My life no longer revolves around waiting tables, although I still prefer to be called "Miss," I wanted to start fresh with a new blog about anything and everything, from Broccoli to shoelaces. Check it out!
broccoliandshoelaces.blogspot.com
Hope to see you there!
~Darby
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Friday Class
Today - Class: NOON - 2:50 / Server (Close)
So, I just wrapped up my once-a-week class, which meets Fridays from NOON - 2:50, but I'm still getting used to the timing, so they were dismissed pretty early. It happens.
This class is soooo different from my Monday/Wednesday (MW). MW students are engaged, they are talkative, they are ready to discuss and share their opinions; whereas these Friday (F) students are a bit different. I do have three girls who sit up front who are engaged and ready to learn; there are also two boys who sit close to the front who are also trying to actively stay on task.
Like most first days, some students came to class without the textbook. Only three people actually had their books. Two of the "up-front" girls asked if they could go purchase their books before we got started, which I had no issue with.
Once the girls returned, I pulled up the Power Point and started diving into the chapter; there was a gentleman in the back of the room who was standing behind his chair. I asked him if he was okay, to which he replied that he was, but he still didn't sit. A few minutes later I mentioned how his standing was making me nervous. He informed me that he stands in all of his classes. "Good to know..." I replied. Who does this cat think he is?
I went over the Course Guidelines, which included the use of cellphones being prohibited, and a few minutes later, he was on his phone. I said, "Are you looking stuff up back there?" He quickly put his phone away (well, he hid it behind his pack).
He was sitting/standing next to a girl he clearly knew previously, and I instructed them to share a book, since Standing Man didn't have one. At one point, the class was asked to read a selection about Charles Darwin. When I noticed he wasn't reading, he said, "I don't have a book." I said, "Well, your friend does." He then took her book, picked it up, and put it directly under his nose, clearly showing that he could not read a selection while sharing. So, I promptly took my last semester's edition out of my bag and handed it to him.
I'm not messing around! This kid must think I'm someone to be played!
What a way to start the weekend! Ugh!
Tomorrow - Double: Server / Server
So, I just wrapped up my once-a-week class, which meets Fridays from NOON - 2:50, but I'm still getting used to the timing, so they were dismissed pretty early. It happens.
This class is soooo different from my Monday/Wednesday (MW). MW students are engaged, they are talkative, they are ready to discuss and share their opinions; whereas these Friday (F) students are a bit different. I do have three girls who sit up front who are engaged and ready to learn; there are also two boys who sit close to the front who are also trying to actively stay on task.
Like most first days, some students came to class without the textbook. Only three people actually had their books. Two of the "up-front" girls asked if they could go purchase their books before we got started, which I had no issue with.
Once the girls returned, I pulled up the Power Point and started diving into the chapter; there was a gentleman in the back of the room who was standing behind his chair. I asked him if he was okay, to which he replied that he was, but he still didn't sit. A few minutes later I mentioned how his standing was making me nervous. He informed me that he stands in all of his classes. "Good to know..." I replied. Who does this cat think he is?
I went over the Course Guidelines, which included the use of cellphones being prohibited, and a few minutes later, he was on his phone. I said, "Are you looking stuff up back there?" He quickly put his phone away (well, he hid it behind his pack).
He was sitting/standing next to a girl he clearly knew previously, and I instructed them to share a book, since Standing Man didn't have one. At one point, the class was asked to read a selection about Charles Darwin. When I noticed he wasn't reading, he said, "I don't have a book." I said, "Well, your friend does." He then took her book, picked it up, and put it directly under his nose, clearly showing that he could not read a selection while sharing. So, I promptly took my last semester's edition out of my bag and handed it to him.
I'm not messing around! This kid must think I'm someone to be played!
What a way to start the weekend! Ugh!
Tomorrow - Double: Server / Server
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Faux Pas and Mind Tricks
Today - Class 5:00 - 6:50
After a 3-week hiatus, the spring semester has begun. It was nice to have time off, but now I'm finding myself having difficulty adjusting to a new schedule.
So far, classes are great--they always start out with a glimpse of promise, then towards the middle of the semester, students start getting lazy, start trying to take the easy way out, and start trying to take advantage. I'm just hoping this honeymoon phase lasts a few more weeks.
I've met with two classes this week, and I meet with my third class tomorrow. I actually have a pretty nice schedule for now:
Monday - Class: 11:30 - 12:50
Tuesday - Class: 5:00 - 6:50
Wednesday - Class: 11:30 - 12:50 / Server PM
Thursday - Class: 5:00 - 6:50
Friday - Class: NOON - 2:50 / Server PM
Saturday - Server / Server
Sunday - off
I could probably serve more for right now, so I've been picking up Sundays, but once the assignments start rolling in, I'm going to need the extra time.
I've made adjustments to the vocabulary assignment, so I feel good about that so far. Except students really think I'm out to make their life miserable. The new assignment involves me providing them with a list of vocabulary words that correspond with the current chapter (or chapters, if we're covering more than one at one time). At the close of the chapter, the lists are due in the form of a log that I have provided for them. My Writing class's first vocabulary log is due on Tuesday, but they are starting Chapter 2 as part of their homework over the weekend, so I provided them with the Chapter 2 vocabulary list. One student today says, "So, we have to do the log for Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 by Tuesday?" I should've said "yes," but that would just be mean. Another student completed his Chapter 1 log already because he thought it was due today, even though it was not listed as part of the homework for this week (because it's not due until next week). It's like they want to make it harder on themselves. Whatever.
So two days in a row I've made faux-pas in class. Yesterday, I may or may not have offended my students' religious beliefs; although I think I'm over it. Today's faux-pa, however, I just can't shake. I'm sure the student won't look it up, but I hate when I give a fact off the top of my head, then I realize later that that fact is incorrect. I'm supposed to be their teacher for crying out loud! Then, I have to remember that I am human, and to exhibit humility illustrates that fact. I am allowed to be wrong. It's okay. If he does look it up, I will probably just play some Jedi mind-trick on him to make him think that I knew I was wrong all along; I just wanted to see if he would be curious enough to test me on it.
Ahh, the joys of teaching.
Tomorrow - Class: NOON - 2:50 / Server (closing)
After a 3-week hiatus, the spring semester has begun. It was nice to have time off, but now I'm finding myself having difficulty adjusting to a new schedule.
So far, classes are great--they always start out with a glimpse of promise, then towards the middle of the semester, students start getting lazy, start trying to take the easy way out, and start trying to take advantage. I'm just hoping this honeymoon phase lasts a few more weeks.
I've met with two classes this week, and I meet with my third class tomorrow. I actually have a pretty nice schedule for now:
Monday - Class: 11:30 - 12:50
Tuesday - Class: 5:00 - 6:50
Wednesday - Class: 11:30 - 12:50 / Server PM
Thursday - Class: 5:00 - 6:50
Friday - Class: NOON - 2:50 / Server PM
Saturday - Server / Server
Sunday - off
I could probably serve more for right now, so I've been picking up Sundays, but once the assignments start rolling in, I'm going to need the extra time.
I've made adjustments to the vocabulary assignment, so I feel good about that so far. Except students really think I'm out to make their life miserable. The new assignment involves me providing them with a list of vocabulary words that correspond with the current chapter (or chapters, if we're covering more than one at one time). At the close of the chapter, the lists are due in the form of a log that I have provided for them. My Writing class's first vocabulary log is due on Tuesday, but they are starting Chapter 2 as part of their homework over the weekend, so I provided them with the Chapter 2 vocabulary list. One student today says, "So, we have to do the log for Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 by Tuesday?" I should've said "yes," but that would just be mean. Another student completed his Chapter 1 log already because he thought it was due today, even though it was not listed as part of the homework for this week (because it's not due until next week). It's like they want to make it harder on themselves. Whatever.
So two days in a row I've made faux-pas in class. Yesterday, I may or may not have offended my students' religious beliefs; although I think I'm over it. Today's faux-pa, however, I just can't shake. I'm sure the student won't look it up, but I hate when I give a fact off the top of my head, then I realize later that that fact is incorrect. I'm supposed to be their teacher for crying out loud! Then, I have to remember that I am human, and to exhibit humility illustrates that fact. I am allowed to be wrong. It's okay. If he does look it up, I will probably just play some Jedi mind-trick on him to make him think that I knew I was wrong all along; I just wanted to see if he would be curious enough to test me on it.
Ahh, the joys of teaching.
Tomorrow - Class: NOON - 2:50 / Server (closing)
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Vocabulary Nightmares and Final Dreams
Well, the end of the semester is near! I am currently in grading Hell, but I did it to myself. I gave deadlines too close together, so now I'm grading, not only vocabulary assignments, but also research papers, critical argument papers, and finals.
Many of my colleagues think I'm crazy because I format my finals in short answer and essay form. Many of my colleagues pride themselves on the multiple choice, scantron, finals, which makes it easy for the instructor, but it's like winning the lottery for the student--either you pick the right ones or you don't. I don't believe that multiple choice is a good assessment tool; therefore, I make them learn the information. Maybe that makes more work for me, but, overall, I'm proud of this decision.
I digress. The main point for this post is to share with my readers some of the things my students write about. I mentioned vocabulary assignments. Well, I gave my students a vocabulary assignment at the beginning of the semester. My Writing students had to come up with 50 over the course of the semester, and my Reading students had to come up with 100 (I am teaching two sections of each). Well, I learned my lesson. I did not tell them how many they had to turn in when, but I gave them a final deadline (Sunday 12/4 by midnight). I did it to myself. I reminded them weekly, but I held them to nothing, then I received a barrage of emails all day Sunday from those who decided to leave the assignment until the last minute. I have been grading so much vocabulary that I actually dreamed about vocab the other night--not to mention my dream about the final exams.
I am still grading vocabulary, and part of their assignment was to create new, original sentences from the words they defined. Some of the sentences are really quite amusing.
Here we go.
Word: Entrails
Sentence: My father had to get his entrails back.
Word: Solitary
Sentence: My mama kept me solitary from my pregnant friends because they're a bad influence in my life.
Word: Intoxicated
Sentence: An old man was intoxicated in the morning.
Word: Countenance
Sentence: The countenance of the person was funny when he fell in the dump.
Word: Damsel
Sentence: The girl looked old, but she was a damsel.
Word: Impale
Sentence: Needles are used to impale people's ears.
Word: Grapple
Sentence: The spy grappled himself.
This next one is funny because they had to tell me where they found/heard the word:
Word: Debt
Source: Myself
Sentence: I overdrew my credit card, so I was in debt.
**Needless to say, this student did NOT get credit for this word.
I actually thought I would have gathered more today, but they were pretty good. Vocabulary is finally done! I think I only have one more log to grade! Yay!
Many of my colleagues think I'm crazy because I format my finals in short answer and essay form. Many of my colleagues pride themselves on the multiple choice, scantron, finals, which makes it easy for the instructor, but it's like winning the lottery for the student--either you pick the right ones or you don't. I don't believe that multiple choice is a good assessment tool; therefore, I make them learn the information. Maybe that makes more work for me, but, overall, I'm proud of this decision.
I digress. The main point for this post is to share with my readers some of the things my students write about. I mentioned vocabulary assignments. Well, I gave my students a vocabulary assignment at the beginning of the semester. My Writing students had to come up with 50 over the course of the semester, and my Reading students had to come up with 100 (I am teaching two sections of each). Well, I learned my lesson. I did not tell them how many they had to turn in when, but I gave them a final deadline (Sunday 12/4 by midnight). I did it to myself. I reminded them weekly, but I held them to nothing, then I received a barrage of emails all day Sunday from those who decided to leave the assignment until the last minute. I have been grading so much vocabulary that I actually dreamed about vocab the other night--not to mention my dream about the final exams.
I am still grading vocabulary, and part of their assignment was to create new, original sentences from the words they defined. Some of the sentences are really quite amusing.
Here we go.
Word: Entrails
Sentence: My father had to get his entrails back.
Word: Solitary
Sentence: My mama kept me solitary from my pregnant friends because they're a bad influence in my life.
Word: Intoxicated
Sentence: An old man was intoxicated in the morning.
Word: Countenance
Sentence: The countenance of the person was funny when he fell in the dump.
Word: Damsel
Sentence: The girl looked old, but she was a damsel.
Word: Impale
Sentence: Needles are used to impale people's ears.
Word: Grapple
Sentence: The spy grappled himself.
This next one is funny because they had to tell me where they found/heard the word:
Word: Debt
Source: Myself
Sentence: I overdrew my credit card, so I was in debt.
**Needless to say, this student did NOT get credit for this word.
I actually thought I would have gathered more today, but they were pretty good. Vocabulary is finally done! I think I only have one more log to grade! Yay!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
A Weekend of Weirdos
In an attempt to take a break, not only from grading horrendous research papers, but also from thinking about this person who has been avoiding me all weekend, I'm going to try to reflect on some of the weird patrons I had the pleasure of waiting on this weekend.
1. Birthday Girl. I approach a 3-top (girl: approximately 20-ish, guy: approximately 20-ish, and woman: over 50-ish). They are friendly, and I ask the woman what she would like to drink. She replies with "Today's my birthday!"
Miss: Happy Birthday! Don't worry about us embarrassing you--we don't do that around here.
Lady: That's okay! Guess how old I am!
Miss: You're beautiful! I couldn't possibly guess!
Lady: [goading] Guess!
Miss: Really, I don't think I could possibly--
Lady: Guess! [points to girl] This is my granddaughter.
Miss: Well, I really don't know! Hmmm...55?
Lady: [beaming] ...65!
Miss: You are gorgeous! Happy Birthday!
$3 on $43 -- Great...
2. 2-top: Mom and son. Son is older, approximately 18/19. They are a little funny--weird.
Miss: Can I get you started with something to drink?
Mom: Do you have sweet tea?
Miss: Sorry, we only have unsweetened tea.
Mom: What about Raspberry?
Miss: Sorry, we only have unsweetened tea.
Mom: [chuckling] Oh, you just said that.
Miss: That's okay.
We work out the drinks, and I return to take their order.
Miss: Are you all set to order?
Mom: Well, I only get one thing when I come here, and I can't remember if it's enchiladas or the chimichanga (sp).
Miss: Well, since we don't have chimichangas, I'd have to say it's probably enchiladas.
This is only funny because they are regulars whom I've waited on before, and she took quite a bit of time with the menu. You'd think that if we offered chimichangas, they would be on the menu.
3. 4-top: All older women.
Miss: Ladies, can I get you started with drinks?
Woman: I need a large, large, large, large water, and extra, extra, extra lemons.
2nd Woman: I'll have that too.
Miss: We do have homemade lemonade, if you'd like.
2nd Woman: I need decaf.
Miss: Lemonade is decaffeinated.
3rd Woman: Yeah, it is decaf.
2nd Woman: Well, I need Splenda.
Miss: ... [brings them 2 waters, a pound of lemons, and Splenda...ugh]
4. 4-top: Dad, Mom, 2 small children (a boy and a girl)
Miss: Can I get you started with drinks? [mom and dad both order, then they turn to the kids]
Boy: Raspberry iced tea
Miss: Sorry buddy, I don't have Raspberry iced tea.
Boy: [eyes welled with tears, he turns to his father] Why did we have to come here??
Father: [to me] How about a Sprite?
Boy: [to father] I don't want a Sprite! I want Raspberry iced tea.
I ended up bringing him a Sprite, but he did not lift his head from his pout for the rest of their experience. He didn't eat, drink, or utter a word the entire time.
That's all I've got.
Later.
PS In the Spell Check process, it, of course, picks up chimichangas, and the suggestions are "shortchanges," "mechanics," and "shamanic." Too funny.
1. Birthday Girl. I approach a 3-top (girl: approximately 20-ish, guy: approximately 20-ish, and woman: over 50-ish). They are friendly, and I ask the woman what she would like to drink. She replies with "Today's my birthday!"
Miss: Happy Birthday! Don't worry about us embarrassing you--we don't do that around here.
Lady: That's okay! Guess how old I am!
Miss: You're beautiful! I couldn't possibly guess!
Lady: [goading] Guess!
Miss: Really, I don't think I could possibly--
Lady: Guess! [points to girl] This is my granddaughter.
Miss: Well, I really don't know! Hmmm...55?
Lady: [beaming] ...65!
Miss: You are gorgeous! Happy Birthday!
$3 on $43 -- Great...
2. 2-top: Mom and son. Son is older, approximately 18/19. They are a little funny--weird.
Miss: Can I get you started with something to drink?
Mom: Do you have sweet tea?
Miss: Sorry, we only have unsweetened tea.
Mom: What about Raspberry?
Miss: Sorry, we only have unsweetened tea.
Mom: [chuckling] Oh, you just said that.
Miss: That's okay.
We work out the drinks, and I return to take their order.
Miss: Are you all set to order?
Mom: Well, I only get one thing when I come here, and I can't remember if it's enchiladas or the chimichanga (sp).
Miss: Well, since we don't have chimichangas, I'd have to say it's probably enchiladas.
This is only funny because they are regulars whom I've waited on before, and she took quite a bit of time with the menu. You'd think that if we offered chimichangas, they would be on the menu.
3. 4-top: All older women.
Miss: Ladies, can I get you started with drinks?
Woman: I need a large, large, large, large water, and extra, extra, extra lemons.
2nd Woman: I'll have that too.
Miss: We do have homemade lemonade, if you'd like.
2nd Woman: I need decaf.
Miss: Lemonade is decaffeinated.
3rd Woman: Yeah, it is decaf.
2nd Woman: Well, I need Splenda.
Miss: ... [brings them 2 waters, a pound of lemons, and Splenda...ugh]
4. 4-top: Dad, Mom, 2 small children (a boy and a girl)
Miss: Can I get you started with drinks? [mom and dad both order, then they turn to the kids]
Boy: Raspberry iced tea
Miss: Sorry buddy, I don't have Raspberry iced tea.
Boy: [eyes welled with tears, he turns to his father] Why did we have to come here??
Father: [to me] How about a Sprite?
Boy: [to father] I don't want a Sprite! I want Raspberry iced tea.
I ended up bringing him a Sprite, but he did not lift his head from his pout for the rest of their experience. He didn't eat, drink, or utter a word the entire time.
That's all I've got.
Later.
PS In the Spell Check process, it, of course, picks up chimichangas, and the suggestions are "shortchanges," "mechanics," and "shamanic." Too funny.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Not-so-Friendly Update
Well...I got a response, but it was not the one I was looking for. He's pretty pissed. Apparently, I'm playing the victim. I'm trying to be open and honest with him, yet somehow I'm playing the victim and turning everything on him. He says I forget who I'm mad at--well, not only am I mad at him for ending a sentence with a preposition, but the intent of the first two portions of the email was to express how angry I was with myself for letting things go that far.
I felt as though my intent was smooshed by his ego or something. He described what he wanted in a friend, and all I read was "me," "me," "me" and then a finally a little bit about the other person. It's clear that it's all about him. He even said that he doesn't need this drama. That's funny! It's not like I'm calling him all hours of the night, texting him, blowing up his facebook, and talking smack. I've kept our relationship between us! WTF?? I don't want drama either, but I guess that's the price I pay for expressing my feelings.
This post is all up in the air. I'm stressed. I've been at work for nearly 12 hours, and I am ready to go home...and do more work. Great.
Tomorrow: Class 12:30 - 2:20 / 2:30 - 4:20
I felt as though my intent was smooshed by his ego or something. He described what he wanted in a friend, and all I read was "me," "me," "me" and then a finally a little bit about the other person. It's clear that it's all about him. He even said that he doesn't need this drama. That's funny! It's not like I'm calling him all hours of the night, texting him, blowing up his facebook, and talking smack. I've kept our relationship between us! WTF?? I don't want drama either, but I guess that's the price I pay for expressing my feelings.
This post is all up in the air. I'm stressed. I've been at work for nearly 12 hours, and I am ready to go home...and do more work. Great.
Tomorrow: Class 12:30 - 2:20 / 2:30 - 4:20
Monday, November 28, 2011
Friendly Upset
I'm blogging about this here because making a Facebook status about it would most likely create some waves, and I pretty sure my friends are sick and tired of hearing me cry about this particular subject. Here goes.
I have a friend; one whom I consider to be close. We hang out once a month or so, and we are friendly, but not romantic. We both know that our personalities will clash in a romantic relationship, but we are still attracted to one another and, supposedly, we value our friendship.
Recently, I came to the realization that, although I was not "catching feelings" for him, I was waiting around for him to make some kind of move, even though we are not dating. It made me realize that I want something real, and, clearly, what we have is not real.
I approached him one day and told him that we needed to have a conversation. I wanted to discuss this realization face to face. I was closing the restaurant that night, which did not fit into his schedule, so I asked when we could get together to talk. He didn't really have an answer, but he did have a bunch of excuses about this own schedule, etc. that would force us to not see each other for a couple of weeks. So, I, passive aggressively told him that I would send him an email, rather than wait 2 weeks to get this off my chest. He didn't really have a rebuttal.
I waited four days, hoping that he would call, text, or write, but when he didn't, I started to evaluate our friendship a little bit. If my friend told me he wanted to have a conversation, I would do whatever it took to get in touch with him and let him know that I cared about whatever was weighing on his mind. When I got nothing, I realized that we weren't the kind of friends I thought we were. Then I got to thinking that everything had been on his terms, in his way, on his time, and I bowed in submission, just for that inconsistent closeness.
After four days, I wrote him a pretty long email...that was Sunday. On Tuesday Night/Wednesday morning, he responded saying that was the first time he had seen the message and he would respond, but he didn't have time at that moment. He assured me he wasn't ignoring me. Now, today, I still have yet to see a response. I almost wrote him and told him to not bother responding. I'm just happy to get that all off my chest.
What a piss-poor friend. I just feel duped. I feel like now that I'm calling the shots, he is pissed or feeling degraded in some way. He's been calling the shots for months now, so I decided to take the bull by the horns, and now he doesn't like it. That's what his lack of response is telling me. It just sucks because I don't want to lost him as a friend, but I think that's how this is going. I don't know. We'll see.
I just realized that this is the first time I have written about the Miss's life outside of the myriad occupations...whatever.
I have a friend; one whom I consider to be close. We hang out once a month or so, and we are friendly, but not romantic. We both know that our personalities will clash in a romantic relationship, but we are still attracted to one another and, supposedly, we value our friendship.
Recently, I came to the realization that, although I was not "catching feelings" for him, I was waiting around for him to make some kind of move, even though we are not dating. It made me realize that I want something real, and, clearly, what we have is not real.
I approached him one day and told him that we needed to have a conversation. I wanted to discuss this realization face to face. I was closing the restaurant that night, which did not fit into his schedule, so I asked when we could get together to talk. He didn't really have an answer, but he did have a bunch of excuses about this own schedule, etc. that would force us to not see each other for a couple of weeks. So, I, passive aggressively told him that I would send him an email, rather than wait 2 weeks to get this off my chest. He didn't really have a rebuttal.
I waited four days, hoping that he would call, text, or write, but when he didn't, I started to evaluate our friendship a little bit. If my friend told me he wanted to have a conversation, I would do whatever it took to get in touch with him and let him know that I cared about whatever was weighing on his mind. When I got nothing, I realized that we weren't the kind of friends I thought we were. Then I got to thinking that everything had been on his terms, in his way, on his time, and I bowed in submission, just for that inconsistent closeness.
After four days, I wrote him a pretty long email...that was Sunday. On Tuesday Night/Wednesday morning, he responded saying that was the first time he had seen the message and he would respond, but he didn't have time at that moment. He assured me he wasn't ignoring me. Now, today, I still have yet to see a response. I almost wrote him and told him to not bother responding. I'm just happy to get that all off my chest.
What a piss-poor friend. I just feel duped. I feel like now that I'm calling the shots, he is pissed or feeling degraded in some way. He's been calling the shots for months now, so I decided to take the bull by the horns, and now he doesn't like it. That's what his lack of response is telling me. It just sucks because I don't want to lost him as a friend, but I think that's how this is going. I don't know. We'll see.
I just realized that this is the first time I have written about the Miss's life outside of the myriad occupations...whatever.
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