"New York: tolerant of your beliefs, judgmental of your shoes"

I saw the title for this post on a poster in the subway and I knew I had to remember it.  It's been a good week here in The City.  Lots going on, of course.  

It started off in whiz-bang fashion with lots of work to do, busy schedules and late nights.  I had curriculum night at school on Tuesday and it was a big deal because last year parents were very upset with the lack of communication and involvement in the school.  There's been a lot coming out about the old regime, which has made me glad about Jessica, our new principal, coming aboard.  Anyway, Tuesday night was a big deal because we wanted to start fresh and get parents on board with where we're headed this year and the plans we have.  It went very well and we had lots of positive feedback from parents.  First grade got the "lucky" draw of presenting information from 7-8 (Pre-K and K were at 5 and 6 respectively).  So, I was at school until 8:45 on Tuesday.  Fortunately it was a 3-day week because of the Jewish holiday and Wednesday was really like Friday.  4-day weekends are really awesome, by the way, and should be implemented with more regularity.

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Thursday I donated blood and completed the final workshop that I needed for certification things to go through.  The workshop was close by, luckily, so I was able to walk there and back and I discovered a new neighborhood that I'm excited to see more of.  It was a rainy day, which was actually exciting for me because I could sport my cute new rain boots:

Those things made a huge difference in my comfort and happiness : )  I felt really, really happy after finishing the workshop and getting the last certificate of completion that I needed to get paid.  Matt finished up a huge project that had been running him ragged for the past week and a half and CS gave him the afternoon off on Thursday and the day on Friday for good work.  Perfect timing for both of us! 

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We took full advantage of the beautiful weather on Friday.  We biked west over to Chelsea and went to the Chelsea Market, walked for a long way on the High Line, which Matt hadn't been on yet, and then biked down to the putt putt course at the Hudson River park, where Matt beat me handily, what's new.

 View of Matt's building from the High Line (the one with the gold cap in the distance).

 An all-women percussion band performed at lunchtime for the High Liners.

We biked back to Union Square and met up with Kate and Carter Berry, who were visiting Kate's sister in the city.  We know them from Wake, mostly, though Carter went to UNC and was friends with mutual friends of mine.  We had a drink with them and later met up with them and some other folks after dinner.  It was good to catch up with the Berry's since they're moving to Mexico in just a few weeks!

The best part of Friday was that I got an email saying that I am officially on the full-time pay roll!!!!!  It feels so good to have that weight lifted!

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Saturday was another warm day, so we took the bikes out again, this time in the opposite direction.  We started the day by biking across the Manhattan Bridge.  It was a good challenge, and we liked this bridge because it had a bikers-only section where no pedestrians were allowed.  It made things much easier, as we found out later.  

When we got over to Brooklyn, we rode south to a really neat section close to the water where there were lots of restaurants and things happening.  Our destination was Grimaldi's coal brick-oven pizzeria.  Side note: Has anyone ever noticed that pizzeria is spelled with an e in the middle instead of an a? It should be pizzaria, but I digress...This place is really famous and we could tell right away that we weren't the only ones craving pizza that day because the line was out the door and down the street.  No worries...we had nowhere to go and lots of time and patience.  The wait was about 40 minutes, so not terrible.  The inside of the place was typical NY pizzeria (the spelling is really bothering me now) and was playing Billy Joel's top hits, which was perfect.  We got the small pizza with sausage and it was aMaZiNg...seriously the best pizza we've had here and anywhere in a long time.  "New York State of Mind" started playing right as we started eating.  Is that perfect or what?  

There were no leftovers (it was a small!).  

Our main objective that day was to ride across the Brooklyn Bridge.  It's just one of those iconic things to do and we had the perfect weather; however, the BB was kind of a nightmare to ride bikes on because there were so many people.  This bridge didn't have a separate bike path from the pedestrians.  There was a bike lane right next to the walking lane, but our thumbs got sore from ringing our bike bells and telling people to move out of the bike lane.  I didn't want to be rude, but I also didn't want someone to walk right in front of me and me flip off the bike or hit them.  Actually, by the end of the bridge I didn't really care any more if someone got clipped for walking in the bike lane...sorry not sorry.

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Today, Sunday has brought more good things.  This morning Matt and I joined the church we've been attending for a while.  We're excited about the diversity at Christ Church United Methodist and it feels good to have a church home to connect to.  We're hoping to become more involved with missions and ministry there.  We also had dinner with my second (I think) cousin, Bette who lives on W. 81st St. on the Upper West Side.  She's a lovely person, so fascinating, and we all agreed it was nice to connect with relatives in this big city of ours (oh my gosh, did I just say that?!).  We had a fantastic meal at a small French bistro around the corner from her fabulous apartment.  

~

This coming week should be more low key, though I no longer have a substitute teacher helping out in my class.  Did I mention that there are 14 boys and 5 girls in my class?? Yeah, we'll see if I even have the energy to type next week ; /  

That's all for now...must get sleep before facing a full week and lots of high energy 1st graders!  I hope everyone has a great week!

Workin' like dogs...and the dog, well...he's happy when we get home

It's been two weeks, but it feels like it's been a month and a half at least since my last post, which was before school started.  I've heard some clamoring to write the next post, so here goes...

I have to start with Mom and Nick's wedding.  It was a weekend full of family and friends; a true celebration of love and new beginnings.  Leesa and Todd Sluder hosted a fabulous fete on Friday night as a way to kick off the wedding weekend.  Matt and I were able to make it to Charlotte and then drive up to Asheville by 8:30, right as Hal was singing the prayer before dinner.  It was NC barbecue, so we got there in the "nick" of time, so to speak.  There was food, dancing, lots of catching up and hugging.  It was great!  

The weather was great on Saturday; it was supposed to be rainy and stormy, but God smiled down on us and gave us blue skies and light breezes.  The festivities kicked off with a quick rehearsal for the bridal party in the morning.  Many of the women in the family and close family friends met for brunch in downtown Asheville.  I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but it was good.  Can anyone help me out?  Mom and I whisked off to get our hair done -  I loved mine - and then went over to Givens Estates to get ready for the ceremony.  Mom looked beautiful in her dress and positively glowed with excitement.  Graham walked her down the aisle right after Matt and I walked down.  Lelia Lattimore, who played the harp in my wedding, also played for Mom's ceremony so there was an ethereal atmosphere, especially with the afternoon sun shining through the stained glass windows.  One of the highlights of the ceremony was having Granddaddy in attendance.  He was in great spirits and had a really good day.  Grandmommy was also in high spirits and enjoyed herself.  They both were able to attend the reception and even did some dancing!

(I don't have a whole lot of pictures right now since I was in most of them.  I'll post more later.)

After the ceremony and pictures we went to The Venue near Pack Place for the reception.  Since I found the space for them through the internet and on the phone, I was really excited to see it in person.  There was lots of exposed brick, natural wood, and candlelight so it gave the reception a cozy and sophisticated atmosphere.  I have to say that the food was some of the best wedding food I've had, and the cake was awesome too, made by the Blue Ridge Bakery in Brevard.  LOTS of dancing was done, lots of laughter rang out, tears of happiness were shed during toasts, and good memories were made.  Mom and Nick have been celebrating their nuptials on their honeymoon in France.  From the few messages I've received from them it's been a fabulous and memorable trip for them.

~

The wedding weekend was wonderful and we wouldn't have had it any other way, but it wasn't all that restful.  We flew in on Friday evening, drove to Charlotte and celebrated until Sunday afternoon when we drove back to Charlotte and flew back to NY.  Matt and I have both been working like crazy and making hay while the sun shines and into night (which by the way is coming a lot sooner these days).  

School got off to a good start and things are settling it nicely, it seems.  I have submitted all of the documentation I need (God willing) to the state for my conditional certification.  I hope it will be issued in the next week.  Did I mention that I received an email last week from my HR contact basically saying that my original plan of action regarding my certification was correct???  I didn't really have to take those tests, just the workshops.  Silly state (said with a lot of sarcasm and repressed anger)!  Anyway, things should be worked out and I should get paid soon.  'Should' being the operative word.  Keep the prayers coming people, we're not out of the woods yet : /

My class is HIGH energy - with 14 boys and 5 girls how could it not be?  They are sweet most of the time and they love to read, so I can work with that.  The sub that's been working with me, Amy, is fulfilling another position starting next week, so I will be on my own after this week.  It's a short week, so I have some time to mentally prepare for handling everything myself.  I've been doing most everything, but having another person in the room helping is always nice.  Ernestine, I need you!  It's a short week because Rosh Hashanah is Thursday and Friday (I think??).  Just in case you didn't know (and I didn't until yesterday), it's the Jewish New Year.

We've been doing lots of community building activities...a LOT of social/emotional work...self portraits...name work and various greetings...play centers...and math.  Below is our classroom with everyone's self portrait.  Pretty cute, if you ask me.  

Something that didn't happen in NC: President Obama did not visit the gathering of most of the world's most powerful and influential leaders 10 blocks north of my school.  The UN is having it's annual general conference and there's been lots of traffic, or so I've heard from other teachers.  It hasn't really affected me on my walk to work...the perks of not having to drive or ride the subway!

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It's hard to believe that October is next week!  The weather has suddenly turned a lot cooler.  Eek! I don't know if I'm ready for the cold!  Matt and I are committed to taking advantage of the still-nice weather and getting outside to do stuff before it's unbearable.  I ran on Saturday and then we rode bikes all the way down the east side of the island and then around the tip of Battery Park and up the west side.   On Sunday we went to church and then down to Little Italy for the San Gennaro festival, which was fun.  We ate some good Italian food, duh.  We heard more really strong New York accents at the festival than we've heard all summer.

~

Some things I'd like to do this fall in NY:

*Go apple picking at an orchard nearby

*Use picked apples to make apple butter with Grandmommy's recipe

*Take advantage of some of the beer gardens around town

*Buy snow boots and a parka (I'm taking all recommendations starting now)

*Convince Matt that Charlie needs a coat or vest for the winter (maybe he doesn't actually need it, but c'mon, he'd look so cute!)

If anyone out there knows of other fun things to do in NYC during autumn, let us know!  Happy fall, Y'all!

NYC Schools = A Whole Other Ball Game

It's been two weeks since my last post and a lot has happened in those two weeks, so this post is a little longer.  I think you'll see, after reading this post, why I wasn't in the mood to write last week.  

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After getting back late from San Diego two Sundays ago, I went to my new school to get the classroom set up and things in place for the beginning of the school year.  I'm so happy with it and so is the principal.

The walls and bulletin boards are blank right now, but will be filled with student work soon.

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A few weeks ago, I got an email from the principal, Nicole, that said she had been asked not to come back to the school as principal.  Shocking news, and upsetting because she was a large part of the reason I could walk away from an amazing school like Morris Grove.  There wasn't any communication to the staff as to why she was asked not to come back.  I'm still not really sure.  This came just a month before school started, so the anxiety about the beginning of the year was already creeping up.

I met the new principal, Jessica, on Tuesday and she is awesome.  Really awesome.  She's young, has a lot of energy and faith in her staff, and wants the best for students.  I'm really happy about that.

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Setting up the classroom and meeting the new principal was the easiest part of the last two weeks.  As you've read on the blog or know from talking to me, I applied to the NYC school system as well as the NY State department of education way back in April.  I did lots of reading and asking around to see what needed to happen and what I needed to do. With my NC certification, 6 years of full-time teaching experience, and my master's I qualified for interstate reciprocity and could get a conditional certificate with two years leeway to complete the testing requirements.  That seemed straightforward enough.  I submitted my certificate, fingerprints, the application, teaching videos, transcripts and I thought I had done what I needed to do, but I kept asking my principal just to make sure.  I even asked people in the HR department; it all seemed to check out.  So, this summer I kept checking my status and thought everything was fine.  My (old) principal had told me that the state was only issuing certificates in May and September.  I waited patiently until September got closer to inquire more.  

Well...I called the state two Wednesdays ago to just make sure (again) that I had done what I needed to do.  I hadn't received any information about my certification status, so I was beginning to worry.  The man I discussed my file with at the state DOE delivered the news that I was no where near close to getting certified because I hadn't taken the state required tests or the mandated workshops.  What??!??  The tests are similar to the Praxis and SAT and cost just as much.  Honestly, I feel a little demeaned to have to prove that I can read and write after all the work I've done in the past 3 years to learn and grow as a teacher, but I just have to get over that.  And of course, these tests and workshops weren't offered soon, so I couldn't just knock it out in a weekend.  I thought I had time to complete these tests and could still teach with a conditional certification.  Nope, no go.  I went into freak out mode.

I went to Jessica for our first real conversation with tears streaming down my face and bad news to discuss.  She was very reassuring that we would work this out and that I would get paid.  She gave me the name of another HR person to get in touch with.  I won't go through all the rigmarole that has been involved, but to make the story shorter, plan B was for me to become a substitute while I completed the requirements to receive my full-time certification.  This would allow me to be in the classroom teaching even though the pay would be half of what I should be making and I would receive no health benefits or sick leave, etc.  So, we went forward with that plan, only to find out that the state wouldn't activate my sub. position until October 1st.  I don't know why that late, it's just NYC's policy.  More tears, more despair.  Jessica reassured me that she wanted me on staff, she wanted me in the classroom from the beginning, she would do what needed to be done to help make that happen.

So, we've activated Plan C at this point, which is for there to be a substitute in the classroom who is technically in charge while I "volunteer" each day.  By volunteer, I mean I'm still planning, running the show, everything, just not getting any pay right now.  While this is a huge stress, I wanted more than anything to be in the classroom on the first day to meet students and their parents, to set expectations and procedures in the classroom.  If someone else was doing all of that, it would make things a lot more difficult when I take over later in the fall.  

The real kicker is that if I had my results for my National Boards work, all of this could have been avoided - no tests to take, no delay in certification.  But, I don't get those results until at least Dec. 31st.  So, that's not really helpful right now.  But, I'm still glad that I have gotten that done because it will result in a higher pay scale.

I've learned that my experience with the state and NYC DOE is not unique.  It has happened/is happening to lots of teachers.  The state changes its mind frequently and arbitrarily, it seems, and NYC is such a huge system (over 1 million students) that it can't keep up and inform everyone adequately.  What I had researched and done in April/May was correct at that point, but I wasn't aware or notified of the changes over the summer that made a huge impact in how this all played out in the fall.  It sucks, but what else can I do but keep going?  So far, I've completed two of the big tests and two workshops.  I will take the last test in late Sept. and the last workshop in the beginning of October.  Hopefully it won't be long after that when I can get into the system as a full-time, well-qualified teacher.  So, say some prayers and keep your fingers crossed that nothing else pops up or changes.

~

On a happier note, the first two days of school have been great!  I really like the class, they are fun, friendly and kind.   There are 18 students - 5 girls and 13 boys (oh wow).  It is a very diverse group - Armenian, Israeli, Chinese, Japanese, Hispanic, American, and more that I'm not even sure about right now.  I have the substitute with me right now (who is phenomenal and a huge help at the beginning of the year), but once I become a sub. myself I won't have anyone else helping out, except for some parents perhaps.    

There are some differences in school up here than in NC:

- We are on the third floor of the school and there are places we need to get to on the first and sixth floor. So, I will have thighs of steel by the end of the year from all the stair climbing I'll have to do with students.  

- There are no school mascots or colors to encourage school pride.  We are just "The River School."  I might have to infiltrate the system though and push the idea of having some kind of mascot.  I like "The River School Otters" or something. 

- I am just Anna, not Mrs. Sink or Miss Anna.  The kids call the principal Jessica.  I've been slipping up and calling myself Mrs. Sink or Miss Anna both days of school so far.  Oh well.

- There was no "Meet the Teacher" before the first day, so I didn't have a clue who was going to step into the room on Thursday.  

- There's no librarian, even though we have an awesome library.  

- It's a little disorienting, too, to look out the window and see the cityscape - taxis up and down 1st Avenue, the Empire State building standing right outside. 

- I will learn a lot about Jewish culture and beliefs over the next few years because it seems that I am one of the only Christians on the staff.  

- Walking to work has been good and biking home has been even nicer.  Ask me a few months from now when it's snowy and I may have a different answer, though.

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 Matt and I knew that there would be difficulties in moving to a new state and that we'd have to take the good with the bad.  I've come to terms with what's happened and I know that soon this will just be a blip in the past.   For now, I'm happy to be doing what I love to do.  

We are taking advantage of a free weekend and just relaxing.  An exciting week is coming up: the first full week of school and Mom's wedding next Saturday!  It's amazing that it's already here!  I hope everyone has a relaxing weekend and a great week next week.