May 19, 2006
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Topic: soccer, new jobs, moving along
I took off the last two days of work to look into teaching opportunities. Getting into the NYC Teaching Fellows assures me of a position in a school come fall, but I actually need to find the school. On Wed., I went to the Churchill school where a friend of mine teaches elementary special ed. The school is public but receives private funds as well, is mostly white, nice facilities, small class sizes (around 8:1 student:teacher ratio).
First of all, just being in a school was a blast for me. I enjoy being around young people and new faces, and in the first two hours, before I would be at my office on a normal day, I was abuzz with excitement. The kids were working on phonics and basic math skills, and I had the opportunity to teach a few kids how to play soduku, a number logic game. There was so much to observe.
The kid w/ behavior issues,
“Can I burn my homework when I’m done?” “I’m bored, can I go to gym?” “I poked myself in the eye with my pencil, can i go to the nurse?”The gifted kid,
“Why do I have to show work, I can do all these problems in my head.”The overeager kid, with her hand raised and spinning out of control, “I know, I know, I know.”
I stayed until recess, which was on the roof of the building where the kids were kids as we know them. Running into the padded walls, starting fights playing soccer because the teams weren’t fair, misplacing their jackets right as recess ended.
It was everything working in an office isn’t. For the record, it’s time to get out of a job when after 2hours you’re officially jumping out of your skin to do something FUN and INTERESTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After, I went down to Sierra Nevada’s, THE soccer bar in NYC. I got there around 12:30, 2 hours before the Champions League final between Arsenal and Barcelona. By 1:30pm, the doors were closed, the bar packed, the singing in action.
“There’s only ONE, Dennis Bergkamp, only ONE, Dennis Bergkamp, walking along, singing his song, walking in a Bergkamp wonderland!”
“We love you Freddie, because you’ve got red hair, we love you Freddie, because you’re everywhere, we love you Freddie, you’re Arsenal though-and-through.” (the the tune of I Love You Baby)
The crowd was mostly for Arsenal, although a number of people were there to support the Spanish side. Early in the game, Barca had a breakway stopped by Jens Lehman, the Arsenal goalie, who took the player out in the process, resulting in a red card. Only 20min. in, and Arsenal were down to 10-men, which of course, led to the Arsenal fans chearing, “We only need…10 men. We only need…10 men.”
Before the first half ended, Sol Campbell of Arsenal headed one in off an Henry penalty kick, sending me into a moshpit of hugging and screaming. It was 1-0 at the half.
Rain came down in the second half, and with 15minutes left, we were all starting to sense that European glory was hours. One of Barca’s forwards slipped through our defense and angles a shot past our back-up goalie Almunia, resulting in a deafening silence in one side of the bar, and a distant eruption from the Spanish side. Only 5min. later, Barcelona netted another, and for the last 10min. we were left numb, realizing how far we’d come, how close we were, and how painful this loss would be.
I left the bar, exhausted from singing and drinking pints of Carlsberg and remembering what it felt to live in London. I found myself in Union Square, lying in the grass, staring upwards, as I had done in numerous London parks. Despite the tough loss, the day was glorious.
On Thur. I took another day to examine schools. I attended a job fair in Brooklyn for Region 5, which is the area close to JFK airport, and is the region that is often most difficult to staff. There were principals from a few schools, and allowed for a couple of opportunities to set-up future school visits and interviews. The highlight for me was the first principal of a school called the Horizon Academy, which is located on Riker’s Island. For those of you who don’t know, the largest prison in NYC. The school is for those 19-21 awaiting court dates, and an opportunity for them to work towards their GED. I’ll probably visit, although still looking into a list of other public schools.
This weekend i’ll be getting a guided tour of brooklyn, as i’m leaning more towards living there this fall, and heading down to AC w/ this sis on sunday so my sis can get free stuff listening to timeshare things, and i get my free food buffet.
