teaching does not come easy to me. i'm not a natural teacher. sometimes i struggle to explain difficult and abstract concepts to my students. sometimes i struggle with my (lack of) patience & sarcasm. and sometimes, i just struggle.

today wasn't one of those days. today, my kids "got it," and for the first time, i felt like i was really doing my job.

this year, i am teaching two double-block periods of intervention English. it is a "designed" program (*ehem* scripted) and can be EXTREMELY boring. i am not quite convinced that this program helps my students, but i'm forced to teach it with "fidelity" (the district's most favorite buzz word). today, as we were progressing through the lesson, we were asked to pull the main idea and supporting details from a short, informative paragraph. typically, my students struggle with this and have looked to me to hold their hands. however, with state writing assessments approaching, i have begun to let go and let them solider through these tasks on their own.

during the lesson, i helped them to outline the first bit of information they'd use to write their paragraph, but asked (told! lol) them to do the rest on their own. i was PLEASANTLY surprised when many of my students not only outlined the article correctly, BUT also (and this is the kicker) wrote VERY solid paragraphs!

it sounds extremely unimpressive, but to see my students complete this task CORRECTLY was so exciting. for once i felt like all of our hard work wasn't in vain, and we were really getting somewhere.

days like today renew my spirit. i am hopeful about the coming semester and all of the ah-ha moments that are sure to follow.

0.76 inches
3 pounds
wireless, everything.
out of the box sexy.

i.want.one.now.

so, i've finanally been tagged. it's sort of the blog equivalent of a chain letter that gets passed on and on in attempt to learn about others. this little gem, courtesy of Faboo (thanks? lol), asks that i share 7 things about myself that you do not know. seeing as i blog anonymously, finding 7 things you don't know about me shouldn't be so hard, but i'm struggling anyway....

here are the rules...


1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird things about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.



1. i always wanted to be a DJ. i LOVE music. i am an avid (classic) hip hop head and a b-girl at heart. i've always wanted my own set of 1s and 2s (techniques, of course!), and have even composed (several) mixed tapes in my head.

2. all of my laundry supplies MUST have coordinating scents, and i only use Tide and Downey. if i buy april fresh Tide, i MUST use april fresh Downey fabric softener. mismatching scents is a no-no.

3. i have a thing for A&E biographies and documentaries on mobsters and serial killers. i can watch them for days on end. don't ask me why.

4. i'm addicted to HGTV, specifically the real estate and home improvement shows (house hunters, property virgins, my first home, freestyle, you get the picture). while i watch, i take mental note of the things i want in my house (when i buy one).

5. i heart Celia Cruz. my AIM name comes from a popular Celia Cruz song. her energy, her fire, and her voice inspire me. i have written poems with her music as my muse. la reina will always live on.

6. i hate shoes. i'd much rather walk around barefoot, allowing my feet to be free. as soon as i can, i kick off my shoes and even drive with them off. but don't get it twisted, i'm no britney spears. you won't see me entering into any public bathrooms (or public spaces for that matter) without my shoes.

7. sometimes, i'm still amazed i have a child. sometimes, i wonder when his parents are going to come and pick him up. it's been two years, and i'm not quite fully adjusted to this new role of mama, but i'm getting there. i'm learning that not being perfect, and not having all the answers is ok.

so, let's see...who shall i pass this onto?

Xtina, Bless, Mdot, Torrance, Cap, Ced, and Xay, you're up!

writing is fighting
a barrage of words    banging
paper    ears     your heart

    struggling
to conect beyond the noise
beyond what makes us

     wondering
if anyone can hear
our inside voice, really

or if
it even matters
at all.


~~~~~~~

i'm in a rush, posting between periods. but i'm struggling to teach my students how to write...clearly. they are so stuck in a world of txt messages and IMs, that it seems as though basic, standard English is like Chinese to them.

as someone who writes well, i'm having a hard time conveying the nuances of the language to my kids. so much of what i write and how i write is caught up in my ears, i'm wondering how i can help them tune into that melody.

any advice? bell rang. peace.

i'm here, i'm here...i sware.

i have been sort of MIA since before school started again, sort of living in a state of uneventfulness. not much is happening on this end. i'm not writing, not reading (like i said i would). but i've been doing a lot of hanging with the little one, which has been good.

i am just sort of getting back in stride.

once i get my head right, i'll be back with some posts, some poems, some random words of....whatever.

peace.