Abby Goes to Calhoun

Today was ten thousand times better than yesterday. Crisis avoided.

I started out with Digital Video Imaging with Gary, the coolest guy I’ve ever met. I arrived early, so I was able to chat and instantly bond with Gary over a mutual love for Niel Young, specifically our favorite album, On the Beach. This class was only one other senior, Leah (my buddy for the day), and otherwise all underclassman. Gary was very patient with the students. Today, he showed the class how to use Final Cut, a movie editing program. It was very complex but had a TON of features- much more than iMovie. I’m not in any digital classes at MV, so I really had nothing to compare it to.

After a much calmer Cluster period with Danny (US math and science teacher) and Lavern (the US Assistant Director), it was time for a history class, 20th Century American City. What a great class!  The class revolves around a text the class is named after. I’m getting a copy of it tomorrow, so I can follow along for the rest of my visit. This truly is a seminar-style class.  The teacher posed a question at the beginning of class, and EVERYONE(except me) participated in the discussion. It was so interesting! I can’t wait to get my hands on the text. This is taught by the Lavern and Jennifer (the US director), so the students were more in line than my classes yesterday.

Then, time for Psychology. This class was similar to yesterday. We continued the discussion of defense mechanisms- like rationalization, regression, displacement, etc. A girl mentioned that defense mechanism of hers was when she was new a situation, she would stand back and watch the rest of the crowd before she would open up and show her actual personality. When I was called on to share a defense mechanism, I related what that girl said to my current situation- I was holding back so I could scope out of the scene first. Literally, I was watching everyone else stare at me (I’ve never been stared at more in my entire life. Seriously. I feel like a zoo animal).

After that, Astronomy! This class was also taught by the very cool Danny. This science class brought my back to middle school science with D. The teacher a) makes powerpoints with all the notes on it b) explains the notes thoroughly and c) emails the students the powerpoints after class. I’ve never seen anything like this in a high school. I guess with science that makes sense, because everything you learn builds up. Astronomy seemed interesting, but I had no clue what was going on (I’m in Physics at home).

Then, Free period. My buddy had gym, which I quickly opted out of, so I sat in the hallway with a group of students. Watching them interact was fascinating. I had to explain Winterim about 45 times today, minimum. Some kids wouldn’t even acknowledge my presence….so weird

I went to lunch with my buddy and her friends. It was so nice not to be in that school for a period. The girls were really nice, and I was relieved not to be stared at for  a little bit.

I then went alone to Theater/Video/Concept/Image. This class is two teacher with one student (and then, for today, me). This class is focused on building the complex lighting, sound, and image for the US play, the Laramie Project. This is a fantastic play, and anyone not framilar should look it up immediately. Essentially, the play is captured in moments, not scenes. There are 59 different moments in the play, and each one needs its own background to be projected onto the backdrop, stage, and even audience. This class is taught by Gary, the cool Niel Young guy, and Margie, the theater teacher from yesterday’s Comedy Troupe.  The one students is an underclassman. They basically pitch ideas to each other about what the images should be, and the lighting, the sound, etc. It was so cool to see it all happen. The play, sadly, is in six weeks…if only I was staying longer! I would LOVE to be a part of the production.

That class was a double period today (I still don’t understand their scheduling, but once I do, I’ll let you know), so I went to see Sarah to set up my schedule.

I chose to take Psychology, Philosophies and Aesthetics, Teaching LS Math, and 20th Century American City. The other four periods of the day will be spent in the lower school. I still don’t exactly know what I’ll be doing there, but I’m sorting it out tomorrow with Sarah.

I guess since I’m the ‘new girl’, I’m bound to be stared at. It’s really awkward though…I mean, I have eyes- I can see you staring at me.  It’s like when MV gets a new female student. Fresh meat…

Final Cut- the program we used in Digital Video Imaging.It’s as complicated as it looks.

The first thing I noticed about Calhoun’s high school on the 4th floor was the lack of actual rooms…most classrooms are connected in some way to those beside it. The first class on Laura’s (the girl I followed today) Tuesday schedule was Philosophies and Aesthetics- a senior English class. Class started at 8:30 and most students wandered in at the last second, with breakfast from the downstairs cafeteria. Apparently, food is allowed everywhere.Attendance isn’t taken until second period. In English, it was a seminar style setting- a rounded table with about 10 kids in the class. They had just started reading Faulkner’s While I Lay Dying. From what I read of it in class, a very difficult, beautiful book. When I choose my courses, this English will be on the top of my list. Yet, what differentiated most from my English classes at MV was the focusing on the text so much- the past two years in English, my classes have focused more on the overall theme of the literature rather than the exact diction and meaning of each and every chapter. It reminded me of 10th grade English. I’m not sure if this is good or bad, but I like seeing something different.

After English, it was time for ‘cluster’. Cluster seems to be like a combination of advisee and assembly. This is a supposedly five minute period. Calhoun students have five minutes between classes. As if this time wasn’t enough, students and teachers seem to wander in whenever they feel like it. Maybe it was only in the classes I was in.

Anyway, in Cluster, the teacher reads announcments from a piece of paper while the students within that cluster stand around, goof off, txt on their cell phones, and listen to their ipods. Seriously. It was like the anti-Maumee Valley. The teacher seemed to notice no one was listening, but he just kind of ignored it. He was really funny and reminded me a lot of Rollie. It was just really silly, all around. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Down we went to Psychology, another all senior class. What a great class. I loved it. It was all discussion oriented, very open. It reminded me of a less-strict Mumford class. It was like a conversation. What also reminded me of MV was the way all the boys sat against the wall. It was like they had assigned seats. It reminded me of AP English where we all have to sit in the same place everyday. A lot of classes at MV are like that though. I just thought it was interested how it was gender segregated. Maybe I’ll break the segregation someday. I also want to take this class for the three weeks.

I had a ‘free’ period after this. My buddy had a college meeting so I just found a random classroom in the upper school and talked to a teacher, Kathy, the whole time. She was so nice and helpful. No one else really took the time to talk to me or even show me where stuff was (my advisor, Sarah, tried this morning, but she didn’t have any free time). She went out of her way to help me out. It was so nice to have someone make an effort. She took me upstairs to the theather for Comedy Troupe- a class devoted entirely to acting and comedy. It was so much fun! The class was mostly seniors. We first warmed up with an activity that I’m not sure had anything to do with acting. Then they moved on to rehearsing their student-directed skits for a performance next week. It looked like a lot of fun. I would like to take this class as well, but I’m not sure it’ll fit into my schedule. The Calhoun theater is quite different from the Millennium. It’s all black with chairs instead of built in seating. And there are only abut four rows on the ground, then a higher level with three rows of seating, surounding the stage on three sides. The exact opposite of the Millennium, actually.

After this, I went to the lower school on floor 2 for Teaching Lower School Math. My buddy is one of the four students in this class. They work with 2nd and 3rd graders during their math classes. As a part of this class, the US students have to eventually create a lesson plan and teach class for a day. They just started working on their lesson plans. This porgram is very unique, even within Independent schools, and it’s the main reasons I chose Calhoun. I want to work in the lower school for part of my school day, then have two or three US courses. Hopefully I won’ t have to teach math though. The 3rd grade teacher I observed today was amazing- if only I’d been taught math that way! Then maybe I would actually enjoy math. During Lunch, which is much later than MV (12:50!), the students in the Teaching LS Math class have a meeting once a week with the math teachers. They discussed that they’ve observed lately and their upcoming lesson plans. It was so cool to see how the teachers make up their plans.

Then we had Calculus. I’m not even in Calc at MV. I really didn’t know what was going on. I just wrote in my journal during class. No one seemed to mind. The teacher was the same one from Cluster. I really liked him!

The day ended with Commnity Action. This class, if you ask me, seemed like BS. They meet twice a week to discuss what community service projects kids are working on. The woman in charge of it was so dull. Nothing she said made any sense. It was awful. Thankfully, this was the last class of the day; I was so tired!

Other things I noticed at Calhoun that were completely different from MV:

There is an elevator, but only for seniors and falculty.

Teachers are called by their first name. Always.

Classes consistently run over, with no apparent consequence.

Teachers and students have no dress code. The 3rd grade teacher was wearing jeans, a t shirt, and Nikes. Really.

Ipods and cell phones can be out at anytime.

There seems to be no apparent discipline. I still don’t really understand this.

Food is free all day long. Even breakfast is served!

Also, my favorite conversation of the day.

“This is Abby.”

“Where are you from?”  purple sweater asked me.

“Toledo, Ohio” I said.

“Oh. How do you like that?” she asked in the most evil tone I’ve ever heard.

then later:

“I’m a senior” I said.

“OH WHERE ARE YOU APPLYING?” asked everyone in the classroom.

“Schools on the east coast mostly…”

“like WHERE?!?”

“Uhh…”

Then, in Phycology:

“Oh, are you Ohio?”

Tomorrow, I’m following around Leah. Her schedule is completely different from Laura’s, except for Psychology. I’m excited to see what else I can learn about Calhoun!

Upper West Side, where Calhoun is. Basically, all the streets look like this.

I have safely and successfully arrived in New York. I took a cab to the apartment and attempted to unpack my bags (yes, plural). My sister’s dog jumped on my face and cried with joy when he saw me. It was precious.
After “unpacking” a bit, I went and got lunch and my unlimited metropass. Four stops later, I was at 79th street and Broadway. Calhoun in on 81st and West End Ave. I walked all around the neighborhood- so pretty! Calhoun looks so cool. My advisor told me earlier that the neighbor’s call the it the TV school. It kind of does look like a TV; the front of the building is rounded, like a TV screen. After stalking the school a bit, I walked down the street to Riverside Park. It was a beautiful day so I took a stroll along with the mothers with strollers and men with their dogs.
Tonight, a friend who goes to school in the city is coming over for chinese food. No one from the school could make it for dinner.
Tomorrow, I meet Sarah, my advisor, in the lobby at 8:15. I’m following a student around for tomorrow. My first class is a senior English class, L-K! I’ll scope out the reading list for you.

The Calhoun School