The End

I'm not one to reflect too much after something finishes. I just assume to move on to the next endeavor without much thought concerning the prior events effects on me. However, I guess its hard to leave this program and not have a solid idea of what I've learned.

Well first thing is first. Food. The food this year has been magnificent. If you're a bit of a groupie when it comes to reading my blog (Mom!) then you know that eating good food is one of my highest priorities. But eating good food is a symbol for something more. When ever things get stressful I have always found food as a refuge. When I lived in Miami I could tell you five places off the top of my head that would give you a foogasm: Dogma, Icebox, North110, Andiamo's, and this Thai place on 79th and Biscayne that I can't remember the name of. I loved these places because going to these places was a social outing where I bonded with my friends. In a little more than a month I'll be attending the wedding of one of those friends. So you see, food can really create life time friendships.

The same is true this year. Lauren chilled with me at Panchitos as we discuss the stresses of teaching. The whole cohort relaxed at Mad Mex from 430 to 600. Happy hour is a beautiful thing. There is nothing. Nothing like good food to bring people together and complain about all the crap that is stressing them out. Everyone needs a release; food, good friends, and moderately good alcohol is mine. Unique right! I'll have to spread the word.

As for the program. I can guarantee you that I will always be an analytical teacher. I will always try to figure out how I can become better.

Absent

The huge gap between my blog entries is a testament to how incredibly intense this program is. The teacher education program at Penn does in 10 months what other institutions do in two years. So, it takes a tough soul to endure this kind of incessant stress. Luckily, the end is near! At the end of the program we put together a essay, working theory of practice and artifacts to demonstrate and prove that our method of teaching is effective. We do a lot of reflecting in this program and this portfolio is the king of all reflection projects. It's incredibly interesting to take a look at what you wanted to do in theory and then compare that to what you actually did. In my case some times I did and some times I didn't. The portfolio is intended to allow you to get at the root of why you would want to teach.

So the portfolio is the most dreaded but most exciting project that I have worked on yet. Let's just say on April 24th I'm going to be very happy.

Panchitos

There is a budding Mexican community in Philadelphia. As a result, amazing Mexican restaurants are starting up across the town. I'm originally from California, so I know good Mexican food when I taste it. Great Mexican food combined with the calm of a Friday afternoon after teaching is pretty much the greatest feeling in the world. You use a lot of energy teaching and leading students through activities. Friday afternoon you are tired but also oddly energized. Your body wants you to rest but your mind is still ready to go.

I prefer a small taco and torta joint in Northeast Philadelphia called Panchitos. Panchitos reminds me of a Mexican restaurant from Fresno, California called Don Pepe's. The tortas (Mexican sandwich) at Panchitos are simple but the meat is unbelievably tasty because the meat mixes with all the other juices/grease on the grill. Needless to say, I'm a carnivore, a hard-core carnivore. The result is a torta that takes me back to Fresno.

The Mexican community is growing here and adds to the diversity of cultures that you can find in Philadelphia. In fact, Northeast Philadelphia is incredibly diverse. Next, week I am to going to go to a Caribbean restaurant operated by the family of one of my students. I can't wait.

Open -House

Anyone interested in the Teacher Education Program at Penn GSE in elementary education or secondary education can come to open-houses on February 2nd, March 1st, or April 19th. Hopefully, you can make it out to one of the following events and hear from current students, alumni and our amazing program advisor's. We will be providing food and informal discussions after a short presentation.

Where: Penn GSE, 37th and Walnut

When: 2/1, 3/1, 4/19 from 11am to 1.

Come and learn more about making an impact in education.

The Design

My classroom mentor (CM) and I sat around the lunchroom table during our 2nd period prep period. We were both tired. We kind of zoned out for a few minutes and then the sweet taste of coca-cola brought us back to earth. Back to the loud and crowded lunchroom, back from worry to our much needed break.

CC: "They really did not want to learn today!"

CM: "Yeah they were a bit annoying"

CC:"Oh well they got the main idea"

CM: "What was the main idea?"

CC: "Hell if I know!"

Laughs all around.

CM: "Friday's are tough, its not a big deal, they learned today but it was like pulling teeth."

CC: "I'm glad its Friday, Monday will be better."

CM: "That's the beautiful thing about teaching."

The two designers reflected and chatted for a while longer, plotting and planning for Monday.

Philly Foo-gasm

I have a few hobbies that are pretty important to me. I love to play soccer and basketball. I love to go to, sit in, study maps of, read about and admire airports (thats right!). Most importantly I love food. There is one place in particular in Philadelphia that makes me incredibly happy. The name of the restaurant is called Nan. Nan is a French-Thai bistro that will give you multiple foo-gasms. That's right. Foo-gasms. I define it as an extraordinarily stimulating eating experience. You know you have had a foo-gasm when your eyebrows uncontrollably poke up after taking a bite of food. I've had a few foo-gasms in my time but the best one has came from a senusous crab cake at a restaurant called Nan.

If I was going to die tomorrow and I had the opportunity to choose my final meal, I would eat at Nan. Why? Because of the crab cakes, the rich sauces and the bring your own alcohol policy (BYO- Yea, its pretty damn cool). I'm not going to explain what the crab cake tastes like, I'm going to explain what it does to my facial features. I believe this gives a better discription of the emotional impact that eating at Nan gives you.

When I take a bite of crab cake at Nan I first take a piece and soak it up in a buttery sauce. At this point I begin to smile. I'm smiling because of the anticipation. As I put it in my mouth I close my eyes and wait for the rollercoaster ride of pleasure to begin. As the taste of the crab cake begins to soak into my tongue my eyes curl towards the heavens, my smile deepens and then my eyebrows fly upwards with a jolt. At this point my memory becomes blurry. The taste overwhelms my awareness and erases my thoughts. When I'm done eating I know that I have had one of the greatest culinary dishes of all time. This is what Philadelphia is about. Philadelphia is about foo-gasms. Multiple, intense foo-gasms of all shapes and sizes. This is but one excellent restaurant in a city that has a variety of foo-gasms to offer. Enjoy.

Incarnadine Time

The class listens:

"It's 12 am and a man named Taimur is driving home from a meeting at work that ran late. A police officer pulls Taimur over for driving 60 miles per hour in a 45 miles per hour zone. After talking on the phone for a few minutes the officer walks up to Taimur's car and tells him that he is suspected of being a terrorist and he was wanted for questioning by the FBI. Taimur is then booked and sent to jail for questioning. During his interrogation he is repeatedly asked about whether he is a part of a terrorist group but he does not answer them. At 7 am the following morning he is handcuffed and taken to a car where he is knocked unconscious and taken away. Taimur awakens in a prison cell in a warm climate. He is kept in solitary confinement."

"What is fair or unfair about Taimur's situation?"

Jennifer: "his rights are being violated."

Mr. Clay:"How?"

Jennifer:"They don't have any evidence, they can't hit him."

Mr. Clay:"What if he is a terrorist? What if he is dangerous?"

Jennifer:"Then they at least need to figure that out before they take him away."

Steven:"If he's a terrorist he can't be out walking around."

Mr. Clay:"Does he have the same freedom as you or me?"

Steven:"It depends."

Mr. Clay:"Today we're going to talk about the Bill of Rights."