Young Men's Club - 4/29/08

Today was actually a pretty decent day. I've pretty much accepted the fact that things are just going to take time with these kids. It's going to take time for them to settle down. That's not going to change. With that said, it took a good 10 minutes for the boys to calm down. Which is actually less than how long it takes the girls to settle down. I started with some basic drumming warm ups. I figured that the kids had a lot of time off and they needed to practice their technique. The few that were still having trouble listening were placed in a little mini-timeout. Basically, they had to sit there while others got to play. After the warm up, I had them play the drumming piece. It sounded very good. However, there were still a couple of kids that don't quite have it yet. So I broke them up into groups and had them work on it. I told them that the group that was the most cohesive would win a prize. One team was excellent. The second team was pretty good. The third team was god-awful. So after that, I had all of them do the drumming piece one more time. Then I took the kids who were still having a hard time aside and tried to work with them on a more personal level. I had the other kids play tag. Here's the problem: The kids that needed work on their drumming didn't understand that they needed work. They thought they were being punished. (Although a couple of them were) One of them was just pouting throughout the whole thing. Meanwhile, the kids who were playing tag couldn't seem to manage it without somebody falling a crying. So I ended that game and replaced it with the Romeo speech. That, unfortunately, was difficult as well. It as about this time that I was completely fed up with all of them. I told them to gather their belongings and line up. About 5 minutes early. I didn't really care at that point. So club didn't end well today. But the beginning and middle were pretty good. So I got that going for me.

Drama Club - 4/28/08

Today was the first day back after a nice, week-long vacation. I have to say that I was not looking forward to returning. It's not even a matter of the kids. It's just that working, in general, pretty much sucks. Let's face it. If I had a choice between working and not working, I would take the latter. The other news was that I agreed to take an acting gig for the Summer which means that I will be leaving the clubs a little earlier that I had originally planned. So there was a sense of calm as I entered the club today. It started off very nicely. I was in good spirits. I joked with the kids. I learned to laugh at their little idiosyncrasies. It was quite liberating. Then I had them learn a new speech for the Spring show. The best way for them to do this is in the form of a game. They toss around a beanbag while saying one word at a time. If they drop the beanbag or miss a word, then they lose a turn. They actually like this game and I think that we'll just do this everyday until the end. After a few rounds of this, we started rehearsing the scene. This is always a problem. The way that I have it staged is that half the kids will enter from one side and the other half enters from the other. Since I can't be in two places at once, it means complete lawlessness for the side I'm not watching at that moment. Let's just say, after a few minutes, I couldn't just laugh it off. But we managed to get through it. Again, it's going to be a really scene. They just have to commit to it. Hopefully they will.

Young Men's Club - 4/16/08

Today was yet another gorgeous day. I also am very close to the Spring recess. So I was absolutely taking the kids outside. But as always, I have to have a catch. I required that they recite the speech from Romeo and Juliet and that they perform their drumming piece a couple of times. And yet, they managed to somehow to make that a difficult process. So, I admit, I lost my cool for a moment. I had to let them have it. That managed to settle them down and they actually did a really good job. All it takes is a little bit of focus. I wish they could understand that. Anyway, I took them outside which was good for a majority of the kids but no so much for two of them. Since Nasir has been spending so much time clowning around that he's been woefully behind in his drumming skills. Christian, on the other hand, has been pretty good. The problem with him was his lack of focus and his inexorable desire to get on my nerves. As a result, when everyone else went outside to play, I gave private drumming lessons to Nasir and Christian. Which, of course, they loved. I mean it's not like they wanted to run around and play football. But it was, in fact, something that they desperately needed and not just me being sadistic. It really did help them improve their drumming skills. Finally, with about 10 minutes left in club time, I released them into the wild for some running around time. One more day until vacation.

Drama Club - 4/16/08

The Spring recess starts in a few days and it can't come too soon for me. It was also an incredibly gorgeous day outside. And maybe I shouldn't be admitting this in public, but I'm pretty much phoning it in for the rest of the week. After the debacle on Monday, I have no desire to put in a ton of effort. I just want to get to my vacation. But I'm not completely lazy. I made a deal with the kids. I told them if they ran the scene 3 times really well, then we could go outside. It still took them a fairly long time to get it together. And I was being very lenient because I too was interested in going outside. And yet, they still had problems getting it together. One girl, Britney, has so much attitude. As a result, I put her on a ten minute time out. I also didn't enforce that time out until we went outside. I hit you where it hurts. That's how I roll. The other cool thing was that my Site Coordinator came in and had a look at the scene. He loved it. So that made me feel a lot better about my decision to be lazy and take the kids outside. I also think that it was what both I and the kids needed. Despite all of the craziness, I understand that the kids have been working very hard and they deserved a break. Once we went outside, I was able to relax tremendously. I was able to get a couple of double-dutch jump ropes from the school. It turns out that double-dutch jumping is really hard. I threw the football with a couple of the other kids, threw a Frisbee with some others, and showed off some of my basketball moves with some others. Basically they all learned that I can do anything. Except double-dutch. Either way, I was their hero.

Drama Club - 4/14/08

There are good days and bad days. Today was definitely a bad day. It started out promising enough. I felt like I was in a pretty good mood. I found a new game to play with the kids. I also felt that since they've been doing such good job with the speech that I would spend most of the club playing games. Unfortunately, they hated the game that I chose and tuned out of it immediately. And once I lost them in the beginning, that was it. I also didn't have much of a backup plan because I thought they would love this game. So then I went to rehearsing the scene again and added some new blocking. That, unfortunately, didn't go so well either. They had to go back stage in order to make their entrances. They took that as permission to act as if they were in, "The Lord of the Flies." So after a few rounds of time outs and yelling, I finally just gave up on them. I just couldn't take it anymore. I told them all to just have a seat and do their homework if they wanted to. I was just so sick of the whole thing. On top of that, there was only one kid that actually showed some semblance of good behavior. She's also one of two kids that has actually shown some interest in drama. In the show, there's going to be one separate speaking role. It was in this moment that I chose to give it to the one girl who was behaving. Unfortunately, the other girl took it very hard. She was so devastated that she started crying profusely. I told her that I would find another role for her to play. So basically, I am the worst teacher in the world.

Young Men's Club - 4/11/08

Friday is always such a long day and today was especially long. It started out promising enough. My good friend Nasir was not in the club today. So I figured that it would be smooth sailing. Unfortunately, a couple of the kids decided that they needed to take up the slack that his absence had created. So I had to "process" the concept about distractions for quite some time. Also, I don't really have a space to work in on Fridays. I have to take the boys to the lobby just outside of the auditorium. Normally, there isn't a problem, but today the club that was in the auditorium was videotaping some bullshit interview. Which meant that I could not have the boys drumming in the lobby. Okay, I can be accommodating. It also turned out that the Dance club was on a field trip so the cafeteria was free. So I took the boys there and started drumming. However, it turned out that THAT was a problem because the people in the auditorium could still hear it. So I had to cut out the drumming entirely. I had them run the speech a few times but I still ended up a good 20 minutes short. I didn't really want them playing a game that involved them running in the cafeteria because it's just not set up for that. There were tables everywhere that had to be moved and there were just too many potential hazards. So I decided to just let the kids sit down and entertain themselves. I just didn't have the energy to try and concoct a whole new game plan because of someone else's nonsense. They really make me work for it on Fridays.

Young Men's Club - 4/10/08

Today I continued my attempts to be a kinder and gentler teaching artist. My day started with a staff meeting in the morning. I usually enjoy those because I get to commiserate with fellow teaching artists about the trials and tribulations of after school students. It reassures me that I'm not alone in this wacky world. Also, it reminded me that I have to use "processing" more. This is a technique used by the company that I work for that allows for dialogue with the students about the various experiences during the club. So for instance, if two kids get into an argument, I would "process" that by starting and continuing a dialogue on the issue using open-ended questions. Needless to say it is very difficult and the kids hate it. The last thing they want to do is talk. However, I do feel it is important and I try to take time with it whenever I can. Today, I made more of an effort. Strangely enough, it was pretty helpful in many ways. At the very least for me because I ended up processing some things for myself. In one case, the kids were having a really hard time listening. So I posed the question, "Who likes drumming?" They all raised their hands. I then proceeded to ask them what they needed to do in order to become skilled drummers. I really stuck with the "processing" and they seemed to have a glimmer of understanding about the importance of listening and hard work in order to acquire skill. They really make you work in this job. I'm constantly having to adapt to what the kids are doing and feeling. I'm constantly trying to use different techniques in order to get them to pay attention. I try and mix it up with incentives and punishments. I just have to keep in mind that the whole endeavor is a very slow process. I think the one thing that keeps me sane is that we do have a group goal. There is a Spring show at the end of the year and they will all participate. It provides that main path that we can get back to when they inevitably veer off of it.

Young Men's Club - 4/8/08

Maybe it was because I was just so incredibly tired today. Maybe it's because I've gained enough experience in my job to finally have the ability to just let it all go. Whatever the reason, I was able to have a fairly decent and productive day today. I constantly tell the boys that their actions will always have consequences. I also told them that if there was time left at the end of the day that they could play whatever game they wanted. I also knew that because they were incapable of settling down and listening while we accomplished what I had planned, there was absolutely no way that they would get that game time. I was willing to be wrong. Needless to say, I wasn't. So whenever they would interrupt me when I was talking, I would simply say, "I'll wait." Then they realized that it was cutting into their time, yell at each other to be quiet, and then eventually settle down. Whenever they would argue back and forth about some nonsense, I simply took a seat and non-verbally expressed that nothing was going to happen until all arguments had been resolved. And while they made a very strong effort to try and earn that free time, it just wasn't in the cards today. They were all so disappointed. I think a tiny part of my soul shed a little tear. HA! HA, I say! One day, they'll all figure it out. Cause and Effect. It's pretty simple if you ask me. Until then, it's all work and no play. But I'm definitely not going to allow myself to stress out about it anymore. The rules are in place and I think they're fair. If they don't want to follow them, that's their problem. I knew that I was going to achieve my agenda in terms of rehearsing for the show. And that's all that really matters. That I get what I want.

Drama Club 4/7/08

I really hate to admit this because I hate working in general and if I admit to actually liking some aspect about my job, then the entire structure of hatred will collapse. However, I'm rather excited about the potential that my Drama Club has. Right now, we are working on the opening speech from Romeo and Juliet. Every time we rehearse it (about 20 minutes per club) it's like pulling teeth. I have to drag them, kicking and screaming to work on this thing. But the sad part is, they know it very well and they've picked it up really quickly so there should be no reason why they should resent it. Other than for the same reasons that I resent going into work. Because it's work. They don't call it fun. That's why they have to pay me to go in there and do that crap. Anyway, when the Spring show goes up in a couple of months, the kids will look very impressive. I will end on that positive note.

Young Men's Club - 4/3/08

I'm seriously considering changing the name of this blog to, "Why is Nasir such a huge pain in the ass?" I mean he is completely incapable of turning it off. Not even for one second. He literally waits for me to turn around so that he can pull something. A little dance; Throwing a piece of paper in the air; Whatever. So today he had to sit out. I just couldn't take it anymore. Other than that, the day went fairly smoothly. There were a couple of the kids that were out on Tuesday so I had to catch them up on the new introduction section of the drumming piece. Then I taught all the kids a new section to the drum piece at the end. While they managed to learn how to play the new part, they had a lot of difficulty incorporating the new part with the old part. But again, we've got plenty of time so it should be really good when it's all said and done. Also, it must be that time of year or something because the boys started having meltdowns at around 4:15. Suddenly, everyone just had to have water. Again, I don't want to sound insensitive but it simply isn't feasible to let everyone just go and get water. Actually, it's a lot easier in the gym because the water fountain is just outside the room. But when I'm in the auditorium it's practically impossible. The kids just can't be trusted to go, get water, and come back. I'll figure something out. Right now, I'm just powering through it and trying to get to that home stretch. Lastly, I've instituted one more attempt to control the minds and behaviors of the kids. I'm keeping track of how many times each kid gets selected as "line leader." Line leaders are chosen based on how well they behave. At the end of the month, a prize will be awarded to the kid with the most line leader points. I reward and punish. Giveth and taketh away. It's all very delicate.

Drama Club - 4/2/08

Today went so smoothly that I could almost go so far to say that it was boring. Even routine. Okay that's not exactly true. There were a couple of issues here and there. It took a little while to get started. It's always difficult to get them to settle down. So I like to wait for them to quiet down before I take them into the room. The whole process usually takes about 5-10 minutes. Once we got in and did the usual opening warm-up, I had the kids play a very simple game that I've had them play before. They toss around a beanbag while reciting Hamlet's famous speech. Each participant says one word at a time. I broke them up into teams in order to provide some competition. That seemed to go well. There were about 15 kids in the club today and about 4 of them were not into the game at all. That's the really difficult part about a large group. I can't engage everyone all the time. I simply chose to just let me hang loose. Then I had them rehearse the Romeo and Juliet scene. It started out very well. The kids are getting more and more comfortable with it. But then, the mutiny occurred around 4:15 or so. All of a sudden, every kid felt that they just had to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water. That is such bullshit. In case I haven't made it clear, I don't work in the middle of the Sahara. It's a school. I also only have them for about an hour and a half. So they can freaking handle the extra 10 minutes it would have taken to finish what we were doing before we left for the day. So the club ended with me getting very angry and putting the group in a big time out. Plus there will be another 10 minute time out added on next Monday's club. And of course, the time out contained one of my classic lectures. After the club, this one girl, Jamir, whose a little odd, asked me if she was good today. Now I'm no fool. The reason that she asked this question was because sometimes, when kids behave, I give them lollipops. She knows this. Despite the fact that it's actually rather rare that I do this. They all remember the lollipops and always forget about the time outs. So after I told her that today was, in fact, one of the worst days for her in terms of behavior, she simply replied with a very blunt, "Can I have a lollipop?" I really do find it amazing that I do one or two "special things" (like going outside or candy) for the kids and for some reason they feel entitled to it. They really don't seem to get the point. Looks like that's another point I'll have make a little clearer.

Young Men's Club - 4/1/08

The biggest news about today didn't involve any of the boys in my club today. It involved little Miss Britney and the incident from yesterday. I approached her to find out if she had her written notice signed. She told me that her father told her that she had to apologize to me. Which she did. (Ha! Ha!) But it gets better. After the clubs ended, her mother came up to me and, not only made her apologize again, she apologized on behalf of her daughter, and told me that Britney would be giving me a written apology as well. Now that's what I call parenting. I loved it. As far as the Young Men's Club went, it was fine for the most part. Only about 7 or 8 kids showed up today. So it was fairly mellow as a result. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all wine and roses. In fact, the usual suspects continued to push the limits and I continued to punish them. I added a new section to the drumming piece that the boys seemed to pick up pretty quickly. I've also started teaching them Romeo's speech. The, "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks," one. Thankfully, we've got plenty of time. That one's going to take a while. But they do seem pretty open to learning it. Lastly, because the club was held in the gym, I was able to let the boys just run around and play tag for the last 10 or 15 minutes. I know this analogy may sound disturbing but they're pretty much like pets. You've got to give them a little time to run around a little bit in order to keep them in line. The big difference is that I don't get to use leashes.