another APSA-lute weekend: off to APSA Sports Day, and tomorrow is the long-awaited APSA Grad Banquet. congrats to all the many many special seniors graduating this year! =) *hugs* miss u all so much, can't wait to see u all in a few hours!

i'm going to go visit my students now!!! =) yayyy~ i miss them!!!

dropped by the Scholastic Book Fair 50% off sale yesterday. came out of that store with $80 worth of books for only $40! i'm so happy to see that my classroom library is starting to grow, slowly but surely.

i'm looking to invest in a digital camera, and i'm thinkin about the canon s230 digital elph. it's a sexy, sleek, portable camera that has quite a few functions. i was looking into cameras that were in the $200 range, but for $100 more i could move up a class. although this deal is pretty tempting: canon A200 + i320 photo printer both for a mere $200. O_O what do u guys think? =p but then i figure i should get a camera that's good and will last me a while, rather than one just for now. that way when i start working and i can afford a photo printer later on, i'll have a camera AND a printer that i like. yeah? hmmm... suggestions?

i should maybe do some work now.

i have applied for SAT (Summer Activist Institute), and hopefully they'll want me. it's a 4-day program by KIWA that teaches you about community organizing and activism. lot of awesome ppl went through SAT, i must say. should be expecting a phone call some time this week! I'm also starting to really get a feel for Bamboo Lane, the arts and community action group. the more often i go to meetings, the more i'm excited about doing work together for some very good causes. now that i'm officially a part of the org, i'll slowly start to come out of my shell. it's very reminiscent of how i started with APSA. i had to first feel ppl out and then gradually emerge and speak my mind. my time will come...

on thursday i revealed to my students that i would be staying to teach next year through our daily morning message:
"Thurs., May 22, 2003
Dear outstanding students,
Good morning! Yesterday we learned a lot! Let's work hard again today and finish our pinatas.
Ms. Capetillo will not be here with us tomorrow. Let's wish her a safe trip!
Tomorrow is Ms. Lee's last day. However, she will come back to visit! Also, next year you will see her almost everyday. Can you guess why?"
then my students raised their hands, and one girl asked, "You're teaching here next year?" to which i replied, "Yup!" and my students all clapped and cheered. =) so cute!! they like me. =)

this past weekend was quite eventful, yet relaxing at the same time. it's nice to bum around with benji. =) we watched X2 finally! i've been aching to see it, and it was well worth the wait. ooh! and i watched it with my brother, too. =) i never go out with him, so yay! on saturday we didn't really do much. saturday is sort of a blur. on sunday we went to Camarillo outlets which is not that far. i was surprised. i'ma go back there again this summer. i was intending to buy myself some teacher clothes, but i ended coming out of there with only running shoes and a duffel bag. oh and lotsa multicultural children's books, for real cheap. i told benji i'ma take him with me whenever i go book shopping, so he can just find the books i should have for me. call me lazy, call me efficient, heck it works. my classroom library is starting to grow! =)

sunday nite we went out to the knitting factory in hollywood. it's a more underground sorta place which plays real hip hop and reggae, not mainstream ish. (yes, the benji influence is hitting me... but it's all good cuz my influence is getting to him too. that would be my uncanny, witty sense of humor.) =) y'all should check out the knitting factory some time. it's so chill, people are there for the music, and awesome performers come out. when we went, taboo from black eyed peas was there. he came out real powerful with a strong message. good stuff, good stuff... i was a bit tipsy, too.

i need to invest in a digital camera. =/

wow it's been a while since i blogged. i miss it. =( the last week of student teaching has been quite hectic. i feel very satisfied, though, because i finally was able to make time to teach my students about social justice movements. i read to them the story of Rosa Parks on thursday, so i had to give my students a VERY brief version of the history of slavery and segregation. then on friday i read to them "Si, Se Puede," a book on the janitor strike in L.A. their writing activity was to write a letter to either Rosa Parks or the janitors about the courage that they demonstrated. yay for my 2nd graders! they understood it. it's a nice intro to the kind of social justice education they should be getting in subsequent years. =) (hopefully)

well, it's official. i'll be teaching at 99th street elementary for next year! either 4th or 5th grade, at the lowest, 3rd grade. i won't find out for sure until next month or so. i'm excited! finally, my very own classroom... =) y'all better come visit!! other good news, i found a roommate for next year!!! my almost-twin, mayrin, and i will be roomies and first-year teachers together! next year looks to be a very exciting year. got an awesome roomie, an awesome job, an awesome man... all i need is an awesome place to live. it's nice how things just seem to work out. =)

i'm sad =( tomorrow is my last day of student teaching. i need to go out with a bang. what to do for tomorrow....

did i make the right decision???!?! so many thoughts. so many questions. where will i be in a few months' time?

what a relaxing weekend. this is, i believe, one of the first weekends in a long time where most of it was spent just bummin around. but now i gotta head home home and spend some time with the parents and get laundry done. and of course, lesson plan. yesterday was the Bamboo Lane general meeting. i'm starting to get a better feel for what the people in the org. are about. after the meeting we just chilled and drank. it was really a lot fun =) i think i'm really going to like being a part of this collective.

FUNNY THINGS MY STUDENTS SAID THIS WEEK:
- [coming back to the classroom after an eye/vision test] "ms. lee, i'm normal"
- [my students are second language learners] "ms. lee! they keep hitting on me!" (she meant hitting me)
now that i typed them out, they don't seem so funny. u had to have been there.

i'm torn. i don't know what t do do. between 99th st. and 107th st. elementaries... i need to decide by tomorrow. this is the last week of student teaching coming up. i'm sad =*( i'm going to miss my students.

*yyaawnn* droopey eyes... ms. lee is tired. ms. lee is sleepy. let's let ms. lee just sleep. interview and 99th went well, i have been told. i have to give 107th street an answer by monday. am i missing up on an opportunity to teach 5th grade A track for sure. what to do!??!?!? where to teach?? i'm so tired, i cannot think.

this week is going by so quickly. i began my completely full days of teaching now, entire lesson plans included. i get to plan everyday for the next two weeks. can u believe the freedom? my guiding teacher is dope like that. =) so, i got to put theory into practice. i had been reading about morning meetings (Morning Meeting, by Roxann Kriete. dope book!!) and i finally got to try them out. they're going well so far... helping to establish more of a classroom community. teaching and lesson planning and all that extra stuff is definitely exhausting.

ever since russell's wedding on sat, the staff members at 99th street who attended the wedding have been so nice to me. kinda funny, hehe. =) i have an interview with the hiring committee at 99th this thursday. this morning i had my interview at 107th street, and found out this evening that i have been offered the 5h grade Track A (most traditional school year calendar) position. i have to call back to find out when they want an answer by. but i have a couple more interviews to go, so i want to be able to think about my options. where will i want to be teaching for the next several years? big decision.

i'm sleepy...

so i read on reggie's blog that, "it recently came to my attention that the ads blogger puts up are selected based upon what the author writes on his/her blog." could this be true? i never noticed the ads on my blogs. so, curious, i checked mine to find this one:

calistoga's landmark spa. mudbaths relaxation lodging... midweek special... blah blah.
next one: dollar store merchandise.

does this mean i lead a high-stress life and i need to relax? or do i sound like someone who would just pamper herself just cuz, like i have the time (mid-week, no less). and do i sound like someone who buys a lot of ish (online)? make me sound like i got money to throw around. HA. i chortle.

oh look. national PTA. that's relevant. the PTA needs an ad?

ok continuing to lesson plan...

HAPPY MOM'S DAY! i had a wonderful lunch/dinner with my family today. =)

thursday nite, a bunch of us went out to little tokyo to eat dinner, and then to catch the VC (visual communications) closing nite. the movie they showed, "Together," was a really good movie. i can't think of any words right now. but yes, towards the end i was a leaky faucet, as were many other audience members. =)

saturday was my former guiding teacher's wedding, for which i performed. the theme of the wedding was "soul 2 seoul," as the bride is African-American and the groom half Korean. =) it was a small wedding that took place at a house in Sun Valley. i swear i drove by my old equestrian stables that i used to take lessons at. hit with more nostalgia... it was a beautiful wedding. the first one that i got invited to. whee~! congrats to the newlyweds! oh yeah, and the groom (my guiding teacher), during the vows also gave a ring to his step-daughter. he mentioned how she brought up the fact that it was a "package deal," and so he vowed to be the best step-father he can be. =*)

that nite benji and i, and a few other folks, went to the knitting factory in hollywood. even in his sickness he had the energy to get down. =) i was feelin the music (reggae, dance hall, breakbeats, hip hop...), the crowd was cool, but i wish i had worn my sneakers instead of heels. =p bambu and kiwi, awesome emcees/artists, put it DOWN. strong messages that i was inspired by, knowing that there is still a good number of ppl out there tryin to bring about some change...

hey ucsd, how did PCC go? i'm sorry i couldn't make it, but i'm sure someone recorded it!

sat down and talked with the principal of my school today. wasn't really an interview, just a "i wanna know what you're about" kinda deal. it went pretty well i think. we started making our pinatas today in class, and man it's messy with 2nd graders. tomorrow my faculty advisor wants to sit and chit chat with me about my "strong feelings" regarding the program. i wonder why she's taking the time out NOW to do so. something must be up. sounds too fishy for me. dunno why she's suddenly concerned for me a month before our first year is over. makes me go hmmm...

Story
The Lucky Day

One day Tony and Eric went to school, and at lunch time Tony and Eric sat as they ate lunch together. When school was over Tony said, "Let's go to the music store." Eric said "Okay." When they got there they found a bugle Eric thought it was very useful but he did not have any money Eric asked Tony "Do you have any money?" Tony said No. So Eric and Tony went off, Tony saw a mud puddle and a ten dollar bill he picked it up and found 1,000 more dollar bills they were rich and April came by and asked for some money and April bought a mug. Fernando came and borrowed some few money and bought a mule that he can trust. Tony and Eric had a lot of luck today and Edward heard the news and borrowed 600 dollars just to buy one piece of nut, Eric said "money wasting." But Tony said "such a huge nut." Then Eric said I wish I thought of that.

When Frances and Elizabeth heard the news too they each bought themselves a cute and pictured cup. Now Tony and Eric only has 908 dollars left. Then the money fell on the dust and Eric said "it was your fault." And Tony said it was his fault and they continued until three o'clock in the morning and they both fell asleep in school all the time when we ate lunch Tony's face fell in the Sloppy Joe hamburger. Eric was trying to drink and pour it all over his head and they both woke up when the principal talked in the microphone. When they both got home they sleped all through that day. The End.

- Janet Lee. February 8, 1989 (3rd grade, 8 yrs old)

HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!
met and talked with the principal of 107th street elementary today. that school really needs new energy. =/ tomorrow i interview with the principal of my school, 99th street. not terribly nervous about it, shouldn't be too bad. this hiring thing is really making me confused and making me think A LOT. where will i be teaching? and what grade do i really want? why is standardized testing two weeks long?? i feel so guilty cuz my students keep asking me where i keep going. they tell me i go to too many meetings. =( it's true, but i gotta meet with principals and the only time i can do that is during school hours. =( i'm sorry, kiddos. but at least i have two full weeks of full-time teaching up ahead. =) that will be a true test, for i am going to experiment with some things i've only been able to read about.

i've been out of the blogging loop for some time, but this week has been pretty hectic.

first of all, i need to give mad props to the coordinators and staff of the FIRST ANNUAL UCSD SIORC All People's Leadership Conference! all the SAAC orgs came out to represent and came together for a damn good cause. what a beautiful thing to finally see happen. congrats, SIORC, on making history and continuing it... i'm honored to have been a part of it.

MONDAY: my interview with the principal of MacArthur went really well. i thought my first round of interviews two weeks ago didn't go over that well, but when i sat down for this second round, the principal started off telling me that i was among the top 3. O_O how flattering! =) but yes, he and i vibed really well. i have a feeling i'll get offered a job there, but there are a lot of things i'm thinking about now. do i reallyyyy want primary grades? the way the school works is that we loop with our students, meaning we would teach K, then follow the same students to 1st, and to 2nd. i would have to teach kinder! i dunno if i can make myself repeat the alphabet everyday and sing the same songs day after day. while it's an awesome opportunity to be able to keep the same set of students for that many years, and to really test what i can teach them (cuz i won't be able to blame anyone else but myself for things that they don't know).. and also to establish strong relationships with the families... it's the age group that i just don't know about. lots to think about.

tuesday: HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my long time buddy, MAKOTO! =) finally celebrating his bday with us here in america this time around. his party is tonite.. i'ma try to go. it's gonna be hard cuz i got a FLAT TIRE YESTERDAY. gggrrrrrr. so if i can't change my tire today, i definitely won't be able to drive down to SD.

THURSDAY: May Day, International Worker's Day. here is a short intro about what it is, because most Americans don't of it since it's been covered up by our own country. "May 1st, International Workers' Day, commemorates the historic struggle of working people throughout the world, and is recognized in every country except the United States, Canada, and South Africa. This despite the fact that the holiday began in the 1880s in the United States, with the fight for an eight-hour work day..." if u wanna learn more about this struggle, i have a brief history of it that u can read. in celebration of may day, i went out to the march/rally in downtown with kick-ass signs that benji's students made! =) "equal rights, equal pay!" "si, se puede!" "end racism!" "treat others fairly!" he's teachin them kids right.

FRIDAY: Happy Birthday to my fellow teacher-in-the-making, Mayrin! we gettin old... after student teaching today, two of my teammates and i went to check out Edison Middle School in southcentral. i would really like to work at a middle school, but after sitting in one class period, i realized how frustrating it would be to try to teach 50 min. out of one day. that is not enough time. and in addition to that, i don't know if i would want the english/social studies block, or the math/science block. since i like teaching everything, i'm thinkin of just sticking to elementary. that way, i'm not so restricted by time. and after talking quite extensively with a fellow like-minded teammate, i'm leaning more towards having a bunch of us progressive teachers "take over" a school. 99th street, where i'm at now, is pretty set in terms of what they've got going for them. they already have strong leaders. this other school, 107th, is still pretty much in need. i see it as our chance to take charge and revamp the school. it needs new energy, and that we can surely bring in. so now i've got much to think about. where will i be teaching this time next year? life is a mystery in that way...

TODAY: gotta pick up student from 99th street to bring them to a community event that i played a small part in helping to organize. a new up-and-coming collective, Bamboo Lane, which is an arts & community project for youth, is really doing some good things. =) bringing together artists, educators, community organizers, students, parents, and community members. i have a feeling that some really great things are gonna happen. =)