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WarriorAnge1
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read my profile
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Name: Jonathan
Country: United States
State: California
Birthday: 11/13/1984
Gender: Male
Interests: chillaxin, driving, AIM-ing, talking, meeting new people
Expertise: having fun and being random
Occupation: Student
Industry: Other
Message: message me
AIM:  Super squishy tofu
Member Since:
2/20/2003
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| Check this guy's blog out. it sounds a lot like someone else I know :P
http://superanonymouse.blogspot.com/
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| So today was the first day of school at my new job teaching 4th grade. Like i said before, i'm going to actually attempt to blog about my experiences in my first year here, so i figure i shoulodn't miss the first day despite being tired, having to wake up early, and working on my classroom and getting things ready all day.
(this may be long, but if you can make it through the tale...you'll get a huge sense of what I'm up against)
During trainings, my principal said we'd have dreams prior to the first day of school where we'd be nervous and anxious having weird dreams about teaching where we'd be embarassed or something to taht extent then wake up in a cold sweat. I actulaly didn't have a dream like that. instead, it was confident and my kids took straight to my program responding in sir sandwiches ("sir, yes sir."), walking in straight lines, and things were good.
(this part is convoluted at best...but i tried to make it flow...)
now to start, i have one of the smallest classrooms in the school and it's in a large hall with 5 other classrooms (6 total). our walls are cubicle material so there is no real cieling, save the cathedral cielings that comprise the chappel at the school site (salvation army rec center).
lo and behold, i get to school and it's nothing like the dream or the vision. I let them sit where they want so i could see who they shouldn't be allowed to sit next to and who they work best with. BIG MISTAKE. plus, since the classroom is so small, it's easy for everyone to simply lean over and strike up a conversation. Additionally, i forgot to have them put up their backpacks. due to teh small size of the classroom, it's congested walking to have them put their backpacks up, but it takes even more time to backpedal and have them put htem up in an orderly fashion. maybe i can blame it on summer, but a lot of kids were impatient and wanted to put them away right away and refused to wait. as a result, there was a major traffic jam in the calss.
my opening speech was a little long and cut into their sharing time. to make matters worse, i forgot the class schedule at home and was late getting to recess and later pe.
I address the students by their last names to show them respect and call them sir and ma'am. likewise, i expect the same from them. it threw them for a loop.
I've made the theme of the classroom military based becuase I wanted to instill a lot of discipline int eh calss and could think of no better way to get the boys to buy in than to make the jobs seem more appealing (sgt at arms, devil dogs, etc.) The ideal was to have the students in 4 person squads (alpha, bravo, charlie, delta, echo, and foxtrot) and then make a banner to display. I've posted pictures of family and friends in uniform and encourage students to bring in pictures of their family/friends in uniform as well. there's a platoon flag to carry when we walk as well. students have numbers and learned to "sound off" (call out their numbers in sequential order).
we were able to successfully sound off in front of the principal and she was quite impressed. we were pumped up going into meet coach for me and we looked pretty decent walking out following our platoon flag. however, when it was our turn to line up...everything went out the window. students were facing different directions, figthting over where they'd stand, pushing each other out of the say. all in front of the 5th and 6th graders. i think my face matched the red and yellow flag -.-
the challenges didn't stop there, but i'll sum them all up by quotting one of my students say something i've NEVER heard a student of any age say before: "I don't care, I'm not listening to you anymore." "You can move me, but I'll continue acting up over there too."
it's been a long day....hopefully tomorrow will be a better one (new seating chart, worksheets, Q and A time, and possibly a new line order).
ps...pictures of the classroom to come :)
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| OMFG...
So i was just surfing around and then ran across someone else's xanga and then remembered, I HAVE A XANGA! :P So here i am, checking it out again, reading some of my old posts, reading some people's who actually utilize this bloody thing, and well...realizing just how much has changed. what's changed you ask? Let me give you a quick update on what I've been up to :)
I completed and graduated from grad school at UCSD with my M.Ed. and multiple subject teaching credential. After that, I couldn't find a job, so i subbed around Poway and SDUnified, was a manager in training at big 5, and worked at Gamstop...ALL AT ONCE. So i finally got burned out, quit the retail jobs, continued to sub, but went back to school to work on a fire science degree. That's right, i wanted to be a firefighter! Did a few classes including drilling, then did my EMT courses. Got emt ceritfied. Worked with autistic kindergardeners, worked with autistic 2-3 graders, had a kindergarden fan club (3 classes i LOVE).
then the big changes happened:
got a job in south central la (literally ON central blvd and florence)
moved back home
setting up classroom, scrounging for furniture and things that aren't broken
meeting potential students and parents
meeting co-workers (office people, fellow teachers, maintenance people)
so yeah...xanga community...people who may actually read this bad boy, i'm back and i've missed you! :) i've missed blogging and i think i'll use this to record my first year of teaching.
btw...kids come on wed :P
OH! and comment and stuff! i miss reading everyone's responses and who's actually looking at this thing :)
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| 5-southwashington ave exit
take a left
take university ave fork to
right
follow it
until you get to hillcrest, the place will eventually be on the
right
it's
called La Fuente
best rolled tacos ever :)
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| i really want to try these places :) if you're in SD, feel free to use this as an insider's guide and report back! 
Hodads Burgers
5010 Newport Ave
San Diego, CA 92107
Ortiz's Taco Shop (right across the street from the Pt. Loma library, also next door to rival Coteja's  )
3704 Voltaire St
San Diego, CA 92107
Blue Point Coastal cusine and Mister Tiki in the Gaslamp district
http://www.in-n-out.com/
http://www.gaslampsteak.com/
http://www.philsbbq.net/
http://sandiego.dickslastresort.com/
Extraordinary Dessert
2929 5th Ave
(between Palm St & Quince St)
San Diego, CA 92103
(619) 294-2132
http://www.extraordinarydesserts.com/
MEXICAN:
carne asada fries
Las Cuatro Milpas
1875 Logan Ave
(between Beardsley St & Crosby St)
San Diego, CA 92113
Open Mon-Sat from about 9 to 2.
Tacos El Gordo
689 H Street
(between Del Rey Blvd & Kernel Pl)
Chula Vista, CA 91910
(619) 691-8848
Sombrero, Roberto's or Alberto's
http://www.sombreromex.com/
Rubio's (fish Taco's)
Rubio's Rancho Bernardo
16588 Bernardo Center Dr.
San Diego, CA 92128
http://bazaardelmundo.com/pico2006.shtml -- Casa De Pico
Old Town: Coyote Cantina
Cotija's Mexican Grill1092 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109
SUSHI:
rasushi (near Horton Plaza)
Sushi Deli 2
135 Broadway
(between 1st Ave & 2nd Ave)
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 233-3072
Shopping:
Convoy Street
Nijiya Market
3860 Convoy St Ste 121
San Diego, CA, 92111
(858) 268-3821
Mitsuwa Marketplace
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd # 119
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 569-6699
Old Town: Harney Sushi
SHOPPING:
Daiso - Marukai
8111 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA, 92111
(858) 384-0420
Raising Sun Creation (Anime-Manga store)
1620 Camino De La Reina Suite D
San Diego, CA 92108
Phone:(619)291-5264
Hours:Mon-Sat:11am-7pm
Sunday:11am-6pm
http://www.rsc-online.com/
Fashion Valley if you like high end stuff, Carlsbad Preimum outlet
(north) or Las Americas (south - near the Mexican border) for the
outlets
Fashion Valley Mall is a pretty nice outdoor mall.
7007 Friars Rd
San Diego, CA 92108
UTC is probably my favorite mall. It's off of La Jolla Village drive, east of Hwy. 5 in La Jolla.
Garnet Ave Surfshops Pacific Beach
BEACHES ECT:
Zoo
Balboa Park. It is just north of downtown and right next to the zoo.
http://www.midway.org/
http://www.balboapark.org/
http://www.belmontpark.com/
http://www.legoland.com/California.htm
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