At my internship, some famous(?) poet came and talked to students about poetry. I had never heard of her before, but then again, I'm not a poetry person. Her name was Sarah Holbrook, and she gave kids some good strategies and pointers on how to write their own poems, so...I figured I'd try my hand at it tonight for this blog.
First, she said to create a small list of things having to do with a particular topic or place and at the same time, try to keep in mind words that will rhyme with the words you thought of:
stress (mess, success)
assignment
class (pass)
book (cook, shook, took)
blog (jog, hog, dog)
Next, she said to come up with a few sentences using some of the words from the list and using some sort of poetry pattern for rhyming. (I will use A B C B , which means the last words in the second and fourth line will rhyme.)
A. Here I am writing my third blog
B. I have so much to do in just this one week
C. I am quite overwhelmed and tired.
B. A little bit of rest is what I seek.
A. I have assignments to do for each and every class;
B. It's very hectic right now, and it causes me great stress.
C. I'm ready for a break--
B. I need at least a long weekend and nothing less.
A. This semester has been so busy--
B. I can't wait to be done with all that is due.
C. How I wish my classes were over with
B. It would feel so wonderful just to be through.
A. Now I must end this awful poem
B. And move on to another thing I've been assigned.
C. With so much to do, which should I choose?
B. I have to stay focused and not lose my mind.
Ok, sorry, folks, that was pretty darn bad. Good thing my 20 minutes are up! Well, I'm off to do other stuff now... :-P
Good Bye, Fifth Grade! :(
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Today (Tuesday, October 9th) was my last day in the fifth grade class at Fern Creek Elementary. :( As a going away gift, the kids presented me with a book of drawings they did. Many of them depict me or something that reminded them of me-----it is a pretty entertaining book. I love it! :) Next week, I'll be moving on to a first grade class. The second placement is at the same school, so at least I'll be able to see my fifth graders now and then in the halls. I would love to just stay with Mrs. Abel (my supervising teacher) and her class, but at the same time, I'm sure I will grow just as fond of the first graders as I did with the fifth graders.
Being in Mrs. Abel's class has been a blast. From teaching lessons, to observing, to going on a field trip to St. Augustine--I have had a great experience. I have learned a lot from Mrs. Abel; she gave me so many helpful tips and good ideas. I am glad I got such a great teacher to be an example and a mentor to me. The tight structure she has set forth for her class was one of the major things that impressed me. Because of the structure, her classroom management is very effective, and the class has almost no real behavior problems at all.
Fern Creek is a Title 1 school (which means it has a large percentage of "less-fortunate" students), and usually those kinds of schools are known for behavior problems. I have worked in/seen Title 1 schools before Fern Creek, and there is quite a difference in effective behavior management. At Fern Creek, there is structure, and there are rules to which the entire school adheres. The school promotes safety, making good choices, having & meeting personal commitments, and much more. I am so glad I was placed at Fern Creek because if I work at the school I hope to work at, I can take the good pointers to the people there and make it a better school.
I look forward to taking what I have learned and using it in my future classroom. My internship has been quite an experience and has made me grow, and I am anxious to learn even more as I go to a first grade class. It will be quite different, but I'm up for it!
Well, I'm off to study for a midterm...Geez Louise--I have so much to do! :-P Have a great week! :)
Being in Mrs. Abel's class has been a blast. From teaching lessons, to observing, to going on a field trip to St. Augustine--I have had a great experience. I have learned a lot from Mrs. Abel; she gave me so many helpful tips and good ideas. I am glad I got such a great teacher to be an example and a mentor to me. The tight structure she has set forth for her class was one of the major things that impressed me. Because of the structure, her classroom management is very effective, and the class has almost no real behavior problems at all.
Fern Creek is a Title 1 school (which means it has a large percentage of "less-fortunate" students), and usually those kinds of schools are known for behavior problems. I have worked in/seen Title 1 schools before Fern Creek, and there is quite a difference in effective behavior management. At Fern Creek, there is structure, and there are rules to which the entire school adheres. The school promotes safety, making good choices, having & meeting personal commitments, and much more. I am so glad I was placed at Fern Creek because if I work at the school I hope to work at, I can take the good pointers to the people there and make it a better school.
I look forward to taking what I have learned and using it in my future classroom. My internship has been quite an experience and has made me grow, and I am anxious to learn even more as I go to a first grade class. It will be quite different, but I'm up for it!
Well, I'm off to study for a midterm...Geez Louise--I have so much to do! :-P Have a great week! :)
St. Augustine Field Trip! :)
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This past Thursday I went on a field trip with the fifth grade class from Fern Creek Elementary 
School, where I am currently doing my first internship. It was a blast! Even though it was hotter than heck, I had a great time, and I think all of the children did too. :)
In case you haven't gotten a chance to see the other field trip pictures that I uploaded onto Facebook, here are three pictures to give you an idea. One is a picture of the whole class in front of a water wheel, one is of me with some of the students in my class, and the other is of the "Castillo de San Marco" (the fort).
We arrived in St. Augustine around 11:30 or so, and we had lunch right away. Afterwards, we got a tour of the fort. I have been to St. Augustine a couple of times before this, but the fort was cool, as usual--(literally and figuratively--because the wind off of the ocean felt sooo good, since it counteracted the extreme heat of the sun.) In and on the fort, we saw the barricks, the canons, some other rooms, and all of that good stuff--and
we learned from our tour guide about how the soldiers and their families lived there. It was very interesting!
From the fort, we went to visit stations, where a soldier, a blacksmith, and a maker of leather goods talked about their crafts. That was pretty neat too. I got a video of the kids covering their ears as the soldier re-enacter shot his gun. :)
After that, we headed over to the oldest wooden schoolhouse, where we learned about the educational environment of the past. I guess it's the teacher in me that makes me enjoy that site so much. But it really is interesting to learn about the differences between then and now. For example, we don't use the dunce cap any more, and we don't close misbehaving children into a closet all day long! :)
After shopping for souvenirs, it was time to head back to the school and then home. It was a full day for sure. We were all exhausted by the time it was all over. But as my first field trip as the intern and not the student, it was an enjoyable and memorable day.
School, where I am currently doing my first internship. It was a blast! Even though it was hotter than heck, I had a great time, and I think all of the children did too. :)In case you haven't gotten a chance to see the other field trip pictures that I uploaded onto Facebook, here are three pictures to give you an idea. One is a picture of the whole class in front of a water wheel, one is of me with some of the students in my class, and the other is of the "Castillo de San Marco" (the fort).
We arrived in St. Augustine around 11:30 or so, and we had lunch right away. Afterwards, we got a tour of the fort. I have been to St. Augustine a couple of times before this, but the fort was cool, as usual--(literally and figuratively--because the wind off of the ocean felt sooo good, since it counteracted the extreme heat of the sun.) In and on the fort, we saw the barricks, the canons, some other rooms, and all of that good stuff--and
we learned from our tour guide about how the soldiers and their families lived there. It was very interesting!From the fort, we went to visit stations, where a soldier, a blacksmith, and a maker of leather goods talked about their crafts. That was pretty neat too. I got a video of the kids covering their ears as the soldier re-enacter shot his gun. :)
After that, we headed over to the oldest wooden schoolhouse, where we learned about the educational environment of the past. I guess it's the teacher in me that makes me enjoy that site so much. But it really is interesting to learn about the differences between then and now. For example, we don't use the dunce cap any more, and we don't close misbehaving children into a closet all day long! :)
After shopping for souvenirs, it was time to head back to the school and then home. It was a full day for sure. We were all exhausted by the time it was all over. But as my first field trip as the intern and not the student, it was an enjoyable and memorable day.
Church Family
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Usually on Wednesday nights I have choir practice at my church, but tonight the choir decided to visit a sick church friend at his home so we could sing to him and cheer him up a bit. His name is Mr. Tufts, and he and his wife are just wonderful people. There are special people that touch your life --- and they are two of those people to me. They have gone to my church ever since I can remember and have been an integral part of the church for a long time.
Now, Mr. Tufts is dying of cancer, and so tonight, we showed our love and support to him by singing several hymns for him. It was great to see him doing remarkably well for his condition. Although he is very thin and frail now because of the chemo treatment, his spirits were high--especially after the visit from the choir. He was very happy that we were there, and we were all happy to be there.
I go to a very loving church. We are a family of believers, and that is one of the things that makes my church so special to me. For those of you who don't already know, I go to the First United Methodist Church of Pine Hills. (Check out our website!--at http://www.geocities.com/fumcpinehills) We don't have a lot of people in our congregation, but the faith and friendliness of the people make up for the few in number. I have been going there for about 14 years or so (ever since I was about 7 years old), and it has been a blessing in my life to be a part of such a good place of Christian fellowship.
Having a church family who loves and supports me in my spiritual life (and life in general) is important and special to me. God has truly blessed me.
Now, Mr. Tufts is dying of cancer, and so tonight, we showed our love and support to him by singing several hymns for him. It was great to see him doing remarkably well for his condition. Although he is very thin and frail now because of the chemo treatment, his spirits were high--especially after the visit from the choir. He was very happy that we were there, and we were all happy to be there.
I go to a very loving church. We are a family of believers, and that is one of the things that makes my church so special to me. For those of you who don't already know, I go to the First United Methodist Church of Pine Hills. (Check out our website!--at http://www.geocities.com/fumcpinehills) We don't have a lot of people in our congregation, but the faith and friendliness of the people make up for the few in number. I have been going there for about 14 years or so (ever since I was about 7 years old), and it has been a blessing in my life to be a part of such a good place of Christian fellowship.
Having a church family who loves and supports me in my spiritual life (and life in general) is important and special to me. God has truly blessed me.
Extreme Education
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Here are some websites with background info from which I took my talking (or blogging) points:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,297542,00.html
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/chi-0411280298nov28,1,4893220.story?coll=chi_news_custom_religion_util&ctrack=1&cset=true
http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9767809
The first of the three articles listed above talks about some high schools in the state of Oregon adopting curriculum from the Mexican education system in order to aid Spanish speaking students in the language acquisition process. The people who support this move say that it will benefit students because they will improve upon their native language, which will improve their ability to learn English. Through numerous classes I have taken on the subject, I have seen that the improvement of one’s own language does help with learning English, but why do we feel the need to adopt Mexico’s curriculum? It would seem to me that Oregon would want to create their own blended curriculum based on what they know about teaching English to speakers of other languages. I could understand doing research and maybe taking note of some of the things Mexico does and doesn't do, but using Mexico's curriculum when it doesn’t even successfully teach its own children? That doesn’t make sense.
In the Chicago Tribune article, the author talks about children who are taught extremist views in the classroom. Terrorism is supported in textbooks used by schools (like in Pakistan), and they encourage students to become martyrs. The anti-American and anti-Western “rhetoric” is what the children are bombarded with daily. It’s a scary thought that the future leaders of regions such as Pakistan are being totally brainwashed into thinking that we (Westerners) are their enemy. Just imagine the implications stemming from what those children are being taught!
The last article in the list above talks about Middle Eastern history & culture and the Arabic language being taught in New York schools. According to the article, many have said that the inclusion of these things could result in terrorist “breeding grounds.” I once heard on the news that a public school in New York gave children 3 hours during the school day to allow prayer. First of all, how is that separation of church and state? Second, how come in grade school, I only got a “moment of silence” to say a prayer if I wanted to?—and it only lasted 30 seconds IF I was lucky and IF could concentrate in spite of the noise of my classmates??? If you’re going to give 3 hours of praying time—fine—build your own religious school, but to have tax payers pay for that when students should be there to get an education? Uhh.....no.
So, after reading these articles, I ask—what is with education in some places today? I strongly support diversity and acceptance, but advocating terrorism in Pakistani schools, adopting Mexico’s curriculum in Oregon, and praying 3 hours during the school day in a New York public school are all really extreme examples of education gone waaaaay wrong.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,297542,00.html
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/chi-0411280298nov28,1,4893220.story?coll=chi_news_custom_religion_util&ctrack=1&cset=true
http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9767809
The first of the three articles listed above talks about some high schools in the state of Oregon adopting curriculum from the Mexican education system in order to aid Spanish speaking students in the language acquisition process. The people who support this move say that it will benefit students because they will improve upon their native language, which will improve their ability to learn English. Through numerous classes I have taken on the subject, I have seen that the improvement of one’s own language does help with learning English, but why do we feel the need to adopt Mexico’s curriculum? It would seem to me that Oregon would want to create their own blended curriculum based on what they know about teaching English to speakers of other languages. I could understand doing research and maybe taking note of some of the things Mexico does and doesn't do, but using Mexico's curriculum when it doesn’t even successfully teach its own children? That doesn’t make sense.
In the Chicago Tribune article, the author talks about children who are taught extremist views in the classroom. Terrorism is supported in textbooks used by schools (like in Pakistan), and they encourage students to become martyrs. The anti-American and anti-Western “rhetoric” is what the children are bombarded with daily. It’s a scary thought that the future leaders of regions such as Pakistan are being totally brainwashed into thinking that we (Westerners) are their enemy. Just imagine the implications stemming from what those children are being taught!
The last article in the list above talks about Middle Eastern history & culture and the Arabic language being taught in New York schools. According to the article, many have said that the inclusion of these things could result in terrorist “breeding grounds.” I once heard on the news that a public school in New York gave children 3 hours during the school day to allow prayer. First of all, how is that separation of church and state? Second, how come in grade school, I only got a “moment of silence” to say a prayer if I wanted to?—and it only lasted 30 seconds IF I was lucky and IF could concentrate in spite of the noise of my classmates??? If you’re going to give 3 hours of praying time—fine—build your own religious school, but to have tax payers pay for that when students should be there to get an education? Uhh.....no.
So, after reading these articles, I ask—what is with education in some places today? I strongly support diversity and acceptance, but advocating terrorism in Pakistani schools, adopting Mexico’s curriculum in Oregon, and praying 3 hours during the school day in a New York public school are all really extreme examples of education gone waaaaay wrong.
Inappropriate Ads
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These days, there are inappropriate ads everywhere you go. Whether it's a pop-up on the internet, a billboard on a busy highway, a television or radio commercial, or something in newsprint - it is hard to go one day without seeing some kind of disturbing or disgusting advertisement.
When I open my Yahoo email account, it has a disgusting 'character,' who is bloody and zombie-like, and the sight of him just makes me sick, which, I suppose, is the point of the ad. It's for a "Howl-o-scream" event at Busch Gardens or some place like that. And yesterday, I saw a billboard with the same disgusting person on it. If it disturbs me, I can only imagine how some children might react. Then again, they might be desensitized to things like that, so maybe it doesn't even bother them anymore. Isn't it sad that children have lost their innocence and naivety?
My sister Jill told me about one ad that featured gross (and I would go as far as to say porn-like) pictures of people on a billboard somewhere, and it said, "Life's short. Get a divorce." Days after it was first posted, the law firm that put it up had many people coming in to get a divorce. It was later taken down because people complained about the images on the sign. Here's the link, so you can see for yourself: http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/LegalCenter/Story?id=3147979 Like FOX News says, "We report-- you decide."
There are signs galore on the interstate advertising strip joints and other disgusting places, television commercials for problems people should share with their doctor--not me, late-night TV commercials for "hooking up" with some creepy stranger, and the list of examples goes on and on. Why is this filth allowed to be shown to and paraded in front of the population--and to youth people especially? Like the people outraged about the divorce billboard, we should stand up and call for the removal of tasteless things we see. I know society has become accepting of so much, but I think it is past time we label the ads as the immoral, disgusting ads that they are.
Whatever happened to family-friendly ads? I don't need (nor do I want) drugs, promiscuity, alcohol, obscenities, and violence used to sell me something. I prefer ads with professionalism, intelligence, good taste, and clean humor--not to mention ads featuring people who are dressed. Is that so hard to ask?
When I open my Yahoo email account, it has a disgusting 'character,' who is bloody and zombie-like, and the sight of him just makes me sick, which, I suppose, is the point of the ad. It's for a "Howl-o-scream" event at Busch Gardens or some place like that. And yesterday, I saw a billboard with the same disgusting person on it. If it disturbs me, I can only imagine how some children might react. Then again, they might be desensitized to things like that, so maybe it doesn't even bother them anymore. Isn't it sad that children have lost their innocence and naivety?
My sister Jill told me about one ad that featured gross (and I would go as far as to say porn-like) pictures of people on a billboard somewhere, and it said, "Life's short. Get a divorce." Days after it was first posted, the law firm that put it up had many people coming in to get a divorce. It was later taken down because people complained about the images on the sign. Here's the link, so you can see for yourself: http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/LegalCenter/Story?id=3147979 Like FOX News says, "We report-- you decide."
There are signs galore on the interstate advertising strip joints and other disgusting places, television commercials for problems people should share with their doctor--not me, late-night TV commercials for "hooking up" with some creepy stranger, and the list of examples goes on and on. Why is this filth allowed to be shown to and paraded in front of the population--and to youth people especially? Like the people outraged about the divorce billboard, we should stand up and call for the removal of tasteless things we see. I know society has become accepting of so much, but I think it is past time we label the ads as the immoral, disgusting ads that they are.
Whatever happened to family-friendly ads? I don't need (nor do I want) drugs, promiscuity, alcohol, obscenities, and violence used to sell me something. I prefer ads with professionalism, intelligence, good taste, and clean humor--not to mention ads featuring people who are dressed. Is that so hard to ask?
Finding Old Friends
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Isn't it great to find old friends? Wednesday night at choir practice, the director asked if we remembered a guy that went to our church a while back. I was friends with his sister, so of course, I remembered him too. They had moved to Indiana or Michigan probably ten years ago, and I lost touch with my friend (Heather). It turns out that her brother, who I remember as a cute little 5-7 year old, is now in college(!!!), and he's in Orlando for some kind of project or something. Anyway, the choir director is planning to invite him to church Sunday, where he used to be a regular--back in the day. If he decides to come, it will be great to to see him and catch up with what he and his family have been up to for the last decade. :)
So, while I was on Facebook tonight, I decided to look Heather up (which I had before but did not find her), and now we have been reconnected. It's so interesting to see what long lost people you once knew are doing now. That is one of the great things about Facebook. Besides the fact that it is addictive and a great procrastination tool, it helps you keep in touch and reconnect with people. ;) :-D
Not only is it interesting to find long lost people, but it's pretty weird that they become long lost people in the first place, isn't it? I mean--you never really expect people you're around every day to one day be completely out of your life for the rest of your life. I don't know--it's just weird when you think about it.
And then again, you never know when you'll meet someone who will touch your life forever.
So, while I was on Facebook tonight, I decided to look Heather up (which I had before but did not find her), and now we have been reconnected. It's so interesting to see what long lost people you once knew are doing now. That is one of the great things about Facebook. Besides the fact that it is addictive and a great procrastination tool, it helps you keep in touch and reconnect with people. ;) :-D
Not only is it interesting to find long lost people, but it's pretty weird that they become long lost people in the first place, isn't it? I mean--you never really expect people you're around every day to one day be completely out of your life for the rest of your life. I don't know--it's just weird when you think about it.
And then again, you never know when you'll meet someone who will touch your life forever.
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