Cue the "Full House" I've-learned-my-lesson music

I decided to blog about a particular incident that happened at school, because it seemed too scripted to be reality, when I'm pretty sure it was 100% real.

Before I go into the actual moment I'm talking about, you need the background information.

So 5th grade's Holiday Program is on 12/16. They're doing 3 songs:
1. Rudolph
2. Silent Night (Noche de Paz)
3. Deck the Hall

I'm using CDs from my textbook adoption that I've had for a few years, and using what's available to me in that collection. So this story really focuses on "Rudolph". As we all (should) know, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" begins:

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen... 

and goes on to list the rest of the reindeer before getting to good ol' Rudy. I had the idea of having a few kid soloists sing the introduction before the rest of the 5th graders sing all together. Well, I had 3 particular girls in mind I wanted to cast for the parts. So one day, earlier this week, we got all the 5th graders together, and I invited those interested in auditioning for the solos to come up and audition if they were serious. All 3 I thought would be the best bet came up...and so did 1 boy. I had them sing the part to the karaoke track in front of their peers, and they all did fairly well. So I had the contestants turn around while I took a popular vote from the audience of their peers, and in American Idol fashion the top 3 were chosen...and it ended up being 2 girls, and 1 boy.

So later, the one girl whom I thought would be a shoe-in that ended up not getting picked comes to music class. Upon asking the kids to get on the risers to rehearse, I noticed she was doing everything I asked except sing. So I had the others take a seat while I pulled her aside and spoke to her in private.

"Are you okay? Why are you not singing?"
"I don't want to be in the program after all."
"That's fine, I can't force you, but are you feeling this way because you weren't picked for the solo?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Okay, yes."

Cue the music at the end of every Full House episode. 

The conversation moved to (I hate to admit) a few honest clichés that I ended up laying on her. I talked about how when we have the skills for a good job and we apply for it, 20 people could apply for the same job and only 1 person gets it. I referenced American Idol, how millions of people believe and want to do it so badly, but only 1 gets voted to stay at the very end, but it doesn't stop the rest of them from following their dreams and following their hearts in doing what they love to do. I showed her how it was exactly the same with how the voting results were for the Rudolph auditions, and that though she wasn't picked, she shouldn't let that stop her from singing if she really loved doing it. I told her how much I enjoyed listening to her which is why I wanted her to audition, that I needed her voice, and that the more people that came to sing the better the performance would be. In middle school, she could join choir and audition for more solos in the future.


"Okay, Mr. Hickey. I'll be in it," she said with a smile."

I gave her a hug, got her back on the risers, and she was singing again. I looked at her a few times while I was mouthing the words to the song as the kids rehearsed. I smiled seeing that she was singing, and she smiled back at me.The whole thing seemed too planned, scripted to be true. Nonetheless, I believe it was as real as the music we made together.

It was a great, raw moment of being a teacher, lifting a student out of self-pity and disappointment, and reminding them of the great future they had already.

FCKH8

If you haven't seen this around, it stands for "FUCK HATE", but it also refers to California's Proposition 8 that sought to ban gay marriage in the Golden State. FCKH8 is campaign and has a website where they're selling shirts and other items in an effort to fund-raise in order to both fund the fight for equal marriage, and also fund youth queer counseling for suicide prevention in light of the recent tragedies among gay youth.

The commercials have received many hits on YouTube, especially for their very blunt message: "Fuck hate". We know that in our society and culture the word "fuck", also known as the "f-bomb", has the connotation of being among the worst or strongest obscenities in the English language. This one word is the reason so many movies are rated "R" in theaters. What's more, to speak honestly, is how this word has various grammatical functions. It can be a verb, an infix, an adjective, a noun, and especially an interjection. Search "fuck" on Wikipedia to learn more about its grammatical functions. I'm serious. It's provided. I checked.

I've received an e-mail in the past that said the word used to be an acronym for "Fornication Under Consent of the King". I don't know how true this is, but it implies that centuries ago, if a couple wanted to engage in sexual relations out of wedlock, they needed royal consent as the king was ordained by God. However, after checking Wikipedia, this etymology has been debunked as an urban legend.

Over the years, it has evolved into an obscenity that many people use in social settings. It's most often used when people express intense over any situation. I'll admit I use it myself, in personal situations, when I'm either proud of something, upset, inconvenienced horribly, and other related situations. It expresses my frustrations well, and as long as I don't use it to offend someone else, I don't see anything wrong with it other than it bothers people who are uncomfortable hearing profanity.

Bbeing an educator, especially in an elementary setting, it bothers me to listen to young children use obscenities. Education has turned me into somewhat of a professional prude (despite how socially liberal I am), and that prude comes out a bit when I watch these FCKH8 commercials. I truly agree with, enjoy (entertainment-wise), and appreciate the messages conveyed, and the way in which they're using the word. But what troubles me a little is seeing that they have featured some very young children using the word in the commercials. I try to calm myself by hoping that these kids' parents gave them permission to use the word for the sake of the message of the campaign.

That being said, the goal of the FCKH8 campaign is to apply the word "fuck" (particularly its meaning) against the word "hate". Those behind the project have a goal to "fuck hate". They're taking one of the strongest, most omnipotent obscenities in our language and using it against a human emotion that has caused so many of the world's problems.  Part of what's in their favor, socially, is that despite how vulgar the word is (it's often censored in modern media), it's been used so much to the point where some social settings are...numb to it. It doesn't necessarily change the extremity of its vulgarity, but the reaction to it may no longer be as strong as it once was.

All this being said, judge for yourself. I love both videos, and the video about the bullies has a drag queen who speaks with a...very intimidating voice. And it cracks me up each time!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=1amIrR-VMAI


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjFafCR6FOI&feature=player_profilepage

The WORST policy

In a nutshell, I'm talking about Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT). I don't know how anyone living in America could be unfamiliar with this military policy, but President Bill Clinton signed in to law 17 years ago in 1993. He supported gays serving in the military, and, well, the military didn't want that. So DADT was established as a compromise: don't ask a soldier if they're gay, and don't tell them if you are. Under this policy, if you come out or are outed, then you're kicked out of the military. It doesn't matter what special skills you possess. It doesn't matter how long or how well you've served, how many tours of duty you've been on, what awards you've won. If they learn you're gay, you're out. No questions asked.
One of the sad things about this is that a lot of gay soldiers followed the policy and were kicked out later by someone who found out somehow, by either invading the soldier's privacy, or some other means. The military has lost so many amazing soldiers for the simple reason of whom they love. Since the military's soldiers are mostly men, and since we are a highly patriarchal society, we as a culture are more accepting of 2 men holding guns than 2 men holding hands. That's messed up. The same paradox applies to a quote I once read of a soldier who was discharged under DADT. He said, "I was awarded for killing a man, and punished for loving one."

Allow me to share with you a few great ironies in this country:

-"Be yourself." We teach this to our kids, and in the real world when it comes to making friends, it's completely true. The best friends and colleagues are the ones who love you as you are. But the military has a problem with that?
-Be all you that you can be. (The army's slogan.)

A lot of conservative people were supporting DADT for many years thinking they were doing the gay community a favor by implementing this policy. Their justification was that with the policy in place, gay people would be protected from homophobes or anyone who wanted to cause harm to a gay soldier. I have to say, in theory this makes sense. But why do you need to protect a group of soldiers from their colleagues and brothers in arms? If you're holding a gun on the front lines, does it matter who your fellow soldier loves in his private life? What difference does it make if you kiss girls, but the guy next to you is attracted to men? Well, DADT also served to console homophobes who feared being flirted with by another guy. They didn't want to feel uncomfortable knowing that while they're sharing a community shower, another guy would be looking at his genitalia and immediately become aroused, leading to an extremely awkward moment between fellow soldiers. The policy preys on gay stereotypes that all gay men are sex-hungry devils, looking to have sex with anything that moves. DADT serves to put homophobes' minds at ease.

When DADT came to a potential repeal vote in the Senate recently, international pop singing sensation Lady Gaga made it a personal mission to rouse her millions of fans to become politically active in telling their legislators to support repeal. She addressed a big crowd and reminded everyone that the best thing about our country was the fact that we're all EQUAL. She explained how DADT strips gay soldiers of being seen as equals, and that, in fact, the policy was backwards, penalizing the wrong people:

Doesn't it seem that [DADT] is backwards? Doesn't it seem...that we're penalizing the wrong soldier? Doesn't it seem ... that we should send home the prejudiced; the straight soldier who hates the gay soldier? The straight soldier whose performance is affected because he's homophobic? The straight soldier who harbors hate instead of our nation's values?

I couldn't have said it better myself. All these military officials and personnel who want to keep DADT going justify it because they say that soldiers who are open about their sexuality will disrupt or destroy unit cohesion, which is the glue that holds troops together in combat. If you're holding a weapon and fighting an enemy, you want to feel close to the people you work with. So how is it that working with people who are forced to hide a part of themselves...how is that being cohesive? How does that promote cohesion? People in groups become stronger groups, more connected groups when they know the people they work with.

Watching a simple YouTube video with an internationally renowned pop star giving an address about human and civil equality astounds me. Her ideas made more sense than the policy implemented for over a decade by the American government, a government consisting of highly educated individuals; people who are or work with scientists, doctors, lawyers, business owners and other highly qualified, highly trained, highly educated professionals. How is it that a simple pop singer/songwriter's thinking makes more sense and is more aligned with the American values of equality, freedom, liberty, freedom from oppression, the pursuit of happiness than those of the people we put in power to administer over our country's future?

But you know what really upsets me? Senator John McCain. I think the only nice thing I have to say about him is that I'm grateful for his service to our country. But he's been coming up with excuse after excuse to impede repeal. He wanted to know how the top military officials felt about repeal; they supported it. He wanted to hear from the troops themselves; the in-depth survey conducted over 9 months shows that the vast majority of soldiers support repeal. He wanted to hear from the Pentagon; it also supports repeal. Everyone he's wanted to hear from has supported repeal. And now he's saying he won't support repeal because the economy is so messed up. Are you kidding me?!

McCain, I think it's time for you to retire.

How can we be a country whose Pledge of Allegiance ends with "...with liberty and justice for all" be the country that it is today, denying equality and justice to all of its people?

This country is extremely backwards sometimes. This country needs to look at itself in the mirror and change what truly doesn't work so everyone can have the same treatment regardless of any part of who they are. It's the reason why this country has become so incredibly diverse over the years. We're a melting pot of societies, of cultures. What message does it send to the world if we guarantee equality for all as long as certain conditions are met? That's not what America is. That's neither whom we strive to be nor whom we are.

They say that you can judge a country based on how it treats its minorities. Repeal DADT. It's unfair, it's unjust, it's discriminatory, and America, despite recent actions, is much smarter than this.

Will it be any better?

I look at my hands on the keyboard as I type and I'm reaffirmed that I am an adult, an adult in my late 20s who has started his career, owns a home, drives a car, and wears a wedding band.

Next Friday, Black Friday, I'll be at Hal's Landing in Laredo with Frank. I'll be there for my 10 year high school reunion. I've never really had an educational reunion. I've had family reunions, but not like this before. I'm a proud graduate of the St. Augustine High School Class of 2000. Being the only private Catholic high school in Laredo, it was very small. My graduating class was only 81 people including me. And as the days approach, I anticipate them with excitement, confidence, anxiety, and a little bit of nerves. I have more memories of high school than I do of elementary/middle school. Both bad and good.

I'll be completely honest. I have no idea what to expect. It's 10 years later. Will the same people who made me quiver with fear still have that effect on me? Or will I be able to hold myself up with confidence? Will it be like Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion where everyone is accomplished but them? Will it be big kids being the assholes they used to be to the meaker kids? Or will it be a huge positive experience where we're all adults, have figured ourselves out, have self-confidence, and have grown out of all the stupid bullshit that plagued our social lives?

My fears and anxieties pretty much rest on a few things:
1. I'm still a very passive person, non-confrontational.
2. Back then, I knew I was attracted to guys, but I wasn't sure I was gay.
3. My classmates were my friends at school, but had I been invited out with them, it would've been socially awkward for me. I viewed my classmates as student-colleagues, if you will. My "friends" were my cousins, all of whom attended the same school, but were in different grades.

Back then, the boys would want to go into Mexico and drink (illegally), go clubbing, and maybe get laid. None of that ever interested me, which, by default, made me an odd duck around a bunch of other guys and girls. I was much more content staying on the American side, going to watch a movie, and then heading to a cousin's house for desserts or a sleepover.

But when I walk into the reunion, my former classmates will see a man who's learned and loves who he is. After leaving them and living in my own world for a good 10 years, I've not only graduated from college, but I've earned my Master's, started my career, own the home of my dreams, drive the car I want, and am madly in love with an incredible person who's been my lover and best friend for nearly 5 years.

As the reunion approaches, I feel like I'm the typical sitcom or TV series character that plays through all these different scenarios in my head. I have the momentary daydream where I picture myself about to get bullied by the same shitheads who gave me a hard time, and then I push back and yell "Fuck you for making my life hell in school, and FUCK YOU AGAIN for trying to fuck with me again! I'm sick of your shit! Leave me the fuck alone!" Again, that's only a daydream I have. There's little to no chance that that will actually come into realization. And if it did, would I actually hold my ground well, or would I cower like I did back then? I don't know.

I could be completely over-exaggerating everything. It may be a very friendly and casual atmosphere where nothing I'm imagining will come into reality. It may be nothing but fun where those who once made me quiver with intimidation turn out to be amazing people whom I can't wait to friend on Facebook. I just have no idea what's in store.

Among the good memories I have, a lot of girls enjoyed the way I sang. They liked that I played the piano and wrote poetry. There were some guys who were cool with me, and stuck up for me if I felt threatened.

Among the negative memories, I remember that gym class was probably the worst part of it all. There were 6 guys in our class, and it was always the locker room that was so scary for me. There was one time when I remember one of the bigger guys had me up against the wall and was pretending to choke me. I remember that my reaction to his actions was to stay completely calm. I even had my eyes half closed as to appear "bored" by his actions. This same gang of boys would frequently moan and groan as if they were fucking someone right in front of us. It was so annoying. Of course they were all stronger than me, and a few of them would make pseudo-"gay" passes at me. Talk about foreshadowing.

I may be making a mountain out of a molehill as I am so famous for doing. It may be a great event and rekindle or start some great friendships. It may also bring suppressed memories (if I have any) to the forefront and cause me to cringe at the very sight of specific people. There is at least 1 person I can think of who makes me want to walk away the minute I'd see him. And if I do see him, I hope that I don't wuss out and run away.

More than anything, I want to enjoy my reunion. We're all adults who hopefully know how to respect one another, even if we probably needed to do it better when we were that young. But especially bringing Frank with me, the one person I am closest to is stepping into a world that he's never seen, much less knows how it may affect my behavior. I don't know how it'll affect me either.

I intend to enjoy myself and hopefully avoid any conflict. And if someone gives me any crap, I can tell 'em off in 3 different languages.

Music of my heart

With my type of personality, I'm the kind that, when I decide I like something, I become obsessed with it almost to the point of exclusivity. Let's take music, for example, since that's my life and profession.

Growing up, my all-time favorite artist was Michael Jackson, so much so that I would rarely listen to anything else. If I had a say in what I was listening to, MJ would be it. No questions asked, hands down. That was in the 80s and very early 90s. Then in 1996, I saw Celine Dion's video for "Because You Loved Me" and that one song moved MJ out of the way, for Celine's voice had stolen my heart. I became a superfan of Celine Dion, and my fandom of Celine has outdone my MJ fandom with regard to intensity.

Fast-forward to 2010, some 14 years later, and a new artist is starting to win me over. I cannot say officially yet that this new artist has trumped Celine, but I get more excited with this new artist's new releases over those of Celine's now. That artist would be Katy Perry. Admitting here, I feel immediately like I'm supposed to be this professional musician with superb taste in music and an ear for quality. Right there, Frank would disagree with me. But yes, I consider myself to have a discriminating ear. Why? Well, most people, when asked about their favorite music reply "I like everything." That's not true for me. I don't like everything. In fact, more and more hip-hop songs, for example, are coming out that have such asinine lyrics! Or the music is very redundant with little creativity involved.

My love for Celine is founded on her incredible voice and beautiful music videos. Her voice and range are velvety smooth, and all her songs are so positive, and the only thing she really sings about is love. She's moved masses with her voice. Being a classically trained musician myself, if I like someone, I want to have professional reasons for liking them. For Celine, no she doesn't really write her own songs, she records others' songs, and her interpretations are true works of art.

My love for Katy Perry stands on how she not only writes her own songs, but the words are applicable to so many people's lives. They're humorous, catchy, and you can dance to just bout all of them. They're FUN! I remember when I first heard Katy's song "I Kissed a Girl". At first I admit I was a little turned off. I didn't know who this girl was, and thought her voice was too raspy for being so popular. She sounded very "throaty" which initially turned me off. Then a friend introduced me to her song "Ur So Gay" and the song cracked me up. I thought the lyrics were clever, especially the line that goes:

You're so sad, maybe you should buy a Happy Meal.

You're so skinny, you should really Super Size the deal. 

That line made me just about die laughing. Then, I heard her other single "Hot N Cold" and the energy behind that one lit a spark within me that turned that song into my favorite one on her debut album. The video was fun to watch, the lyrics were clever, the music was addictive, and she definitely at least co-wrote it. The other thing about her lyrics that I find so attractive is that they're blatantly honest sometimes. Cue the release of her songs "Thinking of You" and "Waking Up in Vegas". The former is a beautifully moving ballad with a rockish edge about struggling to love someone new because you're still in love with someone who's gone. In the context of this song, her true love was killed in war, and she can't be intimate with her new man without thinking of her deceased lover. "Waking Up in Vegas" is the adventure a lot of us want to have in Sin City: the fun, the lavishness, the risk, the gambling, and the consequences that follow. That's America, right there.

This year, she debuted her new album called "Teenage Dream". I remember reading the reviews on iTunes and 1 critic said that her music was like indulging in your favorite junk food at midnight. I don't want to think of her music as junk food, sweet but unhealthy. It's music and we love music because it's supposed to be fun to perform, dance to, listen to, etc. I could go on and on about this but that's a different blog. Her first single was "California Gurls" celebrating the beauty of the ladies populating the Golden State. Featuring what I thought was a climactic vocal climax it was enough to make me download the song and listen to it on repeat in my car. Then the album's title track was released: "Teenage Dream". Though the video has some risqué scenes, I loved the music and lyrics because they often define how I feel about Frank.The lyrics and music seem to depict, to me, a time when we're just barely out of our teenage adolescent years, in our early 20s, and find a love that feels stronger and more substantial than any puppy love we may have felt in our earlier youth. It's fresh music, it's driven, with a rock edge, and it evokes a feeling of nostalgia; being able to feel young and in love with the one you've found who's moved you so deeply. Then her latest single was released: "Firework". Initially, judging by the song title itself, I wasn't sure I'd like it. Since I follow Katy on Twitter, she was going on and on about how special this song was. When the video was finally released, I saw it and I was nearly moved to tears. The "Firework" she refers to is the spark that's within each of us that needs to be ignited so we can truly be ourselves and shine the way we're supposed to.

You don't have to feel like a wasted space. 
You're original, cannot be replaced. 
If you only knew what the future holds
after a hurricane comes a rainbow.

The song is a very upbeat as well as an inspirational testimony to being yourself, reflective of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors": 

Baby you're a firework, come on show 'em what you're worth. 
Make 'em go "Oh, oh oh!" as you shoot across the sky-y-y. 

If I had to guess, it's very appropriate to release this song after so many teen suicides have plagued our society in the past months. The video reflects a boy breaking up his parents' arguing, a self-conscious girl not wanting to swim in public because she's not skinny, a cancer patient with no hair, a gay boy in a club surrounded by straight people who finally goes to kiss the boy he's attracted to, a magician who gets mugged, etc. The message is very powerful, and the music is balladesque making for a truly enjoyable, inspiring work of art.

I'm loving "Firework" so much that I'm even considering using it professionally at school. When the 5th graders graduate, there are 4 songs we do, and 1 keeps changing each year:

National Anthem
Moving Forward (the official graduation song I wrote myself)
Celebration (by Kool & the Gang, usually sung as a finale)
_____________ This is the song that only 5th graders may audition to sing. Whoever gets picked sings this song, and the choir performs it in Sign Language.

So that's what's going on with me. Celine and Katy and duking it out in my ears and mind. I love them both so much.

Regardless of who becomes my new #1 favorite, Celine will always have a 1-up over anyone else because it was she who inspired and motivated me to become a professional musician.

Noms

I actually deliberated on the title of this blog. Should I capitalize the first letter, or not? This adorable 3-letter word refers to the "lolcat" speak on the website www.ICanHasCheezburger.com where adorable pictures of various animals (primarily cats and dogs) have captions depicting humorous conversations. I've actually fallen in love with the website and the animals depicted within. The term "nom" refers to food or anything of the like. It's a form of onomatopoeia in which the word mimics the sound made when something is nibbled or eaten...especially with haste when the food is extremely delectable. This term itself has gotten to the point where, especially on the internet, it's both onomatopoeia and a noun.

I smile with a cheesy grin just thinking about it. I picture friends of mine coming to my house, and as would be my hostly duty, I'd ask, "So I've got all kinds of good noms here if you're hungry." I find, personally, that the onomatopoeia form of the word is best expressed when the word "nom" is said 5 times in rapid succession: nom nom nom nom nom! It just makes me giggle!

But just this word alone has also prompted me to write this blog about my fascination with text lingo itself, when it comes to posting status updates on Facebook, Twitter, comments, text messages, etc. With the increasing and peaking popularity of the cyberworld and those who use it on a daily basis - I myself am a facebook and twitter addict - all kinds of textual lingo is being used on a regular basis, to the point where they even infiltrate daily social live conversations with friends. Our world is becoming increasingly digital, and those who were born after the year 2003 have little to no knowledge of what this world was like before this world went from being the kind where you'd have to communicate by phone to being able to take a picture with one!

So let me briefly recap my thoughts, because I seem to go from one stream of thinking to another. This one word, "nom", and its references is tied to a world that has evolved into what it is now when only a few years ago it didn't exist, at least not to the level it's at now. This world branches out in so many directions with the way technology has changed over time.

This world has brought with it changes in the way we communicate with each other, with regard to news, comedy, research, art, investigation, authentic information, misguided information, business, politics, pro-this and anti-that.

So here I was, trying to write a blog about a simple little word that evokes so much humor, and it led me down to mention, albeit briefly, the world that technology has affected communication, and how that has affected humanity.

We've come a long way, baby.

Sink or sing

Remember the original Super Mario Brothers Nintendo game? If you do, you might remember how the screen moved, forcing you to keep going. There was a timer that affected the tempo of the music as you started running out. Before you knew it, you were trying desperately to not fall in the next hole or just plain get killed by an easily-killed enemy.

My life feels like that game right now, especially around the winter season. I'm having to stop my regular lessons in music to prepare ALL the grades (PK-5th) for the annual Holiday program coming up. It's a traditional theme called "Christmas Around the World". The idea is to celebrate the holiday as it is celebrated in different parts of the world with songs from different countries. It first starts with sending out a bilingual letter asking if the child has permission to participate (since some families are Jehovah's Witnesses, and don't celebrate Christmas). I don't have a problem with such families, but in accommodating for all students' needs, I have to do this. Then of course some kids forget them and don't bring them in by the time they should, and so on and so forth.

In addition to leading and directing this massive production, I'm the chair of a social committee at my school, and we've got to plan the Christmas party, and we're running out of time to do it.

Then I get home, and I'm on my neighborhood's Neighborhood Watch Committee, and will be the chair of the Welcoming Committee. All of this is volunteer work, too. I'm so drained at the end of each day right now.

*yawn* Yep, I'm exhausted.

4 months later...

Yes, I know. I've been bad. I haven't blogged in 4 months.

No, I'm not dead, nor has anything horrific taken over my life except...life.

School's keeping me busy. Kodály training is....almost finished [insert obscenities here]. I was hoping I'd be finished with it by the end of July, but I have to redo some teaching videos. It's actually the best worst-case scenario. Wait, no it's not. Working on my song collection would've been easier to do than this crap. I don't blame my professor. He's got some major people above him, so anyone whom he trains represents him as a professional pedagogy professor. And according to my videos, I have some serious growth I need to do. I was just so ready to be DONE with this training. I broke down about 3 or 4 times during Level 3. I'm just so thrilled I don't have to repeat the courses...they were the biggest pains in the ass. The only thing that made them anything close to bearable was the fact that I had some awesome classmates.

So I need to have 2 teaching videos pass, and then I'll get my certificate. My goal was to complete this work before the Christmas break, but my motivation to do it is almost non-existent. I was so discouraged by the fact that I'm NOT finished, that I literally feel like saying "Fuck it. I don't give a shit anymore." I kinda just want to wash my hands of the whole thing. I practically gave 3 Julys of my life to being told and shown how to teach elementary music. When I submitted the evidence that shows what I felt I was taught to do, I was told that too many things were not good enough. Yes, this was back in July and I'm still bitter. You'd be bitter too if you knew what all this was like.

God, I'm getting depressed about it now. I need to get the fuck over it and get my shit together and done. That's the ONLY way this nightmare will go away. *sigh of frustration*

On the bright side, I'm going to start giving piano lessons. It'll be something of a financial assistance too. I don't think there are any piano teachers in my neighborhood, so if anyone wants them, I'm there only outlet. Commercial music studios cost a fortune more than what I'm charging. Plus, I'm a music theory badass.
I'm honestly not trying to brag. But I *did* get my Master's degree in music theory, and my thesis covered the fundamentals, my favorite area.

I hope I get a lot of piano students. If I even get just one, who takes a 30 minute lesson each week, that'll be an extra $80 a month which will be very helpful, and that's just 1 student for 30 minutes a week. Honestly, I hope I get 30-minute lessons, for the most part. If people go for the full hour, they'll pay $30, but if I have 2 back-to-back 30-minute lessons, that's $40 right there. The only thing I have to figure out now is where to teach (my house or theirs), and which books to use (and where to get them). I'm feeling optimistic about this, actually.

Okay, well, Glee's about to start, and I CAN'T miss it. I really don't know what to tell my readers about my blogginess. Don't expect anything frequent. But thanks for reading when it comes. :-)

The Book Blogs - Broken Government...nearly broke me

I *finally* finished reading this damn book! Yes, you might detect a note of hostility, and I feel slightly hostile for 2 reasons:

1. I had to push myself to read it, as in I was getting no enjoyment out of it towards the end. It went from an activity of leisure to a measure of self-discipline.
2. I will never, ever, ever, so long as I remain the way I do in thinking about government and politics as I do now, EVER become a registered member of the Republican party. NEVER.

After reading this book, I must say that I've never been so disgusted with a political party before. I don't know if the author John Dean is currently a registered Democrat, but I do know that he was once an active staffer in the Republican party during Nixon's presidency. Reading what I read, I can only say I was in total disbelief, numerous times about how absolutely and horridly corrupt the Republican party has become. I'm astounded, baffled, dumbfounded, amazed, and just plain bewildered at how people who are elected to serve those who put them in power choose to serve only themselves and their individual interests. The hypocrisy, duplicity, and sheer [insert additional negative noun] of these people is so thick it's almost tangible!

When I say it was an effort of self-discipline to completely read it is because it was. After every chapter or subsection I'd read, it became harder and harder to return to read it because of how upset the book's contents made me.

Among the hypocrisies listed, I think the biggest one is how this party is the one that claims to be so moral, and yet they engage in some of the most immoral and corrupt practices!

You know what? Trying to even type about this book and what I read is so difficult that it makes me even more upset just thinking about it. So I'll conclude with a few quotes from the book taken from the last chapter: Repairing Government: Restoring the Proper Processes:

In almost four decades of involvement in national politics, much of them as a card-carrying Republican, I was never concerned that the GOP posed a threat to the well-being of our nation. Indeed, the idea would never have occurred to me, for in my experience the system took care of excesses, as it certainly did in the case of the president for whom I worked [Nixon]. But in recent years the system has changed, and is no longer self-correcting. Most of that change has come from Republicans, and much of it based on their remarkable confrontational attitude, an attitude that has clearly worked for them. For example, I cannot imagine any Democratic president keeping cabinet officers as Bush has done with his Secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld, and attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, men whom both Democrats and Republicans judged to be incompetent. Evidence that the system has changed is so apparent when a president can deliberately and openly violate the law--as, for example, simply brushing aside serious statutory prohibition against torture and electronic surveillance--without any serious consequences.

And another quote:

Ironically, when Republicans find Democratic officials with even a toe across the line, they raise unmitigated hell for that official. But when a Republican official crosses the line, Republicans close ranks around the miscreant . . . Conservatives once claimed they stood for law and order, and that no person was above the law, but their words belie their true beliefs as expressed in their actions. 

And the last quote I'll share:

Ignorant and apathetic voters, and dropouts, probably frown at the sign in the shop on East Nineteenth Street in Manhattan that says: "Democracy is like sex--it works best when you participate." A charming thought, if a questionable simile. (If democracy were, in fact, like sex, it would be impossible to prevent people from participating.) If I ever come across this shop, I plan to offer them an additional sign that sums up the GOP attitude about process: "If democracy were like sex--Republicans would make it illegal, except for themselves."

The best perk

*sigh of RELIEF*

Summer vacation has officially begun. *looks at those 2 words* "Summer vacation". Hmm. What will I be doing this summer? If there's any traveling involved, maybe a trip to Houston, maybe a trip to Laredo, and that's probably all I'll do. Maybe a Dallas trip. I don't know. But what I do know is this:

June 7-11: Gifted & Talented Certification training, M-F 8-3.
June 22-23: Positive Behavior Support training, T and W 8-3.
July 12-28: Kodály III training (culminating in Kodály Certification), M-F 8-4

THEN I'm free after that, but between 6/11 and 7/12, I'll be doing a lot of work to prep for the longest (toughest) training I have this summer. I've got a lot of work I need to get done completed, but I still have 3 more big things to finish:
1. 5th grade song collection analysis (about 70+ songs)
2. Song retrieval system on Excel or Access (including of at least 200 songs)
3. Finding sources for all songs in my song collection.

I've been told, I know, and I've experienced that one of the best parts about being a school teacher is that we get the summer off. I doubt this summer will feel like a vacation. I define vacation that an event or time period that is used strictly for one's leisure; it's a time when you reward and treat yourself after working hard for a period of time. My "vacation" will be spent attending 3 trainings, prepping for one of them (that directly affects my career). The best part about this summer is the fact that I won't have to wake up at 5:30 am each morning. But besides that, the biggest and best highlight, professionally speaking, is that after my Kodály training is finished, I'll have earned the prestigious title of Kodály Music Specialist. To me, the only title that could be cooler than adding that to my e-mail signatures would be a small acronym: Ph.D. But if that even happens, it won't happen for a few years. Although, now that I have 3 years of teaching experience under my belt, I have the minimum amount required to apply for a Ph.D in music education. So that'll be awesome.

Another nice thing about this summer is that come August, I'll have made my 36th consecutive payment on my student loans, and I will be rewarded a 1% interest rate reduction. That's both exciting and anticlimactic at the same time because of all the debt I have, my student loans have the lowest interest rate at the moment...except maybe for my car refinancing. That shit went down from 8.34 to 3.4%! My credit cards remain the most expensive rate, each over 10%.

Anyway, I hope to have a wonderful summer. Another amazing perk is that Frank and I will be celebrating our 4th anniversary on June 6th. Four years together, and still totally in love!

Another thing I'll be working on is finishing Broken Government. I really want to get that done. Because of how reading that book has pissed me off every time I've read a chapter, I'm finishing it now more out of discipline than wanting to read more...which is not the goal of reading, at least not for what I'm trying to accomplish. Maybe when I'm finished, I should read a book of fiction, where a story with a plot is told. I remember from high school that the books I enjoyed reading the most were the ones that had a lot of dialogue. If it's nothing but description, I'll get bored easily. I like to follow conversations, especially when they get heated between characters.

Okay. I'm gonna get off this and watch this week's episode of Glee I missed because of a True Blood event I attended.

Ahh, sweet summer...I've missed you!

The Book Blogs - Broken Government - Judicial Branch

I've started reading the 3rd chapter about the state of the Judicial Branch. It's an easier read than the 2 previous chapters for the main reason that it's not PISSING ME OFF like the other chapters did.

That being said, I haven't posted on my blog in a long time, longer than I wanted to go without posting. I haven't done so mostly because I've been too lazy to discipline myself to sit down and take the time out to write about whatever. Also, I hadn't been writing because I had stopped reading the book. I had stopped reading it because the last 2 chapters I read really upset me...to the point where I wasn't sure if I was going to even want to finish it. But yesterday, while Frank was reading his new book What Jesus Meant, I decided to be productive and pulled out the book and started reading chapter 3. I want to say I got maybe half way through. It's a LONG chapter!

This book has made me reaffirm something else about books that affect how I read them: Since I already have a hard enough time looking forward to reading, I need some frequent senses of accomplishment as I read. And these "accomplishments" come in the form of finishing chapters. If chapters are short, I'll finish it faster because I'll see my progress which, in turn, motivates me to read more and ultimately finish. If the book has few chapters, the book better be damn short, because I *hate* chapters that are 50 pages long. I hate that. And this current 3rd chapter in Broken Government is like 70 pages long. Grrr.

Besides the layout of the book, school has gotten busier, and I've had to deal with burn-out issues. Today is Memorial Day (thank you, troops!), and tomorrow is Tuesday, June 1st. Our last day of school is Thursday, June 3rd. That pisses. me. off. I *hate* that out school year goes into June! Ugh! The kids are tired and have checked out. And the teachers, including myself, probably checked out after Spring Break. I don't want to go back to school tomorrow. In fact, even though today is Monday, I feel like it's a Sunday since we had a 3-day weekend. And don't get me wrong; as much as I LOVE 3-day weekends, this one is always hard because it's a big tease before the summer comes. That's just fucked up. *shrugs* WHY?! Why make us teachers, who work so hard all year, be teased this way? Are we seriously just supposed to fill a certain number of working days? Because if that's the reason why we're going into June, then that's stupid. I'm sorry, but it is. Anyway, I should probably shut up considering there are plenty of people who wish they had the same 3 months off (paid) that teachers do. I'm bitching about how I have 3 more days of school left, and other people have to earn vacation time. For us, it's part of the package.

I'll make it, but I'll probably bitch on the way out about how school should've ended on Friday, May 28th. The good news is that next year, we DON'T go into June, and we'll have a week off for Thanksgiving as well as Spring Break. That I think is appropriate; a week off in the Fall, and a week off in the Spring, with 2 weeks off between semesters...and the random days off we get sporadically.

Back to the book.

So, this chapter about the Judicial Branch is pretty much talking about how those justices whom have served on it, how they've become nominated, and how the parties in power have affected which judges end up serving. It also explained something I didn't know about, but am not surprised about; we have apparently 4 different types of judges: minimalists, fundamentalists, and 2 others I can't recall. But the most common were these 2 I've mentioned. I can't remember what the deal was with minimalist judges, but fundamentalist judges are those who base their decisions by interpreting the Constitution as it was written in its time. So they apply it to a contemporary situation based on its original context. I thought it was interesting, but this chapter isn't anywhere nearly as fired up in its writing as the previous 2 chapters were. But I'm not finished with this one either. The author is about to discuss how the branch was affected by Bush Sr.'s reign, as well as W's reign, and they both have a few pages dedicated to themselves.

Frank already finished his book, which made me slightly jealous because I wish I could read faster than I do. That's the main reason why I don't buy books that become movies. I've never read any of the Lord of the Rings series, nor The Chronicles of Narnia, nor the Harry Potter series. None of them, because as thick as those books are, it'll take me forever to finish whereas I can enjoy the story (though I know they're not usually faithful to their books) by watching a movie and be finished in a few hours. I know people who've read books...BIG books, within a 24-hour period. I don't know if I could ever do that.

*sigh* I better finish this post. I have some work I gave myself to do that I need to have ready to distribute to my students over the next couple of days. These last 3 days will be CRAZY.

The Book Blogs - Broken Government

I've completed reading the 2nd chapter, all about how the Executive Branch is broken and in need of repair. Though Dean clearly has a justifiable disdain for Republican governance, it's clear his disdain and disapproval increases, and is passed on to the reader, towards Dick Cheney.

To briefly summarize this chapter, Dean's argument mainly consisted of a theory...a theory that the president should be exercising more power than he has the right to. If this theory is enacted, then political corruption is the clear result. When our government was established over 2 centuries ago, our founding fathers made it clear that they didn't want their government resembling the monarchy they tried to declare independence against. The president would not be a dictator, and the power of the government would not be concentrated in one lone entity. Rather, they implemented a system of checks and balances. Remember that term from Political Science 101? It's a system that makes sure all 3 branches of government - legislative (Senate and House of Representatives), executive (president and vice president), and judicial (Supreme Court Justices) - would ensure that neither of the other branches would ever embrace any form of corruption. They'd ensure that no branch was acting autonomously. Each branch should ideally work together to create and uphold laws and resolutions that would serve to *benefit* the people, aka, the citizens of the United States of America.

But...

In Dick Cheney's mind, the president is entitled to virtually unlimited power, and should run the government that way. Doing so makes it inevitable for checks and balances preventing corruption to become essentially nullified. What does that do as a result? It can, over time, change the way a country is run. And for 8 years our "misunderestimated" president turned a country founded on beliefs of democracy to become an almost fascist nation, in which corporations and the wealthiest of the wealthy were, in effect, running the country: a plutonomy.

*sigh* 

Reading this chapter of the book angered me to the point where I nearly stopped reading. I was so pissed off! I felt so disgusted and betrayed! I didn't even vote for that asshole! But before I'd let my anger and resentment take hold of me, I was able to take a step back and remember that our country is now run by someone who knows how to pronounce "nuclear." And then I was able to calm down again.

It's not the first time a book has upset me because what I'm reading in it hurts me as I recall events passed during W's reign. However, if I haven't finished the book (which I haven't, otherwise I would've said that already), it's mostly because it's gotten difficult to read. Though it discusses events that are in our past, and our country is now headed in a better (*I* believe) direction, it all too frequently makes me reminisce of what was among our darkest years in our country.

The next chapter I have to read is all about the judicial branch, and the final and 4th chapter will discuss what "repairs" are needed to bring this country back to its greater glory.

Given how busy - and tired! - I am after school and how lazy I am on the weekends, I don't know when I'll finish the book. I hope to have it finished before school's over. It's barely mid-April, and the last day of school is June 3rd. We'll see.

As for my love of reading, it's still about the same as it has always been. I don't know if it's the subject matter of Broken Government that is keeping me from falling in love with reading. If I was in love, I wouldn't go days without reading like I do now. I'm still dealing with the fact that when I have time to read, I still elect to do other things with my time. The discipline isn't there at all. A part of me won't keep reading because the book upsets me. Another part of me doesn't read because I haven't disciplined myself to pick it up and do it.

Maybe I should pick a more light-hearted book. *shrugs* I don't know.

Okay, I'm off to bed now. That shrug was accompanied by a yawn.

The Book Blogs - Broken Government and The Art of Happiness

I've been very bad about reading the book. I'm almost through with the 2nd chapter, though. Its last section discusses the so-called evils of Dick Cheney. The next chapter will discuss the Judicial Branch as the chapter I'm currently on is discussing the Executive Branch (and the preceding chapter focused on the Legislative).

I remember when I started blogging about this book, I made it clear that more than anything, I was hoping my blogging would chronicle and reflect a change in my perception of reading; that I'd fall in love with it. I can say that definitely hasn't happened yet. Over the last few weeks, if I ever have a chance to read, I end up electing to do something else with my time. I'll get on Facebook, watch YouTube videos, clean the house, watch a DVD I've seen a million times (like Glee), whatever. Reading a book for leisure still hasn't become an active practice.

On the other hand...

This past Christmas, my wonderful Frank gave me an audio book. It's the first time I've even ever received one! It's a book co-authored by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and a psychiatrist, Howard Cutler, M.D. entitled "The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World". The audio book took me a few months to finish listening to it as it contained 14 hours on 11 CDs. Also, I had to discipline myself to listen to it over my iPod or the radio where I could enjoy hearing Taylor Swift sing about how some (super cute) guy belongs with her. Nevertheless, the book was FASCINATING! I learned so much about life, perceptions, emotions, the human condition, etc. The book is FILLED with information that I'm convinced can benefit multitudes of people. It'd take several blogs to even summarize it justly. The subject matter is honestly so complex, one really has to sit and listen to the entire book (or just read it) to fully grasp its message.

So since I've finished that book, let me say I HIGHLY recommend it. The Dalai Lama's tremendous depth of wisdom and insight, coupled with social and scientific research reviews make for a fascinating and enlightening read, to say the *least*.

*sigh*

I hope to blog again soon. Now that it's post-Spring Break at school, it's gonna be a whirlwind until Summer arrives! Got a house to maintain, a 52-member choir to direct for 5th grade graduation, and lots of work to prepare for Kodály Level III this July.

*looks up* Hey, Jesus, if you could resurrect yourself in 3 days, help me get through the next 60.

Amen.

- Posted from my iPhone

Whoosh!

I'm in total disbelief in that is seems this school year has just gone by in a flash! There are days and weeks when I feel like I'm drowning in work - though good work - that by the time I come up for air and call home, I get a tease of "Hi there, stranger" as a greeting.

At this moment, I think about how the weekend before Spring Break, I received a phone call from my great uncle, requesting me to take him to the pharmacy to get some meds he needs. I told him I should have a chance, and when I did, I'd notify him, and we'd schedule the errand. It's now 2 weeks since we last spoke, and I haven't had the time, not the energy to take care of a nearby family member.

It all makes me feel so self-centered and inconsiderate. But I know it's not intentional on my part, and I know he'd forgive me should I ask for it, as he's sensitive enough to say something like, "Oh, don't worry yourself. It's not that important!"

I hope no one feels like I've forgotten them.

- Posted from my iPhone

The Book Blogs - Broken Government

Last night I read through chapter 1 of this book. A few hours later, my disdain for the way Republicans do politics had only increased. The author, John Dean, seemed to only be reaffirming everything I've learned about how the government, when controlled by the GOP runs the show.

I have to admit, I have this base theory that Republicans will trump the needs of the people so the members of their party can earn fat checks from interests groups only interested in making profits, not in serving their customers' needs.

That's my opinion.

Of all the horrendous practices Dean explained that the GOP had done, among them include trying to pass a bill to help cut the deficit. How would they cut it? They'd take away Medicare benefits. Before this law was to be passed, one Medicare benefit was that patients who needed an oxygen would have it paid for for as long as they needed it. But what would this law do? Only pay for 18 months of oxygen. WTF?! Seriously? You want to cut the deficit. I get that. All Americans want that. But put the cut on the sick and homebound? For the party that claims to be so moral, they're nothing but hypocrites!

Without needing to go into more bullshit, courtesy of our beloved Republican party, the next chapter will be about the damage in the Executive Branch, and how it's under repair.

By the way, all this that Dean writes about, it was all during W's reign. That douche.

- Posted from my iPhone

So much to do, and one less hour to do it

I'm so glad Spring Break is here! It's truly one of the pros of being a teacher. I get an entire week of to just do things I want to do, and things I need to do!

Several things need to get done:
-Frank and I need to turn in our census cards to St. Peter, the Apostle Church since we've been going there more and more.
-I need to finish the article on posadas that I was asked to write. Got a LOT done on that already, and still have some more to go. My goal is to be finished with it by Wednesday.
-I need to notate my song "Moving Forward" since I need to teach it to the kids in choir for 5th grade graduation. Last year, when I wrote it, I performed it and accompanied the choir myself. This time, I may actually ask another teacher to accompany for me. And should that happen, it'd be surreal for me...someone else performing MY music. The only time I hear my music played is when I'm the one playing it. No one else knows how to play my stuff.
-I need to write more lesson plans for the next couple of weeks of school.
-I need to call up Bank of America so I can get a better homeowner's insurance policy premium.
-I need to call the Travis County Tax Office to inquire about our property tax increase...blegh.
-I need to organize the storage shelves in the garage.

Several things I *want* to get done:
-I want to see Alice in Wonderland at the Alamo Drafthouse.
-I want to get together with some colleagues to have a night out on the town.
-I want to go with Frank's dad on the Wine Trail. In fact, I get to do that tomorrow, or Wednesday. Who's excited?!
-I want to upload a new video onto YouTube of another one of my songs.
-I want to complete notating "Be Still (and Know)".
-I want to finish reading Broken Government in my effort to fall in love with reading. 

*sigh*

I could go on. I do feel good, though, that today I did hammer out a lot of that posada article. I feel kinda proud of myself for that. I have so much to write about, and for once, I'm stuck in organizing all my thoughts. Right now, it's about 5 pages long, and that's because I have like 6 pictures taking up some major space. Thank God I've got it notated already.

I hope my Spring Break is both relaxing and productive. Right now, it does feel that way. That time change didn't help, though...dammit. But...in all fairness, if I had to choose a time to get used to the time change, it'd be Spring Break. It's a hell of a lot better than having to go to work the next day and losing an hour of sleep in the process. The genius who came up with that needs to be shot...unless someone already took care of it.

A morning like no other

This morning started off like no other morning in my 3+ years with Frank. I woke up around 7:30 am feeling a tap on my back. Wanting to give him a "good morning" hug, I moved closer to him, and then I heard him say "You might need to take me to the hospital. I've got a migraine that hasn't gone away, and I've already taken medication."

Frank suffers from chronic migraines, it's genetic, too. He takes a daily medication to prevent them (Verapamil), but should one come anyway, he takes a migraine pain reliever (Frova) that works 95% of the time. The other 5% of the time, he may need to be hospitalized to make the migraine go away. We met in 2006, and I learned during the first few months that he tended to have a migraine once a year that was bad enough to hospitalize him. The last migraine that was this bad was back in 2005. So, he's gone 5 years without needing to go in.

So we got out of bed, got dressed, and I drove him to the ER at St. David's Hospital, a location he directed me to. I dropped him off, parked, and then went in expecting to find him waiting to be received. To my amazement, he was already sitting in the office behind those sliding partitions answering questions about his pain and his current state. After a few questions, he was led to a bed where the doctor soon came, and a nurse started an IV treatment. After signing some papers, a few trips to the bathroom, and some much needed rest, we were discharged maybe 90 minutes later. We really didn't stay there long!

On our way out, a lady, sitting in the waiting room, barefoot, asked if she could have a ride home. "I've been here all night, needing medication for my fibromyalgia." Coincidentally, I had seen this woman earlier that morning upon arrival. After I had parked my car, upon entering the ER waiting room, she had stopped me outside asking if I had a cigarette I could give her. I told her I didn't have any since I don't smoke. I apologized, and went my way to Frank. So here she was again, asking for help, and looking very pitiful, as if waiting for someone to give her some ounce of human compassion, some mercy. Feeling caught between a rock and a hard place, I both wanted to do the humane thing and come to her aid, but I also wanted to get Frank home from the hospital!

"Where do you live?" I asked.
"I leave by East Riverside and Wickersham, at my son's apartment."
"Oh, I know where that is. Well, I can call a cab for you."
"I don't have any money."
"I have some cash I can give you."

I opened my phone and was about to start dialing 411 to find a cab company, until I thought to myself, As nervous as this makes me, giving a stranger a ride, taking her myself would be the easiest way to go...and it's actually on our way home. Turning to Frank, I asked him in Spanish (assuming she wouldn't understand) "Do you have a problem if we take her with us?"
"Nope."
I looked at her. "We'll take you home, ma'am."

She followed us to our car, and I had the most awkward 10 minutes in my car I think I've ever had. The woman didn't know where we were going, since she thought we were downtown. Hardly. She was from Oregon and was only staying with her son for a few days. He couldn't come to get her because he was waiting for a mechanic to show up to fix his broken-down vehicle. Nearing the apartment complex, she went further in her request for charity asking for some money for a meal.

God works in *mysterious* ways.

This past weekend, I had gone downtown with some friends and pulled out some cash from the ATM. I still had some left over (and I seldom carry cash; I don't like to) so upon arriving, I gave her some money.

We arrived home, and Frank went back to sleep since his high dosage of Benadryl was still in his system, knocking him out for about another 2-3 hours. 

What. a. morning!

The Book Blogs - Sidenote

I'm watching Julie & Julia...again...cause the movie is deliciously adorable! As Julie is narrating what she blogs, it made me think that I probably should've read Julie Powell's book! I already love the movie, and in most cases, the book is better than the movie...according to those who read more than I do.

Maybe when I'm finished with Broken Government, I'll go in a different direction and read what I'm sure would be a deliciously easy read!

(Aren't these culinary puns cuuuuuuuuuute?)

After all, I know Frank would love it if I learned to cook. Hell, I'd love it too!



- Posted from my iPhone

The Book Blogs - Broken Government by John W. Dean

Frank and I were at BookPeople yesterday. I hadn't been there in like 20 years! It was nice to go in. It was there that I saw Julie Powell's Julie & Julia, the book made into the major motion picture. I also found a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child herself, the cookbook which was the premise of the movie Julie & Julia. If you haven't seen that film, I highly recommend it!

So here I am titling this blog what it's called, and the book I'll be writing about has nothing to do with cooking. I realize that. But it was when I saw those books when I remembered a scene in the movie:

JULIE: 

I can write a blog. I have thoughts. Yeah, I'll cook my way through Julia Child's cookbook and blog about it. 

This became the cornerstone of my reading goal. Pick a book, read it, and write about my thoughts after having read it, and hopefully capture my literary journey of putting books back in my heart, where I know they truly belong.

When Frank and I were looking around, he supported the idea that if I wanted to love reading, I needed to read something that truly interested me. Right now, the things that interest me are hot-button issues:

-gay marriage
-homosexuality and religion
-politics and current events
-understanding the truths, myths, and lies about the political spectrum

When I narrowed down my interests, we went to the Politics section of the store, and he picked out a book he thought I'd like: Broken Government: How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches by John W. Dean. Frank explained to me that this man was working for Nixon, resigned, and turned on Nixon due to the corruption of the Watergate scandals. So far, I've read the preface, and the 24-page introduction entitled "Process Matters".

Following the introduction, the book has 4 chapters: 3 chapters (1 for each branch and its state of "damage" however reparable or lack thereof), and a final chapter on how to repair the government's processes.

Upon starting to read the preface and introduction, it seemed that the book was only reaffirming all the negatives against the Republicans that I've heard from moderate-to-liberal commentators on podcasts or live streaming online videos. Some people say they prefer Fox News *gag reflex* because it's "fair and balanced." Others have told me that they'd watch a segment on Fox News, then see the same segment on a different news media channel, and the stories would be very different.

Well, from what I've read so far, according to the author and his experiences on the inside, Republicans are not fit to govern a nation. They are too busy trying to help themselves stay in power so what they want done can get done, and that because their standards are being met, it'll hopefully fix national problems. Bullshit, I think. But more so, the introduction focused more on what the author said were called "process issues". This refers to how things get done in government. How will laws be made and passed? How will court decisions be handled? According to Dean, process issues are of little importance to candidates, especially when they're running for their designated office. Media sources also fail to discuss much about process issues as well.

However...

During W's reign - and yes, I do mean reign - Dean writes that CNN put out a series entitled Broken Government where reporters were asking ordinary citizens about what they thought about our current system of government. To Dean's amazement, not one person questioned anything about policy; every citizen spoke about how politicians were going about doing things and getting stuff done: process issues. So upon reflection, citizens, you know, those people candidates are supposed to represent, actually DO give a shit about process issues. But their candidates? Hmm...not so much.

Of course Dean went into even more detail, more than I'll go into here. After all, these blogs are meant to be summaries about the content I'm reading, but more importantly, about how I'm hoping reading what I like will make me enamored with it. I don't have much else to say because I've only read the intro. We'll see what my tongue and fingers will let loose on this keyboard in the days (weeks?...months?!) to come as I read this book. But on a humorous note, at least for me, I love how Dean said this in his book (he quoted Alan Wolfe, Ph.D., professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania) that he wanted to catch a reader's attention for some very important upcoming information; if I ever was going to daydream while reading, a statement like this would catch and keep my undivided attention:

If I could turn on a blinking red light to catch a reader's attention, to give him a heads-up to alert him to pay attention, I would place it next to the following observations of political scientist Alan Wolfe: "Political parties expend the time and grueling energy to control government for different reasons," he explained, viewing politics with his wide-angle lens.

 Liberals, while enjoying the perquisites of office, also want to be in a position to use government to solve problems. But conservatives have different motives for wanting power. One is to prevent liberals from doing so; if government cannot be made to disappear, at least it can be prevented from doing any good. The other is to build a political machine in which business and the Republican Party can exchange mutual favors; business will lavish cash on politicians (called campaign contributions) while politicians will throw the money back at business (called public policy). Conservatism will always attract its share of young idealists. And young idealists will always be disillusioned by the sheer amount of corruption that people like Gingrich and DeLay generate. If yesterday's conservative was a liberal mugged by reality, today's is a free-marketer fattened by pork. 

 Dean goes on to say (and with this I'll conclude this post):

If you understand these observations of Alan Wolfe you have grasped the essence of Republican rule. If not, reread this passage, for you will never find a more succinct explanation of the quintessence of modern Republicanism.

I've taken little joy in writing this book. Frankly, I once believed Republicans would be good at governing. But I was wrong: They have demonstrated that they can only rule for limited periods. As used in the pages that follow, "governing" is a craft, a skill, even an art; it is an effort to find common rules under which all can pursue happiness; "ruling," in contrast, is merely reigning and exercising power. 

The Book Blogs - Introduction

Consider this my blog intro for this series I'm now starting to write. I've decided to create and follow through with my own reading regimen. I'll pick a book, and as I get through it, I'll blog about reading it, comment on it, etc.

Here's my deal, and the reason for starting this series. I'm a teacher, and I've NEVER been very fond of books, and to me, a teacher SHOULD be fond of books. I love the idea of being well-read. I love the idea of being able to finish a book quickly and understand its content, its plot, or whatever. I love that one's vocabulary can greatly increase, not to mention support one's writing ability. But I've never been a big fan of books, and here's why:

When I was in school, from middle all through high school (Oy, in high school it was worse!), reading stories and books was both required and expected. I remember being in my reading class and having to work on a worksheet in the textbook's accompanying workbook, and filling in the blanks that would, if you answered correctly, recall the plot in detail of the story you just read. I've always been a slow reader. Sitting in class, of course you're seldom thinking of your own stuff; you're always thinking of what your friends are doing, thinking, and wondering what they think of what you're doing. It seemed everyone finished faster than me. Now though I know now that doesn't necessarily mean they did a "good job" on the activity, but it made me feel incompetent. Why are you still reading? They're already finished, I'd think to myself. It always felt like some unspoken competition, a competition that I'd never win.

Another time, also in middle school, I remember that we each had a thick textbook called Literature. We were given a homework assignment to read some pages. Of course, I didn't do the homework. The next day? Pop quiz! Oh, shit! It was one of those short, 5-question, multiple choice quizzes on handouts you weren't allowed to write on. Of course, I failed it with crashing colors. While sitting at a table with a few other peers, with a pen in my hand and my head down on my desk in embarrassment, I wrote "I suck" on what I thought was the clean sheet of loose leaf paper I used to cover my answer sheet. When I finished writing, I raised my head, and to my horror, I realized I had written "I suck" on the quiz paper itself, the one we were not allowed to write on. Of course the teacher picked it up, read it aloud, and sent me to the office. I had almost received a "pink slip" (a referral). In that school, if you got 3 pink slips, you were expelled.That would've been my first. I ended up getting detention, not a referral.

All that because I didn't want to read, because everyone read faster than me, because the book was too thick, because I was a slow reader...blah blah blah blah.

Then came high school.

In high school, we had the Accelerated Reader program. I think we started using it when I became a freshman. I remember getting a Summer Reading List. Upon getting it, I thought, What the hell?! I need to read for the entire Summer too?!

If you don't know what the AR program is, well, the way it worked for us was that we'd read a book, and then take a computer-based test on it. The tests were ALWAYS multiple choice, and either 10 or 20 questions. No True/False; only ABCD. But here's the fine print they didn't tell us about: whether it was a 10- or 20-question test you were taking, you had to get at least 70% correct to get ANY credit. If you got a 65 out of 20 questions, you were given NO credit. That was bullshit! The AR program, consequently, only fueled my grudge against reading. I guess when it came to the AR program, we were also a college prep high school, so standards were very high to get us reading substantial books and writing papers of up to 5 pages long, which to us, was a lot. We had Advanced Placement courses (AP) that required us to read several books per semester, and even more in the summer. Because of AR, I remember reading several books, some of which I enjoyed, others I didn't:. Some I finished, some I didn't. 

-Upton Sinclair's The Jungle 
-Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club
-Pearl Buck's The Good Earth
-Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
-Toni Morrison's Beloved
-Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels
-Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima
-Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
-Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country

Okay. I know I've gone on some serious tangents now, but really, because of my middle school and high school struggles with the reading programs, my reading speed, and my frequent failures when it came to reading, it's never been a hobby of mine. Hell, when I'm reading a book, I look through the number of chapters, and I measure how long it'll take me to read each chapter by counting how many pages I'll have to turn. Pathetic, huh? Now as an adult, and as a teacher no less, I'm going to give myself a goal: read books I want to read and write about what I'm reading. It's no longer a task. I have to change my perception of books. After all, reading should be fun, right?

Now, I do

I remember when I was a child. One of my memories was when my father would try to open my Michael Jackson-obsessed mind to different styles of music. In his eyes, he was educating his children to be open to the joy that music in all its forms could offer. At that age, though (I was under 10), I adamantly refused to watch some movies for really stupid reasons. But I was stubborn and wouldn't give in despite my parents' best efforts.

Now, as an adult, as an educated musician, I'm ecstatic to sit in the 10th row to watch a live Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof. I'm so glad I've come around. Musical theater is so rich with good music. The less I see, the less I'm aware of, and as a music teacher, I should know as much about music as I can.

Though there are plenty I still haven't seen, Broadway plays I have seen include:

-Me and My Girl
-Miss Saigon
-42nd Street
-The Lion King
-Phantom of the Opera
-Wicked
-RENT
-Spring Awakening, and now
-Fiddler on the Roof

*sigh*

And as I type this, I sit in my seat next to my love, and I take joy in listening to the instrumentalists in the orchestra pit practice and tune up.

I thank God for granting me all these treasures in my life!

- Posted from my iPhone

De larga jornada...

My title is Spanish and it means "from a long journey." I'm naming my blog this title because I just remembered something very important. While I was at TMEA this past month, one of my Kodály instructors approached me and said, "I want you to write an article for the Kodály Envoy about your family's posadas.

Le what?

Let me explain things first. Kodály (koh-DIE) is named after Hungarian musician Zoltán Kodály. He died in 1967, but he was a tremendous influence in music education. With the help of his pupils to research, his philosophy was that "music belongs to everyone" which is, of course, true. His goal as an educator was to make children love music by understanding how it works. If you're a consummate musician, and you can teach them about music with high-quality music, you'll instill in children a lifetime of thirst for good music, and of course a desire to learn more about it; how to read it, write it, improvise with it, and of course sing tunefully. There's a specific style of pedagogy involved in teaching in the style of Kodály.

Which brings me to this paragraph. As an elementary music teacher in my district, I am required to become Kodály certified. That means over the course of three 3-week courses in July of each year, I'm attending a workshop to get me certified in the pedagogy. I'm learning folksongs, dances, games, recorder materials, conducting, and much more. This instructor I mentioned above is one of the people teaching us all. She's an ethnomusicologist and an elementary music teacher in San Antonio. She's got an undying love for Mexican folk songs for children. Being Hispanic myself (though I know I don't look it), I've grown up each Christmas with my family doing what's called a posada. The word itself means "shelter", as the idea behind the celebration is to remember Mary and Joseph's journey to find shelter before Jesus was born.

My mom is the youngest of 6 kids. She and 3 of her siblings host posadas every year. What we do is go to that person's house, enjoy family and friends, and then at some point in the evening, it's time to sing...and we sing a capella (i.e., no musical accompaniment). The men stay inside and act as the innkeepers. The women go outside and act as the pilgrims seeking shelter. When you do this tradition the "right" way, you're supposed to go from one house to another until a house admits you to their shelter, followed by prayer, and then a feast. With us, we keep it simpler; we use 3 doors of our home to act as the 3 inns. The women knock on the first door, and request shelter in song. The men turn them down saying there is no vacancy. At the 2nd door, the same thing happens. At the last door, the men finally admit the women. We gather at the nacimiento or nativity scene, pray, sing Silent Night, and then it's time to eat. :-)

So, my instructor asked me to write an article in the Envoy about this tradition. I was hugely excited since the Envoy is the magazine for the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE), a national organization of which I am a member. Have you any idea what kind of a career boost that is?! I was freakin' ecstatic! She asked me to interview my family, describe the celebration, provide its history and everything. I'll probably write it this weekend. I only remembered I needed to do it still this morning. I can't pass up this chance to both boost my career, and put my family history in a professional article. I'm so excited! She asked me to write it, submit it to her as she'd help me edit and revise, and then once we got o the OAKE conference this month, she'd introduce me to the editor of the magazine, or someone who works for it.

God-willing, my name will be in the Kodály Envoy, and my family's heritage will be professionally shared!

Oh...and as for the title of this blog, De larga jornada, that's how the singing begins in my family...thus the significance of the title.

Wish me luck!

You make it hard for me to help you

My title says it all, really. After yesterday, I'm not proud of how I reacted with you, but I couldn't help let out some anger and frustration that's been building up lately. Verbal communication doesn't seem to work. I'm not about to  threaten you as that goes against my ethics, but I've still got some more ideas that I'll try to see if they'll improve our dynamics when we're together.

What gets me the most is that you don't take me seriously when I need you to. And seeing that lack of respect just irritated me beyond words! I hope our relationship improves over the next few weeks, but my hopes aren't that high, unfortunately. Getting to know you over the past few weeks has given me only proof that we'll probably never get along; I'll struggle with you, and you'll only struggle with me.

From their heart to ours

My love and passion for my Irish heritage combined with my love for music inevitably led me to discover a performance group called Celtic Woman. It's a group of 5 women, one of them an astounding violinist, and the others captivating vocalists. They perform a range of repertoire from pop songs, to traditional songs, to Celtic songs, and even classical music.

They have 5 DVDs out:
1. Celtic Woman
2. A New Journey
3. The Essential Collection
4. A Christmas Celebration
5. Songs From the Heart

I own all but the 3rd one. I've seen them in concert, and their DVD performances have literally moved me to tears. I even own a copy of their song book so I can learn their songs whenever I want.

If you've never seen or heard them, find them on YouTube or iTunes.

Slainté!


- Posted from my iPhone

Never a dull moment

Wow. I think that's all I can say about today. Wow. If you follow me on Twitter, I'm blogging about my most recent post, about a couple of students.

In education, especially at the elementary level, there's never a dull moment. Really, there isn't. From watching kids throw up in front of you, to the silliest things they say that make you laugh, to accidents that can happen right on your floor, there's never. a dull. moment. And yes, I've witnessed all these events first-hand, and all 3 have happened this school year. :-)

But I digress.

I love getting new students. Over the few years I've taught, I wonder what exactly it is I like about getting new students. Could it be the new face in the room, the new personality to experience? As much as both of those are significant reasons for my love of getting new kids, I think what I like the most is that when you've got a new one, there are a lot of variables in place that can affect the child's experience with you, their new peers, and the new environment. So I think what I like the most is that I have a raw opportunity to give them a *positive* classroom experience; with our activities, rules and procedures, and so forth. That being said...

My first class, 5th grade, had a new student. [Sidenote: Now with almost 3 years of teaching under my belt, I love how I can tell when a student is absent, and when a student is new.] This new boy was from Russia (RUSSIA! - FYI, I love meeting people from other countries, I really do!) but had lived in NYC for a few years. His teacher told me there was a language barrier, as his English wasn't very good.

As I do with all new students, I went over the rules in my class. I asked him how his English was. In a very thick accent, he responded, "Not bad, but not good." He did say he understood everything I was saying. I told him the only Russian I knew was Da and Niet which mean "Yes" and "No" respectively. When I said that, he smiled and nodded. :-)

Today, the 5th graders were practicing their recorders, and since we're getting closer to the end of the year, I'm teaching them the Ode to Joy from Beethoven's 5th symphony, as the melody consists of all the notes they know how to play on the recorder so far. Well, the new boy said he had never played a musical instrument. He recognized the music staff, but knew nothing about it.

Once the practicing was done, most of the kids were insistent on playing a game, and we played a famous favorite called 4 Corners. He had never heard of it before, of course, but I'd glance at him during the game several times and caught a nice smile. What does it say about me wanting to be liked by a new student? I think to myself, Okay, I  really want this new kid to look forward to music class. I hope they like what we do here! Once class was over, I handed him a recorder order form so he could buy one for himself. It seemed like class went well.

Then 4th grade came. Before I discuss 4th grade's lesson, let me mention this: When I arrive at school each day, it's a little routine for me to go to my classroom, drop off my stuff, log on to my computer, check e-mail, and then I go to the front office where I greet and hug the school secretary and our head custodian. Upon entering this time, I noticed a new face. I was sure he was either 4th or 5th grade. Blond (almost red) hair, blue eyes, just a really sweet looking kid. I didn't talk to him at all, just smiled in passing. Of all days, he turned out to be in the 4th grade class I'd see that day. Though I don't divulge names on my blog, I'll say this: he's the only one with his name I've ever met, and his name is a movie title. What was so fascinating about this one? He'd been homeschooled his whole life, and today was his first day, ever, in public school. Again, another raw opportunity to provide a positive experience for a first-timer. I had the honor of being his first public school music teacher. :-)

*sigh* I love my job. I'm happy when I'm doing it. And I love, love, LOVE  the people I work with. I can honestly say I do what I like and I like what I do. I'm very blessed. I don't know how I got this lucky to be doing what I'm doing, but I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be.

Lovin' the oven

For anyone that may come across my blog and wonder why it's titled The Oven, there's a reason that stems from a story of 3 people: myself, my friend Cindy, and my college piano professor, Fritz.

So, Cindy and I met a few years ago while I was in graduate school at Texas State. She's an amazing individual who's only added flavor to my life. One of her "things" is to give nicknames to anything and anyone. When she and I became friends, she wwas trying to come up with a nickname for me. The process went something like this:

C: How about Jimmylicious?
J: Nah, sounds too cliché.
C: Jimmysome?
J: How did you get that one?
C: Jimmy + awesome = Jimmysome!
J: No. I don't like that.
C: Jimmysomelovin'!
J: That's cute, but nah, too silly. But you know something? This reminds me of a funny story. I was in Laredo at my university once, spending some time with my piano professor, Fritz. I can't remember what we were talking about, but at one point, I got really silly and told him, "Bad Fritz! No Fritzbiscuit for you!" He replied to me, "'Fritzbiscuit'? I don't even wanna know what that is!"
C: JIMMYBISCUIT!
J: Hey, I think I like that!

And the name stuck. I'm called Biscuit for short. It's become one of my favorite nicknames. The "biscuit" part of it also refers to my very irreverent, naughty, and even sexual sense of humor as well as the ditzy side of my personality. There was one time when Cindy was wearing a t-shirt with an upward-pointing arrow across her chest. Beneath the arrow read, Hey, I'm up here. To the average guy, it's a witty way of saying, "Stop looking at my boobs; my face is up here if you want to talk to me." Well, I saw the arrow, but I didn't perceive it as one at first.

I asked Cindy, "I don't get your shirt. What's the house with the words underneath supposed to mean?"
She shook her head, laughed, and gave me a big hug. "Oh, my Biscuit," she said. You're so adorably gay. It's not a house, it's an arrow across my boobs telling guys to look at my face if they want to talk to me."

That's the BISCUIT! 

But where is a biscuit before it's time to eat? In the oven. So, "the oven" is a metaphor for me. Reading my blog is stepping into a part of my mind, like stepping into an oven and being surrounded by heat. Depending on my social environment, I may be very "straight-acting" or more of a flamer than Sean Hayes' character Jack McFarland on Will & Grace.

Long live the Biscuit!

...and the oven too.

My straw may break soon

The only reason I'm writing this to you now is because there's a part of me that's as immature as I know you are. You're so young and have SO much to learn, but it seems you're more interested in being heard with a big mouth. I'll bet in your future, you may be like me...getting used to the taste of your own foot. There have been numerous times when I put my hand over my mouth because I immediately regret whatever I let slip out.

You have so much to offer people, but you're limiting yourself to so many things. You make yourself exclusive to your world. What bothers me about this is that I see a lot of myself in you. If I behaved the way you do and said what you say to me, then I really owe my parents an apology, because what you said, and how you said it did not sound anything near the respect I deserve from you. I've done so much for you, and I've put up with more of your bullshit than I probably should.

I wonder if I'm doing anything wrong? Is there a step with you I should or shouldn't have taken? If you're smart enough to be a smart-ass, then you should be smart enough to know when not to be one.

You're still so young. Now, I can see you getting along in your life and either being someone's bff, or the most annoyingly rude person on the planet to others. With me, you're unfortunately getting closer to the latter, especially with the remark you made to me today. You may not have meant it the way it came out, but I could've sworn you had dissed me, as if trying to look like you were better than others, even me.

I'm going to try different ways of approaching and talking to you. I'm still willing to help you in any way I can, but you've got to earn some of my respect back, because I can't work with people who don't respect me. Watch what you say, and watch what you do because if you keep treating others the way you're doing it now, you'll have a hard time making friends, much less keeping any.

The teacher's mirror

It's my 3rd year as a teacher, and I'm really enjoying it. I have, like any teacher, had great days and terrible days. I've had moments of tremendous educational triumph, and moments of educational disaster. The triumphant days are pretty much when I feel like I'm on top of my game, I know what I'm doing, and all feels right with the world; these feelings also come with the moment I appreciate that I have the job I do since there are too many out there who literally only have a job for the money. I'm one of the lucky and blessed people who have a job they enjoy, know how to do, enjoy where they work, whom they work for and with, and get paid for it. Not many can say that nowadays. The disastrous days make me question my profession; should I be a teacher, or should I just stick to writing songs and getting discovered?

Being a modern-day teacher at the elementary level, I have moments - the kids obviously don't know this by the way - where I take a split second during instructional time and reflect on my style of teaching, my classroom management, and all the skills I've developed so far. In those split-second moments, I think to myself, I wonder if I'd like me as a teacher? I know some kids probably hate coming to music class. I know some kids really enjoy it, too! In fact, this past Friday, 2/19, while I was in front with car duty (putting the kids in cars as their parents arrived), a 3rd grader and his mom came up to me.
"Today's my last day, Mr. Hickey," he said.
I looked at his mother and asked, "Why? Where's he going?"
The mother explained that because of their location, he'll have to move to a different school in the district. I told him I'd miss him very much, and how much I enjoyed having him in music class. The mom then told me something that made my day: "That's what upset him the most about the move, because he's gonna miss you the most."... *bittersweet sigh*

To my delight, I saw the same kid at school today. I saw him eating lunch while on my way to get my own. I approached him. "What are you doing here? I thought you were leaving."
He answered, "We figured out that I can take the bus home after all, so I can stay here now."
I hugged him, told him I was excited I got to "keep" him, and walked away with a proud smile. A noteworthy mention is that this kid is new to our school this year. I've been at my current school for 2 years now. Had he left to the other school anyway, I told him that the music teacher over there was a very good friend of mine, and that she was an excellent music teacher, and that he'd have a blast. But I get to keep him. :-)

On the other hand, I have those who walk into music class, usually older kids, who don't give a flying fuck about what I have to teach them. They're not interested in singing, playing instruments, or understanding how to read music on the music staff. One thing that did break my heart was a few days ago. A 4th grade girl made the comment that band was for geeks. It saddened me that kids as young as she is think that way. She made that comment due to her own dislike of playing instruments, especially recorder. She was complaining about her difficulty in playing the recorder. Those in 4th grade will continue their recorder education into 5th grade, and I tell them that if they want to be in band in middle school, they need to learn to play the recorder first, especially if they want to play any of the woodwind instruments.

Said 4th grader needed some...guidance.
I asked her, "What's a geek?"
"I don't know. A geek is someone who's weird!"
"Really? What's weird about playing an instrument? I play the piano, so am I a geek?"
She started giggling and covered her face with her hands.
"Do you like Justin Bieber?" I asked.
She lit up and affirmed, "YES! He's so cute, and I love his voice!"
"Do you sing along to his songs?"
"Yes, I do! I love singing his songs!" Her enthusiasm filled the room.
"Well," I remarked, "if you enjoy singing, that means you're using your voice as an instrument to make music. So by your definition of band people being geeks, you must be a geek too!"
The entire class responded in a collective "Ooooohhh!"

I felt, in that moment, that I had come close to crossing the line of respect a teacher can have for his students. My intention, obviously, wasn't to make fun of her. I'm not interested in doing that. If anything, as a teacher, I need to help kids feel good about themselves by helping them to be successful in the activities they're engaged in. I simply wanted to take, what I thought was a necessary opportunity, to teach her about judging others.

And again, after these moments, I think to myself, What kind of teacher am I? Would I like me as a teacher? Why do the kids like or dislike me? What am I doing wrong? More importantly, what am I doing right? 

I have moments when I'm probably too nice, and I have moments when I'm probably too strict. I can definitely be a Nazi of a teacher. Some classes I can make laugh very easily, so they come to music expecting to enjoy themselves. Those same classes are also very respectful when they see me get upset about anything.

I remember during my first year as a teacher at a different school. I approached a 5th grade teacher whose classroom was next to mine. I said, "This year's been interesting, and I think the hardest part has just been finding my style of teaching."
She agreed.
"What's your style of teaching?" I asked.
Without missing a beat, she answered, "It changes every year."


Fascinating.

To conclude this post on a lighter note, I must say that you know you've been in education too long when you refer to moments in your life by the semester in which they took place.