NOPD

When I first moved to New Orleans I heard from so many people that the cops in New Orleans were generally not the best. I have tried and continue to try to be open-minded. I know that there are many great cops working for justice in this city, but I have just continue to be let down by them. They live here…they should know how to communicate with people, maybe they have lost hope for this lost city. Here are a few examples of my disappointment…

Last year our house was broken into. My roommates lost their computers, a DVD player, and a digital camera. I was lucky – they didn’t even go into my room, but it still felt terrible. We called the police, Court and I decided to stay outside in our cars because didn’t feel comfortable going inside of our house in the dark. We waited, and waited, and waited. Eventually we couldn’t wait any longer – our friends came over and checked the house out for us. After securing all the doors and windows we went inside. We waited for three more hours. The police came, didn’t seem to have any interest in our problems, left and we never heard anything again.

One of my sweetest and quietest students told me in the middle of our grammar lesson that her mama was taken to jail. When the other students at her group looked up in surprise of her blunt comment she said in an embarrassed tone that they weren’t supposed to hear her. That she only wanted to tell me. After we agreed that we were all great at keeping secrets she seemed alright. I talked to her more in the afternoon. She told me that they busted in the door because her mom didn’t want to let them in. They shined lights in her face and put her handcuffs. “They talked to her mean, they wouldn’t let her put pants on, they took her in her nightgown.” One of her sisters tried to stop the cops and they threw her down too. All while their father jumped out the back window. She told me they were after her dad because he sells drugs. The kids somehow finished getting ready for school and made it on time for breakfast – she if she didn’t say anything, I don’t think I would have ever found out. When I hear these things (much to often) my heart breaks. Especially when it’s the sweet little kids, you just want to take them home with you. My reaction was at first anger towards her parents. How could that father leave his wife and children to deal with the cops? It is so frustrating that the dad is selling drugs…but what are the alternatives? A $6.15 minimum wage job in this broken economy? He isn’t on drugs himself, he is trying to provide for his family, he is not abusive, he is actually there – that is probably the most impressive part. I don’t know the answer, but I do know that there is absolutely no reason for the cops to put this mother and her young children through such a dramatic scene. This isn’t NYPD Blue, these are real kids who are going to have this image of their mom on the ground in her nightgown, handcuffed for the rest of their life.

It was a beautiful Saturday morning and I decide to go on a short run around the neighborhood. I went a different way than normal to check out another part of our neighborhood. I knew that it was not as nice of an area, but it was 11am, daylight, and kids and families were out enjoying the sunshine. I was running in the middle of the street, aware of my surroundings as I have learned to be in all areas of this city or any city for that matter. A cop pulled up next to me and I said Good Morning. He replied, “Do you know where you are?” I had no good response at the moment, so I just said “Yes, thank-you, I am being safe.” Both cops looked at my like I was crazy and continued on their way. I was confused. Thankful, I guess, that they were looking out for me, mad that they weren’t actually doing anything productive. My thoughts were interrupted by a few kids voices, “What did they ask you?” “Oh, they just said Good Morning.” What was I supposed to say? They were worried about my safety outside of your house. They think this is an unsafe neighborhood. They didn’t ask the kids if they knew where they were. They didn’t seem worried about their safety. I ended up running around the block about three times with the group of kids. We passed the football, they showed me how to use their long board, I let them listen to my iPod. I wished I would have had a smarter comment for the cops. Yes, I do know exactly where I am. This is my neighborhood, these are my kids.

Walking up to the office on Friday evening I saw a cop car pulled up I the parking lot. I guessed that some students were not picked up and the police were called to locate the parents. As I walked in I saw my principal, vice-principal, and secretary. Standing up by the counter were two cops with their shiny badges and chests puffed up. In the corner sat two little boys(8 and 6 years old) heads hanging down, ashamed. The adults were talking as if the students were not in the room – as if they didn’t already feel unwanted. I walked in during the middle of the conversation and tried to mind my own business – signing out and picking up papers from my box. This is what I heard.
“Do you have the paperwork to file a case?”
“Ma’am, we are cops – we file criminal cases.”
“Their mom came at 3pm and decided to leave without them.”
“Like I said, we file criminal cases.”
“And where are the kids supposed to go?”
“You will have to wait for someone to pick them up.”
“Sir, we HAVE been waiting.”
“Its not that long to wait.”
‘It is 5pm and we get off work at 3:15.”
“Well we can’t do anything with them its not like we are babysitters.”
“And neither are we, this is a school not a daycare.”
“Well you are closer than we are.”

“BUHHH” That was my reaction from the corner. I couldn’t contain it and I don’t have any idea how the leadership staff at my school kept their cool. What do these guys do? They are pretty into themselves, I could tell that just from their body language. If they only work with “criminal offenses” they better start working a little harder because this city needs some help. And do they have any idea that this is when it starts. Give these kids some hope, give them some love so that in ten years you aren’t hauling them off to jail. Stop it where you can. Care about your job, care about your city’s future, treat people with respect. Saying ma’am certainly doesn’t cover up anything. And since when is it not a crime to come to school to pick up your kids and decide you don’t want to take them home?

Something needs to change...

Barack Obama is the President of the United States of America. It is finally really sinking in. After a day of screaming GEAUXBAMA and BARACK THE VOTE, my friends and I sat down to watch the election. When the results were called I was silent. I had nothing to say. There was hooting and hollering on the porch, phone calls, and I just sat there. Tears rolled down my cheeks. Barack Obama. The first black president of the United States of America. It was a victory for our country, for civil rights, for my students, for my community. How blessed I am to witness such an event.

I believe in him and I believe that he will bring the change that he promises. Everyone has a right to believe what they want. I just hope that now that the election is come to a close, that everyone can support him and the decision that our country has made. I pray that the divisions created by the drama of this election can fall and that we can come together with great pride for our country and for our future. Our country needs change, no one can argue with that. I am excited to see how we will move forward, conquering adversity along the way.

I was brought to tears again when our school received a letter from the president elect. It arrived on November 5th to a teacher whose students had written him letters a few months ago. It was a beautiful letter. Words of encouragement of belief and of high expectations - the things I try to share with my students everyday – but this time from Barack Obama. I am going to get a copy of it and read it to my students every week – it’s a good reminder of why I am here.

“If you are walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you will make progress.” – Barack Obama

Much better than a devil...

My students have been writing Halloween stories, this was one of my favorites;)

I was trick-or-treating when suddenly my teacher came out like an angel. She was pretty and the boys came on her.
I said, “Miss Sullivan, why are you dressed up like an Angel?”
“Because the class said I should be an angel.”
“That’s cute.”
Then my sister came to me and said, “Let’s go, we have to go home.”
My teacher told us it was funny.
She came at my door and said, “Trick-or Treat, I’m Jalen’s teacher.”
Then my mom said, “Come in and play Wii with us.”
She said, “Wow, you have Wii?”
“Yes we do!”
We had fun, then everybody went home.
THE END

Monday, Monday...

"Miss Sullivan you can't dress up like a devil because you already are the devil"

What a great start to the week...

TURK-WASH

Last week my students laughed in my face, not in a bad way. I was laughing too. I was thinking, “Are they serious?” They were thinking that I had gone mad – totally crazy. Right now, I can’t even remember why, but we were talking about colors. One student repeated a word about three times and no matter how hard I tried I could not understand her. Finally, after about the fifth try and some explaining from her I figured it out, “Oh, the color you mean is turquoise”. This is when the laughing began. The sweet little girl giggled a little as she responded, “No, Miss Sullivan, turk-wash”.
“Turk-WASH?”
“Yeah Miss Sullivan, turk-wash, like the color of your shirt.”
“I think you mean turquoise”
More laughter.
I could hear a few students mimicking me, “turk-coy-z?” “turrkwoys?”. As I repeated, “Turk-wash?”
Eventually, we were all laughing. The dilemma wasn’t solved, it was better left just as it was.

What not to wear.

Never ever wear a dress when tropical storm force winds are in the forecast. I pulled a Marilyn Monroe….a much less sexy was more awkward Marilyn Monroe that is. Walking across campus my dress blew up and seriously covered my face. I felt the breeze on my buns. Luckily my dress has a belt at the waist or it might have flown right off. I don’t know what I would have done if my students were around, I am pretty sure for the rest of the year they would only be able to imagine me in my underwear.

Back in NOLA.

Courtney and I got up early Friday morning to begin our trek back home. It was a nice and fast drive, we were both very happy to be back and see for our own eyes that everything was really okay. When we got back our power was still out, our house roasting and our refrigerator smelling. Other than that it was just how we left it. I put my swim suit on to try to stay cool and we hit the fridge with our noses plugged and garbage bags in hand. It was so sad to throw so much stuff away, but we have to continue to remind ourselves that we are so lucky that food is all we lost...doesn't seem like such a big deal after all. That evening when I was lying on Courtney's bed trying not to move in order to stay cool our house seemed like a robot coming to life. Lights switched on, machines began to beep, the air started flowing....ahhhhh:)

We cleaned up the house, put things back on the porch and got settled in. Wilhelmina, Courtney and I went to a relaxing yoga class that was offered for free to Gustav evacuees. It was an interesting experience, one of those when I really feel a part of this community. I have felt that way a lot during this evacuation time...suddenly we all have something in common. Conversatiosns on the street and in the store flow easily, everyone seems to be much more open to talking and sharing their stories. This morning the three of us got up and went downtown to help volunteer. The busses have began to roll back into town with the evacuees who didn't have their own transportaion. And families in the city are still trying to survive without power and a very limited amount of grocery stores open! We packed up some food plates to hand out and later passed out MREs (Meals ready to eat) to those people who came by. An Army group from Kansas and Air Force New Orleans were working together on the project. Most seemed a little disinterested in our help, but after a lot of smiles they warmed up to us. We did help the line go about twice as fast. One man said all they needed was a few women to help these guys move it along...what would they do without us?

I am excited for a little bbq (or cookout as Court likes to "correct" me) we have planned for our place tonight. It should be great...good food, great friends, and no hurricanes!

Love.

Take Me Home

I missed a call while I was sleeping last night. The message went something like this, “Miss Sarah Jean Sullivan, this is ADT calling to inform you that your alarm system has been set off and we will be notifying the police, please give us a call back as soon as you can.” Knowing that Courtney was in the other room, Lizzy was in Tampa Bay, Mary Ellen (who just finished her summer sublet) was in Seattle, and Wilhelmina in Austin, my first reaction was panic. I called ADT back and then couldn’t given me much information just that the front door alarm as well as the motion sensor had both been set off at 6:50 this morning and that they had notified the police department. I asked what happened when the police came and the man told me that he actually didn’t even know if they went over to our house. Once they report it, it is up to the police department’s discretion whether they respond or not. So we call the NOPD and they tell us there is no way they can check for the status of the response because all their computers are down. Of course Courtney and I automatically imagine our house getting robbed for a second time. After a few more panic-filled calls we finally got a hold of our landlord who in fact was the man who broke into our house and he somehow didn’t have the code to the alarm system! I am so thankful that it was him and our house is safe. He let us know that our house is in good shape, no outside damage, but unfortunately we still don’t have power. No word on when it will come back on, so it looks like we wont be heading back home just yet.

I am ready to be back. I am ready to get things back in order. I cannot believe people live with the possibility of this happening several times every hurricane season. We got lucky this time, but many other cities are suffering in bad ways. Let us remember them and help in anyway we can.


"Rolling down the road
Going no where
Guitar packed in the trunk
Somewhere round mile marker 112
Papa started hummin the funk
I gotta jones in my bones before we know
We were singing this melody
Stop the car pulled out the guitar
Halfway to New Orleans

Said take me home
Take me home"

-Mark Broussard
"Home"

No more NEWS

Yesterday I got a call from one of my student's parents. She knew I had never evacuated for a storm and wanted to make sure I was out of the city, safe, and had a place to stay. It was so meaningful to me. I have been so worried about my students and their families. I have only had her son in my class for 2 weeks and only have had 2 or 3 converstations with her. What a wonderful and caring woman - a act of kindness that I will not forget.

Overall, I can't watch anymore. Thankfully Gustav is slowing down and things are not looking too bad on land, but Courtney and I have seen enough. Even with the good news it still works me up. We still have a few hours to go - praying that the levees are strong enough for the final surge.

Good Morning Fate.

Here we go. So far not too bad.

Building Strength

I have felt so many emotions in the past four days. It is so hard to explain all that has gone on and the emotions that have come with it. I am praying to God that after tomorrow all my life will go back to “normal” but unfortunately no one really knows. Late Thursday night and early Friday morning my housemates and I packed up our important documents, notes/cards/pictures and other mementos and a suitcase full of clothes. We gathered food, filled up an extra gas can, cleaned out our refrigerator, took everything off our porch, and closed all of our blinds. We all had to work on Friday so we packed up the cars and headed to school. Courtney dropped me off because I chose to leave my car – it is parked in the drive beside our houses because that seemed like the highest ground. The whole day my mind was on one thing Hurricane Gustav and wondering how bad could it be. My students asked me a lot about it, and about Katrina. They have so many confused thoughts – most of them do not understand. Many of them think it is a woman and that she may come back. It is hard to explain that she is gone and will not come back, but we never know what will happen when another Hurricane hits. My kids are so young that many of their first memories are from the tragedies that followed the hurricane. While most of my students watched a movie at the end of the day a few helped me to secure my classroom as best as I could - moving all furniture away from the windows, turning bookshelves towards the walls, and covering all the computers and other technology with plastic. Will it be enough? Will our portable building be able to withstand hurricane force winds? Will it stay in place with 10 + inches of rain that may come? You try to think positively and be optimistic, but it is only natural to question what life will be like if all of this is totally swept away. After school I had a few minutes to gather important things from my classroom and say my “be safe’s” to the other staff at my school. A wonderful woman named Ms. Wiltz, who also teaches third grade, has become very motherly to me over the past year. She has been a mentor for me as a teacher and a supporter for me as I have transitioned into a new culture. Through it all I have never once felt judged by her, as I often do from other staff members at my school. She gave me her final advice for evacuation and her very optimistic thoughts and a great mom hug. I broke down and wept in her loving arms – I cried for the community and all the people who have gone through this before and I cried for my students who are so scared and confused and I cried because if by the slight chance it hits us hard, New Orleans may not be able rebuild this time around.

And ironically on the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we began our evacuation. Courtney and I had an uneventful drive to Pensacola, happy to beat the traffic and be east of the predicted path. We stayed at our friend Dan’s place. He was a wonderful guest and helped us to keep our minds off of the storm with some great food, good conversation and some live music. Saturday morning we got up and traveled farther east to Fort Walton Beach and that is where we are now. We are staying with Courtney’s aunt, uncle and two little cousins. Today we went to Destin, had lunch, walked on the beach and did a little shopping. There was one rain storm caused by an outer band of Gustav, but it didn’t last long. While we were out we ran into two friends who had also evacuated. We have watched the news a lot. Trying to take in important updates, but not make ourselves too nervous. Gustav is quickly approaching thought to make landfall Monday morning. It is currently a category 3 hurricane with winds up to 115 miles and hour. And again…we just wait….and keep praying.

Gustav

A hurricane is heading our way. We don't know exactly where it will end up, but it is very likely to head straight up the Gulf of Mexico. Yesterday and today it was in Haiti and it is heading towards the west side of Cuba currently. Some people are very worried, others not so much. I just don't know what to think or to do. Make an evacuation plan, prepare for the worst, and pray - that is all I have come up with so far. I went to Wal-Mart today and got a case of water, gatorade, and canned food. I heard school may be canceled on Friday and a mandatory evacuation could be in announced as early as tomorrow evening. It is hard to just wait, I found my mind wondering a lot while I was teaching. A few of my kids asked me about it, but I tried not to get them all worked up. I mean, no one really knows what is to come. Here is a map of the path it has drawn and what is projected. Keep NOLA in your thoughts...I am not sure if it can weather another big one.

Here we go again...

Tomorrow we kick off year two. I am so excited and blown away that this day is here already. I don't have time to say much because I still have things to do tonight. But I am feeling optimistic and ready to take on the challenge. Summer really did a lot for me. It was wonderful to see all family and friends that I was blessed to spend time with and travel all around the country. What an adventure I had. And now I am back to the grind looking forward to doing my little part in this broken city.

Peace to you.

today on the playground...

...I got on the see-saw with one of my students and got stuck up in the air.

Back by popular demand….

A little glimpse of an afternoon in Miss Sullivan’s circus:

Student one: Crafting a big sign that reads “Jay Tee is MAN” tapping it on the wall and sitting with his legs in a butterfly looking at his creation.

Student two: Balling up paper and throwing it at my feet.

Student three: Reading out loud with me every time I turn my back to him.

Student four: Listening and following along as I read.

Student five: Gazing across the room at student six, the girl he “loves”

Student six: Pulling out chunks of her weave.

Student seven: Holding his hands in front of his face and counting his fingers out loud, with no idea that anyone is looking at him like he is crazy.

Student eight: Throwing a piece of fuzz up in the air and catching it.

Student nine: Moving chair directly behind me as I write on the board so when I turn around she is less than a foot away, with her ears plugged by the way.

Student ten: Laughing in his wheelchair because the class is out of control.

Student eleven: Suspended and sitting at home because he punched someone in the face.

Student twelve: Sitting at home because her mom and mom’s boyfriend punched another one of my student’s moms in the face.

Student thirteen: Coloring me a sign that says “I love Sarah”

Student fourteen: Counting down the 14 days of school until SUMMER!

From an article I read:

Who will tell the people? We are not who we think we are. We are living on borrowed time and borrowed dimes. We still have all the potential for greatness, but only if we get back to work on our country.

I don’t know if Barack Obama can lead that, but the notion that the idealism he has inspired in so many young people doesn’t matter is dead wrong. “Of course, hope alone is not enough,” says Tim Shriver, chairman of Special Olympics, “but it’s not trivial. It’s not trivial to inspire people to want to get up and do something with someone else.”

It is especially not trivial now, because millions of Americans are dying to be enlisted — enlisted to fix education, enlisted to research renewable energy, enlisted to repair our infrastructure, enlisted to help others. Look at the kids lining up to join Teach for America. They want our country to matter again. They want it to be about building wealth and dignity — big profits and big purposes. When we just do one, we are less than the sum of our parts. When we do both, said Shriver, “no one can touch us.”

Terrible Tuesday Strikes Back

It’s one of those days as “Terrible Tuesdays” so often seem to be. I had a bad day with my class and then everything else in life seems to be reflected in this dark shadow. Dramatic I know, but that’s just the way it is sometimes. I feel bad about my class, not teaching them enough, not being able to control them. I feel like I am not living up to TFA standards, I wonder how and if I will ever be good at this. I feel like if I leave after two years I won’t be satisfied with the job I did and feel guilty for coming in and out of this broken system so quickly as if I am giving up on it. Am I wasting my talents here? Could I be better used in a different way? This is a crazy journey and I just have to keep holding on.

We got our standardized test results back last week. I don’t have anything to compare it to, so really I don’t know what to think. I was disappointed that some of my students didn’t do better, when I know that they are smarter than they showed. But I was also happy with the scores many of my kids came out with.

And after all….It is nice to hear quality leaders complimenting TFA:

"People were saying, 'Don't expect growth the first year,' " Mr. Vallas(RSD Superintendent) said. "We saw growth the first year." Mr. Vallas attributed many of the improvements in testing to the new teachers. "The biggest contributing factor was the quality of the instructors," he said. Classes are smaller, many of the teachers are youthful imports brought in by groups like Teach for America, principals have been reshuffled or removed, school-hours remedial programs have been intensified, and after-school programs to help students increased."

ADAM NOSSITER (NY Times) Changes at New Orleans Schools Bring Gains in Test Scores

Para mi Madre

A mother of three adoring daughters.
Who is devoted to her family and friends.
A follower of Christ.
Who is fun and compassionate.
A lover of the outdoors, a good book, and happy hour with her girlfriends.
Who is generous and thoughtful.
A beautiful spirit that shines to those are her.
Who has made sacrifice after sacrifice for her family.
A teacher, cook, and caring friend.
Who is beautiful inside and out and works hard and is loved so very deeply.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY:)

I don't think we will ever be even.

The Lanyard

Billy Collins

The other day I was ricocheting slowly
off the blue walls of this room,
moving as if underwater from typewriter to piano,
from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,
when I found myself in the L section of the dictionary
where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.

No cookie nibbled by a French novelist
could send one into the past more suddenly—
a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp
by a deep Adirondack lake
learning how to braid long thin plastic strips
into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.

I had never seen anyone use a lanyard
or wear one, if that’s what you did with them,
but that did not keep me from crossing
strand over strand again and again
until I had made a boxy
red and white lanyard for my mother.

She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
and I gave her a lanyard.
She nursed me in many a sick room,
lifted spoons of medicine to my lips,
laid cold face-cloths on my forehead,
and then led me out into the airy light

and taught me to walk and swim,
and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.
Here are thousands of meals, she said,
and here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
which I made with a little help from a counselor.

Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
strong legs, bones and teeth,
and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,
and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.
And here, I wish to say to her now,
is a smaller gift—not the worn truth

that you can never repay your mother,
but the rueful admission that when she took
the two-tone lanyard from my hand,
I was as sure as a boy could be
that this useless, worthless thing I wove
out of boredom would be enough to make us even.

A heartbreaker.

One of my favorite students who also is one of my worst behavior problems let me hug him yesterday. It was one of those hugs that you can tell the other person just needs. You wrap your arms around and they just seem to melt – their shoulders relax and they feel comfortable with you. He never lets me hug him. If I ever try he either wiggles away laughing or worse if he is mad he will violently spin around hitting at my arms or stomping at my feet. No matter how many times my kids get mad, roll their eyes, tell me they hate the class, they don’t care what I say, or for me to get away from them I think they all know that I am on their team. I love them and care about them as students and as people. I don’t think any of them could or would want to make an argument to the contrary. When I gave the student the hug he was telling me about how his mom is on house arrest. Not a surprise to me since I did take a trip to the police station last week for him, his brother and cousin.

I walked out of school, in a hurry, heading to a meeting at the Teach For America office. When I got to the parking lot there was a bus, but the busses had already left an hour before so I knew something wasn’t right. Walking toward the bus it wasn’t hard to recognize the students wearing light blue shirts instead of the royal blue of our school uniform. They hollered my name a waved with smiles on their faces. The bus driver said she stopped at their place three different times and no one came out to pick them up. She needed to go to her next job so we began dialing all the numbers we had. Disconnected, no answer, does not accept incoming calls and finally there was a hello. A cousin, a four-year-old cousin, answering the phone at the house they stay at after school. After a few questions it was determined that no his parents could not come to the phone because they were not home. His twin brothers were home, but they couldn’t get on the line either – they are only one. Let me clarify this for you – this was a four year old at home babysitting two twin one year olds. So I began asking my student some questions;

Who is home when you get home from school? – my 4 year old cousin, the one year old twins and my little brother. How old is your brother? – 1. Three 1 year olds are at the house every afternoon? – yeah. What time does your mom get home? – 10 at night. Where is your auntie? – at work too. Are there any adults at your house? – at 10 when we go to sleep. What do you eat for dinner? – they leave us stuff to microwave or we make something. What do you make? – cereal or sandwiches. So everyday there are 7 of you home? – yeah sometimes 8.

My 9 year old is the oldest out of seven kids home from 4-10pm: 9, 7, 6, 4, 1, 1, 1. Can one-year-olds eat sandwiches? No wonder why they never do their homework. No wonder why he is angry. He is not a kid. He is a 9 year old forced to be an adult. So I hug him, I tell him how brilliant he is, I don’t give him an excuse for his behavior, but I let him walk it off in the hall where he isn’t bothering anyone, I come to school everyday, and I absolutely never quit because I can’t abandon him. And I hug him again.

The three kids were excited to crawl in the back of a police car. I wanted to cry, but I smiled anyway. They showed me the computer and asked the police officer lots of questions. They decided they all wanted to be police officers. I hope the next time they are in the police car they are in the front seat driving, not in the back. I drove to the police station. I was scared; there is something wrong when you feel that unsafe at a police station. I thought I might get jumped making my way through the abandoned cars in the back alleyway up to the trailer where I was directed. People stood outside and starred at me. I didn’t fit in, I felt nervous. I knocked on the door, no answer. The others waiting told me between their angry curses that they were in there I should knock again. I did and a man opened the door a crack – I told him I was coming to be with the students they just picked up from Fannie C. He said, “who you?” I told him I was their teacher and he shut the door. A few seconds later another man stuck his head out and said he found the mother and they were at the house. I went home.

The next morning I came in to the office to see a mug shot of their mother that one of the administrators had pulled up online and printed off. And now according to my student she is home from jail, but on house arrest. But she can still leave to go to work. So I asked so now who stays home with you and your cousins after school? –nobody, we still stay by ourselves.

Why?

Why do they disrespect me?
Why do they listen when I yell?
How can they say these awful things to each other?
Do they know that hard work is what will get them places?
Why do they not stop fighting when I am in the middle of it?
Why don’t they seem to ever feel ashamed of their own actions?
How can they say they hate the stupid class and then give me a hug five minutes later?
Why is it always someone else’s fault?
Why does the problem have to be solved through physical contact?
Do they have any idea that I completely changed my life to teach them?
Why do they act like everything is indispensable?
Why do they feel the need to damage everything?
Do they know that I use my own money to buy them these rewards?
Do they think I am rich?
Do they have any idea how young they are?
And most importantly...
Do they know that they are brilliant?

New York Times

My roommate is FAMOUS!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/us/nationalspecial/30orleans.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&hp&adxnnlx=1209553894-kBMmJhntU19xCI600h88Cw&oref=slogin

It feels like home to me…

Have you ever been in a place you have never been before, but because of the people you are with it just feels like home? This past week I took Thursday and Friday off from school and drove up to Shreveport to watch the USAG National Championships. My team was competing and I was lucky enough to spend three days with them. It was a wonderful time and I really didn’t want it to end.

I was honestly nervous to see the girls and coaches when I was driving up…it had just been so long since I had seen them – but also I was incredibly excited. It is so hard to see these ladies everyday for four or five hours and then one day move away and not see them for almost a year. As soon as I was with them it didn’t seem like I had been gone at all. I was treated wonderfully with all kinds of hugs and cuddles – just what I love.

As soon as I got into Shreveport I went to Centenary where the competition was hosted to watch the prelim competition. It was strange – standing in the gym, watching these girls from the bleachers. It was the first meet I had been to since I finished my career at Nationals in Seattle last year. I got a little teary eyed – such a mix of emotions that I am still attempting to sort out in my mind. I was happy to be there with the girls, coaches, and parents. I missed the sport and longed for the physical feeling of it all. I was glad to be separated from the drama that comes with spending so much time with a big group of girls. I missed the feeling of team success and personal accomplishment.

In the past I have worked hard at something and been successful. When I had success I was rewarded and praised. My job now is much more humbling. I do not know that kind of success in teaching. I have not done an incredible job, I am definitely a Level 5, maybe even still on pre-team in the teaching world. I am for sure no where near the collegiate level. I make simple mistakes all the time. I don’t know how to cover up mistakes and I am just learning the art of improvisation. I am not as confident because I don’t have years or experience behind me. Success takes time and for now I need to be patient. Hard work has gotten me places in the past.

The girls came into the competition ranked 7th and finished 6th, so improvement is always good. I know they were a little disappointed because they made some mistakes, but I hope they all feel like the competition was a reward for how hard they busted their butts all season! Ashley qualified for individual event finals on Bars and Beam – I was so proud of her. She looked very strong and confident. I was so happy to be with her and Brie and Christie for their last competition. Aubrie, Ashley, Brie and Christie have so much going for them – it may be hard to focus on much besides loosing this huge part of their lives right now, but this is just the beginning. It will be hard for a while, but the world is SO BIG. They are all so talented and hard working that they will achieve so much and find a new passion in all different places.

Because my computer is flaking out on me I can’t add pictures, but I hope to get it straight soon:)

Spring Break with the Sully's (and McLeans)

This spring I have so much to look forward to, and so many fun things that have already happened. One of the best weeks I have had in New Orleans was Spring Break. I needed some time away from my students so badly, some time to relax and be rejuvenated. What better way than to have the whole family come down to check out my new world. Mama, Daddy, Athena, Bekah, and Scott spent the week with me.

We went to my new church and had a delicious Easter dinner. We Rode the streetcar, hung out in the French Quarter, and went on a Katrina Tour. We had beignets, Jacques-imos, Po’Boys, and Daquaris, We enjoyed city park, the sculpture garden and the amazing wildlife of the area. We had a BBQ on the Fly and looked for ghosts at Audubon. We walked up and down Bourbon, made friends with the drummer in a Jazz band, and Scott sang some Karaoke. We ate gator bites and then saw gators in the swamp. We were amused by the Nutra Rats and the life on the Bayou. We drove through Mississippi and Alabama. We soaked up a little too much sun laying on the beach, swimming in the Gulf and playing football in the smooth white sand. It was an incredible action packed week that of course flew by too quickly.

Here are some pictures, they tell the story better than I do.

Are you fo' real?

Best conversation of the week.

Little Kindergartener: (with tears) Will you stay with me until my Auntie comes?
Me: Of course baby, I will make sure you have a ride home.
Little Kindergartener: (deep breath, and a little smile, then a pause) My Auntie’s name is Butta.
Me: Butter?
Little Kindergartener: No butta…pause…not like melted butta, just normal butta.

The Luck of the Irish

Happy St. Patty’s Day

If there is a reason to celebrate, no matter how big or small, this city is all over it. Saturday was wild. After eating the greenest waffles known to man we headed down to the Irish Channel. The Bulldog has already started the party when we arrived and there were people in green and other incredible costumes all around. It was a gorgeous day with a high of 86 degrees and the sun was bright. The parade began to roll and once again I thought to myself about how wild and unique this city is. First there were the old men in kilts or tuxedos with bunches of green white and orange silk flowers. They come give you a flower and a kiss on the cheek. Or some give you pins, stickers, the occasional pair of St. Patty’s undies, or my personal favorite the green lace garter. The floats are much like Mardi Gras throwing beads (but only green ones), but you have to really have those hands ready for the good stuff. All the fixin’s for a wonderful stew. Courtney and I filled our big bag with 3 heads of cabbage, a bunch of mini carrots, 4 onions, a bunch of garlic, and 10 potatoes. It was quite a haul back to our car, but worth it. I think we will have lunch and dinner for the entire week:)





BEFORE

AFTER





After an evening nap we headed back out. We met up with some friends at a little bar in our neighborhood and then Lizzy, Heather, and I ended up at an incredible show in the CBD. First was a short set by Rebirth and then Trombone Shorty played. HE IS AMAZING!!! I believe he is 22 years old and the most talented musician I have ever experienced, plus he really knows how to put on a good show!


“Don’t get me wrong, we got it goin’ on in
New Orleans, he is just better.”
– Allen Toussaint

And finally a wonderful story written by one of my students. This story explains how he would trick a leprechaun into giving him his pot of gold:

I would dress up as St. Patrick. I would find the Leprechaun and act as if I was the Lord of the Leprechauns. I would say, “It is me, St. Patrick, I will confiscate your gold”. So he will give me the gold, and I will run.

23, Michael Jordan had the number for a reason

My first month of 23 has been wonderful. I have experienced new things, made new friends, become closer with my roommates, and enjoyed some incredible weather. My birthday was great. My students all made me adorable cards and some brought me little stuffed toys.

After my PTP class a group of us went out to the Bulldog and got a drink and expanded our pint glass collection. We celebrated even more over the weekend when we had our 8 months delayed house party/ birthday party. We had a theme of “All you need is LOVE”! We had a good turn out and everyone said they had a great time dancing under out disco ball, talking, and eating heart shaped food. I had a blast:)



Last weekend Courtney, Lizzy, other TFA friends, and I went camping! I know, camping in Louisiana, right? I didn’t know what to expect. We went to Bayou Segnette State Park just 30 minutes from our place. It was nice, but very different from the camping I am used to! The park was pretty open without a lot of trees – we could see our Boy Scout neighbors in all their tug-o-war glory. It was possibly the coldest weekend of the year for New Orleans. It was down in the low thirties at night and only a high of 50 for the day. The first night was crazy cold. I wore 2 pairs of socks, leg warmers, spandex, yoga pants, sweat pants, 2 long sleeved shirts, a sweatshirt with the hood on, a fleece, and a beanie. Even with all of that, an extra fleece blanket in my sleeping bag, and four of us sleeping close I had a hard time sleeping. Luckily the second night was warmer. On Saturday morning we ran in a 5 mile road race. Coach Courtney helped me to pull through and run the whole thing. I was so sore the next day that I could barely walk! Before this race I had only run about 3 miles consecutively. We planned on doing the 2 mile course, but we realized we had a whole day with no plans so we might was well just keep running. We finished in 55 minutes. Even though it was very hard, it felt good to push and challenge myself physically. The whole weekend was great. It was incredible to just enjoy living without an agenda. To take in some fresh air and just relax. I wrote some notes, wrote in my journal, finished my book, drew a picture, took some walks, napped, ate good food. It was a needed trip. I found it very hard to come back into the rush and stress of my daily life. I feel like I do a pretty good job of doing things for me, but this life just doesn’t leave much time to just take a break!




I will soon have a long break – spring break! We have 4 days this week and then I have 10 days off of work! Oh, I cannot wait. My entire family is coming down – Mama, Daddy, Athena, Bekah, and Scott. It is going to be a wonderful 7 days with them. It will be great for them to see what my life is like and experience the crazy Big Easy!


I still cannot say that I love this place, but New Orleans is really growing on me. I can’t complain about this early spring weather. They say it wont last long, but right now it is incredible. I am sitting on my porch looking at the bright blue sky, enjoying the strong sun, and light breeze. The week’s forecast is looking pretty good…

P.S.

I forgot to inform you of the best New Orleans tradition...on your birthday people pin money on you. I made $45 baby!

I just had the most encouraging phone conversation. It really was the most motivating and encouraging moment in my short teaching experience. I always put off calling parents because I never really know what to say or how the parents are going to react. The conversations always seem to be just a little awkward. I decided though that I needed to call all of my students parents before the iLEAP (state test) that will be occurring all next week.

I was talking to the mother of a sweet little girl in my class. I asked her if she had any questions about the test and to let her know that I really appreciate her daughter’s hard work and the role model that she is in our classroom. To that she explained that her daughter has wonderful and strong women to be role models to her. Not only the women in her family, but also in me. How lucky her daughter and the other students in my class are to have a teacher who wants to make sure they really understand the material. Her daughter loves to be in my class and says that she can ask me if she needs help on anything. It is great for her to see her teacher work so hard and care so much. The mother was nothing but thankful and full of compliments. I get encouragement from my friends and family all the time so I don’t think I can explain to you why this particular conversation means so much to me or why there are tears rolling down my cheeks. I do know that if has the power to overshadow the daily “I hate this class”, “I wish I went to a different school” or “I shouldn’t have come to school today”.

Fannie C. Williams

Some people have been asking about my school building - what it looks like, what the original building looks like, etc. So I thought I would put some pictures up on here so give a peek.

Fannie C. Williams used to be a middle school. The school was in a very nice building prior to Katrina. Our school is now Pre-K to 6th and is a group of about 9 modular units on the land next to the original building. The "trailer park" is different from the portables that I has been used to from when I was in school. These units are large and most have 8 classrooms in each.

Here is your tour....
This is where I spend most of my time. The classrooms are very large which is nice!


The halls look a little prison-like


The Blue School - Building 6


We get our exercise by walking up and down this path each day.


The original Fannie C.


The strength of wind and water


This is what happens when it rains at school

Mardi Gras

Wow, I made it through my first carnival season - what an intense celebration! I never knew that it would go on for weeks before Fat Tuesday or that there could possibly be so many parades. This year there were over 40 parades. It is totally different than the stereotypical Mardi Gras I ever heard about growing up – that is if you stay away from Bourbon Street. The festivities are really what you make of it. You can dress up in some crazy costumes, drink all day every day, enjoy it without drinking at all, bring your grandma or go with the frat house down the street. You can get your face painted watch the parades on TV, or go to pre or post-parade parties. At the very least you have to eat a piece of king cake, experience the magic of a parade, and catch some beads.


As a spectator you really get in the moment and all you want is someone to toss you a “throw”. Some parades have celebrity grand marshals, this is Kevin Costner throwing beads. Each parade has a variety of throws from beads, plastic cups, frisbees, doubloons, footballs, and even coconuts….then you get home and just wonder what the heck you are going to do with all that stuff. Especially the beads, I think I have 20 pounds of “authentic” Mardi Gras beads that I either caught or were given to me. When a float goes by everyone pushes forward hooting and hollering, “Throw me somthin’ mista!” All of the little kids have these awesome handcrafted high chair seats. They are little box seats on top of ladders. This way the kids have a good view and their parents or older siblings can climb up on the back of the ladder and watch too. These contraptions line the streets reserving their spot for the week.

My favorite parade was Zulu, Mardi Gras Day – bright and early. We got up around 6, collected our things and drove as close as possible. After a short trek down Saint Charles we found a small area that wasn’t already reserved to set up camp. The crazy thing was that so many of those people had been out there all night. Some students were still out and drunk from the night before some families had staked their claim hours earlier, some people had a full out camp-site. The mix of people is really part of the glory of it. I brought my little grill and we made all the people around us jealous by cooking a wonderful breakfast of eggs, sausage, and bagels. The parade started a bit after 8am and was rolling for hours. I am so amazed by the people on the floats and most of all by the bands and dance teams…those people walk for miles. I guess some parades can last for 12-15 hours! The prized throw of Zulu are the hand painted coconuts. It was a fight, but all of my housemates came home with one! A lady handed me a coconut from the float and then some girl grabbed it out of my hand. Luckily Courtney has a long reach and she was behind me to steal it right back!

On the afternoon of Fat Tuesday, we were brave and took a trip down to the French Quarter. Courtney’s twin sister and three of her friends from high school were staying with us. The six of us spent a lot of time walking around watching all the people. There was quite a lot to see – men in dresses, evangelists condemning everyone, beads flying, street performers, body paint, and outlandish costumes. We ran into Lizzy who was doing the Cupid Shuffle in the middle of the street with a group of random and spontaneous partiers. The best part of the day was when we were asked to come up on a balcony and throw off beads. It was the best view - we could see all the action and watch the people, but we were not getting pushed around or hit by beads ourselves. The streets were absolutely packed!

Overall it was a great first Mardi Gras for me. It seems to be impossible to explain the New Orleans “Mardi Gras” experience. It is truly something you have to experience for yourself – so start making plans!


Notes for next year:
Its hard to find a bathroom
Wear shoes that are easily cleaned.
It is almost impossible to find a parking spot.
Bourbon Street is trashier than ever, but always entertaining.
You will give yourself a panic attack if you worry about the litter.
The best view is from a balcony.
Be prepared to walk and stand a lot!

Here are some more pictures of the madness!

Barkus, the dog parade


We made our own masks


My students at our 1st annual Fannie C. Parade


People kept asking if we were triplets?


Man on stilts at Endymion


After parades the trees and power lines glisten with beads!


Some friends I found on the street