Jose and My Students

Last week I had the privilege of taking some of my students to Hammel Elementary School (site of the future Esteban Torres H.S.), where they spent the morning with Jose Ramirez, a renowned Chicano artist. Check out his work at http://ramirezart.com/.

Jose was hired by LAUSD to create murals at the new school. Being a teacher and community advocate, Jose requested to work with students on the murals. Thanks to my friends at Inner City Struggle, my students were invited to participate.

Jose led the youth in a quick art workshop where he demonstrated his idea for the mural, he wanted the students to think about their favorite fruit or vegetable and draw it. Jose told us that when people see the completed mural, he wants them to remember what used to be at the construction site...before humans messed with it - brilliant!

In a matter of hours my students produced some amazing work! I joked with them that I was going to hire them to paint my house (if I ever get one).

Gracias Jose!

Sorry it took me so long to post these, I was trying to figure out how to create a slideshow with no luck (Norma please help!).

In any case here are my two favorite pictures of Mariluz and her proud parents. More to come...

Clara

Clara is one of my closest friends, I first met her about 11 years ago on a long plane ride to Madrid, Spain. Clara had just turned 2o, and I was still 19. We didn't know it then, but we were embarking on one of the greatest experiences of our lives--a year studying abroad.

The way I met Clara is the way I will always remember her...as soon as she was given permission, she was out of her seat, meeting as many people as possible. She approached Norma and I, and I remember thinking, "Damn this girl is outgoing!" I soon found out that she was from Happy Valley in Lincoln Heights and that she was in her third year at Santa Cruz. Our first encounter was short but memorable.

The next memory I have of Clara is when we had already arrived to Madrid and were settling into our dorms. She came into our room with the same energy and beautiful smile, she invited us to explore the city with her...how could we resist! From that moment on I was hooked and can say honestly that everytime I see her I feel the same excitement in knowing that whatever we do, it will be memorable.

The year we spent together in Spain was life-changing. Looking back, I realize that we were just kids, thinking that we knew everything, not truly understanding the big decision we had made to study abroad. In Spain, we became engrossed in the culture: renting pisos, riding the Metro, using pesetas, eating jamon, shopping at Dia and El Corte Ingles, participating in la marcha every weekend, oh yeah and going to school, lol. With Clara I got drunk for the first time in my life and experienced many other "firsts" that I probably shouldn't mention in a public blog! We visited 13 European countries together, ghetto style! We supported each other through homesickness and heartbreak, and relished in the joys of self-exploration and awareness. We entered adulthood together and set the foundation for a friendship that will last a lifetime.


In a matter of hours, Clara will give birth to her first child, Mariluz Diaz...just writing those words brings tears to my eyes. It is difficult to explain the overwhelming joy I feel in knowing that mi querida amiga Clara is bringing life into this beautiful world...the sheer miracle of it is amazing! What adds to my happiness is knowing that Clara and her husband David created this life together. Clara met David just days before we left to Spain. Their relationship developed through letters, emails and phone calls. Anytime David would call her, Clara would come over starry eyed sharing about their conversations that lasted for hours. Quite the romantic, David would serenade Clara with songs he composed on his guitar...no wonder she was head-over-heels!

Their love has now culminated in this little bundle of joy who will bless us with her arrival...stay tuned for the first slide show featured on this blog, there will be TONS of pictures of this kid!

Te quiero mucho tia!

Rose & Thorn

On uneventful days, I'll share one of my favorite "checking in" activities, the Rose & Thorn.

Rose: I made it to the gym today (hadn't been since Saturday).
Thorn: My right knee's been bothering me, couldn't run at my normal pace.

Mr. Gibbs

Although I don't want my new blog to become a place where I only share about teaching, I have a feeling that a lot of my posts will have to do with the profession that I love, I hope you bear with me!

Today was one of those days that seems never ending...and it was a minimum day. My students and I had to deal with the ridiculous procedure of getting textbooks, I know it sounds silly, but it really is a pain. The whole process is a waste of time, and in my opinion, could be done so much better, but we deal with it, just like so many other things in LAUSD. L-R: Katie, Me, Claudia, Brian Gibbs, Maritza, Brian Fritch

I knew I was having a long day when my students left and I started packing my things to go, only to realize that it was only 1:4o and I still had "professional development" meetings to attend.

The light at the end of the tunnel was in knowing that after more wasting of time, I would be meeting with Brian Gibbs, my mentor teacher since I began teaching. Also present would be Martiza and Claudia, my former student teachers who I have gotten very close to. Knowing how tired I was, I figured they would be feeling the same so I went for a Coffee Bean run and treated everyone to some blended goodness.

Every time I meet with Brian I am amazed. The minute you walk into his classroom you feel as if you have entered a shrine dedicated to his students. Pictures of them engaging in an array of learning activities cover every square inch of the walls; scattered in between you're also treated to Brian's favorite inspirational quotes and posters. Once my brain adjusted to the awesomeness of his classroom, I listened to Brian sharing his teaching secrets with us. He shares his wisdom in the most humble of ways, not realizing how many students and teachers he has impacted over the years. As I sit listening and taking notes, I have to remind myself that I'm not in high school anymore and that I'm there for a purpose--to learn from one of the best and share with my own students. Time passes quickly and before we know it it's past 6:00pm. I joke with everyone that Brian's wife no doubt misses him and try to get us to go. Half an hour later we're still there...I guess that due to our crazy, busy lives as dedicated teachers, we know that these moments of collaboration are rare and none of us really wants to leave.

ps--Visuals

I'm still getting the hang of this, I wanted to include some pictures in my last post. Here they are:

This is what the Alexandria looked like in the 20's...sometimes I really wish I could travel through time!









Rashid Taha...pretty cool looking guy.

Rock El Casbah

Now that James brought it up (in what will no doubt be his first and last post :P ), I'll share about our experience with "Rock El Casbah" this weekend.

Our evening started with some delicious sushi at R-23.
http://www.r23.com/
Our favorite was the Spicy Scallop.

We then headed to the Alexandria Hotel in the heart of Downtown LA.
http://www.thealexandria.net/
Walking in we felt as if we had flashed back to the 1920's; it had a haunting elegance to it. The hotel is undergoing renovation that will turn it into affordable housing. Apparently the hotel is haunted http://www.jeffdwyer.com/archives, I'm glad I didn't read these stories before I went, can you imagine me running into the Lady in Black?! Hell no!!!

At the Alexandria we were treated to SISSY, a play by Ricardo A. Bracho that explores many issues that Angelinos face. I had such a fun time watching it, not only was it inspired by revolutionary writers, but it also included great 70's song. I encourage you to support the play!
http://companyofangels.org/zencart1207/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65_66&products_id=181&zenid=72f2c7b2222b42ba41ceb0d1b1f3065c

We planned to do some bar-hopping afterwards, but when we left the hotel we heard music and a loud audience. We realized that it was a Grand Performances show at the California Plaza.
http://www.grandperformances.org/
As we approached the venue we figured out that the music we heard was Middle Eastern, I hesititated, wondering if it was worth climbing the 100 steps to get there! We convinced ourselves to go and to our surprise discoverd a crazy party happening! The performer was Rachid Taha, I swear this man is the Juan Gabriel of the Middle Eastern community! Damn were they excited to see him. We naturally joined the party and ended up dancing in a huge circle, I haven't laughed so hard in weeks! When James mentioned "Rock El Casbah", he was referring to Rachid's biggest hit, which, I found out today from my students, is also a song by The Clash.

We ended the night at The York with Nicki...good times!
http://www.theyorkonyork.com/

8 years later and FINALLY part of the 21st century!

Two mujeres that mean a lot to me, Norma and Jackie, have recently shared their blogs with me. Tonight I was inspired to start my own, for several reasons:

1) I'm procrastinating (I should be putting away my laundry or lesson planning)
2) I'm always online and looking for fun distractions on the Net
3) I've been meaning to start a journal, but haven't (refer to #2 for explanation), I figured that this is a great compromise
4) Nicki keeps bugging me (in a nice way :) ) to start a MySpace for teaching purposes...it's just not me, I think this is more me. Maybe once I get the hang of this I'll be more willing to do the MySpace thing

I have so much to share...but it's almost time for bed. More to come...