WHATS ONE TO DO?

What's one to do?

What's one to do when your voice is not heard?

When you try to teach, to coach, and you feel pretty sure

that everything being said 

is going straight through their head.

It's a different world I'm living in, 

so what's one to do?

What is one to do when you give it all you've got?

And it's thrown back at you, as if the food is too hot.

You pull them aside to become their only friend,

then you receive the only message they're trying to send.

I don't want to be here, I am not going to sit!

F you Mr. Shue, this class is bullshit!

What's one to do when you must give a grade, 

but all that I have is the empty folders I made?

Homework is missing, it never is done,

I can't give a grade when I've only received one,

grade that is, but thats just a test.

One thats an F because they won't do their best.

What's one to do?

What's one to do at the first parent night, 

when you sit at your desk, not a soul in sight.

Does no one care, for their young child's grade?

Or to even stop by and see the picture they made.

If their not worth the time, what message does that send

Would they even notice their kid, being blown, in the wind?

What's one to do?

What's one to do as you hear a kids story?

He sits in your class so his parents won't worry.

I'm his only option, I find out today,

to keep him in school and out of jails way.

Stealing a bike may seem kind of fun, 

but what is the fun without a loaded gun?

What's one to do to get them ahead,

as they do things that may get them hurt, or dead?

How do you get failure bred out of a soul,

when its been fed to them constantly on a spoon and a bowl?

You're not worth my time, get out of my life!

The words they hear their dad tell his one wife.

What's one to do for a poor hungry child?

Who refuses to learn, which now is the style.

It's cool not to learn, I'll just go sell drugs.

That'll get all the money and make me big bucks.

I don't need you teacher, you're nothing to me

I'd rather be home, please just let me be!

Do you buckle under pressure, 

and give up on this kid?

Believe what he says

just to get rid?

Make my life easier, my class has one less

or hit the next gear and take your own test?

Let a kid think, that their better than,

the system before them? Wow! What a man!

I don't need help, force or a gun

just me, a book, and a kid one-on-one!

I'm not giving up, I've got faith in you!

Your family may not, but listen! I DO!

I'll make these boys read, 

never giving up hope, 

They won't make their money,

 selling weed, or dope!

This isn't their future, but doctor's and such,

Yea, I dream big, but I'm not asking much!

Give me patience and grace,

I pray every night,

to help my three (now five) boys to open their eyes.

Make me an example.

This is my prayer.

And let my boys know, I WILL always care!

DAY AFTER A BREAK

School was not in session on Monday, as it was off for teacher planning day.  Like I said, these days are awesome to have away from the kids.  However, the penalties that follow does not make up for the hell they bring to class the next day.  This makes me almost happy I don't have to be here when they get back from a break such as Christmas.  If giving them one day off makes them this bad, then giving them several weeks of would be unbearable.  

Dear God, please be with the person who takes over my job in January.  I pray that you would start to prepare them at this very moment for the task they are going to be engaged in.  They know not what they are getting themselves in to.  

Thank you LORD.  

Your humble servant, 

Mistah Isaac

When class starts everyday, homework is the first thing addressed.  Everyone gets out their homework or they sit there ready to endure what is coming if they didn't do it.  Today, everyone just sat there.  That was, except for the two kids who usually do.  They pulled out there work.  I could not believe it.  The funny thing was, we didn't have homework for the weekend.  Not mandatory anyways.  I gave extra credit.  A chance for 50 points, or half of a test.  After everyone in the class flunked the test, these two were the only ones that came prepared to try and better their grades.  Will their parent teacher conferences be easier than the others?  Most likely.  Their grades still are low as they were turned in, but will change.  For the others, how do you not do a simple extra assignment to receive tons of points.  It is incredible!  I just can not figure this out.  Something the world will never know, is why students will not do extra credit, unless it is right when report cards are coming out and they want them better before mom and dad see them.

Then came football practice.  It is the day before a game.  Should be a good practice.  Everyone should be ready to get out there and get with it to win the game tomorrow (actually today now).  After being beat by 34 points, you think they would take things a little more serious.  I don't like coming back and telling the school how bad we got beat, and then having other students laugh as we walk into school the next day.  However, this was not the case in practice.  Everyone wanted to just mess around, forget their clothes for practice, complain that it was too hot, make excuses to go home, and ask every other minute to go to the bathroom.  They do not know it, but we are going to have a totally different lineup today when we take the field.  

My autistic boy that attends every practice, does what he can, and wants to play will be my starting center, even though he can not hike a ball properly.

Dear God, 

Please be with my boys today.  Please be with Alec as he tries to snap a ball.  I pray that you will just let his hands grasp the ball properly and get the ball to the quarterback every time.  Be with my other boys as they stand extremely mad on the sidelines wondering why they aren't playing today.  I ask that you will also be with the other coach, as he shows sympathy on us and doesn't run the scores up.

As your humble servant, I ask this,

Coach Isaac

Having a game on Wednesday, right in the middle of the week is a good way to break up the week for the boys.  Hopefully they will play good and learn something, even if it is how hot you can get when you run.  I hope they learn some sportsmanship as well.  

I do know one thing they are going to learn, and that is to be in shape.  If they lose like they did last game, they will know the real definition of a conditioning camp.

Then, come Thursday, we turn around and have another game.  What more could go wrong this week.  I never want another break in my schedule other than the typical weekend.  I have quickly learned it sets up a horrible week!

TEACHER WORK DAY

I remember back to the three day weekends we had as students due to inservice or planning day for the teachers.  These days were amazing for both the teachers and the students.  Still to this day, these days are awesome for everyone involved.  

Today I went in about 11 o'clock (an hour late).  It was a horrible morning.  I was supposed to be in about 10 o'clock, which meant I had to leave about 10:15.  At about 10, I decided my hair was getting long enough that me going bald was becoming very apparent.  (News flash everyone!  I take after my dad!  As if no one knew that.)  Therefore, I decided to shave it.  Of course it looked totally different, taking an inch off.  I felt like I looked so retarded, even though this is still longer than what it has been the past 4 years.  Oh well, it is just hair, and it will grow back, or be cut even shorter tonight.  Who knows.

Today I found out I had to have all my grades in tomorrow.  Had I had a normal class, this would have been horrible, but I have only the 3 boys, therefore, I was done in about 30 minutes.  While this seems easy to give progress reports, I never knew how hard it was to give someone an, "F" on a document that parents would see and would be stored forever in the metal cabinet at the front of the school.  One of the boys had very poor grades across the whole board.  I did not know how I was going to present this to him, as he tries very hard in class, just doesn't complete homework.  At this moment, I looked up and he was standing there with a HUGE smile on his face.  So glad to see me.  He is always glad to see someone who cares for him.  I found it the perfect moment to sit him down and talk.  This was very difficult, but he really understood everything I was telling him, and I could tell that he was really shocked to see that I actually would give him a low grade, and not just be the "cool" teacher that handed out A's.  I don't know how I am going to do it come the end of the marking term if their grades have not been improved.

The day was spent just talking with other teachers with their ideas about teaching strategies and class discipline.  I really found some helpful things that I think will really get the boys interested in learning and having more fun in the coming future.

When I returned home, it was instant lights out!  I took the best nap of my life, waking up about 8:17 this evening.  What an amazing nap!  I woke up to the smells of supper prepared by the ladies of the house, which proved to be quite a good meal.  

Tomorrow will be a good day full of learning and fun.  (I was always told to be optimistic, but I don't think this is working mom!)

THE DAY OF REST

Sunday.  The day our Creator rested.  A day set aside to remember the Sabbath Day.  What an awesome privilege!

Waking up and deciding on what church to go to is one of the coolest things that I think we are allowed to do.  Something I never have had to do, as I have always just walked 20 feet behind my house, found a pew and sat down to listen to several different men over my life.  However, being on your own, you have to chose to do this, and I am glad I live in a place that allows me to do just this.

Today I attended Coral Gables Congregational church for the second Sunday in a row.  I really do like this church.  It is the most like home, which can be a good thing or a bad.  Today, as we walked in, we were told it was "Green Sunday" as they practice things to save the environment such as not using paper bulletins and reducing light usage.  However, when we got there it bulletins were handed out and the lights were glowing.  It was a surprise service for the pastor, as it was the 30th anniversary for her ordination.  Her family, friends and past colleagues were all present to celebrate this occasion.  It was a great service, but I think it would have been even better had I known the pastor a bit better.  One of the speakers and her close friends was the President of the University of Miami.  She was the U.S. Secretary of Health with the Clinton administration.  It was cool to see someone with this power coming to church to recognize and celebrate such a great mark in this pastors life.  

After a longer service than normal and sitting through service with a broken flip-flop, I slid out of church because I could not walk normal.  The flip-flop "popped" during a hymn not allowing me to walk normal.  It was rather embarrassing to try and walk to great people, but I did what I had to do.

Our house, along with Miss Alicia, the other Caucasian at YLC, cooked lunch at our house.  Chicken Shishcabobs (or however you spell it).  It was an awesome lunch followed by an awesome afternoon at the beach.  Several of us spent the day in South Beach, walking through the city and laying on the beach while the others stayed back and watched the Dolphins game with some old friends.  The beach was awesome, as it was not hot enough to be miserable out.  Sometimes the sun is so direct there that you just fry.  It was a prefect day to lay out there though and watch people.  People such as the lesbian couple that was kissing, the homeless women laying on the sidewalk and calling the policeman that was trying to move her some profane words, and a man carrying a 5-foot albino python.  You always run into some different people in that part of the city, but it is awesome to see the different cultures and people represented in such a small area.  You never have any idea the stories or lives that have been lived that are now crossing paths with your life on the beach.

Right at sunset, I saw some dorsal fins swimming out in the water, telling my room mates to watch out for the sharks out there as they were taking off for the water.  Of course they didn't believe me, yet, when the people sitting around us started saying the same things, they watched for a bit.  Suddenly, groups of dolphins were jumping and swimming as they and the pelicans were feeding there close to the beach.  What an awesome night to see God's creation as the sun rays were coming over the buildings in the background and the lightning bolts were coming out of the heavens above the ocean.  All forms of natural light were just being illuminated over the water, and it was a spectacular view.  God is so good!

SERVICE

Saturday!  My day of rest.  Not so fast.........

This past Saturday, the house went down to Florida City where one of my room mates works at an after school program called "Branches."  Branches is in a very poor place where there seems to be lots of crime.  The whole town, while built full of big condos, is all government funded housing.  They were built to try and attract people to move there, but the opposite occurred.  No one moved down, and now these nice houses are all really part of the "hood."  It is funny to know you are in the ghetto, yet see all these nice houses!

Their program had a family service day for the kids in the program and their parents.  Wanting to see where our room mate worked, the ones available from our house went and helped.  They had many events or things planned for the people that showed up, however, it poured rain all day.  Therefore, I do not know how much got done that they wanted done and h

ow much improv they did at finding jobs.  However, I was assigned to paint murals all day since they knew I was an artist.  The first one was to continue or finish a mural of a tree that was already started.  It was very hard to do as it was not my style, didn't have the same paint colors (so I had to try and mix to match) and was painting in a small, very busy hallway.  Very packed with people at times.  Work seemed impossible there.  Finally, after that was done, I was put in the outside bathroom, trying to make it look a little nicer.  They lets kids loose

 in it one day with paint and brushes to make a mural, but they wanted something to almost cover it up.  I felt bad covering the work of the children, so I tried to fill in the blank spots with Hibiscus flowers.  They always said in painting class that you should paint things that interest you.  It makes the work look better and you have more fun doing it.  Well duh!  Let me 

tell you, hibiscus flowers are not my favorite thing in the world.  I kind of feel bad because I did not do that good of a job, and it was really hard to go back and try to fix them, as I knew they just weren't me.  (The two big flowers are the ones I did, over top of some of the little kids art.)

As the evening came to a close, we ate supper there with the locals and the people of Branches and then came home to reunite with our room mate JJ who had been in Pennsylvania with business the whole week.  It was good to finally have my room mate back and get a little bit of testosterone back in the house.  All the estrogen was starting to get to me I think.  We once again are a big (little) happy family!

THE DAY OF TESTS

I have never really known exactly what my boys have been learning.  It is always hard to really tell exactly what is going on in their heads.  Do they really do their own homework?  Well, when they turn it in.  I always hated tests growing up, but I knew that would have to be the way to tell.  I would offer the option of letting them write papers, but I know none of them would want that at all, therefore, I just wrote them tests.  Four of them to be exact.  English, Science, Social Studies and Spelling.  I thought this would really be an easy day, as I would just sit and work on things for next week.  Most teachers would know though, four tests on one day means grading four tests at the same time.  You can easily tell; I am a rookie teacher.  You only make these mistakes once.  It took all day and night to grade those things.  Especially english ones that do not have straight up yes and no answers.  These take forever to grade.

This aside, it was basically a good day.  There was some trouble with catching the boys attempting to cheat, but nothing too serious.  I good loud yell followed by threatening to rip their test in half gave them a good scare.  There is nothing they hate more than zeros.  Funny since they get at least one a day for not doing their homework.  

After school we had practice at the Little Haiti park, which is a very nice place.  It is a huge field that has lots of space.  It should since we have to pay to use it each time.  After we get there, warm up and start practice, a golf cart full of Haitian children and a leader showed up, moved one of the soccer goals in the middle of our field and were getting ready to leave.  Until the only 6' 8" white-man within a 5 mile or so radius started yelling.  "What are you guys doing on my practice field?"  The man acted like he didn't hear me and just started to walk away.  Remembering the beating we took the night before, I knew we needed the whole field to do sprints, and I was not going to have a soccer goal in the middle.  I tossed the balls to my boys and took off after the guy.  He got on his golf cart after seeing me coming and went to take off, but finally just waited to see what I was going to say.  I walked over and kindly asked him what was going on.  He stumbled around his words for a bit and then got very almost violent as he went off verbally on me.  He had orders to do that, and it was his park and he was going to do it, and I didn't need this huge field for such a little number of people.  He never would give me an answer to what he was doing.  Finally, after I told him I wasn't here to fight, but to just see why he was taking my field and if I was going to get half of my money back since I could only use half of the field, he said they were planting grass.  This proved to be a lie as we practice for two hours and never saw anyone again.

However, the local boys showed up to watch, so I went and talked to them assembled a team out of them to scrimmage us and put them on the field.  Didn't know that they were from a nearby High School that my boys don't like.  Lots of words were flying, but it was fun to finally see some enthusiasm to win in my boys.  I asked these guys to come back on Tuesdays and Fridays, so hopefully they will show.  It would be the best thing I know to get my boys fired up to finally win a game!!

FLAG FOOTBALL HALL-OF-FAME

"To get somewhere you've never been, you have to do something you've never done!"

-YLC EAGLES motto

Aren't people supposed to live and die by mottos? Well, today, I suppose we died by it, however, we didn't even try to live by it. How will we ever live by our motto if we don't even try.

As we load the bus to go to the game, there was a constant chant from the team. "Who we are? EAGLES! What we gunna do? FLY HIGH!" This went on over and over for about 30 minutes. As a coach, listening to the boys cheering each other up and getting pumped for the game is exactly what you want to see. Today could turn out to be a good day. Why do these boys fool me with EVERYTHING??? Of COURSE it wasn't going to turn out. I had seen them practice so I knew there was no chance of a win, especially knowing we were playing the champs from last year. But I went in with a big heart, hoping there was a way to pull out a win.

The boys run ahead to the field to maximize their time of warm-ups before starting. As I walk the half-mile to the field, it gives them about 10 minutes before I get there to stretch. However, when I get there, all that is stretching is their jaws. Of course they are yelling at each other, not even close to getting in proper lines. Everyday we ask for three men in front, with people lined up behind them. Each day we get closer and closer, but when you are still trying to start with 6 lines, it makes you want to scream. So we did just that. Lots of it!

After a pitiful warmup, we finally got the team in a huddle and talked a bit before the game. The only thing we won was the coin toss, and still about messed up that call. Good thing the coaches were there to confer with, otherwise, we would have won the coin toss and kicked off. Something NOT in our game plan.

As the game started, our first play ended up in an interception. Not our first possession and series of downs, not close to our first, but the first time we snapped the ball, we gave it right to the other team. Therefore, we did lose the coin toss. This is how the whole game went. That is, until, miraculously, we completed a 78-yard pass to my center and student, Mr. Jude. He made it to the (we will say around the) 2-yard line. Then, the other team caught him and got his flag, saving the touchdown. Do you think we scored? Absolutely not! Do you think we threw the next ball for a touchdown to the other team as they run it right through us and we walk with our heads down? Of course! So, this really is how the game went. 40 straight minutes of it.

In the fourth quarter, the other team finally put in their D squad. I wish I was making this up. Out of nowhere, we ran a play perfectly, selling the fake perfectly, and completing a pass for a touchdown to bring the score to 6-41 with no time. They let us run the conversion and we got that too, making the final 7-41. As a coach, my record really is 0-1, however, id consider saying I am like -5 and 1 after that performance.

So what do you do with a team of boys who won't run in a game, yells at each other, doesn't wear the proper uniform to games or school? Well, what we do is run them. A lot! Around an hour and a half lot! Right after the game! On the same field! In front of fans! They knew they had a sprint for every unanswered point we lost by. 41-7=34. We ran every single one of them, kinda. We jogged. So, we kept running, and doing up-downs and running. Were the boys mad? Of course, but do they understand? YES!!! They got the point of what we were doing. We had boys coming after practice to say they are done screwing around and are stepping it up. It is sad we have to do things like this to get them to look at reality a bit, but if it must be done, we will do it. Again and again until they have it pounded in their heads.

By the end of the season, I have a feeling my entire team is going to hate Joel Gerber and Vance Williams, the master-minds behind all the sprints and punishments they are doing!

A BREAK IS A BREAK

To train or to be trained.  THAT is the question?

Today, I had a much needed break from the boys, football, teaching and everything else that comes with the school.  No, I am not hating my work, so stop thinking that.  It is just, when working with special needs when that is not your field, you may get burnt out.  For special education teachers, who choose this as their field and are properly trained, the burnout rate is three to five years.  So, for a new, rookie art teacher dropout, they burnout rate is day 1.  I tried to Wikipedia it, but no one posted on that, therefore, I made the stat up.  However, it seems quite accurate.  I have made it about 4 weeks longer than the average.  This is even when making a whopping thirty-seven and one-half cents an hour, or 3 dollars a day (That is for eight hours days.  I, however, work 10 hours a day, or close to it.)  I'd say I deserve a break.

While it wasn't the typical sleep in and go out to eat sort of day, I was up an hour earlier than normal.  I had to be on the complete opposite side of Miami for a training on software that we use with these boys.  While everyone at the school has been to it, and suffered through the three-hour tutorial that even the most computer-illiterate person would understand, I still had to go sit through it.  I am not complaining.  I was not sitting at the table next to the office with one set of legs balancing to hold the table up.  (Otherwise known as Mr. Isaac's room.) It was at the airport Hampton Inn in their conference room.  FUlly equipped with cinnamon rolls, donuts, bagels and every other gluten infested goodie known to man.  I settled for 2 big cups of coffee, loaded with sugar and creamer.  The perfect start to a day.  

After about 3 minutes of the presentation, I knew I didn't want to be there.  However, being the responsible and mature adult that God miraculously turned me into, I thought back to when my three act up in class or don't pay attention while I'm teaching.  Quickly, I kept paying attention though I could have completed the training alone within thirty minutes.  As I looked around this room full of other teachers, they all had their phones out texting, surfing the web, checking facebook, and everything else other than what they were supposed to be doing.  I was by far the youngest person in the room, but I was the only responsible one.  I really felt quite good about myself.  As the speaker walked around checking every computer to see if everyone was following along, I was the only one the knew that was doing it and didn't have to check.  My first A+ ever!  I left with a huge gold sticker on my heart.  Well, I thought, or wished.  No such luck.

During my two and a half hour break between reading and math sessions, I went back to the school to get the power chord to the laptop that my school had forgot to put in the bag.  It was a chance however to collect homework, see how my boys were treating the sub and grab a nice, free creole lunch.  I did say free.  No money.  No cost.  Given to me.  A gift.  Like Christmas.  I didn't pay.  I am saving every penny of that 37 I made today.  Need it all to get back home for Christmas.  Or a tattoo, whatever I feel is more important!

I then returned to the second training, finding it to be quite informative.  (once again, this is sarcasm)  As I sat doing kindergarten math for an hour, my brain started falling asleep.  I had to leave.  About that time, my computer died, I didn't feel like plugging in the chord and besides, I knew what I was doing.  I asked permission to leave, it was granted and I headed for home.  One great way to end a day away from work is by enjoying a three hour nap!  And I took advantage of every second of it.  That is why I am still awake even though I need to be to work in a few hours.

Overall, while I make fun of it, today really was informative and should help in getting these boys to learn to read better.  It is good to understand the equipment our school has and get on with using it properly.  

Tomorrow is our first football game.  I am excited to see what happens.  In the slim chance we win, I look forward to all the calls from Hollywood, asking for movie rights.  Get ready America....Coach Shue will soon be coming to a theater near you! 

SUPER TUESDAY VIDEO

Here is the link to the video.  I think you will enjoy these children!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJCk5Nj12_c 

If this doesn't make a link, just copy and paste in the address bar.

SUPER TUESDAY

Every day, school starts off by having a school-wide devotion time in the back room.  Every Tuesday, it is called chapel and runs for a whole hour, while people sing, dance, pray and have scripture.  It really is entertaining watching all my students praise God.  They do it in a form that I have never really encountered for such a long period of time.  One Tuesday out of every month, we have what is called Super Tuesday, where worship is about an hour and a half, with lots of dancing, singing, reading, talking and praying.  It is ended by a school wide breakfast, prepared by Valentine, the school chef.  Well, today was Super Tuesday.  I was very excited for this event, as the worship leader taught me this rap dance that I was supposed to surprise the school with and break into it at the front.  Well, like any other big event that you try so hard to wake up for, my phone wasn't plugged in, and the alarm did not go off.  Therefore, I woke up an hour late, missed the dance, but caught a good portion of the festivities at school.  

Now, after having children wound up like this for such a period in the morning, then giving them juice and syrup, you may wonder how they get them to focus on school for the rest of the day.  Here is your answer.  They don't!  It was possibly one of the hardest days to get them to focus on anything.  However, I was saved as the entire afternoon was taken up to run some football errands around downtown Miami.  What an answer to prayer!

Today we finally got the team to practice on a real field.  We rented a private field to get them a little bit of experience with running on a normal size field.  It was awesome to see them out there.  What wasn't awesome was seeing them thinking this was a huge joke.  A day away from the school must mean it is time to screw around.  To put it lightly, telling someone to run, and they run is quite possibly one of the best jobs ever.  You get to stay in the shade and tell them to run in the hot sun!  AWESOME!  With two days until the first kickoff, we still have trouble even getting them to stay in a huddle, trouble snapping a ball, can't catch a pass, can't do a running play, and can't do jumping jacks as a team.  We still can't.  You would think that after a few weeks, high school boys could do this, but we can't.  Let me tell you how embarrassing it is to have the locals watching our practice, and just laughing.  And, to top it off, the boys think something funny happened, so they stop what they are doing and laugh too, not knowing that everyone is laughing at them.  Hopefully, just hopefully we will be able get everyone to say the motto properly before the first game.  My goal isn't to score a point, but it is to make sure that everyone is wearing the same uniform.  A uniform that we provide for them.  It will be amazing if we can even do that together!  (It sounds like I hate this part of my job!  I don't.  It just gets extremely frustrating when they don't even seem to care!)

Well, I need to get up very early in the morning to go to a training for a program the school uses.  They need a representative, and it is a program that my three use quite often, therefore, I am the one that needs to learn it the most, then I can teach it to the staff that want to learn it.  I am looking forward to a day away from school.  Almost a "midweek weekend" if you will...

I am trying to post a video of Super Tuesday so when that happens, I will let you know!

SUPER TUESDAY

CATHEDRALS, IGUANAS AND JUMPING JACKS

As for Sunday, the house attended Coral Gables Congregational Church, which is the oldest building in Coral Gables.  It is a big, cathedral like, church building that has obvious history to it.  However, I am unaware of any of the history.  That doesn't mean it doesn't have any worth writing home about though!

As for the afternoon, I lugged out the Amish lawnmower, and started to clip the lawn.  It doesn't work that well, but I went in with a good spirit.  After 30 minutes of nothing looking different, I kept going, and going, and going, and going.  I stopped for a second to wipe my sweat that naturally happens when you exit your house, and sometimes happens when you are inside. When I looked down, the grass moved a bit, but I didn't really care.  All I wanted was for it to die, or just be shorter.  I took a step to start mowing again when a WHISH!!! went below me and the grass was running.  Actually, the grass wasn't running, but the 3-foot iguana was running that had been trapped under my foot.  These guys are wild down here and we see one every once in a great while.  I ran to show my room mates, but when we got back outside, he was running down the street.  If you have never seen this sight, you should go buy one, put a long leash on it, and let it go down the street.  They run so funny!

As the morning came today, I did the usual and went to school.  This was the first week that I had lesson plans written out to go by.  Let me tell you what, the day goes by so much faster and smoother when you have a plan and don't "wing" the whole thing.  Now I know why teachers do that!

The boys definitely didn't do all their homework.  However, some was done so I was at least half-way happy.  This is a good start to the week.  Another thing I quickly learned is that they enjoy school and pay attention much more when there is a definite "plan" to the day.  They can look at it and see what to expect throughout the day.  

Today was the first day of science class for us, and it sure was fun to see what I remembered from the science teacher I had while I was their age.  Sure wish I would have payed more attention to that ole guy.  He just didn't keep things as interesting in class as I tend to :)  love you dad!  But it really was fun to get to teach this.  I really felt the teaching style of my father coming through, as I obviously taught it in the same style.  It is so weird how fast the responsibility changes as I go from the student to the teacher.  I would like to publicly apologize to all my teachers for any fuss I may have caused in their classrooms.  I truly am sorry right now.  Every person should have to teach at least once in their life to understand what it really is about.  A person grows up so fast when put into that position.  

Today, we finally had another practice for the team, however, half-way through we were told we had to get off of the grass at school.  We still don't have a field to practice on and we have our first game in three days.  Oh wow am I excited for that one.  I think we are the underdogs by about 57 points or so.  And that is giving us the benefit of the doubt!  Just for a small example: today at practice, we ran a drill that worked with centers, QB's and wide receivers.  Basically, the center just practiced snapping, while the QU practiced their drops steps and passes and wide receivers practiced catching and routes.  If the receiver dropped the pass, the QB had a horrible throw, or the center had a terrible snap, they had to run a lap around the property.  Basically, we had a track team, because no one can do anything right and just had to run.  Next, we tried to do jumping jacks.  As a team.  Together.  But we couldn't even do that!  We would make it to 8 or 9 before someone was totally off.  I went and got a kindergarten girl out of the school, dressed fully in her school outfit and asked her to do a set of jumping jacks.  As this girl made it to thirty perfectly as I counted her, I sat wondering why these 12 boys couldn't make it to ten, like she had just done perfectly on her first time.  This just gives you a brief introduction to the team.  We will make it though.  I am determined to win at least one game.  Even if I have to tan my skin and play center....we...will...win!!

RELAX-ATION

Ah! The weekend.  What a much needed one, that is for sure!

Saturday morning the house woke up, got around a bit, then decided to hit the beach.  Why not?  It was stormy and no one else would be there.  We got into JJ's convertible and hit the Interstate with our hair blowing in the wind.  It takes just a bit to get to North Beach from our place but not anything long.  When we finally got there, the sun had came out a bit and was extremely humid.  These conditions make beaches a very private place, as there were very few people willing to dodge the lightning strikes and winds.  

We spread out our blankets, took off the appropriate clothing, since it is a nude beach.  ( just kidding mom )  But really, took off shirts, shorts and whatever else leaving our bathing suit covered bodies out in the sun.  Being a cloudy day, how is the sun going to hit our skin?  Duh!  The worst day for a burn, and did that prove true.  I turned bright red and sore as we took long walks on the beach and swam in the mighty Atlantic.  

The day was cut a little short as Alicia, a fellow Mennonite girl from Nebraska, and I had arrangements to meet up with other Mennonites who all graduated Goshen College in their day as well.  They were all Husker fans, and with the Huskers playing VT, it was televised out here.  We met for supper and the game.  The afternoon was filled with great conversation, sharing many stories.  The lady of the house sat by my Pa in Hesston College choir, and is also Faith Penner's first cousin.  This made for some entertaining stories!

We then had to leave that early also.  Alicia also works at Yvonne Learning Center and they had a youth worship service up there Saturday evening, therefore, we felt like we should support or students, so we went.  What an experience.  It went about the complete opposite of something the youth back home would do.  Lots of free style rapping, dancing and yelling going on, mixed with colorful lights and fog machines.  According to my principal it was, "a club for kids held in the church."  Definitely not Mennonite!  However, I got up in front of church and gave them my rendition of a dance as everyone circled around shouting, "GO ISAAC, GO ISAAC!!"  It was quite entertaining I am sure.

The evening concluded by returning home to my quiet room mates as we put in a movie together and fell asleep.  The perfect Saturday for sure.

CULTURAL EXPERIENCE

Want a cultural experience?  Want to feel the intense heat of Miami from anywhere in the world?  I just discovered the perfect recipe for you:

1 Jalapeno

2 Contacts

1 Head without a brain

First, take the jalapeno and cut it into nice small chunks, covering your fingers in its oil.  Second, use that head of yours and walk straight to the bathroom since you can't see what your doing without your contacts.  Next, put the contact in your finger, open your eye, place contact onto eyeball, pushing it around until it is comfortable.  Finally, close the eye and let the heat take over!

Let simmer for about 30 seconds and you will feel like you are in Miami, or hell.  I hear both are pretty hot!

FRIDAYS TIME LINE

7:15 AM-Alarm goes off

7:20 Roll out of bed, do my thing, brush teeth, come hair and put on deodorant

7:30 Put on my outfit.  Today I was a rebel and wore a nice polo with dress pants.  No tie!

7:45 Load up the van and take off

7:46 Stuck in traffic

7:47 Still sitting

8:30 Get to work after a long commute and conversation with brother Jeremy

8:35 Three boys come to class

8:40 Give out about five "incomplete" grades because they aren't finished

8:41 Give a Math test followed by a Spelling test

8:58 Yell at the boys because they flunk everything and don't care

9:00 Work on phonics

9:40 New spelling words

-They all inform me that THIS week they are going to good.  That has been the story since I've been here.

9:42 They write each spelling word 20 times to have it pounded in their head

10:20 Tell them to put stuff away, and get out their reading books

10:28 After going to the office to make a copy, return to class

-Find the boys sprinting back from the other class when they hear the door, as they knock over chairs and tables.

10:30 I release some much needed anger through oral communication

10:40 They start reading the Reading Book as I prepare worksheets for them

11:00 Start writing class

-which definitely is not my forte!

11:05 The constant "can I go to the bathroom" begins

11:06 The constant "no" also begins

11:25 Clean up

-take them to Mr. Samir while I'm on lunchroom duty

11:30 Lunch-K-5 first

-constantly on your feet chasing little kids, forcing food down their throats (not literally).  Constant complaining of the heat and needing to go inside.  "Look at me kids, I'm all dressed up and sweat more than you and I have 2 hours out here!  BE QUIET!"

12:15 PM-Middle school and High school lunch

-my relaxing time as they can control themselves.  My job quickly goes from babysitter to bouncer.

1:00 My official break and lunch period

-this is when I feel closest to God! :)

1:15 My break is interrupted and stolen as I have to watch my boys

1:20 I do the typical "Haitian" style of punishment to straighten a boy out

-Make the boy think about what he has done while he stands in the sun for a bit.  Needless to say, they stop what they were doing when you mention this, let alone do it

1:30 Try to start something productive

-they will never settle down until about 2

1:45 Finally start Social Studies

1:50 Mrs. Cruz (middle school teacher) asks me to com help quick.  Which is never good!

- walk into he room to see the largest cat-fight ever.  One best friend supposedly went betrayed another best friend and the girls were in an uproar.  I jump in and separate them.  Then hear the voice of one of my football players telling me to, "Get out of here coach, it isn't your business."  He is lucky we don't have practice until Monday, but I have a memory that lasts over the weekend.  Monday we will see if he does.

2:00 Back to work

2:02 Someone announces that their backpack is missing

-of course one of my three stole it and took pencils out of the bag.  He never confessed, but we wasted about 30 minutes trying to get it out of him.  This is a typical occurrence with him.  Always lying, but we are working on that. 

2:35 I try to teach them about maps and what a key and compass is

2:36 They are more interested in watching the elementary girls run around than learn

2:36.47.58 I AM PISSED AND GO OFF!

2:37 They write lines (I will never again not pay attention!) until the end of school

-If they stop I lay into them that they had better keep going

2:55 School is over and I personally escort them out ASAP

3:05 I start lesson plans for the next week

3:07 They are somehow back in my room annoying me

3:45 Still have nothing done

4:45 Finally leave the school excited to relax

4:46 See my boys walking the streets

-I drive over and they take off running thinking I was going to hit them with my van.  I find out they are walking to church for play practice.  "Can we have a ride Mr. Isaac?"  I want to say, "Let me check the grade book and see if you have made up all your zeros!"  I don't have the heart, load them up, and take them to the other side of Little Haiti to church

4:55 Finally on my way home to what I plan on being a peaceful weekend!

6:00 Rented some movies

6:45 Bought a new camera

7:45 BBQ under the palm trees-nothing better

10:00 Remember the Titans

-Trying to get some ideas of coaching these guys.  Next is Coach Carter, followed by Glory Road.

Seems like a hectic day to some, and even to me when it is typed out.  Many points are left out because they may be inappropriate for some to read.  I like my G-rated blog.  This morning is going to be awesome as I am headed to the Beach and then to some Mennonite people's house that I don't know for a taco bar and NEBRASKA CORNHUSKER FOOTBALL!!!! (I'd rather have someone hang me upside down on a clothesline by my toenails!)  ROCK CHALK!

How do people change so much from one day to the next?  One day, my three boys are just crazy, however the next, they all three come with all the homework done and excited to learn.  Then, just 24 short hours later, they are back to square one!  It seems like they would just get in a patter, hopefully the one of being good, and stick to it.  The days go by so much faster when the teacher is in a good mood.  (Well, they go by so much faster FOR the teacher when he is in a good mood.  Maybe not for the boys.)  The day went on, and finished.  It wouldn't have finished had the boys not had PE today, which takes them out of my hair for the last hour of the day.  What a relief!  It was like the weekend had already came!

After school, the boys like to play basketball on their outdoor court and al

ways beg me to come play.  I remind them it isn't fun for them, because I haven't ever lost a game when playing them.  (The rim is about 8 foot high with a bend down rim, therefore, I can dunk it on my knees.  Not fair at all)  They still always want to play.  I changed my clothes and walked through the preschool room to exit the back way of the school.  When I walked through, I stopped to pick up Zachary (the little boy in my facebook profile picture with the awesome dreads).  I have really become attached to this little trouble maker that no one wants to be responsible for.  He is always so happy to see me coming because he knows he is going to get some attention.  After I put him down to head on out, Mrs. Marcie, the teacher, said, "Zachary, tell Mr. Isaac bye."  All of a sudden I hear this, "Bye daddy."  As I turn to see him reaching his arms back out at me to pick him up again.  Mrs. Marcie lit up as she had never seen Zachary this way with a male figure.  At first I won't lie, it kind of struck me in a very weird kind of way, that was a little uncomfortable, but then I realized how awesome it really is for Zachary to have someone actually care about him, and to know that I was someone making a difference in this kids life changed it all for me.  His dad is either in jail or left his mother shortly after he was born.  He has never had a male figure in his life.  This then struck up a conversation about th

e majority of the children at the school who don't "have" father-figures.  This just made my heart break as I picked Zach up and he just laid his head on my shoulder so peacefully.  I just wanted to stick him in my pocket and kind of steal him.  I just pray that when I leave, someone else (male wise) could take an interest in him and become a great role model.  Because at the age of three, Zachary is already on the path to living a very unsafe and unhealthy life.  His actions in class are just so much different, violent and uncaring than the other children.  That is except when I am with him.  He straightens right up when I am close by.  It is an awesome thing!

(The picture is of Zachary left and Andre right.  Who wouldn't want those kids?)  

Tonight, and every Thursday night, was community night as we come together as a house and talk about the week, goals, and everything else that we feel like needs to be discussed.  We also eat the one meal of the week together that we are all home for.  It really is a fun time to get to know the room mates a little bit better, as we all have such drastically different schedules.  It is amazing that we have one night even that we can all be together.  However, next weeks community night will have to be at Amelia Earhart stadium, as I coach my first football game ever.  It is very exciting to be reaching that point, however, very frustrating as we still have not had a real practice.  The boys can't even run plays outside the school anymore.  We can only do little drills, but the other coach thinks it is a waste of time, so he calls of practice.  Oh well I suppose.  But I feel like we raised a lot of money to have a good experience and learn to live with what we have, not just put things off because we don't have Miami Dolphins Stadium to practice in.  However, the season will go on, and I just pray that I will have an impact on these guys as players.  Sometimes I feel like I expect too much out of them, such as looking sharp at school.  Everyone must wear a tie, but they always have them half-way pulled up.  When I see this, I stop my team and make them look good.  It isn't much to ask, but they seem like it is such a huge deal.  They are used to sagging the pants and wearing baggy shirts.  If I can get them to the point where they care about what they look like, and want to look as nice as possible, it will be amazing, but we have a long ways to go.  I'm determined to make it happen!

180 DEGREES

While it still feels this warm, it really isn't.  Well, wearing a long-sleeve black shirt with an undershirt and a tie pulling 2 hours of lunch duty in the Miami sun, I think it may have been that hot.  

180 degrees is referring the attitude change in my three boys today.  It was a complete change from yesterday.  As different as my skin is to theirs.  It was as if three different boys came to school today, excited to learn.  That is right!  They were EXCITED to learn today.  I could not believe it as I taught them.  It really makes teaching so much more easy and fun when someone is actually paying attention, taking notes and saying OH MR. ISAAC!  I GET IT NOW!!!!  Ever turned on a light bulb?  Yup, sorta like that.

As I get to school, every morning the routine is the same.  "Good morning gentlemen.  Get out your assignments for me to look at."  Every other day they all sit there with a frown as no one had touched their homework.  Being a student who never learned in the way most teachers teach, I understood that it is possible to teach children in ways that most teacher's don't try.  You have to find out how the boys learn and how they are motivated to do things.  While I am still working on this, I think I am finally reaching a point.  These boys love hands-on learning.  They have to have their hands in the lesson, whether it is them taking notes or actually at the board doing work.  If they sit there listening, it goes right through their little heads.  Today, I finally told them to get out some paper and take notes.  I was expecting some major groans, but didn't receive any as the all got papers out without question and started copying what I wrote on the board.  At the end, they were excited to get their homework  and start doing it since they actually understood it today.  This makes me very excited to go back to work and ask to get their homework, because I KNOW that it will be done.  There is not question or doubt.

As I went to school today though, I had a little bit of questioning in my mind.  I do not know why, because I trust the boys and kids in the school completely.  However, yesterday at Coral Gables High School, which is I think the closest school to my house, two boys started quarreling when one decided to not just end the fight, but end the other boys life as he pulled out his knife and stabbed the boy in the chest, as he was watched by other children in the room.  What makes a person do something to this extreme?  Where can we have safe environments anymore?  As you hear about the school shooting and murders in the huge cities, you think how awful it is, but then you go on with your day.  But, when you live in that city, and spend your days in the schools with these children, your mind starts to wonder in some very weird ways.  Trusting my boys fully, I know they left the school yesterday EXTREMELY mad at me as the feeling was mutual for all parties involved.  This kept entering my mind as I entered the school today.  I asked the boys for their bags, so I could check through them before class started.  We have the authority to do this whenever we feel appropriate, therefore, I did it.  However, I found something I never expected.  Completed worksheets in every single bag I checked.  I knew the day was going to be great as each boy followed up with a giant smile plastered on their face.  They finally felt the feeling of completing something and making a teacher happy.  Something I do not think these guys have experienced in about five years.

The day was finished up as I was in a meeting with many folks of the community.  This meeting was something I did not think I would ever be a part of.  As I work with Haitians, I start learning about their culture and appreciating it.  Some local Haitians, including the principal and her husband, are trying to start a Med School in Haiti, yet, need supporters.  At the end of October and beginning of November, a group is going to Haiti for the grand opening of this clinic.  Somehow, I was designated to be on the group that goes and starts this clinic.  Do I have any background for anything dealing with starting a Med School in Haiti?  Well lets see: no Med School background, no Haitian background, no entrepreneurship background or anything else I could think of that would be good to have to attend this trip.  However, I believe that I will be spending Halloween in Haiti this year, which, (God help me) could be the scariest haunted house I have ever been to.  (I am not worried about that at all, just seemed kinda fitting)

FOR REAL!

What do you call 3 students who won't listen to anything and won't do any homework?

Annoying and the cause of some continuous headaches!

The highlight of today was coming home and taking a 2 hour nap....enough said!

KINDERGARTEN, FIRST AND SECOND GRADES

So basically, these three words or grades could all be summed up by one single word in the English language.  It starts with "H" and ends in "ell."  And it isn't "hotel" with an extra "l!"  Thats right!  These kids are straight from hell, or I'd like to think that is where they come from.

As I got to school, I went to check on my first grade girl that has a crush on me.  However, I went to do my daily check-in on her to see how her spelling test went on Friday.  However, when I got in there, no adult was present and then children were wondering what was going on.  I checked in with the office, to discover that the teacher called off for the week.  The substitute was on Miami time, like usual, and came about an hour late.  Thinking of the greatest opportunity to get away from the three boys for a bit, I offered to watch and entertain them until he could arrive.  Let me just tell you, if you ever want to appreciate your job, volunteer to watch these kids for about 5 minutes.  I can guarantee you that being handcuffed and locked in a room with 15 spider monkeys, armed with ball-peen hammers would be much more relaxing.

These "little people" as I will refer to them, somehow have reserves of energy the size of the Hoover Dam stored up inside of them, which seems to get recharged with every cookie.  And for some reason, the school keeps shoveling them down their throats.  I have some news: if children are this crazy, why do you not shove carrots down their throats instead of sugar coated donuts and peanut butter?  It is not rocket science?  This is something you don't even need a kindergarten education to know, but, somehow, it happens everyday.  Twenty-two screaming, whiney voices is enough to make a person pull their hair out.  Dad obviously should have quit teaching much earlier!  With 3 children running around who refuse to put their heads down, one who cries when the air brushes by his face, one who thinks the house for his middle two fingers on his left hand is his mouth, and a girl in the front row who won't quit staring at me with her "sexiest" first-grade smile (and let me just make this clear, SHE thought it was sexy, not me) it makes things really complicated to maintain control.  Using my problem-solving mind that God blessed me with, I quickly tried to think of what I could do to get their attention fast.  However, just because God gave me a mind that could think quick in options like this, it isn't a mind that makes the best "quick" decisions.  Thinking I had the perfect answer, I asked Miss Vanessa, the girl in the front row who thinks I'm cute, for a piece of paper and quick.  She rips one out and I fold it as fast as I can into an airplane and promise them if they don't yell that I will fly it.  Was I being serious with myself right now?  What first-grader won't yell at this?  Let me just give myself a sign (Bill Engvall fans will know this reference)!  Twenty-two jumping and screaming children came running at me, each armed with a sheet of lined paper, demanding a plane for them as well.  To look at the brighter side of things, at least I was making them each a rocket ship made out of toothpicks!

When I finally got the last planes made, the substitute showed up.  While my idea kept the kids happy and busy, it didn't make my life any easier!

The rest of the day was smooth sailing as the three boys seemed like angels.  Really is amazing how comparing one hell to another makes you appreciate one better.  Kinda weird but awesome!  As lunch came, I saw the football boys all eating their mountain of food that they receive from the lunch lady everyday.  Thinking back to being so nervous about practice that I couldn't eat lunch I ask, "Has anyone ever thrown up from running so much?"  Of course, none of them ever had, and thought it was ridiculous that I ever had.  I told them to eat up everything and enjoy it, because I was going to make sure they tasted it later in the day.  As practice came, my boys learned what a workout was, as we did many things they had never done, such as wall sits, directed push-ups, and duckwalks.  And lots of each of them!  At the end of practice I finally became as official "mean coach" as my quarterback hit the flower beds, losing his rice and beans!  Such memories that came back to me as I watched the stuff pour out of his mouth!  They soon will realize that they are not going to be the most talented people on the field, but they will be the best in shape!  I used to hate when my coaches said that, but boy how I love saying it!

HAITIAN CHURCH

This will be a long blog!  You are being forewarned...

As the day of the BBQ was approaching, I asked the Beauregard clan (the principal and her children that work at the school) to attend so they could see where I lived and meet my room mates.  Appropriately, they invited me as well to attend their church.  I had been planning on attending this church for a while, but didn't want to just show up.  So I did the polite thing and waited for the invitation.

Saturday night, I realized I had no idea where the church was or when it started, so I called the Beauregard cell phone and got all the details.  Church stated at 9:30 I was told, so I left about 9 to ensure I would not be late.  I did the good thing and called my mom on the way to church to let her know I was being saved for the week, however, being lost in conversation with her, I got lost in Little Haiti.  Not the place you tend to want to be lost.  However, the houses were much nicer, remembering I was near the north border and must have left the "neighborhood."  I turned around and got to the church about 9:25, but there were no cars.  I called the phone again and sure enough I was at the right place, but only 5 minutes b

efore church started.  Yvrose, my principal, greeted me at the door with a smiling face.  It was a door straight into the sanctuary.  Of course it is a door at the very front where everyone watches who is late to church.  I walk in and turn my head to find about 200 staring chairs sitting completely empty.  Five minutes for church and I was the first person.  Therefore, I sat and talked to Yvrose and Patrick (her husband and pastor of the church) for a good thirty minutes before someone else came in.   A young mother with her two children sat right next to me.  After about 3 minutes, Patrick jumped up to the pulpit and starts welcoming everyone there as if 500 people sat there.  However, there were four of us, and he wasn't even looking at us or making the hand motions at us, but the invisible people in the congregation.  He then broke into song, which surprisingly was a Christmas song.  He sang it acappella accompanied by me and a crying boy.  As us five whole people in the congregation seemed to be worshipping, I sat there wondering if he was practicing the service or what, but Patrick just kept on going w

ith it as if he was giving the State of the Union Address.  Slowly, people started knocking on the door as the preacher would walk away from the mic, yet keep on preaching.  I really thought it must be a very little church.  But the line of people coming in just seemed to keep going.  After 45 minutes of listening to the sermon, or what I thought was the sermon, he said he was making his last point.  When the last "point" was made, he finished up by saying, "This is the end of sunday school.  We will now continue with the service," and just like that he went into the service by starting another speech.  Now that I knew that was Sunday School, it made sense to me.  Very few people come to that, but the church was now full for the service.

The sermon started off by sounding like a very Mennonite sermon as he talked of the peace-lovers in the world and the peace-makers in the world.  However, this is when the turn away from the Mennonite church happened.  He talked about how the peace-lover live in the United States where they are used to the peacefulness of living in a free country.  The peace-makers were the men in Afghanistan fighting for our country.  They are over there killing the "nonpeaceful" terrorists, making the world a more peaceful place.  Th

erefore, they are the "peace-makers."  While coming from a Mennonite background, it really seemed very weird to hear this coming from the pulpit.  About that time, a little kid said there was somebody outside the door.  The pastor said, "You must have 20/20 vision.  That is good vision that is needed in the military.  You should be in Afghanistan with an M-16 rifle, mowing down the enemies."  "Talk about peaceful," is what went straight through my head.  But then I started thinking about where he was coming from.  Not everyone was raised in the Mennonite world, promoting peace as we see it.  Some people can see war as a way of making peace by getting rid of the guys who are not letting peace be a part of our world.  Can I accept this, yes I think I can?  I do not live this way, but accepting the fact that this is in our world is something everyone needs to do.  Why can we not respect other people's thoughts and religious beliefs?  It is the differences in cultures that we must respect to appreciate them fully.  Today, I felt like I was dropped off straight into Haiti!

After the sermon, there was lots of singing dancing, more singing, a moment to point out the tall white guy trying to hide on the side of the sanctuary because, "he doesn't do the singing and dancing things in church and isn't used to it," and more singing.  Then, the song leader finally said, "This will be the last song," and my heart about jumped as I had been si

tting there for quite some time.  Then came the dagger in the heart.  "After the song, the pastor will come up to give the sermon."  You have got to be kidding me!  The SERMON???  If that was not what the first to 45 minute speeches were, then what is the sermon going be??  He walked up, said about 3 sentences, closed his Bible and said, "Have a good day!"  WOW!  Quit possibly the shortest sermon I had ever sat through.  I almost bet it was meant to be a benediction, but either way church was finally over.

Everyone was invited to stay for a birthday party in which they had cake and all sorts of Haitian appetizers to celebrate.  After getting through the 30 people lined up to greet me, Yvrose met me with a plate absolutely loaded down with cake and all sorts of gluten-filled goodies.  As I thought she knew about my gluten intolerance, I held the plate not to be rude and watched as everyone wanted to know if the big white-guy liked their food.  In the movie SWAT, there is a line that says, "You know, sometimes doing the right thing isn't doing the rig

ht thing!"  It never seemed quite right until this moment.  Sometimes, doing the right thing (turning it down) isn't doing the right thing.  I don't know Haitian culture and if this would be completely rude to do so I just ate it.  Sucked up, prepared for a long ride back home, and devoured it.  While it was extremely good, I really wish I could have broken my gluten fast with something like D'Marios pizza or macaroni and cheese.  

I made sure to say my good-byes quickly after the feast to make sure I got home as quick as possible.  I loaded up my 15-passenger creeper van, and took out.  The journey home was normal except for the air bubbles that seemed to keep coming out of my lower cavity.  That was the only effect, which I was very thankful for!

I get home and have to prepare for the BBQ which was about to come.  The house all jumps in together and we get everything ready as the first guest came an hour early.  Quickly, the house fills up with my room mates work partners, which I obviously don't know.  Being the shy person I am, I offer to grill, keeping me out of the house.  I sat out there, waiting to see if the Beauregards were going to come.  Finally, about 2 hours later, they showed up to the house.  It was fun bringing them in and showing them all where I lived.  They wanted t

o see the art I had done, as they had heard I was an artist.  I showed them pictures and it was so funny to hear everyone gasp on the pieces that I think are horrible.  They could not believe I had such a talent.  "OOOHH Isaac!  You WILL come back next year and teach art for us," Mrs. Beauregard said with a huge smile on her face.  (And people say it is hard to find jobs these days!)  

They stayed for a bit, and left as they had to get back for evening church.  People stayed until about 9 when the last person left.  We all pitched in a bit clea

ning everything up, and then crashed.  It was a good weekend and I can't wait to go back to work in 

the morning.  Never thought I would do something that I would say that to!  Praise God! 

(A picture from my section of the 'classroom' looking into the elementary school)

SATURDAY--A DAY LATE

Saturday has been planned for me for as long as I have been here.  The school has had a garden project planned for years, but never had the funding to do it.  Now, due to others donating and things, we finally have the project underway.  The school is using the garden as an outdoor living lab to study art, math, science, and english.  It is a way to get the students involved in their community by raising a garden while using it to learn the different subjects.  Saturday was a day to tear out the school property, and start doing a garden.  So, I no longer have a football field (Well, a place to practice.  I wouldn't call it a field.)  

(The above picture is looking out the school's backdoor after the grass had been hoed out)

The morning was to start at 8:30, but in Miami, that means people will start com

ing about 9 and work will get underway around 9:30.  Three of my room mates went along to volunteer with the project for the morning and to see where I was working.  When we arrived some children were present, but not near the amount that were there near the end of the day.  When work began, everyone worked hard, getting lots done.  The goal for the day was to tear out all the grass and weeds, and lay new sod down throughout the entire school property.  It really was fun to work with everyone and get to know the students and staff outside the class

room for a change.  

(The picture is of YLC student 'in blue' working on together on the garden)

The day was wrapped up by an enormous Creole Haitian meal prepared by the cook at school.  I can not get enough of the black beans and rice.  This may sound sarcastic, but it is nowhere close to being sarcastic.  This is the 100% truth.  I love the food at the school.  Lunch is definitely my favorite subject.  Anyways....it was very good!

The rest of the day was set aside to get our house ready for the BBQ that we had planned for next day.  Our yard was still a jungle and the house a wreck.  The day wa

s spent slaving away.  We finally got the nerve to ask someone for a gas-powered mower and got the yard taken care of.  We tried to weed-eat around the chain-link fence, however, the fence seemed to eat our weed-eater more than getting the grass cut.  Knowing it had to get do

ne soon, I got the garden sheers (a huge scissors) and went at it.  It must have been a sight to see a huge white man in Little Havanah trimming grass with huge scissors, but it worked just fine.  Everything got taken care of and the evening time was spent in a relaxing manor.

As a day of rest, we didn't do much around here, yet, I feel like it was a very uneventful day.  An that means it was very peaceful and restful.  Anything aw

ay from three boys at Yvonne Learning Center is relaxing!

(Everyone's favorite girl: PRINCESS!)

NOT YOUR "G" RATED BLOG!

Friday! Heaven!  Same word if you ask me.  Never knew that before two weeks ago though!  School still was in session though, so it was the same typical routine, only with much rowdier children, anxiously awaiting the weekend.  Although, something was different.  While my official title at the school is "the tutor" I have really become the special education teacher, which is not a bad deal at all.  Really, I am enjoying it much more than I thought I ever would.  However, I still have the responsibility of tutoring if it is needed, and this was the day this finally happened.

I was tracked down by the kindergarten, first and second grade teacher.  Sounds like people were chasing me all over, but this is only one person.  She just teaches all three grades at once, in one classroom.  This is the job I would have been doing had I not asked for the tutoring job instead.  I go to school everyday thankful I asked for the tutoring job, as I hear the teacher yelling from across the school; well, I guess across the room, but same difference.  Anyways, she tracked me down and asked if I was tutoring children one-on-one.  I told her not at the moment, just my three boys, but I would more than happy to take one if she needed it.  She told me that Vanessa needed help writing her numbers out.  Not the actually numbers, but how to spell them.  She had no problem with the lower numbers, but she could not comprehend that the numbers just repeated when she got to twenty by adding them on the end.  She just got lost.  Of course, I was just thinking, "How in the world am I going to teach this.  All my education classes weren't for teaching things like, math and spelling, but for art.  Spelling was, and still is, one of my worst subjects."  But I went in there like I was the king anyways.  Not knowing which girl was Vanessa, I just walked in the class, stood there for thirty seconds as every child in the class turned with huge smiles and shouted, "HELLO MR. SHUES!"  I tell them to settle down, which never works, and then I just said, "Vanessa!"  Of course she was pointed out as every head turned towards her.  Never mind the clue of the little girl that jumped right up with a little smile, followed by a roll of the eyes as she noticed I wasn't here to play, but to help her.  I walk up to her, and with the little kids I try to get them to like me, which is pretty hard to do!  Not really!  They like anyone that pays the slightest bit of attention to them.  Well, Vanessa is the girl in the desk by the teacher's desk.  I walk up to her as I feel all the eyes peering on my back.  She stands up to address me, but talks so lightly that I can't hear her.  Of course she is embarrassed!  To solve this problem, I bend slightly grasping her around her biceps and curl her up to my level and put her down as she is standing on her desk, where I can look at her eye level and whisper to her without everyone hearing us.  Of course the class goes nuts yelling, "Me next Mr. Shues!"  I put my mouth by her ear and whisper, "Vanessa, I am going to help you with your spelling is that ok?"  With her cute little smile she says she guesses I can.  Then, she leans back forward and says, "Can you please put me back down on the floor?"  I tell her we are going to get to work and get her back on track, I pick her up and set her on the ground as she turned and sat in her seat.

I sit and work with her, making her write the numbers out, then spell each one of them beside it.  She makes it to ten, but isn't sure how to spell the rest of the words.  So, I write them to twenty and ask her to do the same thing, looking at mine for help.  I then explain to her that she has all the spellings she needs on her paper, and I am not going to write any more of the numbers out.  I show her how to do twenty-one with the dash in the middle, then tell her it goes two, three, four, etc..., all the way to thirty.  She is allowed to look at her previous numbers to see how its done.  I leave to go check on my three, come back, and she has written to twenty-six perfectly!  It was amazing.  I couldn't help but give her a high five as a reward.  Good reward, huh?  As she finished up, I sat across from her, leaning on my elbows and placed my chin in my hands.  She does the same and we talk about life for a bit.  Life for a first grader is much different than for a twenty-two year old.  Never really thought about that before.  Then, after a bit of silence, I looked her right in her big eyes and say, "Do you like me Vanessa?"  She sits and looks for a bit at me, rolls her eyes, sticks out her bottom lip and then opens her mouth.  "I just think you are kinda cute!"  Needless to say I laughed.  Quite a bit.  Kids sure do say the darndest things.  

The day continued on, and football practice finally came.  We had it in the classroom, as we could draw out plays, talk about rules and just get the guys ready for when we could actually use a real field on Monday to practice on.  We then went out, walked through some plays and sent the boys on there way.  Some stay and talk for a bit, as they'd rather hang out with us at practice than go home.  We sit around for a bit and chat before we send them home so we can get home.  As I am driving home, I start feeling a sharp pain my knee, then another, and then the same thing all over a little more north in a place that you don't want all that many painful memories during your life.  However, it seemed like these bites were really being produced quite frantically in the place where the sun isn't shining all that often.  Driving in Miami traffic, I can just start swatting and hitting all over, so I put up with it a bit until I finally got to a red-light.  I look down under the steering-wheel where I am feeling one of the stings to see a red fire-ant just going to town on my skin.  With this, I know that is exactly what I had going on under my pants.  Being in the car, there is nothing I can do except kind push in places around that region.  No chance I'm carelessly going to start punching, hitting or slapping.  The pain could be much worse if I start doing that.  I man up, and drive home.  As I walk straight to the bathroom to check things out, it feels as if I had been chafing and rubbing myself raw.  However, with no surprise, when I check things out that is not what I found.  When my eyes focus to the dim lights of our bathroom, I notice a nice chuck out of my "body" where the ants had been focusing on.  Don't know why they chose this, but whatever.  Nothing I can do now except accept the fact that I really am what would be known as a "fire-crotch!"

WHAT IS THE POINT OF LIFE?

Life often offers great opportunities for those participating in the game.  Going on trips, eating fancy meals, going to the beach, having a loving family, having things come natural to you, and living in a community where going to college is the "natural" thing to do after graduation.  Being surrounded by great things like this makes us take these things for granted.  However, when life is going great for you, such as when you are living in a place like Miami, enjoying the city life, local beaches, extreme diversity, and other things it can offer, you must remember.  Life is not always fun and games for everyone else around you.

Today I experienced something I never thought of, never dreamt of, never imagined, (catch the drift?)  Something that never I received instruction on in any of my education courses in college.  Something that is not included when your parents talk about the "birds and the bees."  Something that only happens to other people.  While I am still on cloud nine, (whatever that really means) I soon fell off as it was revealed to me that the very students I cater to were on the opposite.  Maybe cloud negative nine.  

As I assigned the boys to write a letter to someone of their choice, they all complained a bit, yet, got to work on it.  I was doing my prep for tomorrow when I saw one boy fold the letter up, put it in his pocket and sit there.  I asked if he was finished and he said, "yeah" but that was it.  He didn't move.  I asked for it, but he would not give it to me for some reason.  I told him to start one that he could turn in and I left the room to take care of some other things.  When I returned, he was still sitting there, however, had the letter out and gave it to me.  As I opened it, I could believe the first thing I read.

Dear myself, it started.  I do not wunt to lev inimor.  I sat there as my stomach just sank straight to the bottom of my body and felt like it fell out onto the floor and was being kicked around.  When I looked at him, he showed a very depressed face that showed this letter was not a joke but a serious thing.  "Come with me outside, Jude.  I want to talk with you about this letter."  We walk out and sit in the lunchroom as I discuss what I had just read.

I pull out the letter and continue on to finish it.  He states that he just wants to be done.  Supposedly, his father told him that if the teacher called him again he would ship him off.  He didn't want this boy in his life anymore.  As I turned to look at him, the tears were just pouring out of his eyes as his shirt was also soaked from wiping them up.  For the next 30 minutes I sat with him, explaining the reality of this letter.  As I asked if he really wanted to die, mixed with seeing him falling apart, the tears started coming out of my eyes as well.  Details of the conversation are not pertinent to this blog, but I just let God speak to him through me as I just kept letting the words roll out uncontrollably.  After 30 minutes, I got it out of him that his dream is to go to college (not sell drugs as a living like he told me most the men in Little Haiti do) and come back to teach at Yvonne Learning Center, as he loves kids and making a difference with them.  What a complete change!

Just rethinking the occurrence of the events that happened in an hour, it was devastating for me to hear that he thought I was the reason for these feelings of being lost.  Had I not have cared for him and called his dad to meet with me, he would not have heard his father say he wasn't wanted.  Then after talking, he admitted he wanted to come back and teach because he loves coming to my class and hanging out with me through the day, and he wants to have that relationship and impact on students in the future.  What a trophy that is, that I can take with me.  

Did I keep this kid from doing something wrong?  No.  I don't think he would have done anything bad, but it is always scary to receive a letter from one of your favorite students, saying they no longer want to be a part of this life.  Please keep this young man in your prayers as he is struggling to see if there is a point for this life.  Why was he placed in this situation of life when he hears about my story of growing up in a farming community?  Well, God knows I wouldn't make it in his situation, but this guys heart is big enough to take these situations and make the best of them.

As for the rest of the day, it flew by fairly uneventful.  Well, when I say that, I mean new events.  Of course homework wasn't finished, punishments were placed, fists were thrown, children came crying, objects were air-born, cuss words were yelled, children were escorted to the office, parents were called, milk was spilled, a sixth grader tried to mug me, he lost, later apologized, and tempers continued to flair.  But, I won't bore you with those stories as they are daily occurrences that just blend in to the woodwork now.  

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES...ALREADY!!

What does one do when a student repeatedly does not do their homework?  Every single day, they promise that the next day they will have it done, just as long as you don't punish them.  You can make a child clean a classroom, bathroom and lunchroom; you can make them write "I will not forget my homework again!" 500 times.....or can you.  Just because a teacher assigns a child homework does not mean they will do it.  Well, NEWS FLASH, just because you tell them to do the punishment, does not mean they will do that either!

Today, only day 7 of the school year, I called and set up the very first parent/teacher conference of the year.  As the student shed a tear or two, I explained to him the importance of doing your homework and how life has times when you have to do things you don't want to.  In the middle of my "speech" I start thinking how ridiculous I must sound as I remember back to the days of getting the same speech.  Funny how this works in life.  The boy did not crack a smile for the remainder of the day, as he is terrified of his father, especially when it has to do with him not finishing his homework.  However, three o'clock rolled around and the father came, but it was not the end of the boys life, like he thought it may be.

We had a very pleasant meeting together as I explained to the father the homework I assign every night and how the boy is never turning anything in.  Lies are all either of us get from the young man.  He tells his father one story, and then me another.  He has been caught doing this multiple times, but it never seems to phase him.  We came up with a great agreement that everyone agreed on and signed together to help him get on the right track.  I really pray that it is going to help young Jude.

I stayed after school an extra two hours, as my three boys finally took me more serious after the phone call and meeting.  They wanted to get the homework done so their parents wouldn't also be called.  In the two hours, I had more fun with these boys as they all laughed and learned together simultaneously.   It really was a good time for all of us, as they realized I am in this to help them, not try and find any way possible to get them into trouble.

As the day wound down, the rain came pouring in.  The daily showers really put a damper on different things including attitudes, humidity, and today, the traffic.  It was horrible as I tried to go home.  People here are horrible at driving with wet pavement.  You would think they have never seen water before, however, they see it every day.  Following someone here on water is like following someone in Harper on an inch of snow.  Every other turn there is a wreck!  It is unavoidable for some reason, however, my big creeper van always (knock on wood) makes it down the road safely.

Nothing exciting really happened around the house tonight, as everyone sat around talking about their days.  That was, until the room was flooded with red and blue lights, signaling an emergency vehicle close.  No one thought a thing of it, as this is MIami.  There are always lights going by for some reason.  Then, Megan ran in.  "There are 12 cop cars out there with the lights going!  What is going on?"  We go out and look, as they appear to be in from of our dear old friend Maggie's house.  We never know what to expect, so of course everyone says, "Drugs!" and goes back inside.  About an hour later, JJ and I sat at the kitchen table playing risk when I catch the glimpse of a person walking by our window and disappear behind a small painting sitting on the ledge.  Of course I start wondering who is out there, and what room mate is trying to scare us.  Why did the figure not come out the other side of the painting?  "JJ, someone is out there man!"  "No there isn't," he says as he continues with the game.  "No man, I'm pretty sure I saw someone walk behind that picture."  With 12 cop cars leaving the neighborhood only moments before or course I am wondering who is trying to bust us or something.  Why wouldn't they go after 5 young, unfamiliar-to-the-city people?  We just up and look out the window to see someone laying face first in the wet grass.  Of course, who other than Maggie, would be walking to our house at 10 o'clock p.m.?  I run outside, help her up and get her back to a normal state of consciousness, as the fall really flustered her.  As she is getting up, she asks if we have ice cream that she can have.  This is the common "ice breaker" she now uses when she knocks at the door.  She is really getting too comfortable at our house I am starting to think.  

When she settles in, I ask her what the cops were.  "My husband didn't pay his share of the rent.  The landlord just called the cops.  Didn't even give him a chance.  That just isn't right.  Oh my God," she mutters as I try to crack her Cuban accent.  How could someone really need 12 cops at their house for missing the rent once?  I have no guesses to give on this one!  Something seems a little "fishy" to me, but who am I to judge?  Maggie continues to ask for our phone all the time, which, we currently don't have as Megan's rabbit chewed through the phone chords this weekend.  Maggie thinks we are lying to her though, and she demands that we let her use a cell phone, so kindly, I pull mine out and give it to her.  Without hesitation, she asks if she can take it home and return it in the morning.  Well, I am sorry mom, but you teaching me to always tell someone "yes" when they ask a question was not taught well enough I suppose, because I most definitely let out a "NO!"  I think she understood as she said she was leaving, but asked for one more thing.  "Would you be kind enough to help me down the stairs?  I don't want to fall again."  I will always be there to help Maggie down the stairs and pick her up out of the yard if I need to.  Mom always said, "You never know when that stranger is going to be Jesus."  Well, I don't think she is Jesus testing us, because he doesn't get a wrong number on MY cellphone, then continue to yell at the lady who was woken up, telling her that her phone has the wrong number!

TRYOUTS!

As the end of school drew near, I could smell the scent of grass just waiting for the football team to come out and trample around in it.  The grass was just asking to get rolled around in.  Remembering back to the days of practice in junior high and high school, it was very apparent where the team practiced, as it looked like ancient buffalo wallows lined in crusted, old throw up chunks.  This is all foreign to these boys.  They don't know what a grass stain is, and personally, I think they are scared of grass stains.  These boys of the streets would never last in the county of Harper in the great state of Kansas.  It would be way to much for these guys.

As you are reading this, try and close your eyes and picture what is going on.  (ok if you can't I will forgive you, but generally speaking, close your eyes and let your imagination take over!)  A 6'8" white man walks into a school full of little black children, all very friendly and half-way respectable.  That is, all except for one little "snot-nose" as my grandma would call him.  A young boy just entering the 6th grade who guys by the name of Darryl is the boy that you are picturing right now.  Picture this tall, white man trying to be friendly, trying to get to know this boy who can't shake a hand of a stranger, even when he knows this stranger is his soon-to-be football coach.  Slowly, this "tough-guy" starts loosening up a bit, but not without lots of work, everyday!  All he can talk about is how he is a sixth grader and he is going to be the starting running back.  (which I don't think he realizes that in flag football, the running back may as well sit on the bench, because we pass the ball)  However, this boy finally warms up to the coach about 2 days before practice.  Jokes are passed back and forth, while the coach teases that the boy wont even make the team, even though he is a natural athlete.

Well, now it is tryouts.  "Darryl, what position you trying out for?"  "I'm gunna be your quarterback!"  (I am now going to exit the third-person story and continue in)  "Alright, get behind Alec and take some snaps," I tell him.  Now imagine Mr. Alec.  He is a boy who has never touched a field, court, or anything with sports.  This boy has not even read a book about sports.  To put it fairly, this guy is the kid in "The Sandlot" who doesn't even know how to throw a ball.  I know he is not going to make the team, and this being the last day of tryouts, he most likely would not be with us anymore, or get the experience.  I decide to make him the center, cause he is not going to be catching any passes.  I already observed this in previous drills.  So, I go over the fundamentals of easily snapping a football when the quarterback says "hike!"  I want to get him a little practice before we put him in LIVE where kids were flying everywhere.  With the whole team watching, Alec bent over to release his first snap of his life.

Darryl, after doing anything he could not to put his hands in Alec's rear and take a snap, finally mans up and places his hands properly.  I say, "Now remember Alec, when you hear 'HUT!' you snap the ball"  He says ok, and grips the ball.  "HUT!!" Alec screams as he launches the ball between him AND Darryl's legs.  Time stopped as everyone tried to figure out what just happened.  The center actually called HUT! and snapped the ball before the quarterback even knew what was going on. WOW! What work we have ahead of us!  So, I have Alec practice waiting until he actually hears the word, and then snapping it.  He does ten of them perfectly and tries it out again.

Darryl walks up behind him, looking the defense in the eyes as he is trying to read which wide receiver is going to be open.  He opens his mouth, and may I add here that Darryl is not fully developed yet.  He is still a young boy with a higher voice.  However, being quarterback, he wants to sound tough.  Envision this little guy trying to talk really low and sound as tough as possible.  He steps forward, and in a deep voice yells, "DOWN!" at that moment, Alec's hand flies back, thrusting the ball right into the tip of Darryl's middle finger, perfectly jamming the finger.  The deep, tough voice instantly turned into a high pitch, "OOOOOWWWW COOOAAACHHH!!!!" as he jumped around holding his fingers.  Needless to say Alec was done playing center, as he just couldn't quite understand what was going on.

This is the stuff I am working with each day.  The same craziness in the classroom for 8 hours, and then 2 hours of football with boys who are scared to get on the ground and roll around a bit.  Trying to get these boys to do monkey rolls, which contains rolling in the grass, was quickly deemed impossible.  They just could not get themselves to do it.  Therefore, we did "Up-Downs" until everyone learned how to get dirty.  

While I have enjoyed the job thus far, now comes the thing I never wanted to do, especially with these boys.  Tomorrow, I am forced to have to cut several boys and ruin their dreams of playing on the school football team.  While I do not think God really cares about football and who I cut, I just pray that this is taken well by the players, as I have grown close to all of them.

Sorry this has been so long, I just had to get a "detailed" description of how things went down at practice today!