Friday April 27, 2018
6:02am I’ve been up since 4:18a.m. Breakfast consisted of oatmeal, bananas, homemade pop-tarts (thanks to my resourceful and creative wife), coffee, and pomegranate juice. Now at school beginning the day. Note to legislatures both state and federal: Just let us teach! I’m not at MPS—I teach in the Anderson Community Schools, and am a proud member of the AFT, at least until they try to outlaw our unions.
6:31am Just finished my 130 or so post cards to parents/guardians for the school referendums on the May 8 primary ballots. [I am technically off the clock.] I did’t realize becoming a teacher would make me an activist, but I should have been one anyway! I am convinced we are living in a dystopia, and few seem to realize this. I know the difference between populism and fascism.
7:41am Just finished a letter of recommendation for a former student. The sun is up—I love the spring!
12:25pm My prep period—not sure how much journaling I’ll get to do on a school day. After school I have plenty going on. Let’s go back to class: We continue reading Mexican Whitely by Matt De La Pena. There is a story on this. I read this young adult novel a couple of winters ago and immediately thought of my students. The protagonist is half Mexican and half caucasian, and his eventual best friend is half African-American and half Mexican. The one reservation I had was the profanity and adult situations contained within, but I was searching for a novel that would be diverse and hold the students’ interest. We are around page 60, and while my students have embraced it, a disappointing number have “pushed back”. My wife, who is also a teacher, thinks many just don’t want to read. I’ve implored everyone to give it the novel a chance.
Heading to school this morning I listed to NPR for a bit, but I find myself getting more and more depressed by state and federal legislatures. Madeline Albright has written a book called Fascism: Feather by Feather.
8:56pm In Indy with my group “The Roadents” (not our real name). Tuning up……………
Okay, here is what we worked on tonight:
“Sweet Home Chicago”
“Wonderful Tonight”
“Lay Down Sally”
“Suzie Q”
“Blue on Black”
“Little Pink Houses”
“Handle with Care”
“For What it’s Worth”
“Moondance”
“Tuesday Afternoon”
“Nights in White Satin”
“Late Lament” Spoken word poem
“Ain’t No Sunshine”
“Give Me One Reason”
“Stealin’’”
“Like a Hurricane”
“Turn the Page”
“Down by the River”
I handled bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and percussion duties along with lead, backing, and harmony vocals.
It is well past midnight, and I urge you, dear readers, to take your part and know that WE are the bosses of our representatives and senators—not the other way around! “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi