First Macbeth related injury: Wednesday, September 30th, 9:20am

This morning at approximately 9:20am, I injured myself with dramatic literature.

You see, just yesterday, in our class, Macbeth had finally(!) managed to kill Duncan and today we were the guests who were awakened by the sounds of knocking.

So I knocked. Loudly. On the table. A lot.

My throat is also sore but that could either be from screaming "horror" as Macduff or from screaming "stop talking" to Deon. Either way, teaching has beat my ass today.

God help me when we get to the battle scenes. (My "stabbing" of Duncan was most definitely too dancerly, but hell, they still got the point. )

Oh and in musical theater I get to run around like a Jet. Yep: West Side Freaking Story. Manana.

The Brave Ones

Today was a good day.

First jump, first leap towards success.

Benchmarks, homework.

They are actually learning stuff.

5th period. Dramatic Literature. Original Macbeth Soliloquies

L as Lady M.

Soliloquy written so authentically (she included stage directions!) that it was hard for her (as a non actor) to read.

Jealous giggles.

She shuts down.

I shut it down. Command. Take over.

I am now L's Lady M.

Her words: my voice.

Mesmerized silence.

L's applause, as reflected toward me. Respect. Envy. Just plain damn impressed.

Setting the bar high. Thank GOD they did it for me.

This is what it's like in Jamie's class.

Yeah, today was a really good day.

Porgy and Stress

Welcome to my brain for the past 24 hours:

Oh I got plenty o nuthin

Nuthing plenty fo me

I got no job, got no mule...

And why is this American musical masterpiece stuck in my head?

Why, as the teacher who had a rep last year for playing Jay-Z and Biggie, have I switched to a black "folk opera" from the 1930s that was written by a white man?

Great question.

It's one I'm struggling with right now.

I guess this is what happens when you make up a class from scratch about a subject that - on the surface - appears to have exactly zilch to do with your students' lives: Musical Theater History.

Let's look at it again: Musical. Theater. History.

Yes, in Brownsville. Yes, at a transfer "second chance" high school.

It's only our second full week of class and yet I've bombarded them with facts about a legacy whose authentic relevance (to them) I have doubts about: vaudeville, minstrel shows, black face, Al Jolson, Ragtime, Jazz....

As I've literally been making this shit (eg curriculum) up, I've decided to jump onto the thread of oppression. We've asked if music is really "raceless" and unpacked some assumptions about just who listens to (and makes) rock, jazz, rap, and classical. But I'm still not sure where and how this class is going to end up. I said when I thought up this thing that it would relate to them, but so far, has it? Another question: does everything have to? As a teacher who likes to claim a sense of uber student-centeredness, is there room for a class where struggling students learn thing that are completely out of their life experience? Isn't that itself an argument for teaching THEATER in the first place?!! Hmmmm.....

What the hell. Summertime is a haunting piece of musical poetry and I need to to catch the 3 train.

Biggie will have to hold off. For today.

Losing It

Last week I thought I lost my wedding band.

Today I lost my oh-so-valued pre-tax metro card.

What gives with losing (my mind) and the first weeks of school???

I'm half paranoid that I'm going to leave the house tomorrow without something super important like underwear or deodorant.

What's going on in my school-has-started-again brain that is making it so hospitable for this particular brand of forgetfulness?

Weird and annoying.

But, on a positive note, we had some pretty decent conversations about fate and choice and power in my Dramatic Literature class today. Seems the consensus is that a person's fate is NOT predetermined but then God can (and will) still do what he wants (i.e. have you get hit by a bus on your way to work). Delicious setup for starting Macbeth tomorrow.....

Things you can't make up: 1. Intoxicated Student First Day of Class

1st day of "real" class.

Good stuff overall. Getting to know each other, introducing themes of the class, pitching myself as the "wacky," "happy" teacher....

One student (sweet kid, looks about 30; if only he know how to be in school): bloodshot eyes, cracking jokes at pretty much everything I said, kids were more laughing at him than with him....yeah, he got suspended for violating the substance abuse policy.

Otherwise a pretty uneventful, LONG, second (first) day.....

First Day, Second Year. Or the tale of the (not) lost ring.

So I thought I lost my wedding band during a 'welcome-back-to-school' art project with the students today. That pretty much dominated every thing I did, thought about doing, or decided I could wait to do tomorrow.

And then I came home. And it was there. Right where I apparently left it.

Thank God for subconcious distraction.

So is this an omen for the school year? A warning that I will continually (unknowingly) forget things, freak out about them, and then find enormous relief? Only time will tell.

But this we know for sure: 1)I do not need to make my husband by replacement blood diamonds and 2) the school year is really here.

First Day Lunch Break

Ok, so the kids don't come until till tomorrow, but today is still the "official" first day of school here in glorious NYC.

Room set up, meetings about disclipline and cell phone and substance abuse......in other words, a slow burn until tomorrow and then the real deal begins.

Tomorrow's gonna be a half day; we're doing a quick meet n' greet, a fun art project and then peace out until Thursday and our first set of regular classes.

So here's a little taste of some of what will (hopefully) go on in the meet n' greet portion of my class tomorrow.

Old school acrostic name poems. Choices: 1) Do one about yourself 2) Do one about someone else 3) Do one about something you like/are interested in 4) Do one about anything else you can think of.

My examples (or in teacher speak, models): (Though these really do lose something in the blogosphere - you're missing my pretty crayola marker action.....)

Jazzed about Learning
Always PUMPED to see you!
Music Maestro of the class
Invested in YOUR success
Excited about ALL the awesome things we're going to learn

Dares you to PLAY!!
Really, really RAD
Awesome way to Learn
Makes you STRETCH your brain and body
Allows you to be someone else

Excellent way to understand the WORLD
Never Boring :)
Gets you a'reading and a'writing
Literacy EQUALS power
Imagine your FUTURE
Symbolism, Similes, and saucy syntax
Helps you become a braver, smarter, BETTER person

The Start of the School Year Excitment Posting

Maybe it's the beautiful weather.

Maybe it's my new classroom (with actual tables and chairs!).

Maybe it was seeing Y. and D. and G. and even S.

Maybe it was the surprise kiss on the cheek T. gave me.

But I'm excited.

I'm excited that I know and don't know what the hell I'm doing.

I'm excited to share and learn from new (and old) staff.

I'm excited about the discounted Picasso and Pollock I put up.

I'm excited to fail and learn.

I'm excited to play.

I'm excited to work really hard.

I'm excited to figure out how to connect Biggie Smalls to Macbeth. And Macduff and Obama. Oh and Broadway musicals too.

I'm excited to be surprised.

I'm excited to move past the unknown/what if's/maybes and do this thing.

Loving what you do is a rare and special thing. Let me remember that in mid-October.