Monday, May 12, 2008
Sunday, May 11, 2008
The BIG DAY Is Coming!!
GRADUATION DAY!
I must say it has not been easy, but this is something I've always wanted and I would not stop until it was mine!!! It has been worth it. It is the key to my future. My Destiny. I will be a teacher! I can't wait! I am taking this time to thank a few very special people who have been there for me the whole way.
Jon Bou- You are my Love, my Everything, my Life. You have inspired me, pushed me, made me laugh and have endured my "tooniness" Thank you my Love.
Mom- You have helped me in so many ways and your pride in me is all I ask for- Thank you
Dad- You have always been proud of me and helped find my way- Thank you
Jessica- While we were having fun it is no surprise we found our strength- Helping others. Congratulations on your accomplishments.
Beverly- My Mentor. Thank you for giving me a taste of what it is like to be a teacher. You are a kind, loving and fun teacher, three things that I will take with me.You are a wonderful friend.
Thank You Jon, Mom, Dad, Jessica, Beverly and to all those who were there along the way to make me keep going!!!
I must say it has not been easy, but this is something I've always wanted and I would not stop until it was mine!!! It has been worth it. It is the key to my future. My Destiny. I will be a teacher! I can't wait! I am taking this time to thank a few very special people who have been there for me the whole way.
Jon Bou- You are my Love, my Everything, my Life. You have inspired me, pushed me, made me laugh and have endured my "tooniness" Thank you my Love.
Mom- You have helped me in so many ways and your pride in me is all I ask for- Thank you
Dad- You have always been proud of me and helped find my way- Thank you
Jessica- While we were having fun it is no surprise we found our strength- Helping others. Congratulations on your accomplishments.
Beverly- My Mentor. Thank you for giving me a taste of what it is like to be a teacher. You are a kind, loving and fun teacher, three things that I will take with me.You are a wonderful friend.
Thank You Jon, Mom, Dad, Jessica, Beverly and to all those who were there along the way to make me keep going!!!
Bloggies!!!
What is a blog? This strange new word is something I added to my vocabulary only about two years ago. It sounded kinda stupid. Kinda cute. When I learned what it was I said "Oh Ok." Since then they have slowly creeped into my life. And other people's. I'm sure kids already are as familiar with these things as with coca crispies and ipods. So why not use them in a classroom to get kids even more involved with them?
There are so many things you can do with blogs! It would be a really fun classroom tool. I have a few examples that may be effective. One is I would like the kids to use the blog as a journal like this class does. Of course it will be read by everyone, so it would have to be a respected, and carefully considered tool. The journal entries could be anything that the kids are willing to share with others or based on something they learned in class. The purpose would be for them to get comfortable with writing, communicate with others,and reflect on concepts they learned in class. I like how this class uses blogs with prompts and I would like to do something similar to that.
Another idea is that the kids can make blogs of made-up characters from the books or texts they are given- someone told me about this idea and I've seen them on the internet. What they can do is pick a character from a story, and make a profile on he or she- or it, along with entries of what they imagine the character would write. For example, if they were to do a blog on Miranda from The Tempest, they could write a made-up entry on a day she spends with Ferdinand based on what they understand from her character and their relationship. I think this would be a fun way to access their understanding of the characters on a deeper level.
The idea of making a blog of a character can also be extended as a group project that uses a series of characters who communicate to each other as we do with our blogs in class.
One thing I can't help worrying about is what kids if get out of control on these things and start writing really scary stuff or worse attack each other on what they say? Will they get inappropiate? I may require "approval from the teacher" before blogs are posted, so they have a sense of what is allowed and what isn't.
To me blogs are about experimentation. They are informal and personal, but also widely shared. They are great tools for learning to communicate without being formally evaluated for things like grammar. They give students a chance to be creative and write freely. If used wisely, they can help students practice writing, and communicating in a comfortable and exciting way!
There are so many things you can do with blogs! It would be a really fun classroom tool. I have a few examples that may be effective. One is I would like the kids to use the blog as a journal like this class does. Of course it will be read by everyone, so it would have to be a respected, and carefully considered tool. The journal entries could be anything that the kids are willing to share with others or based on something they learned in class. The purpose would be for them to get comfortable with writing, communicate with others,and reflect on concepts they learned in class. I like how this class uses blogs with prompts and I would like to do something similar to that.
Another idea is that the kids can make blogs of made-up characters from the books or texts they are given- someone told me about this idea and I've seen them on the internet. What they can do is pick a character from a story, and make a profile on he or she- or it, along with entries of what they imagine the character would write. For example, if they were to do a blog on Miranda from The Tempest, they could write a made-up entry on a day she spends with Ferdinand based on what they understand from her character and their relationship. I think this would be a fun way to access their understanding of the characters on a deeper level.
The idea of making a blog of a character can also be extended as a group project that uses a series of characters who communicate to each other as we do with our blogs in class.
One thing I can't help worrying about is what kids if get out of control on these things and start writing really scary stuff or worse attack each other on what they say? Will they get inappropiate? I may require "approval from the teacher" before blogs are posted, so they have a sense of what is allowed and what isn't.
To me blogs are about experimentation. They are informal and personal, but also widely shared. They are great tools for learning to communicate without being formally evaluated for things like grammar. They give students a chance to be creative and write freely. If used wisely, they can help students practice writing, and communicating in a comfortable and exciting way!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Fiction: Writing about and Creating
Writing about fiction has always been a part of my career as an English Major. It is required in almost every class I've taken, since my emphasis is literature, after all. I always look at literature differently after I write about it. If I simply read a story, certain things jump out at me, and I either enjoy it, hate it, or feel sick to my stomach after reading it. But when I write about a story, I really start to think about why it gave me such a reaction and I appreciate or hate it even more. Or even better, I change my opinion completely because I find things in it that I never noticed before and fall in love.
When I wrote about the short story "Nurse Cora," I really started to think about it in depth. Who is this boy in the hospital? Why did I look at him differently depending on the points of view? So that is what I wrote about. How we get to know Pablo through different perspectives. And in this way I really started to appreciate the author's talent in writing a unique story.
Writing a creative story is a challenge, I'll admit. But for me, it gives me license to lose myself in the moment. I write whatever comes to my mind and I know its okay because creativity does not have limits, when it comes to reality vs fantasy. Of course if you share this story, you must be mindful that you respect your audience and try not to offend them. I really did not like my creative story at first. I called it names and thought I have to share this? But it really went over well with those whom I shared it with.
Writing a creative story is a very personal thing for me. As a teacher, I will give my students lots of freedom with it. It should have certain criteria, such as character and plot, but for the most part it's all about imagination. I really am thankful we were given prompts for this one. Otherwise, I would have never thought of my story. I will give my students appropriate prompts to work from and also have them illustrate the story with a picture, because I think it will help them visually see what they are writing and make it even more fun.
When I wrote about the short story "Nurse Cora," I really started to think about it in depth. Who is this boy in the hospital? Why did I look at him differently depending on the points of view? So that is what I wrote about. How we get to know Pablo through different perspectives. And in this way I really started to appreciate the author's talent in writing a unique story.
Writing a creative story is a challenge, I'll admit. But for me, it gives me license to lose myself in the moment. I write whatever comes to my mind and I know its okay because creativity does not have limits, when it comes to reality vs fantasy. Of course if you share this story, you must be mindful that you respect your audience and try not to offend them. I really did not like my creative story at first. I called it names and thought I have to share this? But it really went over well with those whom I shared it with.
Writing a creative story is a very personal thing for me. As a teacher, I will give my students lots of freedom with it. It should have certain criteria, such as character and plot, but for the most part it's all about imagination. I really am thankful we were given prompts for this one. Otherwise, I would have never thought of my story. I will give my students appropriate prompts to work from and also have them illustrate the story with a picture, because I think it will help them visually see what they are writing and make it even more fun.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Lovely Exit Interview
Like all inevitable things, the day had to come whether I liked it or not. The day of the Exit Interview. I woke up that morning I would meet my destiny with a pain in my stomach that I had not felt in at least ten years. It was the pain of intense anxiety. Even though I had convinced myself that I would pass without question, my body was telling me a different story. I needed to believe in myself now more than ever.
The weekend before, Jon sat for an hour listening to me while I chopped through some poetry. The most amazing part about studying for the Interview was I realized that I knew a lot. I have been doing this for years, after all. There were even a few things that I never really understood that I do now- like accented and unaccented syllables! Yet my confidence was my biggest challenge. I needed to find it and fast.
I had everything ready to go. I packed a thesaurus, a dictionary, two literature books,and one poetry book. I arrived at Karin's office on Tuesday, 12:00pm in a daze. The floor felt like it was moving under my feet. I slumped in a chair and waited. A few minutes later Karin handed me my packet and I was off. The short story was two pages -yes! and the poem was divided up into two rows of stanzas that took up the entire page- oh my. The three student essays were two paragraphs each- :). I had never seen anything in this packet before, but as I read the material, I focused on conventions and it started to make sense.
It was a pleasure to meet my interviewers, two lovely ladies whom I've never had as teachers, Drs. Bourgeois and Mclave. I didn't know until the moment I sat down how I was going to go about this Interview. But somehow everything I wanted to talk about came and so much more. I felt like I had a power in me that I never knew was there before.
After the Interview, I felt happy. I told Karin it was fun. I heard the two professors laughing as they came up the hall to her office. They told me all the good things I did, and I shook their hands. After they left, I asked Karin "Did I pass?" She said, "Yes!" My confidence still needs some work!
I thank all of those people who supported me and who were involved in my interview process. I feel blessed.
The weekend before, Jon sat for an hour listening to me while I chopped through some poetry. The most amazing part about studying for the Interview was I realized that I knew a lot. I have been doing this for years, after all. There were even a few things that I never really understood that I do now- like accented and unaccented syllables! Yet my confidence was my biggest challenge. I needed to find it and fast.
I had everything ready to go. I packed a thesaurus, a dictionary, two literature books,and one poetry book. I arrived at Karin's office on Tuesday, 12:00pm in a daze. The floor felt like it was moving under my feet. I slumped in a chair and waited. A few minutes later Karin handed me my packet and I was off. The short story was two pages -yes! and the poem was divided up into two rows of stanzas that took up the entire page- oh my. The three student essays were two paragraphs each- :). I had never seen anything in this packet before, but as I read the material, I focused on conventions and it started to make sense.
It was a pleasure to meet my interviewers, two lovely ladies whom I've never had as teachers, Drs. Bourgeois and Mclave. I didn't know until the moment I sat down how I was going to go about this Interview. But somehow everything I wanted to talk about came and so much more. I felt like I had a power in me that I never knew was there before.
After the Interview, I felt happy. I told Karin it was fun. I heard the two professors laughing as they came up the hall to her office. They told me all the good things I did, and I shook their hands. After they left, I asked Karin "Did I pass?" She said, "Yes!" My confidence still needs some work!
I thank all of those people who supported me and who were involved in my interview process. I feel blessed.
Monday, April 14, 2008
A tale about tails
For me, creating a myth isn't easy. Last semester, I took a class on classical Greek mythology. I loved reading the stories and studying the characters. However, now when it came time to creating my own, I was almost too surprised at how perplexed I was over the idea. Where did my imagination go??? I was almost too angry at myself for not coming up with something brilliant right away. It sounded like a fun idea, and something that should come to me quickly, but what would make a good myth? I spent a whole Saturday trying to write one, but it didn't sound right. A wise little voice (my boyfriend Jon who was tired of me pouring over ideas to him that didn't make sense) told me to just not think about it and it will come.
Studying creation myths in English 495 class really helped. Since the concepts were fresh in my mind, I thought perhaps there is where I should begin. When I think of myths, I think of how something started-- or ended. So that was what I decided to do-- write about the beginning of time and tell how something came to be. These are common concepts that I learned from studying creation myths in class. Now I needed a good story. I took Jon's advice and did not think hard about what to write. Instead, I let my mind wander about things about the world- people, animals, and nature. How bubbles came to be? Where does fog come from? What does ahhhhh! I don't know. . .why don't humans have tails? Okay. So just letting my mind wander with some ideas led me to this one. Now I had an idea that I liked. I went to bed. When I woke up the next day, suddenly like magic the story was in my mind.
I think that analyzing myths is a lot easier than creating one. Reading them and then discovering the motifs and details were not so hard for me to do for our class myth presentation. It definitely helped me create one because I was aware of what my story needed to qualify as a myth. I am happy with my myth and now that I did one, I think it wasn't so bad and I would be happy to to it again!
I definitely thought of my future students when working on this assignment. If I was having a hard time, then at least some of them would too. I don't know how I would have got along if I did not study myths before writing my own. Knowing this, I will have my students read and study myths before writing their own. I will also give them topics to help them along. For example, I will give them a list of possible myth ideas- why grass is green, why dogs bark, how the rabbit got long ears etc. for them to choose from, or allow them to come up with their own. I will also share with them a myth that I wrote or even write one together as a class. I think that writing myths is fun once you have an idea and believe in it!
Studying creation myths in English 495 class really helped. Since the concepts were fresh in my mind, I thought perhaps there is where I should begin. When I think of myths, I think of how something started-- or ended. So that was what I decided to do-- write about the beginning of time and tell how something came to be. These are common concepts that I learned from studying creation myths in class. Now I needed a good story. I took Jon's advice and did not think hard about what to write. Instead, I let my mind wander about things about the world- people, animals, and nature. How bubbles came to be? Where does fog come from? What does ahhhhh! I don't know. . .why don't humans have tails? Okay. So just letting my mind wander with some ideas led me to this one. Now I had an idea that I liked. I went to bed. When I woke up the next day, suddenly like magic the story was in my mind.
I think that analyzing myths is a lot easier than creating one. Reading them and then discovering the motifs and details were not so hard for me to do for our class myth presentation. It definitely helped me create one because I was aware of what my story needed to qualify as a myth. I am happy with my myth and now that I did one, I think it wasn't so bad and I would be happy to to it again!
I definitely thought of my future students when working on this assignment. If I was having a hard time, then at least some of them would too. I don't know how I would have got along if I did not study myths before writing my own. Knowing this, I will have my students read and study myths before writing their own. I will also give them topics to help them along. For example, I will give them a list of possible myth ideas- why grass is green, why dogs bark, how the rabbit got long ears etc. for them to choose from, or allow them to come up with their own. I will also share with them a myth that I wrote or even write one together as a class. I think that writing myths is fun once you have an idea and believe in it!
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