This picture is in clearer focus than the last one. At the very top is a pull down movie screen. I had a projector on the ceiling, connected to my Mac computer. It is astonishing to think back on how hard it was to get this one simple, essential piece of gear in a classroom that regularly hosted over 100 students at a time. Administrators were perplexed by my lack of satisfaction with one 26 inch tv. Good times ...
Moving along the back wall we see the clock. The classic school clock. When students looked at my head, they needed only to raise their eyes to see the clock ... tick ... tick ... tick ... Occasionally, just to mess with their heads I would cover the clock. The kids would go nuts. The clarinet girls would beg "Mr. Guido pleeeeease! Uncover the clock."
Then comes the Pig Races poster. I don't remember where I found this. I clearly remember that it was one of the first items I put on the walls when I arrived - it is very colorful, and it is just silly enough to be amusing to 12 year olds.
Underneath the clock is a banner printed by a dot matrix printer on fan-fold paper. I was told that it was the very first decoration put on the wall by my predecessor. The letters were colored in by his wife and kids.
Returning to the grey shelf, after the troll collection is a hall pass from Tech to Band written by Mr. Norton. Then comes one of my personal favorites - the Chia Obama. My homeroom kids did this project one week, gleefully smearing the chia seeds onto President Obama's head. After some serious discussion, the class decided that we should give him a chia beard. It ended up kind of like a soul patch.While it didn't develop into the most fully realized chia, it certainly provided a full measure of laughter.
Next we have characters from the Oscar winning claymation films Wallace and Gromit. I had every W & G videotape I could find. I found them highly educational and discussion provoking. Fortunately for me, one of the few things I agreed with the principal at the time was the brilliance of the Three Stooges and The Marx Brothers. So Naturally they were on my playlist when it was necessary to warehouse kids with a video.
Then is a black & white photo of my little Italian Grandmother - Lucia Guido. She was exactly like you can imagine her, from Bari, Italy - her chubby fingers making homemade pasta that we called little hats - pinching your cheek and saying "che bella!" I would occasionally take Grandma down and have her speak to the band. During the run up to concert season I would have repeated discussions with the band about proper concert dress. White shirt, black pants or skirt, shoes not sneakers, ties for gentlemen, ties optional for ladies. When kid would inevitably ask "Is this shirt ok?"
My reply would be that if my Grandma looked at you and said "Oooh you looka so nice!" - then you are dressed properly. |
Then comes the Gumby section. I am pretty sure that when we had our lottery for kids to select something to take home from the room when I retired, Gumby himself was selected by Eileen, and excellent clarinet player who is now a teacher herself. Gumby was, and I assume still is, wearing a clarinet ligature for modesty.
Here's a surprise! The band from the jukebox in Shining Time Station - the British TV show featuring Thomas the Tank Engine. Again, this is stuff my kids played with and it amused me, and fit into the budget. The band is: Didi on drums, Grace on bass, Tito on piano and Tex and Rex on guitars. The actors who played the conductor on the show were Ringo Starr and then George Carlin. Doesn't sound possible, but it was. Look it up.
Moving along the grey shelf we find a can of Spam, what looks like a Chipmunks lunchbox and a Sponge Bob Squarepants alarm clock. I have no explanation for this other than there was an empty space on the shelf, and there were colorful, weird items avaliable.
Behind them is a "Free Hug Friday" given me by student Matt, one of my trumpet players. Matt is a big strong guy, but was always happy, calm presence in the trumpet section. I highly endorse the free hug philosophy.
 Free Hug Fridays
 In Drew We Trust
We now move down to the whiteboard. First is a counterfit bill sporting the face of trombonist extraordinaire Andrew. I believe he was running for school office. A supporter has written "In Drew We Trust." I was, by the way, an artist with a trombone in my hands. I had to wear my computer glasses, not bifoculs, so I could read the music and still play the trombone.
Underneath are the instructions for Ms. Vasco's early morning 5th grade band. It appears they were playing an arrangement of Uptown Funk. She was the hip young teacher. Go Ms. Vasco!
Finally there is a list of kids names, mostly in my handwriting. Someone has replaced one name with the word "Partayto"
referring to our upcoming party to raffle off all the stuff in the classroom.
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