Justin Pyfrom's Blog, page 8

Working the Rooms

Parent-Teacher meeting and getting the Reading Room set up. These last two weeks have been really something and I almost lost my cool in front of my boss because of the latter. In my defense, I did tell him that I was an advocate for reading and the arts when I was interviewed. In fact, I told him that I value reading and the arts over everything else. But I should start from the beginning…

See, the Chinese Educational Board isn’t a huge fan of having anything western in the libraries. It’s odd, really. They want to have western influences in the school and they want the students to learn English, but they want them to be in their “space”. Quite hypercritical, but I was trying to make it work…until they mishandled the books.

That’s right. They broke the cardinal rule of an English teacher. I had to look for my books (they were in the gym storage room) and, when I found them, get them to a room that we (me and the DIY club) were planning to convert into a Reading Room. But, them being them, they were giving me the run around involving keys and time. This went on for a month before I snapped and raised my voice demanding the keys. I even threaten to quit if I didn’t get the keys while yelling at the Chinese staff about their blatant disrespect towards literature. I was bluffing, but they didn’t know that. Besides, I was just aiming to make them feel like shit for disrespecting art – and it worked.

I got the keys and I got the books to their new home. Of course, my friends and students helped me. To be honest, my students were mainly curious about what books were there and see if they could borrow a few of them. They got an obvious “Yes”; I will never say “No” to a student reading a book.

Oh! I got tattled on. The Chinese staff didn’t like what I said or the fact that I was yelling at them. Well…screaming is more like it. I’m not going to deny it nor am I going to deny the fact that I screamed at them some more for telling on me when they were clearly in the wrong. My boss took my side but still reprimanded me for losing my cool. Not a huge fan of that, but I could see where he was coming from. Still, a victory is a victory.

So, we have been spending all this week transporting all the books to the new room while getting ready for the parent-teacher meeting. I can tell you this right now…the parent-teacher meeting was a cakewalk compared to what I had to deal with regarding those books. The parents are a fan of my teaching methods (it took them a while to warm up to me) and they welcome the fact that I’m helping their kids figure out what they want to do in university. It’s a great way to end the week, don’t you think?

Now, please don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads) on my web page’s right side. Also, I do love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2022. I’ve already completed this year’s reading goal, but I’m not stopping. Right now, I’m at 199.

October’s Book for 2022 Reading Challenge

For the month of October, I have read 10 books. These are the books I loved during the month of October.

 

 

These are the books I really liked during the month of October.

Mind Drools and Tiny Ghouls

It’s finally happening. Sunday is the day I start my Master’s Program in English and Creative Writing and I couldn’t be happier. I finally get to go back to school and be a student – not a teacher. Well, I’m still a teacher but…you know…I already gave this song-and-dance. Instead, let me talk about why I have been so tired these last two weeks.

So, midterms have come and gone. Last week, it was all about preparing them for their midterms. Honestly, they were just as surprised as me at how fast they came. Two months went by very quickly and it was a marvel. Also…they were a marvel. All of my students passed their midterms with flying colors and I am so proud of them.

This year’s midterm week was odd for me. Thinking back on it and what I had to do last year, my workload has decreased in some areas and increased immensely in others. For example, I only had two midterms to moderate this year whereas last year I had like four or so. Another example is the amount of facetime I have with students. It’s not evenly divided anymore since, as a homeroom teacher, I’m spending more time with my ninth graders than the others graders. It’s pretty impressive that I haven’t lost my mind, yet, even though I have had my energy zapped more times than I anticipated.

All of this ended up to today. See, my students couldn’t celebrate Halloween because we all (teachers) wanted them to focus on their midterms. So, Friday was their Halloween and it was insane. I personally don’t celebrate Halloween but I did help them decorate the classroom, choose the party game, and provided the candy. And I mean a lot of candy. They all had a good time which made was all I cared about.

Of course, they asked me why I didn’t celebrate Halloween and I told them the trust. I’m a Baptist and my church doesn’t celebrate it; we left it at that and life went on. They asked about Christmas and I told them that I do celebrate that. Again, they left it at that and life went on. They also took the leftover candy as I told them I was not taking any of it home with me which they did not object to.

Now, the weekend has arrived and I’m about to relax with a well-deserved beer and a content smile. I must say…these have been a wonderfully eventful two weeks.

Now, please don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads) on my web page’s right side. Also, I do love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2022. I’ve already completed this year’s reading goal, but I’m not stopping. Right now, I’m at 197.

Getting There…With a Lot of Headaches

Well…it happened. I finally snapped at a student who was my own. I didn’t think it would happen. I thought I had a handle on my temper, especially since I was dealing with teenagers. Moreover, I was dealing with my usual group of teenagers so I didn’t think that would have been the case. But, alas, here we are.

So, what happened?

Well, it wasn’t about my tuition payment although that might cause some headaches in the future. No. No. No. I’m talking about a new student in my class.

She’s the daughter of rich parents and, unlike the other students, she acts like it. The girl is rude and disrespectful to my colleague, a sweet young lady who would make the perfect mother, and didn’t seem to care about her feelings. Following that, she was always falling asleep in all of her classes – and I do mean all of her classes. Every teacher, including myself, has chastised her about it but she was unfazed by it all.

This went on for weeks until I learned that she was talking to her friends on the phone in the dorm which is a big “no-no”. But, again, she demonstrated no amount of care. in fact, she made it clear that she has four phones and had hidden them around the school. This only ticked me off. What really pissed me off was what happened next…

Her parents only acted as if they understood us. They didn’t want to do the actual parenting as “that’s what they paid us for”. Yes, those were their exact words. Then, that following day, she went asleep in my class again.

I snapped and yelled, “GET OUT!!”

Everybody was shocked by me because I rarely raised my voice to a student. The girl was even more shocked and tried to protest and I only repeated myself even louder. She left and reported to the Discipline Office only for them to take my side, which was a first. Now, she and her parents have become the focal point of everybody’s ire. Hopefully, this will be the spark to ignite a fire in her to make her act right. God, I hope so, because I felt shitty as hell snapping like that.

My grandma made it clear that this was going to happen, eventually. She also told me that it was going to happen again, soon, because that’s the nature of teenagers. Pushing boundaries is part of their nature.

Now, please don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads) on my web page’s right side. Also, I do love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2022. I’ve already completed this year’s reading goal, but I’m not stopping. Right now, I’m at 192.

Looking Over The Wall

I don’t have much of the update/blog post as I am just doing the same thing as always. Writing, teaching, rinse, repeat. It’s a comfortable process for me, but I’m never really comfortable with being comfortable. Lucky for me, I going to have a swift change to my routine come next month.

I can’t believe I’m going to be starting my Master’s Program next month. I’m really excited as I get to go back to school and further my writing/teaching career. Sounding like a broken record, I know? I’m just so freaking excited, right now. But there is something else.

During my holiday, I was doing some research on the process of opening a business in Spain, and surprisingly it doesn’t look all that difficult. In fact, it looks identical to what an average American has to go through. The only difference is that I need to have to pass to get into the country. This means that I need to make sure that my business plan is brilliant and is going to be more fun than a headache.

Why?

Well, for one, I get to sit down and tell myself what I can achieve at the beginning and what I have to wait a year before adding. For example, I know that I’m going to create the cafe along with the writing and the back for the music and much more. But, when the time comes, I need to figure out what else I’m going to do as I have more than just writers to cater to shortly. It’s going to be a challenge, but I welcome it – just not now. Right now, I have school to prepare for.

We (my academic advisor and I) are going to see if their international department accepts CNY. If they do, that’s one less thing I have to worry about as I will be able to pay in full with my Chinese Bank Card rather than in installments with my international card.  Plus, it will allow me to use my USD to fund my writing as well as my Writer’s Cafe.  God willing…

Now, please don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads) on my web page’s right side. Also, I do love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2022. I’ve already completed this year’s reading goal, but I’m not stopping. Right now, I’m at 190.

September’s Book for 2022 Reading Challenge

For the month of September, I have read 29 books. These are the books I loved during the month of September.

             

These are the books I really liked during the month of September.

These are the books I liked during the month of September.

There’s A Hole Burning in My Pocket

Next month is going to be a monetary hassle for two reasons: desktop and editor. Wait…maybe three. Could be four, if I’m counting correctly. Wait…maybe it’s three? You know what, I think it would be better to explain myself.

First and foremost, I have to buy a desktop for my work office. You see, I have a laptop, but it’s not in the best condition. Additionally, there are more school-related materials on there than writing stuff as most of them are on my Google Drive. So, I’ve decided that I’m going to buy myself a desktop for my work office. Specifically, I want to buy an all-in-one as it would be easier to pack and move.

Now, I don’t know much about these types of desktops – or any for that matter. So, I’m going to call on my friends to help me shop for it. My friends want me to get a gaming desktop, but I don’t see the need for it since…you know…I’m not a PC gamer. Speaking of which, I think I might buy a PS5, later…

Secondly, I’m going to be spending a lot of money on editors. Two editors are going to be needed for my Dorian Gray novella: one for LGBTQ readers and another for non-LGBTQ readers. Why? Well, because two of my models had politely requested it due to their religion. I didn’t want to argue, but it presented a unique opportunity for me.

You see, I decided to hire translators for each of the model’s versions of Dorian Gray as my version of this iconic narcissist is omnilingual among other things. I think I already said this would be my first time hiring translators. What I haven’t mentioned was that two translators will get one version, while the other two will get the other one.

So, desktop, editor, and translator. Yep! Definitely, three. Ha! Ha!

Now, please don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads) on my web page’s right side. Also, I do love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2022. I’ve already completed this year’s reading goal, but I’m not stopping. Right now, I’m at 181.

I See Endless Possibilities…

Holy crap…the last two week has been amazing and the paths that are opening up to me has made me smile from ear to ear. It’s amazing where you can find joy when you’re looking for it. Alas, I don’t want to hold all the good news to myself. Allow me to share it with you.

First and foremost, I got into the MA program for English and Creative Writing. As I had mentioned before, I got rejected from the MFA program due to my GPA average from my undergraduate years. Now, my plan hasn’t halted. Instead, it has only been simply adjusted; first, I will complete my MA program and use that GPA to go for my MFA again – with a new story, of course. I can’t wait. I already figured out my schedule and how I’m going to approach each course.

Additionally,  I am five scenes away from finishing the first installment of my LGBTQ+ Crimeverse. I have the title of the entire crimeverse, but I’m going to hold on to it until I release the first book. Hopefully, that will happen next year, but that means that I have to make sure that everything is done on time. Talk about a daunting task given my ADHD.

Finally, I may be given the chance to teach a strictly Creative Writing course for the first time at my school. It’s going to be an elective and four students have already signed up. I’m equally excited about that. I’m going to spend the weekend creating lessons for this elective. I’m so ready, but let’s just make sure that the elective sticks.

I wonder…what else can I do?

Now, please don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads) on my web page’s right side. Also, I do love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2022. My goal is to read 180 books this year and I’m already at 180 thus completing the challenge.

August’s Book for 2022 Reading Challenge

For the month of August, I have read 18 books. These are the books I loved during the month of August.

     

These are the books I really liked during the month of August.

 

Back To Teaching Life, Back to Teaching Reality

Well, it’s finally here. Back at school, this time, I’m a homeroom teacher. However, I must say, the first two days as a homeroom teacher as been pure chaos for numerous reasons. But, first, a confession. Nothing bad, just a reason behind my decision of becoming a homeroom teacher.

See, in my high school, even before that, I was blessed to have teachers/guidance counselors to assist me in figuring out my path to college. It was them that helped me understand what my initial career path was. Let me explain.

See, first, I said I wanted to create video games, but I was given incomplete information about that career path until halfway through university. Then, while in university, I figured out that I had quite the talent for storytelling, but elected to ignore it until after I graduated.  Well, longer than that actually but that’s a story for another time. Eventually, it all…just…clicked for me. That’s what I want to help my students with; I want to give them the choice of their future paths.

This is where my decision to become a homeroom teacher. I’ve seen my students and what they are capable of. I also managed to get their parents to see it, too. With that in mind, I want to make sure that my students are presented with every option and possible future while narrowing it down based on their interests. I even told them that Grade 9 is all about figuring out and exploring your interests. And, the best part of it all, it’s going to be done without the interference of unwanted – or undesirable – forces. Only the good vibe and positive reinforcement.

Now! These last two days have been crazy due to last-minute changes and surprises. The two biggest surprises were the fact that I got three new students when there were supposed to be two along with the fact that one of my students injured himself and is forced to be bedridden for two weeks. The latter surprise turned into a problem because my colleague’s laptop was taken away which made it harder for that student to be in class. So, we ended up raising hell to get it back; that part was fun for me.

Anyway, I’m slowly getting into the groove of things. It’s beautiful chaos, really and I’m liking it.

I hope you enjoyed the story. Please don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads) on my web page’s right side. Also, I do love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2022. My goal is to read 180 books this year and I’m already at 156. I told you there was going to be an uptick.