Mayhem Kills Monotony
Just one short week ago, I was lamenting monotony. Since then, my friend's distant cousin was kidnapped from a Wal-Mart in Tyler(40 minutes from here) and killed, the house I rent is in the process of being repossessed from my landlord, both my roomates are moving out, and I start student teaching in less than a week. Although not thankful for the first event on that list, I am ready for the challenge of student teaching. I'm also ready to live in a house without roomates, so only my stuff is left in random places throughout the house, but the timing of the whole thing is a bit inconvenient. Oh, I also passed my qualifying test so I can take my PPR(Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities) test from the state of Texas for my teaching certification. And now I have to take a qualifying test for my content exam(English/Language Arts 8-12), but that can actually wait for a month or so.
The best way for me to get ready to deal with all the little details of these things is to get out on the Surly and clear my head. Something about bicycling allows me to think through a process to the end. It also makes me more optimistic in general. I haven't really ridden yet this year. Sometimes I hate having a car. It's just too easy to be lazy and drive everywhere. But, unless it snows tomorrow(and it won't, because I live in Texas), I WILL ride my bicycle to work. Then maybe the mayhem will lend itself to management. I better go. I need to check my bike out before tomorrow.

Did you ever meet people who are REALLY INTO their signs? And your signs? This is signs as in Capricorn, Scorpio, etc.. Anybody who knows me knows that I don't place any stock in the theory that because I was born in a certain month, my personality is confined to certain limits. But complete strangers do. Apparently, because I'm a Capricorn, I will be "good in business" and I won't "stay with teaching, but it will open doors for me." And I found all this out by simply stopping by Hasting's after work to read their books and drink their free coffee. Maybe I shouldn't have answered that question "What's your sign?". But, I found the following assumptions and conversation to be entertaining, if nothing else. The two people on either side of me in the reading/comfy chair area apparently knew each other and it soon became apparent they both lived their lives and viewed who they were as very significantly linked to their signs. "I would never date a Scorpio", or "Bears aren't compatiple with rats, or dogs"(or whatever Chinese or Japanese sign animals they knew way too much about). These were just some of the statements I heard. Incredible. I would feel so limited as to who I could be if I actually believed my sign dictated my personality. But, as someone who likes to observe others(the writer in me), I simply listened and answered their questions, as long as they didn't go too far. Inside, I was cracking up, and it was pretty hard for me to hide it.
All signage aside, I did actually stumble upon a book I would like to read all of someday. I just don't want to pay $20 for it. "Mexifornia" is a book all about illegal Mexican immigrants and the problems illegal immigration creates in California, and by extension the southwest and even Massachussetts. The guy who wrote it is a profosser of Classics (Western Civ.) at California State University. He grew up in a border town so he has more credibility than some intellectual elite who is an outsider, at least in my mind. His basic contention is that assimilation shouldn't be viewed as a bad thing while acknowledging that corporate America's high demand for cheap labor is a large part of what drives the success of illegal immigration. Think about this. An illegal Mexican immigrant in California can be enrolled in a state university and pay in- state tuition. If I, as an out of state U.S. citizen go to the same school, I will pay almost three times as much in tuition. There are many cases where it pays to be an illegal immigrant. I'm sure there are no easy answers, but I'm also fairly certain that giving illegal immigrants preferential treatment in some cases is not the best thing to do. Whatever your opinion on the matter, it's an interesting subject that I think will eventually affect us all.
Since I have class Saturday and actually need to study, I need to stop pondering the problems of immigration in California and start thinking about pedagogy and how to properly interpret the wacky questions the state of Texas writes to test aspiring teachers on the "proper" methods of said pedagogy. For those not keen to vocabulary, pedagogy is the science of how people learn and how to teach.

Today was an interesting day. I went and observed in two of the classes I'll be student teaching in. I found out that all the classes my supervising teacher teaches are senior classes, and most focus on literature. That just so happens to be a very good thing, as literature is much more interesting to me than grammar has ever been. I also got a feel for the personality of the teacher and I think it will probably be a good match for me. She is fairly laid back while at the same time not putting up with much crap from the kids. I guess what I'm saying is she doesn't seem prone to overreaction like some teachers I have had myself. I can see myself having a similar teaching style. I also found out what books I should be brushing up on.
All this student teaching stuff is starting to build and shortly I believe my life will blur into a furied train of frenzy. Deadlines of all types of things seem to be converging to a center, pulled be the very force of gravity itself. Added to all this, I may need to pick up and move in a month or so. I hate moving, especially the idea of moving in the middle of student teaching. But, I'm trusting everything will work out for the best. If nothing else, I will come to appreciate the fine art of time management once again. I'm looking forward to the challenge. It's about time I'm forced to be stretched quite a bit. I think I've gotten lazy, but my schedule over the next few months will change all that.
The worst thing about this new year we're in now is I haven't really ridden my Surly(bike) yet. I've already gotten quite out of shape. I'm planning to do something about it, you know, "assessing the situation", but I may lose the mileage competition with Devon this month. If I do, I owe a lunch of his choice. But hey, the month isn't over yet, and I have Monday off my morning job, so maybe a good 50 or 60 miler will find its way into the schedule. I can only hope. Riding my bike really does make me feel much better overall, as long as I'm eating right. I also REALLY miss my motorcycle. Maybe I'm in a late-twenties crisis. Regardless, I can't wait to get an exhaust for that old Kawasaki and see if it runs, but it may have to wait another few months. Student teaching doesn't pay a single dime, in case you were wondering.