Incomplete Boston post

We arrived in Boston at about midnight, then made it to the hotel, where we rendezvoused (this computer doesn't have spell check and god forbid I spelled that wrong) with Aunt Judy and then went out to find some fun. We were at the bar a total of an hour and we had a blast.
Today, we are checking out of the hotel here and then moving to a different one. We're hoping to see Boston Commons this afternoon and check out a graveyard. I love old graveyards in cities. The ones in Philadelphia were some of the best that I've seen in my life.

Airplanes. I'm just not on board, so to speak, with Southwest. Their system and I are incompatible. Madeline and I got in with our carry-ons and then attempted to shove them up into the baggage compartments.
Alright, enough for now. Leaving.

Babbling.

The rough week has come to an end.
I have barely survived and it seems that my exhaustion knows no bounds. How tired can one person get? I may attempt to find out.
I sleep well last night, not nearly long enough though.
I was about to sit down and write one of those, "I am in love with Chicago" sort of posts, but perhaps I shall save that for a later date.

Prayers for Mom, please.
This is instead going to be a post of gratitude. I don't talk about my support systems nearly enough. I love my family and I appreciate everything that they do. And by everything, I mean everything. It makes me smile to know that I have a set of "other grandparents" who love me just as much as Grandmas Mary and Al and Grandpa Joe do. I love knowing that Aunt Sally and Grandma will take good care of Mom this weekend and today. For the record, I did not stress that much about the surgery this time around.
Also, I love Mike. He's the best brother anyone could ask for. I know that if I ever need anything, I can call him and he'll help me in any way he can. He may not tell me he loves me often, but I don't have to hear it, I just know it.

I'm sorry. I can't focus when I'm tired.
I'm meeting Madeline downtown for dinner and drinks and then we're headed to the airport. Our flight leaves at 8:45 central time and we'll land in Boston at 11:55 ET.
I'm bringing my computer and hoping to get some work/writing done while I'm away.

Smashing Words on the Screen

Oh how the weeks fly by.
Monday night was insane. The story is too wild to tell until I have the pictures to back it up. Champagne bar (too expensive, so we bailed), then the Kerryman and the Fados and then god only knows where. Once again, we hailed toward the sounds of thumping bass and flashing lights.
There were twisted ankles, cab rides, 4am pizzas, mashed potatoes, sleep.
Then Tuesday came.
And went.
Work. Babysitting for three different families three different days.
Tomorrow a paper is due. I'm nearly done, hanging on the edge of my sanity.
Tomorrow starts early and ends late. Not done with class until 930.
Friday, please, Friday.
Flight is at 845. 845. 845.
Need it.
Let it come.
To love, to live, to be eternally annoyed by stupid men.
To sleep, perchance to dream.
I've had terrible dreams lately. Nothing left but a return to where I don't want to be. Myself, my mind exploring things that should not be. Even dream Katie doesn't want to return to him in the end.

And Hemingway rounds out my list of annoying men, writing and writing and making me read it and then consider it:
"Remember everything is right until it's wrong. You'll know when it's wrong." "You think so?" "I'm quite sure. If you don't, it doesn't matter. Nothing will matter then."

Seven weeks to graduation

Made it home safely. The flight was relatively uneventful. TSA gave me no problems trying to get the printer through security; they didn't even make me open the box.
The people next to me were Debbie-Downers the whole time - frustrated about having to gate check their bags, trying to get free tv out of it; frustrated that we left half an hour late; frustrated, blah blah. I did my usual: pull out my sweatshirt, throw it on the tray, put my face in it, sleep.
Of course, my eyelashes are a mess after this sort of nap and any attempts to rectify my appearance as the flight draws to a close are usually thwarted by my inability to conquer the strange curls and bends that have occurred.
Maddie came to pick me up in Simon and we went to have him washed (he hasn't had a wash since June 2009 and sorely needed one). While we were there, I asked the towel dryer if he could get the spray paint off. He produced a razor and began scraping. I am now 95% spray paint free. The one place he couldn't get was the place where the doors close together, since that part isn't glass.
I gave him $8.
Cat was thrilled to see me. We snuggled all night, took a good catnap this afternoon. He loves it when I hold his back feet while we're sleeping, so I did. I was trying to type an assignment this evening and he kept climbing all over me and stepping on my computer and rubbing against me. I was so happy to see him. He loves the new toy that we got from Jeanie.
Katie's in town tonight. Of course, I do not need to be going out. I should be at home catching up on my assignments. But I'm going out.
We're staying downtown, right by the river, across from the bar where Maddie and I infamously rapped Jay-Z's "99 Problems" at karaoke one night. This will be exciting.
Tomorrow night, Wednesday afternoon and Thursday afternoon: babysitting. Three different days, three different families, lots of cash for Boston.
Paper due Thursday.
Someone ate my chicken nuggets while I was gone. I know this because the bag was unzipped. Annoyed.
Maddie and I have decided to get in shape now that we are both single and ready to embrace the world. I'll be interested to see how it goes. I'm excited to craft my adult self and believe that a good regimen will do me good.

Wish me luck tomorrow. It's going to be a LONG day.
This week looks stressful, but I'm alright with it. I'm worried about that paper, discussing Herculine Barbin and Hemingway's Garden of Eden. Hopefully discussing it intellectually, desperate for an A. (Not desperate, but wouldn't it be nice?)


These are advanced reporting notes. I'm multitasking, as usual:
1. Noodling Around
-history
-scopre
-reasons ---follow the money
-impacts
-countermoves
-futures
2. Setting Priorities
3. Reporting
-WiseMen (or women)
-PaperMen
-Rabbi (always knows somebody) --Catholic priests?


1. Immerse
2. Surface and Assess
3. Story Map
4. Reporting at Ground Level
5. Writing
6. Filling gaps

Advanced Reporting: Profile Piece

            John Pappas carries his enthusiasm for teaching with him to work each day, even though he’s been through the Chicago Public Schools system himself and has seen its ups and downs firsthand. He may be a fresh face at Perspectives/IIT Math and Science Academy, but in the short time he’s been there, he’s gained an understanding of the job requirements of teaching that will last him a lifetime.

             “It's up to us to make sure that students are prepared, not only to go to college, but to graduate from college,” says Tony Seiden, the Director of College Counseling, on the Perspectives website. It’s this goal that makes Perspectives different than other Chicago public high schools. Perspectives boasts that 89 percent of students graduate, and of those, 92 percent go on to college. This statistic is much higher than the Chicago Public Schools average, which shows that in 2009, the five-year graduation rate was only 54.5 percent, according to data provided by the Chicago Public School Office of Research, Evaluation and Accountability.

            But Pappas’ experience at Perspectives is strikingly different than the picture painted on the school’s website: a safe, respectful environment in which students thrive academically. According to Pappas, Perspectives follows a structure called “A Disciplined Life.” There are 26 principals that students must follow, including “seek wisdom,” “respect each other’s differences,” and “demonstrate a strong work ethic.”

            “Again I’ll repeat the administrators do a great job trying to create this culture, but that is not the culture at the school. Many students don’t find school important to their lives and have this attitude that is has no place in their life,” says Pappas, while talking about the Perspectives mission and the students who are supposed to be following the 26 principals laid out by the Disciplined Life program.

            “I get frustrated with the administrators because they do a poor job disciplining the students and holding them accountable for their actions,” he says adamantly.

            Pappas is doing his student teaching at Perspectives throughout the spring semester and hopes to get a job teaching science in the Chicago Public Schools in the fall.  Because of this, the hours that he works are “longer than I ever anticipated.” On top of the work required for student teachers, including documentation for his supervisors at the Illinois Institute of Technology, where is pursuing his teaching degree, Pappas must also meet the requirements for Perspectives. “The school requires a lot from their staff. We are required to work longer hours than CPS teachers, and required to teach one more class than CPS teachers.”

            Pappas says, “in particular my lesson plans have to bring extremely detailed, and my prepping for lessons is intense. Since I teach a synergy class, which is a class that is focused around pure lab work, I find myself doing a lot of extra work to prepare for our labs.”

            But when Pappas begins to talk about what he teaches, his excitement is palpable. “I like working with students and doing science. I love science and I love kids so it a good combination. There are times where the students frustrate me but I quickly get over it. As a teacher you can let students get the best of you.” Pappas founded the Spanish club at his school and is also a member of the Earth club. Such extracurricular activities eat up his time, but he finds them enjoyable. At Perspectives, Pappas stays after school to offer homework help to the students.

            Not all of his experience has been positive, however. “Fighting is a big problem at our school. During my first two months I have broken up two fights between female students and have had another student walk up to me a throw a fake punch at me. The first week at the school a student brought a gun to school and this past week a student tried to kill herself in the bathroom.”

            While many of these are isolated incidents, the source of the problem is often systemic. Pappas, as a new teacher, struggles with classroom control, finding many of his students difficult to work with. “A lot of students find it acceptable to talk back to adults, and not show them any respect. My biggest problem with the students is them not following direction and constantly talking back when I ask them to do something,” he says. This situation can be frustrating to a new teacher, but Pappas is optimistic that he’ll be able to gain a variety of solutions for classroom management through his experience and through other teachers around him.

            Even though he works at one of the Chicago Charter Schools, Pappas also has experience doing clinical supervisions at Lane Tech, one of Chicago’s high schools. Even though Lane Tech is a drastically different environment than Perspectives, the mission statement seems to be in line with the goals laid out by Perspectives. “The Vision of Lane Tech College Prep High School is to provide all students with a superior academic, technical, and fine arts education that prepares students for success in their post-secondary endeavors of school, career, community and family life,” their website says.

            When asked to compare the two schools, Pappas replied, “Lane Tech is an exceptional school so I think it’s unfair to compare it to a school that has only been around for two years.” Lane Tech has been educating students for over one hundred years, and Pappas certainly makes a valid point.

            “Of course have instructional goals and daily goals that I want to meet, but really I just want to change these students’ lives. A lot of them are troubled and don’t have anyone to look up to, so I want to be that role model for these students. I know it’s kind of general," he says when asked about his goals for his future as a teacher.

            An article published in Newsweek magazine dated March 15 states, “What really makes a difference, what matters more than the class size or the textbook, the teaching method or the technology, or even the curriculum, is the quality of the teacher.” John Pappas certainly seems to have that certain spark that can light a fire in a child’s mind and inspire a lifelong love of education. 

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