English Teacher + Infant = Literary Photo Shoot

I love being an English teacher. I get to read great books with great kids all day for the entire year. I also love being a father. I get to raise a human being, teach him how to throw a baseball, and get to be the one who introduces him to the Star Wars films. This is a wonderful life.

This summer would be my first as a father. Rather then get to my to-do list items, I decided to distract myself with a father-son project. With the help of my eight month old son Gabriel, we have recreated some cover art from some great pieces of literature. So, in case you were wondering, this is what happens when an infant is left in the care of an English teacher for the summer. 

Thug Notes: Complex Literary Analysis Gone Gangsta!

Have you ever been hanging out with your homies and felt like discussing the subtle nuances found in The Stranger or maybe you were in the mood to converse about Animal Farm and it’s allegorical meaning. No? Just me? Oh.

Well a new channel on YouTube gives viewers a chance to see literary masterpieces through a more realistic scope. Thug Notes is hosted by Sparky. This Gangsta with a Graduate’s lays down some intense retellings of classics, while also providing thorough analysis of themes, character, and symbolism.

Becoming an Educator in the 21st Century

That old saying: "Nobody is perfect." Ain't that the truth. In fact, no one is anywhere near perfect because sometimes life throws some crazy shit in your way and despite your best efforts or talents or hard work, the opportunities are simply not there. But that doesn't mean that you can't try. Sure you might fail, but you absolutely need to try your hardest for what you really want in life because, well, it is what you want out of life that is important.

I realized that I wanted to be a teacher about the time that I entered high school. I had some pretty kick ass mentors that gave me a quality education. Someone gave this poor little Mexican boy a chance to succeed and I wanted to take that opportunity and show the world that I could pay it forward to several generations of students by encouraging them, motivating them, and showing them that they had potential to be somebody in life. I wasn’t going to be just a teacher, oh no. I was going to be the teacher.

Then I entered college, and the economy was awesome. Then I graduated and the economy was stable. Then I entered my credential program and the financial world went to shit. The little green arrow that normally pointed up was now a red arrow descending on the hopes and dreams of millions of Americans. I had no idea what any of this meant at the time because I was so focused on my goals. Nothing could stop me, not even one of the worst recessions we have ever had.

I was lucky enough to receive a paid internship at a school for emotionally disturbed girls. I was going to teach for the first time. It wasn’t my dream job, but at least it would help give me experience and help pay for my increasing college debt. I taught there for three years. Those three years validated my choice in careers. I smiled from ear to ear and life was grand. I even saved some money and bought a house at the age of 24. Then I was laid off. My last day of work was two days before my wedding day. I went a year without teaching, and my new wife and I had a set of problems that we never anticipated. She pushed me to move forward and keep trying and I did.

Finally I got a job working at a middle school in LAUSD, the second largest school district in the nation. I worked with some wonderful people and met some amazing educators who were buried in work by a district that was too large to be managed effectively. In February I received a pink slip. In March I was told that I would be brought back the next year. Later in March I was given another pink slip. Obviously, this was not a very stable place to be for someone looking to start his career.

During the summer I found work in my alma mater district. This was pretty much my dream job. The pay was great, the benefits fantastic, and more importantly, they hadn’t let go of any teachers in the past 20 years. What a wonderful track record. My first year went by quickly and I made an impressive mark on the school and my administrators. My second year, I was given a pink slip. The notice was given to me days after I found out that my wife was expecting our first child. I was devastated.

There were some hearing and a legal battle, but the district made due and released several teachers from several schools. At this point, the economy had made somewhat of a bounce back and jobs were out there for experienced teachers (can’t say the same for first year teachers). I had been teaching for 6 years, and in a classroom for 7. I had finished my credential program and my BTSA (2 year induction program), plus I was confident in myself as an educator and my abilities to succeed in teaching students.

So what happened to this poor little Mexican boy? Well, that summer I went into every interview and handled business. I received offers from multiple schools and pretty much had my choice in where I wanted to go. Was I worried after I was laid off with a baby on the way? Yes, but I knew that I had worked hard to get where I was at and my track record was that of a proven educator who was a victim of an unstable economy. I would be lying if I said I didn’t think about leaving the profession. The same profession that I had already invested years, money, and heart into. But I stuck with it. My wife helped me realize that this was what I really wanted, and if you don’t keep trying for what you really want, then your not really living life. 4 schools, 5 pink slips, and 7 years teaching later I am a better person. Sometimes life throws some crazy shit in your way. You just have to learn to go with the flow.

Travels with Gabby

After recounting to you what I learned during my epic journey across America, I figured I would recount to you my smaller, still epic, journey across California. My wife and I just celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary with a trip to San Francisco. As a courtesy to me, she allowed me to put the National Steinbeck Center on the itinerary, since we were driving through the area.

As I have mentioned, Travels with Charley is a must read for me almost every time I take a road trip. What made this road trip extra special was being able to visit a museum dedicated to one of the most influential American authors, and seeing the house where he was born and raised.

The National Steinbeck Center is located in Salinas, California, which is roughly two hours away from San Francisco and the bay area. Nestled close to the Monterey Bay, Salinas is a small community with a very significant national treasure. The Steinbeck Center houses a very interactive museum where guest can read and see items related to Steinbeck’s life. Personal journals, notes, manuscripts are all on display and set in interesting formats. For example, there is great room that appears to be Steinbeck’s childhood bedroom with a dresser with drawers that open. When opened guests can see books that belonged to Steinbeck, notes he jotted down and even some short writing samples. All of it is encased in thick glass, of course.

Other interactive exhibits include sections dedicated to all of Steinbeck’s major works. My son particularly enjoyed The Red Pony exhibit. 

As a cool little tribute to the novel, the Of Mice and Men display had a setting that appeared to be the bunkhouse where the workers slept and where much of the dialogue takes place in the novel. Hanging on some hooks along the wall were some coats and hats, which belonged to the main characters. Curley’s glove was even there. When you lifted the hats, as the signs directed you to, you found a short quote from the character. My favorite part was the little mouse inside Lennie’s very large coat.

A few blocks from the museum there is a very large well-kept Victorian style home. This is where Steinbeck was born and raised. It is beautiful to see, although my wife and I got the impression that the locals didn’t appreciate the history they were surrounded by. Several people, shady in appearance and in action, walked by seeming not to notice the people taking photos in front of the house or reading the small plaque in front. Maybe they are just used to the tourists.

Steinbeck's birthplace and home

Hemingway has always been my favorite American author, but the older I get, the more I appreciate what Steinbeck did in chronicling the America of his time. Visiting the Steinbeck Center gave me a unique perspective as to what this man’s work truly mean to this country. And I bought a cool magnet.

The National Steinbeck Center can be found at www.steinbeck.org or on most social networks: https://www.facebook.com/nationalsteinbeckcenter, https://twitter.com/steinbeckcenter, http://instagram.com/steinbeckcenter

Travels with Harley

The first question I typically get this time of year when people talk to me about work is “Are you teaching summer school?” To this question I always have the same response, and it is this:

Not to toot my own horn or anything, but teaching is a pretty demanding career. It is particularly strenuous for those of us who do it right and actually care, which is roughly half of us, but that is a topic for another day. Although most teachers are not paid during the summer, it is a time to let go of the previous year, hibernate, relax, enjoy family time, and even prepare for the next school year. I normally do not teach summers because I am aware of the plague of “teacher burn out” which happens when a select few take on too much of a workload to support the school. For me, the time off is needed to not go crazy.

I try to make the most of my summers by traveling. I always get the urge to reread Travels with Charley by Steinbeck because he does such a beautiful job describing his cross-country travels. Two years ago I was lucky enough to take a similar trek across the country when my brother, his wife, and his daughter Harley moved from Arizona to South Carolina. I sought this opportunity to take my own road trip across the U.S. and dubbed the journey my “Travels with Harley.” We loaded up our version of “Rocinante” and like Steinbeck’s faithful poodle, my 2-year-old niece was my sidekick through the roads of America.

This was going to be a great opportunity to accomplish numerous goals, including: checking off several items on a baseball bucket-list that my brother and I are obsessed with, actually seeing and visiting 15 states, and crossing through the roads that Steinbeck traversed on his journey home. Another goal was to visit any literary historical landmarks, but we were a little too removed from any place of real literary significance. The coolest thing close enough, which I regret not visiting, was Carl Sandburg’s home in North Carolina. I wish I would have known about literarytourist.com back then. It is a wonderful resource and full of valuable information. For what its worth, I got to see where Elvis was born.

The journey was epic. I saw more in a three weeks than I ever thought I would of the United States. The whole time keeping in mind why Steinbeck took his journey, “I had not heard the speech of America, smelled the grass and trees and sewage, seen its hills and water, its color and quality of light. I knew the changes only from books and newspapers.” I realized that although I have traveled before, I didn’t really know America. I only knew Tourist America, and even then, only a very few cities in very very few states.

So what did I see and learn? Well, America is big and it is very diverse. Not just culturally and ethnically diverse, I mean the personalities, the lifestyles, the customs and habits. It is incredible. I also learned that racism and prejudice are still very real, although I also encountered some of the friendliest people I have ever met. I learned that New Mexico looks like Cars Land at Disney’s California Adventure.

Seriously. This is what New Mexico looks like.

 Finally, I learned that the open road is something that cannot be tamed. That just felt like something that needed to be written. Steinbeck learned a similar lesson, “I do know this - the big and mysterious America is bigger than I thought. And more mysterious.”

I could have written about the specifics of my travels, but I will save that for my next post about my latest travels.

Here is Steinbeck's map, and my map.

As summer is just getting started and many are venturing off or planning crazy road trips or even small getaways, pick up Steinbeck’s work to give you some perspective. It is a fast read and an entertaining work of non-fiction. One last Steinbeck quote: “A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.”