Rule 7. The only rule is work. If you work, it will lead to something It's the people who do all of the work all the time who eventually catch on to things. -John Cage
My last post was about I talked about work, not cherry picking rides and just taking care of yourself.
I feel vulnerable putting my weekly earnings here, but it really isn’t a lot. As you can see, on Monday I had the highest earnings. I slowly went lower and lower. I did a 40 hour work week. I took a day off on Christmas and today (Sunday). This is the most money I made in a week from Lyft. If you account for gas and food. I make about minimum wage from this job.
My mentality shifted to appreciating the good parts about the job. I have complete autonomy. I can take a fare or not take it. I turned down a 1/4 of my rides. I often accepted those $3 dollar rides. I choose my schedule to be noon to midnight. Later in the week, I decided to go home earlier and earlier. When I wanted to take a break and eat my homemade chili, I did. I would take an hour or 20 minutes.
A sketch of my office
I did get my account blocked on Friday though. I contacted support and they helped me resolve it quickly. They said I verbally assaulted my fare. I rarely speak to my passengers unless they speak to me. They listened to my side and reopened my account. It was a weird experience. I did 13 fares that day. I had conversations with two of them and both of them were very cordial. One was a Dutch writer from Medellin and the other was a shoeshine lady for a cowboy bar. I read about situations like this on Reddit. I thought nothing of it. I thought some drivers probably deserve it. Now I’m thinking… Are people doing that to get ride fares refunded?
Regardless, I drive as safe as possible, given Houston roads and unpredictable drivers, but I have accepted the fact that I can be kicked off the app for whatever reason. Right to work state. Right to get fired for whatever. I know I should be looking for another form of income.
I’m proud that I sketched two days in a row. Consistency!
I think it is important to me that I have a lot to think about while doing this job. I want to have money so I can do the things I want to do. I want to travel and I want to do art.
Does the custodian say I won’t clean that? No. That’s the job. If you don’t like the job. Go find a new one.
Introduction
I need to make money. I don’t have health insurance so I’m paying all my medical bills out of pocket. I don’t get paid until Jan 15th from teaching. Even then, it’s not that big of a pay check. The rideshare money I make during the winter break will cover me. What is work? Does a custodian shirk out on menial tasks? Is ego the enemy? These are some questions that I asked myself yesterday.
What is work?
I frequently read the reddit /Lyftdrivers subreddit.Personally, I think forums such as reddit is a place for people to complain, amateurs ask other amateurs questions and overall brain rot for the masses. It is entertaining and sometimes there are insights and information that can be valuable to your life. You just have to sift through the riff-raff. (See below)
From subreddit /Lyftdrivers. 60 hours!
I saw this post and I saw how many hours I was doing. I thought to myself, “Of course, I’m making peanuts. I’m not putting in the work.” The job itself is a gig and hustle economy. That doesn’t mean minimum hours and large rewards. If I want to make money, I have to have the discipline to put in the hours.
Yesterday, the first 6 hours I made nothing. Barely $50. By the end of my 12 hour shift, I made $179. More than I ever made in a shift. Was it difficult? A little. Was I tired? Yeah, twelve hours driving. Is it that bad? No. I could be sweating buckets, and pouring concrete. Could I do this for the rest of the winter break until I go back to substitute teaching? I’ll try.
To sum up this point. I need to treat this job like a real job and put in hours that will reflect income. Just because the first 2-3 hours are not going well, in terms of income. I shouldn’t quit and go home.
Does a custodian shirk out on menial tasks?
No. Easy answer. I’m not a custodian, but I see what they go through at schools and the places where I worked. They don’t get enough credit. Truly a thankless job. They unclog toilets, mop up vomit, and clean things that would make the average person gag. They do it without question.
Cherry Picking- I learned from street basketball. When a player stands at the other side of the court (during full court) and waits for a pass from his teammate to score a goal. Essentially doing no work but receiving the praise, benefits or rewards.
The lyft subreddit is rampant with cherry-picking rides that are valued. They don’t accept $3 rides here or there. I’m trying to get in the attitude that no ride is beneath me. Accept all rides, within reason. This is job. I should treat it as such. Does the custodian say I won’t clean that? No. That’s the job. If you don’t like the job. Go find a new one. Don’t even get me started with tipping! That’s another post.
Does the custodian say I won’t clean that? No. That’s the job. If you don’t like the job. Go find a new one.
Is Ego is the Enemy?
Earlier I wrote that I will accept all rides. This is where my agency and ego get in the way. Sometimes I’m tired and I want to take a 10 minute break, go to the bathroom, find something to eat. Is that $3 dollar ride worth it to hold my pee 15 minutes longer? I haven’t eaten in 3 hours and that taquería I passed has no line. Go? I ask myself these questions throughout the day. I hype myself up to keep going. Sometimes that I cancel or don’t accept rides when I’m tired or the above reasons. To summarize this point. Do your job, don’t shirk out on tasks, but if you need to take a break, take it. What you rationalize to not take a fare is on you.
Conclusion
I love driving rideshare because I feel it is more valued to the public than ubereats or doordash. People need to get where they need to go. They have to go to work. They just got discharged from the hospital, and they need a ride to their car or home. They just got released from jail and need a ride home. Everyone has a story. Everyone has a place they have to be. For whatever reason, they need a ride.
Treat it like a job. Set yours and stick them.
What if you were a custodian? Do you walk away from a spill. Take every job.
An artifact is a human-made object that provides evidence of a past culture or period.
Today was the last day of school. The last day that I spent as a 3rd grade English Language Arts Teacher in 2025.
Straight to the keyboard.
What did I learn from teaching a full academic year?
I don’t want to do this. That is what I learned. There are too many responsibilities and tasks to do on a given school day that it is overwhelming. The learning curve is too steep to be a proficient teacher right after school. Teaching students who are disrespectful, rude, or unwilling to put the effort don’t make the job enjoyable. I found very few moments in my year and half where I enjoyed teaching. I will further to add to this laundry list of why I don’t want to be a general education teacher at a later date, but the moments today were good.
Last day
Somewhere along the way, I learned that elementary teachers will get their class a gift. When I graduated from student teaching, I gave my class Frisbees. I taught them how to throw and play a modified version of ultimate Frisbee. These kids were from the bilingual class, and they choose to play Frisbee over soccer. So, I gave them all Frisbees. They signed the Frisbee that I used throughout the year. Last year, I gave all my students a picture of themselves with a quote I wanted to give them. All of them were different.
This year, I wanted to give them a portfolio or book of all their writings. I was their ELA (English Language Arts) teacher. The end of their book would have a message from me. Think Lisa’s Substitute. Then I wanted their parents to create a message that makes them appreciate their parents. Think Iron Man 2, when Howard Stark talks to his son from the grave through a secret recording. I kept this sketch and idea in my head for a long time. I didn’t do this. I still feel it is a strong idea that should be thoroughly planned out. Maybe someday.
Today, I gave my students a photo of themselves. They were props like 80s sunglasses, a blow up novelty 80s cell phone, a blow up novelty boom box and a vuvuzela. They also showed the camera a printed QR code. The code is an unlisted YouTube video. I made a slideshow of pictures of their 3rd grade year. I printed the 4×6 photos and framed them. I had 44 students this year.
My closing remarks to my class
” I learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”- Maya Angelou
I put this quote on the board. I thanked them for the opportunity to be a first year teacher. I apologized for the mistakes that I made. I paraphrased the quote to fit my situation. You will probably forget what I taught you, you will forget what I did during the class. I think that you will not forget how I made you feel. I hope you felt safe, listened to, and cared for. I told them that the quote will also reflect them when they grow up. People will not forget how you made them feel. Then I passed out the framed photos. I did this to my morning class and my afternoon class. For some reason, the afternoon class started bawling for 10 minutes after I left their room. That class was the most difficult in diversity of behavior issues.
Why?
Why do this at all? … As a teacher, we do take pictures of our students. I thought that I should give back all those photos to them. I take pictures and give them Fuji Instax print-outs. So they do have most of those physical photos. One of my students showed me her teacher’s slide show of last year. So I stole the idea. It does not carry the weight of the Iron Man 2 idea. Regardless, the photo and the QR code are an artifact. Not the education definition, but the normal definition is just as strong. An artifact is a human-made object that provides evidence of a past culture or period. A year book is an artifact. Some of them bought year books. I just made them a video slideshow of their year and just for their class. Again why? I would want someone to record the happy childhood of my life. Perhaps, that is why I became a teacher. To give them a better education and childhood than what I had.
I feel that my Spanish is at a basic level, some would say intermediate. I feel that I am still not at a comfortable level. maybe I will never get there. I feel that my level and understanding and use of the language is still broad. I can communicate. I can comprehend spoken converstation. If something is too complicated, I can get the gist of it. That’s not good enough. My goal is precision. I want to be able to use the language with precision and accuracy.
I don’t think I will attain the proficiency I desire by just passive listening and reading. I think to reach the next level, I will have to study and improve with small increments. Eventually, along the way I will begin to dream in this language. Then I can maybe slow down and passively learn, like English.
I think, we, as learners learn what we want to learn. Ultimately, the student will put in the majority of the work towards mastery.
Also, those AI generated featured images are too attractive. I want to give you the reader real images of my life. If no one reads this, I want to give my future self real images of my life.
Siento que mi español es de un nivel básico, algunos dirían intermedio. Siento que todavía no estoy en un nivel cómodo. tal vez nunca llegue allí. Siento que mi nivel y comprensión y uso del idioma aún es amplio. Puedo comunicarme. Puedo comprender la conversación oral. Si algo es demasiado complicado, puedo entenderlo. Eso no es suficiente. Mi objetivo es la precisión. Quiero poder utilizar el idioma con precisión y exactitud.
No creo que alcance el dominio que deseo simplemente escuchando y leyendo pasivamente. Creo que para alcanzar el siguiente nivel tendré que estudiar y mejorar con pequeños incrementos. Con el tiempo, en el camino empezaré a soñar en este idioma. Entonces tal vez pueda reducir el ritmo y aprender pasivamente, como el inglés.
Creo que nosotros, como estudiantes, aprendemos lo que queremos aprender. En última instancia, el estudiante hará la mayor parte del trabajo para dominarlo.
Además, esas imágenes destacadas generadas por IA son demasiado atractivas. Quiero regalarle al lector imágenes reales de mi vida. Si nadie lee esto, quiero darle a mi yo futuro imágenes reales de mi vida.
Voy a empezar mi segundo año de enseñanza. Enseñaré el tercer grado monolingüe. Todavía quería lograr mi certificación de bilingüe, pero primero quería mejor mi destreza de enseñanza en un idioma.
I’m going to start my second year teaching. I teaching the third grade monolingual. I still want to get my bilingual certification, but first I want to better my teaching skill in one language.
Write. (gestures handwriting in the air) That’s how you get better
This blog will be about graduation, completing my first teaching job and my summer.
I completed my bachelor’s degree at 38 years old. I’m proud of my accomplishment. It seems underwhelming, because I’m constantly thinking about what’s next. It was a long journey. I dropped out of art school 20 years ago. I think I was a year shy of graduating. I joined the Navy at 24. When I was discharged at 32. I went back to school. I completed my associate’s in education and finally my bachelor’s in education. I took roughly 5 years. I practically had to start all over. Without the help of the Navy, I wouldn’t have completed college. It was the mentality that I learned from my enlistment. The VOCREHAB/ chapter 31 also helped me financially. In conclusion, I completed something that I didn’t think I would be able to complete before the Navy. It brings me joy knowing that I can accomplish a long term goal.
I finished my first teaching job. I took a 3rd Grade self-contained bilingual class in the middle of the year. I was the rookie teacher within the team. I can say that without a doubt that the learning curve to become a competent teacher is the hardest thing I have ever tried to undertake. Yes, I have been in the military. As complicated as the military is, there is no way to truly prepare for being a teacher. The quality of my work is based on other people’s performance. That is something I never truly internalized in any part of my life. I was egocentric in most of my life, I still am in some degree. Overall, I will be continuing to try to do a better job next year.
Summer
I needed time to relax and recharge my morale. I bought a one way ticket to California. I will return to Texas by whatever means I choose. I needed some time to talk to people I really trust, my family and friends. I will return to Texas by the end of June.
Me agradezco por mi experiencia buena en mi universidad.
Tengo escribir en español todos los días. La destreza de escritura es como un músculo. Tengo que ejercer este músculo para fortalecerlo. Creo que este ejercicio que había ayudado mi escritura en inglés. Solía escribir 30 minutos por día en inglés. Creo que es por eso que me sienta cómodo en escritura. Mi debilidad es revisión y edición en los dos idiomas. Quería mejorar mi nivel en español.
Yo fui a Huntsville, Texas ayer. Yo vi algunas amigas y colegas en mi grupo de graduación. Me sentía bien para platicar con ellas sobre nuestros desafíos. ¿Por qué? Normalmente, hablo con nadie en español, excepto mis estudiantes. Estas conversaciones son muy sencillos y cortos.
Yo fui open mat en Sugarland ayer. ¿Que es open mat? Open Mat es un tiempo de una academia de jiu-jitsu cuando cualquier persona puede entrenar jiu-jitsu. En Houston, el horario por open mat es 10 a 12 cada domingo. Me gusta entrenar en las mañanas porque siempre tengo que hacer en los domingos. Normalmente, no hay demasiado tiempo durante la semana.
Yo conocí un cinturón marrón, se llama Andrés. Él me venció tres veces. Normalmente, nadie me venció. Se suena arrogante, pero es cierto. En mi nivel, no a menudo alguien me habría derrotado en jiu-jitsu. ademas, necesito estas experiencias para mejorar mi nivel. Tengo que aprender de mis equivocaciones.
Pregunta esencial…
¿Cómo puedo escribir todos los día?
I realized how much I read, write, speak and listen in Spanish everyday. It is not a lot. I have to do a lot more studying and work to improve my Spanish.
Es muy difícil para escribir todos los días. Especialmente en un idioma que no es mi lengua materna. Voy a tratar a escribir lo más que posible.
Escribo en inglés casi todos los días. Es similar a Jhumpa Lahiri, pero no tengo que escribir en español por qué no estoy en un país diferente de mi país natal. Mi objetivo para escribir en este idioma, es solo para mejorar.
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