Countdown to Christmas

Despite the fact that the past couple of weeks have been extremely busy, and the school has been somewhat marred by tragedy, I've managed to get a fair amount of Christmas-related activities in. I've checked off some important Christmas movies, including Bridget Jones' Diary and Love Actually, as well as The Santa Clause, Elf, and Scrooged. Liz and I fully decorated our tree, and it was beautiful until we axed it this evening (we don't want to deal with a dead tree when we come back from winter break). AND we spent all of this evening baking Christmas cookies for an event in the elementary school tomorrow afternoon. They are beautiful, multicolored sugar cookies (Liz insisted on making them colorful, rather than normal sugar-cookie-colored), with a powdered sugar glaze and sprinkles. I've already eaten enough to know that I don't want any more. For now.

Talent Show

Last week was the after school program's talent show and comedy performance. It basically included a lot of cute performances of elementary kids singing miley cyrus and taylor swift songs. The junior high kids attempted to do improv; however, they're at that awkward stage where they are inexperienced (and therefore not real funny) and old enough that they're not exactly cute. Oh well, they tried.

Visitors

I have finally entertained visitors in my trailer! Adam and Kat came all the way from the east coast, and stopped in Morton as part of their epic road trip. It was interesting trying to host people in a town where there is practically nothing to do. However, we cooked dinner, then headed to the local bar. While it had its usual sketchy older men, it also had a fair number of young people, a demographic you don't find much in Morton (apart from the Americorps members). We had an enjoyable enough time, and I think those two can now say that they've seen what there is to see in Morton.

Cispus Christmas Party

At the beginning of our term our whole team got tacky Christmas sweaters from a local clothing drive, and I finally had an excuse to wear mine! The Cispus Christmas party featured all employees of the Cispus learning center (our americorps team's home base), and most of the team. So basically lots of old people, and a group of 20-somethings. It was all right; luckily there was fooseball and pool to entertain us young folk. On our way home, it began to snow, and we got a good 2 inches! Talk about a winter wonderland.

Quack

We ended our last team meeting by quacking, mighty ducks' style. I think it should be a regular occurrence.

2 quoteworthy quotes:

1. Teacher: "Why isn't Keisha here?"

Student: "She's here, she's just....retarded."

2. 7th grade English teacher talking to her class, whom she has told to put their heads down on their desks because they were getting too loud:

"Now, don't look at me! I know I'm the most beautiful thing you've seen all day, but don't--(gasp!) Did someone toot?"

"When you go to college, do you get to have boys over? And can they STAY over?"

Lately I've been feeling a little bit bored with my same old routine, partially because when one student left, I had a gaping hole in my schedule which hadn't been filled....until today. In addition to leaving 3rd period open, I've rebelled against working in the 6th grade math classes because they are such an utter waste of time. I never felt useful in those classes, and often would walk in to find that they were a) not there b) watching youtube videos, or c) making friendship bracelets, among other things. Soooo I just kinda stopped going, for the most part.

Sped teacher?

Today, the principal told me that a girl in special ed needed help in science with reading comprehension, so I stepped up. I actually already know Hannah from afterschool....her special ededness is basically just extremely low reading and writing levels, but she's also one of the most entertaining kids I've met. She spills out wayyyy too much information, lapses into a southern accent and calls me "darlin," and farts constantly. She also told me today that she loves hispanics. And that she can't eat pie because she's a cheerleader and therefore can't get fat. Oh, and the quote in the title of this post is most definitely compliments of her.

Project Bernarda:

In general, today was a satisfying day, between working with Hannah and continuing to work with my four high school students. I was a little disappointed with how much Bernarda forgot after missing school yesterday, mostly because I'm convinced she didn't forget any of it, she just is so freaking lacking in confidence. In English class, she has to write a paper about Pablo Neruda, and she was hardly able to do any research, even with a week in the computer lab, so her rough draft is still only one sentence. I'm trying not to get frustrated with her, since obviously it's not her fault that she has little research and writing experience.

Tragedy strikes:

This past week has been disturbingly full of very sad happenings in Mossyrock, and it just seems like one thing after another. As mentioned, last week a 7th grader was diagnosed with leukemia. Yesterday, another 7th grader's dad passed away in Morton. He had been sickly/in a wheelchair/on oxygen, but apparently had made somewhat of a recovery and was off the oxygen and out of the wheelchair. However, as a result, I guess something in his system failed and he died.

Finally, today, as we are filing into the afterschool program, we learn that there has been a horrible car accident right outside of the school. The English teacher I work with was very concerned because apparently it involved 2 seniors who she had taught when they were in junior high. We kept learning bits of information--they had turned in front of an oncoming logging truck--and we saw the helicopter come in to airlift them out. However, shortly after that arrival, we learned that both driver and passenger had died. I didn't know either of them, but apparently all of the high school students who were still in school were just horrified (understandably so). I don't work in any senior classes, so I don't know how palpable the tragedy will be tomorrow, but surely it's going to be a sad day. It's pretty terrifying that this happened so abruptly right outside our window.

Celebration:

Back to happier things, I had a fun birthday celebration on Sunday. I went with 4 friends to Olympia, went to Red Robin and was sung to/humiliated by the waiters, and went to Trader Joe's. Back in Morton we made dinner: baked brie, gnocchi, and spinach cheese squares, all of which was delightful. This Friday is Liz and my joint birthday party, which I am very much looking forward to. And a week from Friday I fly home!

And finally:

Pre-algebra quote of the week:

Teacher talking to student who was gone yesterday: "You need to focus on now. You can't worry about the past, what you missed yesterday, because you need to learn what I'm teaching today. Focus on the present."

Random student: "I like presents."

Teacher: "Oh I love presents."

Other random student: "I really love balloons."

Motivated students are my crack....if only there were more of them

I've really come to realize just how lucky I am to be working with the students I'm working with. The majority of my americorps team, working in their respective schools, are assigned to target the problem students, the ones who act out, who really need help being convinced that doing their work is worth it. However, the ESL students that I'm currently working with actually want to do well! They buckle down when everyone else is doing nothing, they ask me questions when they don't understand, and they do their entire assignments.

In particular, 2 twin 9th grade girls, who I've had since the beginning, have become much more confident in expressing themselves, especially in English. They greet me warmly, constantly ask questions (not just work-related questions), and speak English with me the majority of the time. Bernarda also puts forth effort, although it's obviously more difficult for her to speak with confidence when she doesn't know the language. HOWEVER, I'm definitely seeing progress in her skills--she can now pronounce and write her numbers quite well, without as much thinking; she can recognize more English words on paper than at the beginning, and she is becoming less shy about asking me questions. There's definitely still a long way to go--for English she has to do internet research and write a paper about an author (in Spanish). It's pretty hard to do internet research when you can't really type, or for that matter, don't have any familiarity with using the internet. Progress is progress though.

In sadder news, I just learned today that a 7th grade girl that I've been working with after school was diagnosed with a severe form of leukemia. She's going to be stuck in the Seattle children's hospital getting chemo for the next 7-10 months, and her family had to move there as well. It's especially tragic because she is one of the sweetest, most well-behaved kids at that age group, so she has always stood out to me. I am hoping she pulls through.

Back to happier news: I have officially secured a Christmas tree for the trailer! My principal, living on the edge of a tree farm, has some direct connections there, so he's going to chop it down and deliver it to the trailer on Friday night. Finally our place will smell like Christmas magic instead of smelling like it's previous owners/the disgusting carpet shampoo used to clean it. Also, Santa already brought something for my stocking--buffalo jerky! He knew I've been craving my favorite meat since I've been here....Santa always knows.

Freshman boy quote related to Thanksgiving, very revealing of the typical family situations in East Lewis County:
"My Thanksgiving was boring because I didn't really know anybody. It's really weird when you're surrounded by all of your immediate family and you don't really know them."

"I'm thankful....for foodstamps"

My contribution to Thanksgiving dinner was the sweet potato dish: sweet potahtoes, granny smith apples, pecans, maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg, made in the crock pot. Although it looks like steaming vomit, it tasted good.

Notable Quotables, Project Bernarda, and playing deaf

It's very hard to choose one quote from this past week, so I'll list a few:

"I made a discovery this weekend. I discovered that Domino's pizza is delicious when you're drunk on malt liquor."--16 year old in freshman math class

Freshman science class in response to science teacher talking about chemical bonds:

"Bond, what's a bond?" "James Bond!" "007!" "I love James Bond!"

"I was driving on the highway, and my contact fell out, so of course I stick it under my tongue and kept driving...."--4th grade teacher telling a story at lunch

In Junior high after school film club, making a film about zombies. The film is a mockumentary about zombie research, and the teacher asked the junior high students to shout out potential interviewees:

"A zombie!" "A zombie doctor!" "Someone who was bitten by a zombie!" "A JEW!"

"So on Thanksgiving day, we'll have our sons over, and their 2, MAYBE 3, girlfriends with them."

-7th grade English teacher trying to set me up with her 35 year old son while the 7th graders listen in

"No Joe! You can't play deaf! Whenever you play deaf, the story can't move along!"

-After school teacher to high school drama student who was leading improv games for the junior high kids. His character was driving a car, picked up a hitchhiker, and she started singing Christmas carols. He started doing "sign language" to sing along.

So I guess you could say I was thoroughly entertained over the past week and a half. Even though the junior high kids sometimes drive me absolutely crazy, they still manage to make me laugh a lot, perhaps even when I shouldn't be laughing.

My big project now is PROJECT: BERNARDA. She's the new freshman with zero English. I am working with her one period a day solely on practicing English and working on her homework, in addition to sitting in on her classes to help her then. I'm really invested in helping her to get better with her English, though I've also been getting frustrated because she sometimes seems to let her extreme shyness get in the way of her retaining information. I ask "how are you" every day, and while she's getting better at responding (usually "good"), more often than not she just smiles and puts her head down, saying that she forgot. I don't believe that she actually forgot, but whatever. She is definitely getting better. I had Liz ambush her the other day and ask her what her name was, and she answered correctly after some hesitation. Progress.

Tuesday, the 17th, we had our americorps-organized family cooking and healthy food night at Morton high school. One girl came. So we just ate the food. The next night, the Mossyrock junior high cooking club made dinner for their parents. We had about 30 people. Not sure what the secret was there, but we're going to try the health night again, perhaps at Mossyrock and Morton on different nights.

Monday night of this week, we had our Migrant Parents night, and family math night. That turned out to be a success as well. Basically the program is federally funded, and the money goes toward organizing migrant families in the community, ultimately with the intention of being more connected with the school and organizing events to practice math and literacy skills. This is the first year of the program in Mossyrock, so it's been somewhat slow; the next meeting of parents isn't until March, though I'm hoping there will be a reading or literacy night organized before then. It was really nice meeting the parents of elementary kids I've been working with.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, it's practically here. We're having a big bash at one of the americorps houses, complete with tons of food, wine, and a massive fort made out of blankets and pillows. Liz and I also made pilgrim hats and Indian feathers out of construction paper (while watching ELF), so it's going to be festive. And once that's over, it's the Christmas season!!!!!

"I wanna go to Macy's!" "God, why do you say such random crap all the time?"

The past week has been all kinds of crazy, from hitting Portland for my second weekend, to working at the school bookfair, to being a translator for parent-teacher conferences, and getting a new student.

1. Portland

Once again, I'm loving the fact that I live less than 2 hours from Portland, and got to spend a weekend there hanging out with Andrea, Lauren, Liz, and even Wyatt. At one point I was literally surrounded by friends from practically every part of my life, from elementary, to high school, to college, to the trailer life. It was pretty sensational. Of course, the weekend was also packed with sampling lots and lots of fine Portland cuisine: my personal favorite was eating grilled cheese sandwiches in an old school bus, though drinking dutch chocolate pudding ("VLA") out of a milk carton (or watching Andrea do it) was also a highlight. We also got to visit a couple of breweries, I think I sampled a total of 14 different Portland beers that weekend. AND I got to drink my first Starbucks peppermint mocha of the season. Merry Christmas to me. (Christmas sidenote: there is a mysterious wooden christmas tree on the side of the street on which it says, 'Christmas in the Mountains--December 5th!' What does it mean? I don't know, but I'm excited).

2. La llegada de Bernarda

So I lost Noe, my 17 year old student who I just started working with, to Mexico. Yep, lost another one, but this time I gained a student, and she has a lot of work ahead of her. Apparently Bernarda just showed up at school at the end of last week with no paperwork or evidence of educational background. She also has zero English, and was put in freshman classes even though there's no way of knowing how much she really knows. Apparently her older brother is her guardian, and when he was being interviewed, he was very hesitant to give much information that could be useful in placing her, so she is still an enigma. Maybe I can get something out of her.

Anyway, I've mostly just worked with her in math class, and she seems to be ok at that (that usually seems to be the ESL kids' strongest subject). She's been put in all the same classes as another ESL girl, so I guess that girl can translate for her when I'm not around. I'm excited about the challenge of working with her, but I'm automatically skeptical about how long she'll be sticking around.

3. Mossyrock seems to love taking their half days, and this past week, 3 of the 5 days were half days so teachers could do parent-teacher conferences. Since I didn't have classes to help out in during the afternoon, I staffed the bookfair. I actually thought it would be a lot more exciting than it was, but it was mostly just sitting around and occasionally working the cash register. On Thursday Liz read Harry Potter aloud to me while we waited to be done, that was one way to stay entertained. I would say it was cool to see kids get excited about books and reading, but they seemed more interested in computer games, comic books, etc. I got to see some class-A parenting too while sitting in there, with parents constantly telling their kids to shut up or threatening them with punishments if they didn't do this or that.

4. Translating at conferences, on the other hand, was a real trip. I was a bit nervous because I don't think I've ever officially been a "translator" before, only done it casually. For the most part, the parents seemed grateful to have me there because they really only spoke Spanish. The teachers would just go through the report cards, what each letter meant, etc., and I would explain that. I still don't think they really got what the components of the report card meant, but they got the gist. The hard part was, for the majority of these students, there were lots of subjects in which they were very low, so I had to be the one to explain to the parents that they their kids really couldn't read, spell, or do math. The main thing I had to communicate was the importance of the kids practicing reading at home, but that's hard to imagine them doing since they can't read with their parents, seeing as how the parents themselves can't read a word of English. The parents also seemed the most concerned with their kids' behavior, sometimes even more so than with academics. But behavior was not usually an issue.

Though I don't like delivering bad news, and am concerned that there's so so much work to be done to get these kids up to where they should be, I really enjoyed being the translator. I would definitely do it again (and surely will have to on various occasions).

Things I've "learned" this week:

1. Washington weather isn't ALWAYS bad

2. 7th grade boys can be major wimps (but for the most part I enjoy junior high kids, surprisingly)

3. The 6th grade teachers spend all of 15-20 minutes a day on math

4. Female teachers are "funny"

So thus far, November has been nothing but sunny in Morton, Washington. When I woke up on Sunday morning, and the sun was shining through the windows, I was both disoriented and ecstatic. I even went on a long walk, on my street, without having to wear a raincoat. All I was missing was a dog. The weather is definitely about to turn back to the rainy norm in the near future, but at least I got a taste of vitamin D.

I have continued to work in the afterschool program with the junior high kids. The program attracts a range of kids, from those who really need help catching up on their work, to those who come to play basketball, to those who just want a fun place to hang out. We have different clubs every day, and my "sports club," which is pretty much just basketball, has been a hit. We actually attracted some good players this week, so the competition has been more interesting. Of course, some of the 7th grade boys aren't down with that--a couple of them like to whine A LOT about how the other boys are cheating (as they themselves double, triple, then quadruple dribble). Today, just after we picked teams, one of the boys (Aaron) just walked away to the other side of the court. When I asked him why, he said it was because the teams weren't "fair." What a baby (yes, I called him that to his face), and a poor sport. After he left, however, the game we got going went well (we lost 40-38. I let the other team win, of course).

I went into this job kind of dreading working with junior high kids, yet they've become my favorite age group to work with. Somehow, they're mature enough to have conversations with and talk with rationally, yet they also hold a sort of innocence about them, and they don't feel like they're too cool to hang out with "teachers" like myself. They actually want to be involved, rather than sit back in an act of indifference.

6th grade, on the other hand, has become increasingly frustrating (not because of the kids, but rather the teachers). I was assigned to work with them during their math time, since math is the area that so many kids need major help in. However, particularly in one of the math classes, the teacher doesn't get going until at least 5 or 10 minutes after I arrive. Her approach to teaching math (and probably other subjects as well) seems to be to try to embarrass the kids rather than teach them. She started class today by handing out a quiz, and saying things like "I hope you know this, but I have a feeling most of you don't;" "we're going over the quiz, and we'll see who knows it and who doesn't;" and "let's see who we can pick on today." Since so many of these kids are in fact struggling in math, this type of "encouragement" does not seem to me to be the most effective way of supporting their learning. And she does in fact spend 5-10 minutes calling on different kids, and when they don't know the answers, she pauses for a painfully long time, makes some sarcastic comment about how they don't know anything, and moves on. On the one hand, I want to be there to help, but on the other, I don't want to support that type of teaching (or lack thereof).

At the high school level, I've begun working one on one with a 17-year-old ESL student named Noe, who apparently is not used to doing any work at all. Ever. I work with him in history and English, and he evidently has not turned in any work for either class. When I started making him write an essay and answer history questions, he just seemed to laugh in disbelief that he should be applying himself in school. I learned the ESL teacher's theory about this laughter, however: "he seems to think teachers, mostly female teachers, are funny." Awesome. I don't quite know what to do with that, but apparently I am an extremely funny female teacher. Anyway, regardless of the difficulty of getting him used to working, he does do the assignments if I help him, so I'm hoping that now that I'll be by his side more often, he'll learn to do some of the work on his own. And maybe even cut back on the laughing.

Substitute teacher quote of the week, addressing an overly-affectionate boy and his girlfriend in front of the whole math class:

"Braden, I wanna tell you something. I have a daughter who is a junior, and if I saw her boyfriend feeling her up and down like you are with Savannah right now, I would have to call her daddy and have him give that boy a talking to. I'm this close to doing that right now, so keep your hands out of her business. And Savannah, you gotta learn to just SLAP those hands away!"

Getting SERVED

I'm now in the midst of a 4-day convention called SERVES, held in Yakima, and hosting all Americorps members from across Washington. We arrived yesterday, and today we essentially spent all day attending workshops on various topics (mine included "working the system" in schools, building relationships with hard-to-reach kids, helping ELL students, and managing a budget. The day was long but enjoyable, plus we get 16 service hours a day (even though we're actually attending sessions from 8-5).

Although we're meant to meet new people at SERVES, I've mostly enjoyed getting to spend lots of time with my team members, especially those who I don't see more than once or twice a week. FURTHERMORE, Mr. Wyatt Duea is in attendance, so we've had some good times in classes. Tomorrow I have to do an all-day emergency response training, which according to the people who did it today, SUCKS. I'm planning to bring my ipod touch so i'll have something to do.

Last week on the school front, we finally started the Afterschool program. Thursday was a highlight because I got to play basketball with the junior high kids. It was so much fun, my endorphines were pumping for the rest of the evening. And it was really satisfying to put those junior high boys in their place. I'm hoping to make basketball a regular activity.

Best name on the attendance list at the conference: BEAUTIFUL EXISTENCE. No joke. I'm hoping to take a picture with her.

Trailer and Washington's fall colors

WASL: What Are Students Learning???

This past week was difficult, as I've become increasingly aware of many things that I dislike about the way things are run at this school (and are likely problems with the American education system as a whole).

First of all, I am sooo over hearing about the WASL (the state test). I know "teaching to the test" is an issue in a lot of places, but that seems to be what they do exclusively. The teachers are constantly bringing up the WASL in their classes, and it seems that the TEST drives the entire curriculum. I'm very interested to see how they handle giving this test to ELL students whose first language isn't English. I have a sneaking suspicion they don't have a solid plan for this, and for a state-wide test, I don't know how much help I will be allowed to give.

Furthermore, while the students are having the WASL constantly jammed down their throats, I have also noticed an apparent air of indifference among the teachers in the high school. The math scores are the major issue, in Washington and across the country, yet while the math teacher is teaching to the test, he doesn't seem real invested in the kids' success in his class. In his pre-algebra class, he has a number of students for whom this is at least their second time taking the class. However, the way he talks, the expectations seem so low that that trend is normal, which should NOT be the case.

Our Americorps team leader used the term "culture of failure" to describe the atmosphere in this county, and I think that is dead-on. Instead of attempting to run class in a way that will drive the students to do well and improve their math performance, the teacher seems to have succumbed to the fact that the students will fail. He doesn't assign homework because he knows the kids won't do it, but he assigns "class work"....which they also don't do.

When he posts the homework answers the next day, and asks if there are any questions, of course there are none....because no one has done the work. He usually follows that up sarcastically with "wow, this is the smartest class I've ever taught....everyone always gets all of the answers right." He gives a lecture, casually mentions that he hopes people take notes, and shockingly nobody does. Then he gives the assignment, and the cycle starts over again as the kids goof off and don't bother doing it. Of course, the ESL kids are working on it because I'm there with them to help them do it. A couple of other kids have asked me questions and I've helped them, so I almost want to expand my role to just general in-class helper/example of what doing your math homework can get you (out of Mossyrock!).

Another thing that drove me crazy was that one student was sitting in the very back of the room, and started asking me to read the questions to him, and I was surprised to learn that he had terrible eyesight, yet he was sitting in the back of the class. I helped him with his work, and brought it up to the teacher at the end of the period. His response was, "yeah, i tried to make him sit in the front, but he'd rather just sit in the back so he can fool around." I wanted to be like, "THEN MAKE HIM SIT IN THE FRONT! YOU HAVE THE POWER!" But I didn't. HOWEVER, next time I came to that class, the kid was sitting in the front, and I like to think that I had something to do with that.

That frustration aside, I'm excited about the coming weeks because we're starting our after school program. It will mean working longer days, but I will be working in the junior high program, which will include some combination of snack, play time, homework help, and I will be in charge of a club. I listed my interests and experience in various things, but I'm really hoping for an intramural basketball club, which apparently the junior high kids have requested in the past. So that should be fun. 2 of my students left yesterday, so I'm down to 4 ESL high school students that I'm working with. Though that's kinda disappointing, I am looking forward to more time in the elementary school as a result.

ESL quote of the week:

Me helping Rosa answer questions about the Civil war in US history: "Question 1: why did union troops use slaves as spies and guides?"

Rosa: "Because you can't see them at night! jajaja."

GO GREEN

"I think this 'Go green' stuff is so annoying. People who want to 'go green' need to just shut up about it. If you wanna 'go green,' keep it to yourself instead of telling me about it every 3 seconds.'"

Yeah, the high school students of Mossyrock are really concerned with the environment. When this girl gave her two cents in biology class, I guess I wasn't very subtle with my look of disgust, because the teacher later commented that my "eyes glazed over" and I "tensed up" when I heard that comment. Stupid kids.

Words to describe this week: fulfilling....shocking.....sad.....busy....rewarding.....interesting.....GO GREEN.

Monday I worked really hard with a boy named Ricardo, who is one of my "target" students. He works really hard, cares about school, asks for help, seems like a good kid. I helped him prepare for an English test, typed up a study guide for him, and walked into his English class on Tuesday morning to talk to the teacher about the study guide. The teacher's response was, "let's talk outside." At first I thought I was in trouble, but when we went outside (as in outside the building), he revealed to me that Ricardo had been arrested and expelled on Monday afternoon for bringing a Co2 gun to school, and making a threatening gesture at another student. I was shocked beyond belief. The teacher went on to say that he likely lost any chance of getting his US citizenship, and Ricardo had indicated that he had no plans to try school again after a year. He was done, basically given up. So that was a tragic story of a kid with a lot of potential who just didn't quite get the consequences of his actions. He saw the gun as an innocent toy, but the school saw it otherwise.

That sort of put a damper on my day/week, I had to change my schedule around a little bit since I had a lot of slots working with him. However, I was able to put a lot more focus on these 2 sisters, one of whom has decent English, the other with almost none. They had 3 tests this week, so I spent a lot of time with them helping them out in the library studying and translating the tests for them. Rosa, the one without much English, struggles so much with understanding the tests, and even when I explain the questions, she still needs a lot of prompting to get an answer out of her. Once we have come up with how to word her answer, I literally have to spell every single word out for her. However, even though this has been hard, and both girls seem to need at least 2 class periods to finish the tests, I felt like I helped a lot, and especially with biology they both seemed to be able to come up with a lot of good answers. HOWEVER, I learned yesterday that, because they are a migrant family, they will more than likely be moving NEXT WEEK to Arizona. Soooo it kinda feels like my students are dropping like flies. I can't imagine how hard it would be to live in such a situation, where you literally have to change schools all the time.

I do still have students to work with, so I guess I'll be able to give more attention to them. One of them has been involved in some gang-related activity, and really shows no interest in doing any work ever, so I'm not eager to put a lot of energy into him. I guess it will be a good challenge. And I'm hoping to spend a little more time at the elementary level, where the kids hug you and love you without you having to win their affection.

Tonight we're testing out the Morton Bowling Alley (Victory Lanes!), and planning to do lots of lying around this weekend. However, tomorrow night we're hitting the homecoming game, before which the principal and his wife are going to cook for us and entertain us. Go Vikings!

"I should'a went to the fair, but then I was retarded"

[Title courtesy of an obese red head in 2nd period math--I have an extremely strong suspicion that she doesn't make it to school very often.]

I definitely got a dose of 2 extremes this week: Wednesday felt like the epitome of a wasted day, but today I felt like I was actively helping in every class period. Part of the problem with Wednesday was that it was an "early release" day, meaning students get to leave at 1:15 so teachers can "collaborate." Problem with that is, I'm not a student, and I'm not really a teacher, so that left me with nothing to do. At all. And up until 1:15, high school classes were cut short, and since I've noticed that it takes many teachers a good 10-15 minutes to get started anyway, there was really nothing to get done, and no real help I felt that I could give. The elementary ESL class was cancelled, leaving me to have to search for another class I could help with. That left me with a geometry class at the junior high, but of course, I showed up and the kids were sitting in the hall. For 15 minutes. While the teacher chatted with another teacher. So I left.

However, today was the complete opposite. I think the ESL kids are starting to see me as a real resource for them. One girl who rarely talks to me in Spanish, let alone English, confided in me (in English) that she had a poster presentation today in Science and she was really nervous and embarrassed about talking in front of the class. I went to the teacher and arranged for her to give her presentation to him alone, which I hope made a difference in her confidence. She also said that she had a history test coming up, and she has NO idea what's going on. I learned that the test is Tuesday, about the Civil War, and I don't know how much I can help her between now and then. That's a lot of material. And it seems like these kids really need to learn it in both languages: Spanish so that they really understand what's going on, and English so that they can identify questions and write on the tests. It's a hard knock life.

Outside of school, I finally got in to join the gym. Healthy Visions is Morton's number one fitness facility, complete with step classes for old people, equipment I'm sure I've seen on infomercials, and a vibrating table. I figured the table would be a low vibration that would be somewhat relaxing. However, turns out it was more like a violent rocking motion--I would've been a sight to see, in the back of the gym rocking back and forth. I decided I did NOT want to be seen and cut the 5 minute vibrating table session down to 30 seconds. Apparently that rocking motion is supposed to rock your flab off or something. I think I'll pass from here on out. The trainer there is definitely not much compared with the ones I've worked with in the past, but once I'm done with my orientation with her, I can get huge all by myself.

High School quotes of the day:

Series of random questions for the math teacher, fired in rapid succession by different people:

"Mr. Young, do you, like, ever have any other expression on your face?"

"Yeah Mr. Young, do you ever smile?"

"Why do you wear a vest EVERY day?"

"He's just a vest kind of guy, shut up!"

Are you a foreign exchange student? Wanna join our lab group?

Turns out I fit in really well in high school......as in most of the students think I'm one of them. One day last week I was speaking Spanish with one of my ELL students in his history class, and the girl in front of me turned around and asked me if I was a foreign exchange student. Today, I was in the chemistry lab with another student, looking a little out of it I guess because I didn't have any background on what the lab was about, and 3 girls invited me to join their group. They told me I didn't look that young, like maybe a junior or senior at least. Furthermore, when they asked me where I was from, and I told them Colorado, they were shocked. "Wow, that's totally not what I expected. I definitely would've guessed Texas.....or Montana." I asked why, and she responded, "oh just the way you dress and talk....." That was a first.

Figuring out exactly what my role is in the classroom has been, and likely will continue to be, and ongoing process. Literally every day I go in (which hasn't actually been that many days), I have to adapt to new situations and figure out new ways of being useful. One period I'll feel like I'm really helping, like translating a math test for a couple of freshmen or helping other girls in the ESL class. However, the next period the class might be watching a movie or the student I'm assigned to might insist that he doesn't need help. I had a student on Monday tell me that in his English class, he "doesn't do anything" because he can't read English well and can't keep up with the stories. Therefore, his teacher said he can sit and do homework for other classes every day. I was shocked by this--he might as well not be in the class. Apparently the teacher is trying to come up with alternative curricula for him, and today I made him attempt to follow along, and I just took notes for him that summarized what the teacher talked about. That might be the most useful I can be in that situation. It goes to show how these kids have been kind of pushed aside due to their lack of English, and how the teachers really don't know what to do with them.

However, despite the challenges, I'm enjoying myself, I just hope my duties develop into something more concrete, which may or may not happen. Starting next week Liz and I will be working in the afterschool program, which means we get to go in later in the mornings. I've already been invited by the high school principal twice to have dinner at his house with him and his wife, but haven't been able to go. I appreciate the hospitality though.

And I still really like my team, although I see them much less during the week. I'm looking forward to seeing them this weekend. Last weekend I had an AMAZING time in Portland with Kayla and Lauren, complete with lots of reminiscing about the good ol' days and listening to classic choir tunes ("Ya Ba BOM!"). Knowing that I can escape to Portland in less than 2 hours is great.

ESL Quote of the Day: "Eso es 'money in the bank!'"--a junior boy describing how easy ancient history is for him because he's studied a lot of it in the bible

Go Vikings

Today I finally reported to work, for a normal work day....sort of. Basically I felt a lot like a student--as the ELL tutor, I move from one class to the next, when the bell rings, to work with different ESL kids. Today was chaotic--the principal (who proudly told me he is one of 3 democrats in the entire community) introduced me to practically everyone on staff, sometimes by first name, sometimes by last, so that by the end I knew NO ONE's name. So confusing. The high school, elementary school and junior high are all together, with walkways connecting them.

One thing that excited me was the principal's assertion that basketball RULES come winter. They even have a 5-day weekend in March set aside for the state tournament, because the Mossyrock vikings always go to state. Also ironically, their colors are red/white/black (like Fairview) and their major rival's colors are purple and gold (Boulder sucks). He told me that the girls junior high team needed an assistant, which I said I was interested in....but then I thought I prob couldn't commit to that...and he told me to go talk to a teacher who I had apparently met today but have no idea who it is. Awkward.

I also thought I would go into the building and immediately remember how much I hate teenagers, but they were actually pretty easy to deal with, and pretty entertaining. I will be working in history, english, math, and bio classes, on top of helping the ESL teacher (whose Spanish is less than impressive, but I didn't let myself correct her in class...bad first impression).

I'm hoping in the coming weeks my role will be more defined and I won't be standing around awkwardly quite as much. The good news is that I haven't lost all of my Spanish. And I get to end my Mondays and Wednesdays with a kindergarten class! AND we're supposedly getting internet (delivered to our house in a box) on Monday, and it better work. Seems a little weird that no one actually comes to our house to set it up, but we've suffered long enough without it, so I'm putting my faith in Centurytel.

Training, Rainier, and starting work

Last Wednesday we started training, including a day on the challenge course (walking across wires, climbing up on platforms, and other teambuilding activities), and 2 loooong days in the classroom. The team seems fantastic, and now people are actually finding homes in my town.

Saturday was a highlight. Although I had to get myself out of bed at 6:30 am and step out into the pouring rain, I went to Mt. Rainier with 4 other people from our group. We went up pretty high initially, literally driving through the clouds. However, we didn't have much of a view from up there, so we hiked a lower trail which took us to a waterfall (see pictures). The hike was amazing (it was more of a walk than a hike). If anything, the rain added a nice ambience--everything was freakishly green, and it smelled like Christmas. Definitely my kind of place.

As I arrived back in town, I saw that the second-hand furniture store down the street, which NEVER seemed to be open (mostly because they're apparently always busy dealing drugs out the back), was open, and we got furniture! 2 guys from our team who are working on settling in Morton happened to be there too, so we recruited them to carry our new loveseat and chair to our home (and squeeeze it through our narrow front door). Now we just need to cover them with something cause they're not that attractive.

And today I finally entered the school where I'll be working. Mossyrock junior/senior high sandwich the elementary school, and I think I'll be moving among all 3. Mossyrock is apparently the most well-off school district of the 3 that people will be stationed, and their major need is, you guessed it, Spanish-speaking tutors (me!). They don't seem super organized about what my entire role will be, but I'm thinking it will come together. Tomorrow is fingerprinting and food stamps in Olympia (getting back to the real world for a day!), then Wednesday we report for duty. Aaaand my first trip to Portland this weekend to hang out with Kales and Lauren. Soooo excited!

Where's the rain? And the Mexicans?

So literally every time I've told anyone that I'm moving to western Washington, they've gone on some rant about how the rain is nonstop and extremely depressing. I've had the luck of having no more than a brief drizzle since I've been here, the temperature is perfect, in the 70s, and the sun is shining. I don't know how long this will last, but when the rain (and evidently, floods) arrive, I will be ready with my rain jacket and rubber boots (thanks Kayla).

Also, I thought I lived in "white" places growing up in Boulder and attending Vassar. Since I've been in Morton, I have seen all of like 2 nonwhite people, and they were workers at the Mexican restaurant in town. My position at the high school in Mossyrock (about 10 miles from where I'm living) involves working with Spanish speakers, many of them recent immigrants. Sooo I guess I will have to assume that all of the minorities are concentrated there, which is weird....

It was also strongly recommended to me that Liz and I befriend the local police, so they keep an eye on our place. We made them cookies yesterday, tried to bring them over but no one was there to let us in. I hope that was a good sign--that they were out keeping Morton citizens safe. We're going to try our delivery again today, in addition to looking for more furniture so that our place looks like a real home rather than the hot mess that it is right now.

Tomorrow is our first day of orientation/training. We're spending it on the "challenge course," meaning lots of team-building activities, learning each other's names, etc. I'm ready for the work to begin so I no longer feel like a bum.

Guns, Germs, and Brackberries!

Hello from small-town Washington, where I will be doing Americorps for the next 10 1/2 months in a local high school, living in a trailer and buying groceries with food stamps.

Mom and I roadtripped out here, leaving last Wednesday the 9th, arriving Friday afternoon. The trip was long (Wyoming sucks!), but we had fun. I am now obsessed with and extremely dependent on my new GPS. When we arrived in town Friday, my first shock was finding out that my "home" was in fact a trailer, a fact which the realtor had conveniently not told me. However, I suspect it's because trailers are pretty common around here, and mine is comparatively pretty nice. I like to think of it as a cozy log cabin or a large, fancy dorm room. The other major shock about it was it's lack of cleanliness, and seeing as how we had paid a cleaning fee already, this was not a welcome observation. My mom and I had to spend some quality time cleaning the filth that the previous tenants had left...the toilet was especially fun. Anyway, I will post pictures of it when I have consistent internet access. Either way, it's in a great location right down the street from the "Hub" of Morton, so I can't complain about that.

The culture shock when I first arrived was pretty intense. Basically it seems that I have landed in conservative Christian country, where people don't like immigrants, and where sweet old ladies wield loaded guns (not that I've witnessed this, but the owner of the Bed and Breakfast where my mom and I stayed told us about sitting beside her door holding her gun when she heard potential intruders outside). So that is something to be aware of....

Other highlights have included:

*The SPECTACULAR view of Mount Rainier, one of the highest peaks in the US

*Buying a cabinet stand from a guy named Otis at a garage sale....and after realizing it wouldn't fit in the car, Otis offering to put it in his truck and delivering it to my house. Love that small-town hospitality...And Otis told me all about his diabetes along the way

*Sitting in the parking lot at the grocery store and watching high school girls spend 10 minutes wrapping a truck in plastic saran wrap, take pictures of it, then leave.

*The thousands of creepy looks and comments I've received from the men here...

*Finding out I had fresh brackberries right outside my home!! I picked a bunch yesterday, it was a thrill.

So those are the details about the start of my adventure....more to come soon!