How a server views the holiday season

Whether or not someone enjoys the holiday season really boils down to a simple matter of perspective. I can't imagine turkeys and pigs enjoy this time of year, but I'm sure that slaughter houses across the nation are making profits. Some families are enjoying the few moments away from work and school to spend quality time together, while others spend every minute loathing the sight of their in-laws. While you might go out for a holiday meal, it's quite possible that your server, cook, bartender or busser, might be seriously dreading that same experience.

I've been in the restaurant industry for nearly four years now, and each year I get to see the droves of large family units seemingly herding themselves in and out of the restaurant on any given Thanksgiving or Christmas. You can always tell the truly 'elated' bunches: Mom's side of the family on one side, Dad's side on the other, neither too happy to be in the same presence for a meal. It's near miraculous when a family of 12 can complete an entire meal short of 60 minutes.

There is, of course, the obligatory 'fight over the bill' between in-laws which can very easily lead to troubling moments for your humble narrator and server. For the sake of servers everywhere, I've decided to leave you with a few tips to keep in mind when dining out this holiday season.

1. Please do not, under any circumstances, ever refer to your server as 'waiter' 'waitress' 'buddy' 'pal' or (my favorite of all time) 'server dude.' This will be met with hostility, or as is my personality, a relentless assault of backhanded compliments whenever I'm requested. I tell you my name at the beginning of the meal. Remember it, or offer up a polite 'sir' or 'miss/ma'am.' If we've been polite to you, then we've earned at least that much.

2. Keep in mind the amount of times you ask for things separately. My job is to serve you as efficiently as possible, and I'm pretty good at it. Do you need horseradish? You damn right I can get that for you. But alas, upon returning, someon asks for mustard. Well that's no problem at all. I'll be right back! And when I get back, well it looks like someone wants more napkins. Plain and simple: while we're here to help you, keep in mind we're helping at least 5 other parties at a time, and many times 7 or 8 groups. In the spirit of these holidays, please try to consolidate your requests. If you don't, I'm going to ask you if "there is anything else I can get for annnyyyyyooonnne while I'm here" in my best adult-to-two-year-old impression. And I'm real good at that.

3. Don't gourge yourself on complimentary bread and butter. It's bad form. It's also a health risk, and for the most part, I care about you.

4. Please DO NOT get into arguments with your significant other at the table...in front of me. It is uncomfortable at best, and at worse, I'm probably going to repeat the confrontation to all of my coworkers so we can laugh about what happend the last time you ordered that second cocktail, or how gassy you get after eating the cheese cake. If you've ever argued in a restaurant, do yourself a favor and look around. If you see staff members poking their heads out around corners, staring at you and talking to eachother, it's a good chance that you'll be the subject of conversation for many nights to come.

5. In the state of California there is, for many restaurants, legal tip sharing. On any given restaurant shift, a server could be giving away 10 - 38% of their gratuities to bussers, expoditers kitchen staff, hostesses, and bartenders. This leaves, many times, only about 60% of the original gratuities for the server. While I'm fortunate enough to be in a situation where my livelihood is not dependant on tip money, most servers are paid minimum wage and need that money for rent and insurance. If the service was good, go with the giving spirit, and give what you can. If the steak was undercooked, let your server know BEFORE you polish that bad-boy off so that I can fix it, and so that you won't feel inclined to hold it against me.

part II in a few days...maybe.

It doesn't count if nothing happens

Negotiating one of the many technical corners at the Turkey Trot CX

That's what I've been telling myself, repeatedly, after finishing up the interview process with Teach for America. I know that I was told to keep all my interviewing experiences confidential, but, as the title says, it doesn't count if nothing happens (grammar?), and seeing as how I have to wait 1 month until I hear my fate, I suppose I can write on the process lightly.

The day started very quickly at 9 a.m. sharp. We met in a small conference room, very similar to an upper-division seminar room, in one of the many incredibly posh buildings on the campus of USD. When people say USD is a campus for rich people, they are not lying. USD is a campus among Gods, food prepared by chefs, students playing piano in the lobby to serenade guests; it was all a complete shock. SDSU has absolutely nothing on this school, except for the beat downs we dish out in basketball.

There were 11 total candidates in the room with 2 interviewers. Right off the bat I noticed that the candidates were nervous about the upcoming teaching lessons. An early attempt to break the ice was met with cold stares, as I suppose many of these kids were extremely nervous and under the impression that we were all competing against each other.

The 5 minute teaching lessons were next, it was easy to see those who had no idea what teaching is about. Most of the lessons were fine, and mine was going quite well but, as is the case with most of my teaching in general, I talk to much. 10 more seconds and I would've been fine.

The rest of the morning sessions involved group work, in which all of the candidates in my group were trying to recite as many of the 'catch phrases' from the Teach for America website as possible: "I think that the educational gap is the biggest problem in this country" "We need to focus on how we can get our students to be more successful" blah blah blah. Uninspired nonsense like this was really beginning to turn me off because it lacked a soul, it lacked passion, and it lacked the long-term commitment: many of these students would be leaving after two years. The whole interview day is quite easy, and after a long lunch break, my 1 on 1 interview took place, with the interviewer taking notes on the computer most of the time, not really responding to my comments.

Again, the interview for TFA is not challenging, and what's more disconcerting, is that this interview process does not truly identify teachers. I'm not quite sure how you can test a teacher on basic quantitative data analysis and conclude that 'hey, this person reads charts quite well, we should hire him/her.' It just doesn't work like that.

What was most troubling for me was finding out about my interviewers, who were in fact former TFA members. After two years of teaching, they left the classroom for recruitment jobs at TFA. If I had one question for TFA, it would be : How can you expect to make great changes in education by allowing teachers to leave the classroom after two years? While I appreciate these teachers' experiences in the classroom, it's quite laughable to hear about how easily they were able to leave the classroom, especially when considering the fact that the first 5 years of teaching is considered to be one big learning curve.

I guess what stands out as the biggest difference between myself and the rest of the recruits and members of TFA, is that I really want to be in the classroom for many years. All I want to do is teach, and when I say teach, I mean fully invest myself in the school and community for the long-haul.

teacher tries to go fast

chillin with Mr. Chris Horner at Storm the Beach CX

As I watch the San Diego State Aztecs lay the hammer down on Utah, I'm reminded of how much fun college was and how much I really enjoyed school.

As far as school goes, I have made it now to the final step of the Teach for America process. And what a process it has been. Each stage of the selection has had its weird moments. The winner for most awkward moment: having a phone interview with a sick and sniffling former teacher. I couldn't understand a word she said. With each sentence more confusing and congested than the last, I was forced to ask to have this lady repeat the questions multiple times. I was sure I failed, but then again, maybe apprehension is a good thing, because I was soon passed on to the final round of interviewing. A face to face and group interview is next. How they decide who will be a good teacher through group interviewing is beyond me. The only true test is through teaching lessons in front of students, staff and administrators (I have at least 30 peers that can attest to this).

Cyclocross is winding down. Sad, sad days. Upgrading to category 3 has been a painful endeavor. Racing with the PROs (and by racing, I mean the first 4 minutes of the first lap) is no joke. It's nice to keep riders like Sid Taberlay, Brian Lopes and even Mr. Chris Horner in eyesight for a few corners, but when the legs and lungs begin to suffer, the aspiring teacher must be wise and back it down a notch. It's one thing to push the limits for a few minutes, but it's an entirely different test when asked to push the red for 60 minutes.

An hour of cross racing is no joke.

I'm back

So it's been awhile. Even though there are no readers here, I'm okay with that. I'm assuming maybe, juuuuust maybe, someone out there might have done a double take. "Hey, what the hell happened? My prime time, top quality reading material has not been updated in some time now. What gives?"

Right.

After finishing the credential program, I took a few months off from anything productive or important. I went to a wedding, did a ton of wine tasting, rode my bike, and worked a lot at the Boathouse. It's been a blur of good times, but the good times must end eventually. And so here I am again.

As your humble narrator, I should tell you that finding a job as a male history teacher in the state of California is not as easy as I thought it would be. So, my new direction is to find a more sure form of employment, yet still to be involved in education.

Enter: Teach for America.

And so, the entire story comes full circle. I've been online, typing up applications, letters of intent and resumes, and BOOM. Somehow I remembered that I still have this little journal of life and bike racing. Whatever it is, however productive or unproductive it is, I figured that at the very least, if I were to pass on in an unfortunate accident or something, there would at least be these words to remind you of my clever, witty comebacks. My inspiring dialogue and my everlasting ability to make you say, 'glad I'm not that guy.' You're welcome.

So if this teach for America thing works out, as I so very hope it does, I will be moving to the fine city of Los Angeles. I love sitting in traffic, so it's a perfect fit.

Bike racing is back!! Specifically, cyclocross, and it's very exciting to be semi-unemployed and have the weeks free to train and the weekends free to race. Good stuff. I'm now racing as a category 3 in cross, and I fully expect to be lapped by Sid Taberlay, Prenzlow, the Bailey Crew, and the rest of the way too fast elites.

And so there you have it. Bi-weekly posting will start....NOW!

Oh yea, totally won a 24 hour mountain bike race. 5 person coed team

(Logan had to leave early, hence only 4 of us)

Done!

The PACT was passed, no issues, no regrets. It's been awhile since I've had time to write, which is indicative of the immense focus needed to work that paper out. It felt great to finish the whole thing up without any issues.

I did it the right way: I did my own proofreading, I videotaped the way I felt was most successful, and I worked in the most efficient manner possible. Examples:

--It was suggested to film for 3-5 days, yet, only 2, 10 minute clips were to be turned in. Instead of Filming the whole time, I filmed for 85 minutes total. I made sure to focus on what needed to be shown on film, which allowed me to be really efficient. I literally created situations in the classroom that satisfied the rubric, executed them, and moved on.

--I did 75% of my writing in 48 hours. Ok, admittedly not the best course of action. However, I knew that I'm best when writing under pressure, and it ended up being a perfect strategy. True, I lumped 2 month's worth of stress into one weekend, but I was able to finish it quickly!

The teaching went a lot better. My students were absolutely top-notch, and they really made the whole experience smooth and easy.

The school year ends this Tuesday. Wow. What an experience. Teaching is both easier and harder than I thought it would be. I've learned the value of preparation and focus. I've also learned the importance of rules and limits. Now it's time to find a job. I have a feeling there is one out there for me; it's just a matter of time. I'll miss Mount Miguel, and hopefully one day I can return to that school as a full time teacher. I enjoyed everything about that school, and I feel extremely grateful to have met the students and staff that I did.

But what about my riding? That went straight to hell. It's a pretty sad statement when you're lungs explode on the regular saturday ride. It's been painful building up my fitness, and lately I've spent more time enjoying the bike rather than training.

OH YEA. I got to test ride some $9,000 bicycles. Here's one of 'em.

Pure speed, that's all that can be said. Cervelo S3, Sram Red, Zipp 404 in back, 303 in front. I'd go deeeeep into debt for one of these, but I don't have the guts.

Thank you to all of my students and friends. This semester has been amazing and tough. I've learned a lot about education, and even more about balancing life. It's been important for me to keep my balance and to keep things light. The darkest times in this program were the times when riding, friends, and family were put on the back-burner. A principal once told me that it's important to take care of yourself BEFORE taking care of your students. I'll have to keep these words in mind for the future.

Getting on Track Again: teaching and the 'drome

Lesson planning has been all the rage lately. My guide teacher and I have spent a lot of time analyzing my lesson plans for 12th grade Government. As a proficient writer and speaker and organizer, it has been tough for me to hear, many times daily, that my lesson plans are sub-par. For a week or two, I was becoming quite deflated. All of my efforts to improve the plans were inevitably ruining the plans. After another week of grinding and planning, I was finally able to turn the corner. I came out of Spring Break with the guns blazing and really made some large strides in both planning and executing.

It took some time for me to understand that having a strict guide teacher is the single best thing that could have happend to me this semester. When comparing myself to other student-teachers' experiences, I felt overly analyzed: many of these teacher never see their master teachers! Others have master teachers that use (read: steal) their student-teacher's material (and I've been told that this stems from a lack of preparation on the MASTER teacher's end!!!). Compare this to the beatdowns I was taking. Wow...I was angry. It didn't take me long, however, to realize that I'm the one standing to benefit the most from this scrutiny and evaluation. As it stands right now, I couldn't be happier. Every mistake that I make in the classroom is acknowledged, noted, and immediately improved. Having a guide teacher who really cares about what you do: Priceless.

The velodrome is here. Wow. Has a year really gone by that fast? This will be my third year racing, but my first year actually being prepared. Funny, how naive I was, thinking that my mediocre fitness from rowing was going to rule all. I've taken many lumps in cycling, but I've really tried to learn from them. As I type right now, the Ridley is in the back of the truck. Tonight will be fun. The racing will surely be fast, competitive, and hopefully safe. Opening night was an excellent time; lots of friends and good racing. Since I'm caught up on school and planning, I might even type a race report for tonight's effort.

Here's to a safe season! Speaking of 'safe,' look what I found!


Somewhere along the line, this picture came to me. My first ever wreck in a crit. Island View Classic, Santa Barbara 2009. That's the fooji there, all thrashed and torn up, myself to the right, and center stage is the freakin' goon from UCSB who might've wrecked 17 times that weekend.

What makes the difference?

Everyone talks about making a difference. Sometimes, people compare apples to apples and ask, "what makes the difference? what is the difference?"

In the teaching program, I often run into this same question. On many days, I have to ask myself, "what is the difference between these two methods? What makes the difference between a good teacher and a great teacher?" or:

"How is what I'm doing any better or worse than what other teachers are doing? What is the difference?"

Credibility.

Teaching Source: Quite simply, the levels of scrutiny that a teacher may receive is in direct contrast to who the teacher is and that teacher's standing at any particular school. That is to say, a teacher of many years receives none, while a new teacher is under a watchful eye.

Credibility stems directly from the source. A teacher of many years maintains higher levels of credibility by simply being there and teaching safe, mistake free lessons.

Therefore, when I ask what makes the difference between a good and great teacher, the traditional answer will likely bring up these aspects of the profession. Because of the hierarchy in teaching (the pecking order, whatever you want to call it), the difference is not necessarily in the product of teaching, but rather the stance of the teacher.

Where am I going with this? I'm not too sure. I feel like, after viewing different classes and seeing different lessons taught, experience isn't necessarily a great indicator of the product or the engagement. Experience might serve a purpose in lesson planning or coordinating meetings, but maybe not in creating student engagement.

One thing that I am quite sure of, however, is that student teachers have absolutely no credibility in the classroom. As such, our opinions and experiences are often taken lightly or completely discounted (specifically when being paired with those of experience and power). If I could give advice to future credential students, it would be to tread lightly... so much so that you're not even sure if you're moving forward. I was told that, in this program, I could experiment, take risks, and try out new things.

Not so.

This is tough for many of us, but especially myself. When I go swimming, I don't like to enter the pool via the ladder. I know I can swim, I don't feel the need to take my time, I'll get in the pool and learn the strokes, improve my abilities and improve my style. Why should I have to take so much precaution when entering the pool?

I like to cannonball off the diving board. And so, I believe it is the cannonball, that certain aim to take risks, that might very well be the difference.

Red Trolley video....SIDEWAYS (courtesy of mary)