Friday, April 26, 2013

Dinner at Chevys



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.