Pinnacles National Monument

Last weekend I hiked down at Pinnacles National Monument with my good teacher friend Kelly. It has some crazy rock formations and  cool caves too. It's only good to go about this time of year though, because it gets very hot and dry by about mid-May. I went last year in May, and I was perspiring like gusher. We took a trail that loops around the southern part of the park and through the southern caves as well. It was about the same as the northern route I did last year, except it had a few steeper portions of rocks- like they actually have rails installed and steps carved out of the rock for you to climb up. I'm not sure which one I liked better, but I am leaning towards the northern trail.
I hope to take a few of the youth group kids in the next few weeks before it gets too hot. I know they would love the wacky rocks and going through the caves.

Here's a few pics:

Jar of Dreams

Recently I read Jar of Dreams by Yoshiko Uchida. The only complaint I had was that it was too short! It was a tale of a Japanese-American family in the Bay area who struggled to make their way in America in the face of discrimination. The narrative is from a young girl's perspective. She has an aunt who comes to America to visit for the first time over the summer. While Rinko at first feels awkward of about her aunt, who fully embraces her Japanese heritage, over the summer her perspective changes.

I loved this book, because I made me understand the perspective of others. More than a hundred years ago, my family came over from Germany on my mom's side and Ireland on my dad's side. But I never experienced being an immigrant myself. Sure, I moved to another state after college, and there was a bit of culture shock going from Ohio to California, but nothing like what the family went through in Jar of Dreams. I can't pretend to understand, but reading this book definitely opened my eyes more. As a teacher, I really try to understand my students, some of which are recent immigrants.

Being from Rinko's perspective, all of the things her family faced were written simply, instead of being all political hodge-podge. While America isn't perfect, people still come for a chance of a better life. I hope as a teacher, I am always helping my students have a better life. That's why I read- to understand my world and my students better.

Super Teacher

Last week, we have a spirit week at school. Those are always fun. A few of the days weren't very easy to dress up for... Grease Lightning Day, Mustache Day anyone? But then there was sports team day, superhero day, and of course school spirit day. Those I could do. I borrowed my aunt's 49er's jersey on Wednesday, and it was funny because some students who really like Raiders, for instance, acted like I was a complete nutcase. (In all honesty, I really don't care about the team, I was just dressing up for the day. If I had had a jersey, I would have totally worn Ohio State though).


Thursday was superhero day. I was in a conundrum because I couldn't find my Incredible's outfit. It must be packed and stored with everything else. So I improvised. I made a SuperTeacher logo and wore it under a white button-up shirt. And I pinned on a cape too. The kids liked it, and I supported spirit week. It was a win-win for everyone. :)