Posts from — September 2007

I finally settled on a new layout. Though it’s not exactly the one I wanted, it’s the only one that works for both Internet Explorer and Firefox, and it’s much better than the other flowery layouts available out there. BTW, Firefox is much better than Internet Explorer for WordPress layouts … much better.

I’m coming back from school on Thursday when I got a call from AnnMary, who’s baby shower I went to a couple of months back. She’s like, “Jose, guess what? I had the baby.” WHAT?! Best believe I dropped everything. Yes, ladies and gents, little Josiah was born on September 27th. Congrats to her and her family. I’m really pulling for the babe, and for the mom too, since this is her first child.

Last Friday, I read for an open mic at the Ba’hai Unity Center. I found out about the joint courtesy of Stephen Early Jordan II, who invited his MySpace friends to this event. I didn’t advertise it much, but it was definitely good. A few of my friends came to the Center, too, so I felt like a rock star. I performed “And We” (since they didn’t allow profanity, I tried to self-edit) and I really felt into it. After the performance, I really felt like I could go up to any mic and do any of my best pieces. It was a good feeling. Of course, other cats did their thing too, and overall I enjoyed the experience. To share your work and that work truly reflecting what you feel and not just some manufactured point-garnering piece is rewarding in and of itself.

The last post about fame really made me think a lot about what would I do if I was famous. I’ve been popular and infamous before in different capacities, but never famous. ::rubs goatee:: I’ll get back to y’all on that.

I know I made small mention of this before, but Across the Universe (the movie) was really good. It’s a musical movie based on Beatles music. For those that have never seen it, it’s about a young dock worker from Liverpool who comes to the States to find his father, but he ends up in a whirlwind of events, including falling in love with a new woman and traveling across the nation. There were appearances by Bono (who does a wonderful rendition along with the Edge of “I Am The Walrus”), Salma Hayek (pause, drool, wipe), Joe Cocker, Staceyann Chin, and Joan Osborne. Most of the movie took place on the Lower East Side, so the transformation they did on the place took me aback for real.

The music was for the most part very good, and I even shed a tear during one of the parts, and no it wasn’t anything romantic. The metaphor that really struck me, though, was how each character was a representation of a figure or an idea. Without spoiling the movie for you, I believe the main character, Jude (and all the characters are named after a Beatles’ song), was a metaphor for all of the Beatles. His love interest, Lucy, is a representation of the world around them, and their relationship took turns much the way the Beatles reacted to world issues.

I won’t spoil the rest of it, but if you did see it, maybe you can help me figure out the madness I observed. Overall, I’d give it an 8 out of 10. Worth the money, and I might get it on DVD.

jose, who’s got a million ideas already for this week of blogging …

I recently saw one of the most disturbing videos of the year when I saw Chris Crocker (a.k.a. “Leave Britney Alone” guy) on MySpace, sobbing his eyes out as if he was channeling Spears’ soul himself. It was bananas. The mere fact that someone not even involved with Spears whatsoever can turn his angst and anger against the media in the form of a viral video makes me think what I’ve been thinking all along: fame is merely a reflection of society as a whole.

That’s easy to say, and almost simplistic in its nature, but the same people who notice this will undoubtedly say that famous people get what’s coming to them. Britney Spears should have known Kevin Federline was a sleazeball. Anna Nicole was a trainwreck to begin with so it was expected of her to die the way she did. Kurt Cobain was nothing more than a druggie and the way he died was normal for people like him. Michael Jackson is a weirdo, a child molester, and a White woman in a skeleton’s body. Michael Vick is a cold-blooded football player who thought he could get away from hurting those poor dogs and not get convicted because he’s got a ton of money. OJ Simpson is a cold-blooded murderer and his recent robbery and assault case is nothing short of a serious comeuppance. OK, maybe the last one’s true, but …

The relationship between famous people and not-so-famous people goes two ways. Famous people need others to seek after them, or else they wouldn’t be famous. It’s like they say in Hollywood: “if they’re not talking about you, then that’s a problem.” Justin Timberlake recently said on Oprah that he believes people want to know everything about his life because they don’t have lives of their own. Yet, when he records music or does movies, many of the selling points for that media come from his conspicuous relationships and events surrounding his life. That’s what separates him from a Robin Thicke: people might like his music, but his name wouldn’t be all up on people’s mouths if he didn’t seek it.

Britney Spears showed up at the MTV VMAs not looking up to the task of opening. She came a little thicker (which I liked, but most people didn’t), but not as sharp as we have been accustomed to. Needless to say she was berated to no end, hence prompting the response from Crocker. Yet, if she knew she wasn’t up to it, then why do it? It might have been because MTV finally called her back, after all this time, and she had the biggest of opportunities to reclaim the good side of fame, where she could triumph despite her afflictions. Now, despite the growth of her single “Gimme More,” we’re watching how fame can eat the innards of someone we helped prop up to be so American Apple Pie.

Yet, people would never accept responsibility for their own part in propping up these people. Remember: the general public is responsible for the success of the Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson’s ascension into kingdom. The general public is responsible for worshiping Nirvana and by default Kurt Cobain. The general public indulged in Anna Nicole’s body at the height of her popularity and her tribulations later on in her career, contributing to the success of her reality TV show, and the analysis of her personal life. Yes, their privacy was shallow at best, but when we were fed, we wanted more.

In that respect, I think of the Michael Vick case and say to myself, “How many of these protesters are actually vegetarians? How many of them screamed in horror when a dog chomped on a person’s extremities? How many of them cared when someone gets raped or tortured miles away from them?” If you’re against the objectification of dogs, then go against the objectification of all beings.

In a sense, those protesters laid all their anger and insecurities against Michael Vick when Michael Vick is really just a very small fraction of the problem. It’s like we use celebrities as extreme measuring sticks for how well we’re doing for society. Men abuse and revile their spouses all over the world, yet will be quick to tell people at least they never murdered them like OJ. Video models and “models” alike will do certain favors and show a little bit of everything so they can get a spot on some artists’ video or magazine cover, yet they’ll tell the whole world they’re not Katherine Steffans a.k.a. “Oral Fixator to the Stars.” As we know from the recent news about “Marsha and Jan Brady,” not everything baked is truly that wholesome.

And I’m not here telling people what to think, but we as a society might want to realign our views with what characters have more social value. These same individuals need to understand the unwritten contract they sign off on once they become involved with fame. If they can’t handle it, then I need not hear another viral video crock admonishing the rest of us for something some star brought upon herself.

“Leave fame alone! UH huh huh huh huuuh!”

:: rolls eyes::

Blanquito please …

jose, who laughed eventually at that video. no really …

Today, I had the grand opportunity of observing a “veteran” teacher, and I hate to go into details, but let’s just say that this person’s a part of the reason why our union can’t make a stronger case for having no tenure policy. Honestly, the teacher did a whole lot of nothing, and it makes it worse because the teacher’s doing it to people of the same culture.

Teachers like that one make me even more ecstatic about teachers like Ms. B. Of course, I’m not giving you her whole name, but those of you who work with me know who I’m talking about. In a conversation with another teacher, we concurred: if we had 1/2 her spice, 1/2 her energy, and 1/2 her appreciation for life, we’d never want to retire either.

She’s a spark plug, a sassy little woman with a fire like you can’t imagine. She walks down that hallway and despite her height, she runs those kids up and down. She’s intelligent, and studied with the best of them, and her determination lets her grow as a teacher, despite her minor flaws. She’s the kind of teacher that really creates a positive school tone, acting as a mother figure to so many of the ELLs in our building.

And what’s more, people want her to retire. They say she’s too old, too dated in her ways, but if that’s the case, then I have to wonder how those kids are learning in her class. Kids always show up to learn English in her classroom, even when the “monolingual” kids have been long gone. Imagine that. Yet, there she stays, this little Latina lady, plugging away at her work.

Then, I think back to that first “veteran” teacher, and think to myself, “Wow, it’s like seeing two sides of the argument for tenure.” Hopefully with people like Ms. B, we’ll always have it … just for her …

jose, who’s a fan of good and constructive school environments …

“The mediocre teachers tell. The good teachers explain. The superior teachers demonstrate. The great teachers inspire.” - my good friend Indira, who quoted someone else, but thought about me when she read the quote

I’ve grown more excited about the possibilities I have to nurture and inspire the kids I have. As I mentioned previously, I was teaching the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic with the 6th graders, a lofty feat considering that I recently learned FTA in my masters program, and I instantly wrote about in this here blog. As many of my readers know, the FTA states:

every natural number greater than 1 can be written as a unique product of prime numbers.

Ha! This is cool, but on the same end, this is nowhere in the NYS Math State Standards nor was it something I could prove to kids who just learned what primes were. Fine.

So we go through using a factor tree, and little tricks like using all the primes to find all the factors for numbers, and such. A natural progression from that discussion is the topic of common factors i.e. when two or more numbers share a factor in common. After that discussion, I get the teachable moment:

“Mr. Vilson, I still don’t get it.”

“Well, it’s like this. Me and Boy X are male. We have a common factor. We’re both male. This girl and I have a common factor, too, because we both have black hair. As different as we may seem, we at least have that in common. We’re all in this room right now, so we have a common factor. The Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic states that every natural number greater than 1 can be expressed as a unique set of primes. Well look, if we’re all different people with different factors, but we might all have something in common, a factor. That’s what I mean.”

She just nodded her head and went about her business. I got a couple of smirks, and a couple of acknowledging nods. I didn’t have to really ask for feedback on the explanation. Just the fact that they understood the next assignment was enough for me.

jose, who really did shed a tear in a segment of the movie Across the Universe …

p.s. - This article I wrote about adrienne curry seems to have gone over well …

I recently read on Slate.com that not only is Big Brother watching, but he’s also trying to get into my library, keeping records of the types of personal items I keep and stuff I do on their planes. I wonder what Osama bin Laden’s reading list looks like and if they compare it to my own. I was recently on an airplane on my way to Florida, and everyone but me on the plane was wearing a suit. On my left was a lady who was reminiscent of Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada and a dude on my right wearing a distinctive red turban, and I facetiously thought, “Who’s really the terrorist?”

Speaking of which, I had a discussion of sorts with some anonymous guy in front of the airport as I was waiting to get picked up. (He was smoking a fragrant, green substance wrapped in brown paper). As we get to talking about the 9/11 stories and such, he said something very interesting: “I knew that whole shit was rigged, ’cause I was watching this television interview, I’ll never forget it, 3 years after the attacks, someone asked him what his thoughts were on Osama, and you know what he had the nerve to say? ‘You know, I don’t really think about Osama much these days.’”

Wow.

By the way, I’m sorry if I have a hard time giving thanks to bloggers who namedrop me. I’m usually so humbled, I don’t even know what to say except thanks. To that end, thanks to Hasta Los Gatos Quieren Zapatos, Siobhan Curious, Teaching is Learning, and anyone else I didn’t mention. Just because you’re not on my blogroll doesn’t mean I’m not watchin’.

On another note, the Jena 6 march looked like it was a success. What disappointed me that day was the lack of all-black wearers in my own school (For those that didn’t know, on September 20th, people were asked to wear all black in support of the Jena students). With the density of Blacks and Latinos at the school, I would have thought that there’d be more than 3 teachers wearing it. Then again, people either never “heard of” the Jena 6, ignored it, or realized that most of our kids have never / might never leave past a mile of the school’s region. Sadness.

My father’s in better shape, so thanks to everyone who had him and my family in their thoughts and prayers.

The Yankees look like they’re closing in on another playoff berth huh? …

jose, who’s in heaven right now …

edit: by the way, now my blog is black, white, and read all over, too. har har har …

2nd edit: My Blogcritics article about Black History Month was published. Check it out when you get the chance.

The problem / blessing with being a blogger of “color” is that, because of our natural tendency to discuss politics, we’re instantly labeled and constricted to a certain type of writing i.e. we’re looked at as racial polemicists. I suppose that’s fitting seeing as how I’ve been doing this type of writing since 2K4, but on the same end, I don’t necessarily feel the need to discuss it. The Afrospear Bloggers seem to do a pretty good job of it already, but more importantly, it’s because the world has so much more to offer than racial discussion.

If I was in college at this point and time, I might have gone into the Jena 6 discussion more thoroughly. I might have told you how excited I am that Mychal Bell isn’t getting tried as an adult, and how atrocious this judicial system is that it almost turned a blind eye to the whole situation (if not for the hard work of the thousands out there). I might also have told you how much of a dimwit Jason Whitlock is for his views on the Jena 6, and how quickly he shuffles his feet and claps his hands for people above him. I’d also comment on how I’ll definitely be wearing Black on September 20th with the rest of the (eclectic and united) group of men and women who will protest the Jena 6 madness.

I might also talk about how O.J.’s a disgrace to people of color, and how there’s no way anyone who he once considered his “people” should support him. I might say how, because the denominator representing us is much smaller, when one person messes up, the fraction (or infraction) is that much bigger (math jokes tickle me). I wonder how much OJ Simpson’s memorabilia even costs, as I imagine that the value of his stuff has to cost much less than that of a steroid-abusing black baseball player. I might even say that, unless Johnnie Cochran rolls up out of his grave in a black and white pinstriped suit, there’s no way in hell Simpson gets away with this.

I might even discuss this whole “Read a Book” madness, because I would have supported it back in my college days support the spirit behind it. G_d forbid that we actually pick up a good read from excellent authors, as there’s a plethora of hot trash that people confuse for intelligent Black literature. The fact that BET finally did something right by putting that video up for the masses is ironic in that over the last decade, it’s deteriorated into a very small snippet of what it means to be Black in this country.

I might go into how the blogosphere outside of maybe Guanabee and The Unapologetic Mexican dropped the ball as far as reporting on Elvira Arrelano, the Mexican immigrant who was quickly deported from the United States after speaking out against the government’s immigration policies in a church in a Los Angeles church. I would then react by speaking on the weird relationship with Blacks and Latinos that the outrage for the the Arrelano story wasn’t nearly as big  as the Jena 6 incidents (or in some cases, not even mentioned). There’s a lot of factors in that, but it still makes me wonder.

Then again, the first thing I noticed when I started to circle the blogosphere is the lack of blogs that at least generally fit my experience. I got it in snippets here and there, but in general, I couldn’t just find a blog that discussed a Black Latino’s life. I know enough of them, and there’s a growing faction of them in the media and such, but in the blogosphere? Not exactly.

So I’m usually focused on everything else, because I see value in discussing it all. Hmm …

jose, who has 4 artists on heavy rotation: common, talib kweli, kanye, and chuck mangione (which of these is not like the other?)

Mayor Bloomberg’s latest ideas on creating incentives for people doing what they’re supposed to do annoys the shit out of me. I hate to curse in a forum of this nature, as my professionalism hinges on my lack of cursory language, but give me a break. I’m already hearing the murmurs of people jumping for joy for the idea of getting paid for what they’re supposed to do. That’s annoying to no end.

How can we talk about how corrupt these corporations are, yet the elected officials up there have tried their hardest to make every facet of NYC life into such a corporation? There’s also no way anyone can talk about independence, self-determination, and freedom of any nature when, if these incentive programs go through, we will definitely see people become dependent on these incentives for things that people should already be doing.

Parents should already be taking care of kids. Kids should focus and study for their tests, and not just the statewide one either.  Parents and children together should work towards getting the students into the classroom AND excelling in the classroom. Teachers, administrators, and staff should be doing their respective part to make schools a place where people want to come.

This is a serious case of good cop / bad cop. BloomKlein (I didn’t coin it, but I’m not afraid to use it) are more than willing to show up at functions for speeches and photo ops, giving away “free” money to kids who want to go to a private school through vouchers or giving them anywhere from $25 to $200 for what’s really our responsibility, but they won’t improve the public school system they run on their own and make the principals and teachers the scapegoats on this whole new “accountability” movement.

This is not to say that teachers are perfect. Just today, I had a conversation with colleagues about how we need to have more theoretical classes and professional development sessions that really mattered and not just a way to help cajole the higher-ups into thinking they’re doing their jobs. We also need to conduct ourselves more professionally in certain arenas, and a lot less gossip helps out too. We should also make a better effort to improve in our craft, whether it be picking up books during the summer, attending technology workshops, or even participating in online communities or otherwise during some of the free time.

Yet, when it comes to actually being ready for work, I don’t think we should get paid extra to do so. I don’t think teachers should get some sort of bonus for a) when their kids make significant gains on the ELA and Math state exams or b) score mainly 3’s and 4’s. Those type of bonuses encourage union divisions and compare directly with parents getting paid to do what already comes with their contracts: if you can’t do meet these minimum requirements, then why are you doing this job?

Of course, though, the examples we set for each other has to come from the top. We forget that this is really a top down system, and that the behaviors we exhibit in any system starts from the people running the government. I mean, we pay taxes when we’re not supposed to (according to the Constitution), but we do it because it’s just a part of how we live. NYCers stopped smoking in bars because Bloomberg outlawed it. Why can’t he be more considerate when it comes to the smoke and mirrors we’re constantly subjected to about responsibility?

People just need to do their job. Of course, it’s much deeper than that, but that’s what it comes down to. Do your damn job.

jose, who’s fed up with some of these inconsistencies …

By the way, I didn’t know my last blog was blocked from comments, but that’s fine. It was a post I just needed to exhale. Thanks for your concerns again, though.

On my way back from Florida, I had to think of what poems I wanted to perform for the Tavern of Creativity (presented by Cathy Delaleu and hosted by Rob Bless). I was invited by Cathy, so for that I was grateful. I was a little nervous; I just got back from seeing my father in a hospital bed, and I didn’t know if I was even up for it. Little did I know that the performance was exactly what I needed to relieve my stress.

Besides the great atmosphere, the food, and the performances, I also felt I had grown so much since the last time I performed in front of people. With all the teaching, speeches, and blogs, I felt I got a better sense of what it means to reach a wide audience. So I got up there and did “I’m Full,” “Whoops,” and “Armaggedon is Upon Us.” (I can’t put those online, but if you want them by e-mail, I can provide that.) I even did a little “I Wonder” by Kanye West. I can’t speak on everyone else’s experiences there, but with a packed house receptive to a crazy middle school teacher’s rantings, I felt anything was possible.

What’s more is that many of the artists up there were already published, and had works up for sale at the event, and I couldn’t provide that at the moment. It was interesting to see how they responded to me. Sometimes you’ll get the snide comments, but the artists there were so open about things and genuine, so it was cool.

Anyways, school’s still cool. I’m still optimistic, but I’m already starting to see where I’m going to have issues, and that goes for everything and one in the school. So far so good, though, and I’ve been dressed professionally every day, which is a result of and has helped cause my rather optimistic and positive attitude. I don’t feel the pressure I did before, and it’s helped a lot. Tomorrow, I’m teaching the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic (basically, every number greater than 1 has a unique set of primes, etc. etc.). I’ve already taught the sieve of Eratosthenes, so that’s exciting. I’m sure JD2718 appreciates that, especially since I’m teaching 6th graders this.

Anyways, week 3 is upon us NYC teachers. Holla back …

jose, who has an education rant just waiting to come out of him …

Thanks everyone for your prayers and thoughts. I finally arrived to Florida after a somewhat long trip here. I had a short stop at Washington, DC, and of course, I had to wait a while before someone picked me up. It was weird.

We headed directly to the hospital, and when I saw him, I was in shock. It was the first time I thought I was looking into a mirror; he looked so much more like me than I remembered. It was even scarier with all those tubes flying out of him, for everything he needed like food, water, and air. We take for granted the essentials, and here was this man who couldn’t get those simple elements into his system on his own. He was sedated so he’s stop resisting the treatment. Yikes.

I couldn’t handle it. I mean, we tried to wake him up, and when he heard my name, he reacted by raising his arm. He could hear everything I was saying. That’s a plus. (My other siblings on his side of the family were joking that I must have the Jesus voice, because they couldn’t get that out of him.)

The irony of the whole situation is that everyone around him is starting to help sew the rifts he helped create.

Thanks everyone for keeping me and my family in your prayers, thoughts, and meditations.

and before I forget, R.I.P. 2Pac Amaru Shakur. You’re missed.

jose, who’s not mad at him …

“Find your dreams come true
And I wonder if you know
What it means
To find your dreams …”

I’ve been forced to do a lot of reflection as far as my father’s terrible health right now. The growth I’ve gone through since I’ve seen him has been tremendous. I don’t think I’ve gone through this much growth in such a short period of time since adolescence, and it’s been more inner growth than anything. I’ve come to a bunch of realizations:

- I can’t stand when kids keep getting switched from class to class; it’s bad enough they don’t have stable situations at home. Now we have to switch them constantly in school too? Everything’s in flux for them and school should be more stable than that. I’m going to write a letter to the principal about that. Just when we were starting to gel as a class, and getting things in order, this abrupt change happens. Kinda like a father who comes and goes as he pleases, we have to wonder how the student will react to that constant change.

- I’m completely not ready for children. As much as I’m excited about the prospect of having a child someday, I also realize it’s hard work, and it takes a certain mentality to be a good parent. I’m not ready for that responsibility, and I’m not willing to bend my definition of what it means to be a father for my own selfish purposes. I’d like to be there through and through, but that’s the whole thing about being my age: much more mature than most people in my age group, yet not mature enough to just shut down all that comes with this youth. I’ve resisted becoming so much like my father that it scares me when I even get an inkling that I might be following his path.

- I’m over it. That visit to him in February really helped me grow as a person. I thought I’d swear him off forever, but I made my peace with that man. For those who’ve just met me, check the next poem.

“Original of the Species” by JLV 2007 ©

He’s got this raspy bass about his voice
A French accent to accompany the vocals, too
His dark, rough, weathered, and brown skin
Glistened against the reflected light from the dashboard
His frames tinted, as any Miami resident should have
I envisioned this rather handsome gentleman seducing the women
Who soon became my brothers’ and sisters’ mothers
And mine as well
The ID hanging from his rear view mirror took me aback
For it felt that the ID had some sort of mirror
I started to scan his face for the manly features in my own frame
My lips were certainly fuller than his
And my eyes bulged while his just barely opened
Yet his head and mine were almost identical
His mind and mine worked similarly
And his squint reminded me of mine
I felt like that kid again
The one who admired the other half of his DNA
His intonations through some of his questions yielding a sense of promise
As if the past was too quickly gone and
The future was ours
His charm only enhanced by the fact that I knew who he passed it onto
I came to this city seeking some sort of completeness from seeing him
And showing him that I am a man now
Despite his own faults
Instead, I am a man because of his faults
I inherit all from him
And as I grew, I had to filter out that which was not me about him
Become someone
Become that man
Become me
I am now the original of my species …

jose, who flies out on Thursday …