Winter Break So Far & Student Teaching Very Soon

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It’s hard to believe that the break is almost over, yet it is; there is only a week until it’s time to go back to Oswego, and I have very mixed feelings about that. Normally, my sentiment would be, yes, yes, get me away from this godawful prison so that I can be in Oswego with Ray and get back to my studies and my life with my friends, but I have spent the majority of my break with Ray in Connecticut, so I’m not in any kind of hurry to get back, especially since my student-teaching is this semester. I can’t believe I just said that; as you can see, I’m nervous.

It may sound like I don’t have much motivation to do my student-teaching, which could potentially be a scary situation if teaching is what you want to put your life into; however, as I said, I’m just nervous. Going to bed early and getting up early every day is something that is going to take a great deal of adjustment, as I haven’t had to do it since high school. I’m not a morning person; I am, in fact, a night owl. I’m usually happiest and most active at night, so going to bed early isn’t easy. Additionally, what’s definitely more monumental is that I am nervous about teaching itself. Teaching is something much different than learning how to do laundry or bake cookies; it isn’t something that can be perfected after one or two tries. It requires years of experience to master, and even teachers that have been teaching for many years will say that they still make mistakes, so I’m not so self-important that I would think that I’m going to be a good teacher right away, and I know that there is a very strong possibility that I won’t be well-liked by most of my students. I will be at Oswego High School for my first term, and that, at least, is good news because I don’t have a vehicle, and that’s well within walking distance from where I live on campus. I will be writing again as soon as I can.

Winter Break

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Slumber till noon
A momentous break from tests, group meetings staff meetings

Forever trapped in your own responsibilities
Wrapped in your 9-5pm
Held by the contraints of am’s and pm’s

I thought I’d start this blogpost with a little poetry. So I have been on break for two weeks now, and I must say, it has been one of my most favorite. Now I’m not saying it’s been loads of fun, but this marks the first break where I’ve been able to end my long relationship with my bed and my tv. I applied for a bunch of no profit internships in hopes of being able to help out during the winter break. I knew my chances were even lower because I would only be available to work for 2.5 weeks.

I got an email back from CITYarts, Inc. CITYarts is a no profit organization that empowers kids by helping them create large scale mural projects throughout the world. One of their slogans is “If kids create, they will not destroy.
For the two weeks there, I have been working on creating a Social media plan for future interns so they have a clear and concise way to use social media. I also worked on a video advertisement project for them to be published on their youtube account. I am proud of the work I did for them in this short amount of time. This truly inspired me that many things are possible if you just find the right people!

Practicum (Fall 2011) – Day 9

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Today wasn’t very eventful. The students are taking a test on Friday of this week, a test on literary terms, so the student-teacher helped them study. He had developed a Powerpoint presentation for them that went through literary terms, and I found myself surprised by some terms with which eighth graders are not familiar, such as foreshadowing. I can’t remember when I learned that term, but I’m pretty sure that I knew it by eighth grade. I am very strong in English, so I don’t mean to put people down; I just would have thought that those were basic concepts by eighth grade. If not, then there are some pointers that I need before I start teaching.

The student-teacher then taught the students how to write a book review, which I think is important. They practice writing and hopefully enhance their writing skills while using a form that they are probably not used to handling. I am all done with Practicum now; now, next semester, I start student-teaching, which really makes me nervous. Wish me luck.

Practicum (Fall 2011) – Days 7 and 8

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On the seventh day of Practicum, which was November 29th, the student-teacher read a chapter of Call of the Wild to the class. There were two other Practicum students in the class with me, although neither was the one that I had previously met. The student-teacher talked a lot about leadership, encouraging the students to think about what it means to be a leader, which is, of course, important. On the eighth day, the students wrote their “Brain Breakfast” exercise about what they do when they are having trouble reading something. The student-teacher went over “fix-up strategies” with them.

What I found most valuable about this day is that the student-teacher seemed to really encourage interdisciplinarity. He wanted the students to be thinking about ways that what they were learning connected to other subject areas such as science, and I don’t know about all education majors, but I know that from my own experience, that is something that is strongly stressed. I certainly wasn’t bored, because I folded papers for the student-teacher, and I even developed a mini-quiz for the Host Teacher, with which she was really happy. Tomorrow is my last day, so I will be writing again very soon.

Globetrotter

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So as this semester comes to a close, I’m so excited to be going to Cuba in the January with my photography class. I haven’t gone abroad (besides Canada) in over 8 years. Be sure to look out for all of the photos that I will take.

For now, I am excited that my journalism class has opened me up to developing my own internet identity. Check out my new website!
Flavors.me/chrismcpherson

Procrastination

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Poetry is great way to de-stress,
It is also a great way to procrastinate homework

Enjoy this stream of consciousness

Love promotes change
Evokes deranged paranoia
Assists insomnia
Aids self awareness/self consciousness
Encourages emptiness
Delivers desperation
Allows emotions to run free

Love does a lot….more than anyone can ever handle.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Thanksgiving is a holiday where one should just stop for a minute and think about what they have. A lot of people live day in and day out without realizing what life gives to them and it really is a shame. So, for this blog entry I want to talk about what I, Lindi Himes, am thankful for.

Recently, I have started volunteering at Human Concerns in Oswego. Not only am I thankful for the opportunities that i have been given in my life but for even the simplest thing, food! In my family, “it’s all about the food,” and thank god for that. It may sound like a silly thing to be thankful for, but some people don’t have the opportunity of having a family owned grocery store with endless yummy things.

Next, I am thankful for my family and friends. This may be what most people generally are thankful for but without certain people in my life, I can’t imagine where i’d be today. First, My parents. They have given me everything they possibly could my whole life. Just a simple shout out in a blog would not do them justice! Secondly, my sister. Aside from getting into dangerous cat fights when we were little over taco dip on her text book (oops), my sister has always been the perfect older sister who looks after me. (and she bakes delicious food!) Lastly, the rest of my giant family. Remember my Big Fat Greek Wedding? Well yeah, that’s my Italian family in a nutshell. I may have a crazy family but without them i think i would go crazy.

Lastly, i’d like to say i’m thankful for my friends and my derby team. Without my friends, I would never get into the crazy shenanigans that i’m best at, and on top of that have their 100 percent support. On my way out last night, my cousin Laura and my sister Mel were talking about what our lives would be without the friendships we have formed over the past year and a half. We couldn’t imagine it. And most importantly, no one accepts my smelly equipment like they do!

Okay all, sorry for the randomness. Enjoy the holiday! Cheers!

 

Practicum (Fall 2011) – Day 6

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The sixth day of my Practicum experience this semester was a half-day for the students because of parent-teacher conferences. In fact, they had had half-days Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday last week due to parent-teacher conferences, but this didn’t affect me because I leave at 10:40, anyway. I am now going on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays because I had to find someone new with whom to carpool, and now, my situation is a bit worse, because now, I am not even the only Practicum student. Now, in the morning, there is the Host Teacher, the student-teacher, a teacher’s aid, and two Practicum students, which is just a little bit ridiculous. The other Practicum student is really nice, but I feel even more insignificant than I already did.

When I walked in, the student-teacher warned me that they weren’t really doing anything because of an assembly, and that was the case. Basically, I went with the students to a Book Fair, and it was refreshing to see a great deal of students really excited about going, especially since a couple of them even bought books. I would have loved to, because they actually had a really great selection of books, but I didn’t have any money on me, which was probably good, because I ended up spending a considerable amount of money on my boyfriend’s birthday this past weekend. Then, we attended the assembly, which entailed honoring students with perfect attendance, Honor Roll, High Honor Roll, etc. by giving away prizes via raffle tickets. The rest of my time was spent trying to pass time, such as hangman with the other Practicum student and the student-teacher. It was a really easy day. I attend Practicum tomorrow, so I’ll be writing again soon.

Gotta Get Free On Friday

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Have you ever wanted to speak your mind, scream at the top of your lungs or run around without a care in the world? Yes? Then Free Speech Friday is the place for you. This past friday, Oswego State student Shane Hillman, best known for his megaphone-filled friday afternoons, organized the event, featuring live music, food, games and even magic from Shane himself.

During the event, one could find oneself among an assortment of activities that promoted the idea of the freedom of movement, speech and expression.

Hula-hoops, Twister, and Kan Jam allowed for a freedom of movement, where one could relive their childhood games and let their inhibitions go.  Face painting and the live music of student performers generated the freedom of expression, as well as a positive vibe.

Twisting Their Way to a Fun Time

Just like Friday afternoons in the quad, students were invited to come speak their minds on whatever he or she wanted to talk about. The mood was relaxed and the people were accepting of whatever others wanted to say and also of their ideas.

Just Jammin'

Speaking of ideas, almost every suggestion was fair game. When two girls asked if they could paint a guy’s beard rainbow, he had no hesitations, allowing them to paint the colorful facial hair on his face without worry. This is just one example, but the atmosphere of Hewitt Ballroom that night was just as bright as his beard.

Brighten Up the Beard

The buzz of Free Speech Friday can be attributed to the delicious snacks, including homemade honey popcorn, prepared by Shane. The food was healthy, the music flowing and the smiles a-plenty.

Shane Sharing his Signature Snack

Make sure to check in on Friday afternoons to speak your mind, and chalk your thoughts.

Next week, Thanksgiving! No happenings to be had, but tweet us what you’re thankful for, or maybe a picture of your Thanksgiving dinner!