Sidenote

This is just a short sidenote... I love reading comments and followers are always appreciated!!

Lessons from Wall-E

I just finished watching the mostly cartoon movie Wall-E and I was blown away! It's not that it became my favorite movie cuz it's not good enough in that way (great but can't replace Pirates of the Caribbean!), but I was amazed at how much can be learned from it! It's so awesome that there's such an enjoyable movie out there for kids to watch and actually learn something from! We should all take after Wall-E! He tries to be nice and be friends with as many people/robots as possible, he'll do anything for his ladylove, even going so far as to ignore his greatest desire to hold hands with her (aww), and he sacrifices himself to save everyone! Then, there's the other side of the story. It shows a world where people forget about the amount of trash they produce, to the point where they have to head to space and leave some robots to get rid of everything for them. When they get to their space station, they have the luxury of robots coming to them at their every beck and call while they relax in their recliners and move about talking on the "phone." Eventually, it gets so far that everyone is completely obese and can't do anything for themselves. It just goes to show that your possible dream of being able to relax all day and not worry about the environment can have really bad side effects (no, I don't think this story will ever come to pass, but still...).

These are only a few of the things I learned from this first view of Wall-E. If you haven't seen it, DO! It's more than just a cartoon or kid movie!!

Back on Track!

I finally have some good news to report! Nearly 4 weeks into the semester now, I've finally got my full-schedule back! No worry about losing out on loans or insurance, and I've actually found a few silver linings in this whole deal! Over half of my credits are filled with 2 different independent studies under 2 of my PE professors doing things I never would have had the chance to experience otherwise. In one independent study, I'll be doing all kinds of research, and I'll even have my name put on some of it! In the other independent study, I'll be doing lots of marketing and equipment inventory and ordering. All great stuff that I might have to deal with later on in life! While I could certainly feel the vibrations of the many doors of opportunity slamming shut in my face all the way down in my stomach, it seems God opened up just a few others and I want to be happy with the path He's put me on!

:'(

Sad news family and friends. Unfortunately, something has come up between me and the School of Education here at my University, and I'm having to drop out of the student teaching program for the semester. I'd love to rant on and on right now about how unfair and stupid some rules are, but I won't! I'm going to move on and try to get into some classes and make the best of this semester! Hopefully, I'll be back in the program come fall semester! All I ask is that you pray for a happy outcome with my class situation and my anger to leave me!

Pay it Forward... of a Sort

Warning: this blog contains the ever popular topic of the Twilight Saga written by Stephenie Meyer!!

Yes, I'm a HUGE fan of these books and I'm encouraging you to join in! I got started on these books over the summer while I was hanging out with some of my COLLEGE friends, watching the Olympics. One of the girls sat in the corner of the couch, head stuck in a book I knew nothing about. I couldn't help but notice her lack of conversation and attention, and being an avid reader myself, I had to know just what was claiming her so completely. I asked her, visibly dragging her from the pages, and she informed me that it was the final installment of the Twilight books, Breaking Dawn, about a girl and a vampire falling in love. Intrigued, I looked it up the next time I was at the local library, waited a week or two for a copy to become available, and soon devoured the first book, Twilight. Waiting another few weeks, I got a hold of the next two books, New Moon and Eclipse, and again read through them as quickly as I could! Soon after, I found a good deal and ordered the books online and read through all four of the books again. Keep in mind, these books are all around 700 pages! I nearly missed class one time when I got so engrossed in the lives of my friends, Bella and Edward! When suggesting these books to my friends and family, I've had many reasons on why not to read them: they don't like sci-fi, or vampires and werewolves, or it's too girly or won't read a supposed "teen romance" because they're past that stage. All ridiculous! All I have to say is just try it!! There's no swearing or sex, plenty of action and cool cars... all great stuff!

Now, here's where the "pay it forward" part comes in. Every person (mostly 21+ people, by the way) I've told to read these books has loved them! So much so that they pass them on to someone else, and someone else... it goes on and on! It's to the point now where I don't even know where all my books are, except that they're all with different people! I've tried getting them back since the movie came out in November, but it hasn't happened! Very upsetting! J/K, I love how much it's spreading and how I can be a part of that! I'm very proud of my role! In fact, I'd love to have a role in the making of the next movie... I had a few problems with the first. I'd suggest you see the movie first before reading the books because if you read first, you'll likely be disappointed, but I've heard if you watch first you'll love both! I want to support the movie, but I'm having some trouble with it. I wish they'd bring me in for New Moon! How awesome would that be?! Anyways, read the books and spread the goodness. Remember, don't knock it til you've tried it!!

Flashback!!

Today, I was overcome by a great feeling of deja vu. Let me give a bit of back story. In my very first PE class three years ago, fresh off my switch from Engineering to Kinesiology, I was put straight into the classroom- actually the very classroom that I'm teaching in now! I had no experience with anything like the required lesson plans, key words, and discipline with a classroom, and I definitely had to learn by firsthand experience! We had to come up with a lesson for a specific task (running, hopping, throwing, etc.), write it up with key words and transitions and the minute by minute plan, and then teach it to a class of 1st or 4th graders. Then we had to come up with a game to incorporate that skill. May not seem that hard, but when you've never done it before it can be terrifying! Well, at least it was scary for me! Now, fast forward a few years and add a lot of experience, and you'll be back to where I am now. However, now I'm in the student teaching position, near being a teacher out on my own, and this same class with the same teacher is coming once again to visit my school! They'll be coming every Wednesday for the foreseeable future and I can't wait to see how it goes! The deja vu came in the form of these teacher/students being all nervous as they took their first turn out in front of the kids! I had to laugh at them, but also felt so bad for them as I remembered what they were going through! Their time will come where they feel confident and only experience can give them that! Ahh, great memories of my past failures and fears...

Oh, and just a side note here, did anyone know the author of the book series starting with Eragon was only 20 when he published that book?! 20!! How crazy is that! He's only 25ish now and he's already got 3 bestselling novels! Wow! Ok, that's it!

Effects of the Lunar Cycle??

In the last two days, I feel I've experienced the 2 ends of the teaching spectrum. Yesterday (Monday), I got to teach a few classes all by myself. My CT would teach a lesson to one class, and then I would mirror it to another class (just another step in the student teaching experience). Not terribly difficult since I didn't have to plan ahead for it, but still a bit more responsibility! Anyways, the day went great! Yes, there were the few times I had to stare down and sit out the kids so they'd be quiet and even the few kids openly trying to test me, but that actually helped me figure out the boundaries I'd like to set. Overall, I felt great at the end of the day! So, yay for the first day!

Then came today. For the most part, I love many of the classes, but I've become wary of a few of the others. However, that ratio seemed to switch sides today! All my normally great classes were a total pain, and the one "bad" class I had was the best of the day! One of my favorite classes had to sit for nearly twenty minutes- over half their gym time- because they were being so loud and rowdy (thankfully, I wasn't teaching that lesson)! Aside from the one class I mentioned, it was class after class of terribleness! We tried to come up with a reason or excuse for this change and we came up with two things: the temperature dropped low so the kids couldn't do much when they went outside, or the lunar cycle- the largest full moon of the year showed up the other night, possibly causing the craziness to come out... anyone want to take a side or suggest another reason?? Don't worry, I'm not doubting myself after a day like this. I don't see it as a reflection on my teaching skill, but I thought I'd share this phenomenon with you!

Slumdog Millionaire

I have another movie review for you, and it's a goodie! You may or may not have heard of this movie, but it's called Slumdog Millionaire. It's ok if you haven't heard of it, I didn't even know about it until Leigh called and asked if I wanted to see it with her. It's only shown in certain theaters and there hasn't been much publicity about it, but that doesn't mean it's not good. In fact, I thought it was AWESOME, and, I know I'm not alone!

The story's about a boy, or slumdog, that gets on Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The directors of the show can't believe how well he's doing on the show, so they accuse him of cheating and arrest him. He then has to prove why he knows each answer. His proof comes in the form of memories from his past growing up in the slums of India with his brother. Along the way, they pick up a girl that pops in and out of their lives and that ends up being the love of his life. His sole reason of coming on the show is to get the attention of that girl to let her know he's always there and loves her. It's really interesting to see the lives of these people, and it makes a single person willing to wait for a love like we see in the movie. So, go and find where this great movie is showing and watch it! You won't regret it!

Christmas Break!

I thought I'd give a quick shout-out to those few wonderful people I got the chance to see over the Christmas and New Year's holidays!

Of course, I saw my own wonderful family on Jesus' birthday, with the new additions of a brother-in-law and sister-in-law. But that night, mom, dad and I started our drive down to the condo in FL. After the extremely long night and day, we arrived at the beach and were welcomed by my aunt, uncle, and cousin! We had a few nice days in the sun and sand, even had the company of a cute boy for my cousin... before my aunt and cousin had to leave.

Then, I got the chance to visit the Magic Kingdom with two of my best U of M friends, Matt and Sarah, that I haven't seen in ages! Thanks to my parents, I've had the chance to go there 15+ times, but I'd never been there when it was decorated for Christmas (they even had it snow!) and Sarah had never been there at all! We went on a few of the classic rides - Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc. and had a blast with the whole day together! If you can't tell, the picture at the top of my page is me waiting in line for Pirates with a space next to me open for my traveling out-of-the-country friend, Carly, another Pirates addict. If you haven't been on the ride in the last few years, you should know they changed it some to fit the amazing movies that have come out. At some point in the afternoon, we looked up in the sky and saw a skywriter writing " :) Jesus Loves You" and "God+U=:)" It was awesome! We stayed to watch the light parade and headed our separate ways. I miss them already!

It was a great and restful vacation that led right up to the first day of student teaching! Now, it's my first weekend of student teaching and I am so very thankful for it!

Trouble with Workouts?

Is anyone struggling with a workout regimen? I just might have the solution for you!

While helping teach a 1st grade class today, it became clear that our game involving partners was going to be a bit messed up by an absent student, leaving the class with an odd number. As soon as my CT mentioned this fact to the class, one of the little girls ran up to me, grabbed my hand, and declared that I should be her partner! I questioned my CT first, then my physical abilities, and finally agreed to pair up! The deal was one partner would jump rope in the middle of the gym while the second partner would jog around the outside, switching when the music stopped. The music was turned on and off we went. I couldn't believe how much fun I had even though I felt my out-of-shapeness keenly. We were laughing and playing tag while we jogged/ran, and making up new moves while we worked with the jump ropes!

So here's my advice: train with 1st graders!

Let me just add the few things that made this the best day yet! It started with the little girl coming to ask me to be her partner before anyone else had even picked their partners, then there was the 2nd grader asking me to join in the game with her so we could play together, and finally, the kids started coming to me to tell me all about their days, problems and questions! I finally feel like I'm accepted and they like me! It's amazing how wonderful it feels to be loved by a bunch of kids!!

Appreciating the Little Things

I have to say, in just these past 4 days, I've already learned so much from my little elementary students! In the end, I'm sure I will have learned more from them than they will have learned from me!

The newest lesson I have learned this week is sto appreciate the little things. Every time a new class has come into the gym with my CT and me, we hear countless exclamations of "oo, it's so bright in here!" and "what are those big things on the ceiling?" and many various forms of the same. You see, over the holiday break, the gym received a slight make-over in the form of new and brighter, whiter lights and two huge caged ceiling fans. We've had to measure out at least 5 minutes to explain these new features because the kids can't stand not knowing what has changed and how it will affect them. They've been so completely happy that they're no longer playing in the dim yellow lighting and that they'll have a cool breeze from the fans when spring and warmer weather comes around, causing the temperature in the gym to spike! Even after they've been in the gym a time or two they still bring it up! I have to admit that, even though I had been to visit the school for observations or classes, I never even noticed the changes. It made me wonder what other changes, however big or small, I've missed. Anyone want to fill me in??

Movie Reviews

I thought I'd add in some movie reviews of the movies I saw over the Christmas and New Year's holidays!

The first was Seven Pounds with Will Smith. The movie was great, though a total cryer! Make sure to bring some Kleenex or napkins! There's been so much mystery surrounding this movie, and I don't want to ruin any of that... I'll just tell you to GO! Watch it! It was great, and as always, Will Smith was amazing and kept all his secrets until the very end!

The second movie was the extremely cute Marley & Me featuring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston. This was another great movie, though I must warn you, I cried even more in this movie than in Seven Pounds. It's about a newly married couple (they're originally from good old Michigan!!) starting out their new life together in FL. In an effort to keep the wife from thinking of babies, the husband decides to get a dog. This troublesome dog ends up bringing problem after problem to the couple, but always giving back unconditional love. Most of the movie is a hoot and a half, but like I said, the tears were flowing by the end. If you're a pet lover, this movie is definitely for you!

Mini People

Who doesn't love adult-like things on itty bitty kids, cuz I certainly do! Today, I was badgered by a Chris Brown loving Kindergartener who, while behind in every subject area but PE, knows the name of every one of CB's songs and their lyrics! I was amazed when he started singing to me and tried to teach me some dance steps... which didn't work out too well. Then, there was the little 1st grader in cowboy boots, distressed jeans, and AC/DC shirt! She was the cutest little girl and was so excited to tell me about the AC/DC concert she went to with her parents! I love the crazy stuff you can learn from kids! I can't wait to get some nieces and nephews (hint, hint)!

Day 1 & 2 of student teaching!

I would've started this blog earlier, but I felt I didn't have enough of a life to talk about last semester and would have bored you all completely. Now, I've entered my student teaching phase at the University of Michigan, and I think I can come up with a few things to share!

Yesterday was my first day out at the school. I was terribly nervous so I hardly slept a wink and showed up way early only to have to sit and wait for my cooperating teacher to show up with his self and keys. In the end, I only had to observe the classes, meet a hundred kids or so while introducing myself a couple dozen times, and receive 4 different birthday goodies from my new students! Yummy cupcakes and bagel pizzas! In the midst of this, my CT tried to fill me in on a few of the issues my kids are going through. This is where my heart started breaking. This little school if full of kids with little to no money, and many of them are only around for a year or two with parents job-hopping. There are the kids with no shoes, the kids born in jail, the kids who have seen their relatives get killed right in front of them, and the kid that does nothing but sit at his desk or in the corner. Faced with issues like this and more, who could stand apart from these kids and not work hard to help and support them?

Moving on to my second day, I was presented with both new faces and familiar faces. I got to get in the action a few times, but even better, I got to see an older woman on duty as aid to one of the disabled kids get in the game and fall down on her back (no worries, she never got hurt and laughed it off). Quite the fun time for all involved! As a prelude to what I'm about to add, I'll say that my CT had a lot of fun informing every class of all the sports I've tried and played, but especially my past cheerleading days. That didn't get my response until my last two classes of the day, when I finally had my 1st graders! It was met by many screams and excited hugs from both boys and girls! It was the best ending for the day! They all asked me to partner and play along with them and hugged me on the way out! I was totally refreshed as I left!

Hopefully, I'll have more fun stories to tell later on, but this is it for now!

To Begin

Hi all!

At the encouragement of some family and friends, I've decided to jump on the bandwagon of blogging to keep everyone up to date on my life. So, here goes...