To The San Fran Group- From Margo

It has been only a few days and we are already individuals again - back in our lives and busy schedules.

I want to take a moment to reminisce. The trip and each person is still so fresh in my mind. I still check often to see if there is a text or message from one of you on my new green iPhone.

So here is the question: When did this array of very unique individuals actually become a ‘group’?

And I know the answer.

A group we became at the North Beach Pizza House when we all raised our hands in agreement to vote – ‘there should be no homework.’ Up until then we were simply Whitworth students fulfilling a requirement with one older fluffy professor. We went to pizza individuals: Caty the experienced couch and Jan term traveler, Kathy the lion tamer, Brittney the international correspondent, Andy the children’s new best friend, Siri the lover of whimsy and fashion, Alexa the personal cheering squad, Travis the fitness smile, David the tech guy and safe keeper, Cory the school emissary, Elizabeth the running explorer, Sarah the writer and tutor, Liz the new pied piper, and Danielle the emotional glue and mother Theresa …….

We walked back into the Kenmore that evening a ‘group.’

I knew the group had bonded – ‘one for all and all for one’ - when our real leader Caty lost her lanyard key, ID and Muni Pass. Within a moment of awareness the group energy surfaced mobilized, Caty flew out the window of the bus, Liz was hot on her texting trail, Cory was designated the personal escort patrol and we all manned our stations for orders and support – We were definitely now a group and we would function accordingly the next 20 days. The force was with us and even Kathy, wayward wandering that night, returned from Africa to be sucked into the whirlpool of friendship and group behavior.

Our memories from then on included each other, our laughter at dinner traveled seamlessly through two tables, the sun set on all of us, our bicycle trip bonded even those fain of heart and whining – we played in the Science center, threw the Frisbee on the beach and sat on stolen bed covers the park. We marched for freedom and we sang for fun. We watched movies in the theater and ate Chinese food as a family. We rode the bus and danced with the kids. No one was left out and no went home early. Now, those activities are definitely signs of a group. We even ended our stay wearing party hats and were all thrilled “It was a girl!”

Eat your heart out ‘The Bachelor’ cast you have never become such a group.

We went to school together, interviewed together, wrote our data analysis together, ate together and some of us even danced and drank together in and out of the night. We sent a total of 56,742.5 texts and 767 e-mails to ourselves, each other and all over the world to share our fun and accomplishments.

We ended with no one excluded, everyone valued and all being known. Our secrets and talents exposed.

Caty: Most likely to always have a map at the ready (and always, kind of, maybe, hopefully, sort of know where we got off the bus... or at least somewhere close).

Kathy: Most likely to stand and watch silently as our professor gets off the bus and the bus pulls away, with all of us on it.

Danielle: Most likely to send other people messages intended for her husband.

Brittney: Mostly likely to fall in love with and marry a foreigner.

Siri: Most likely to win everyone's hearts on the dance floor.

Alexa: Most likely to be the oldest woman ever on the top of a cheer pyramid.

Sarah: Most likely to fall in love with Tim Tebow.

Cory: Most likely to make all the girls jealous by getting placed with a really cute teacher.

Elizabeth: Mostly likely to change her outfit 4 times before leaving the room.

Liz: Most likely to have no place else in the world she'd rather be than right here, right now.

Travis: Most likely to photobomb a family photo.

David: Most likely to own a Christian Bobblehead store.

Andy: Most likely to own a Popeye's chain.

Margo: Most likely to have matching rain apparel.

So when did we cease to be a group?

And I know the answer to that question also.

As each shuttle pulled away from the Kenmore - each of us traveled back to our own life and loves – we broke away from our circle of learning and friendship to who we used to be and would become. We were older, wiser, and funnier. We were back to finding ourselves again – we were no longer the fearless San Francisco group. We are now going our separate ways and learning our individual truths. We are embracing new people and new experiences on a new quest to be who we were meant to be.

Thank you for coming, thank you for staying and thank you for going home. It was a great play and we all played our parts well. The drama was sweet – the highs and lows meaningful and the Kenmore, Rosa Parks and Everett a great temporary on location stage. If you left your heart in San Francisco, you can pick it up later. You are now each a true resident of a great city and you understand both its perils and gifts.

We are all the better for it - we survived with grace and love of Jan term 2012.

Time to Wind Up the Blog

The road of life is rarely smooth.  It twists and curves and comes out in unexpected locations.  The final goal can always be seen, but we often have to take smaller steps than we would prefer.  Our journey toward mortality is an uphill struggle with very few places to catch your breath. 

In short, life is rather like Lombard Street.

            As I gazed upon the least linear street in the world, I was struck by the behavior of the tourists.  They would dart into the street, heedless of cars and personal safety—too busy posing for pictures to adequately notice their surroundings.  In many ways, we have acted the same as the Lombard tourists on this trip.  We dashed into our placements, with little idea of what lay ahead.  We braved profanity, fights, and buses that broke down blocks from our stop, yet I can’t help but feel that I have been too busy acting as a teacher to truly soak up my school environment.  How many schools in America have a sun-drenched faculty courtyard and garden?  Or exquisite murals sprawled across its colorful walls?  Or palm trees flanking the encircling streets?  Or a nearby park with a monument erected in honor of the Father of Mexican independence?  I doubt whether I will truly grasp the uniqueness of my learning environment until I start student teaching in Mt. Spokane.

            I will always cherish my time in San Francisco, thanks largely to all of you.  As the final blog entry, the task of saying goodbye rests on me.  I wish you all the best of luck and opportunity as you continue down the path of life.  My final piece of advice comes from a rather infamous Chinese saying: 如果你已經有了它標榜.  

If you’ve got it, flaunt it.

I open at the close

I was only in the schools for half days, but still got the chance to work with some great students. I had a block class 1/2 period that covered math science. I have to admit, I've missed science classes a bit! I did a lot of small-group pullout with these kids, and worked with a few specific students often. There are so many faces, personalities, and unique situations in this class... bright kids who lack the confidence and/or work ethic to find the success they are capable of, a student who has a mind for math who does long division quickly in his head, a student who is homeless, a girl who was present maybe 5 times during the whole time I was here, a student with impulse issues who is very smart but on the edge of expulsion, and a girl who wants nothing more than to move back to Guatemala and therefore won't speak English in class. With all of this, they all have good hearts and good intentions (for the most part).

I also got the chance to work in an 8th grade Algebra class, which was fun because I taught Algebra in my Student Teaching placement this fall. California has adopted an "Algebra for All" standpoint, having all 8th grade students take Algebra in an effort to get them on track to take AP Calculus their Senior year of High School. I have mixed feelings about Algebra for All, but it was interesting to see it in action. I got a bit more attitude from these students, but also more intrigue and effort. One of these kids would greet me every morning with a high-five and an "I love you Ms. Lieseke! I'm so glad you're here today!" Which always made me smile. 4th period, I would turn around and have a lot of these kids in AVID, where I helped with tutorials and watched a lot of really good collaboration between students.

As I sat on the bus today, holding armfuls of stuff (thank you card from my kids and thank you loaves of bread from the San Francisco Education Fund), I took time to reflect back on the time we have spent here. We have had the chance to see a lot of diversity here in this city. From Grace Cathedral Church, a very rich church in one of the more affluent neighborhoods in the city, to Glide Memorial, a community focused church right in the middle of the Tenderloin, we have had the opportunity to see a very wide spectrum of culture. I have to think about how this wide span of different people and places and faces I've seen is the norm and so accessible for most of my students. They live in a town that is rich with culture and don't even realize it. I only hope they grow to appreciate the city they live in, and learn from it all they can.

Outside of school, I could write about so many things we were able to do here! If I were to make a list, it would include biking the Golden Gate Bridge, a weekend in Napa, sunsets at the beach, and accidentally not getting off the bus when Margo did and watching her frantically wave and yell at us as the bus pulled away from the stop. Time has been short, and I'm so happy to have spent this month in San Franscisco. I've loved this quick view into city life, and have really grown to appreciate things like effective public transportation. Also, Middle School isn't that bad! Our group has had a great time, and I'm so glad we were all able to spend so much time exploring and learning and adventuring together.

It's the Final Count Down...

Hey yall,
There are only 2.5 more days in the schools for Secondary and 3 for Elementary. It's crazy how time has flown and the end is about to come. I can't believe we have already been in San Fran for almost 3 weeks. I feel like it was just yesterday when we were still trying to figure out what bus to take, where the big green building is (San Fran Ed Fund), and where our schools are. In the classroom, I finally know all of my students' names and what some of their interests are. I'm getting attached and am sad to part from these students. I'm sure some of the other Whitworth students would also agree. I don't know if I'm ready to leave San Francisco yet with things still to explore and people to meet.

However, on the bright side... Yesterday I went to Everett Middle School's Soccer game at Silver Terrace. I got to bus (charter) over with the team and everything. The coach made me the official camera woman during the game, so I took tons of pictures of the kids, the coaches, and of the team. A lot of my students are on the soccer team and have been begging me to go. So I finally made it out to their game. They ended up winning 4 to 0. It was awesome! We even got a picture of a kid doing a bicycle kick... (not the one that he did during the actual game, but afterwards). I loved getting to watch my kids and other students play soccer together and have fun. They were so happy when they won. They played great too.

Then today was great too. We all went to our last Thursday day of school. Then after a wonderful Lasagna dinner, we went out as a group to a dessert place called Max's Opera Cafe. They had pies, cakes, ice cream, cookies, crumbles, and more. It was delicious and fun for the whole group to go out. Sarah and I shared a Chocolate Fudge Brownie. Yummy, yummy, yummy!
It also rained for the first time today! We have been having lots of sun, but the weather is finally changing on us. I love the rain, but it was nice having weather in the 60s last week...

Then tomorrow is Friday and the beginning of the weekend. The week always goes by so fast with those 3 day weekends... and we have another one coming up on Monday (Lunar New Year)!

Anyways, it has been super fun in San Fran.... Not much time left so we have to enjoy it while we can. Keep reading...

-Cory

The Beginning of the End

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

I think the reality that we only have four more days in the classroom is really starting to set in for most of us right about now. I came in hoping to learn so much and have a clearer sense of whether God is calling me to teach in low-income schools. While I can't say I've made much progress on the latter, I've certainly come a long way with regard to the former.

Like many of my fellow educators have indicated in their blog posts, the San Francisco school experience is so different from what you'll find in Spokane, sometimes in ways I wasn't expecting. I wasn't surprised to find that I was the only white person in my classroom all day long. I was expecting to find that many of my students have mild behavior problems and have skills far below grade level. What I wasn't expecting was that my students would be so sweet and charming, even when their classroom behavior drives me up a wall. The ease with which I have been able to relate to these students has really taken me by surprise; it turns out race and culture aren't as much of a barrier to teacher-student relationships as I thought they were. I've also been surprised by the way the students respond to my authority. As a young woman who still looks as though she's about 16, I wasn't expecting students to take me seriously, at least at first. I was pleasantly surprised to discover, though, that, at least for the most part, my students listen to me! How exciting :)

There's no question that I've learned a lot while I've been here. But even while this experience has provided opportunities for me to learn and grow as an educator, I think it's raised as many questions for me as it has answered. How can we allow students to make it to 7th grade when they still don't know their multiplication tables? How on earth am I supposed to help students grow academically when over 80% of them are on free or reduced lunch (indicating very low income), and clearly have other things to worry about? What is going to happen to these students, who have so much potential, when they continue to make such limited academic growth?

The hardest of those questions, for me at least, is the last one. I have so many students in my classes who could be outstanding pupils, but a lack of foundational knowledge, study skills, and resources prevents them from succeeding, even though they have the ability to make incredible academic achievements. There just isn't enough time to give them everything they need to make enough progress. One of my smartest students has been in two fights since I've been here. He should be in advanced classes and at the top of his class; instead, I wonder whether he'll even graduate high school, or whether he'll end up in "the system" for getting into more fights. I wish I could follow up with all these students and keep track of them over the next six years, but I know I can't. So what is my role as a teacher? How can I make the biggest difference? Does God want me to teach in low-income schools, or is he calling me elsewhere? There's so much I still don't know. But I'm hoping that God can use these last few days and the time following the trip to help point all of us here to the ways we can best use our gifts to serve our students.

Thanks for reading! Please keep us in your prayers as we finish up our trip!
Sarah

MLK celebrations!

Well, I must start off by saying we all have successfully completed two full weeks in San Francisco!  Hooray to us!  I must begin by saying how blessed I feel to have the opportunity to partake in all that San Francisco has had to offer, as well as work and learn from an amazing 1st grade teacher.  My experiences in the classroom, although challenging at times, are helping shape me into a more culturally aware and well-rounded teacher.  The time is flying by, and  we are doing all we can to live and breath the San Fran culture.  I must say that I think we are doing a pretty good job at it :)

The MLK celebrations began all last week in many of our classrooms at Rosa Parks Elementary and Everett Middle school, and continued into the Glide Memorial church service we attended on Sunday morning.  Although very different than any church service I have attended, it was a liberating experience and one of the most diverse environments I have been a part of since the beginning of this trip.  Glide Memorial is a methodist church, but prides itself on the contributions they make to their community; such as feeding the poor, taking care of the homeless, and providing a church for those recovering from addiction.  The service on Sunday was centered around Martin Luther King and how he has changed the course African American rights in America.  It was a moving service, and involved BEAUTIFL and INSPIRATIONAL music that made many of us jump to our feet and relish in the culture surrounding us.  This opportunity to attend a church in the Tenderloin district was one I will not forget.  I will remember it as a moving and powerful experience on this journey here in San Fran. 

On Monday, MLK day, the celebrations continued.  Many of us chose to take part in the Martin Luther King march.  I myself, have never marched in honor of something or someone, so it was a new and exciting experience for me.  Thankfully, we were blessed with another stunning, sunshine-filled day in which we marched a mile-and-a-half in honor of MLK.  The most incredible part for me was seeing and hearing people of all difference races, gender, and religions come together and join as one to celebrate freedom and how far we have come since Martin Luther King was assassinated.  My favorite part of the parade was singing "This Little Light of mine, I'm gonna Let it Shine," for about half of our walk! Although by the end, I did not want to hear another verse, it was still an incredible experience to think, sing, and celebrate equality and freedom for all. 

I have to be honest, I feel that over the last two weeks I have become more culturally aware, open-minded, and accepting of others than I had been in my four years of undergrad and the first half of grad school.  Again, I am thankful for this fantastic opporutnity to learn and grow as an individual and teacher.  Thank you San Fran! 

-Danielle

Surprise! Your teacher is sick.

I am the fourth person on our trip who has had their teacher be unexpectedly gone one day. Today my students, a class of 12 fourth- and fifth-graders, went on a field trip to the California Academy of Sciences. I was quite surprised when another fourth grade teacher came up to me at our morning stretches and told me my teacher was going to be gone. We didn't have a substitute until we were walking out the door to get on the bus, and I spent a majority of the hour we were at school trying to take care of a girl who was missing a permission slip. But we still got to go on the field trip and it all ended up working out! It's quite intimidating to be put in a position where you are instantly shifting from a helper who's here for a month to someone who is responsible for a group of small children.

My classroom is, as I said, twelve 4th and 5th graders. I have three 4th graders and the rest are in 5th grade. Our class size is so small because the school has a grant where at least some of the grades (I know fifth grade, I'm not sure about the others) have to have an average class size of 15. Because the 5th grade Japanese Bilingual Program class next door has about 25 kids in the class, the other fifth grade classes must have small numbers to keep the average at 15. This allows a lot of small-group work... I haven't seen my teacher teach a whole-group lesson yet. I am also able to give a lot of one-on-one attention during math and language arts. I spent three afternoons doing fourth grade social studies with the fourth graders because their curriculum sometimes gets put on the back burner. Five of my students are African-American, three are from Yemen, two are Vietnamese (it's so fun to hear them talk to each other in their language! They both speak English but will sometimes converse in Vietnamese), one is Latina/Italian, and the other I believe is Latino as well. My teacher grew up going to Catholic school in San Jose so the culture of an inner-city school is about as foreign to her as it is to me! I have loved getting to know my students and getting to ask them about their dreams for the future. In the words of one student, "I want to be a dancer, singer, actress, scientist, and maybe a nurse." Dream big, girl :)

Here are some pictures from our group's adventures this weekend. Highlights include biking across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito (and back, for seven of us brave souls!), a majority of our group walking an a MLK celebration march, afternoons at Haight-Ashbury and Golden Gate Park, Siri's birthday on Saturday, and a win for the San Francisco 49ers!

Our whole group on the way to Golden Gate Bridge :)

Eight of us hiked up to a view point that overlooked the bridge. It was gorgeous!

It looks like a postcard :)

This is at the MLK Celebration in downtown San Francisco! It's really need to be here on this weekend because figures like MLK, Rosa Parks, and President Obama are really important to the people in this city. Our elementary school sells shirts that have this quote on the back:

"Rosa sat so Martin could walk. Martin walked so Obama could run. Obama ran so our kids could fly."

It's interesting to see so many posters and references to our president in our school. I feel as if Obama's place in office does not affect the Spokane community nearly as much as it does here in San Fran.

Golden Gate Park :)

 Cory's got mad hops! :)

I'm thinking of giving up teaching and becoming a professional action shot photographer... Ok. Maybe not.