Back once again with another post. If you are reading this, I want you to know that all is going well and the reason for my blogging absence was nothing dire. Things have been amazing the last month and some change since my last post. I can finally stay without a shred of doubt that I feel at home in Methuen, going as far as referring to Methuen as home while chatting with friends and co-workers. I owe this feeling of security and comfort entirely to the staff at my school. They are truly some of the most kind and inviting people I’ve ever met in my life, and everyday I’m learning about professionalism and consistency in the work place. The women at school continue to inspire me, and I’m looking forward to learning much more tidbits of wisdom.
Kids (The Good)- The children are still awesome. Today I reached the elusive milestone of teaching in every class in the school. Surprisingly, the class that allowed me to achieve this goal was Chinese, possibly the subject I know the least about. Having taught in every class and having constant interactions with the different grades, has given me a decent gauge on the personalities of most of the students. I am notoriously bad with names, but I’ve found a way to memorize about 60-65% of the kids in the school, a feat that fills me with immense joy. The simplicity of remembering someone’s name is slight yet profound, a gesture of genuine care. That’s at least how I view the act. I because this sign of consideration has contributing to my cult following among the students. They have taking to calling me Mr. Swagbe. A name I was not found of in the beginning, but the nickname has grown on me in the past months. Every day, a new student comes up and asks if it’s okay to call me Mr. Swagbe while other students simply refer to me by my moniker.
Kid(The Bad?)- For the most part, my experiences with the kids have been great with a couple hick ups here and there. I’ve had students raise his voices at me, accuse me of being a “Big Meany,” and simply refuse to recognize my authority. The students’ disobedience has a lot to do with my approach to teaching, because my joking personalities creates an atmosphere of peers relations as oppose to the hierarchical system utilized by more stern teachers. At times I can be strict, but the inconsistency brings some unpleasant challenges, that and me being a substitute. Sooo ummm that’s truth.
It’s almost flipping February. The month with days dedicated to relationships, condoms, partying in New Orleans, Presidents, American football, and Presidents. If that’s not an eclectic mix, then you can add Ash Wednesday to the mix to simmer the collection. Since I was slightly bored before starting this post, I explored the internet in search of peculiar facts about Fevrier. Among the many bits of unless information, I discovered that the Birthstone of Fevrier is the widely popular Amethyst. I was going to make a remark about the Amethyst, but I decided my wit should be used for pressing matters national security, not trivial jokes about a stone whose name is often mispronounced. Fevrier is also home to National Parent Leadership month, here is the part in the post where I pull a Daniel Day Lewis and get serious. As some may know I am currently committed myself to a year of service in the MA, working at a Catholic school, and after learning that Fevrier is National Parent Leadership Month, it had a profound meaning due in part to the events of the previous 5 ish months. Being on the opposite side of the spectrum of education, serving as a provider rather than a receiver, has provided me with a newfound respect and admiration for the main role players, teachers, students, and parents alike. Recently I attended a function where a former principal of the school I work was being honored for her contribution to Catholic education. I had never met the woman prior to attending the event, but she was highly regarded among all the teachers I work with, so I simply used the law of perception by association aka trust. The event honoring the former principal was conducted by the Knights of Columbus. Many of the knights were parents of children at my job and it was in that moment for some comic reason, most likely the mix of educators and parents, I realized the amount of time the parents put into their children and the school. Growing up my mother and father were not the most involved in guilds or parent associations, the topic was never broached, and that aspect of school was never a reality of my adolescence. I wonder if I attended a Catholic school, would it have been different. Tuition is a major incentive to care more about your kid’s education, but knowing my parents as well as I do, the result would most likely have been the same. My parent’s lack of devotion to weekly meetings and school activity planning may be playing a role in the awe I feel towards the parent’s dedication to the cause. At work, we have den mothers, mothers in charge of different rooms, providing the class with materials and ensuring the teacher receives the supplies for various workshops and activities. What a beautiful concept, and its execution is nearly flawless. The mothers are extremely involved and invested in the program meeting with teachers on a weekly basis. In addition to the den mother program, my job also has a guild composed of parents, priests, deacons, and the principal of the school. They plan fundraisers, events, and some extracurricular activities. Every day I see guild members at the school meeting with principal, setting up fundraisers and clothing exchanges, and volunteering during lunch time. I sincerely hope Parental Leadership Month gets more attention, because there is nothing wrong with acknowledging the arduous work many parents put in to ensure their kids get a top class education. Soo Umm That’s the truth.
New year new = new goals, new obstacles, new failures, and new triumphs.
To start, I cannot believe its 2013, let me say that again 2013. It feels weird to even utter those words and aeven more perverse feeling surfaces when viewing the date on a word doc. It’s early in the year, and I am still going through awkward period when you keep writing _/_/2012 in signatures slots and having to scribble over your error. It’s nothing new, it’s something that happens every year and serves as an early reminder that your life is tricking away. Okay maybe it’s not that grim, but time is slowly passing by with every wild New Year ’s Eve extravaganza and a point will come when I lose the motivation and the legs to carry out wild escapades in the city. With the New Year upon us, it’s time to make some much needed improvements to my life both physically and emotionally. I know that’s hella cliché, but just because it’s a muddled concept does not mean it’s not something for me to strive towards. This post will focus on material things, so sorry Im not sorry if I sound shallow in anyway. The first goal is simply and I think the most achievable (dedicate at least 25 minutes to exercise each day) Im not talking P90X or other more intense exercise regiments, just some push ups, sit ups, and other body weight exercises. Im not trying to Ryan Reynolds the world, but ½ Bradley cooper would do me just fine. Another goal for the 1 3 is to modify my wardrobe and better diversify my sense of style. Making minor and major clothing chances has been a staple of my NYR for quite some time, and I see no reason to divert from this tradition. In addition to exercising more regularly and furthering my fashion sense, I also want to go on more dates this year. I know I said earlier that this post was solely dedicated to this physical, but I could not help but to write about relationships. I have been single for more than 2 years and the single life starting to be an annoyance. The number of dates I went on last year in all was less than 10. Less than frickin 10. I equate my current love life to the Sahara because it’s dry as $*i#. It has gotten to the point I don’t even know how to approach girls I have a romantic interest in any more. I catch myself overthinking and come across as a socially awkward weirdo you regret giving the time of day. Maybe that’s just how I see things but, the truth of the matter and simple and clear cut. I would have better luck pulling a truck(World Strongest Man Style) than pulling a date, so my goal is simple. Go on at least 10 dates. If 2014 hits and I did not reach this goal, I’m joining the monastery. The next NYR deals with my inability to use technology to maintain friendships. When it comes to navigating the land of Friendship, I am a nomad. I venture from one place to another with no concrete or profound desire to make the effort to venture back because I know I can and will build new relationships wherever I call home. That attitude received a reevaluation when I went to college and met some of the greatest people living. Okay not greatest, but I encountered some great people I want in my life from 2013 to the end of my time on this planet. In an effort to ensure I maintain these relationships, I going to make frequent phone call, text more, and put my skype account to good use. My relationship with Skype is going to evolve from a simple X to a whole CALL. There you go. Some of my NYR. There are a lot more where that came from my I will talk post about them when I feel like it. Sooo Umm That’s the Truth.
This song and visual sheds light on one my favorite hobbies, Browsing Thrift Stores. In case you did not know, I have a chronic case of Shopoholism and a minor case of Needasalephia which can only be cured through a day dedicated to scouring local thrift shops in search of hidden jems, at great prices of course. Don’t get me wrong, my illness can also be treated by trips to a local department store or shopping mall, but I often find the feeling of finding a great sweater or vest at a thrift store to trump the feeling of finding a stylish sweater or vest at a mall or Dep store. Another reason I love thrift stores has something to do with my infatuation with retro fashion. Fingerless gloves, parachute pants, member only jackets, oversized tops, maxi dresses, leg warmers, anything mod, 50’s one piece dresses, I could go on and on about my love affair with retro fashion but I will stop here. All these styles I either love to wear or brings a smile to my face when I see it in public, and they all can be found more or less in a TS. Thank you Macklemore for giving these wonderful places a theme song. Soo umm That’s the TRUth.
I desperately want to have this moment transpire in my life. This stillness that comes about when my connection with “the one” occurs and everything around me is insignificant. This photo captures that timeless nature of life and love. Soo Umm That’s the Truth.
“The news media makes such a point of fanaticizing the tragedy in this world that we have become desensitized. Everyday there are tragedies of tremendous magnitude and we read it and move along. I find myself having to sit back and remind myself just how tragic this school shooing truly is. I reflect on how tragic it was when my 6 year old brother died. Everyday, death counts flash across the news stations and we have come to accept tragic death in the same nonchalant manner we accept natural deaths. Value and respect life. These poor children had their innocence and their potential taken from them yesterday. It’s challenging to comprehend, but take time out of your day to truly meditate on the implications of this event.”
Nina T
What a dope record. One of my favorite songs at this very moment. The record is a few years old, but the feel is everlasting.
Take a listen.
My apologies for the long spans between posts on the blog. I recently broke my charger and I had to order a new one from amazon.. I placed the order early November and after 3 weeks of no sign of anytime resembling a charger in the mail showing up at my doorstep, I decided to check with amazon, something I should have done after the estimated arrival date of Nov 11th came and went, but thus is life and laziness. When I finally checked the tracking history of the charger, I found out the package was shipped to my home in Philadelphia. With some much needed clarity regarding my circumstance, I decided to give my mother a call to discuss the rationale behind not letting me know my laptop charger had arrived at the house week prior to be bringing up the issue. Mind you, I had multiple convos with my mother, brother, and cousin; all of home live in the house and check the mail daily, and they all fail to inform me of the charger’s arrival. I found the whole situation humorous and my mother and I joked about her fading memory and her uncanny ability to inform me of important notes and events at the last minute, after the fact, and in this case not at all. Yeah I had emails to check and files I had to send that were saved on my laptop, but the whole not having a laptop thing was not the end of the world and the feeling of detachment from my computer was ultra-liberating. I was able to get a library card, do some casual reading and get some GRE studying in all because I did not have my alluring computer to distract me from beneficial items on my to-do list. I’m not saying that I can’t do anything productive on my laptop, after all the classes completed; our companionship is the stuff of legends. Well maybe not legends but at the least our stories can last at least a weekend in your memory, similar to that new Spiderman movie. It would be a waste of space on this blog to go on and bash computers like I was some old school accountant who misses the days when all his/her work was done with a pencil, paper, and handy dandy calculator, or the engineer who refuses to use computer modeling programs because the old ways are too pure to stain with common sense. I love my laptop, yep I said love, because it helps keep my ADD in order. Surf the net, make a remix, watch a movie, listen to music, check email, and many other possibilities all at my disposal. What more could I ask for….. Outside of cultivating relationships with others, face to face not that texting or social media relationship, eating, art, and music. My laptop is in a good spot at number 5. Nothing to brag about, there are no medals for 5th place, but at least my laptop made the playoffs THE END. I really didn’t have an overarching plot behind this post, I just wanted to write SOooo UMmmm THat’s THe TRuttth.
Kylie x Leighton
