Rick Wade

Too blessed…but yet…kinda stressed!!!

2006-02-09T23:27:00.000-05:00

OK so there is A LOT going on right now in the life of Rick Wade, and its always like that if you know him (yes I am talking in 3rd person). He enjoys being busy, but not to busy to enjoy life. Tonight has been the first night since Christmas break since he has had time to just sit down. He did the dishes, and watched some clothes, and attempted to look at some tv, but nothing was that interesting except “Drawn Together”. But on to the reason why he decided to name it just that…too blessed to be kinda stressed. First off he would like to start out by sayin that he aint really stressed, its just the living life part, but its all good. Today, it was at the start of 4th period that he walked out to get some McDonalds BREAKFAST, and it wasn’t till I headed back till it hit him…not another car, but a thought of how blessed he really is. As he was going around the circle headed back to school he ran it to one of his sands, (LB), random nigga, frat, bruh, call him what you wish…Rick Wade has his own thoughts. He saw him on the corner. I immediately pulled over my car and was like what are you doing. Part of Rick Wade wanted to pull off and be like hummm sorry for ya, but that is NOT what the brotherhood is all about. And plus Rick has always been taught don’t do what others have done to you…its hard sometimes but in this case Rick didn’t. He said that his car had broken down, and that he had to get it fixed so that he could go to work around 1:30. So me being the person that I am…I put my life on hold for someone who could really give a flying shit about me…Rick Wade don’t know if its true, but just know that the feeling COULD be both ways. Rick waited while the tow truck came, and it did like 30 min later, rode out the mechanic spot, and that took about 20 minutes, then took him back to his house to change clothes, then off to work out in New Albany. This turned it to about 2 hours worth of helping a brother out. I dint mind at all…I really didn’t, but in the mist of all of this, it made me realize that how blessed Rick Wade really is. He has a car that works…a true blessing (not to many 22 year olds can get a new car out of college), a job that pays more than 10.00 an hour, the smarts to see that just a B.A. is just not enough in today’s world, and is now looking for schools with a PhD program that fits me. I mean what else could I wish for??? Rick has his bruhs that I call my SANDS, and his spec’s, and that I could call in the mist of any storm that Rick may be having. I have all of my needs that are met, and that is a God sent. This post is not a mere fact of belittling anyone or talking about anyone cause EVERYONE has there faults, but it was just a self realization that I needed. I know that I am blessed, but sometimes you need the picture just to see that…and today I got it….HOLLA

By the way...I spent both of my free periods, and my lunch helping this dude out...and it makes me wonder...would the same would have been done for Rick Wade???? The world may never know

If you happy and you know it clap your hands…or who has the time to clap or do anything!!

2006-01-27T20:42:00.000-05:00

No silly I aint talking about blogin, I am talking about grad school, initial certification… and just life in general. Today started out great. I was a freshman English teacher and as much as I hate (I shouldn’t say that cause that is a very strong word) but I just don’t like freshman…it was cool. We did a review of adjectives, verbs, nouns, and pronouns. I said some of this stuff so much that I can now name all of the pronouns, and that is kinda cool. I left school on a happy and playful note, and couldn’t wait to get on with my evening activities for example getting up with any bruhs (my sands) my girl, and just having a real chill evening. I was goin to even go up to her lil work spot and just say hi…but I had to make it through one more event…MY ADVISOR. All in all, he is a cool guy and for the most part knows his stuff. So before the meeting even started, he was like yea… you are trying to student teach in the fall we are going up on tution this summer…so that’s 417 a credit hour and that is 10 of them. I looked at him and was what the hell. Not only that, but I have to do my content experience, so that means that you can tack on another 3…so 417 times 13…that is a lot to student teach. One may think like it can’t be that bad…but did I forget to say that it’s 10 WEEKS OF UNPAID WORK…no subbing no nothing. So you pay for the class then on top of that no pay. OK…OK. So as the meeting went on he continuously reminded me of my praxis which is 135 a pop...and I have to take 2 of them; 1 for my content area, and the other for teaching and learning. Then he reminded me of my methods class which is online from the University of Utah…485.00 plus 3 books that are about 89.00 a pop give or take a few dollars. Then still I have about 5 more undergrad classes to take at Columbus State 79.00 a hour…and about 7 classes or 23 hours of grad work at 417.00. When lookin at this in the grand scheme of things, the bottom line to this issue is that I have a dead line for ME…and I don’t think that I am going to meet it, and MONEY which is the REAL problem. You know that the government don’t always give you the funding that you need and if that is true, then…I will be a grad student forever. I wanted to be done spring of 07 which is pushing it REAL BAD…or 07 which I s highly possible. Now that he was the bearer of bad news, its looking like December of 07…and that is just too long. Cause I still have to do my thesis or my practicum I don’t know which one yet…but its starting to be a bit much. Then farther more, I want to move out of this place. I mean really, I need to get my own spot. I enjoy coming home and not having to have people…lets just say I like not to be bothered when I walk in the door after a long day with someone else’s kids or a long nite of class and sometimes both…the shit aint fun. Some times I feel bad cause I know I be neglecting people, but I don’t know what else to do..i have my own set of problems and if Rick Wade aint happy…then aint nobody happy….I AINT CLAPPINPS

PS... I just decided on Sunday that I want my PhD. I love the learning process and all that goes in it. Some think that I am silly…but please, you can just call me Mr. Wade MEd, then Dr. Wade…ooooohhhhhh…that looks sooo good.

BUSY BUSY BUSY!!!!

2006-01-03T01:18:00.000-05:00

Ok…so this post is going to be a lil different. I am going to do it in sections about certain things in my life. I want to first start out by sayin that God is good cause he brought me through another uneventful year (in a bad way), and gave me nothing but blessings and small test and trials that I was able to overcome and make a stronger person…shot out to Jesus… hes da hommie…

Now…here we go.

Where did Winter break go. Can I get a slice I of free time please with those fries PLEASE.

Kauffmans:
I decided to get a winter holiday job, and for the past 3 years, I have always worked there, and this year made it nothing new. I started a week or 2 before Thanksgiving, and not soon after got a “promotion” (well its better than being on the floor selling stuff). I started to work in the Customer Service. In customer service, I do more than just see people who are upset about some issue in the store, I answer phones, gift wrap, and count refund and change drawer, and give “change out slips”. I must say that it’s a lot going on back in that lil area, but it works and I like it. I have become a pro at gift wrapping, and my bows are off the hook, I make a mean bow and can wrap a hot ass gift. I am that deal!!! With the drawers, I give change to employes that may need change for whatever and since all monies have to be accounted for, there is a certain way that it all has to be done. Then if I close I have to count and close 3 drawers, and that takes a long time when you tryin to leave. So now they let me stay on part time. I work at Kauffmans on the weekend cause I am that good. I don’t know how well its going to work…but I am a Alpha, but on the other hand…I aint gonna kill myself!

Grad and Undergrad simi girlfriend.
Ok…so for the longest since the start of December, I have been trying to find someone to help pay for my undergrad classes and all of my family turned me down. I didn’t know what I was going to do. The money was due Dec 29 at 12 midnight. Before I left for camp, I was talking to a bruh, and I told him that I wasn’t worried about it cause it was going to be taken care of…I hoped. I P.U.S.H.E.D. (Prayed Until Something Happened) and something happened. On my way home from camp, I got my girl next to me asking me to meet her peoples from Cali and I am like no…NO…I just came from camp (and she did too) and I was worried about my money that was due for classes…I had to find the money cause they would drop me from my classes and then I would have to pay more money and fees just to get in the classes and I COULNDT do that. The problem was that I didn’t have the money…so what makes you think that I have the exrtra money for the fees??? So its like 2 pm…and I don’t know what I am goin to do. She was pissed (we rode from camp all they way to Columbus in silence) that I didn’t want to meet her peoples, and I had that I don’t care attitude cause I needed money and fast…I was starting to panic. So she says when I drop her off…”What do you want me to tell them”. I was thinking that she would tell them that he had to find some money for classes so that he can stay in school. It’s a struggle that all of us can relate to. But I wanted to say that “I ….u can fell in the rest….” WHEN RICK WADE WANTS SOMETHING NOTHING STANDS IN HIS WAY. But never the less the second time that I got home there in my mail box was some change (credit card) to help me pay for my classes. NOW that was a blessing. I never sent away for the card…it was one that I paid off way back when. He aint there when you want him…but He is always on time!!! Needless to say, I did end up meeting her family from Cali at red Lobster all expenses paid. She called and left me a message on my phone, and it made me think...She posed a question like am I really ready for this.., marriage and all. And I am settin there with my jaw open like no she didn’t. I was appalled, she knows how much this important this is to me, and not only that I cant get a “real” job with out these classes. She wanted me to met her people…I wanted to pay for classes…???? I don’t know. They are both are important but I mean I have to pay for classes…I am just trying to be a black educated man…its what society needs. People what do you think about that one??? I mean it was our first “fight” or disagreement since we got back together, and all is good now…Love ya! I promised my sands I wasn’t goin to talk about it…so I aint….NEXT.

New Years Eve
yes…I had to work New Years Eve from 11-6pm. From work I went and got her, then back downtown to see my “other” (Big Brothers Big Sisters) family then home, changed clothes, then to my church for a Kwanzaa celebration, then to her church for watch nite service. Then I had to hit her off with the grand finally…SKIING. Yes folks black folks do ski. It was her first time. On the way up there she was like oh my God, I can’t believe that I am doing this…this is crazy…”WE” don’t ski. I was like you have to step out that box and try new things. Once she got the hang of this (bout 1 hour)…she loved it. I think we found our new winter thing. She is trying to find time so that we can go again this winter. I have told people about how much fun that we had…and they trying to go to…so we will see. You know you a popular and well like teacher when the students invite you, and some of the other staff!!! Mr. Wade do it big.

Christmas:
It was cool I had picked out all of my gifts so I knew what I was getting. But if you know me, I like to go all out for others when I can. If you know the story of Rick…you know that he is broke…but somehow some way….got my sister this funky ass smelling Burberry perfume, and my nephew this huge remote control car that was hot. I played with it so much that I had to take it back to Wal-Mart on the 26 at 5:30 to be there when the store opened to take it back to get another. Yes I broke his toy….I am a kid at heart. I got my grandma this glass frog (she like frog for some odd reason…I think they look alike but others think different…LOL) and some other stuff too…and this picture that I took of all of the grandchildren in a frame. She has it settin out…so she really must have like that.

In conclusion for the next 4 months, I teach in the morning, then go to class at night grad and undergrad. I have classes EVERYDAY of the week even Saturday for next Semester/Quarter, and then I work at Kauffmans on the weekend too. Somehow someway, I would like to get a higher GPA than last semester…3.777

Since winter break started I have had 3 days off all together, and it went by so fast. I am so broke living the college life all over again. I thought those days were OVER…think again.

The END::::::::::::

If you see me in the streets...just give me a high 5 and tell me to keep my head up....TIME AINT LONG!!! cause I will be BUSY BUSY BUSY

Pissed the hell ...who the hell is she???

2005-12-01T23:03:00.000-05:00

Ok…so I looked up the word grandmother and this is what I come across…fuck it…I don’t want to. I told this lady like 2 weeks ago when my account went on the hole like 149.00 or what ever it was, that I was goin to be late with her rent money (first point to keep in mind..rent???) We had this conversation, and at the end of it, she was like how does that concern me. I never asked her for her help because that aint who I am. I take responsibility for my own actions. I was the one that did it…so man up. And I did. I got it taken care of, and now have about 6 whole dollars in the bank. My Insurance is about 1 week late, and I am waiting for the second notice. When it comes, I don’t know what I am goin to…but one day at a time worry about that when it gets here. So today when I walk in the house its like 10:50 pm. She came out of the bathroom and I said hi grandma…the first thing that came out of her mouth was when are you goin to pay me my rent. I started to pretend like I didn’t hear her, but that is not the adult way to handle it. I simply approached her (and I didn’t have an attitude like I usually do), and told her that I have 6 dollars in the bank. She looked at me and said so…I want my money and shrugged her shoulders…”you gotta pay rent somewhere no matter where you go”. Yea I know that, but I am at home…somewhere that I have called home since like I was 5 years old. It was at the very point that I felt like I was so alone. How can this woman that I call my grandmother be so caught up in what I owe her. She acts like I want to be here with her…I don’t. I hate (hate is a very strong word) every minute of it. I cant play my music loud, her brother is here, I cant have company over like I want to, and to farther top it off, I cant walk around butt ass naked. She act like I aint doing nothing with my life except just working at the local McDonald or something (no offence to those who work there). But I am a college educated black man, working on a master degree to farther myself. I paid out of pocket for my undergrad classes, and I have to do the same again for winter quarter classes. This money is due Dec 29…it came in the mail today…if I don’t pay it, they drop you from the class. I mean my first year out, (depending on where I go ATL, or the 614) I will be making at least 42,000 off rip. The lil 235.00 that I owe her will be so minuscule. Every time that I am around one of her friends, and my name comes up, she be like yea…I am pround of him…blah blah blah…but now, I really don’t believe her. She is such a dam greedy hog…and it bothers me. It goes back to last year when I first got my car (NOV 2004). I knew that I was a substitute teacher, and I was fine with that at the time. I had my old beat up car, that would not work in the rain, the breaks needed about 800.00 worth of repairs, and it was just a lot wrong with that car. It got me through the times, but….i needed to get around the city being a sub teacher. So I went and got my used Mazda 6…yes used. The minute that I pulled up in the driveway, her eyes lit up and were like JACKPOT. I can milk him for some money…and she has been. I was so bad that she wanted me to pay her over the summer, and I wasn’t even here because I was at camp…now that is a damn shame. That is how I know she is in it for the money. And to piss me off even more she is always going to damn river boat…blowing it away. I just be like you claim that you are so broke, and yet….you goin to the boat…WHAT THE HELL. Or you get all of this shit that don’t nobody need, or that don’t in no way help no one out. If anyone knows my schedule, you know that I aint never here, so I cant run up a electric bill. All that I have is my computer and that is after 9 because I be in class, and if that is the case, then you know what you have to eat out because you aint never at home….so like I said before, I really don’t know where my money be going. 200 for rent, 35 for internet. In case you are wondering, I still have the net because that is how I get some of my jobs when I don’t have one…I wake up at like 4 am, and see what is out there…NO NET…NO JOB…NO JOB…NO MONEY…and that is a step backwards right now. I mean I am already stressed out about money, Alpha, school, girlfriend, teaching, being a black male (not in any order), and now with this shit...what the fuck..i am too stressed for all of this. With bill collectors, you can hang up on them, but with someone that you live with…I don’t know. So this is how I feel… since I am payin her money to stay here, this is where I live…she bed not ask me for shit from now on. The only dishes that I will wash is my own…takin the trash out…NOT…helping her around the house because she cant do stuff no more like run the sweeper…she better call somebody else…cause like I aint on it...takin that nigga that I call uncle Bobby to church…no more…nigga better walk…doing stuff around the house….lol…right…you better ask somebody….I am bout to act a fool, and be the worst housemate. This is why people I aint never at home, I don’t want to put up with this bullshit…and that is all it is. I have enough to put up with just because that is life. But all in all…I am going to get my master degree, and NO ONE will stand in my way. This shit is for the birds.

Radio

I pays to be a toys r us kid (ding)

2005-11-22T23:37:00.000-05:00

OK…this was a cool day. It started out great. I mean that teacher that I was subbing for has a ruff first period, then they getter as the day goes on. I can say that because I have been her before. Her first period aint bad…they are just LOUD, and talk way too much. They laugh about stupid stuff…(point one…this is important). But all in all, the morning was cool. When I got to 4th period, they were the Juniors…I LOVE JUNIORS. They aint too old, and they aint too young. You can play them, they would get the lil jokes that you make…and its just a good time. But anyways, they were working on their research paper about something…I don’t remember. So we were in the computer lab. I had my wireless hooked up to my top of laps, and I just decided that I would cheek my bank statement. WHAT THE HELL…that bitch said -148.05…and had the nerve…the absolute nerve to have it down to the cents. My whole attitude changed…and the kids noticed. I got to 5th period, they was like Mr. Wade…whats good with you…you look like you don’t want to be here. I didn’t, I was pissed and wanted to go off on someone…or stab someone…I couldn’t (point two…this is important). So the day goes on, and I was just not my normal self. But I couldn’t let it get to me…I was there for the kids, and not to focus on my own problems…the life of a teacher. Even one of my FAVORITE students (a kid that I would even adopt) noticed that something was wrong. He tried to cheer me up…and it was cool. By the way, I let this kid get away with too much stuff, but I don’t care because he is my favorite…in the whole school. Like for example, he came up to me and took out my BLUETOOTH, out of my ear, and put it in his, like nothing was wrong. While he was doing this, usually with student, I put up this defense around my body, I don’t like people in my personal space, but it was cool for some odd reason. I don’t know. So as the day goes on, I get ready for the big game. I know my game aint tight at all. But I TRIED. It was a lot of fun, and had the students talking about me. After like Mr. Wade you are uncoordinated…and I came back with “Well I wasn’t with ya auntie”…and have everyone crackin up. Mr. Wade aint going out like no punk. But during the game, my chest was wheezing and I was tired, and sweating (point three…this is important). I was crampin up, couldn’t talk…felt like I was in someone’s basement… ok so it wasn’t that bad, but still. I didn’t score, and the dude that I was sticking was a beast. He had mad skillz that I didn’t, so there was no point. BUT I TRIED. When I got replaced by another teacher, he ended up shaking the shit out of this other teacher. It was to the point where we had to stop the game cause the students was pumped…that was a good thing. But all in all, the teachers did win…and THAT is what we wanted.

Now…I got to school around 7:20 am or so. And my hands was kinda ashy, so I took some lotion that the teacher had on her desk…and that was a BIG MISTAKE. This is not the first time that this has happened, but my soft ass must be allergic to certain lotions. Because after I put it on, I started to cry, my eyes would not stop watering. They did this for at least 3 hours… I couldn’t see to read, and my eyes were hurting. I couldn’t wipe them because I had this cheap lotion on my hands…it sucked, and I was stuck in the classroom with these kids.

I get a phone call around 6 period, and it was my aunt. She said that she was coming in town, and don’t tell my grandma so I didn’t. But I get home and it goes down. The door bell rings, and my grandma answers the door. And its her. But I go to class and as I am getting ready to do my presentation, I start feeling sick. Sweating and my stomach is upset. It makes for a long class period. But I make it home, so now I am just sitting here with an upset stomach…and I don’t know why. I had spaghetti for lunch, and some wings from Roosters…so I don’t know what the deal is. I cant be sick cause I am bout to put some food away this week…and clog up someone’s toilet!

The points that I pointed out (3 of them)…are facts that I am growing up. I don’t wanna grow up…I am a Toys r Us Kid…but the truth must remain the same that I am. Nigga lookin at marriage…he has got to be grow in some aspects…although still living with grandma…don’t tell nobody…cant even get my g.m.o. (GROWN MAN ON)

pEaCe

WHAT IN THE WORLD is really good...

2005-11-21T20:24:00.000-05:00

Ok…so really…what the fuck (I really do hate this word…) but really…what the fuck is goin on with me. What in the hell have I been thinking. Ok, so like 2 weeks ago, this teacher came up to me and asked me to play in the student faculty basketball game…and so it was for the kids, and I said yes…with some doubt in my mind. I say that because I am NOT…I repeat I am NOT a baller. So all day today before the game…kids is talking about how they are going to dog me…and just talking mad head. And me…I aint going out like to punk!!!! And that is for DAMN sure. Some of the other teachers are like Wade, we gonna take em to the hole….in the back of my mind…I am like somebody gonna have to take me to the hospital…somehow I have got to get out of this game. The kids already think that I got skills because I was shooting with them 1 day…just 1 day. And this is the result that I get. I am a runner…cross county, and track…give me some hurdlers, and I will show you who is the man…ask me track boys…the will let you know. But on the real…I hate how society has placed this stereotype on black men that all we do is play basketball. The invention of this orange thing that we call a basketball is probably one of the greatest downfalls that have been invented to us as a society…it has done nothing to help us, except an elite few…black men, please go to college and make yourself a white collar job

Next up…the Ques, had they skating party, and of course…I showed my ass off. I was out there gettin it. On skates doing the chicken head, and some other stuff too…I was the HNIC on skates….then I got broke. My knee hit the ground hard as hell…black people aint supposed to bruise…but I did. I aint had a bruise since 04…(LOL). I think I played it off, but some people saw it and was like OOOOOOOOO…but its all good. SO now I am sore, but its all good because tomorrow is the basketball game…I just hope that I don’t embarrass myself.

Then this damn school work…I am mentally done. Like I told my teacher tonight…my brain hurts. SO I am here physically, but mentally…don’t ask me nothing…she just started laughing. BUT I was soooo serious. I have 2 papers that are due tomorrow, and a book with a presentation, and I am mentally done like a steak…

HOLLA

to move or not to move that is the question??

2005-11-20T23:10:00.000-05:00

Ok…so here is another one….I have been telling people that I am bored…and so this is the result. It’s Sunday, and that is a non devil day…no bad things on the computer, gospel music for the most part, clean mind…and so on. I try at least. Now that I think of it...I have a girl, and looking at stuff on the web…is for losers I know that desperate times calls for desperate measures, but really…whats satisfaction are you getting…???? Its just a rhetorical question. But the reason for this other post is to talk about ATL…on of my best friends has been asking me since I have wanted to go to ATL, what is down there, and why. I haven’t been able to give him a reason except that I wanted to go…WHY NOT. Now that I am looking at it…I don’t know why I want to go. I think its to get away…I honestly don’t know. ( I really think that its to run away to get away from OSU, and the Greek scene, but running wont get you NO WHERE…so you pull yourself up by the bootstraps, and you suck that SHIT UP..and move the FUCK ON!!! Yes this shit burns me up and I am livid about it). Now that I am about to have a wifey…and a family one day, I am honestly thinking about stayin here. What do I have to loose. I mean I am greatly involved with Alpha, I love the school where I work at, I am working on my master degree. Teachers and students want to see me stay…I just don’t know. The advantage to go ATL, is nothing…just a new start…let the fun begin…which can also be scary. I don’t know what I want to do…my mind is set for ATL, but my heart is here in the 614. I have a feeling that my services may be needed even more in the Alpha arena…you just gotta know. But I think that’s all for now I think…

BUSY

2005-11-20T17:56:00.000-05:00

Man…a lot has happened since my last post…to the point where I don’t even know where to start. I want to talk about my girlfriend and something other things too. First off I have been SOOOOOOOO busy with grad classes, they are killing me so thats why no post latley. ANY E WAYZ...So we have gone ring shopping since the last post, and all of them that we tried on she like. I know the style that she likes, and the range that I am looking for…about 3 grand. And to tell you the truth I didn’t know that the girl gets 2 rings out of the whole thing…and engagement ring, and a wedding ring…WOW. But we have been growing together and its really odd…as much as I hate it, I love it. I say that I hate it because I said I was done with females till I got my “hood”…(when you get a masters you get a hood…or something like that)…but I didn’t. When I tell people that I am back with here some people look at me like I am crazy…but its all good…I LOVE THE HATERS. Even my grandmother is hating, but that too is all good. When we go out, we just throw out ideals about the wedding, and what we want, and what we don’t want. So far this is what we got. This was all my idea. To have a fall wedding like in late September, and have it all white. We are still debating if it will be outside, or indoors…???. That is hot. We want a big wedding, and reception too…the more people, the more gifts RIGHT??? WE have event talked about the honeymoon. I let her go first with her idea, and she said Alaska…and that is cool… because I am ICE COLD, but at the same time…I don’t know. I then put my idea out there, and it was better….South Africa. We do know this that we want it to be in the late Spring, or the early fall. The early fall would be better…but we will see. We even have a place where was will have the wedding party at…and this place it hot. We BOTH fell in love with it the FIRST time that we walked up in the place…its just gonna cost because of its location. Yesterday 11/19/05 we went to a wedding, and we just looked at what we like, and disliked…so where are now thinking of places where we want to have the reception. But I guess the most important thing would first be to decide at whose church we gonna get married at first…and to do our marriage counseling…ahh man, this is getting way to deep. AND NOW FOR THE OTHER STUFF…Alpha I don’t even know what to say about this…except you got to take the bitter with sweet, I aint the one to live for drama, but at times, you got to put up with it ( at the end its all B.S.) to make you a stronger person. Well I have to go now because I have to go to my wifey’s aunt play at church…yes I know the family, and she knows mine. We are talking about Thanksgiving plans and what we are going to do. I think that we may end up going to both families. As I am typing all of this, I am kinda scared because of the unknown and I just want to know what is going to happen, what city I am going to be in. We (notice how everything is we…no longer just I…that takes some getting used to) have talked about what city we are going to. She doesn’t mind going go ALT, but would mind staying. She knows that it has been a long dream of mine to go to the south, and would support me in all that I do…and I love her for that…thanks babe….

OH YEA, she talked me out of using the knife last night…I was going to have to go postal.

Shutouts to the supportive sands ( if you don’t know if this is you…have I called you in the past 3 weeks), brush, and spec, and other folks in the greekdom that have helped me out in the past 3 weeks…606

here comes the #$%($ all dressed in...SHUT YA MOUTH

2005-09-26T23:13:00.000-04:00

Well well well…lets see. I really don’t know where to start this one. Ok…I figured out where so here it is. I have prayed and asked for a lot of things, and the Lord delivers ON TIME ALL THE TIME. But I asked to let me find that one, and to let me experience things that I don’t want in life and things that I do want in life…and blah blah blah. And that takes me to this point. I think that I have found the one…YEES I really do. I really do belive in something that if its really met to be…then it will work it self out in its own time. For me that took about 3 years. The story goes like this…I have dated this girl since 7 grade, she was my high school sweet heart, we went to prom together, and we was always the talk of the school. We did BIG things in high school. Well after graduation we went on to college, and we did the long distance thing but it wasn’t what I wanted…I was very unsure of things at that time with me and what I wanted in life…and just the general stresses of college. So all was ok…(yes) just ok till the winter of our junior year. Then we broke up. I saw it as a chance to escape to find myself and that I did. That same quarter a year later, I pledged and became the CoLdEsT Brother of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity INC. That made me grow up fast and put important things first that was last in my life before…it was a LIFE changing/ altering event. During those three years that I was doing the single thing, I could never find the right female that fitted my needs or I couldn’t fit hers and that was ok…because that’s the point of dating, right? So I just stopped looking… But I prayed to God, and thought about what I am supposed to do because I really want to settle down and start my life…although I have been alive for like 23 years and some odd days…I just now want to start living (LOL). But during the 3 years, God has showed me what I wanted and needed in a female and what I didn’t need or want. He showed me what I didn’t want or the lifestyle, and in walked this girl that I have known most of my life. The other day she stopped by my house and was just talking to my grandma…at the time I was like thank God I was at class, but when I got home…its like God hit me with a bat against my head and was like WAKE UP…she is yours…now what are you going to do. Later that night we talked for like 70 something minutes….and I must say that I hate talking on the phone…but the conversation flowed… and that is something that I haven’t had in I don’t know how long. Needless to say, we went out on Sunday and had a drink and it was a good time. If yall know me I love to watch the Simpson’s and I forgot that they was even on…I was just caught up in the conversations that we was having…it was truly a good time. Our conversations were so deep to me that it seemed as if we were having mental sex…if that is ever such a thing…man it was great. So I have been thing about some things that if its truly met to be…then THINGS WILL WORK ITSELF OUT…and things are working out for the better…almost to the point where I need to go to the jeweler and get that (fill in the blank)….I am too excited…

weed in water

2005-09-19T13:18:00.000-04:00

Ok...so I didn’t think that I was going to be at NHS today, but it all worked out. First off, I had to use the bathroom at like 2 in the morning so I went to see if there was a subbing job, and there was so I took it. Before I went to bed, I set my alarm for 5:55 am, but I over slept by like 35 min. So I think that something woke me up just to make sure that I had a job for today. I have all algebra 1 classes and one AP Calc class, and so far they have been great. I am starting to like the freshman…they are still in that scared mode, and afraid to do anything. But today in class after we were done taking notes, and the kids started their work, one kid ask me….Mr. Wade what would happen if you took some weed and put it in some water? I just looked at him and started to laugh…some times you have to just laugh some things off. Then they were just talking about some of the teachers and they said that one of teachers didn’t have real teeth because she was strange…I just don’t get it.

School days...and group wOrK

2005-08-30T23:31:00.000-04:00

WOW…tonight I had my first class as a graduate student. I really did enjoy this class, and that was even before the professor made a commit about what I said. I am taking this class, EDFN 586 Effective Instruction, and I am loving it. But let me set the scene for ya…we are doing some group work for an up and coming project that we will have to do…and the professor walks around just listing to some of our commits about what we are doing. He stops at our table while I am doing most of the talking. I point out about least 3 different ideas and concepts behind them. As he is standing there is looking very surprised, and impressed by what I am telling my group. So we then regroup…he goes around and has each group talk about what they have discussed. There is this one girl in our group and she dose a great job I thought, but when she was done, the professor asked me to talk about what I was telling my group. I brought at least 6 points to the class, and they were so in-depth. When I got to my last one, I looked at him and the rest of the class, and he was like “young man….you are going to go real far in the field…and you are going to be one hell of teacher. I said thank you…and he was like I am serious. After I went another guy did…and he asked the professor if he was going to be a hell of a teacher, and he said no…but it was jokingly though. But that made me feel really good. At the start of class, he knew my name, and was like Mr. Wade, you are in another one of my classes, and I told him that I was…I just found it odd that he knew my name…

But never the less I have to cut this one short cuase I have to work tomorrow on the first day of school. I get to see all of the kiddies again…and just make a good impression for the kids…I am out.

Ready or not...

2005-08-30T00:49:00.000-04:00

This week God has really opened my eyes to what it is that I want, and what I need to do to achieve this. First off, I had said for the longest that I have wanted a girl, but haven’t found all the qualities that I am looking for in one…I have now ( I think) and I am going after this lady. I don’t know why I am doing this all-of-a-sudden, but I guess now God thinks that it’s the right time for me. I don’t know y seeing that I am taking 9 grad hours, and 6 undergrad hours…but HE must feel that I am ready…so I am…I am on the hunt. I have been saying that the girl that I date will be my lawfully wedded wife… and that is the real. I have been with a girl for a while just becuase I felt like I wasnt ready...cuase I am still working on me. God must feel that I am ready to do that...and have a girl at the same time too...I dont know but he does!

Just talking to some females, they have pretty much said the same thing about what they want in their men. They want someone that looks good, treats them well, Christian, honest, and to luv them for who and what they are. I think that I have all of those qualities and more…I am back and educated (rare), smart, caring, GOOD LOOKING (I aint conceited, but I for damn sure aint ugly).

Its like 12:30am, and I am just setting here looking at all of these classes that I have to take, and man…It looks like it may be longer than what I expected. I got (as of 8/30/05) 30 grad hours and 30 undergrad hours…just so that I can be intergraded Language Arts…that’s some ol what the hell

While doing all of this typing…I have this song that is playing by Shirley Cearser – “Your next in line” and that is how I feel. This song is about you are next in line for a miracle, and how today is your day…and that is how I feel.

Just confussed...i think

2005-08-26T00:17:00.000-04:00

So its been awhile since I have posted…and its been because I have been oh so ever busy. Camp ended last Tuesday (Aug 16) and on Thusday I drove to Atlanta. I kick it HARD in the A town where the women treated me with that southern hospitality….GREAT. Visions was off the hook as always, (Visions is the bestest nite club in A town where it cause 20 to get in off rip, 21+ age (no lil ones), 7 rooms with different music (crazy). I spent way to much money down there too…and I even got me some ICE..bLiNg BlInG. Came home on Tuesday, and now…I am home. When I got home I checked my mail…and to my amazement, I got a job in Atlanta. They want me to Start September 7, 2005 for a overvew…blah blah blah. For those that have known Rick Wade, for the past 4 years, know that I have wanted to move to Atlanta for a long time. (I don’t know what is down there or why I like it…I just want a change of pace (my wife is waiting on me…and I have to get there) but anyways. Today is Thursday August 25, 2005, and man…I am so tired. When I would come home over the breaks from camp, I would love to watch T.L.C. trading spaces, or Design on a Dime. ( I know this seems some what SUSPECT, but I just like to see the before and after…and some of em was DOPE. So with that said, well lets just say that I have started a project of my own. It has been 2 days of hard work…and tomorrow will be the 3rd…sigh. I still have to make my shoe rack, paint, and still find a suitable wardrobe. Also today, I set up my WIRELSS on my desktop PC. That used to be in my basement, but now its in my room with my laptop. SO I have 2 computers in my room!!! Yea…more porn…SIKE just lying. Yesterday I hung my shelves, did the moving of the furniture. I hung 2 shelves, and I didn’t find a stud in the wall, so had to take them out meaning that I now have to plaster the wall, and paint it. All of my electrical stuff is out of place…ie I don’t have a TV, cable, or anything of the sort. What the real problem is, is that I have WAY to many clothes, too much junk, and that is slowing me down a lot. SO I had to get rid of some of my clothes that I don’t wear anymore, to small, or just don’t want…and the same with my clothes too.

Well for those that don’t know my plan, here it is till about 2007. Back in April my plan WAS to be in Atlanta for the start of the 2005-06 school year, but that didn’t work out. So in May I finally realized that I had need to farther my education if I had wanted to be a “real” teacher…so I look and I found Ashland University. They have an excellent teacher program…so I enrolled to get my maters and my certification…381.00 per hour by the way. I was on the phone with on of my females, and she was telling me about how to become a apartment manager…and you can live there for FREE. I am sooooooooooo mad. Why did she wait till now to tell me this after I have started to remodel my room. But I think that its best if I stay with grandma so that I can help take care of her…cuase if I don’t then who will. I will try my best to be a nice LIL grandson, but she be making it hard some times but WE will work it out….I hope. But I guess that is all for now and back to the grind of “Design on a few Bucks” my show…my way.

Now that I think about it, its takin my so long cuase my room was dirty. I was gone all summer long since early June, and threw my stuff down from camp…and packed and went to ATL. My plan is to be done Sunday August 28, 2005 7:45 so I can watch the Simpsons at 8:00PM sharp!
It was Tuesday/ Wednesday like 3:30am and my grandma woke and asked me what I was doing…and I said that I was looking at porn….sike just playin, but I told her that I was payin bills, ect…but I was really up thinking about the pros and cons about this job thing in ATL…but I have made my mind up…and I am getting my maters…THE POWER OF EDUCATION

Ahhh...the days at camp make you SOOO TIRED

2005-07-18T21:34:00.000-04:00

I know that I have not posted in a very long time, and well this is why. Camp is VERY busy place, and you really don’t have time for yourself cause you are always doing things for others or just to tired to even care. You have the responsibly for 6-9 kids all who have feelings, and all who are different which at any time could change because of the nature of the setting. Here is peek into what camp is….

I am at camp, and I am having a GREAT time. This is the 3rd session and the kids that I have this week will be the best kids that I have this summer. So this is what I have been done since I have been at camp since July 13...
Wednesday…Split Rocks 1 mile, playing sardines
Thursday…Gibsonville about 9 miles
Friday… Grand Tour about 8 miles
Saturday…Parish Rocks about 5 miles
Sunday…Biking to Lake Logan about 14 miles
Monday…Canoeing about 3 miles
And the session don’t end till Friday. This session I have a child that is missing a father figure in his life, and he has told me many times that he looks up to me, and that I am his long lost father. That makes me feel great inside when a child can say that about you. When I had made them dinner, he made a commit that he didn’t know that black men could cook…and well that was the best meal of the week…cause it was made by me. There is a long situation about this boy….but he is good with me. Well that is really all for now, cause I have to get with my kids, and I want to know what they are up to….
606 (u don’t know what that means…Do you????)

The man below is havin a weenie roast...and all is invited

2005-06-08T00:11:00.000-04:00

Ok…so lets see what new. Well I have been studying for the PRAXIS 2 which is a big joke. The expect me to know all of this stuff about teaching English…when I have never taught it before. Not only that, its all of this stuff that you should have learned from all of your years in school. Like really who really remembers what a Frame Tale is, or what a Limerick is??? What the hell. The only thing that keeps me going is the fact that I paid 210 for this test. Sigh…(HARD)

So today was another chill day with me not going to work. I don’t know why my black ass is setting around this house like I am King Tut or something, but I just don’t feel like being at school putting up with the kids bullshit…and yes…its just that. They wanna act up cause it’s the end of the school year. RIGHT….I don’t get paid enough to put up with that…and farther more I don’t have any benefits. The shit aint all worked up to be like I be making seem. I like it…but the pay…I aint on it. And its not the best of both worlds.

I went to the doctors today like I have been meaning to do for the longest to get my refill for my pills. I have been takin this shit since September. It has all types of side effects, but the one that really gets me is the tiredness. It seems like I am tired all of the time…I hate this feeling, and it shows in my work, and my house chores, and just all that I do. When I go to a party to stroll, its all bad. I get tired like 2 times around…but its what ever. So I am in his office, and he looks at my refills, and sees that I am missing a few months. Totaled up, I am missing like 3-4 months. You are supposed to be on the medicine for like 9 months. So if I started in September, then I am supposed to be done in June…NO NO NO. I missed a few months so I am supposed to make up for those. He said that I barley made it in, or I would have had to start my 9 months all over again….SIGH (HARD one at that). So I am going to be popping those pills hoping that I don’t forget.

I went to Dairy Queen to get an artic rush…and man…it should have been called a SWEET RUSH. I was SOOOOOO hyper around my house it was a shame. If I had a child that was actin the way I was…they would have been knocked smooth the hell out. It was a shame. I am done with that Dairy Queen and their artic rush. DONE!

It was sooooo hot outside that the devil had a weenie roast on my street with all of his closet friends and I wasn’t invited. BOOOO. But the nice thing about it being this hot, is that there were NO I mean NO kids outside. And I know I live in the hood when they use the plastic bags you get from the stores “Paper or Plastic” as water ballons. They had filled them up…and started goin to work. It was soooo funny. This happened on Sunday. But like I said…NO kids were outside. 91 today by the way!

Aint it funny how we can find everything else to do when it comes time to study!!!!

2005-06-07T21:35:00.000-04:00

OH MY GOODNESS....if this aint the truth about Rick Wade

you are lavender#E6E6FA
Your dominant hue is blue, making you a good friend who people love and trust. You're good in social situations and want to fit in. Just be careful not to compromise who you are to make them happy (whoa...KINDA SCARY).Your saturation level is very low - you have better things to do than jump headfirst into every little project. You make sure your actions are going to really accomplish something before you start because you hate wasting energy making everyone else think you're working.Your outlook on life is bright. You see good things in situations where others may not be able to, and it frustrates you to see them get down on everything.
the spacefem.com html color quiz

I will make another post later on!

and let there be air!!

2005-06-05T23:40:00.000-04:00

Ok…this is another post about the heat in my house. So the devil left his cookout and stopped looking at the porn, and I guess he had a blast. Today I went up to my room, and it was another steamy one. I could see the steam in my room…and it was just all-bad like a cute girl that you can smell 4 feet away…ALL BAD. I could see steam in my room and it was just off the chains in my room. I haven’t seen my room since Saturday morning, and I am completely fine with that. I went up there to look for something and I stopped. I broke a sweat from just blinking my eyes.

This morning, I said that I would sleep down in the basement again if need be. I knew that I wouldn’t have to cause that air was going to come on. She went off to church (which has no air) and well when she came home around 6…she looked at me and said turn the air on…and that was the end of it. I am happy…and hope she is too.

It was way to hot to do N E Thing…I mean to use the bathroom, look at porn, go outside…I just hid in my basement all day long. If this is what hell feels like…bring it...and the ice water too. Just playing LOL. I went to Dairy Queen today at like 10 pm…and man I could feel the air outside…its like they had the thermostat on Heaven. It was sooo cold in there. I mean yeah…I am ICE COLD…but damn they take the cake…or should I say ice.

The high today was 90 with Heat index of 94…I love it

WE GOT AIR…

The Temps go up...and so does my attitude. Its gettin hot in here...so take off all your clothes

2005-06-05T12:22:00.000-04:00

Ok so yesterday it was like 87 with 1000% humidity, which is fine. I love the hot weather; the only problem is that I like to have a place to run off to get cool…and that I didn’t have. My grandma wont turn the air on…which is crazy. Let me set up the story. It’s a Saturday morning and it’s about 830- 9 am. For the life of me I don’t know why people want to cut they grass that early in the morning. But nevertheless, my grandma wakes me up to take her to church cause the woman that is picking her up is “taking to long”. I drag myself out of bed…mad as hell (teachers don’t ever get to sleep in) slobber on my face with sleep in my eye, and load up the car. Just as she was getting in, the women pulls up and she goes with her to church. I am farther upset cause I could have stayed sleep. Then I trying to go back to sleep, but I cant cause its too hot in my room. In the back of my head I am like if I would not have waken up to her voice…then I would have never known that it was hot...I would have been sleep. So after about a hour of tossing and turning, and wanting some cool air…I went to the church…I had enough!!! I said can we please turn the air on, its posed to be 87…and she looked at me and said. NO I aint turning the air on. I calmly said “grandma its hot upstairs”…she said soooo go and get a fan. I didn’t want a fan…I wanted the air. I got mad and left. I got mad cause I have BAD allergies; dust. Pollen, mildew, animal dander, chocolate, tomatoes, pop, and the most important…GRASS. Mind you people were up cutting the grass, and it was hot…that is a bad combo from a Chinese restaurant. (LOL). I didn’t want a fan cause fans don’t do anything but blow hot ass air around with dust…another allergy of mine. I am a very very sickly person…God made me that way, so it’s a blessing (try to look at the positive). So as I am leaving the church, she said where is that stuff that you was supposed to have for me to sell. I went and got it, cause I was tired of looking at it…if it wasn’t for that…she would not have had gotten that stuff. I threw or placed it on the ground and left again. As I was leaving I heard her telling some folks that I was mad cause she wont turn the air on…and they was laughing that I was mad…and was telling me to just get a fan….damit I didn’t want a fan. I went home pissed. I turned my music up sky high in front of the church…and sped off towards home. So Saturday was filled with me being mad and other events; car washing, cleaning the car out, hiding in the basement (cool air)…and trying to see if I was wrong…and I don’t think that I was. I went up to my room around 4 pm (prim heating time) and I could see the steam in my room….that is just plain crazy!!! I thought the devil was in my room having a cook out, while looking at porn on my laptop. I was going to ask him to but a burger on for me…but…you know how that goes. I went to the O Rho cook out, and it was lame at first, but as I was leaving…I had a blast. I had chicks trying to dance on my car to the song OH by Ciera, to me in the living room acting up saying awwwww shit every 5 seconds clowning, and getting my freak on.

I get home around 2 am or a little there after, and its STILL to hot up in my room, so I sleep in the basement with the big screen and some cool air, which is cool…kinda scary, but cool. As I wake up at 745 am to get ready for church, my grandma is pissed talking about why did I sleep in the basement. I am like women…I aint even take my morning piss yet…you better leave me the hell alone. I am hot as hell, and I slept on a couch, and when black folks get hot…you really don’t mess with them, and I have an attitude when I wake up…ask my first period class. She done stepped all out her element…and don’t lost her angle. She told me I have a bed upstairs…and that is where I need to be…LOL…right. I will have my black ass right down in the basement AGAIN…that is a battle that she is going to loss…or I will be in my car tonight sleep.

After church I was watching the weather channel, and DAMN…I don’t know how to put it…but its goin to be hot as hell. 90 with more humitiy than yesterday. My thinking is this. The church that my grandma attends has no air. So when she comes home, she will be hot, maybe, just maybe she will want to turn the air on. But the weather channel siads that its goin to be "HOT. High 90. i started ckrackin up...they usally say warm, breezy...then the temp....but today, they said HOT. Man I love this weather. This time next week I will be at camp...and maybe I can go swimming....yea!!!!

Shot outs!!!

2005-06-02T23:45:00.000-04:00

So my 3-year-old nephew is here…and he is crazy in a good way. My grandma says that he is a spitting image of me when I was his age. I think so too, cause he is very smart much like myself. We were in Vickie’s Secret (not a secret anymore…LOL) seeing a friend, and he was counting the bottles that were on the shelf. They were soooo impressed. He counted up to twelve (there were no more bottles). Then we were over my uncle house, and he was counting the numbers on the instructional manual. I must say that it was fun taking him around town to see my friends, to work, and on campus. I really do think that I am ready to be a father…but financially I aint on it!!! I had to feed him, bath him, entertain him, comfort him when he hurt, be his piggy back ride when I didn’t want to, and be his jungle gym…and so much more. It was really a blast. At times I wish that I had a younger brother to talk to about life, and my experiences as being a black successful young man, but at times…I do like being the younger brother. Its like I want the best of both worlds. When I look back on where I am at to this day, its because of my brothers….my campus (OSU brothers). I have the religious brother that kinda scared me at first (R.A.) the kickin brother who I can count on to make me have a fun evening (J.H.), the brother to whom I spit knowledge (J.C.)…(I think that he is getting it) the brother who tells me that I need(ed) to get them grades together(D.H…SPEC), the brother that helped me find and see the light of Alpha (M.W.) the brother who I can call when I have question about WHATEVER and who don’t really care about the past…cause its just that…the past (G.M.). Well I sat here and gave all of these shot outs…and well its time for me to shoot to bed.

This is a link to my school if I get the job…key word is IF. I said that I had already messed up on one question that she asked me…so we will see. I am done with it.

http://www.clayton.k12.ga.us/schools/311/

only time will tell

2005-06-02T13:35:00.000-04:00

My days as a sub are slowly coming to an end…because its about to be summer break, and teachers have to give finals, and clean out their classroom…and do all of the dirty work. So today I slept in till about 9:30…and I chilled. I have to go up to the school later on today to turn some stuff in, and go to our track banquet. I woke up early to do my interview over the phone…and it went so so. She asked me the dread question “Classroom Management” There is no right or wrong answer to the question, you just have to say what they are looking for…its tough. I wanted to say I just cuss them out…and everything is ok, but I couldn’t. I had to be professional in the best way that I knew how, and articulate at the same time…I am applying for an English Position…ya know. She asked me if I had any questions, and I asked one that stumped her, and it was about my certification…and what I need to do. She told me after all was said and done that she had 2 more interviews…(there were 3 of us). She said that she was going to call my references, and we will go from there. She said if all is nice with my references, then she will have me come down to meet the principle. If I get the job I am happy, if I don’t I am still happy…I will talk more about that later. But over all, I think that it went really well. When I sit down and think about it, I am oh so ever proud, and happy to be an Alpha. Yes I do know that this came out of the blue, but I truly think that an Alpha man who is looking out for me, and has my best interests in mind. I have attached a link so that someone can look at my future work place if all works out.

My nephew just pulled up from ATL…so I will holla…he is 3.5 years old

KISS...Keep It Simple Stupid

2005-06-01T00:22:00.000-04:00

This is going to be quick and to the point….I am tired as all get out…and that is why. I want to first start out by saying that my days of teaching this school year are coming to a close. 1 reason for such is because finals are coming up, and teachers have to be there to give the finals…thus not needed me, but its all good.

But my main reason for doing this post today is because today I received a phone call. I didn’t look at the called ID cause I was driving, but I did see that the area code was 678 (ATL…one of them that is). I thought it was my sister, but it wasn’t. So I was all acting candid on the phone…just being on chill mode. To my amazement, it was a school calling me trying to see if I was still interested in the English position they had down there, and telling me that I was one of the finalist. I said that I was still interested. She then told me that since I am out of state, that she would do my interview differently. She said that she would do my references first, then if they all check out, they would then do the interview. She had to look again to see if I was out of town, cause they had wanted a interview this Thursday. At this point right now I really don’t care. Either way it goes, I will be happy. I have made plans for both places. I have prayed, and ALMOST got a lil wet in the eyes, and prayed some more. So I think that this is GODS way of telling me to hang in there, and to not give up…and for that I am not. I really aint going to talk about it much more (me and ATL that is) cause I don’t want to psyche myself out or put a curse on it. Just know that one day you are going to look up and see me up out of here.

Just a lil note…I am back to teaching Spanish AGAIN…I thought I was done with that too…but I can see that God has other plans. Spanish 1 at Mifflin…Spanish 1,4/5 tomorrow 6/1/05.

Camp Starts in 12 days…and IT’S THE FIRST OF THE MONTH (bone thugs and harmony)

I just spent 42.00 on a computer game…Roller Coaster Tycoon 3…and its HOT!!!

A long weekend...which means a LONG POST

2005-05-31T00:20:00.000-04:00

Lets see….i don’t know where to start. I want to first start out by saying that this was a Lame…yes folks…LAME weekend, but I don’t mind cause we all need to have weekends where we can just chill….right. I am goin to go by the days, cause I think that it will make it a lot better for me. This is a long post….Beware.

Friday…school let out, and that was a good thing. It was a good day, it was just time to go. It was around 7:45 am, and one of the kids came up to me, and was like can I come and chill in here with you. I told him no, and that he had to go to class. He said that he didn’t want to go, and that his teacher was lame…no argument there cause he (the teacher) looks kinda lame. I am lame too, but I guess. Later that day after school, I want to some of the malls and went shopping. I really didn’t see anything that I wanted so I just left, and told myself that I would save my lil money...but that didn’t work. I spent Friday nite at home and I was just on chill mode the whole night. It was a night that I wish I had me a female to chill with or just go to the movies to hang out. I miss just having a female on my arm just walking around…but what I don’t miss is the phone calls and the nagging…I really aint got time for all of that…and better you than me!!!

Saturday…was a fun day at first. I woke up and washed my car. NOW… I check the weather 3 times before I washed my car, and it said partly cloudy skies with sun. So at the track meet, it STORMS…enough to call the meet off for about 45 min. So I left and came back. It stormed at the track meet, but like 2 min down the road, the sun was shinning. The meet was out in Hilliard, which made matters even worse…but its all good. So I just went to Dairy Queen to wait out the storm. The meet got post-pone when my boy was getting his block ready…he was up next to run, then came the lightning and the rain. So after the 45 or so minute delay, he ran. He ran his lil heart out the best he could…and he finished. The crowed was going wild and so was I ( for the first time I might add). But guess all of my screaming and cheering was not enough. He got 6th in his heat…and there was only 1 heat. He is the regional 6th place person…the 6th best person in the region. When he finished, I watched him put on his sweats…and walk over to the stands where we were setting at. He smiled…and that is what I was looking for. I wanted to make sure that he enjoyed himself…and that is exactly what he did. He came up to me like “man Wade…those boys was moving…and I was tryin to keep up…” I stopped him and was like you did all you could…and how you feel. He was like I am cool, and where can I pick up my medal...I knew he was cool…and so was I. ANOTHER REASON Y I WANT TO STAY. So since I was in the Dublin/Hilliard area, I went to Tuttle Mall, and the last time that I was there, was my freshman year in college. I like that mall, and it is way bigger than what I remember it being. And you know since I was at the mall…I had to go shop. I spent way too much money, but it was for the good of the cause…my good looks. LOL. Once I left the mall, I went home and just chilled and washed my car AGAIN. By this time its like 7:00, and one of my boys calls me up. I go and help him move and get his stuff situated. I take him to take his truck back…and that was the end of it. I told him that I was goin home to clean…and that was my intent. But when I got home, I really didn’t want to sit at home with a clean car…and a fine ass nicca like myself. So I was randomly I.M.ing people like I always do, and I asked her if she wanted to go to Wal-Mart with me to take something back. I pick her up, and its all over after that. We went to Wal-Mart, Easton, Donatos, to try to go to the movies, then back to my boys spot so she could say what up. Now we left her house around 9 and I didn’t get home till about 1:30. This girl and I have know each other since orientation at OSU, and when ever we get together, its all bad from there. I remember at some point during the night I had to pull over cause I was laughing so hard, and I could not breath. And she kept making me laugh. It was all bad. I had to get out the car and shut the door so that I couldn’t hear her cause it was just bad…we would just say things and start crackin the hell up…and if you was looking in at our conversations…you would be like ????…I guess. But her and I just rode around the city of Columbus just on chillax mode.

Sunday…I woke up and went to church…and that is about it. I went back to Tuttle mall…for y I don’t know. Then out to Eastland to by these J’s that I think is hot. I cleaned my room cause I was supposed to do that Saturday nite, but I was too busy cracking the hell up while I was driving, and bout to die. I was really catching a case, because I keep cleaning out the garage, and it keeps getting junked up. I don’t know who to blame…but the shit is getting out of CONTROL. So I did that too.

Monday…I am so tired of cleaning…but I keep on keeping on. And that is really all I did. My grandma and I cleaned. She has all of these ribs out, and I am thinking that we bout to have some GOOD food…boy was I on sent mode. It was for today, but she didn’t feel like it…she was tired from cleaning. If I would have know that it was goin to come to that…we would not have cleaned. In a way I am happy and mad. I am happy cause our grill aint cleaned ( I wanted to power wash it, but my uncle wouldn’t let me use it)..(he later told my grandmother that it was a friend of his…OK), but what ever…life shall go on. I was mad cause I didn’t eat all day…I was saving my appetite for “THE MAIN COURSE”…and there was NONE. She came to me like we bout to go to Home Town Buffet. I will pay for you. I was like I don’t wanna go. I was too mad. Come on…y not Red Lobster…or something else. So once they left…I went to greasy KFC. That was my Memorial Day cook out…at least I didn’t get rained out!!!! HA HA HA bitches!

GRAD SCHOOL get ready... Fall 05

Sorry for the mizspellings!

can you feel the love....I can

2005-05-27T00:20:00.000-04:00

So today I was a math teacher back at Northland. For the most part everything was cool, and went great. The kids had a test to take so that is what I did all day was give test to the kids and have them give it to me when they were done. I had a lot of kids tell me that they could use review sheets, but I didn’t let them. 1 because if you did the homework, paid attention in class…you really shouldn’t have a problem, and the other being that if they had this sheet, they would be able to get done sooner meaning that I would have to find more things for them to do…and I aint on it. Once I told them about the doing the homework, and paying good attention in class…they soon realized that I was right, and that they didn’t need a “cheat sheet”. I had them in their seat all period long working on this test that the teach gave them.

Now the looking at the title of this thread… yea it means just that. Today I told some of my kids today that…I am like 87.3% sure that I am going to come back next year. They were pumped. One of the kids was like you can have me as a senior so that I can have stright A’s… I was like oookkk. It feels good to know that I am liked by the students, cause some of the kids would be happy to see some of the teachers leave, and could really give a hot damn, but me on the other hand…they love me…they really really love me

On that note…I will holla!!!

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Thats what friends are for...they are key too

2005-05-25T23:33:00.000-04:00

So today around 8:45, me a few of my friends got together and just chilled and hung out and ate dinner together at Applebee’s. All of us who were at the table have degrees from OSU, and one is graduating in days from OSU. All of us at one time or another have been affected by each other and knew each other in and out the classroom through various role on campus. We talked about everything from going back to school (and yes I hang with young professionals) to farther our education with masters and such, to being single and why, to marriage (someone may be getting married), to where we are in our lives and what we need to do to make things better. We feed off of each other for the positive influence…man it feels great to know that there are others out there who are struggling like you, and who have the willpower to go up and beyond the call of duty when it time for education. Education is KEY and a FUNDUMENTAL part of this society!!! Go and get it while you can...that how I feel at least.

Can teachers go out and kick it...i saw 3 kids 2night, and man...they act like they dont have a life. I do...I aint that damn lame. I was just tryin to enjoy my peeps, and I got parents comin up say whats up and kids too...kids tellin me that I should be at home grading papers...LOL HA HA HA...yea right!

2 day was a good day.

2005-05-25T14:29:00.000-04:00

Today I was at another school…Mifflin, “The home of the Punchers”. My first question is, what the hell is a Puncher??, and why are the kids, ALL of the kids off the hook in this school. I have idea about why they call themselves the Punches…cause all of them need to punched in the face, or knocked smooth the hell out, I just don’t know. But this school has a bad rep right now in the city of Columbus. Back about 2 months ago a special ed girl got raped by like 3-4 different dudes while on school property. I don’t know what happened with the situation, but the principle of fired, and the girl got sent to another school, and I don’t know what happened to the dudes. At Mifflin today I was a special ed teacher, and for the most part it was cool. Most of the kids you can’t even tell are “special”. The just need smaller classes to get the info that is present to them which is cool. The regular teacher has not been here in about 1.5 months so the kids are getting mad about their work, and what they are supposed to do cause finals are coming up. I walk in the classroom, and there is no work…the office has no work…so today has been a chill day…In short the kids have had NOTHING to do, and I haven’t either. I have been on, my laptop all day, and just chilling, laughing with the kids, and cracking jokes with the kids. It’s been a good day.

1st- sleep (I went to my car and went back to sleep till 8:17)
2nd class
3rd class
4th free period
5th lunch
6th class
7th class
8th class.

6th period watched tv, and so did 7th period and 8th too. I worked with another teacher 7th and 8th period

8th period we started off the period and me and my pair teacher said that we are watching Sesame Street, and they got pissed. To the point where they was about to have a riot, but in my mind and my pair teacher we knew that we were watching BET. Also the pair teacher passed out cupcake, and they acted like they aint never had them before; she had to slap some of the kids hands to get them to back off. It was this girls birthday so it was all good. I had this kid who came the class high. I didn’t know until I walked over to that side of the classroom. I stopped dead in my tracks and asked her was she smoking. She of course said no, so I took her hand and smelled her fingers …and I got what I was looking for. I did nothing with the situation but I was asking her all types of questions just so that I could mess up her high. I had a kid give me a gift for being the coolest sub. They wanted me to come back tomorrow, but I told them that I had another assignment at NHS…dang

On the other hand, I am really excited and think that I made the right decision about going back to school I have a lot of things that I want to do in life and I just don’t know where to start cause I have so much that I want to do. I also need to find somewhere to stay cause I am going to try to move out of my grandmas house.
Well it’s the close of the school day…2:30 so I need to clean up and pack up…….HOLLA

there was one odd experience today. I had a girl come up to me and say "Think you gay ?Usher. Do you? I looked at her like what the hell. But I think what she was tryin to say is that "do you think that Usher is gay? Do you? I just slowly turned around cuase i didnt want to make a conversation.

Is a mind a terrible thing to waste??

2005-05-25T00:52:00.000-04:00

Today was a sad day at Northland High School. Many of the seniors found out today that they will not be graduating with their class, because of the state mandated test…one kid failed by 2 points, and there is nothing that the school can do to let them graduate. They have worked all 12 years to let graduation come down to a test. They have had 2 times every year since 9th grade year (maybe 8th), and they didn’t pass.

I came to a conclusion that I want to go back to school, for why…I am not as marketable as I would like to be. Starting in the fall, I would be working on my Masters in Education (MEd), and my Teaching Certificate as well. I have been talking to some of my friends, and they are telling me to go for, but at the same time that I should move to ATL, cause I you know that is where you want to be, that is their exact words. My sister thinks that its a great idea, and grandma too. As for as school is concerned the money is CRAZY. 381.00 a credit hour at Ashland University (Cashland), and the sad part is that I need 45 of those credit hours. I am also looking at Otterbein University but I am waiting for the people to call me back with something. I also thought about going to school in ATL…but for what when out of state is going to HIT YOU HARD. I submitted one of my undergraduate transcripts from Ohio State to Ashland for them to see how much work I need to do, and I am hoping to do the same for Otterbein. I want to see what each one says, and see how long its going to take and the money as well.

Well that is it for the most part folks…and see ya on the flip side!!!

And yes a mind is a terrible thing to waste…not wasting mine!!!

We bout to throw dem bows (Tune of Girl Fight)….and…I got the hook up, holla if you hear me( Master P's song)

2005-05-24T00:56:00.000-04:00

Its like I got the fuckin Lion’s Den in my room. I am going to throw this damn thing (the laptop with the wireless internet) out the window…just playing!! For real I am. Today at school there was 2 fights back to back… they happened about 20-30 min of each other. With the first fight, I didn’t get to see, but the kids were telling me that the girl (yes a girl fight) knocked out like 3 of her teeth, blood was everywhere and a lot of screaming and hollering was going on. The next fight took place with another one of my good kids…great kid, smart, funny…and if he interrupted my class…if would be all good cause I like the kid. He stops by 8th period everyday just to say whats up…he is an office helper that period. But it was like 2:35 and I was outside trying to get info about the last fight from the others kids that were still around school. I then saw our principle and assistant principle walking/running to the side of the building. I then followed behind them. By time I got there, dude was bloody but his head was unbowed, and was going back to whip that nigga’s ass some more. But when I got there, the principle and assistant principle was on crowd control, and I took the boy back in the building to get cleaned up. I asked him what happened and he said I don’t know dude was just talking head…so it was time to bang. I left it alone and he called him moms. He was all in tears in the office cause he got 10 days, and its now summer break for him. Lucky kid. Today I was a math teacher, and that was kinda fun. I like to see student come up with various ways to problems, and ask ally kinda of questions, most of which I can answer, but there are some that I just don’t know the answer to.

One of my kids works at a shoe store, and man…the hook up…is NICE. I am bout to get those new J’s for like 66. (and yes, they are black and gold)

Another kid works at Donatos pizza…and yet another hookup

Another kid (like 4 of them) work at a fast food restaurant at Easton….and yet another hook up. Last Wednesday they gave me a salad, 3 large fries, 3 sets of chicken strips, a new fruit salad, 3 large drinks…2 apples pies…all for FREE. I did the math that totaled up to be over 15.00.

I love being a teacher.

On another note, I have been over hearing my grandmother talk about my grandfather. He is in the hospital. I have over heard her say may times something bout cancer and that he had it. So today while doing my kitchen duty, I just came out and asked if he had cancer. She said yea, and that as far as she is concerned he has pneumonia a bad case of it. I was like what the hell…why is she not telling people. My next question was what kinda of cancer is it…but when its all said and done…cancer is cancer, and if that is the response that she gave me, then I don’t think that I want to know. I do have an idea though. She is telling people outside the family…but no one in the family. I went to go and see him yesterday, and man I had to leave. I hate hospitals off rip. Then his urine bag was filled with bloody pee. And I know he had to be in pain, which he was. It took him like 15 seconds just to set down. I couldn’t say their cause I don’t like to see people in pain. My other uncle is still in the home, and my grandma is trying to bring him home.

I have been thinking about this for a while. I still don’t know if I really want to move to ATL. I don’t know why I aint feelin it now. I am havin a blast here in the CO. I am fulfilling my dream. Teaching, coaching, and just being an inspirational person to the young and old, and just being me, yea I can do that in ATL, but …I don’t know. I do know for a simple fact, that I don’t feel like starting over with make friends, and just having to starting over from scratch. I want to go just so that I can prove people wrong, but at the same time...I don’t have to prove anything to anyone because I am Rick James Bitch…(my other line name)

Well its like 1 am now…and seein how I went to bed around 730 pm this evening, I think its time for me to go to bed. I aint tired, but I do have to wake up early tomorrow. A forced good night and may the force be with you!!

606

And the winner is??? Whats up with the internet too??

2005-05-22T23:43:00.000-04:00

So Saturday (5.21.05) we had the district finals...and my hurdler did an EXCELLENT job. He got second in the district in the 110H hurdles with a time of 15.00, and first in the 300H hurdles with a time of 41.01 something like that(I forgot). So from this point we go to the regionals on Thursday. I am excited for him along with the other coaches, and moms too. Shout out to the hurdler

Last night was fun…I don’t wanna say off the hook cause there has been better, but it was a good chill night. There were 3 different parties that I was invited to attend (and if I wasn’t, I was going anyways). One was my Aunts 50th birthday, the Alpha party 21+, and the Q’s skating party at WOW. I had a ball at all of them that I went to. At my aunts party, all the people there were GROWN. I danced with 2 older (much older...me and her son are the same age…I am 23) and the other one that I danced with has a grandchild, and her other daughter and I graduated from high school the same year (2000). From there I went to the Alpha party…and that was fun to see everyone all dressed up to a tee. I had on a suit, and felt underdressed. But the food was good, and my cup got to RUNNITH OVER (they had a bottomless cup…free alcohol all night long). They played the Detroit Hustle and I had flash backs from when I was online…(the wedding and then set) DoDo…DoDo…DoDo (to the beat of the hustle). I was calling the shots as always and it made for a fun evening. I saw my cousin that is FAR down the line who is a DST, and it was good to see her. I knew that she was one, but I haven’t seen her since like last year. From there I went back to my aunts party just to say by… and to buy her a drink. If you are wondering…why did I go back…because they were right next do to each other. From there we went to the Q’s skating party. Which was fun. I was the ONLY Alpha on skates TEARING it up. I was a beast…cant NOBODY stop me! When they played the version of “More Bounce” those skates came off so quick only to be stopped like 1 min later. It was all good though. So after the Deltas brought they girls in for a proshow…14 of them so it was deep line. “14 to Life”..shot outs to the new Neos of DELTA SIGMA THETA by the way.

Last night when I got home around 4, my internet was working just fine. So today I called up the provider people, and set of the phone with them for like 45 min tryin to fix the problem. After that it was all working fine. I was starting to get upset, but I realized if I hung up…I would still have no internet…and I would still have to call back. I am talking about the internet cause this lap top and internet is getting me in TROUBLE (use you imagination). But like for example its like 11:30 at night (a school night at that) and I am setting here doing a post.??? Where are my priorities? Also…I refuse to let this lap top to become infested with un worldly items…and it aint working the way I thought it would. So I am going to have to figure some things out of the next couple of days to curve the appetite for “certain things”I hope I dont fall AGAIN into certain traps...as much as I hate to say it…GOOD NITE!!

I wrote this tired as all get out...so sorry for the MiSsPellingz

I can hear what you finger spell???

2005-05-20T13:35:00.000-04:00

Ok…so I just got a new toy, my Laptop. I have my Alpha stuff on it…and it really tight. It as a 80 gig hard drive, wireless internet, 512 memory, and a cd and DVD writer…all this stuff is really cool. So the other day I was out at a new place where I have never been before Paneras Bread…and it was really good. But they had a “hotspot”. This is where you can surf the net if you have wireless capabilities…and guess what, I did. So I was eating and surfing the net all at the same time. This was hot, and it blew my mind…so I went home and within the next, I had made my house a wireless spot too. So now I can surf the net from anywhere in my house, and I am going to see how far I can…on the porch, my room, the back yard…feel me. So last night I got the wireless thing, and I stayed up to about 12 midnight just surfing the net and trying to set this thing up right. That was a big mistake cause today I am TIRED…SO TIRED. Stayed I up in my room talking to peoples on IM and just surfing the net…(nothing nasty…trying to stay away from stuff like that…but with this wireless thing??? that is going to be HARD...no pun intended.) I had stayed up because I already knew what I was going to be doing the next day.

Today I am a deaf Ed teach. And it’s cool for the most part, I sign to the kids what they need to do, or just write it down. I aint the best at sign language, but I try and that is what the kids like and the teachers like too…that is why the keep me. And just in cause you are wondering…yes deaf kids are bad too. You just can’t hear them so you have to watch them all the time.

Yesterday I was trying to holla at the sub that was in the building and just trying to see what she was all about…(she was white). I walked in that class and it was just all bad. The kids weren’t doing their work, and she was reading the newspaper like nothing was going on. But once I started talking to her…she was wack anyways…so I went to mess with some of the kids in her class, then I left. I went to the Assistant Principle about what I saw…and she just smiled and she and that is why we keep you…and she wont be coming back here ( I am not a hater, the principle already knew) and said well since I am the Department Chair of Subs at this school…thanks. I gave myself a title. Like I was telling someone that is becoming one of my good friends (this is one of the reasons why I was up till about 12 midnight), I am not for sure if I really want to go to ATL. The only reason why I want to go now is to prove people wrong. Many folks don’t think that I am ATL material or that I will come back in about 6 months. But I want to go to prove them wrong and show them that…they are wrong. I want to stay here because I really do like the kids at this school…and they are cool. You would have to be here to understand the feeling. I get way more respect than some of the regular teachers get, and the track team…WHOA off the hook. I know that I can do all that and more in ATL...but they not really giving me a chance…(thanks to Bush and his 2002 signing of the “No Child Left Behind Act”. It seems like God is telling me that there is something left in Columbus for me to do. And I just don’t know what it is or where it is. But mean time I am goin to keep pressing on…and do what I do best…take one day at a time. I gave the advice out…I need to start doing that. Oh yea…once again I wanna give a shot out to my boy for the shot out that he gave to me…pre she ate it!

and yea I can hear what you finger spell!

Do you hear what I hear???

2005-05-17T23:40:00.000-04:00

As a black man…we sometimes feel that we don’t need help. I can truly say that I have feeling…I am strong, boastful, ashamed of failure, and know that I don’t need any help…with ANYTHING. But truly if you look closely at a black male like myself, one may see that we are a species that say “we are cool”…or “everything is good” when really it ain’t. Sometimes we all need some guidance, and some times you just need that one really close friend to talk to no matter what time of the night it is. At school many of the black males need that guidance. When I was in middle school I needed that male guidance, but really didn’t have it. I had my grandmother…and being real…(somewhat too real) who the hell was I supposed to talk to about a wet dream, my body, sports, to girls I like (I missed out on toooo many girls that I liked…I was scared.) I mean how can a white person male or female in their middle 40’s tell a black kid in this day in age how to approach a problem. Yea a black female teacher can…but she will never see it from a male point of view. These boys need a strong black male. I have had all types of conversation with kids about baby momma drama that I don’t even have, to asking me what is the best way to hit it (u know lol), to asking me if I have any condoms (when was the last time u asked your teacher for a condom), to just eating lunch together, to how to tell they moms that they was going to the Air Force over college, to them telling me that they have been accepted to certain schools. The shit is real…Now that I think about it, I do a lot of advice giving to these kids and want to see them succeed in everything they do, but who do I get my advice from??? I really don’t know. I just hope and pray that I am doing the right thing…cause experience is the best teacher, and I tell them about my experience if I have one. I do a lot of quick thinking on my feet…and that’s what I like about my job. There are no 2 same days…EVER

Just a sort note about track…our team got second in the city 5.13.05 Eastmoor beat us, and Brookhaven came in 3rd. Then today 5.17.2005 we went to the districts. We made a great showing. I was more impressed with our hurdler. He made it to the finals in the 110Hs, and in the 300Hs that will be ran on Sat.

I feel like bitch right now you know how they have “their days” well I am almost there I feel like I am at a breaking point…the job search, trying to get things together, and the praxis 2 (210.00…y???) I feel heavy in the heart…and I don’t know y. I may need someone to talk to…Lord are you listen??? I am out…holla

P.S. I was real tired when I did this. Sorry for the mis spellings, and gramer probs

Errry Day is a blessing and dont forget it!!!

2005-05-15T23:01:00.000-04:00

Ok… so here I go. Well it’s Sunday and I just got back from the ATL. I went down there for a meeting/ informational about this program that I am trying to get into for first year teachers. It was a cool program and I could see myself doing it. I just know that there are other ways to get what I want soooo that is what I am looking for…and hence why I am having a hard time finding a teaching job. But before I got to ATL…let me tell you about my trip getting there. First off I flew Air Tran, they are a discount airline service out of Dayton Ohio. So all is fine until we get on the actual runway. As we are speeding down the runway, we are going about 200 MPH…that is cool. But we then come to a screeching holt. Everyone on the plane is looking around…and I am too. The captain then comes on the ones and twos and says that we can’t take off because of the computers wont let him. I was like what the hell. I am glad that he caught that before we got to the end of the runway or before we took off…and fell back to the earth. So we go back to the gate, and we have to get off the plane while they call in the mechanic guy. All in all this took about 2.5 hours. My flight was supposed to leave Dayton at 6:57 pm…I didn’t get to ATL until about 11:30- 12 midnight. I can say this…it was a very short flight. To get there it took about 1h:06 min and to get back 1h:04min. Then coming back we left my sisters house at 10:30am and it takes about 20 min to get to the airport…I cant find the rental car place ( I had to return my car)…forgot to put gas in it so I have to find a gas station…ha good luck…I get to the airport and my e ticket wont print from the machine so I had all the Air Tran folks helping me to get to my flight on time…and to further top things off, I was at gate C10 (if you know anything about ATL airport WOW that was a mission (it seemed like the train wasn’t going FAST enough…it worked. I got there about 5 min before they started loading. Once on the plane and we all settled in, the flight attendance start doing the thing with the seat belts…and all that other great stuff…then they stop. I am like what is going on NOW. Then the captain comes on and says the warning light on his instrument panel for the hydraulic system just came on so we cant leave. So I am like thank God he got that light while we was on the ground and not in the air. On Friday I called the head coach to see how the boys were doing in the City Track Meet…and they got second place. I was happy for them, but yet mad that I wasn’t there to see them. But I was there with them spiritually. On Saturday…you know I had to go and meet up with some bruhs…them ICE Cold Brothers of Rho Kappa Lambda Chapter. They had a program about Money Management Education…stocks, 401K, and all that other stuff…it was great. I also met with a principle that said that he is going to talk to some of his people about me and to just shoot him a resume…so to stand by…We will see. But that’s all for now that I can think of…holla at cha boy…and remember Count everyday as a blessing!

Errry day is a blessing..and dont forget it!

2005-05-15T22:59:00.000-04:00

I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes...I SAW THE SIGN

2005-05-05T22:48:00.000-04:00

Ok so I ain’t wrote in a while…so here I go. I am going to update you about the past 2 days. So yesterday 5.4.05 was an ok day. I got to school at 7:28 with 2 min to spare. I am soooo sick of the freeway accidents where people are going the wrong way. The shut the freeway down, and forced me to go another way…so made it to school mad kinda. I was a history/ humanities teacher, and it was fun for the most part. I just passed out a worksheet, and let the kids go to work. For the most part, they did the work and talked as they went along...which was cool with me. I had a class after lunch (6th period) and OH MY GOD…they were so quite you could hear a pen drop on the floor, and yes I tried it and the kids laughed at me…but I heard it. They had just had lunch before, and I was expecting them to wired and ready to go…but it was just the opposite. First period, 7:30-8:20, I had to explain to an African student what a riot was…and that was hard, but it got done. That’s pretty much the highlight of my teaching on that day. So I walked in the school yesterday, and it just hit me that this week is “Teacher appreciation week”. I walked in the building and it there is a sign that student are allowed to sign and say nice things about their teachers. So as I walked by the sign about hour and a half or so, there isn’t much, but by the end of the day it is full of stuff about the teachers…(nice stuff). I saw a few about me and that made me feel really great cause right now I have been in some trying times. One said “Mr. Wade you are the best teacher”, another said, “You are a funny and very coo teach. I have learned a lot”. As I scanned the sign I saw a few bad ones about some other teachers that was just stupid so I erased them. But for the most part that was the extent of that day.

This was the best day that I have had a sub so far. I was an “Internship” teacher. I really don’t know what this man does, but I think it goes something like this. He goes around to make sure people are doing their internship hours during the school year. It’s May 5, 2005 and the school year is almost over with. He really checks in with the seniors and seeing how they have less than 3 weeks most of them were done with the hours before Christmas break (they wanted to get them out the way) But there are the slow ones. So I think that is what he does. So today I wasn’t in a classroom, but just doing odd jobs around the school…hall duty, covered a study hall, and did lunch duty 2 of them (making sure no fights break out, crowd control, ect.). I left school at like 1 pm to go and get our bags (another kid and I left our stuff at the track meet yesterday) and I didn’t get back till about 2:30 pm and it was ok. I didn’t have a lunch because I did 2 lunch duties so I just went to lunch later when I got back to school. Like yesterday, there was more stuff posted on that sign about “TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK” and some more about me too. I am really pumped to work at Northland as a sub. Me and this other guy hold NHS down as far as substitutes are concerned. But when I think about it most of the kids…if not all of them come up to me like how you subbin for today…and when the conversation is over they are happy or mad. Happy because I am his or her sub, or mad cause I am not and that it’s someone else. With that being said, I am willing to put “bread on it…big bank take lil bank” that I am on that sign more than half of those teachers in that building. That really makes me feel good. Today there was a situation involving money that I found out about last night that I brought to this student’s attention this morning (which I will not disclose) to the point where the mother has to be involved (its nothing bad). It involves me the student and the mother. She called me on my cell tonight 5.5.2005 and told me that she really appreciates me helping her son and providing that positive influence. And that she can tell that I am trying to do positive things with the kids and a host of other things. I stopped her right there cause that was the nicest thing that I have heard so far from a parent, and on a bitch note…made me ALMOST want to tear up, and just told her thank you. I told her that I am still young and that I could relate to your son and wanting things to be rushed…INSTANT GRADIFICATION. Life is stressful. I have been constantly thinking about me and ATL, and me and Columbus…and I have prayed and prayed and prayed on this to the point were God has told me to shut up and be patient and to wait for an answer. Well Lord I am waiting and I want an answer but I know it don’t work like that. HE knows what is best for me…could that be why I don’t have a job in ATL??? I don’t know. I just wish I could peek in to the future so that I could see where I will be in October. Summer is my favorite season, but I want it to be over all ready cause I want to know where I will be, and ready to get my life started. I think about this on a daily bases, but I try for it not to control my life. Well that was the extent of today…and tomorrow I am a hearing impaired teacher so that should be fun. Stayed tuned as the World Turns.

I got my title from a group called "Ace of Base" formed in the early 90's. I used to love that group. Those were the good days!

They got my back!!!

2005-05-02T22:37:00.000-04:00

Ok…so this one is going to be short. Before track practice, we all have our daily meeting. We talk about the previous meets (what was right, and wrong), about practice…ect. So after the meeting on of my boys comes up to me and was like you cool now Coach. I was like I am good and you??? He was like I was just making sure cause I know you was pissed on Saturday…everything good. I told him that I was mad that this kid’s mother (I am leaving nameless) and how she tried to low key go off on me. He got mad, and was like for real Mr. Wade. He was like how the hell is he going to call you and be playing around…then go and tell his mother…that is some bitch shit to get his moms involved. So I go to my car, and as I am driving by the track…there is a bunch of auguring that is going on. It was the 2 of them going at it…and getting heated. The one kid was like how the hell you gonna play Coach like that. You left the message on his phone, and then you tell your mom…that is some bitch shit. They WAS going at it…and was almost ready to fight. I had to break that up and tell them that it’s in the past…and to let it go…I did, and they should do the same. I took that one kid aside and told him that I love you man…you said what I cant. He said don’t worry about it…I gotcha back. After track practice…the kid came up to me and was like Mr. Wade…I am sorry, but I didn’t open it. I said that is fine, and that I am over it but you will never have your mom making comments to me. He said that I blamed him and was getting on him. I told him that I never blamed anyone, but all fingers pointed to you. And I asked him…did I blame him…he just looked at the ground…and he said no…and walked away. I am done with the situation!!! Life goes on.

what you gonna do...act a fool

2005-04-30T22:00:00.000-04:00

I just have something that I want to get off my mind. Today at the track meet, I brought my boys some food from Sam’s Club…some Gatorade and some Breakfast bars. I knew that it was going to be a long meet, and a long and cold day at that. So when I walked in the meet, I had the stuff in my hand, and the various kids that seen me was like “Wade can I get some”, and I would just tell them not right now…or nope its for later. I wasn’t rude, but they got the point…so most of them stop asking me cause that was the end of it. So of course you have 1 or 2 kids that want to test you, and I was prepared for that…they are kids and that is ok. So I take the food over the stands where they are at, and tell everyone who is around not to touch the food…technically its still mine cause I never gave it to them, and I have the receipts to prove it. So one kid calls me on my phone and starts asking why he can’t have the food. I tell him that it is for later and you will want some then…and that I thought was the end of it. But NO…he then called me back…like why Mr. Wade…I want some. I then, not thinking, hung up the phone. This then turned in to a lil game. I didn’t care 1) Unlimited night and weekends 2) I was just about to give in, but I realized that I had to stand my ground. He called me back again, and I didn’t answer the phone. He was starting to be a pest, so I turned off my phone. In about 5 min I turned my phone back on, and there was a message and it said “Wade I don’t care…I’m going to eat the shit anyways”. Not really thinking that he would do that (great kid in the classroom), my of my boys was coming up to me saying that all the snacks is gone and they don’t know what happened to them. I STORMED over to where they were, and they were…for the most part…ALL GONE. I went around and start asking folks who opened them…and all of the other kinds of questions that go along with an investigation. No one would tell me…and that is ok (glad they stuck together). So I took all of the other ones and jumped on them like 3 times and threw them in the trashcan. When I turned around…they were all staring at me like I was the one who did something wrong and crazy. I wasn’t mad cause they ate them, but mad cause I made a simple request that was not honored, and everyone didn’t get some the last time or this time (I keep enforcing the “TEAM idea…there is no I in team), nor did I even get a sorry. I was happy that they ate them (didn’t want to take them home), but mad cause I didn’t get my request. As the track meet went on, I didn’t talk to anyone, and some of them tried so hard to make me laugh and make it up to me. That was cool…and enjoyed some of their jokes about me. I was laughing on the inside, but I had to show them that I was mad, cause what they did was unacceptable, and inexcusable…I do more than teach in the classroom I teach on the outside too about manners, and how to treat women or what have you…and its not all just books to me. So to go on with my story, I saw the student that made the calls to me and what not. I had just started speaking to the kids, and I said to him do take another apple (just playing with him). He knew that I was playing cause I was smiling, and he smiled back with a laugh. Then I didn’t know that his mother was setting there (or someone) and said “I heard about you. You need to calm down”. I looked at her like she was crazy. I wanted to ask her how the hell would you feel if someone ate something of yours that you spent money on??? 23.00 to be exact, but you care enough as a coach to get something for them (my coach didn’t)…And maybe she would then understand. See its always after the fact that I want to say something…and I never do it on the spot. I tell my kids all the time to handle yourself in a professional manner, and to be respectable cause you never know who is watching. I always think of that before I “act a fool”…but please believe if we was in another settin it would be on and poppin …(maybe)

Question of the day…Whens it goin to get hot like that week we had 80+ temps??????

ARE YOU GOIN TO RISE TO THE OCCASION???

2005-04-27T23:49:00.000-04:00

My lil cousin went with me to the track meet today and that was cool. She deiced that she is goin to break the family tradition and go to Fort Hayes next year…I am made at that…Its about that Northland High School. SIDE BAR…It was so cold today. I don’t even think that it broke 50 and it was windy and cloudy outside. This time last week we were enjoying 80+ temps. I think that God did this on purpose cause he saw all them trifling folks wearing sandals and shirts and all types of others shit that just don’t fit…ladies PLEASE for the sake of my eyes, your husbands eyes, or who ever looks at you…get ya shit together. Get the winter crust off ya (mainly the heals) feet, lotion up the ankles and what not…and that damn pinky toe…y must it hang off the side…it belongs with the other 4 toes. LETS GET IT TOGETHER…Thanks. Back to the story, after about 15 minutes of sitting there waiting for the meet to start she said I am going to the car…I didn’t see her the rest of the time. I ended up leaving early cause I didn’t want her in the car that long. She was in there for about 2.5 hours. I missed half of the meet but after we left I ran some errands, and took her home. Her mom let me make a sandwich for picking her up and take her with me. It wasn’t your normal just meat and bread sandwich. It had lettuce, tomatoes, onions, turkey (lots of it). It was soooo good. It was the first home meal that I have had since Sunday. My uncle is in the hospital and grandma don’t cook cause I take care of my self, and she well…she don’t eat…that is why she is in the shape she is now.

This whole track thing is cool, but I feel like I am not really being effective. I am a hurdle coach with just about 4-5 guys that I work directly with, but I step up to the plate when I need to. I enjoy the team cause they are CrAzY…they are tooooooo funny…from the jokes, to them coming to my room throughout the day just to ways whats up, to me putting them in the headlock 2 at a time (cause they was trying to take my shoes this just happened today), to me cussing them out, to seeing them give their all on the track I really enjoy this team…its fun. Again, many people, when I tell them that I am a coach they say ohhh you getting paid for that…and I just say no, that I am just helping out. I really ain’t looking for anything from this except the experience. I want to be a track coach in ATL, but this is a stepping-stone to get me there.

Ok so today, we didn’t have school and that was great. I got to sleep in till about 11:30 am (after staying up to 3:30am) and got to be on chill mode to about 2 pm. But that is enough about me…this one is about one of my track kids. He doesn’t know yet, but I am going to ask him to run the 300 intermediate hurdles on Saturday at that meet. This is a real important meet so we have to make a great showing. This is that same kid that I guess I got mad at (I didn’t, but folks said otherwise) and he said that he would run them if I needed him to…and well at that time, I had asked him to run the 110 shuttle hurdles (we ended up not running them as a team)…now this time I am going to ask him to run the 3’s. I hope he will and with his full effort…we will see. Its almost city time and although they have all gave ONE HUNDRED percent, we now need more to pull this off, and I think that we may have a chance to make this City Champion thing happen but Eastmoor got that good distance but they cant hang with our 4 X 8 and that’s for DAMN Sure, and Brokehaven (supposed to be Brookhaven) got that those good sprinters…we will see in the city. ARE YOU GOIN TO RISE TO THE OCCASION???

I love what I do... and whats lackin on your part??? DO YOU EVEN KNOW?

2005-04-27T00:04:00.000-04:00

OK…so today was the first time for a lot of things. I say a first for many things, one because it was the first time that I beat off in like….LOL I am just playing really I am. No, but today was the first time in a long time that I went to the Boys and Girls Club to volunteer. Since I have been coaching track, I havent had time to go and do my thugdizzle over there, and another first is that I had upperclassman for an extended period of time. I had them on Monday, and today, and I just looked at my schedule, and I have them the rest of the week as well (no school on Wednesday). I was a Pre Calc, and College Prep math teacher. It was a lot of fun, but at the same time…it sucked. The 60% of my kids are Seniors, while the rest are all juniors. It was fun cause I could joke and laugh with them, but at the same time they wouldn’t lose focus on their work. It sucked cause they think they know it all (but who didn’t when they were a senior), and because Prom is next week and all the girls are taking about what they are wearing and who is going with who…and you have to guess….I truthly just don’t give a damn cause they all ugly anyways. But back to the Pre Calc, it was hard on Monday just because I had not seen that stuff in about 6-7 years. We were working on the “Law of Cosines” “a2=b2+c2- cos a” with angles Alpha, Beta, and Gamma missing. Once I got the hang of it…it was so much fun to me…I was on that overhead doing all of the problems for them, but I had them help me of course. I now know why I had wanted to become a math teacher. By the way I didn’t get the hand of it till about 11:30 am…and what about the other classes you may ask???…well they played catch up today 4.26.2005. I say that it was fun, because just seeing them grasp the concept and me being able to help them with the best of my ability…now that is what I call fun. By the way, I should say that I wanted to be a math major, but I failed math 104 at OSU (an E) took it again and got a B. I then took math 148 and failed (an E) took it again and got a C+. Then I took math 150c and dropped it with a “W”, took it again and dropped it with a “W”. So I had to let that math thing go. In my other math class, college prep, we were working on circles, and placing them in standard form by completing the square “16x2-16y2+4x+y=64”…that was hard at first but with the help of another math teacher who explained to me I got (he was my math internship teacher when I was there at NHS). On the first day, Monday, I really didn’t know what I was doing, and I told them that…I was upfront and honest. I told them that “I aint goin to bullshit you, but I don’t know how to do this stuff”, and I think that it was from that point that they realized that teachers are human and really don’t know everything. I also gained the respect from the class, and we worked at many problems as a class with me on the overhead as well (I like the overhead. My students asked me that if it makes me feel important…and I smiled and said “HELL YEA”…they all laughed and we kept doing math). In one of my classes, I was shocked at one student said/ asked me. He was from a different nationality, and asked me if I smoked (let me say that this is a small class and there is only about 11 kids in the class designed to fit about 30). No one else heard him ask me that and I was happy, but I told him no I didn’t and that he shouldn’t either. He was like Mr. Wade...you are lying, but I really wasn’t. He told me that I was lying cause he said that I get mad respect from the students and to be a sub and that I was cool so I had to smoke. I was like naw man, you don’t need that to be cool just be yourself. He just looked at me like I was crazy but I didn’t know what else to say to him (they don’t train you that when you are working on you masters in education). He just went on and asked me his question that he had about math and that was the end of the conversation. I love what I do…and it a blessing. Not to many people can say that.

I have been doing a self-reflection lately, and just been noting all of the things that I have been lacking or have a lot of in my life. I am just going to focus on the lacking per se. I don’t really have that many friends and I am completely happy with that choice. I can count on one hand how many friends that I have. Now don’t get it twisted I have many people that know me and who know about me, but really...do they know about me? I ask that question, because today in school, we had our mentoring group and we did these questions about how one learns…and just asked a host of questions about our learning style. So in order to get the kids talking I started the discussion. One of the things that was asked was do you have a hobby or something about you that no one knows about, and I shared. It was about my lights. The kids couldn’t believe it, but when I pulled out some pictures they were like “WOW”. But n e ways, friends… I don’t open up very easy, and that is something that I am trying to work on, but I don’t know if its working or not, and I kinda don’t care and that is the sad part. I am a homebody. I entertain myself very easy and can find at least 10 things to do if I need to. I blame that on my childhood cause my sister left for school when I was in 4th/5th grade, and I lived with my grandma…and well the rest is history. I never played any contact sports, and took piano lessons….LOL right, but life goes on. I am focusing on Friends cause I thought about this yesterday…but my phone did not ring one time this whole weekend Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, or even Monday…and my minutes is unlimited on the weekend. The second thing that I am missing is a love life. I really don’t have one…mainly cause I am a lame, and I too and cool with that, if she cant except me for me…then whats the point. I have yet to find a woman that has met the high standards that I am looking for, but I know what she is out there. I am determined that the next girl that I date will be my wife. I put 10 on that…and big bank take lil bank. (I was watching something on TV tonight, and there was an interesting point that was made “Sex is supposed to be beautiful cause God created it, and when you are doing it, its supposed to be a form of worship cause He created it. I never looked at it like that….so back to this whole girl thing) And I really ain’t trying to look cause I am trying to get myself together first…and this whole ATL thing figured out…am I going or am I staying. Thirdly what I am lacking is what I think everyone else is too, and that is MONEY, but that was a given right? Well that is all for right now that I care to talk about…there may be more that I am lacking, but I cant think of anymore right at the current time so….holla

You dont know what you got till its gone.

2005-04-24T21:58:00.000-04:00

Today is Sunday, and well, it started out with me waking up late to go to church. I woke up at 11:30 to make it to 11 o’clock service…but life goes on. So usually after church everything in my house starts to get put in to high gear. My grandma starts making phone calls to see where my aunts are at so they can help, she is putting the finishing touches on dinner, and I get sent out to get the rolls or what ever else she may happen to need to make Sunday dinner successful. Then around 4:30-5 the family comes rolling in. We are on chill in the house watching TV in various different places throughout (we have cable in EVERYROOM in the house including on the front porch. I always get the basement where the big screen is at with my computer and Internet.) Some are watching the game (depends on the season), I watch National Geographic, or TLC, and my other family watches “Sucka free Sunday” or just flicks the channels. As we listen to the various conversations, we can over hear someone say, “ready” which means that dinner is ready to be served. In about 2 minutes folks is usually in the kitchen…and then we pray. For a family that prays together stays together. Today for dinner, we had fried chicken, turkey and dressing, greens, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese, salad, dinner rolls, and I forgot what else, but just know that I am full. With this ideal of family…it makes me extremely happy to see us all come together of dinner, and to just be a family. But when I think about…its kinda sad too. Just about 3 years ago this fall, my uncle passed away of cancer (you know that girl that be following me…that was her dad). I have stepped up to the plate once again to be that positive male role model that she needs in her life. I remember that I even went to her school to see what was going on with her grades and her classes, and she has since got them back together, cause I will play her…and she don’t want that. My parents are both deceased (which I miss dearly and I know they are looking down on my proud of all that I do. I would just want 1 week with them to catch up and to see what the news is with them, or to just tell my dad about my first time…or just manly things, or to cook for my mother on Mothers day.) and just other family that ain’t in the city anymore, like my sister and my nephew. Oh yea side note…I was raised by my grandma too since I was like 6 or 7. So yea if you haven’t noticed, all of my immediate family is gone, but I do have extended family, so its me all by my lonesome, but it kinda aint. For those who may want to know, I lost my father when I was about 4 or 5 from a heart attack (not for sure of the age…I just know that I was young). I never had that chance to go and throw the football or to have him at one my track meets when I was a runner, or to even better have him at one while I am coaching. I lost my mother about 2-3 weeks before my 16th birthday. When my father passed away, we moved to Florida I guess to get away from it all…Tampa, Florida to be exact (and I even got to experience a Hurricane). From my memory, that didn’t work out to great, and we were on the road to come back to Columbus when we were in a car accident. I walked away with a scratch, while my mother became a paraplegic. She lived like that the rest of her life. She soon learned to drive all over again with hand controls, and it was different to have a mother who was in a wheel chair. I say all of this because you don’t know what you got till it’s gone…the value of family.
I talked about Alpha yesterday…and it’s those important male role models that I looked for in looking and searching for Alpha. Yes there are some people in my frat that a stray dog should not look to for ANY direction, but it’s the positive ones that leave a lasting impression.

Ahhhhhh the brotherhood…I can do that!

2005-04-24T02:26:00.000-04:00

I had a conversation with a young man who may or may not be interested in my frat…I don’t know nor do I care do share the name of this person, and no this aint “Pimp My Frat”. It was after we got off the phone is when I started to think. What I started to think about one may ask…why Alpha Phi Alpha. While I was doing my work for Alpha, it was because I wanted to give back to the community. OK that is great…take Alpha away and guess what I still could do that. While doing my work for Alpha, it was because I wanted to work more with the youth more like me, African American. OK that too is great, take Alpha away and guess what I still can do that. It was not until I got off the phone with this person that made me realize that I wanted to become an Alpha for all of those reasons, but the most important is because of the men who are in the organization that help make me in the best Alpha Man that I can be. I know that with anything that I do for the name sake of Alpha…there will be strong, black, influential, goal-orientate men who will have my back…and that to me means a lot, and why I joined Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. I do all of the above now that I am grown, and have a degree, and most importantly a member of Alpha Phi Alpha. I am a teacher, Counselor at Big Brothers Big Sisters, volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club (thanks spec), and Track Coach. If I fail at anything in life, they will be there to catch me when I fall, and help get me up and to try again. They will pull me aside and tell me who I need to talk to, or what I need to do, and to quite half stepping it and to get my ass back in line…(thanks spec) and that what ever I want to do…I CAN DO IT. It took me about 2 times to write this cause I didn’t know how to say it that would make since to my readers. The brotherhood to me is important and its what I look for in my “Spec” hood…and honesty is one of those small things that make up the brotherhood…would you want someone in your family that lies…Not me! That’s what’s up with Alpha Phi Alpha!

9-3= 12 or 9-5=7 pick ya choice!!!!

2005-04-21T23:40:00.000-04:00

So today I had a truly new experience as a teacher. I have done everything from music, gym, elementary school art teacher and 2nd grade, English, my long term in Spanish, math, sociology, and the list goes on. Today though was something special now that I look back on it. I was able to really sit down and help these students out cause they really needed it, and that made me feel good. When I first received the assignment last night, I almost denied it just because I was scared of the environment that I would be put it. When I walked in the class at 7:20 am to get started, I didn’t know where to begin cause I had never had any of these kids before, nor did I know the lay out of the schedule…it was broken up into periods, 1,2,3….ect. Well first period being said, this is math class. They are working with adding and subtracting. it was stated that so and so gets the bingo chips, while so and so is the only person to use a calculator, others are not allowed to use anything. The child that got to use the chips didn’t understand at first so I had to help him to make sure that he understood…and he did after about 5 minutes. Mean while the other kids are doing the problems by hand. On the other side of the room, I have one student who is using the calculator like she is supposed to, but she is getting the “plus and take away sign” confused. EXAMPLE 9-3=12. I had to explain to her that she was using the wrong button. Soon after she was on a roll. For about 10 minutes, she had it down pat until she got to the bottom, and I had to help her again. Meanwhile, the young man that was using the chips stopped and started to play with his folder in his book bag, and started to tell me about everything that he had in it. In the back of my mind I am thinking SO WHAT…but I don’t instead I listen…he wanted to be heard, and for that I was giving him a voice, after about 30 seconds of this, he went back to work but stopped only to start drawing a picture of Mortal Combat characters. I have only mentioned 2 kids here, and the class had about 6 in it. So you may be asking about them…just wait although I am only going to tell you about another one cause her story is interesting. The kids had a subtraction paper that had about 15 problems on them, and the addition one as well. So all in all they had 30 problems for 52 minutes worth of class. While walking around the room, checking on the students, and see how they are doing, I realize that I have 1 girl that is TRULY stuck like chuck. I had noticed that she was copying off of another students work, but I didn’t say anything at first, but as I looked over her paper, she wasn’t copying right. So I sat down next to her and TRIED my best to help her. The problem that she was stuck on was “9-5=” I took out a piece of paper and drew circles, and had her cross out five of them. She SHOULD have said 4 but for some reason she kept saying 7. So after 2-3 times doing that, I held out my fingers like we did in elementary school and had her count them. That didn’t work either at first. She was saying everything except for 4. So when she got to 4 I had her stop and said “Good Job”. That took about 5 minutes to get this child to say 4. Most people would have stopped…and if you say yea…then yea this is why public education is in the shape that it is. When I sat down to help this child, I promised myself that I wouldn’t give up on that child…and I didn’t. When the bell rung at the end of first period (8:20am)…I was tired, and was like is this what the day is going to be like. Later that day I had one child get smart with me cause she didn’t feel like doing any work and said that she aint doing no work, and wanted to get on the computers…I don’t care whatcha IQ is…you not goin to play Mr. Wade because you in a bad mood, or dont feel like doing anywork. I soon corrected that problem with her and her work habit. By the end of the period she was back with the group and was working hard on the work that I gave her. Today day I was a mentally handicap teacher. This was a truly needed experience, cause it made me be thankful and blessed for all that I have and don’t have. There is someone out there who is worse off than you.
No “REAL” track stories today. I went and found this young man in his class, and pulled him out. I told him that when he gets a free chance in the day, to come and find me, I wanted to show him something/ and have him read something. He did just that, and I had him read my post. After he read it, he got up smiling, and looked at me square in my eyes and said, its all-good, and he would be happy to run the shuttles for me. I just smirked and said I ain’t goin to set you up for the wooo, I will take care you…we gonna get you right, be ready. I made out a pass, and he went back to class. And I continued to teach my children.

Can you hear me now...nope didnt think so, and just a note about track

2005-04-21T00:11:00.000-04:00

Ok for past 3 days 4.18-20.05 I have been a hearing impaired teacher. It has been a wonderful experience. I say that because I was able to get a glimpse into their world...just a peep. I say peep cause I only see the kids for about 52 minutes a day cause of the period changes. But it truly has been a trying experience, but yet rewarding. The first day that I walked in that room it was like whoaaa. I had to immediately learn how to communicate and within the first 10 minutes, I LEARNED. That chalk board in that room became my crutch. But I still felt uneasy with that. So I LEARNED some more sign language...(and yea I do know some sign). By the middle of the day, I became good...(not that great...just better than you so don’t hate). As the days went on, I began to feel more comfortable with what I was doing and even started to like it. Today 4.20.05 was trying. I had my 5th period class, and 2 of them had got attitudes because they had finished early, and wanted to get on the computers...and I said no. Well since they got an attitude, I did to...but I couldn’t talk back. I could, but they wouldn’t be able to hear me so it was a waste. But its all-good cause I pulled out some tricks of my own...and they were soon back to work. Mr. Wade always gets the last laugh!!! Ha Ha Ha. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW…nope didn’t think so
On another note Track practice today was trying. Yesterday at the meet, my hurdlers did a pretty good job...but there is always room for improvement. So today I pick a new hurdler. He is good real good. It like he was born to do them…only thing is that he is scared, why, I don’t know. He told me a while back that if you help me…I would run them. I am helping…now he has “reneged” on his end and I ain't mad at him (I am sure that he thinks otherwise right now). When I ask you to run an event, I just want you to give your all that is all that I can ask of you. If you run the hurdles, and you get a 23.0 (slow as hell by the way) great job…just as long as I have seen improvement over time and that you gave your all. I remember one time I ran the 800 I didn’t do so well…but when I found out that I had to run it…I did just that. I ran and gave it my all...and just know that I wasn’t asked to run it again. What gets me is do they really know what a “TEAM” is? It just dawned on me at practice that they are more concerned with “I” than the team. You can see it when we warm up, stretch, and when the line up is posted. You hear all the complaints about why they cant run that event…. it ain’t about you…its about the team. The coaches put you in places where they KNOW you will score, and where you wont embarrass yourself. We try to score as many points as possible that is the goal of the team. If you need to do the high jump so be it…just know that everything is for a reason. But hey I am the new guy and these are just some of the observations that I have seen thus far. I ain’t trying to change how things was, but it breaks my heart to see a team that I ran for just 5 years ago change so much. I know we can at least get 3rd in the city, but it takes all of the TEAM to pull their weight. I say that practice was trying because of the simple fact that I don’t know how to make them see things from our (coaches) point of view, and farther more to see things as a team effort. Don’t get things twisted we got ourselves a bad ass team that cant be beat, but other folks in the city is thinking the same way so we will see.

School violence, and its the experience that matters

2005-04-19T22:41:00.000-04:00

OK...so some of us, if not all of us know that public schools are not the best, but it works. When you combine about 14 hundred kids, and about 60-70 staff members, there is bound to be some tension. Now that I am considered an adult I always ask students and myself could there have always been a different route to handle your anger with someone??? Well with that being said, I saw/ just missed one of my favorite students get knocked the F%*@ out yesterday. While I was coming up the side steps, I heard all of this commotion that was goin on in a classroom. I ran up the steps to see what was goin on, and....it was just that a FIGHT. There were about 100 kids in the classroom, along with another 100 that was outside the classroom. After my stabbing incident, I didnt want to be bothered with it so I walked away and went to where I had to be which was in another classroom. Something inside of me made me go back to that fight to see what was goin on, and to just be nosey. I pushed my way through the crowd, and by time I got there it was over! I was MAD...not because it was over, but because of the simple fact that it was one of my favorite students. He looks up to me, and comes and see me throughout my day just to chill, shot the breeze, to see whats up, to find out what I am doing for lunch (they have closed lunches), and to pretty much fill me in with what is goin on around the school cause I am in class. The thing that got me is that he remember that I went to ATL and called me cause he wanted to make sure that I made it ok. He was one of my Spanish 2 kids and he always provided me with a laugh when I needed one, and when he would get on my last nerve...I still wouldnt send him out cause I look for the good in every kid...at least I try (its better than some teachers). Back to the story, when I finally made it through the crowd I was shocked at the scene. There were about 2 regular teachers that were tryin to get everything under control, and the sub that was in the class, just stood there...what a joke! I was mad at him for letting this happen, cause he could have stopped it before it got to be that bad. I took that young man that looked up to me and pulled him away from the crowd and everyone that was laughing at him and took him for a walk and some ice before he went to the principle and the police. I asked him what happened, and he just simply said that he got "stole on". I later found out after talkin to some kids that this might have happened over some Nextel/ Boost Mobile phones (you can switch the chips. I didnt know that)...where will the madness end. The dude that did all this was just in a fight on Wed or Thurs of the previous week, and he was permitted to come back to school...what happend to 10 days. I also heard that he was serving his 10 days, but he came up to school just to fight. I dont know cause I wasnt there in the hearing. I heard from other kids that my lil mentee got mopped across the floor and may have even went unconscious for a few...that he got tossed in to the computers...and pushed under the tables. After all was said and done, he had a HUGE KNOT on his jaw, marks under his eye, a black eye that was up-and-coming, and a few tears that he shed while he was talkin to me about all that happened. He was worried about people that laughed in his face, and I told him that it goin to be ok cause people do that me ALL of the time...seriously I'm used to it, and you should too. After 5th period ended... 11:52, I went directly to the office to see if he had left yet, and they said that he and his parents had just left. I want to see him, and to tell him that its all goin to be ok (and to see that shiner too). I hope that he dosent have to serve the 10 days cause he is tooooo bright of a student (every teacher has his or her favorites).
With the second topic..."and its the experience that matters", I mean just that. As I train my hurdlers, I have them practice so that they can have experience so that when it is meet time, and they will know what to do...practice makes perfect right???? Well with that being said I want to throw out this...If I want to be a head coach for someones track team...dont you think that I have to train first. What I am doing now is just simply for the experience. This to me is soooo much fun watchin kids grow and develop. I dont get paid to be a coach...yet. I just do it for the experience.... cause its the experience that matters.

TRACK and field... and my Tourch is about to go out!

2005-04-15T22:32:00.000-04:00

Ok so if you are out the loop, I just recent became the Hurdle Coach for the track team. We are making everyday improvements and that is what I like to see. My sqad is coming along, but they like INSTANT gratification...and it dont work like that. I have to tell that to them on a daily bases...we are not makin mashed potatoes...we are makin a thanksgiving meal that takes time...time to create and prepare, and once dinner is served... the end result is lovely! Since I ran track in high school I too get dressed and hit the track with them. I warm up with them...do drills with them...run hurdles with them and show them what it should look like (somewhat). Since I have been doin that, I have been REAL sore...but I dont mind. They have told me over and over again "Coach I am scared of falling", "I cant get my trail-leg up", "I cant 3 step", " I cant....". I dont wanna hear it. I have addressed all of these concerns and for the most part, I think that its working. I had them run some shuttles today, and they looked OK. I had them critique each other and themselves. They know what they are doin wrong and just maybe they will fix it tomorrow in the meet, but we will see.
If you are wondering why this is called "Track and field...and my torch is about to go out!" see the above for Track and field, but this paragraph or what ever you want to call it it about Alpha Phi Alpha. I am tired...so tired that I cant keep a focus...my goal when joining Alpha was to work more with kids and to let them see the positive side of things...and blah blah blah. But now that its all coming about...I am starting to wonder if I am takin on way too much that I can handle. ok so here we go....
1) Teacher...(that is a profession, but its talking to the kids outside of the classroom too about life sex, girls, alcohol, college, eating lunch with them, and just getting to know them on a 1 to 1 bases. Which is y I think that I get so much respect as a sub but thats another story for another day...think about it...when you was in High School...did you respect a sub??? huh did you...huh...??? Didnt think so!
2) Big Brothers Big Sisters...enough said
3) Boys and Girls Club...enough said
4) Track Coach...way to much said
5) My personal life...moving, jobs, ect.
I am not trying to toot my own horn, but I think my wick is getting REAL LOW, and the light of Alpha is bout to go out, and I am bout to give some thing(s) up. I don’t know what just yet...but something has got to give. Lets see...what will it be?????

??? I dont know

2005-04-15T22:31:00.000-04:00

I named this "??? I don’t know" cause I don’t know what to call it. Its just about my day so I guess I could have called it that...but that is SOOOO laaaaame, and lameness is just not me! LOL...right. But N E WAYS, I was at a different school today, and that was Beechcroft High. I really did like this school, but once again around 8:30 I found myself missing my kids a Northland, but I made it through the day so its all good. I was an 9th and 10 grade English teacher today and it was kinda fun for the most part. Its just that students werent motivated to do work, but I got them to do some so I succeeded at that. Today in the school there was 4-5 fights, and guess what...Its about to be a what GIRL FIGHT. These bitches (not students) is gettin out of control. There was 1 fight that happened 3rd period, and 3 that happened 5th, and one that happened later after that. The one that happened 3rd period was when a girls mom came up to the school ready to fight too. When I heard that I was CRACKIN up. I didnt know that any of the fights happened until 7th period when my kids was talkin about all of them the WHOLE time in class. After a while I just wanted to say shut the hell up damn...its over, we got the fact bitch sit the fuck down and do some work you G.D.I. They were repeatin shit and after the first 15 to 20 min it was gettin on my last nerves...but life goes on!! Class is 52 minutes long so you can only think of what was goin on after the fights...nothing...except the fights!
Well tomorrow is a big day for my and my boys. For me because its my first meet as a track coach (hurdles), and for them because it sets the tone/ mood for the work that has to be done the rest of the season...so we will see what happens. I am pumped. I had to go out in the garage and get my Northland warm ups so that I can look official and all that other stuff. Today my S Q A D asked me if I was coming to the meet, and I knew that I was, but I said no just to see their response. They were really disappointed, and was like COACH you part of the team...you gotta come. I just said "ummm" well if I get in for free we will see. They just looked at me and said Mr. Wade....you the coach what you mean if you dont get in for free...and I left it alone. Then I just simply said yeaaaaa I am goin to be there...I am coming to see YOU!

Tired and Sore...and I have a headach!

2005-04-14T21:57:00.000-04:00

Well today was a good day for the most part. Today (Thur 4/14/04) I was at a different school East High, and I was a Air Force Jr ROTC Sub. It was a good idea, but I really was not needed. I say this because the guy that I was subbing for only teaches Monday and Tuesday, and his assistant Wed and Thursday. So with today being Thursday...I didnt teach ANYTHING all day. I sat in the back room and read, and there was no Internet...so today was a pretty boring day in regards to that.
The other day I went to a Northland track meet, and I went to watch some of my kids run the hurdles...and they look a HOT mess...they had little to no form and wow...I am goin to leave it alone. So the coach came up to me and was like they need your help (this was my coach when I ran track too, I ran the hurdles) So today was my first day on the job. I went over drills with them workin on their trail leg and makin sure they get it up. I warmed up with them, I ran the drills with them to show them how its done, and even went over a few hurdles. I must say that it took me back to my former days...but it also gave me great pains. LOL but I dont mind cause its all for the kids.
As of 10:09 pm, I was watchin one my favorite channels National Geo...and it talked about Initiation rituals around the world. It was stated at the start of the show that things were done to people because it makes sure that they are reliable, can get over humiliations and wont leave the group when things get hard as they sometimes will. I had to think about that for a minute...sounds to me like hazing in it finest form...and on that note GOODNIGHT...

Just on Chill mode right now...

2005-04-13T22:33:00.000-04:00

Umm lets see... I really dont have to much to talk about just some random things that are goin on in my life. I am tryin to move the ATL, and its happening...its all coming together slolwy...(very slowly) but good things come to those who wait. I passed my Praxis 1 as of March 15 which is the first thing that I had needed to make that move. The second thing was to get a job...and that is ALMOST done. I had my second interview today (4/13/05) over the phone with the department chair, and I think all went well. She told me that I may be teaching 9th Lit, 11th grade American English, or Brit Lit (which I HATE). I didnt tell her that over the phone cause I aint stupid. She also told me that who ever gets hired, they are giving free classes at Oglethorpe University to teach AP English and she wants all of her department to be "AP " certified. I told her that I would be availible for that traning...so we will see. Over all things are goin well in my life, but I am missing a significant other. I really want a girl, but I do belive that God will not have it that way (and that is ok). He is telling me that I am not ready cause I dont have myself together yet, and to just be paticent...she will come. So with that being siad I truly do think that she is down in ATL for me...and she is waiting for me just like I am waiting for her...WE WILL SEE!! Thats all for now. Leave a message

2004-12-19T22:31:00.000-05:00

All
this is my first post so I am just seeing what this is all about. If I like it, I will keep it up about 2 times every week, and if not well this may very well be the last posting that you will ever see from me.