Prayers for CHristchurCH

I'm sure everyone has heard about the awful earthquake that rocked Christchurch, New Zealand last week. I spent a lot of time following updates from my dear friends, the Cremisinos, and it's hard to know what to say, but check out their website: noahandkate.com and Kate's Blog to hear some first hand accounts about life after the quake and how you can be praying for the community of Christchurch.

Cross-cultural Literacy Development

So, I was teaching some students in the after-school writing club about Shakespeare the other day. And when I asked who had heard of him before only 2 out of 10 sixth grade students had, which was shocking! Yet, it wasn't until later that I realized that by the time I was their age I had not only been introduced to Shakespeare, but I had visited his birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, toured the museum, bought a book about his life and work, which I treasured and I had started to memorize lines from famous scenes in Hamlet and Romeo & Juliet!! So, the contrast of our upbringings just astonishes me. When I was in high school I visited the modern reconstruction of the Globe Theater in London. And in high school and several times since I have visited Juliet's house and balcony in Verona, Italy.

These thoughts come on the eve of a reflective paper I have to write for grad school contrasting my own literacy development in light of the students with whom I'm working. And it's almost as if I grew up in a different world than them. Naturally, I'm not saying my experiences were better or make me better, but I can say that my experiences certainly set me up for academic success in American schools. And, therefore, the contrast of my background versus my students is staggering.

the Capulet house, Giulietta's balcony in Verona, Italy

calling out to my lover

Tourists are supposed to rub the right breast for good luck, there was a long line.

Easy to Hate, Hard to Love

It's easy to Hate, hard to Love

Easy to be Heavy, Hard to be Light

Easy to be Heavy, Hardy to be light

This is a quote by G.K. Chesterton as cited in Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project. As I've alluded to before this is one of my current resolutions:: to be more light-hearted in the Denver Public School environment.
:
It's easy to be angry and
it's hard to have hope
it's natural to feel burn-out
it's hard to not take their anger personally
it's easy to give up
it's hard to remain stable
it's easy to make war
it's hard to keep peace
it's easy to gossip
and hard to let go
:
Students (girls) often approach me complaining to me about so-and-so and how she's not their friend anymore because of such-and-such and how she's being rude. And I've started telling the girls - It's easy to hate and hard to be nice.

The "Me Too" Factor

Recently I have talked with two different wonderful and generally optimistic individuals who had similar feelings of misery, disappointment and gloom concerning their first year in Denver Public Schools (DPS). And hearing them essentially say "me too" felt comforting. It's nice to know I'm not alone in my disappointment and gloom (which I am definitely trying to remedy).

One of my friends was a professional counselor, who, while dealing with heavy, dark gang related issues of the students had to face down right mean, unappreciative and very burnt-out coworkers, teachers and supervisors.

My other friend was also a paraprofessional as I am and her stories of the lack of support, order, direction, communication, accompanied with a general sense of disarray definitely topped my experiences.

There is a semi-toxic aura in our building partly because 50% of the 7th grade staff are about to lose their jobs (due to the "turn around" nature of our school) and partly because so many people are so angry and burnt out with urban school children and all of the pressures placed on them from above. It's definitely a threat to my personal happiness, so I am having to be more intentional about remaining light-hearted and positive.

The "me too" factor showed me that I'm not alone and I'm not crazy and that this actually IS a difficult but worthy environment (DPS in general and Lake Middle School in particular).