Resistance Bands

Resistance Bands are good for one thing: a workout. 

Resistant Writers are good for one thing: distraction. 

When you have that one student that just will not commit to sitting in one place and beginning the writing process, it can be devastating for the whole class. To cope with this semi-common occurrence, I found an article that gives five easy solutions to motivating the troublesome student to get back on track. I have already observed several instances of resistant writers during my field hours. The students offer a whole slew of reasons why they absolutely cannot work at the time but this article provides a counter for every excuse they could give you. Coincidently, our Routman textbook is referenced in one of the suggestions! My favorite suggestions is to tell the student that they are capable of writing a great story that any audience would love to read. I wholeheartedly believe that a child merely seeks to feel valued and appreciated and to know that someone cares about their writing is a great motivator!

http://www.ehow.com/how_7843838_motivate-elementary-student-write-story.html

Ohhhhh Japan

I have been reading and watching news reports all weekend to keep up with the happenings in Japan. Not only did the country suffer a catastrophic 8.9 magnitude earthquake, over 30-foot high tsunami waves, massive fires, power outages, food/water shortages, and a nuclear meltdown, but now a volcano is erupting off one of the southern islands forcing thousands to evacuate. This country cannot catch a break. One town reports nearly half of it's population to be missing and the stories of loved ones lost to sea are heartbreaking. The one redeeming thing that began to pop up just today were the stories of heroic rescues. I have attached the link for one report from CNN of a 60-year-old man who was swept out to sea, losing his wife, but finding the courage and hope to cling onto debris for two days before being rescued nine miles off the coast. This is a truly inspiring story of the power of hope and prayer!

To me, this is yet another humbling experience. I feel overwhelmed by my workload here leading up to spring break but it is nothing compared to what 21-year-olds in Japan were forced to cope with this weekend. As awful as these recent global disasters have been (earthquake in Haiti, Chile, or the Indian Ocean), I think the worst thing someone from an unaffected area could do is to ignore it and pretend it is not their problem. There is so much that we can do to help, even from the middle of Missouri. At the very least, this is a great opportunity to reflect on how fortunate we are to stress about school or gas prices - at least we have operating gas stations because that's more than parts of Japan have right now.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/13/japan.rescues/index.html?hpt=T1&iref=BN1

Growing Up and Getting Ready

In the past few weeks, there has definitely been a general trend on focusing more on our careers as teachers and less on present experiences in field.

Example: This time next year, I will be interviewing for grad programs or a real teaching job... WEIRD!
Example: I just registered for classes for my last year of college... WEIRD!
Example: I can receive my state pension in 2042 after teaching for 30 years... WEIRD!

When did I grow up? I feel like I was just a freshman in college and now I am learning how to interview, differences between school districts, and I am more concerned with my classroom management strategies than the grade I got on my last paper. I am certain that I am learning alot but I am quite anxious to see all the aspects of education that I have observed and practiced come together. Basically, I want to freeze junior year for a little longer so I can squeeze even more observation hours and random teaching strategies into my head before I am sent off on my own to do it this coming fall/spring. Ughhhh growing up...I guess it's time to get ready for a real job.

Making Changes

After looking through some random blogs online, I found I was drawn to the pictures that people posted. It is a quick and easy way to learn about someone else. Therefore, I decided to post pictures of things that are important to me for everyone on the internet to see. I chose pictures of my sisters, family, and puppy because these are each things that I value. If someone is only going to glance at my blog, they'll know what I think is important in life!

Commenting on Comments

The ability to comment on another person's blog is a really cool function. It's a great way to establish connections between you and a friend. I loved hearing the positive feedback and that my writing, especially the poem about summer, evokes the same emotions in my friends as it does in me!

There's no voiceover yet, but coming soon!

Where I'm From Poem

Back where I come from-

When dinner’s on the table,

We all gather ‘round.

If we’re all together,

Childhood stories are bound to come up.

If we’re telling stories,

We’re probably laughing ‘til our stomachs ache.

If our stomachs ache,

We ate too many Christmas cookies after opening presents.

If we opened presents,

We’ll be having friends over to play with new toys.

If we’re having friends over,

Start poppin’ the popcorn because we’ll be eating all night.

If we’re eating all night,

We might as well sleepover.

If we’re having a sleepover,

We’ll sleep straight through Saturday morning.

If we sleep through Saturday morning

We’ll have to rush through our chores to make time to play.

If we play all day,

We’ll be hungry for dinner,

When we all gather ‘round-

Back where I come from.