~:[CH10 - Day 69]:~ Throwback

 

~:[CH10 - Day 69]:~  Throwback

With one of my hard drives crashing earlier this year, I knew that some of my files would be missing. I searched around and realized the file I was looking for was not buried in a dead drive, but rather buried in my sort file. When reorganizing my hard drive setup, many of my filed ended up in a sort folder. As I searched through that nostalgia hit me. Then it hit me again as I created the website for our 50th anniversary event next year. Yes, the planning is starting it will probably get a little hectic moving forward. Regardless, it was nice to chat again with some of the staff that worked when I went to school and then some of my current colleagues. I'm excited to welcome others into the planning process soon and to get going. Part of my job, I actually don't really enjoy, so if anyone really likes to connect with businesses and other sponsors, let me know, as you'd make me happy for taking that off my hands. The next year will be a lot of scrolling back over old material and I wonder exactly what I will recover and what memories will return to me. We shall see, but it will definitely be cool to see the collaboration of so many as we throw it back to the past 50 years of Cerritos HS.

~:[CH10 - Day 68]:~ The Highlights

 
~:[CH10 - Day 68]:~  The Highlights

There are so many negatives when you hear about schools and virtual learning and the like. There definitely are a lot of downsides, however, in the same breath, I've been talking about all the great things that have also happened during this time. During open house, we found ourselves hosting our Open House Sim online. While it was a challenge, we figured out how to make the most of our time while demonstrating the ins and outs of the class. I think in general, many teachers have adapted and worked hard to get things done. However, just like the students, the stress of figuring everything out and balancing it all affects teachers as well. There's always that reminder that yes, it's okay to take that break or to destress after a bad day. I've heard from students and teachers both of the struggles they faced. It's definitely been a challenging time and one of the most difficult parts about it has been being apart. Today I saw some faces I haven't seen in person in awhile. A few teachers, some other coaches, and then I got to see my athletes again. It's weird having to distance myself from them so much, but at the same time, it's nice to just be in proximity to them. As much as we've faced struggles, however, open house, gave me another highlight as a few parents sent praise our way. I know they definitely want their children back in school, but they also realize that we are working hard to make it work as is. To hear that directly from parents was a blessing. It will definitely be a year we all look back and never wish for again, however, it will also be a year that highlights what we are capable of, what we can do, but also the time we must allow for ourselves as well. It will be a time that helped us highlight just how important simple interactions were and just simple being there is. As I hear from most of my athletes, just the fact that they can be together is a blessing. Soon we will be hitting the field in our first "competition." While we will not be racing head-to-head, it will be another highlight, as it won't be about how fast they run, but more so about the fact that they get a chance to compete. Eventually we will be able to return and see each other again, but for now, let's be sure to take care of ourselves and highlight all the things we've done well. As while there are things we know we can do better, just the fact that you're still hanging in, is still something to highlight.

~:[CH10 - Day 67]:~ Rise from the Ashes

 
~:[CH10 - Day 67]:~  Rise from the Ashes

Instead of enjoying the sunny weather of SoCal, I would be freezing on the busy streets of NYC around this time. Strangely, it's a bit warmer than normal there, but still, being there in person gives a completely different feel than normal. Sure, it definitely has a lot less stressful not having to watch over a group of students for a week, but there was so much that I wish I could show them and just hoping they get the chance in the future. Regardless despite the lack of that perk, this group of students worked just as hard as any other group, nobody dropped out, almost no assignments were late, and ultimately, they finished the conference with one of the best performances we have had at NHSMUN. From top to bottom, I saw them improve and grow, while through the process we connected, even in a virtual environment. This process solidified the idea that a situation is what you make of it. You can either hang your head and say what it is not or you can face it head on and see what you can do. While the world they knew had slowly crumbled, this group rose from those ashes and battled. The Zoom fatigue must have been real, but I think some of that disappeared as they debated with students from across the world. The conference was smaller this year than in year's past. With half of the group (session 1) being about 1,500 students from 126 schools from 41 different countries around the world. even a smaller conference still had an impressive array of representation, which the students enjoyed so much. We didn't get to celebrate in person, but I was glad to have been able to congratulate our students as we had a quick Zoom session before third period started. Despite all the challenges, these students rose from those ashes and walked away with two Awards of Distinction, honoring their research & preparation as well as their contributions to committee. After the four months of work they put in despite this pandemic without a single complaint (to me at least), these honors were definitely well deserve. Congratulations to this year's NHSMUN team, I am so proud of you and you definitely made the countries of Japan and South Africa proud! With a group of youth like this, I know that the future is bright as even when surrounded pile of ashes, instead of crumbling, they showed me there there is still hope and a reason why we all can celebrate.

~:[CH10 - Day 66]:~ Proud

 
~:[CH10 - Day 66]:~  Proud

I've been pretty proud of the Model UN students this year. Despite the conditions, they've stayed engaged, attended hours upon hours of committees on the weekends, volunteered to chair all the additional committees we've been hosting and excelling in this virtual environment. Our Nationals group this year was smaller (as expected) than usual, however, it didn't mean that they gave any less. Since November, they researched, they wrote papers, they were quizzed by me, met at night for hours as a group and even after the regular sessions had ended, another group of students spend their time, six hours after committee ended, on another Zoom call preparing their plenary speeches. With a group almost half the size, we ended up with about the same number of speakers at plenary. For those not familiar, to be chose for plenary typically means you're one of the top two delegates in your committee or at least well-spoken enough to represent your committee. Tomorrow they'll get to speak in front of a virtual audience of what may be 1,000+ students from around the world. While they did not get to roam the streets of New York, they still experienced one of my favorite moments of the experience (possibly to a greater extent), meeting students from around the globe. In our wrap up, they mentioned meeting students from Greece, Mexico, Venezuela, China, Vietnam, Ecuador, Lebanon, Canada among others. They also met actual representatives from South Africa and Japan and also had some time just to chat and connect with each other more in our meetings. I hope that they will get to roam the streets next year if conditions improve, but no matter what happens, I am even more proud of this year's group than ever, NHSMUN and our program as a whole. As always, with the closing ceremonies coming up, while it's a joy if they end up taking home a delegation award, they truly have already made me proud and the work they put in is the greatest award I could be given. They represented our school well so far and I look forward to wrapping it up tomorrow. One more day, which means one more day to be proud of them all.

~:[CH10 - Day 65]:~ Prickly

 
~:[CH10 - Day 65]:~  Prickly 

Many of us have our prickly sides. It probably has become more evident during the pandemic as we deal with everything around us. It can sometimes be our way of distancing ourselves from others or simply a defense mechanism that may not be able to be explained. However, while that prickliness can often be seen as a negative, it's understood that we must create our own boundaries and draw the line where we feel the most comfortable during the right times. Sometimes we just need our space or there are certain areas of our lives that we just want to protect. Regardless of what it is, never feel bad for protecting what you want to protect, but also remember to not distance yourself from the world at all times. As I enjoyed the views of the outdoors after a morning in committee sessions, it was nice to break away from the computer screen and enjoy a breath of fresh air. Doing so has allowed me to keep my balance and I hope we all found our way to balance yours. As the sun set, it felt so good just to soak it all in as my prickliness faded away, allowing me to relax and enjoy all around me. It was a long day, but a wonderful day, capped with a much needed walk with the healing power of nature. 

~:[CH10 - Day 64]:~ Connect

~:[CH10 - Day 64]:~  Connect

Yes, these times are challenging. Normally this week, I'd be dragging a group of high schoolers around New York. Instead, the sessions kicked off behind the screen. Regardless, this challenge provided an opportunity. We heard from speakers we probably wouldn't have such as the Secretary General of the OAS (pictured above) and we also saw delegates from places around the world that may not have been able to attend. There were the typical tech issues and disappointment of not being able to meet face-to-face, but still, things like Model UN cannot be stopped even in the face of all this adversity. Rather than folding to it, we've actually been able to connect more and reach out further. During the day, I sent emails to schools in Mexico and Costa Rica and organized trainings for students in Asia. These things probably would not have come to pass without these challenges. Yes, we do want things to go back to normal, but I do hope that these opportunities that sprouted up because of the pandemic, do not disappear after it. From connected to alumni to individuals I wouldn't have been able to reach out to before, the isolation of this pandemic led to great connectivity albeit virtually. 

~:[CH10 - Day 63]:~ Lounging

 
~:[CH10 - Day 63]:~  Lounging

Some days you just want to lounge. After morning classes, I had to deal with Facebook. They took down one of my blog posts (about Myanmar) since they said it violated their rules for promoting violence. Strangely enough it was condemning the violence and advocating for peace by giving the people a voice. I was happy to see that later in the day, the post was restored as I asked if they even read the post before taking it down. When that was taken care of, I decided to break down the empty wrapped boxes I had in my car since Christmas. Yes, since Christmas. They were used as props in our family photo session and I just left them in there for the time being. One thing led to another and I ended up cleaning most of car with just a vacuuming to go. I headed back in to get ready for Nationals tomorrow, before making dinner. Today's animal was suppose to be a corgi. You can see the butt and little tail on the other side, but the face ended up looking more like a fox, but then when adding the nose, it looked like a different type of dog. Regardless, it was fun to look at and a great dish to create. I had my final sweater drop off tonight before just catching up in the chill of the night. Some days you just feel like lounging, but sometimes on those days, the day doesn't always allow for it. It was nice that I kept the balance in the day, as I was able to get work done, while also finding some time to lounge. Thinking of this warm curry, I laid out in a warm bath to end the night, so maybe in the end, I got the lounging experience I had wanted since the start. 

~:[CH10 - Day 62]:~ Exhaustion

~:[CH10 - Day 62]:~  Exhaustion

I sit her exhausted, but it's the best feeling ever. I was used to working long hours, but the feeling I have now is the kind of feeling I got after a nice long day of work. No, it's not great to work long hours, but when it's work that is satisfying, it is great. I bounced from our PD in the morning, to our check in and straight to our mission briefings. As usual, the Permanent Mission to the UN from South Africa blew us away. They always have some of the best and most informative briefings around. The students got all their answers questions in pretty good detail. I headed straight to our team meeting before moving to the meeting with the Permanent Mission to the UN from Japan. While the detailed questions were a bit challenging for someone who specialized in financing, I feel the students still had a great experience. I love the sympathy they had for the speaker as one student changed their question to ask how the speaker's typical day would go and even asked what he had for lunch. It was Shake Shack. Everyone got a laugh out of it. I love how they showed concern for the speaker after rounds of tough questions. It was definitely sad that they didn't get the opportunity to walk into these missions, but overall, I think the experience of meeting with them is still priceless. I am definitely exhausted from the long day, but it's definitely a good feeling to get back into the swing of things.

~:[CH10 - Day 61]:~ Priceless

~:[CH10 - Day 61]:~  Priceless

It was a little strange worrying about so much on just a normal practice day. "What am I forgetting?" as I walked out the door. I walked back and forth between the blacktop and my classroom as I kept thinking of what I needed. In the end, I had what I needed and things went a lot quicker than expected. We got everyone checked in and when I turned around, you can feel the joy of everyone just being around each other. It's not normal times, but it sure was nice for them to be together. They'll need to get use to the process, but regardless, just having them together running was a big W. Yes, it's a pain carrying a jug of sanitizer around or wearing a glove on a hot day, but the value of it all is definitely priceless. We are learning how to take less awkward distanced photos that make it look like they're together and even like they're holding hands. We'd all love to embrace each other normally, but for now, just being together is more valuable than anything in the world. I didn't care how the performances were in this workout, but still was quite impressed by the progress some made during this downtime. Who knows how they will perform in a race, but I was just happy that they'll get to run. Distance makes the heart grow fonder and I don't know of any generation that will understand that more than this group. 

~:[CH10 - Day 60]:~ Voice

 
~:[CH10 - Day 60]:~  Voice

Can we just stand by and watch? My friend has been updating me daily about the on goings in Myanmar and keeps asking me, "how can we protect our people?" I understand how much we have to worry about with the pandemic, but what about those who have to deal that and so much more? We complain about having to wear a mask or stay inside and I understand the impacts and effects it has, but what about those who truly lost their voice with their government being taken over and the people being silenced. In the middle of the night, people are being taken away and this young lady is one of the many who paid the ultimate sacrifice, her life. The scary thing is, the radicalization did not leave us far from a moment like this. In these moments, no matter what what are beliefs are, we must speak up because a coup cannot be acceptable especially when it goes against the will of the people. The voices of those in Myanmar have not been heard by enough people. The voices of Hong Kong were, but slowly faded away. How can we not hear these voices that so desperately need us? When we will step up and help? I know the argument is that we have our own problems to deal with, but if we keep ignoring all that goes around the world, it will be us who is left alone and isolated when we need the help. Let's all be a voice for the injustice that goes on around the world and let's give a voice for those who are less powerful. I understand that I once again post a similar message than I sent days earlier, but these people need a voice and I hope to at least do what I can to make that happen. She worked in a beauty salon, but spent her finally days protesting to return their elected leader to power. She may no longer be with us, but we can still give her the voice she gave her life for.