What's the answer?

With the first semester of my eighth year of teaching wrapped up and second semester under way, I am elated to be more than halfway done with one of the most frustrating years of my teaching career. It's one of those years where I constantly question if I am in the right place for me. I do love teaching, and I do believe I am good at it, but damn if the system makes it hard for teachers to stick with this career without becoming discouraged. I go through phases of really loving my job interspersed with being beyond frustrated, and this year the bad has outweighed the good. I haven't been this irritated with work in about three years.

I am an NYC public high school teacher at a school in what would be considered to be an "inner city neighborhood" with students coming from low-income homes. My kids have faced struggles I couldn't even fathom and they experience things on a daily basis that I can't imagine going through, but that doesn't mean that they have to fail in life. Not by a long shot. For some of them, the odds have been stacked against them for a long time, but if they take advantage of what's in front of them, they can succeed. But they can't do it all alone. They, themselves have to want it, and their family, their teachers, and the school system have to be behind them. Unfortunately, from what I see year after year, that is just not happening.

My first time...

You will always remember your first time. Right? Your first whatever, it doesn't matter, but there are certain firsts that always stick with you. As you are growing up, you go through so many firsts. And even at the ripe old age of 31, I am still experiencing firsts. Some firsts are so bad you never want to go through them again. And some are so great you want them to happen over and over again. But no matter how many times you experience these things, you will always remember your firsts. First date. First time getting drunk. First job. First car. First tattoo. First real break-up. First time living alone. Well, you get it...lots of firsts. Some good and some bad.

But there are clearly a number of firsts that rank higher on the list than others and have shaped me more or less for who I am. Here are some important firsts that I think left a pretty important mark on my life. 

1) First time having sex. Ha! Please. Like I'd give that up on here. This is a family blog. Sike. It's not at all, but my parents do read this blog. And remember mom and dad, I'm saving myself for marriage. Cough, cough... So nothing to tell here. Moving along...

I drank the Kool-Aid

Who doesn't love to have that feeling of walking on air? Of being so happy you feel like you can do anything? Of having the confidence to feel like you can strut down the street? Like people can smell the awesomeness on you? And you just have that little twinkle in your eyes?

Now, how often do you actually have that feeling? That totally awesome I-can-do-anything feeling? (It's the best, right?)

Do you get it everyday? Once a week? Once a month? Once a year? And when you have that feeling, how long does it last? Do you do all you can to hold on to it?

Is it a person that makes you feel that way? A meal you just ate? An outfit you wear? A task you accomplished? Or an activity you do?

Just say NO to meggings

New trends are constantly hitting the streets. Especially in a fashion conscious city like NYC where anything goes. You see people wearing all kinds of clothes, accessories, and styles on the street everyday. Trendy or not, people wear what they please around here. As they should. But when a trend hits, you see it in most places, especially around these parts. Some of these trends look really good and some not so much at all. There are some wacky trends that actually do look good on certain people and on others looks absolutely ridic. Some people can just pull stuff off and it works. I however, am not one of those people and that's okay. I don't mind. Especially for trends that I straight up don't understand. For me, trendy does not always equal cute. Not on me. And not on anyone. Like the following...

1) Duck feet nails. Now nail trends are big these days. People are doing crazy things to their nails and most of them I can get behind. Even though I rarely paint my nails, I know what's in style. But one nail trend I can't get behind is duck feet nails. (Click HERE. For reals.) I first saw these on Tracy on Jerseylicious and was totally aghast. I wondered how she could style hair, heck even do such everyday tasks as texting, typing, picking her nose, etc... These nails not only look awful, but they are clearly not very functional. Stereotypically they are very "Jersey" or "Long Island" and therefore I occasionally see them on women in NYC. Not a good look chicas.