Last night was filled with good food, insightful conversation, and an
all-around good time. Damian, Eric, Josh, and I were finally able to meet Ms.
Tracey Singh-Poole, who will be the chaperone on our trip to Yale this summer.
We met a Chevys restaurant only about a ten minute drive from my house and very
quickly found the table Tracey had reserved for us. I was very happy to finally
meet Tracey, seeing as we had exchanged e-mails earlier in the week.
Eventually, everyone arrived and we sat down. Tracey told us who she
is, who she works for, where she works, and why she wants to be our supervisor.
My comrades and I then introduced ourselves to each other’s parents. At first,
like at all meet and greet events, it was a little awkward, but as we started speaking
to one another we became engaged in what others were saying. Tracey teaches
special education for children with moderate to severe disability, and the way
she describes it sounds like a lot of work. There is one kid in her class who
just screams all day, and working with him sounds difficult, but rewarding. De Anza
High School, where she works, has twenty percent of its students in special
education. She receives a lot of support and it sounds like working with those
kids is very fulfilling.
We also spoke about the California Standardized Testing, how to get the
“bad” kids to take it, and how to get the parents more involved in the children’s
education. Tracey is a very educated woman, both book smart and culturally
smart. She knows a lot about the Indian Punjabi culture and even knows Punjabi.
This allows her to get Indian students who aren’t showing up to classes to come
because she knows their culture and their language, making them more open to
her. Tracey is also approachable, amiable, and is a very nice person. She is confidant
in her ability to supervise us while at Yale, and this fills me with
confidence. To say the least, I think my comrades and I will have a great time
getting to know her better over the coming months.
I also got a chance to talk to Josh, who was sitting across from me at
the dinner table. Josh is a smart, hardworking guy who likes swimming and
playing in a band. Unfortunately my other comrades Damian and Eric were across
the table, so I didn’t get a chance to talk with them. But there will be plenty
of time for that later as we go to other dinners and council chamber meetings.
We did go to Chevys, as mentioned before, and the food was good. Tracey
ordered three or four sampler platters topped with flautas, a Latino finger
food usually filled with chicken or beef and topped with melted cheese. The
cheese on top blended so well with the corn tortilla and the beef chicken
inside. It’s as if the flauta melted in your mouth. There were also buffalo
chicken wings with this tangy hot sauce that went so well with it. It had sort
of a mesquite aftertaste that made irresistible. The other food was ok at best.
They had these mini pizza slices that were bland and had a funny texture. There
were also quesadillas, a Mexican food where cheese and meat are placed between
two tortillas and grilled. The cheese didn’t melt in your mouth like it was
supposed to and the meat was a bit dry.
All in all though, I loved it. Getting to know people better is what
life’s all. I am happy I met Tracey and I could not think of a better chaperone
for my comrades and me.
