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20 Weeks To Go

Posted on February 7, 2011 by auburnchick

Another week is finished.  I now have 20 weeks to go until I am finished with my certification classes.

Last week was another busy one!

I thought I would give you a run-down of what my week looked like:

  • Monday
    • Instructional Strategies quiz
    • Foundations of Research-Based Practices in Reading quiz
    • Teaching Profession quiz
  • Tuesday
    • Instructional Strategies critical review (chapter summary/reflection/application)
    • Reply to another student’s review
  • Wednesday
    • Reading class’s critical review
    • Reply to another student’s review
  • Thursday
    • Teaching Profession research topic #1
    • Reply to another student
    • Teaching Profession research topic #2
    • Reply to another student
  • Friday
    • Reading class observation
    • Observation Summary form
    • Debrief form
    • Instructional Notebook – Comprehension
    • Instructional Notebook – Vocabulary
    • Feedback on assignment from last week’s Instructional Strategies class:  must resubmit
  • Saturday
    • Monthly in-class sessions at the college all day
    • Resubmitted Instructional Strategies formative quiz assignment
    • Worked on summative assignment rubric for Instructional Strategies class
    • Cried because I felt overwhelmed and couldn’t sit and watch tv and laugh while the Mr. got to
  • Sunday
    • Finish rubric after church
    • Done with all assignments for the week

Yes, folks.

That is what I did last week.

On top of teaching my own classes.

Not only that, but each day at lunch, I studied for my General Knowledge Test.  I am working on the math section because that is where I struggle the most.  Thus far, the school’s math teacher and three students have taught me various math concepts.

I have felt a lot like Laura Ingalls.  Did you see the episode of Little House on the Prairie when she had failed her teacher examination, so she studied really hard for the second time she would take it.

Oops.

Apparently she’s studying biology with Almanzo in that picture!  😉

She carried books with her everywhere.  She read as she milked cows and cooked.  Everywhere she went, she had a book in her face.

That is me right now.

The bathroom is no exception.

TMI?

Who cares.

We all do it.

If I could take a book in the shower with me, I would.

This is how it will be for 20 more weeks.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: , | 3 Comments »

Week 24 of Teaching

Posted on February 6, 2011 by auburnchick

Week 24 was a short one for me.  I had to observe a class for my teaching certification program, so I got a substitute teacher on Friday.

I have to apologize, but here it is on Sunday, and I am so tired from my certification classes that I can barely remember what I did last week in the classes I taught!  I did take a few pictures.  Let me see if they refresh my memory…

Ok…that’s from my 6th grade class.  We reviewed answers from a previous assignment and began discussing a new theme:  “Dreams and Goals.”  The poetry we will be reading will have this theme.

I finally got around to posting points for my 9th and 10th graders.  The “families” are in competition with each other throughout the reading of Romeo and Juliet.  The team with the fewest points at the end has to buy food for a party that we will have when the unit is finished.

That’s Tuesday’s work for my 6th graders.  We read and discussed Langston Hughes’ poem, and it was amazing!  My students wrote about their dreams and goals.  The discussion we had was incredible!  I love these kids!

One fun thing we did in my 9th and 10th grade classes was read the famous love scene in Romeo and Juliet.  I had one of my 9th grade girls read Juliet’s part while she stood on an elevated platform, and a male student read Romeo’s part.  They had so much fun!!!  This class is usually not into English, but they have really been enjoying this play!

Wednesday was busy.  I prepped my students for upcoming assignments…vocabulary tests, projects…that kind of stuff.

Thursday…Vocabulary Test Day!

Oh, how I love the sound of scratching pencils on paper!  Call me evil.  Whatever!

It was a rather quiet day.  I busied myself with making plans for my substitute and warning my students to behave the next day.  They seemed surprised that I would be gone since I’ve only taken two days off all year (to take Chicky to college in August).

I realize that my week doesn’t sound exciting, but my students and I have eased into a comfortable routine.  My 9th graders have finally settled down a bit — or else I’ve grown used to their chatty ways.

I am starting to count down the days until Spring Break.  Although I love teaching, my certification classes are really throwing me off…stealing precious time away from my lesson planning.

Regardless, Week 25 is twelve hours away!

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

Pele is on a Tear

Posted on February 4, 2011 by auburnchick

You might remember that I have three dogs.

Pele is the “middle child” and technically belongs to Chicky…

Well…ever since the family returned to a regular routine after Christmas, Pele has had his fur in a wad.  I guess he got spoiled having people home all day.

And so Pele has regressed…

To his puppy days…

To his chewing phase…

First, he mangled a much-loved Christmas decoration…a snowman…

Even the snowballs did not survive…

RIP, Mr. Snowman…

As you might have noticed, the dates on the pictures indicated that he did his misdeed before Christmas; however, I think he was just practicing.

Since Christmas, Pele has been digging in the trash and, basically, chewing almost everything he can find.

It hasn’t helped to put things on tables.  He just pulls them off too.

Take, for instance, a couple of pages from a magazine that I had left on my end table this week.

When I got home yesterday, this is what I found…

One measly piece of a full page.

Ironically, look at what managed to survive…

Yeah.  I can hear you chuckling.

See, in last month’s issue of All You, I had found an essay contest.  As you can see, the topic was one I could relate to.

Apparently it drew Pele’s attention as well.

At least he was kind enough to save the instructions for me.

Filed under: Pets | Tagged: | 6 Comments »

Exemplars of Christ

Posted on February 3, 2011 by auburnchick

I learned a new word this week in one of my certification classes: 

EXEMPLAR

An exemplar is a model of an assignment that teachers provide to students.  The model serves the purpose of helping students comprehend a teacher’s expectations.

You might remember being in school and watching as your teacher held up examples of what your work was supposed to look like. 

In much the same way, Christ exemplifies how we are supposed to live our lives.

Jesus modeled faith — even through the horrible ordeal He went through when He suffered on the cross.

Jesus also modeled good works by loving those who followed after Him.  He cared for them.  He taught them.  He took care of their physical and spiritual needs.  He loved to the point of dying for sins He never even committed.

We are, in essence, students of the Great Teacher.  Our assignments are to believe in Him and share the Good News with others.

It would be wrong to say that we don’t know how to do this.

Jesus provided the perfect example.

He personified the word EXEMPLAR.

Filed under: Christian | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

Groundhog Hodgepodge

Posted on February 2, 2011 by auburnchick

I am commiserating with my Northern friends, who are suffering from the effects of the latest storm.  I’ll bet you guys are eagerly awaiting the Groundhog’s prediction, eh?

Anyhoo, it’s time for the Hodgepodge!

I really love these random questions!!  Thanks, Joyce, for hosting!!

1.  Would you rather be seen as a person who did her duty or forged her own path?

Hmmm…this really could be a philosophical question, couldn’t it?  I believe that God has a plan for every person’s life.  So, am I really forging my own path if I’m following His will?  Maybe it would look that way to unbelievers.  Take, for instance, my journey to become a fully certified teacher.  I nurtured this dream for many years.  I spoke of the dream to others.  Three years ago, I began working my way toward achieving my dream.  Those who only casually know me might see this as blazing my own way, but I don’t.  Teaching is my calling.  I am SURE of that.  I know, without a doubt, that God wants me to do this.  So, in effect I am following the path He set before me.

Wow!  How deep is this for a Tuesday morning (yeah, I’m cheating…writing this early).

2.  This week’s Wednesday Hodgepodge happens to fall on Groundhog’s Day.  In keeping with that theme, if you could have a do-over of any one day out of the last seven, which day would it be and why?

Quite honestly, I wouldn’t have a do-over.  I actually had good days last week, and I’d be concerned that somehow those days would turn out poorly.

3.  Hot cocoa…yay or nay on the marshmallows?

While I don’t mind marshmallows on my hot chocolate, I’d rather leave them off and fill up the extra space with extra hot chocolate!  That said, there is nothing quite as delightful as whipped cream on the top!!

4.  Do you wear makeup every day?  What are the top two must haves in your daily makeup routine.

I wear makeup almost every day.  My bare minimum is eyeliner and under eye concealer.

5.  Is it more important to you in a relationship to be loved or understood?

I want to be understood, and this is a BIG job for anyone who undertakes the challenge.  I come with a lot of baggage and randomness that people often don’t understand. 

6.  Parsley, sage, rosemary, or thyme…your favorite?

I love thyme.  When I was a teenager, I went to France for ten days to visit relatives, and thyme was a spice that was heavily used over there.  When I got home, my mom continued cooking with it.  To this day, I just love, love, love it!!

7.  What do you do when you feel angry?

Oh man…I have a hard time hiding my feelings.  If I’m by myself when I get angry, I will stew.  If it’s something I can take action on, I do.  This might entail calling someone, texting someone, or sending an email to someone.  I feel most frustrated when I can’t do anything.  I am a person of action, so anger usually drives me to find a solution to resolve my anger.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I have now been on the Daniel Fast for one month.  Although my fast is “officially” over, I chose to continue it past the suggested 21 days.  This last week has been a little difficult, but I am persisting because I believe in the healthier way of eating.  My blue jeans are really getting loose, and I see shape developing at my waist. 

And yet, I am reminded of my pastor’s sermon last Sunday.  He spoke of God being in each moment and not creating idols for ourselves that would take away from each moment.  I am ever mindful not to let my new diet become a preoccupation that draws me away from the things God wants me to do, such as interacting with friends and sharing His Word with them.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 13 Comments »

Courteous Library Patrons Do NOT…

Posted on February 1, 2011 by auburnchick

Rooster is taking a class at the local college on Monday nights.  Because he does not have his license yet, I drive him there each week.

Most parents would probably go home; however, I’ve found a silver lining in these evenings.

I have the unexpected gift of time.  By waiting in the college’s library, I have the opportunity to focus on my own classes with few disruptions.

Well, not exactly.

Let me ask you a question.

Do you remember the days when we would go to libraries, and stern-looking librarians constantly reminded us to hush?

Yeah.

Gone are the days.

For two weeks now, I have had to listen while my fellow library goers:

  • Played World of War Craft and talked either to themselves or to unknown players on the other side of the internet
  • Talked on their cell phones…loudly…to the point where other patrons heard the people on the other end of the line cursing
  • Carried on loud conversations with their best-buds while “others” (me) were taking very difficult quizzes

Do I sound picky?

Maybe just a little.  But hey, don’t people go to libraries to study?

Hello?

So, here’s my message to those of you who frequent libraries.

Be courteous.

You may not care about what someone else is doing there, but I can guarantee that the other person does.

Filed under: This-n-That | 4 Comments »

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