Alright, we are in the final portion of the year here at St. Benedict's; spring phase is a month long class unlike any I have ever taken.
Dr. Wolf and I are the moderators of Kayrix, the student literary magazine. We meet for five hours a day and need to complete our magazine by the May 25. The days are long and we are still finding a rhythm, but it is enjoyable. We spend each day reading, writing, and reviewing submissions. Our editors were selected today and a professional will come in a couple days each week to help with layout. It is an incredible opportunity for the guys here that are interested in writing, magazines, publishing, etc...
We spent all of Friday in NYC and were lucky enough to meet the staff at the Hudson Review, ask questions, read some of our work, and share lunch. The review has been going for over 60 years and has had only two editors-in-chief. Though they have additional support staff for editing accepted submissions, the day-to-day operations are all done by four staff members. They have a tight office tucked away in the fourth floor of the Spanish Cultural Institute on Park Avenue. It was quite a maneuver to get the eighteen of us into the office to get a tour!
After lunch, we walked to the Whitney Biennial. With only an hour to spare, I didn't see much beyond the permanent collection. It is not a very big museum and the material is very contemporary, but I did enjoy the experience. After getting tickets for the guys, Dr. Wolf and I stopped downstairs for a coffee and he told me a story from the last time he was at the Whitney:
Two years ago on a rainy Friday, he led the same field trip and found himself almost alone in the cafe downstairs. He saw a very striking woman in line in front of him getting coffee (he emphasized striking several times, so take note). After he got coffee and found a table, he saw that this woman was not alone at her table. She was accompanied by a very slender old man in the blandest clothes he had ever seen, a big rain hat, and glasses. As he was taking in this vision, he kept wondering- why is she with him, what could he possibly have to offer? While getting close to the bottom of his coffee, he saw that she laughed at everything he said and they clearly loved each other. so, as he is leaving he walks by their table and gets a closer look: It's David Bowie and his wife Iman!
The coffee and conversation were good, but sadly we did not have another Bowie sighting.
We got back from the field trip after five and I was too tired to do much Friday night. So, I did two fun things Saturday to make up for it - I bought my first new record ever and I went to a costume party at the Bell House in Brooklyn. Though I have hundreds of used records, I have never payed full price for a shiny, untouched, new record. The record is Actor, by St. Vincent and I have listened to it at least seven times since Sunday. I heard about St. Vincent last Spring when this record came out, but I never got around to listening to her. Then, last Saturday I caught a few minutes of her on Austin City Limits and her guitar skills caught my attention. Her music can be very dark, but I kind of dig it. Some of my favorite tracks are Actor Out of Work, Marrow, Laughing With a Mouth of Blood, and The Party. Here is a track that is not on the album, but hints at the guitar work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lan-UQfN0zs
Later that night I went to the "Rite of Spring" costume party in Gowanus, Brooklyn with my friend Rafael Sanchez. The theme of the party combined spring/frightnite, was run by an avant-garde performance group, and took place in a recently converted factory. There was a projector playing really bizarre videos made by the group, and midway through they went on stage and did a choreographed dance. To give a better description of the scene, hundreds of wonderful costumes decorated the cavernous space, from spandex to zombie and everything between. The DJs were great, and though I was out way too late, it was a lot of fun!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Swimming Championship
This last weekend I traveled with the swim team for our final meet of the year. We drove to Philadelphia for the two day Eastern's Championship. Almost all of our guys swam best times, but it was a very competitive meet; we swam at the Lasalle University pool ( A division I school), and two pool records were nearly beaten - 47.78 for the 100 Fly and 1:36.7 for the 200 Free!
It was my first time in Philadelphia so I enlisted the help of my father to find a good Philly cheese steak. I ended up going to Jim's on South St. It took about fifteen minutes to get there through snow/rain, but I really liked walking through Old City. On the way back, we drove through Camden, NJ and that was not too hot, and I've heard bad things about West Philadelphia, but overall it was a pleasant experience.
Today was the first day in almost 6-7 months that I have not had coaching responsibilities from 3:30 - 6:00. With my free time I corrected homework, prepared an in-class activity, attended 5:00 mass, and had time to read the new winter issue of the Saint John's Magazine. I hope the end of third quarter combined with this extra time each day will allow me to get ahead and allow me to focus on something that has been put to the side: deciding what to do next year/applying for jobs.
It was my first time in Philadelphia so I enlisted the help of my father to find a good Philly cheese steak. I ended up going to Jim's on South St. It took about fifteen minutes to get there through snow/rain, but I really liked walking through Old City. On the way back, we drove through Camden, NJ and that was not too hot, and I've heard bad things about West Philadelphia, but overall it was a pleasant experience.
Today was the first day in almost 6-7 months that I have not had coaching responsibilities from 3:30 - 6:00. With my free time I corrected homework, prepared an in-class activity, attended 5:00 mass, and had time to read the new winter issue of the Saint John's Magazine. I hope the end of third quarter combined with this extra time each day will allow me to get ahead and allow me to focus on something that has been put to the side: deciding what to do next year/applying for jobs.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Buses, Einstein, Paella, Swimming, Teaching, Theatre, Trains, and Fr. Bob!
Teaching economics this semester, I have started to change up some of my routines. I am trying new things in class to keep things interesting... for me! I found some great online resources for video and audio clips of famous economists, entrepreneurs, thinkers, etc... and have begun to incorporate these clips into the class. I am enjoying it right now, but we'll see where it goes!
Swimming has really taken me places! Well, coaching swimming has allowed me to travel to some great places in the last two weeks. The weekend before last, I spent Saturday at Poly Prep in Brooklyn (Google Maps). It was a pretty great bus ride - as we crossed the Verazano-Narrows Bridge, on my right was the Atlantic, to my left were NJ and Manhattan, behind me was Staten Island, and straight ahead was Brooklyn. Poly Prep is an enormous school, but they had the smallest pool I have ever seen - it was originally a three-lane pool, but they converted it by adding an extra lane lines! The team is doing well; we have won our last few meets.
This last Saturday, I went with the team to West Windsor, NJ. It was an all-day tournament and I had prior engagements, so I took a train back to Newark. The closest train station was Princeton Junction and it turns out it has some cool history: Albert Einstein used to enjoy sitting at the station and watching trains go by, and these experiences helped him with his General Theory of Relativity.
After returning to Newark, Pat, Jake, and I went to Manhattan to see Fr. Bob Koopmann. We saw a play, Earnest in Love, at the Irish Repertory Theatre and had great paella and sangria at El Quijote on 23rd and 7th - right below the Chelsea Hotel. It was really nice to see Fr. Bob, and it is great that he is able to take a vacation!
Swimming has really taken me places! Well, coaching swimming has allowed me to travel to some great places in the last two weeks. The weekend before last, I spent Saturday at Poly Prep in Brooklyn (Google Maps). It was a pretty great bus ride - as we crossed the Verazano-Narrows Bridge, on my right was the Atlantic, to my left were NJ and Manhattan, behind me was Staten Island, and straight ahead was Brooklyn. Poly Prep is an enormous school, but they had the smallest pool I have ever seen - it was originally a three-lane pool, but they converted it by adding an extra lane lines! The team is doing well; we have won our last few meets.
This last Saturday, I went with the team to West Windsor, NJ. It was an all-day tournament and I had prior engagements, so I took a train back to Newark. The closest train station was Princeton Junction and it turns out it has some cool history: Albert Einstein used to enjoy sitting at the station and watching trains go by, and these experiences helped him with his General Theory of Relativity.
After returning to Newark, Pat, Jake, and I went to Manhattan to see Fr. Bob Koopmann. We saw a play, Earnest in Love, at the Irish Repertory Theatre and had great paella and sangria at El Quijote on 23rd and 7th - right below the Chelsea Hotel. It was really nice to see Fr. Bob, and it is great that he is able to take a vacation!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
A New Year, A New Post
First of all, it has been a long time since the last post. For that, I apologize.
Much has happened since September. Water polo season ended and swimming season began and continues. I finished my first semester of teaching economics. And with the first semester fresh in my mind, I am teaching the second semester (with all new students) differently.
I am trying to reflect on what I liked about my first semester experience, as well as what I wished went differently: I think we should have covered more material and I would have liked having more command over the class. In general, the class became a little less productive and less focused over the course of the semester.
It took me a little while to become aware of the importance of being consistent and persistent, as well as the power of inertia. Jumping right into a position of leadership, I was not always sure of myself. As the block period is 80 minutes, there were many opportunities for this characteristic to present itself. The most frequent apparition was a lack of persistence regarding talking out of turn. Occasionally I would get tired of quieting down the entire class and gaining everyone's attention before speaking. This inconsistency provided room for some students to push limits and impede in-class work, notes, group work, etc... Once it became apparent that this would be an issue that would not go away, I became more persistent and actively tried to counteract this development. However, the inertia of this habit was so powerful that it continued to be a problem.
With all of this in mind, I wanted to begin the second semester with a good first impression. Andy Dirksen, who was a benedictine volunteer at Saint Benedict's a few years ago, visited over break and provided some inspiration. It was good to see Andy because he is fun to go out with, is a good conversationalist, and has a great knowledge of Benedict's. When speaking about how to begin a new class, he mentioned that he started by giving the students a book, told them to read and outline the first chapter, had a quiz on the second day, and did not go over the syllabus and introductions until the third day. I liked this idea and started my first day of class by having the students read the first section of chapter one and outline it. I was amazed by the results: everyone, all 27 students, read and took notes in silence. After a half-hour of silence, during which I felt satisfied yet uncomfortable due to its foreignness, I asked the class to describe certain portions of the chapter they read, and finished with the fact that there would be a quiz tomorrow on the first section.
It is early in the semester and I must work hard to keep the class interesting, but so far everything is going swimmingly. I am really happy with my new class, and hope the things I learned during the highs and lows of first semester will aid me in my efforts this semester.
Much has happened since September. Water polo season ended and swimming season began and continues. I finished my first semester of teaching economics. And with the first semester fresh in my mind, I am teaching the second semester (with all new students) differently.
I am trying to reflect on what I liked about my first semester experience, as well as what I wished went differently: I think we should have covered more material and I would have liked having more command over the class. In general, the class became a little less productive and less focused over the course of the semester.
It took me a little while to become aware of the importance of being consistent and persistent, as well as the power of inertia. Jumping right into a position of leadership, I was not always sure of myself. As the block period is 80 minutes, there were many opportunities for this characteristic to present itself. The most frequent apparition was a lack of persistence regarding talking out of turn. Occasionally I would get tired of quieting down the entire class and gaining everyone's attention before speaking. This inconsistency provided room for some students to push limits and impede in-class work, notes, group work, etc... Once it became apparent that this would be an issue that would not go away, I became more persistent and actively tried to counteract this development. However, the inertia of this habit was so powerful that it continued to be a problem.
With all of this in mind, I wanted to begin the second semester with a good first impression. Andy Dirksen, who was a benedictine volunteer at Saint Benedict's a few years ago, visited over break and provided some inspiration. It was good to see Andy because he is fun to go out with, is a good conversationalist, and has a great knowledge of Benedict's. When speaking about how to begin a new class, he mentioned that he started by giving the students a book, told them to read and outline the first chapter, had a quiz on the second day, and did not go over the syllabus and introductions until the third day. I liked this idea and started my first day of class by having the students read the first section of chapter one and outline it. I was amazed by the results: everyone, all 27 students, read and took notes in silence. After a half-hour of silence, during which I felt satisfied yet uncomfortable due to its foreignness, I asked the class to describe certain portions of the chapter they read, and finished with the fact that there would be a quiz tomorrow on the first section.
It is early in the semester and I must work hard to keep the class interesting, but so far everything is going swimmingly. I am really happy with my new class, and hope the things I learned during the highs and lows of first semester will aid me in my efforts this semester.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Mid-terms
Within a week I will have ventured through Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Mid-terms.
Our team went to a water polo tournament last Friday and Saturday, just south of Philadelphia. Coach Cassidy and I rented vans Friday during school, and each drove eight polo players to Pennsylvania. We played three games Friday and two Saturday. After returning Saturday evening, I can now say that I have driven on the New Jersey Turnpike and survived.
Mid-terms grades and comments were due today at 6:00 PM. I have a pretty good idea of how all my students are doing, and now just need to keep the material interesting. I am starting to see some students get into routines that I do not especially like: purposefully asking questions that lead the class in different directions, not being productive during group work, and complaining about notes. I tried to address some of those topics with my comments and have been working to change up the way class flows.
We are getting into some of the tougher-beginning concepts of economics: supply and demand, changes in demand vs. changes in quantity demanded, and graphing price as a dependent variable - even though it is much easier for them to think of it as an independent variable.
Today we beat Horace Mann, and now have a 4 and 6 record - I think? It is amazing how dirty and disrespectful some high school sports teams can be. Juan-Carlos De Jesus, one of our senior captains, got punched in the face in today's game - the player that did it was kicked-out (taken out of the game for 20 seconds, until a goal is scored, or until a change of possession),
Isiah, a junior, was headbutted and got a black-eye, one of the Horace Mann players spit on his hand before shaking our hands, and during the tournament last weekend one of the opposing players called Troy the N-word during a free-throw. It is kind of disheartening when things like those happen - I can imagine how a parent feels telling their kid not to start fights, but at the same time not wanting their kid to get beat up.
Saturday morning we will be going down to a tournament in Bethesda, Maryland. We will be taking a coach bus (praise be to God), so I will not have to drive during the four hour trip!
I enjoy being with the team and coaching, but sometimes I need a little time off. I look forward to the events on October 13th and 14th when Father Bob Koopmann comes out to NJ and NY. It will be nice to catch up with him and see what his new job is like.
Our team went to a water polo tournament last Friday and Saturday, just south of Philadelphia. Coach Cassidy and I rented vans Friday during school, and each drove eight polo players to Pennsylvania. We played three games Friday and two Saturday. After returning Saturday evening, I can now say that I have driven on the New Jersey Turnpike and survived.
Mid-terms grades and comments were due today at 6:00 PM. I have a pretty good idea of how all my students are doing, and now just need to keep the material interesting. I am starting to see some students get into routines that I do not especially like: purposefully asking questions that lead the class in different directions, not being productive during group work, and complaining about notes. I tried to address some of those topics with my comments and have been working to change up the way class flows.
We are getting into some of the tougher-beginning concepts of economics: supply and demand, changes in demand vs. changes in quantity demanded, and graphing price as a dependent variable - even though it is much easier for them to think of it as an independent variable.
Today we beat Horace Mann, and now have a 4 and 6 record - I think? It is amazing how dirty and disrespectful some high school sports teams can be. Juan-Carlos De Jesus, one of our senior captains, got punched in the face in today's game - the player that did it was kicked-out (taken out of the game for 20 seconds, until a goal is scored, or until a change of possession),
Isiah, a junior, was headbutted and got a black-eye, one of the Horace Mann players spit on his hand before shaking our hands, and during the tournament last weekend one of the opposing players called Troy the N-word during a free-throw. It is kind of disheartening when things like those happen - I can imagine how a parent feels telling their kid not to start fights, but at the same time not wanting their kid to get beat up.
Saturday morning we will be going down to a tournament in Bethesda, Maryland. We will be taking a coach bus (praise be to God), so I will not have to drive during the four hour trip!
I enjoy being with the team and coaching, but sometimes I need a little time off. I look forward to the events on October 13th and 14th when Father Bob Koopmann comes out to NJ and NY. It will be nice to catch up with him and see what his new job is like.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Last Weekend of Summer
Father Maynard was nice enough to take me down to Sea Girt, New Jersey this weekend. For the last thirty or so years he has spent his weekends in Sea Girt, giving mass at Saint Mark’s Church. From Newark, it is about an hour south. That short distance makes a world of difference. We took the freeway about half the way, and drove the rest along the shore. We passed through the cities of Deal, Asbury Park, Ocean Grove, Belmar, and Spring Lake before reaching Sea Girt. Each town/city had its own appeal. Deal, Belmar, Spring Lake, and Sea Girt where made up of modern Oceanside mansions. Asbury Park had remnants of abandoned apartment buildings cross-street from forgotten boardwalk hotspots like the Berkeley Hotel and the Paramount Theatre. Ocean Grove was a very interesting town. A strict Methodist community, the Victorian houses and narrow streets hint at its interesting past: it was founded as a religious community and for many years no cars were allowed inside the city on Sundays.
Father Maynard and I went for a walk along the boardwalk on Saturday, and spent the early afternoon of Sunday reading on the beach. Hopefully it was not the last weekend of “summer,” but if it was, it was beautiful: clear skies, a breeze now and then, and temperatures in the 70’s.
Saturday night Father Maynard and I went out to dinner with a parishioner named Collette. We ate at Maria’s in Sea Girt. I had an eggplant appetizer, a Beck’s, and Veal Saltimbocca. Collette had the Veal Saltimbocca as well, and Father Maynard had an artichoke appetizer and the Scrod. Every meal came with a bowl of pasta and a salad. Needless to say, I was stuffed.
As I write this, I am back in Newark, listening to “Be Thankful for What You’ve Got,” by William DeVaughn. If you are not familiar with this song, youtube it.
Father Maynard and I went for a walk along the boardwalk on Saturday, and spent the early afternoon of Sunday reading on the beach. Hopefully it was not the last weekend of “summer,” but if it was, it was beautiful: clear skies, a breeze now and then, and temperatures in the 70’s.
Saturday night Father Maynard and I went out to dinner with a parishioner named Collette. We ate at Maria’s in Sea Girt. I had an eggplant appetizer, a Beck’s, and Veal Saltimbocca. Collette had the Veal Saltimbocca as well, and Father Maynard had an artichoke appetizer and the Scrod. Every meal came with a bowl of pasta and a salad. Needless to say, I was stuffed.
As I write this, I am back in Newark, listening to “Be Thankful for What You’ve Got,” by William DeVaughn. If you are not familiar with this song, youtube it.
Teaching and Water Polo
I am teaching one 80 minute block each day of economics, and helping cover classes for absent teachers. Making lesson plans for each period has been a headache, so far. I know how much time I need to fill, but estimating how long each activity will take is hit or miss at the moment. I am having trouble gauging how much homework to give, how to grade it, and how challenging to make quizzes and tests. I hear after the first year it gets easier, but I spend about two hours each night working on class for the next day.
On Sunday the 13th, the water polo team had its first scrimmage of the year. We drove down to Rutgers, New Brunswick early that morning, played a game against a team comprised of Army club players, Rutgers club players, and some of our own players. It was fun to see, but it was hard to get an impression of the team, considering the opponent. This last Wednesday, we had our first real game. It was at home, against a high school from Pennsylvania. We had a good start in the first quarter with a couple early goals, but fell apart in the second quarter. Down by four goals in the third period, we rallied to a 15-14 victory! I know the general rules of water polo, but really need to see some games before I feel comfortable leading a team – thankfully I will not have those responsibilities unless, as coach Cassidy jokingly pointed out, he gets ejected. We have games at home on Monday the 21st, and Wednesday the 23rd. This Friday we will be going to a tournament, lasting until Saturday. We lost our game today – 14-12. Hopefully it will motivate the team to get focused and practice harder.
On Sunday the 13th, the water polo team had its first scrimmage of the year. We drove down to Rutgers, New Brunswick early that morning, played a game against a team comprised of Army club players, Rutgers club players, and some of our own players. It was fun to see, but it was hard to get an impression of the team, considering the opponent. This last Wednesday, we had our first real game. It was at home, against a high school from Pennsylvania. We had a good start in the first quarter with a couple early goals, but fell apart in the second quarter. Down by four goals in the third period, we rallied to a 15-14 victory! I know the general rules of water polo, but really need to see some games before I feel comfortable leading a team – thankfully I will not have those responsibilities unless, as coach Cassidy jokingly pointed out, he gets ejected. We have games at home on Monday the 21st, and Wednesday the 23rd. This Friday we will be going to a tournament, lasting until Saturday. We lost our game today – 14-12. Hopefully it will motivate the team to get focused and practice harder.
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