Yo Mista!

I haven't felt this exhausted in a long time. Teaching, grad school, life - it's all sloppy right now. I'm really getting sick of saying the same shit over and over again. I can see how some teachers can grow cold over time to their students. This trimester (we started our third trimester last Monday), students have new schedules, so I have some of my old students and some new students. That's fine, but what is particularly going to be challenging is that this trimester culminates with a Regents exam in June. This means my classes are completely packed as many students have not passed this test, but we'll see how long they stay packed when the weather starts getting nicer. Honestly, this is the first week where I've actually felt no significant reward from teaching. There are teacher-student moments and "ah HA!" moments, but I felt nothing from them. I'm still pissed about some of my sharper Algebra kids half-assing the final to pull off a bare

Today was the last day of the trimester. To celebrate, we had an all-school awards assembly where teachers dished out awards for hard working students who actually do what they are supposed to do (i.e. get their shit done). I didn't realize this at first, but I felt a bit awkward coming up to the microphone and calling out kids' names. I imagine most of my students who didn't get awards felt betrayed or sad. They probably thought I was picking favorites and they weren't one of them. I tried not to make eye contact. As I muttered the words into the microphone, I asked myself, "Wait, why didn't I give an award to so-and-so ?" Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view), I can easily forget frustration and pain. I remember "the good times" really well, but my memory grows hazy when I try to recall something painful. Hence, I felt bad yesterday as I submitted some of the final trimester grades for my students. I had to try reall

My school runs on a trimester system (three terms instead of two), which enables our students to acquire credits faster than they would at a traditional two-semester high school system. The second trimester ends this week and unfortunately, I don't foresee the kind of success I saw at the end of the first trimester. Their trimester final is scheduled for this upcoming Wednesday. It's weird because for some bizarre reason, I'm not looking forward to it. If I'm the teacher and they're the students, why the hell am I the one who is scared? I suppose I'm erroneously assuming most students aren't going to study (some will, but it's always the usual suspects). Most of my algebra students aren't in the position to be gambling with their grades at this point. Some of these idiots are seniors with a "he'll pass me, I'm a senior" attitude... I love giving people surprises. It's kind of depressing because some of the students who ar

Here's a link to an interesting article in the NYT about the need for better teachers. The article also explores whether it's possible to learn how to teach well. After reading the article, I suppose I feel a bit relieved that this profession is finally getting some attention.

One of my top students (let's call him "JR") got accepted into a New York City college this week. It took a while for the happiness to sink in. Now that it has, I feel pretty fucking great. I honestly can't take much credit. JR is intelligent and multi-faceted. The only reason he's at my school is because he got lazy, but who isn't guilty of that at some point? The difference is: When he fell behind, he took care of his shit, worked his ass off, and now he's ready to move on. I respect that. I respect that a lot. I suppose I'm even happier because JR reminds me of a young me: Oldest child, tough childhood, perverted sense of humor... His story reeks of perseverance, so I can't help but root for the guy! Unfortunately, he has to deal with one problem I can't imagine having to deal with in this country: he's undocumented . Oh by the way, if you're undocumented in this country, most colleges will not accept you. Those that do, requi

"Yo Mista! How come you left yo job when you wuz makin' so much?" Today marks the one year anniversary of my last day as an investment banking monkey analyst. Traditionally, most investment bankers send a generic farewell e-mail to their colleagues on their last day in the office (unless of course they got fired and were escorted out by security). This is what they tend to look like: Friends and Colleagues, Today is my last day at [firm name]. Thank you for making the past [time at firm] such a rich and rewarding experience. I wish you all the best of luck.  Please keep in touch. Regards, [monkey name] [monkey contact info]   Yes, these are quite short and boring. Most bankers don't even bother to compose their own - they just copy and paste farewell e-mails from their predecessors and replace the personal information with their own. I find it hilarious that even on their last day, bankers can't help but use copy and paste. Very fitting.   It makes co

I finally got a chance to see this . Overall, I thought this piece was very interesting, informative and well... depressing. I have plans to move to Pakistan in a few years. They're not finalized just yet, but they are plans none-the-less. Do notice how I didn't say "move back to Pakistan..." I wasn't born there but for some reason I still feel attached to the country. Perhaps it's because I used to visit often during the summer. Or maybe it's because most of my closest friends are South Asian and they remind me of how great the culture of friendship is there. Whatever it is, I don't think I could ever forget the place. If I end up there and things don't get better, I might just decide to stay in education. Call me crazy, but just thinking about doing something good over there (regardless of how little of an impact I might have) gets me excited. I feel motivated. I want experience so I can help in any way possible. I have a lot to learn,