Learn You Somethin'!

On Saturday I went to my very first event at the 92nd Street Y ever and I can't believe I've lived here my whole life and never bothered to partake of their happenings. But anyway, I went and now I can cross that off my fake bucket list.

I was a mere FIVE FEET AWAY from Oliver Stone (and some other folks I've never heard of before but were very cool and funny) as they discussed the contents of the new book by Stone and Peter Kuznick, "The Untold History of the United States."



On Tuesday, November 13, you can go to the Union Square Barnes & Noble and see Stone & Kuznick promote the book, even get it signed. I must add, this is the first time I've ever wanted to actually buy a book about American history. Yes, because Stone is behind it, but does it matter? It just takes that one ounce of curiosity to open up a whole new world.

He's using his star-power for what appears to be good. No history teacher (other than my Western Civ instructor back in college) has ever made me want to learn more about old, dead things. And let me tell you, the conspiracy theorists in me is HUNGRY for something new, even if Stone said there's no "smoking gun" in the book. For someone who never bothered to learn this stuff in the first place, it's all new information.

Can't wait to see what I uncover!

*smooches...a bit nervous to dive into this world*
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I'm afraid of the things I'll learn that can't be unlearned and may kill my spirit; wish me luck!

I Just Pressed SEND.

Ladies and gentlemen, the moment we've ALL been waiting for...

Raquel has emailed her MFA Thesis edits to her professor.

Please proceed in an orderly fashion to the emergency room at Methodist Hospital where Raquel is currently being treated after suffering from multiple panic attacks. And please, no photographs; her hair is unkempt.

News at 11.

*smooches...not sure what to feel*
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I suppose I'll write THAT post after I get the sensation back in my left arm...

Latino Books Month

I'm going to make believe that Arizona is not a state in the union for a lil bit while I bask in another gift the month of May decided to give me- Latino Books Month. You mean we get ANOTHER month to bask in our awesomeness? Wow. That makes THREE. Who else has this many commemorative months? HMMM? EXACTLY!

Okay, enough bragging.

Wait, one more: IN YO FACE, BITCHEZZZZZZZ *dances inappropriately to bachata music in front of your parents*



Okay, now I'm done.

It seems like the best time to also remind you that I have a literary reading and "after party" this Saturday, and if you can be there it would be AWESOME.



And as your resident Literary Latina, I feel it's my duty to help you make some good reading choices to celebrate Latino Book Month. The following five recommendations are books from my shelf, so get a pen and paper and grab your library card- class is now in session.

1- La Fiesta Del Chivo/ The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa.
Celebrated as THE work of fiction that deals with the Dominican Republic of Trujillo and his successor, Balaguer, you should not only read this book for its historical relevance but because Llosa is a literary genius. Oh wait, most of you will probably only read the translation...damn. Well, lets hope the translator does his words justice.

2- Monkey Hunting by Cristina Garcia.
I love this book so much because the author, a woman, writes for all-male protagonists in such a rich and powerful way. I'm almost jealous. Monkey Hunting also follows the story of a Chinese/Cuban/American family and OH MAN, Garcia really knows how to drag you into a story. Trust!

3- El Llano en Llamas/The Burning Plain (and other stories) by Juan Rulfo.
Talk about meshing literature with social consciousness and the natural order/natural world; Rulfo is a master at it. All of the stories deal with rural people and their actions and interactions with their environment- good and bad. I promise you it's a great read.

4- Como Agua Para Chocolate/Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel.
Forget the movie (although it was a pretty accurate representation of the novel) THE BOOK. I...words...escape... It's the story of the De La Garza family- Mama Elena, Rosaura, Gertudis and Tita, and their unique dynamic. Being the youngest/last daughter, Tita is not allowed to marry because she must care for Mama Elena until she dies. You already know where this is going right? Or so you think...

5- The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.
Look, I've already discussed this book with you ad nauseum: Diaz won a Pulizer for it, I discussed it on Monday Musings, etc etc etc... I hate having to repeat myself. But seriously, if you only read ONE BOOK off this list, it should be Oscar Wao. It's a trip back in time in DR complete with socio-political commentary, a history lesson and the tale of a misfit Dominican trying to find his place in this "new" world. Like me.

There are so many others I'm not even getting into that were amazingly awesome, but for lack of space (and time to write about it) I will leave it at five for now and recommend a new title every Friday. Deal? Deal.

But before you go, feel free to check out this AMAZING up-and-coming literary darling: ME.

*smooches...smothering myself in words*
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I'm actually debuting a fresh, new, hot off the presses story this Saturday. You won't want to miss it :)

"Paruparo, Palaka, Baka, Isda."

Those are the very first Tagalog words I learned on Tuesday as part of my training to become an English and Spanish instructor at a language center in the Wall St. area. That's right- I'm giving the teaching thing another try but with a twist.

At first I was nervous about it. My English is awesome but my Spanish, wellllllll, let's just say I speak an "ebonics" version of Spanish, and it's fast and at times, incomprehensible. But the ad asked for native speakers and that's me- a native Spanish speaker.

It was my first language, and even though I spent most of my life perfecting my "White" voice and my English grammar, it has never left me. Sometimes I doubt my ability to communicate with another Spanish speaker but as soon as the situation arises the words formulate in my brain and roll off my tongue the way they're supposed to.

Not to say that I can't use some help with my spelling, grammar and pronunciation; that's a given. I've already contacted Mari for tips on improving all that stuff before I get a student, and being the awesome little sister that she is, I received in my gmail a wealth of information that will help me along.

So I'm excited about this new opportunity, not only because it will improve my teaching AND language skills, but because I will be at a place where languages and cultures are revered. You don't even understand how the NERD GIRL in me woke up and paid attention during all of the demo lessons the other potential instructors gave. I now have some French, Czech, Arabic, Portuguese, Albanian and Tagalog in my arsenal and I can't even quiet the little butterflies tingling all over my body at the prospect of being back in an institution of learning.

And the bonus? I heard them playing some Gypsy Kings in the lounge the other day.



I'm totally going to LOVE this place!

*smooches...con un poquito de español*
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yeah, so, if we're talking and all of a sudden I bust out with some Albanian on your ass don't be alarmed...it's just The Voices digesting all this new information.

All Kinds Of Minds Indeed

When I worked at the Waco School for Girls in Pottersville, New Jersey, the lunatic in charge head of school, David Koresh Jenifer, had all the faculty participate in some ol' bullshit this professional development program called All Kinds of Minds. This program was geared towards kids who were not succeeding in a traditional school environment (i.e. ALL of the girls at Waco) and the tools we as educators (and parents) needed to change all that.

At first I was all rolling my eyes and not in the mood to personalize all of my classroom lessons to 15 different learning styles. I mean really- if you can't learn the regular way then go work at McDonald's because every time I go there I have to wait all day for fresh fries so clearly they're understaffed! Haven't these people ever heard, the world needs ditch-diggers, too?

It wasn't until after I left that awful, horrible, no good place that I realized that program was onto something because I, too, have trouble succeeding academically in a traditional classroom setting. Not that I've ever been tested or diagnosed, but even with my little bit of teaching experience and my extensive background in being a student, I could tell the idea behind this program was not a sham.

Everyone does learn differently, and need different things to help them do well in school. Me, I'm what's considered a cross between a visual & interactive learner. This means my brain has trouble processing information that I hear, but if I'm shown this information in a hands-on way I'm able to grasp it better. The reason? My mind will hear something, and in that something one to two words will trigger a thought unrelated to what's going on and next thing you know it's been five minutes and I've missed everything you've just said.

Is there medication for this? Hell- they've got medication for the pins and needles you feel in your leg when you've been sitting on it too long, I'm super sure there are meds for this. But a better, drug-free solution, in my opinion, is to help a child learn in a fashion that their brain is able to handle. Is this costly and unavailable in many schools? Yes. Are there kids that genuinely need medication? Eh, maybe. My point is, there's an alternative.

As much as I LOATHED my time at Waco it really helped me when dealing with my own children, whether we're dealing with academic or behavioral matters. K seems to be rather auditory in her learning; I can tell her something, she'll say "got it" and keep it moving. N, on the other hand, seems to be more in tune with my style of learning where if you talk at her too much you will lose her. Even when I discipline her I keep my reprimands short, sweet, to the point and always try to preface it with "look at my face" and end it with "what did I just say?" (see, if you make them repeat it you can gauge if your point got across)

Why are we talking about this? Because some really nice people offered to talk me through my computer problems and I had to abruptly shut them down. Not because I'm a lazy ungrateful bitch but because you TELLING me how to fix my computer, short of saying "unplug it and start over" is not going to work and take twenty times as long than someone sitting at the desk, showing me how it needs to be fixed. Guaranteed I'll know how to fix it on my own from then on.

It's the basic "give the man a fish..." situation. Writing instructions, to my brain, is like giving me a fish. Coming over here and SHOWING me is, well, showing me how to fish. It may sound backwards to you, but I think we already knew that about my brain, no?

*smooches...for all those with special learning needs*
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part of being a great student is knowing your learning style and being vocal about it. It's the only way I was able to get through all the schooling I got through.

OH SNAP! look at me being all teacherly n shit! *poses*