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  • Surreal

    This past week, I was a chaperone on the sophomore trip to NYC and Washington DC.  What began as an educational experience for students and chaperones ended up being an unforgettable experience.  In the late morning of Wednesday, June 10, 2009, the students and I entered the Holocaust Museum.  It's by far the best museum I've ever been to.  I've been to it several times and every time I visit, I find something new.  The students have been prepared for the museum as they have studied WWII and the Holocaust extensively at school.  They were very excited for this opportunity. 

    After about 90 minutes in the museum, I hurried towards the second floor (the end of the exhibits) just in case there were any students at the end finished with the museum.  I saw a bunch of students and a few chaperones hanging out and waiting for the rest of the group to finish.  They were sitting on the second floor landing overlooking the main open atrium of the museum.  I was planning to head downstairs to the first floor to check out the propaganda exhibit when I noticed another new exhibit on genocide near the main staircase.  I was there for about 10 minutes when I heard a loud booming sound.  At first, it sounded like something had collapsed.  Then I heard - boom. boom. boom. boom.  It still didn't register in my head what the sound was until I saw group of people and one of my students running towards my way.  My student was quite frantic - almost hyperventilating.  I stopped her and asked what was wrong.  She said that someone was shot.  I thought she was overreacting.  Little did I know, she was hanging out at the second floor landing and saw people on the first floor fleeing from the entrance of the museum and hitting the floor to take cover. People hid under benches and anything they could find.  I did not know anything though since it just happened and no guards were telling us what was going on.  Seconds later, I then looked up again and saw a larger group of people running towards our direction. My natural instinct?  Run.  I took my student's hand and ran towards the back of the exhibit.  How else was I supposed to act?  Was there a gunman running after them and towards our direction? Who knows, right? So, I ran.  We didn't run too far until I realized that at the moment, we were "safe".   I remained calm and try to help my student who was on the verge of tears to stay calm.  I tried calling the other chaperones, but no one was picking up. As we were waiting, we could hear people yelling through the walls. We couldn't make out what they were yelling about though. We later found out it was the guards yelling at people to get down because the situation was not under control. Then, I got a call from another student saying she was in the candle room close by, and she was with only one other student and no chaperones.  I told her I would try to meet up with her.  I went back to the entrance of the genocide exhibit which leads to the second floor landing, but the guards didn't allow me to cross over. I called my student back and told her to stay calm and don't move unless told to. 

    Thoughts ran through my head - Why isn't anyone answering their phone?  Are all the kids ok?  How am I going to find everyone?  Are we going to be in a hostage situation? About 5 minutes later, a tourist who was on her phone said aloud, "They want us to leave the museum now."  Again, if you notice, NO ONE told us what was going on or whether or not we were safe.  I grabbed my student's hand and ran towards the entrance.  Guards were yelling at us to hurry down the main staircase and out the back exit of the museum.  Running down the main staircase was probably the scariest part of this whole ordeal.  The guards were just yelling at us to run down the stairs towards the direction of the scene of the crime and out the building.  They did not tell me that we were safe or that everything was under control (which it was), so I was just quickly running for my life since I had no idea if they had the gunman or gunmen.  We ran out of the building and we saw ambulances, fire trucks, DC police, FBI, CIA, everyone was there.  Tourists were just running in all sorts of directions.  I was relieved when I saw one of the chaperones standing on the corner who quickly told us that we were all gathering by a tree across the street from the Washington Monument.  As I was crossing the street towards the tree, still holding onto my student's hand, I saw many of our students crying. Tears welded up in my eyes, but I knew I had to stay strong. 

    Many of the students were crying and very upset.  Some of the students were actually on the first floor and very close to the scene.  Those students and the ones who were on the second floor landing had to actually hit the floor in fear of stray bullets. Some students had to hide while other students could see from the top floors the scene on the first floor - everyone on the ground and security guards taking out their guns.  All students were ordered to call home and tell their parents they were safe.  All chaperones had to speak to the parents as well to inform that everyone was safe and that everything was under control.

    To make a long story short, we ended up cancelling our college visit to Howard University and hopped back on our bus to go to lunch.  Afterwards, we went back to the hotel and debriefed with students.  The students and chaperones gave shout outs to each other for the support, love, and care that we showed each other during this ordeal.  A teacher shared a poem she had written on the bus about the situation that ended along the lines of - "What can you do in the face of hate? The only thing we can do is love."  We also found out at that moment that the security guard who was shot in the torso died. We took a moment of silence. 

    When I look back at what happened that afternoon and read the newspaper articles, it still boggles my mind that I was there. Out of all the places I could've been, I was there at that moment. Thank goodness I am safe, and that all the students and chaperones on my trip are safe. 

  • Natural Steps

    This past weekend, I sat for 5 hours in the rain at UMASS Boston's commencement ceremonies.  Yes, I was wet, cold, hungry, and even sleepy, but I had the opportunity to reflect on what was happening that day.  I was there to witness a very good friend I've known since I was a baby in the womb (hehe) graduate from college with her bachelors in sociology. You see, this graduate also had another reason to celebrate this weekend - her 28th birthday. 

    Back in senior year of high school in 1999 when we were 18, I thought the next natural step after graduation was college.  I mean, what else could you do?  There's high school and then college.  I remember speaking to this good friend about her college process.  At the time, she wasn't that interested in school nevermind college.  She, who also probably thought that the next natural step was college, applied to a few in the Boston area, but her heart wasn't in it.  I vaguely remember hearing her saying that she didn't want to complete the Northeastern application because it required her to write another essay.  So, she did the unexpected.  She joined the army.  To this day, I don't exactly know the reason why she did it.  Recruiters came to her high school, but what they exactly told her to convince her to sign her life to them, I do not know.  When she told me, I thought she was crazy.  How often do you hear a Chinese American 18-year-old female say - I joined the army?  To be honest, most Chinese would question why she's not going to school like she's supposed to. I'm sure her parents got a lot of that from their friends.  It didn't matter though because she went. 

    While I was in my first year of college, she jumped around the country for training and then finally ended up in Texas. During these next few years, we still kept in touch.  We talked on and off on the phone and maybe even wrote letters.  Four years later, as I graduated from college, she came back to Boston.  She didn't come back the same person though.  She was a completely changed woman.  It was fascinating to see how the army changed her....to see the transformation. She was stronger, more confident, and although she was deciding her next steps in life, she was more focused.  She went back to school and studied her butt off.  She got really involved with the Veterans Upward Bound program and even the Chinatown community.  She realized that what she truly wanted to do was social work with veterans. 

    I really admire her strength.  I also feel ashamed when I think back about how crazy I thought she was when she joined the army.  Joining the army has affected and influenced her completely to the point where she has found passion for something...a passion that was not there before back in 1999.  Who knows who or where she would be if she never joined?  The important thing is that she did join and is now heading for a masters of social work in the fall.  I'm so proud of her accomplishments. 

    How silly to think that there are "natural steps" in life. Don't get me wrong. I believe taking natural steps can be a good thing as long as they make sense to you. I'm at the point of my life where the natural steps include - Are you going to buy a house? Are you going to have babies soon? Those are the questions I get at least once a week from people in my life.  I'm not having babies. I'm not ready. I'm not buying a house. I don't want to live in Massachusetts.  That's what I tell them. They still don't understand. It's ok. It makes sense to me.

  • Beam me up Scotty!

     
    I'm definitely not a Trekkie, but I saw the Star Trek movie tonight and loved it! It was action-packed, suspenseful, and funny.  The special effects were amazing. I was reluctant at first to go see it, but Roger really wanted to go. So I went. My favorites were definitely John Cho as Sulu and Simon Pegg as Scotty. Both were very funny. I had no idea Simon Pegg was in the movie, and I was excited to see him.  I really like him, and I absolutely thought he was hilarious in the movie.  You know what though? The whole cast was great - Zachary Quinto as Spock, Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, and Zoe Saldana as Uhura.  Oh and can you believe that Winona Ryder is in it too? She plays Spock's mother! Anyway, I highly recommend the movie!

  • It's not about you randomness....

    I went to church yesterday, and "What about you?" was the title of the sermon.  The topic was vaguely familiar as it commented that often times people ask themselves, "What about me? I'll be happier if I have X or I'll be happier if I have Y or Z."  The reverend continued to speak about how in order to be happy, we need to change ourselves and ask, "What about you?"  It's not about me, but it's about what makes others happy.  Don't get me wrong. I believe it's important to take care of yourself, but imagine if the whole world held that philosophy.  What kind of world would we live in today?  Our hearts would finally be free. 

    Roger's parents are planning to come for his graduation in a couple of weeks.  His parents' friends back in Michigan keep telling them they shouldn't fly because of the swine flu....*ahem*...I mean...H1N1 virus.  Of course, when his mother told Roger, he flipped.  Plans have been made, and plane tickets have been bought.  Then he realized that his mom is completely stressed.  Well, in general, he has a lot of anxieties and worries all the time.  However, if not coming means she won't be stressed about contracting the H1N1 virus, she should just stay home.  He doesn't want to cause her to experience acid reflux (as she occasionally does) or stress out too much. You should've heard her response when he said all of this.  She was quite grateful to have a son who would care so much for her.

    I ride the subway to work, and it takes me about an hour each way.  It's not the most ideal commute, but I use that time to read the paper or to continue sleeping.  Because I ride it so much, I've developed some pet peeves about riders.  I'll tell you one today.  Picture this.  The train is crowded. It's rush hour.  You get on the train and must stand in the middle of the train.  There's only one pole close enough for you to hold on to so you won't fall, but wait...you can't.  Someone is leaning their WHOLE body on the pole.  This has happened to me at least three times in the past 2 weeks.  The first time it happened, I braced and balanced myself since I wasn't holding on to anything.  The second and third time, I actually wrapped my hand around the pole.  Of course, I ended up touching their backs.  Both times, the people looked back at me like I was the one who had a problem. 

    On another note.....

    Our 1-year wedding anniversary is fast approaching. I can't believe it's been almost 1 year.  We actually have 2 anniversary dates - May 25th and July 5th.  It's easier to celebrate the second one since it's always around July 4th, and it's in the summer. Plus, it's the actual date when we became husband and wife legally. However, we're lucky this year since May 25th is actually Memorial Day, and both Roger and I have it off.  So this year we decided we're going to celebrate both days! YAY! We haven't decided what we're going to do for Memorial Day weekend yet.  We'll probably do a day trip somewhere - maybe Martha's Vineyard? Nantucket? Anyway, our real anniversary trip has been booked! We had already planned to go visit Roger's brother Daniel in San Francisco.  So we'll spend July 4th weekend out there.  Then we're going to do a Napa Valley bike tour and end with the Avenue of the Giants or if anyone knows of a better place to check out giant redwood trees, let me know.  I can't wait! 

    BGC - By the way, we're still up for doing a road trip, but it would have to be after July 10th!

  • Perpetual Foreigners

    It's been kind of quiet lately. 

    So did you hear about Texas representative Betty Brown?   Ramey Ko who is a member of the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) testified before the House Elections Committee on voter identification legislation last week. Brown apparently is one of the committee members.  Ko testified that Asian voters are having a difficult time voting since their legal transliterated names and the English name on their driver's licenses are different.  

    So, what was Betty Brown's response? "Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese - I understand it's a rather difficult language --do you think it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?  Can't you see that this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes that's easier for Americans to deal with?"  If you check out this YouTube video, she makes other comments that are just as ignorant. 

    The comments she makes throughout this exchange were quite insensitive which has angered many Asian Americans.  However, I can see both sides.  Yes, what she said was unacceptable.  She should definitely apologize for making these offensive comments. I also agree that she should definitely acknowledge that changing names is not a solution.  At the same time, she is ignorant.  Clearly, she did not know she was being offensive, and I honestly believe that she would not say those comments if she knew they would be offensive.  She definitely didn't understand what transliteration means either.  Apparently, she apologized to Ko shortly after the hearing, although this couldn't be confirmed.  However, if she did apologize, I'm pretty sure it's only because people told her that what she said was inappropriate and disrespectful.  She did eventually apologize publicly with a prepared statement though.

    Brown's spokesman, Jordan Berry, stated that her comments were not racially motivated and that Democrats are just looking for an issue and taking Brown's comment out of context.  Are you kidding me? It's sad that Brown's first inclination after hearing that there were issues with voting was to ask fellow Americans to change their names so it can be easier for people to understand.  Of course it's going to be an issue when you have a representative sitting there saying that American citizens should adopt easier names.  I would not want her representing me.  She is a clear example of how people including some who represent us and run our governments still believe that people who are Asian Americans are foreigners.
     
    Will I always be a perpetual foreigner? Even though we live in a country of immigrants and descendants of immigrants, Asian Americans are still treated like they don't belong in their own country.  To this day I still get the question, "Where are you from?" I used to say Boston, MA, but then I would get, "No, but where are you really from?" I've become so used to this question that now I have a default answer, "I was born and raised in Boston, MA, but my parents are from China."  Unfortunately, this question satisfies the person who is asking and me.  There's just so much work to be done.  How much more do we need to do to show the American people that we are also Americans?  When I hear or see things like this happen, it makes me think that I am not doing enough.

  • Blindness

     This past weekend, one of my contacts ripped.  Unfortunately, I didn't have any more to wear.  I realized that it was about time that I go back to the eye doctor.  I'm a little embarrassed about how long it's been since I've seen an eye doctor and even more embarrassed about my prescription. The doctor basically told me that I shouldn't wear my contacts all the time if I don't want my eyesight to be poorer than it already is which I know is common sense.  I only wear my glasses when I'm at home, and that's usually right before I go to bed.  So from now on, when I get home from work, I'll immediately take my contacts out and put my glasses on.  Even on the weekends, I'll try to wear my glasses as much as possible.  I definitely need to give my eyes a rest.  In order to ensure that I achieve this goal, I purchased some really cute red frames that I wouldn't mind wearing around.  I get to pick up new contacts and my glasses this Friday! 

    So, I can just get it out in the open, here's my prescription...

    right eye: -9.75
    left eye: -10.00

    Yes. I know. I'm practically blind.

    Speaking of blindness - I saw the movie Blindness after I read the book by Jose Saramago. The book is WAY more amazing. The movie was just eh ok.  If you haven't already read it, you must.  I couldn't put it down!

  • Here Comes the Sun...

    Here comes the sun....Do Do Do Dooo....Here comes the sun....
    And I say, it's alright.

    To celebrate the beginning of spring, we all sang Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles at church today.    I really like the Arlington Street Church.  It's finally officially spring, but since I live in Boston, you can probably guess what the weather was like here this weekend.  It was very sunny, but still quite chilly.  *sigh*  So, I have a lot to update tonight, and I really don't know where to begin.  I could break this entry up into different entries, but I just want to share it all now.  Let's start with the light and fun things first and then get real.

    I ♥ Sushi

    I started a sushi group on Facebook called Sushi Love ♥, and I currently have 18 members signed up.  The group will choose a restaurant each month on our quest to find the best sushi in the Boston area.  I plan for us to explore new sushi restaurants, discuss the love of sushi, and meet other sushi lovers.  We had our first sushi event last night at Genki Ya in Brookline.  It was so delicious and all 11 of us had a great time.  I actually didn't have a grand plan for the inaugural event.  We all went around the table to introduce ourselves.  I told them some of the rolls and dishes that Yelpers suggested for this restaurant.  I also informed the group that it's best to eat sushi (nigiri) with the fish down when you put it in your mouth. They didn't believe me at first that it would make a difference!  It's a little difficult at first to put the sushi in your mouth that way since you have to flip it, but trust me, it's worth it. I can't wait for next month's sushi outing! 

    I ♥ Jimmy Fallon

    I don't care what anyone says, but I do. Since March 2nd, his debut on Late Night, I've been watching his back episodes online since I can't stay up till 12:35am to watch him.  I just think he's so funny.  I know many people beg to differ, but he's silly funny, and if you're not into that I can understand.  Seriously though...you have to watch him Slow Jam the news, his reality TV bit called 7th Floor West, and all the crazy fun stuff he does on the show.  He played beer pong with Serena Williams (She won.).  He had Michael Stipe sing his voicemail message for his iPhone.  He had Drew Barrymore lick a bowling ball for $10.  He played foosball with Clive Owen (Clive won.)  You can't forget the great music he has on his show either.  The Roots is his house band! How can you say bad things about that?  One of my favorite musical guests has been Ludacris. I'm not a huge Ludacris fan, but he actually performed with the Roots, and it was great.  We do it for hip hop!  I also liked last week's Ting Tings - That's not my name <clap clap> That's not my name <clap clap>!  Anyway, I hope this inspires some of you out there to watch his show!   I'm so excited that I actually get to see him next weekend!  He's coming to Boston this Saturday, and Roger and I have tickets!

    I ♥ Travelling

    Roger believes I travel too much.  I say I can't travel enough.  Next week, I'm off to DC for a week with the freshmen! I can't wait.  I'm the chaperone of Team Compromize - an awesome little group of 8 students.  When we started thinking about group names, our team had such a hard time deciding since we couldn't agree on anything. So we had to compromise somewhere, and there was the birth of our name.  One of the boys in my group asked if we could change the s to a z so it looks cooler, so we did.  Each team has a shirt with their team name on the back! Can't wait to wear them.  In June, I'll be going back to DC again, but with the sophomores. Fun times!  

    During my week-long April vacation, I'm travelling to Seattle to visit my good friend Cindy.  I can't wait! We only decided this would happen last night, so I'm still riding on the excitement about this trip.  I'm relieved I'm going in April since I'm not sure if I'll have a chance this summer to go.  After Seattle,  I plan to head to New York City to visit my sister, my buddy Anthony, and to see if we can get tickets to see the Jimmy Fallon show (Yes, I know. I'm obsessed.). 
        

    I ♥ Roger

    OK. You know this already, but what you don't know is that he's graduating from Boston University this May! After 2 years of going to school part-time, the boy will finally have his Masters in Computer Science.  We can thank Intel for that.  We're quite excited, and his parents will be flying from Michigan to see him walk.  My mom already bought an outfit for it.  She's funny.  The other night, Roger and I were talking about how much longer we should live in Massachusetts.  As many of you know, we eventually want to move to the west coast - specificaly the Pacific Northwest.  Surprisingly, I found out that Roger actually would rather move to Seattle instead of Portland or San Francisco.  Our current goal right now is 1 more year. So we will see.... 

    I ♥ MATCH
    I've decided to stay another year at MATCH.  It was a tough decision, but it seemed like the most logical one.  Since my first year at MATCH, my role and the department has drastically developed and grown.  I'm very proud with what I've done, but I realize that I haven't been getting enough professional development.  So my plan is to learn more about special education this spring and summer - workshops, classes, conferences.  I know that sounds kind of vague, but I need more information about students with behavioral challenges and of course, literacy. I can never get enough info on literacy. The hard part is deciding what I think will work best for my students.  Whatever I can get my hands on, MATCH will support me in my endeavor to arm myself with more knowledge and tools to do my job.  I plan to visit other charter schools as well to find out how schools handle their behavior management system and students with disabilities.  One of my administrators told me to visit North Star Academy in New Jersey, so I might try to travel down there when I go to NYC during my April break.  So, YAY! I still have a job and don't have to look anymore.

    By the way, remember the EPIC grant that MATCH won?  Well the grant awards administrators, teachers, and staff with money to congratulate them on their hard work.  The administrators actually get awarded a much larger amount than everyone else to acknowledge their leadership.  However, just like last year when we won this award, my administrators have decided to share it with the teachers and staff instead of taking all that money.  My executive director sent us all a letter informing us of this decision and ended the letter with, "We're all in this together."  I'm getting $4,000.

  • EPIC

    Here is link to the information about the winners of the EPIC award.  It also states which schools were in the running for these awards.
    http://www.nlns.org/documents/epic/EPIC_charter_schools.pdf

  • MATCH is a GOLD MEDAL WINNER!

    I just got this news from my principal....

    Starting tomorrow, EPIC (Effective Practice Incentive Community) will officially announce that 21 schools in 6 states and DC have won awards through their grant program run by New Leaders for New Schools which is funded in part by the US Department of Education.  The award doesn't measure schools against each other, but instead, it measures the gains kids make from one year to the next. 

    144 schools were up for the award.  Apparently, you have to assemble a lot of data and a lot of information is needed for an application.  Out of the 21 winners, 5 schools were declared gold medal winners for achieving the largest gains for kids from 06-07 to 07-08 and the remaining 16 schools were declared silver medal winners.  For the second year in a row, MATCH is a gold medal winner.  We are actually the only gold medal winner among high schools, and 6 out of 21 schools are in Massachusetts.    

    So, you know what that means again?  Since I was a teacher here last year, I get a bonus from EPIC! I'll be sure to share the link of the other schools who won once the press release comes out tomorrow morning. 

  • The Way I Am

    I've been listening to the Regina Spektor radio on Pandora all day today.  Ingrid Michaelson's The Way I Am just came on.  I haven't heard that song in awhile, but I love it.  When Roger and I were engaged, we were trying to decide on a "first dance" song at our Boston wedding.  We almost chose this song, but we decided to go with something that was more personal.  The Way I Am is such a cute song, and I wish I somehow incorporated into my wedding day. 

    If you were falling, then I would catch you
    You need a light, I'd find a match

    Cuz I love the way you say good morning
    And you take me the way I am

    If you are chilly, here take my sweater
    Your head is aching; I'll make it better

    Cuz I love the way you call me baby
    And you take me the way I am

    I'd buy you Rogaine when you start losing all your hair
    Sew on patches to all you tear

    Cuz I love you more than I could ever promise
    And you take me the way I am
    You take me the way I am
    You take me the way I am

    Speaking of music....
    I love when a song reminds me of past events. 
    For example, the other day, this song came on my Ipod:

     
    I would've embedded the real video, but YouTube disabled embedding for this video.  Anyway, this song reminds me of when TFAers and I (before we were the BGC) went to Las Vegas together for the first time back in February of 2004 for Jeff's birthday.  This song came on at the club we went to that first night we arrived.  I think it was Club Ra.  We were all on the top floor that was practically empty, and when this song came on, we took up the whole dance floor up there.  Anyway, it made me smile.