Well, like I said in my previous blog, Tuesday was my 21st birthday! It was kind of uneventful like most birthdays---especially those that fall on weekdays. It was nice though. I had to get up early because I had internship again. The interning part of my day went well. I handed back the notes the students had written to me along with my response to what they wrote. Even this first correspondence with the kids has gotten them more familiar with me. I think this is going to be a busy (and hectic) but fun semester.
When I got home after internship, I was totally pooped, so I took a nap for a couple of hours. (Am I boring you yet?) Then, I opened presents and had some cake. That's about it! I got some nice gifts though---and useful ones too! I got a hair straightener, which I was excited about because my younger sister took hers with her to college, so I could no longer borrow it. I got some colored pencils and pens, candy, a huge birthday balloon, stamps of my signature, money, and some other things. I was pleased--and thankful!!!
I was just fooling around on the computer and remembered I needed to write a blog, so here I am! I thought I'd share my birthday experience with you. My family is planning to take me out to dinner on Saturday night. And...since there is no school Monday, my younger sister is coming down from Gainesville (University of Florida) to celebrate my birthday during the weekend, so I'm looking forward to that---even though I saw her last Saturday for her birthday! :)
Also on Monday, my older sister and her fiance will return to Washington, D.C. after vacationing for ten days in Costa Rica and Guatemala. I can't wait to see their hundreds of pictures! They went through rainforests, over volcanoes, and much more, so I'm sure the pictures are going to be really cool.
I guess I'll sign off now, since I'm just jabbering, and it's been about 20-25 minutes! I hope you all are having a good week so far! Take care.
My 21st Birthday!
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Internship 1
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I began internship 1 today at Fern Creek Elementary School in a fifth grade class. Although I didn't end up doing that much, I was still so excited to be there! It was kind of a hectic day for the class, my teacher said, so it was a bit atypical. I'll see how tomorrow goes.
My supervising teacher's name is Kristin Abel, and she picked me because my name is Kristy Zabel---so similar and confusing when the kids say one of our names! I really like her though; she is very nice and willing to help me in any way, which is great. She had the kids write notes to me about themselves, and they were very nice and, at the same time, entertaining. Some of the students were at a loss for words, while others wrote a lot about what their favorite food is, what they do in their spare time, what game they played the other day, and just some random thoughts. I always love to see students' informal writing. The notes they wrote for me gave me great insight into not only what they like, but who they are and how they think. It's fascinating. It will also be interesting to see how they grow as writers as the year progresses. I'm looking forward to seeing what improvements are made.
I like the school as a whole too. It is a quaint, little school in Downtown Orlando with a great mix of students. I want to work at a Title 1 school once I graduate, so working with the student body at Fern Creek is going to be a good experience for me professionally and personally. I get a greater satisfaction from teaching the less fortunate. Teaching is always rewarding, but I have found the teaching of students at Title 1 schools to be even more rewarding because they lack certain care from settings outside of school. As for the grade I'd like to teach, it doesn't matter to me because I like all grades. I'll have to see how fifth grade pans out during this internship; I'm loving it so far, and I can't imagine that feeling will change.
I am looking forward to tomorrow. My birthday is tomorrow, so interning will be a nice present. I'll be 21!!!--which means I'll be old enough to rent a car! Woohoo! :) No drinks for me! Anyway...are you all in internships now? I'd love to hear how your days of interning are going! :)
My supervising teacher's name is Kristin Abel, and she picked me because my name is Kristy Zabel---so similar and confusing when the kids say one of our names! I really like her though; she is very nice and willing to help me in any way, which is great. She had the kids write notes to me about themselves, and they were very nice and, at the same time, entertaining. Some of the students were at a loss for words, while others wrote a lot about what their favorite food is, what they do in their spare time, what game they played the other day, and just some random thoughts. I always love to see students' informal writing. The notes they wrote for me gave me great insight into not only what they like, but who they are and how they think. It's fascinating. It will also be interesting to see how they grow as writers as the year progresses. I'm looking forward to seeing what improvements are made.
I like the school as a whole too. It is a quaint, little school in Downtown Orlando with a great mix of students. I want to work at a Title 1 school once I graduate, so working with the student body at Fern Creek is going to be a good experience for me professionally and personally. I get a greater satisfaction from teaching the less fortunate. Teaching is always rewarding, but I have found the teaching of students at Title 1 schools to be even more rewarding because they lack certain care from settings outside of school. As for the grade I'd like to teach, it doesn't matter to me because I like all grades. I'll have to see how fifth grade pans out during this internship; I'm loving it so far, and I can't imagine that feeling will change.
I am looking forward to tomorrow. My birthday is tomorrow, so interning will be a nice present. I'll be 21!!!--which means I'll be old enough to rent a car! Woohoo! :) No drinks for me! Anyway...are you all in internships now? I'd love to hear how your days of interning are going! :)
Literacy Biography
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My earliest memories of reading are few in number - not because I didn't read as a child, but more because my memory stinks. :-P Anyway, when I think back on the times when I was reading as a child, I recall myself sitting with my grandmother and making her listen to me read Dr. Seuss books. I don't know if she enjoyed it as much as I did, but she pretended well. I also remember writing as a child. I used to 'play restaurant', and I would make menus, write down my siblings' orders, etc. I also remember really enjoying handwriting time in third grade. I thought cursive was such a cool thing that only older people did when they wanted something to look pretty.
(As I'm typing this blog, the memories are actually coming back, and so I'm enjoying this more than I anticipated!)
In school, I don't really remember learning how to read and write in the very beginning, but I do remember the books I used in first grade; I think they were called Red Fish, Yellow Fish, and Blue Fish---each color having something to do with the reading level. I also remember using brown clay in kindergarten to form letters and then we as a class would write them on paper. Other than that, I don't remember much about learning to read and write---but I do know I did eventually learn how! :-D
As for spelling and phonics, they went hand in hand. The teacher taught the class what sound each letter makes, and then I guess we repeated after her until it eventually stuck over time. Once I learned the sounds of the letters, I used that knowledge to spell words correctly, and most of the time I was actually right. :)
I liked language arts in elementary school the most, and it was still enjoyable and/or tolerable in middle school and high school. The last couple of years of high school were more challenging because I had to 'over-analyze' things at times, or at least, that's how I saw it. Sometimes it was a bit of overkill with the analysis, but I still look back on those times as experiences that made me grow as a writer and reader.
Nowadays, I don't really read for fun. I'm not a novel person. I do read articles online quite often though, and I read emails, instant messages, and other electronic postings. I read to learn more than I do to relax or "get away." I suppose that is one of my downfalls, but right now, that is all my time and taste allows.
(As I'm typing this blog, the memories are actually coming back, and so I'm enjoying this more than I anticipated!)
In school, I don't really remember learning how to read and write in the very beginning, but I do remember the books I used in first grade; I think they were called Red Fish, Yellow Fish, and Blue Fish---each color having something to do with the reading level. I also remember using brown clay in kindergarten to form letters and then we as a class would write them on paper. Other than that, I don't remember much about learning to read and write---but I do know I did eventually learn how! :-D
As for spelling and phonics, they went hand in hand. The teacher taught the class what sound each letter makes, and then I guess we repeated after her until it eventually stuck over time. Once I learned the sounds of the letters, I used that knowledge to spell words correctly, and most of the time I was actually right. :)
I liked language arts in elementary school the most, and it was still enjoyable and/or tolerable in middle school and high school. The last couple of years of high school were more challenging because I had to 'over-analyze' things at times, or at least, that's how I saw it. Sometimes it was a bit of overkill with the analysis, but I still look back on those times as experiences that made me grow as a writer and reader.
Nowadays, I don't really read for fun. I'm not a novel person. I do read articles online quite often though, and I read emails, instant messages, and other electronic postings. I read to learn more than I do to relax or "get away." I suppose that is one of my downfalls, but right now, that is all my time and taste allows.
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