ALERT!
Now entering manic phase
i feel the energy building
i wish i had a computer to keep the world abreast
but sporadicallly i get access
here is an email i think i should send to every charter school in philly
customizing it to fit their school
it is the essence of my strengths and a good sales job and i even left rugby off
so my follow up email will mention rugby as a sales point
oh i forgot
i dashed that email off so quick that i forgot to mention my credentials as an international rugby dude
ohhh the great thoughts are flowing now bay beeeeee!!!!


Hello Mr. Jones, I have recently seen your ads for staff and think you should talk to me about how I can help your children take their school experience to the next level. I am one of those crusader types who was going to save the world and teach in the most challenging situations available, because my skin is so thick and I was such a tough guy. Was. I served as Wanamaker Middle School's Creative Writing teacher for 2 and a half years and loved it before being promoted to classroom teacher for another two. I had 13 sections of inclusion and varied abilities and made it work. I get very good at deciphering handwriting styles and really had a ball, mostly having to improvise my tail off as the day had other frequqently more stimulating events than my writing prompts, which I eventually adapted to suit whatever the climate at the school was that week or hour. At Wanamaker I hooked up with the gardening club and became convinced that every school must have a vegetable garden and a club to maintain the grounds along with whatever adult staff are currently doing the job. That experience really got me thinking in exciting ways. What if this proven successful collaboration between staff, teachers, community and children could be extended? That summer we installed a nice flower garder in what was a trash strewn lot and managed to get our eighth graders a stipend and highschool credit for all their hard work. That was fun and sweaty and with some nice hard science content to satisfy thier credit requirement. What I then began thinking about was how home economics has been virtually abandoned in middle schools in philly and started to radically reimagine the school lunch program at my next teaching assignment at Gillespie Middle School. Im still thinking it would work but that place was so chaotic, when Edison took over, that literally putting out fires was a more pressing concern. Edison wanted nice low scores their first year so they could show growth. Businessmen. Well they got them. I'm still thinking that kids should be involved in preparing meals. It is all about math and nutrition and each classroom could take turns planning meals for a week, say. Give them the budget, ask them to prepare a menu each day and help prepare it. Then reflect on what went right and what went wrong. Then open it up to clubs within the school, certainly looking into vegetarian options. What I am seeking is a place to try this idea out. I do not have the credentials to run this myself, I am merely an enthusiastic helper with a teaching degree. Which is just one of the projects I have in mind. I did not see that job listed, so what i did is made a job up for myself which is my perfect job. In my ideal job I would work with every student in the building on writing and goal setting: frequently partnering with the classroom teachers who would like another set of eyesand hands on essays and special projects. I think that with some creative scheduling we could work out a way for me to work with every class in the place without burying me. Each class once a week and then special team teaching/project related periods each day where I would work on whatever the kids or the teachers/staff clubs in the building want to work on. When the tests are coming up these could be word origin classes where we do some latin roots and throw medical and legal languge at each other or geometry stuff where we play with real world applications of numerals like in recipes or in construction projects or whatever. I want to be involved with a dynamic school sopmewhere who wants to really push the envelope. To push this envelope I need a place where I do four classes a day of writing and then the rest of the day is team teaching and small group things with whoever needs some extra help or is gifted and wants to learn how to make some kid created pages on your website, showcasing the many talented West Phillians in your school. I can see doing a weekly video show, kid edited, called the Richard Allen News Team. I can hook you guys up with Bike Works and get your mechanically gifted kids into a eco-friendly trade. I ran the recycling program at Wanamaker and could see doing that again or helping whoever is already doing it. I have alot of energy. I think you need it to keep up with the kids. I'd love to work at a school with a DEAR program. My room will be full of books after the field trip we make to the book bank at 5th and luzerne. That's always fun. Here's a crazy idea. Think about hiring me to do the job described above. Run it by the board. I want to make a school great, but it has to be a cooperative thing. I can fill in as a sub if needed. Next time you have a staff development day or are thinking about which direction you are going next year, invite me by to address the staff for a half hour or so and then I'll leave and you can vote on it or talk it out. In any event I think that I know alot of interesting things to do with kids that are fun for all and would have no problem just doing it on a one time basis for the right amount of cash. I would then make it a two to four hour program and start calling myself an educational consultant. Whcih is what I would be looking to do in about three to five years after your place becomes a national example of a school that works. I would also like to do some sort of web based entrepreneurship selling things on ebay to start with and then, who knows. Looking forward to hearing from you. My laptop has recently died so the best way is by cell phone at 215-275-8798 or by mail at 321 reed st, phila pa 19147 If you would like to hear people say mostly nice things about me you can contact Linda Carroll at Northeast Highschool where she is the Principal. She was my mentor. You could contact Iggy and Julia Weekes who run NANA inc. they are the radical gardeners i referenced and learned alot from Or you could try Tracey Mitchell over at Gillespie who will tell you about my survival skills and of my mad collaborative skills.