O is for Old School

The email was framed as a request for collaboration. Some colleagues were "crowdsourcing" concerns that staff had about the physical condition of our school building. "Unfortunately," they wrote, "duct tape and prayer can only go so far.​"

I was not surprised; our school opened in 1971, and as state-of-the-art as it was then, the last 50+ years have seen a lot of wear and tear, as well as the implementation of countless quick-fixes resulting in the division and re-division of many of the larger spaces in the school. As a result, there is not much natural light, despite a renovation project 15 years ago that added some windows and skylights. In addition, a minor earthquake a few years ago damaged the foundation, and the construction of a whole elementary school in our parking lot has made access to our building less convenient and less welcoming. 

For years students have asked me if it was true that our school was built as a prison, because of the square tower-like features it has in the rear. "No," I always laugh, "I'm pretty sure the architects had more of a castle in mind, kind of like the concrete version of ivory towers." 

They are not convinced, but truth be told, having spent the last 30 years there, I love the old place, and so I was appalled when I clicked the link to the document my colleague had sent and read the title: Reasons why our building sucks!

Life Lesson: Be true to your school, just like you would to your girl or guy. ~Beach Boys "Be True to Your School"

W is for Wait, What?

I was messing around in a music app today when I saw that Randy Travis had a new single. How can that be? I thought as I clicked on play and heard that familiar baritone singing "There ain't no more where that came from."

I love Randy Travis's music and I'm fan enough to know that Travis, just a few years older than I am, had a stroke 10 years ago that left him unable to speak, so I marveled at the medical miracle this turn of events seemed to imply. However, a little research quickly revealed that the record was created with AI, albeit with Travis's participation. To get to the final release, the producers input a bunch of Randy Travis singing and then ran a base track of the new song, sung by another guy, through the AI to switch the voice. After that, they tweaked the recording and got Travis's okay.

Wow. I guess there is more where that came from. 

But should there be?

Life Lesson: Oh, but now I know There was only one. And there ain't no more where that came from. ~Randy Travis "Where that Came From"

S is for Slang

"I'm boosting, Chat! Chat! I'm boosting!" my students were playing a group review game, and although this chatter was unfathomable to me, it seemed to amuse the group considerably. It didn't seem inappropriate, and so I let it go, eventually discovering that they were parroting live game streamers who ask their viewers to chime in using the chat feature. 

Skibidi Toilet, appearing as screen names that kids were choosing for themselves, was a bit more questionable but much easier to research online. The bizarre, viral series featuring toilets with heads coming out of them is notable for several reasons. It is the first big trend from Generation Alpha (its popularity is driven by viewers under 10) and remarkable in its structure: a narrative told completely in 60-second episodes. Some reputable news sources have even asked if this format might be the future of entertainment.

I was already in on rizz, slay, GOAT, flex, cook, and bruh, but it made me laugh when a seventh grader offered quite earnestly to translate any slang that might be confusing me. "These Gen Alphas," he shook his head sadly, "they are going to be out of control." He paused and then added with genuine relief, "I'm so glad I missed that by two years."

Life Lesson: (talking 'bout my generation) And don't try to dig what we all s-s-s-say. ~The Who "My Generation"

C is for Coincidence

At the end of our recent poetry unit, I chose the poem Hope is the thing with Feathers, by Emily Dickinson, as the text for students to analyze by applying their newly-minted knowledge of poetic form and devices.  Once we got through the snorts and side-eyes about the poet's last name (sixth grade!), we worked through it together and the poem was on the test, too. 

Today, as they were slogging through the onerous standardized reading test we are required to administer three times a year, the one where they tell kids up front that they will probably miss 50 percent of the questions, a student turned to me with wide eyes. She gestured excitedly to the screen. "It's Hope is a thing with Feathers" she whispered.

"Nice!" I replied. 

"Did you know?" she asked.

"No," I shrugged, "but you're welcome!"

Life Lesson: The future's not ours to see. Qué será, será ~Doris Day "Qué Será, Será"

R is for Real Time Reflection

The bonus question of the day was What is something worth celebrating? In addition to the usual birthday and holiday replies, I also heard some more thoughtful answers, too. 

"My aunt just finished chemo," said one young writer.

"My friend got a good grade on a test," offered another.

"The school year is coming to an end," said a third, but then she paused. "I guess that's good? But it's sad, too. I'll really miss this class."

"Thanks," I smiled.

"But not on days like today!" she scoffed. "When we have to take standardized tests? I'm going to celebrate finishing that!"

"I'm glad you got a chance to work that out," I told her and handed over a Jolly Rancher. "Do you feel better?"

"I do," she nodded. "I really do."

Life Lesson: Bring your good times and your laughter, too. We're gonna celebrate and party with you! ~Kool and the Gang "Celebration"

T is for Tie Dye

The end-of-the-year activity for the girls' mentoring group I work with was tie-dying t-shirts yesterday. Tie-dying used to be on of our go-to summer activities when all the kids in our life were young. Over the years we dyed not only t-shirts, but also tank tops, socks and underwear, a dress, shorts, pillowcases, and almost anything else we could think of. It was always really fun!

All that experience came back to me yesterday as a dozen and a half of us sat outside in the warm sunshine and twisted up white ts, bound them with rubber bands, and squirted lots of bright dye on them. I was able to help some girls pleat hearts for their shirt centers, show others the classic spiral twist, and give some pointers on executing the bullseye, too. 

At the end, when there were extra shirts available, I leapt at the opportunity to create my own design, and there was a satisfied smile on my face as I shamelessly squirted lots of leftover dye on the sections of my neatly spun shirt. Dropping it in a plastic bag to carry home with me, I remembered one more thing about tie-dying: how hard it is to wait those 24 hours until you can see how your masterpiece turned out!

Life Lesson: The waiting is the hardest part. ~Tom Petty "The Witing is the Hardest Part"

P is for Plus That

Today was the poetry prize day and 36 out of the 112 kids participating wrote 20 times or more and so received a treat of their choice or a chance to spin the wheel of prizes. In general, everyone was pleased with what they got, but as much as I try to use the prizes to pump up and incentivize writers for the next challenge, there's always a nay-sayer.

"No offense, but the prize I got last time wasn't worth all the time I spent writing," one kid dismissed the challenge today.

I shrugged, determined not to allow his attitude to get under my skin. "Well," I replied mildly, "you got the prize and all that writing practice, Maybe it was worth more than you think."

He was unconvinced, but others had a different perspective. "I can't do the hundred days," one student shrugged, "but I'm definitely going to get the prize for this one!"

"A hundred days is hard," I nodded, "but that's why we have daily and monthly challenges, too."

"Plus all that writing," she added.

"Plus that," I agreed. "Plus that."

Life Lesson: Sometimes you're going to have to lose. ~Miley Cyrus "The Climb"