 189x. It is in an area of Denver called "Capital Hill", near Cheesman Park. Here's a link to see our house: HOUSE@!@!@

We are renting the 2nd floor of this house. A lot of our space feels very 1895, and a lot of it is very 2009. One bedroom, one bath, plus an "office". By "office", I mean the room we lock sophie (the cat) in when she poops the floor. Even though Katie promises that won't happen. Furniture won't make it through the front door, so around July 15th look for pictures posted of us lifting a sleeper sofa in through the 2nd story window. This may be the one thing that I am looking forward to the most all summer.

3. Boot Camp
Institute Day Zero: After arriving in Atlanta at around 11:45 PM, loading up the room with things of questionable neccessity, finding a parking space, dismantling single beds, assembling said single beds into a double, picking out an outfit, and showering, I got in bed around 1:45 AM or so. Which really isn't so bad, except that teachers apparantly wake up at 5:30 AM. I think its so they can get a quick start on making up new acronyms.

Institute Day One: Lots of acronyms. Tirednes. Red eyes. Too many new names. Can't remember them today but its at that point where its too awkward to ask again.

Institute Day Two: Overnight, our school got broken into, and the classroom with the fancy iMacs where we were planning on doing most of our sessions got burglarized. Be checking ebay for good deals on neon box iMacs. Today we learned a lot more practical stuff, like how to plan a lesson, and how to use acronyms in describing how you will plan your lesson. I was also able to sit in on the class I will begin teaching next Monday. Seeing the students for the first time really made the reality of the situation sink in. I can't wait to get started.

I would leave you with an inspirational quote, but teachers wake up before the chickens, and this TFACM (teach for america corps member) has LPs (lesson plans) to make for my CMA (corps member advisor) group following the TAL (teaching as leadership) plan to close the GAP (goals, assessment, planning) in the USA (United States of America). Goodnight.


Layne and Katie (dot blogspot dot com)