Archive for May 9th, 2006

Summer scent

Published by
jessi
at May 09, 2006 in Random Reading. 1 Comment

I stepped out into the evening and took a deep breath of summer. I remember this scent. Late nights at Denny’s, or someone’s basement, or at parks, talking about everything and nothing, playing games until the early morn…making lists… :-P

Stupid ocean.

High school majors

Published by
jessi
at May 09, 2006 in On Teaching. 3 Comments

“Florida votes to require high school majors

I find this idea intriguing. The question is: Will it make a difference?

They say education begins at home

Published by
jessi
at May 09, 2006 in On Teaching. 5 Comments

“Parents sue over book about gay family”

When I first read this article, I admit, I sympathized with the parents. I think it’s a bit much that they’re suing over the incident, but otherwise, I can understand their desire to be the ones to teach their children about same-sex relationships.

This is not to say I agree with their views, however. But if there’s anything I’ve learned about being an American, hell about just being human, is that utopia is a pipe dream and that if wishes were horses, we’d all be eating steak.

I wonder vaguely about what the Parkers would teach their son regarding this “issue”. Would they teach intolerance? Or would they simply point out that homosexuality is a lifestyle they don’t agree with? If it’s the latter, they’re entitled to their opinion the same way many of us are entitled to our opinions that racism is wrong — although, we all know that everyone’s a little bit racist (sometimes).

As a would-be educator, I heave a frustrated and weary sigh. I’m reminded all too quickly about banned books, curriculum guidelines, and the various battles elementary and secondary teachers fight just to do their jobs. I have not even step foot in my own classroom yet and I’m already cynical.

“O wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beautious mankind is!
O brave new world,
That has such people in’t!”

Bookstore Whore

Published by
jessi
at May 09, 2006 in Random Reading. 7 Comments

I really am nothing more than a bookstore whore…*bows head in shame*

I thought being in this country would help me kick the habit, I really did. For one thing, Amazon Japan doesn’t quite have what I would want and would thus prevent me for going absolutely crazy with my amazon.com addiction, there are no Barnes & Nobles or Border’s bookstore this side of the Pacific, and most of the English language sections have been really disappointing…

Until I went to Umeda.

Jacob and I took a trip out that way and it seems I have found a bookstore where I’ll end up blowing a lot of money I barely have. Already I spent about fifty bucks on two books — the prices of “foreign” books in this country are frighteningly high (not unlike most everything else here) — and there were at least three or four other books I saw that seemed to seduce me in their sonorous song (yes, I really just wrote that), three of which were linguistic books.

That would be a resounding, “Soofa bitch!”

To make matters worse, on Thursday, there’s supposed to be an “all foreign bookstore” opening up in AmeriMura.

This does not bode well for our wayward would-be teacher…

Streetsweepers

Published by
jessi
at May 09, 2006 in Random Reading. 4 Comments

“If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well.” - Martin Luther King Jr.

I remember working at Denny’s and hating how people thought I was wasting myself or something of that effect. I’d frequently hear, “You’re better than this” or “You’re going to do something with your life” and actually be offended. Were they implying that the people who made this their life were failures or some such? It was annoying as all hell.

So now I’m in Japan, “making something of my life” and I can’t help but think about the folks who work at Lawson’s, or the people working at McDonald’s. Despite the banality of the occupation do they think they’re wasting their life? Are they wishing for something more? Are they above all this?

I can’t help thinking there’s something noble about the attendant who works at Lawson’s or the manager who works at McDonald’s. Perhaps I’m projecting something that really isn’t there unto these people, but it’s almost as if there’s a certain amount of pride these people have in what they do.

Maybe it’s because I’m a romantic or maybe it’s because of my perception of Japan, but I can’t help but have a certain amount of respect for these streetsweepers.