Pedagogy and Praxis Day 15

So yesterday was our school's big Cinco De Mayo celebration. The school went back to last year's schedule where there was 3 periods of 1 hour and 15 minutes and no lunch. We ended at 12:50. After that we had the celebration. But in my classes...

In my Asian American Studies class, we started on the perpetual foreigner syndrome chapter by Frank Wu. This went very very well. Since many of my students are African American they found this interesting because they don't really experience this type of racism. My Latino students liked this because they experience a similar type of racism. This reading stimulated a lot of conversation among the students. I also told the students the story of my mom and me and the 1989 earthquake. This is one of my best stories and never fails to makes people laugh. DAVID!!!! DIS IS DA BIG ONE!!!

In my US history class, I gave fours out to students. What's really awesome now though is that I am getting along with students. Now that I am getting along with them and they know what I'm all about and they listen better and I can check them way easier. Anyways... in this class I pulled sticks and asked them questions about terms and names in the text. Basic basic shit they need to know. Bare minimum stuff. Still had a bunch that hadn't done the work. Then using the terms, I drew connections between what happened in the past and what is going on in the future. I also introduced them to the idea of geopolitics. I showed how geography has influenced history and politics. In particular how the US wanted Hawaii, Guam, and the Philippines as stepping stones to cross the Pacific Ocean and gain access to China. Then I re-assigned the one page critique to be done or the threat of 4 hours of detention. We'll see on Monday who did the homework.

In my multicultural class... the kids were out to lunch already. They are used to eating at 11:45 and class started at 11:35. So they were hungry, it was Friday, and they were setting up for Cinco De Mayo right outside our window. The kids are used to order and when that order is upset they don't like it. Didn't get much done that day and at one point when I realized that they weren't listening to a word I was saying I just said forget it. I turned on some music (Digable Planets) and we just chilled out for the last ten minutes of class.

The Cinco De Mayo celebration happened after that in an open area right outside the school building. There was a lot of dancing and poetry. While it was a Cinco De Mayo celebration it was also a multicultural celebration. They also did Capoeira at the celebration and after the students went, I went in and did some Capoeira.

I started off with the one handed upside down kick and then went into three both hands touching the ground spinning kick and finally a outside arcing kick. I would write the portuguese names but most wouldn't know what I was talking about and many capoeira schools call the same move different things. Then I played some against Gina. Then later I played in a roda vs some people. This won me big points with students and that is why I did it. I haven't been wanting to do Capoeira lately. No violent martial things at all really. Things in my life are different and I don't want certain things right now. I think at some point in the future I'll want to kick, punch, stab at, or strike at people again. And I look forward to that one day coming back. But not right now. My ego was too invested in it. I don't want to fight... I just want to dance! Dazed and Confused anyone? Anyways, after the celebration this kid says to me he was surprised by me. When I first went on stage he was thinking, "What's he gonna do?" I asked him if I was better than he thought I was going to be. He said yes. I've been underestimated my whole life. I've tried to use this to my advantage.