Slip and Slide Video

2008 was a great year!!

Wow - 2008 has come to a close. It seems as if it has come incredibly quickly. There was so much about this year that I loved and enjoyed. I thought I would say one of my most favorite activities from each month of the year.

January: Beginning of 2008. I started my major of Elementary Education!! AND... loved it. This was my most favorite semester. Jen and I had no class Fridays and we had a great class load. I made new years resolutions that I somewhat kept... half and half... which inspires me to do better this next year.

February: I met my dad and Tom in Arizona for the weekend. We had a great weekend together. My dad and Tom went to a Law Conference. I got to go to school with Jen and see her classroom. The best part was being all together.

March: Man of La Mancha!! I got to come home and see my brother perform in his school musical! He did such a great job.

April: My last month with my wonderful roommates... well all of us together. Tara, Shu, Laura, and Jen. You guys are so wonderful and wee had some good times together. I miss you all a lot.

May: Moving in with my sister, Jen! I absolutely loved everything about living with my sister. She is truly an amazing person. We get along so well, probably becuase we are so similar... "Are those dishes in the dishwasher clean or dirty?" Together with an English Accent: "Dirty". I can't wait until I can live near her again.

June: In June, my parents and younger siblings came out to visit us in Arizona. We all decided to go tubing down the salt river. It was CRAZY hot, but so wonderful.

July: Going home to Indiana with my whole family. While we were all home, we made a our own slip and slide. It started at the top of the driveway and went down our front yard. We had a great time!

August: I spent my last few weeks living with my sister in Arizona. Again, we have the best time when we are together.

September: Moving back in with Tara!! I sure missed her all through the summer. Another great part of September was going out with Russell. I had a great time with him.

October: Knee surgery!! Even though this was a rough month, I am sure it will be worth it when I can run and have a good knee again. It has been almost seven years since I have had knee problems. It will be nice when I am completely healed.

November: Being able to spend a month in first grade. I loved first grade and all of my students. It was a great opportunity and I learned so much that will help me in my teaching career.

December: Not Christmas, end of finals, coming home, talking to Jen over webcam, talking to Tara on the phone, spending Christmas with my entire family, etc. December was such a wonderful month.

What a great year!! I hope next year is even better!

last for class

answers for class:
Having a blog helped me let people know what was going on in my life. I was able to put up what I thought was interesting and fun. I didn't really like posting about my homework as much as I liked writing about life. However, it was still helpful. I think I will use it in my classroom.

almost done

School is winding down and winding down quickly. I think being out of class and in first grade for a month makes the rest of the semester speed up a bit. What an interesting semester it has been. I iwll have to write about it a little later.

Answers to internet questions: Here are a few of the sights that I went to...
Webcast 1: Privacy and the Internet Webcast 3: Intellectual Property
Webcast 6: Social Issues
http://www.internetsafetypodcast.com/ - safety podcast


It was interesting to read and watch some of the articles. It was a good reminder about how easy it is for kids to plagiarism. It is important for them to realize what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. These videos gave helpful ideas and tips on how to avoid getting into trouble. It is important for students to learn this. As a teacher, I can help.
Another issue they talked about were social issues and how easy it is to get in trouble on the internet. It is important for students to be aware of the dangers, but also be aware of the safety precautions they can take. For children in Elementary school, internet access is always available. If I can explain the warnings and the precautions, I can be a good influence for them.
All of these videos were helpful. Hopefully I can share these videos and advice with my students.

Thoughts on our choices

This week for IP&T, we were asked to read articles that talked about the different aspects of media and internet. For my fourth article, I chose to read the article entitle, "Leave it Alone" by H. Burke Peterson. I learned a lot from this article. IT is so important for us to work towards our goal of becoming like God. We need to get rid of those things that are holding us back. Even though it may be hard, it will strengthen us spiritually. I hope that as a teacher and a parent I can be an example for my children. I thought about some of the TV shows that I watch and I asked myself if I would be comfortable watching those with my children. My answer was sometimes yes, sometimes no. I realized that I would like this to be a definite answer. If I can do this, then I can be an example to more than just my kids one day. The readings we read were all very supportive and positive towards making changes in our lives that will lead us on the correct path. I want to incorporate these and try to be better.

Last week

This was our last full week in the schools. We still have one more day left on Monday. I can't believe how fast this month has gone. It seems like I just got in the schools and now it's over. This week was really fun. I got to take a lot of pictures of the kids and they loved it. Maybe I will try and out some up soon.

My lessons all went pretty well this week, well all except the one that we had during the fire drill. I did realize that it is important not to joke with first graders during a fire drill. We finally made it outside, got a head count, and then were heading back into the school when one of our kids turns to me and says, "It wasn't a real fire, nothing is even on fire". I turned and said, in what I thought was a sarcastic voice (first graders can't tell the difference) and said, "yeah, it is real. Can't you see everything is on fire?". The little kid behind her turns to me with freaked out eyes and says, "EVERYTHING'S ON FIRE??!!! OH NO!!!!". Then it spread down the line... that was my own bad!!

We also had another adventure when I was getting observed during one of my lessons. I call the kids back to the table and all of the sudden one of the other students in the class starts throwing up on lots of things, fortunately no people, but it was still gross. Fortunately I had a good lesson planned. I had a powerpoint prepared and they seem to love those. They are always so interested in what is on the computer. Fortunately the lesson went really well, despite the nasty throw up smell. OH how I am going to miss 1st grade!!

week 3 in school

Wow, I can't believe it's already been three weeks since I have been in the school. Everyday I have another confirmation that I am doing the right thing with my life. I love going to school and being with the kids. I do wish I could get a little more sleep, but since when is that different than anything else in life? This week I used a powerpoint presentation in one of my lessons and the kids absolutely loved it. Our teacher had never used one before, so it was a new experience for them. It really kept their attention and I will for sure be using it again!!

In our math class right now, we are creating our own math tasks. I just love math. Sometimes I don't like going to class because I am way too tired, but I still love the concepts. With this task that we are creating, I feel like I have stretched my brain. I love learning new things in math and creating new ideas!! Fortunately I get to teach math for a living!! I haven't taught a math lesson in the classroom yet, but I get to next week and I am really excited. Hopefully it goes great!

This weekend my little brother is coming to visit and I am so excited. Family is just the best thing ever!! I can't wait to get a hug from my brother, mainly because he is the best hug giver ever!! He won't be here for very long, but I still can't wait to see him. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family. I also got to talk to my older brother today, which was wonderful. We just chit-chatted about random things that we both love. It always makes me super happy to talk to my family!! What a blessing!! Right now, I feel good about life. I feel very close to my Heavenly Father. It's truly amazing what he can help us do in our lives. I feel, everyday, that he wants me to do better. What a blessing it is that we can pray to him and ask him for advice, strength, and comfort.