you're my star, what do you care

i'm reading the best book i've read in a very long time. although i've been reading a people's history, i felt like i needed a little something else that was a bit more upbeat. sarah vowell's assassination vacation has been just that. i am excited to read it when i get home. EXCITED. all caps baby. her dry wit has me constantly giggling like a small child. i find myself running in to tell my parents captivating little snippets of history that i've just learned (e.g. did you know that john wilkes booth's older brother edwin saved the life of lincoln's son by rescuing him from train tracks? what??? who knows that?? oh, that's right. i do. thank you ms. vowell). i highly, highly, highly recommend picking up a copy of it. especially if you're a sarcastic little so-and-so who loves learning. some hightlights thus far:

"booth's good looks get a lot of play, but in a lincoln conspirators' beauty pageant, my money's on powell taking home the tiara."

"it is interesting how, once one edits justifications for violence down to a length suitable for t-shirt slogans, political distinctions between left and right disappear."


"trying to be an educational aunt, or as educational as a person can be when a three-year-old is trying to chop her head off, i told him that the act of chopping off a person's head is called 'decapitation' and that a head that's been chopped off is called 'decapitated.'"
***i especially enjoyed this one. i despise the habit of speaking to small children as though they have no more understanding than a household pet. use big words, develop vocabulary at a young age, stop making yourself sound like an idiot.

today i had a horribly eye-opening moment in the world of education. one of my little girls asked if i would help her fill out some forms. she's several months pregnant, living with her boyfriend and has very limited contact with her mother (none with her father). she held a stack of medical forms that would normally be completed under the loving guidance of a parental figure. i was more than willing to put down everything i was doing and help her to understand what she was signing/filling out.

the harsh reality of her situation hit me at that moment. she's a baby; a small child bringing another small child into this world. she's overwhelmed and worried, and rightfully so. as we visited i came to understand just how dire her situation is. they have no money, literally. they are learning to be grown-ups without anyone to show them how. it is heart-breaking. she is a very intelligent girl and she told me that she really wants to graduate. i told her that she HAS to stay in school, but what i did not say is that i cannot imagine how incredibly difficult that will be for her.

the school system really does need to be the source of direction for kids like her (and there are plenty of them out there). i'm going to do anything and everything i can to help her until i leave lubbock. but she is just one solitary kid. we HAVE to develop a system that addresses the realities of teenage pregnancy and supports young girls who make the very challenging and adult decision to keep a child. if we fail these young mothers, we fail their children and in turn fail ourselves.

maaaaaad atchu

my kids are slowly finding out that i'm leaving. i didn't really intend for it to happen that way, but word has kind of leaked out. so now, every few classes i'll have a kid come up to me and ask me why i'm leaving and how i think i can do that to them and how are they going to come visit me next year??? my last period class today was the best. one of my favorite girls walked up to me in the hall before class and our conversation went like this

"miss mahan, i just want you to know i'm maaaaaaad atchu." (picture this with lots of attitude and neck motion)
"why?"
"because you think you can just leave us. you come all in here and make us do all this work and then just leave."
"awww, i'm sorry. where did you hear it?"
"it don't matter. just know i'm maaad atchu for leavin us. where you goin?"
"i'm moving to austin."


i won't bore you with the details of the rest of the conversation. but to paraphrase, she proceeded to tell me that i shouldn't be a follower and go where everyone else is (tess) and then the rest of my class joined in to tell me how mad they were at me. i promised i would cry the last day. a lot. so they know i love them.

makes me feel like i've done at least something right this year. sooooo incredibly adorable and they will be missed more than they can imagine.

happy easter

part of the family
Originally uploaded by marmahan.

the mahan-riojas celebration went all out. even tess crashed it for bocce and cascarones. she may have regretted the latter...wishing everyone a blessed day...

oh no, not another learning experience!

these pictures cannot do justice to the amount of intensity with which my students are approaching the "diagramming challenge" going on in my class right now. i'll have to say that it's the best idea i've had all year and i'll be using it much more efficiently and earlier next year.

in my opinion, diagramming sentences is a horribly interesting and exciting activity. my difficulty in using it in the classroom was finding a way to make at least some of my kids feel the same. looks like i've found it. after a brief introduction to very basic diagramming, i had the kids break into teams (of their choosing) and compete to see which team could devise the correct answer first. each team works together and then sends a representative to the board. before each race you could cut the tension with a knife. the writers are chomping at the bit and when i yell "go" the motion of their little hands sound like rounds of machine gun fire. they scribble the answers to sentences like "paris hilton looks trashy", "some people can flow", and "the real world isn't realistic" as quickly as possible and then scream to have me check their work. meanwhile, the other team members are yelling instructions and cheers from the back of the room.the look of pride on their faces after winning a race just warms my heart. kids. excited about grammar. it's the most exhilirating thing i've done in my classroom. now don't be fooled, it isn't an intrinsic desire that's driving them. they are competing for "free" 100s. but still, their participation and enthusiasm is the kind of thing teachers dream about.

i think the best explanation of this activity was given by one little girl when she told me "miss mahan, we had fun AND we learned things." yes, my dear, yes you did.

also, doing latino/a and then african lit. kids loving it. i'm loving it. happy times in my life right now. all of this made me cry earlier this week while driving home. i really and truly will miss seeing these kids every day. they have become such an important part of my life and i worry about them constantly. not quite sure how i'll manage that last day in may and i'm certain they'll look at me like i'm a blubbering idiot. but i love them and i LOVE my profession. the end. (sorry for the complete lack of eloquence, too much emotion clogging that part of my brain.)

don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys

or at least a-hole cowboys.


last night i went to a concert with my sister and others. we had a wonderful spot for people watching, so that's just what we did. there was one individual, however, that particularly caught my eye. he was an average-looking cowboy in his upper thirties. time after time we watched him creepily hit on MUCH younger women and then be turned down. i was laughing at what an idiot he was until he started making incredibly obscene gestures at women walking by. finally i had enough. i got up, walked over, tapped him on the shoulder and said "i've been watching you for about 30 minutes now, and i have to say you're the biggest douche bag i've ever seen. these women are not interested in you. grow up, get a life and get over it." then i turned around and went back to my seat. must say it felt damn lovely.