The Big Block of Cheese

Day 13 - 4 Strikes

Banneker Day 7

Maybe it’s because it’s getting dark so much sooner, but our newspaper periods are way more reasonable now.

A good 10 kids were there again today (yes!) and we spent most of our time interviewing a senior about his tattoo for an article for this issue.  We were practicing interviewing and playing off of each others questions with follow ups, not to mention taking good notes.

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Day 12 - PSAs

Roosevelt Day 5

This was just a great morning.  I had Childish Gambino’s Camp to take me through the metro and up Georgia Ave, the sun was shining, I was wearing my new jeans, boots, sweater, checked shirt, and puffer (why yes they’re all from J. Crew) because it was cool but not cold, and I was happy.

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Day 11 - “How Could You Eat a Deer?”

Banneker Day 6

It was a hot walk to school.  Hot for a sweater, a field jacket, and a cap.  But it was beautiful.  66 degrees with a blue sky, I’m not going to complain.

Childish Gambino’s album is out in full on NPR Music.  I listened to it all through my DCCC internship in the morning, and man did I wish I could play it for the kids at school.  It’s definitely not school friendly, but not for the usual reasons.  Yeah he curses a lot, but it’s for a purpose.  It’s smart and tricky and clever.  It’s Donald Glover talking about being Donald Glover.  He’s black but not black enough, he’s not white, he was a nerd, people called him faggot, but look at him now?  Writer, actor, comedian, rapper, model - he’s unbelievable.  I hope they listen to him at home.  The Banneker kids, the Roosevelt kids, everyone.  I know I’m a white girl who lived near a farm in Wisconsin.  But listening to him on the way to school, everything made sense.

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Day 10 – Long Term

Roosevelt Day 4

The fact is, I have a stronger bond with the Banneker kids and Mrs. Brinkman than the Roosevelt class and Mr. Spikes.  I was sick one week and went to the White House another, so this is only my fourth day there.  I also know that Nicole is there on Monday and Wednesday every week, so I’m sure they  have more of a connection with her.  I really like the kids and Mr. Spikes, but not being there has a cost.

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Hey.  Hey you.  Hey, look at that awesome person in the suit and the glasses, standing on the wall next to that woman in the pink jacket.  Who do you think that is?

Day 9 - “We Called It a Fun Box”

Banneker Day 6

I am so, so proud of the Banneker kids.  This semester has been a full to bursting with the highest of highs and the soul crushingest of lows.  (That was terrible writing.  I’ll fix it later.)  Very different from my first fall semester, which was just a gradually descending and occasional uptick of monotony.  The point is, I realized today that the emotion I’ve hardly ever felt in these past two years was pride.  I wasn’t the best student in high school, but you’re recognized more often for things.  Here, in limbo to the real world, nobody cares.  It’s an important lesson and I’m glad I learned it early, but I do miss being proud.  I’d get snatches of it when a teacher would point out how my paper was particularly good, but it’d always slip away when I went to my bad class.  It’s been a long time since there’s been a ton of build up and an incredible payoff.  Well, the drought stopped today.

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This one doesn’t have to be private!  The walk to work and my lovely desk.

Photos from my walks to the schools and my pre White House Liz Lemon mirror pump up (stop sweating you stupid bitch!)

James S. Brady

Here’s your warning: this is my freak out post about how I went to the press briefing room and saw JAY CARNEY and made high school kids laugh at my lameness and wore a suit and glasses and heels the whole damn time.  And it was excellent!

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Day 8 - Longer Hours, Shorter Days

Banneker Day 5

I was supposed to be in from 3:30-4:45.  Now my days are 3:15-6:00.  Significantly longer, you might say?  Especially when I’m at the DCCC from 9:00.  It’s okay because while there’s work to do tonight, it’s not impossible and it’s not due tomorrow.

It was the start of a new issue, and while we didn’t have half the number of kids who showed up for the first one, the kids who were there seemed invested.

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Day 7 - Filling in the Gaps

Roosevelt Day 3

I kind of had a feeling today would be off. I was almost at the metro when I realized I’d left my wallet (ie: smartrip and license) in my room so I knew if be a little late.

The metro went fine and today’s casual at the DCCC so I didn’t have to be so overdressed in a blazer and button down. It was high 50s so the walk to school was pretty perfect.

As always, everyone at security was kind and helpful, and I only got lost once on the way to the room - a record!

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Day 6 - Fontophile

Banneker Day 4

This is going to be a short one because there’s so much to do right now.  This is when the pressure’s on - when I’m doing this great but time consuming thing in the middle of what’s supposed to be my first priority: school.

It’s tough when I the initial schedule said I’d be done at 4:45 but that gets pushed to 5:00 and then 5:30 and then 5:45.  I need to be clearer about leaving, but I can’t push it since Mrs. Brinkman gives me a ride to the metro and it does make me much more comfortable.

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Day 5 - So Much RAM

Banneker Day 3

Ms. Brinkman was on vacation this week, so Sylvia (the journalist) and I were there with an english teacher who read over a few papers.

It was everything I was worried about.  The kids largely edit their own papers and have Sylvia look over them.  I’m valuable in my layout skills, but oh my god the computers were terrible.  I was trying to switch between the internet, photoshop, and InDesign, and everything would crash.  I was desperate to go back to my fast mac, filled with fonts and tricks, but I couldn’t.

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Day 4 - Tardy Hall

Roosevelt Day 2

I didn’t go to sleep much later than usual (probably around 11:30) but I felt it waking up today.  I didn’t get out of bed until 7:45 which would’ve been enough time, but then I realized that there were a whole lot of things that needed to be done before I could leave.  I walked out the door at 8:15 (about ten minutes behind schedule) but I knew I’d be fine.

Well, when the metro takes double the time it took last week, things aren’t going to be perfectly fine.  I tried to walk as briskly as I could up that street (it’s tough when you’re behind slow students) and ended up getting into the classroom about 15 minutes late.  I should say that the security guards have been incredibly helpful, and I only got lost twice on the way to Mr. Spikes’s classroom.

I apologized profusely and I hated to set that kind of example for the kids, but no one seemed to mind.  We talked about the new iPhone and Steve Jobs for a little bit, where I could chime in enthusiastically.

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