The Summer Job

"What should I do this summer?"  This is a question that many teachers I know asked themselves each year.  Some are able to take time off and really go on vacation.  I and many of colleagues are not yet in this camp.  So what will I be doing with myself this summer?  I'm going to be working as a tour guide for Philadelphia Trolley Works.  I would include their link, but their website is pretty boring and doesn't really show the great job the company does in showing Philadelphia to visitors.  Here's a little better link. Yes, this is the company that oversees the "Ride the Ducks" tours.  But that is not going to be my gig.  No, no, I'm rolling real classy in the double-decker busses or sometimes the classic-looking trollies.  

If this is not a staged pic, these folks have never been out after sundown.  They are awe-struck by a night sky over a field adjacent to the Liberty Bell.  Great job looking amazed by the guy in yellow.  

I emailed the company months ago out of the blue and they invited me in for an interview.  I was offered the job on the spot and here we are.  Some details about the job that I found interesting:

- I have to purchase my own microphone with a 20 foot cord.  

- I can wear a hat, as long as it's a Philly sports team and it's all black.

- I need to be ready to duck while I give the tour, because tree branches can sometimes hang low.  Oww.

- The tour lasts 90 minutes.  That means I will be guiding the crap out of the tour.

- A thoroughly researched guide's guide is issued to all us guides.  It has so much info on Philly, you'd be amazed.  There are 21 stops on the tour!!!

- I could ride as many tours as wanted in order to research and prepare my own tour.  I've gone twice and was impressed. 

- I have to take a test to begin work.  The test is to give an actual tour with my supervisor taking notes for historical accuracy.  That will be fun.

So I'm scheduled to take my test in about 2 weeks.  I've been preparing, but there's still of work that needs to be done.  It should be an interesting job.  A nice thing is that I pretty much get to make my own schedule.  As someone who spends significant time in Philly, it really is the best way to see all the sights efficiently and conveniently.  I mean that and will be using it to draw pedestrian tourists to take my tour.  Tips are always appreciated.  They are split 50/50 with the bus driver.

Come see me on the tour and encourage the strangers around you that I am the most impressive tour guide you've seen in your world travels.  I'll break you off a piece of my 50% of the tips.  

I expect there to be some crazy blog posts to come from this job.  Stay tuned.

The Story of a Flashmob Dance

The AP Psychology national exams took place in early May.  In the weeks between the exam and the end of school, I'm able to do some more creative and fun activities with my students.  This year we some great psychology-related movies, but added something new to the routine way my courses have concluded.  We set out to execute a flashmob dance in the school.

At this point, I must give proper credit to the inspiration for this idea.  Since I met her, my GF has expressed a strong desire to take part in a flashmob.  I don't remember exactly why, but a few months ago I realized it would be a really cool thing to plan with students.  I told GF about the idea and once she overcame her disappointment of realizing she wouldn't be able to participate in mine, she was very supportive :)  A fortunate thing happened next.  On a random Friday after school around that time, I was goofing off with some colleagues, just blowing off some steam.  My principal stopped in and joined in with our winding down from the week.  Then, I'm not sure why, but he chose to share with us the wonderful YouTube sensation known as "The Honey Badger".  Correction, I know exactly why he chose to share it with us.  Simply put, the Honey Badger pretty badass.  We then got in to one of those YouTube show and tell sessions that sometimes happen.  Before he left, he shared a story about the party he attended the previous weekend and how an actual white tiger cub was there and how party goers played with it on a bed like it was a domestic pet.  WTF?  100% true, I promise.  The main thing I took from this online video sharing circle was that my principal is as cool as I suspected and he would probably be open to my classes throwing down a flashmob.  I spoke with him the following Monday.  Boom!

We had about two weeks to really prepare, which was good, but there was little time to waste.  A group of about three or four students and myself met about four times to choreograph.  We had to find a way to incorporate the 50 to 60 students who expressed interest in dancing too.  We agreed that the mob should slowly build and suddenly grow to the full group to give a element of surprise to those who witnessed it.  The initial song I suggested didn't inspire the students and we quickly settled on Angel by Akon instead.  I simply provided the location and general attitude I wanted from the dance and the students planned the rest.  It was really impressive how fast and how creative they were.  Within short time, we were prepared to show the three separate classes that wanted to participate.  After only 2 practice sessions for each class, the mob was ready to go.  We were nervous and excited to see how the three classes would blend during the dance, because we never practiced as one group.

The dance was planned to affect as many students as possible, but could not interfere with the actual schedule of the school.  We chose to dance in the main lobby of our school about ten minutes before homeroom began.  To gather witnesses, I had a popular colleague of mine announce "If you want to be in a good mood come to the lobby now.  Repeat, if you want to be in a good mood come to the lobby."  We had not planned for the number of students and staff who showed up.  It was crowded!

As we started, the music was difficult to hear over the large crowd, but the students caught up quickly.  Some people present were unable to clearly see the entire dance.  Nevertheless, my students went for it and we had blast!  The actual track of the song has been laid over the original sound, because the crowd noise drowned out the music.

Man, it was a good time and I'll remember it for a long time.  My students really enjoyed themselves and we received some nice comments from many people.

Happy to Be Here

This the final week of the 2010-2011 school year in my district.  It should be a good one, with 2 half-days and 2 full days to close up shop in my classroom.  It has been a very rewarding year, as they always are.  I have never ended a year without a feeling of accomplishment and appreciation for the opportunities my profession affords me.  I am not talking about the summers off.  They are nice, but I always work a summer job, which is a fun change.  I am talking about the countless opportunities to positively affect people everyday I go to work.  This is the best part of the job.  

This past Tuesday, we had commencement ceremonies at my school and it was a beautiful event.  I was assigned to field supervision and sat among the graduating students throughout the ceremony.  Even though I was in a suit, the weather was bearable and all of us on the field were grateful for that.  The students gave thoughtful speeches and I was proud to have personally taught all of them as students over the years.  The Valedictorian of the class spoke of his journey from India as a young boy to the place where is now.  I respected his choice to acknowledge his cultural history which, although unique among the audience, could be related to by all.  The Salutatorian reflected on his years and touchingly gave respect to a deceased classmate; his best-friend.  The Class President made comparisons to a track meet and provided a quote I wasn't familiar with, but was struck by.  She said "If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together."  I think that will stay with me for some time.  

As I sat there among students with so much promise before them, among colleagues whom I greatly respect, and among families full of pride for their children; I felt so privileged to be in the profession that I am.  There are many students with whom I feel such a strong bond and care about deeply.  There are many colleagues who have made me a better teacher and person.  There are families with whom I have established relationships and who appreciate my role in their child's progress through school.  What a cool job I have?  I think about how much enjoyment I have everyday and how much of my work day involves joy and laughter and I feel very grateful.  

It has not always been smooth and there have been countless days of stress, frustration, and exhaustion.  But those days have largely become moments that come and go much less frequently than when I first began teaching nine years ago.  Nine years.  Wow.  It does go by fast.  My days now are full of great experiences.  The relationships I have with students, some over years and others over months, are dynamic and rewarding.  I have felt so flattered as I signed dozens of yearbooks these past few weeks.  I was speaking with a close colleague/friend, BA, and mentioned that I began teaching, because I wanted my life to have meaning.  I wanted to mean something to other people.  That may be seem like a selfish reason, but I think we all want meaning in our lives.  I happened to find mine in serving others.  As I wrap up this 9th year as an educator, what I find most rewarding and worthwhile is that I am confident that I have meant something to my students.  A life with meaning.  Some might say that sounds so typical of a dramatic and idealistic teacher, but I say so what.  This is where I find much of my inspiration and fulfillment.  If that seems odd to some, so be it.  Only the student and the teacher fully understand the special bond that grows over a year of effort, discovery, and laughter.  There is no other job that I can imagine which relies so heavily on caring.  Caring.  Yes, I know that sounds even more dramatic, but this is the one thing I do know for sure about surviving as a teacher.  Caring about the students is what helps one to persevere through the really tough times.  

So as I think about all the incredible opportunities the graduates will have at their new schools such as Stanford, Cornell, Penn, Georgia Tech, U of South Carolina, Rice, Tulane, Cal Berkley, Villanova, Penn State, I am full of pride.  It's a special feeling of pride that I guess isn't far from the pride a parent feels for their child.  But with all the different directions our students will now move towards and away from our school, I am made aware of exactly where I am.  My life has meaning and summer vacation is a few days away.  I am happy to be here.  

Future Posts: A Story of a Flashmob Dance, Father's Day, The Summer Job, and A Mid-West Wedding.