»We've got questions / in our school!

This afternoon I took off from work and headed up to Jender's high-school classroom. She had asked me and Aram to speak with one of her classes, to talk about our jobs and careers. She student-teaches at a charter school which has since become a part of the San Francisco Unified School District.

As you know, I am currently student teaching as I make my way toward a teaching credential slated to be in hand�come June�. As part of that process this semester I am solo teaching for 8 weeks. Right now I am at the International Studies Academy High school in San Francisco in Potrero Hill teaching Advanced ELL (English Language�Learner) classes. Most of my students�are 17 to 19 and have been in the US for�2 to 5 years.�� My eight week unit�this semester is about work, why we work, the jobs we do and how we navigate work in our lives. Since many of these students are new to the world�of work in the US and they will�be soon trying to determine their future careers, one of their unit projects is interviewing someone about their job and creating a paper�from that interview. These students need lots of practice before actually leaving the classroom�and doing activities on their own. I want them to interview a person in class as I class before they venture out into the cruel world. That is where you come in. I need�two brave volunteers to come into�my class and be interviewed by�my students. Don't worry, these students are�more intimidated by you then�you could ever be of them and I will supply you with a�list of�possible questions before hand.��I, personally, think all of your jobs are interesting and believe that my students would enjoy talking to you

Many years had passed since I last walked in the halls of a high school: it was nice to hear Aram's familiar voice echoing against the tile when I walked in.

The English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) class asked me lots of questions. They were practicing for their current assignment: interviewing someone with a job, and writing an essay on that person's background, daily routine, challenges, and rewards.
The very first question I heard, right after I wrote my name on the board, was, "Are you Indian?" A few more questions on the subject of race: "Do people at your job ever make fun of you because of your ethnicity?"

The questions made me reflect on how much I do like my job, and also offered a different perspective on what I do. I work in a for-profit industry, so our projects are concerned directly with the bottom line and with making money over the long term.