100 Miles of Nowhere Somewhere

Consider this an early entry into Fat Cyclist's 100 Miles of Nowhere

East Harlem High School Division

I work in a true inner-city high school. One that, in a few short years, will cease to exist and will remain only in the memories of the staff and students who came through its doors.

Most of our students come from less than ideal, one might even say, crummy, circumstances. Many of them have only one parent at home. Others have none. Too many of my students need a hug when they come in each day, a pat on the back, a kind word. Too many of them start off life at a disadvantage and, by the time they reach us, catching up is hard to do.

I’ve heard people say that the students in my school can’t do it. That they can’t come back from years and years of lost time. That my students are going Nowhere.

This is what I pondered as I debated whether or not to take part in this year’s 100 Miles of Nowhere. I know that the main purpose of the ride is to raise funds and awareness for cancer research but the idea of going Nowhere just resonated with me as a metaphor for what people say about the students I love.

Too many of my students have been told, repeatedly, that they are going Nowhere. That school is pointless because they are going Nowhere and that they should just give up. And too many of them do give up. Those that don’t, however … they wind up Somewhere. And their kids get a better chance in life.

It is tough working against so much ingrained negativity. But sometimes we get through to them. And when we get through, and the kid that was told they’d go Nowhere winds up Somewhere … well that’s when we realize that all the work was worth it. When the kid you were sure would drop out gives you a hug at graduation … well then you just have to wipe away the tears.

So, in the spirit of getting Somewhere while staying in the same place, I am dedicating my morning commute to my students. For 5.25 miles a day, most week days and a few Saturdays, from now until June 30th I promise to keep my mind on my kids (and a small part of it on the traffic around me) and do my best to figure out how to get them Somewhere. Because everyone deserves to be given the chance to go Somewhere.

Pie ... followup

The pie was a big success. The kids were surprised that I actually brought in pie. I think, however, that it was not a huge hit for the young person who had never had pie before. It was far too sweet.

I did make sure that he knew that not all pies were quiet as sweet as these were.

They might even be disappointed that I am not their computer lab supervisor for next semester.

Classes end for the term on Monday and State exams start on Tuesday. I have lots and lots of student programming to do, much of it dependent on the outcome of next Friday's exam. This means that most of what I do from now until the 31st is a guess and a prayer and it also means that I'm practically sleeping in school on the 31st because the new term officially starts the next day and the kids need their programs. Sigh.

I think I'm going to do some knitting ...

Work in progress

Mike's new sweater.  The back and sleeves have been done for quite a while and I am plugging away on the front.  I'm not hiding the ends as I go because I know I will need to be very careful about it.  Besides, I actually don't mind hiding ends.

This will not be done for Rhinebeck but that's just fine 'cause Mike isn't joining us.

I'll be there on Sunday so that I can both work and attend the Manhattan high school fair on Saturday.  It was a tough choice as to which to do on which day as they are both more crowded on Saturday and both have slimmer pickings on Sunday.  I decided to do the fair first mainly to get it off my back since I really don't want to go, either as a mom or as a rep of a "Court Order," school.  But the mom part won out. :-)

Location : 549-551 Lenox Ave, New York, NY 10030,

Yogurt

I've been looking for something really deep to post about and even had a huge monologue going on last night as I was trying to fall asleep. Unfortunately, it was all about work stuff which I really can't post about. Sorry! Let's just leave the work stuff with this: there was a public hearing regarding the fate of my school last week. It goes up for a vote on the 26th.

On the home front, I'm still plugging away on Little Squid's sweater -- front, back and right arm are done. Left arm is about halfway up his forearm. My rigid heddle loom is now clear of weaving and the final product will be run through the wash tomorrow. And I've started spinning the alpaca-merino blend that I bought at Rhinebeck.

I've also made some yogurt.

You may remember this post where Little Squid and I experimented with frozen yogurt using our homemade product. We never did master it but hey, that's what next summer is for. Right?

Meanwhile I have continued to make yogurt every week or two using the same method. Recently I've seen some posts on other blogs raving about a Crock-pot method of making yogurt.

I studied it, thought hard about it, and decided that I will stick with my method. It is fairly simple and only requires about 2 hours of my time depending on the temperature of my kitchen. In cooler weather the cooling processes occurs much more quickly then it does in the heat of summer.So, for those who are interested, this is my adaptation of Harold McGee's yogurt making technique as originally published in the New York Time on April 15, 2009.

***

First, heat the milk to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. I do this by heating about 12 ounces milk at a time on high in the microwave for 1 minute (in a 4 cup measuring cup) and then dumping it into a pot on the stove with the flame at a medium setting. (I make a gallon of yogurt at a time. You can easily make less.)

While it is heating, I monitor the temperature and twiddle my thumbs. This is actually why I microwave the milk. The one minute intervals keep me interested enough that I do not walk away and then forget that I have milk heating.


Once the milk reaches 180 degrees it is time to cool it. I do this in two or three or, when making 2 gallons at a time as I do during the summer, 4 bowls.


During the warmer weather I surround the bowls with reusable cold packs to help it cool faster. I also stir it frequently to increase the amount of milk that comes in contact with the cooler parts of the bowl (and the air).

When the temperature of the milk reaches 120 degrees, I take yogurt that I've set aside from the last batch (2 tablespoons of yogurt for every quart of milk used) and mix it with some of the warm milk to thin out the yogurt.



This yogurt-milk slurry then gets mixed into the warm milk and the mixture gets put into a large container. I use a gallon Tupperware pitcher that we've had forever.


The pitcher gets a lid (I have no idea where the official lid is these days) and then gets wrapped in towels.


Usually I use three towels but this time I used four -- one underneath the pitcher to insulate it from the cold counter. Our kitchen was really cold.


Then the wrapped pitcher of pre-yogurt sits on the counter for about 6 hours, more or less. More if you like it tarter, less if you like it more naturally sweet.

The neo-yogurt then chills overnight in the fridge and is ready for eating in the morning.

I, personally, take it one step further and strain the yogurt in a HUGE fine meshed strainer that we got at a restaurant supply store. Mike cut the handle off of it so that the strainer, sitting on top of a storage container, fits in the fridge. Half a gallon of yogurt fits in the strainer at a time.

One hour usually makes it thick enough for my taste but you can strain longer if you want. Half of the last batch strained overnight by accident. It is incredibly thick and smooth and luscious!

And there you go. A gallon of milk costs between $2.39 (Costco) and $3.50 (Whole Foods 365 brand). A quart of my previous favorite yogurt, Greek Goddess, costs $5.99 at Fairway -- more elsewhere. A gallon of milk makes 2.5 to 4 quarts of yogurt depending on how much you strain it. Monetarily it makes sense but that's not why I do it.

I do it because it is too easy and too good not to.The only down-side is the cleaning of the pan. The stuck on milk can be tough to clean with a regular sponge or dishrag so I use this curly thing. It gets it right off and then I toss the curly thing into the dishwasher to get all the milk-curd crud out. Hey, it works.

Baa!

Because Cookie asked nicely ...One knitting sheep magnet.

Holding a reminder to make french toast for breakfast.

Because we had a staling loaf of homemade wheat bread.

Which the kids forgot about at breakfast time (the french toast, not the bread).

So we had it for lunch instead.

And froze the extras.

Intending them for breakfast over the next week or so.

Until the microwave oven died.

Oh wait, we toast french toast.

All in all, a quiet weekend.

(And we ordered a new microwave.)

Which I needed after this.

Yes, it means what you think it means.

Minty Fresh!

Remember that lab I was prepping for on Wednesday?

Well, I'm sitting here grading them and ... they all smell like tooth paste!

Yes, I had them test the pH of toothpaste.

Best smelling lab reports I've ever graded!

The Price of Happiness

I left work at 6:00 today. And 6:30 yesterday. I get to work at 7:30 in the morning. And yet ... I am not upset. As a matter of fact, I am quite happy and very mellow about it all.

Compare this to last year when I was working my contractual day (7 hours and 50 minutes) and miserable. All day. Every day.

Boy, what a difference a year and a school makes.

(Oh, and I managed to hit my head on the bottom of a fire extinguisher today. Ouch!)

(Squidette thinks she did well on the Earth Science Regents. On to Algebra on Friday.)

Clean!

As I climbed the stairs to my office this morning, a young man asked "Miss, are you wearing stockings?" Puzzled, I answered "Yes, why do you ask?"

The answer? (swallow any liquids, please, I will not be responsible for broken keyboards)

"Your legs look so clean!"

I paused a moment and said "well I do wash them ..."

(What will he say when I start riding in shorts and my legs are constantly stained with bicycle grease?)

Interview Time

After 6 months at my new school, it is finally time to interview for my job.

Yup, I've been an "interim acting Assistant Principal" since September.

Isn't "Interim Acting" redundant?

Tomorrow I interview for real.

New York City has a very interesting process for those who wish to become Principals and Assistant Principals. (Only read it if you have absolutely NOTHING else to do. Your head will start spinning pretty quickly.)

I should not be nervous. After all, I've been doing the job for 6 months now.

But I am. Nervous.

I should be knitting but instead I am waiting for my nails to dry.

I think I'll go hug my kids now.

Working Out at Work

Since mid-October I have spent most Saturdays at work. Turns out that my new job is in the same building the Boro-wide band uses and, coincidentally enough, both of my children are in the band. So, while Mike was in charge of drop off, followed by marketing, last year (Squidette made her own way home), I have taken over the drop off and, now, retrieval duties of both children.

Notice that marketing was dropped.

I don't actually retrieve the kids as much as wander down from my office at the appropriate time and return home with them in the car. Since I am a nice gal, I also drop off another band member who lives on our route.

This means that I am spending 5 or so additional hours at work each week. And am spending most of them in physical activity.

Most weeks I've spent the time working on cleaning up and organizing a book room. This is in an attempt to get a handle on what books we have and what we need and also, to get some organization where it is sorely lacking. Book room work requires much lifting and climbing. I figure I'm getting my weight lifting done. Hey, text books are NOT light!

This week, however, I gave my abs a workout instead. It was totally unintentional.

On Thursday, my Principal and I put together a visual representation of the school program. This involved writing every class out on half a colored index card (a different color for each period) and then stapling it to a bulletin board.

We have 39 teachers and they each teach 5 classes.

On Friday I was fine. On Saturday, when I repeated the action multiple times, as we changed the program, I felt it in my abs.

Apparently stapling above one's shoulders works the ab muscles.

Who knew?

Heart and Phone Breaking

Today was a heartbreaking day. It was also a phone breaking day as I took out some frustrations on my desk phone.

It still works.

After a fashion.

Made my boss laugh ...

That's all I can say about that.

Except ... if you are a parent ... go hug your kids! Please!!! Pretty Please!!!

Make sure they know you love them.

Now!

I'll wait.

Actually I won't wait ... but I'll return another day and show you the massive pile of HotSnapz that arrived yesterday. I'm using one right now. And two kept my hands nice and warm during yard duty. After which I managed to burst one. Oops. Good thing I ordered lots.

Warming Up ... I hope

Lots of research was done this weekend, followed by lots of online purchasing.

Flannel lined khakis and jeans were procured from L.L. Bean, as were fleece lined shoes.

HotSnapZ hand warmers were ordered. (We went to dinner at a friends house and experienced these wonderful, reusable, items. I may have over ordered in my enthusiasm. Or not.)

Wool tights, including a pair of cotton lined tights were ordered.

Sock liners were located.

And the temps are supposed to go into the 40s tomorrow. Which is good since none of this stuff will arrive before Tuesday at the earliest.

It was a quiet weekend but busy. I worked on cleaning a book room at work while the kids were in band practice. This was my fourth Saturday of work on this room. I think one more session will do it. Then on to the next one ...

An adult-only dinner on Saturday and a pre-chanuckah party on Sunday. On to the last full week before break.

So Cold!

My new job includes new responsibilities. Most of them just require tackling the learning curve. One, however, requires additional wardrobe.

Our middle school students are not allowed off "campus" for lunch. They can bring from home or eat school lunch and then can, usually, go outside to play in the yard. Both the cafeteria and the yard have to be supervised. Finding staff volunteers for yard duty is not easy. The main reason? The weather.

The kids have to go out as long as it's not raining (or snowing). Trust me. I kept them in on Monday because it was below freezing. I regretted it 10 minutes into the period. These are middle school kids. They have LOTS of energy. And they need to burn it off during recess. When they don't ... beware!

But back to the weather.

Very few days are picture perfect and the person manning the yard has to be prepared. During the mid fall and mid spring it's easy. Sunblock, a hat and a lightweight jacket do the trick. Early fall and late spring are even easier -- just the hat and sunblock. Add some knitting and it's easy duty.

This time of year, however, it's tough. The kids are running around but the duty person tends to stand still or walk slowly around the perimeter. Not enough exercise to really keep warm.

Then there's the issue of clothing. The school is over heated and I often ride my bike to work. Both of these factors are totally incompatible with yard duty right now.

I've stashed a hat, scarf and fingerless mitts in my work closet and even purchased a warm jacket just for yard duty. Gloves or mittens are always available no matter how I got to work. My problem areas are my legs and feet.

If I wear heavy slacks then I am too warm in the building -- the same goes for long undies under light slacks. I also tend to wear dress shoes, read: nice,thin flats or heels, with hose. Totally and completely incompatible with cold sidewalks.

And I like to wear skirts.

Do you see my problem?

I'm already changing clothes twice during the day. Once from biking gear to work clothes and then back again (and then into "house" clothes once home). Time permitting, and it rarely does, I'm willing to change my bottoms if I have to but now I need to figure out the right kind of bottoms.

I've heard about flannel lined jeans (and a quick google shows where I can get some) but does anyone out there have any experience with them? Brands to avoid? Or to run for?

I know that a new pair of Dansko clogs are in my future with the old ones going to live at work for quick, warmish, footwear. And wool socks are a given.

I'll figure it out.

Except on the days without time or when I'm not expecting to have to go out. Like today. When I wound up outside in 35 degree weather wearing wool socks, bike shoes, a cute pleated skirt and stockings.

Yes, I was shivering when I finally got back inside. But the kids were happy. And that's all that really matters. Right?

A Blanket, Some Mittens and Some Rambling

I've been a busy girl, as is evident from my lack of posting.

Last Saturday night we went to the Opera (The Queen of Spades) and on Sunday Little Squid got his post opera migraine. Which continued into Monday, netting me a half day off of work. When I returned home with Little Squid (he was at work with me until I realized that this migraine was not going away), I decided to tackle the woven squares I'd worked up over the years.

I organized and placed and sorted and, with Little Squid's final approval, started sewing them together. The status as of this post is:

It still needs a final border of the brown blocks -- need to weave 24 more of them -- and several yards more of the jewel green tape. Little Squid is weaving the tape on his inkle loom. For the time being, however, it is serving it's intended purpose as a second couch blanket. One blanket doesn't cut it when you are snuggling with a large child in the middle of a cold winter night.

Then there are the mittens. Knit over the holiday weekend to replace Little Squid's battered bumble bee stripe mittens. They are double knit and, when same color out, the elephants are supposed to be on the back of the hands.

There's been other stuff going on. And all of it takes the form of fantastic blog posts. In my head. As I ride home from work. Yup. Still riding. Managed 2.5 days (5 trips) last week. and 8 trips the week before.

Tomorrow the temperature at 6:30 a.m. is supposed to be 18 degrees.

I might drive.

***

My comforter has been back on my bed for a few weeks now and I must say, snuggling under it after getting throughly chilled at work and on the ride home (can you say "double period yard duty?") has been a wonderful experience. My bedroom is finally a haven again, except for the occasional nasty dream about my former "room mates."

***

Have I mentioned that I love my job again? My staff is fantastic, as are most of the kids. At my old school the goal really seemed to be to take a good school and make it better. Here ... well let's just say that we're not on anyone's top ten list. There's good, honest work to be done and people who can envision the end result. Kids are knitting and crocheting all over the school and that is only making our job easier. Thank you to all who have made this possible!!!

The Next Generation ...

"I have five pencils and two erasers. Is that enough?"

"Add a couple of pens."

"We're not allowed to use pens."

"Add a couple of pens."

"We're not allowed to use pens."

"Add a couple of pens."

Yup. She's nervous. If you are feeling generous, send lots of warm thoughts to all of the young people who will be standing outside in the cold and damp waiting to take the SHSAT today. Over the next few weekends, close to 40,000 8th graders will test for roughly 4,000 spots. Gulp!

That's what Squidette is up to today, accompanied by Papa Squid.

Little Squid and I are heading up to my school where he will audition for the borough-wide band (really just for his placement, he's guaranteed a spot) and I will clean a book room and my office.

Off to start the day!

Shameless Begging

As you know, I recently started at a new (to me) school. This is a school with a whole lot of potential and ... no knitting club.

A few of the girls are knitting -- one of the nearby after school programs is teaching it -- which has set the stage. More want to learn. One of our teachers approached me about starting up a knitting club and I'm all ready to jump right in. Except ...

When I left my old school, I donated all of the supplies to the middle school in the same building. I had no place to store them over the summer and it was the only solution at the time. And it was a good one since I had no way to know where I would wind up and, if I would be able to start another club. The school that receive the supplies had an active knitting club and will use the materials well.

Well, here I am in a new place and the need for this kind of club is acute. The kids want a creative outlet and we can provide it -- it a little bit of help.

I plan on doing some shopping this weekend -- inexpensive needles and the cheapest yarn I can find. The teacher who approached me is doing some corporate level begging while I am doing it the "old fashioned" way. Reaching out to you, my readers.

If you have yarn that is looking for a new home or needles that you have set aside in favor of flashier ones ... we can provide a good place for them.

If you can help, please contact me via the email address in the sidebar and I will provide mailing information.

For all of your help in the past, and for anything that comes in now, I thank you!

***

As a general rule, I try to keep work out of the blog. Since this is not an anonymous endeavor, I have to be careful. My identity is out there -- as is the identity of my new school and the old one. There will be no stories of the kids -- I can't go there -- except to share things that make the news anyway (and only in a positive way).

New School Year ...

... New School

Yes, I have a new job. I spent much of the summer looking and finally landed at the Academy of Environmental Sciences Secondary School. My placement was made official today. Yes, I am very happy. Yes, I plan on starting a knitting club just as soon as I get settled and after the Bat Mitzvah. Now I'm going to eat some more leftover birthday pie ...

It Started as a Joke ...

(summary of a real conversation between Mike and a fellow AP Computer Science teacher (APCST for our purposes))

APCST: "Hey, you know what? We should hold a formal party after the AP exam."

Mike: "Great idea! Let's do it!"

Two weeks later ... after the idea had fully matured and shopping lists constructed ...

APCST: "You know, I was joking!"

Mike: "Well it's a great idea anyway. Let's do it."

And so they did. These gurus of code, transformed a classroom with tablecloths and fancy plastic wear, bought bottles of Martelli's sparkling cider, crackers, cheese and salami and told the kids to dress nice.

And they did.

There was a bouncer at a velvet rope checking programs to make sure those admitted were properly attired and had Computer Science as an actual class.

The girls were all in nice dresses and the boys, for the most part, in jackets and ties.

Mike and APCST wore tuxedos.

And the party went on all day. Kids came during their regularly scheduled computer science class and then left for the rest of their classes. All behaved themselves as befitted the occasion.

Of Socks and Conferences

Socks. I love socks. I love to knit them, I love to wear them and I get a strange satisfaction from throwing them away when they are worn out. Don't know why, I just do. This week, so far, Little Squid has worn a too small pair of hand knit socks (guess I know what my summer knitting will be) and just now threw away a standard cotton boys sock due to heel hole. Now if I only knew how many whole pairs he still has ...

Tonight and tomorrow are Parent-Teacher conferences in the NYC High Schools. My problem with conferences is the small bit of time between the end of the day and the start of conferences. It is really not enough time to leave the neighborhood for a nice meal and, is really far to early for the same. Back when the kids were small, and my mother-in-law was taking care of them, I'd hie downtown for a quick meal with my kids. Mom, a former high school teacher herself, always had dinner on the table as soon as I walked in the door. I'd spend an easy hour or so with her and the kids and then run back uptown. Its the running that drove and drives me crazy. That said, I think that tonight I will take a walk instead of aiming for a sit down dinner. Maybe I'll grab a sandwich at a local taquira and then find a quiet corner to knit in.

Cover Your Head! And Climb that Mountain!

I had to bite my tongue yesterday. It is my habit to, on cold or rainy days, to nag students to cover their heads before heading out. (I also nag them to zip their jackets and put on their gloves.)

As I was about to suggest that they cover their heads, I took a second look at the group I was ready to nag. Religious young ladies. With their heads already covered. D'oh.

***

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of introducing Erik Weihenmayer. Our students had read his book ahead of time and knew what to expect but, I have to admit, I had not.

Erik is a mountain climber. A blind mountain climber. And skier. And ice climber. Dang!

I have to admit that I am a cynic and when I hear that an "inspirational" speaker is coming, I tend to run in the opposite direction as fast as I can. I am so glad that I stayed for this one. It wasn't that his talk was inspirational in the "you can do it, go, go go" kind of way. It was the story. It compels you to look at your own life and say "gee, I can't do that but I can do this better.

The points he makes about setting up systems and surrounding yourself with people who you can trust, about building strong teams -- those are things that stick with you.

The introduction was supposed to be made by someone else. I am SO glad that I had this opportunity.