That's NOT Fair

This past week I have seen a lot of my niece and nephews. I love these kids. In the course of my time spent with them I have come to learn a lot about things needing to be fair. Like for instance it's not fair that Logan didn't go to school (even though the poor kid spent most of the time in the bathroom. I think he would have preferred school). It's also not fair for someone to get more or less than they deserve. This is usually quantified by ages. For instance Logan needs five of everything, lets say cookies, because he is five and that is fair. I can usually counter this argument by saying "Well, I'm 21 Log. Do I need 21 cookies because I'm 21? That would be all of the cookies!" I don't think this really does any good, cause the kids just say that it doesn't count because I'm old, but regardless I have learned something from these small cries of "That's NOT fair."

In my Multicultural Diversity in the Classroom course I learned a pretty good definition of what fair is. Fair means that everyone receives what they need, in the manner that they need it, at the appropriate time. This was given while speaking about students with special needs within the classroom and making a "considerable accommodations" for those students. I filed this piece of information away in my "This is something I'll use when I'm teaching, but for now won't think about it" part of the brain; however, I think it should be reexamined. I think this is a fairly accurate definition of what fair is for life. Heads up, gonna get a little churchy, but I think this is how Heavenly Father works. Now I'm not saying Heavenly Father is an angry God dangling us like spiders over the fire, saying "You'll get what is coming to you." Quite the opposite in fact.

Heavenly Father hears us loud and clear when we believe something in our life just isn't fair. It's not fair that my roommate is graduating and I still have one entire semester after that. It's not fair to have loved ones torn from their mortal existence. It's just not fair. He hears those, but He knows that everyone is getting what they need the most, in the manner that they can receive it the best, at the time they need it. We may not see it as fair, but Heavenly Father sees it as best. He knows everything.

I had an institute teacher once tell us that Heavenly Father did not send us to Earth hoping we would succeed in all that He sent before us. He sent us here having seen what we would do with those moments in life that we don't think are fair. He saw us succeed. Perhaps we just need to redefine fair.

Mindy Anne

In my series of visits, I was able to visit my sister Mindy. Even though she lives in Provo and goes to BYU and I live in Logan and attend USU I was still extremely excited to spend a night at her apartment. Aside from a couple awkward moments with roommates and old mission buddy parties, the weekend was a success. Plus I was reminded of a few things about Mindy. These things I will share in yet another list.

Mindy puts things in perspective, but at the same time helps keep the focus on what really matters.

She has the greatest laugh bar none. It just makes funny things funnier, and not funny things better. I'm not sure how else to describe it, but it's the greatest.

The only downside to the possibility of living with Mindy would be that I would have to compete with her all encompassing beauty every day, which would be exhausting and unrealistic.

She's gorgeous. I make a certain effort to look good when I come home to keep up with my sisters; however, it doesn't always work out. And on a daily basis would fail consistently.

Her roommates still lover her, even though those roommates may not be perfect (hehe).

She really is lovable. I think Gavin and I always make her sit in the middle when we watch a movie for a reason- we both can't get enough of her.

Kirena Dawn

So in the last couple weeks I've had friends come visit or I've had the opportunity to visit friends. Two weekends ago a Miss Kirena Dawn Allen came to Logan town. I don't think words can describe how excited I was to get to spend more than just a couple hours with Kirena. This is an amazing woman, and I will tell you why. Betcha didn't think this one was going to be a list did ya? Guess again.

Kirena makes everything beautiful. I do not have this talent, but Kirena can take sweats and a t-shirt and make it elegant.

She always smells great, her Kirena smell.

She makes it feel like life is happiness. It's like the opposite of a Dementor, instead of sucking all the happiness out of life, she seems to pour ten times more into it.

She always has the right thing to say, even if you don't want to hear it.

She's also usually right, probably 90% of the time.

She leaves adorable notes.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

Today I have felt like I needed to get things done. There has been a lot of stuff on my mind lately, and the number one way I have been coping with those things is to simply ignore them; but no longer.

Today I decided to research just a couple things so as to prevent my head from exploding.

Student Teaching Next Fall: What's the deal? I had no idea how to even go about it. Bless the internet for helping me figure out what I want to do with the last semester of my bachelors degree. Come to find out that if I want to go student teach somewhere outside of Utah, USU literally makes you pay out the nose. So that definitely narrowed things down a bit. I've got a couple school districts in mind and I'm happy about those that are there. Until today I literally haven't even let myself think about it. I'll say this much about my list- they're all in Utah. I simply can't fathom being able to pay to go outside of Utah. If I could I would show you in dollar amounts why this is so true.

Job for Next Summer: I want to work at another Ropes Course, but sadly enough I think I am ready to be out of Logan, Ut. I have been researching other ropes courses in the surrounding areas. There are a few that have caught my attention and once again I am happy that they are in my head and that I looked into them.

Now neither of these really need to be addressed for a couple more months, but it was good to look into them, or even simply to think about it instead of ignoring them completely. This is me getting up and doing things, snaps for Megan.

Yeah, Music Says it Better

Once again a couple lines from a few songs have stuck out in my head today. Here's another list for you, my avid reader.

"Face down this carpet tastes like coffee grounds ground into my face now"

"I don't know if I'll make it, but watch how good I'll fake it"

"And still I feel I said too much
My silence is my self defense"

Those are the only ones I could think of at the moment.

Crappy, Crappy Week

This week has been extraordinarily crappy. I've wanted to vent about it on my blog. I want to tell everyone that having a right eye that isn't functioning correctly is really obnoxious. I've also wanted to rant about the fact that I'm 21 and I've thrown out my back, making me feel like a 45 year old man. However, with trying to be a little more positive, and keeping with the theme of November, I decided I would write a few things that I have been thankful for during this craptastic week. Listy list list list time.

I'm thankful for...

Eye drops.

Modern medicine in general. Even if they had to give me a shot in the "rear" (as the nurse put it) I am happy they could make the pain less. Also, ibuprofen- which I have been faithfully taking as often as I possibly can.

Icey-Hot. I've never used this little balm before, turns out it's fantastic.

T.V. and NOT doing homework. This might end up being a very bad thing in the coming weeks... but at this point in the semester I just don't care anyway, and so I'm grateful for T.V.

The couch. I've gotten to know the couch fairly well this week.

Showers.

Food. Especially when it is free.

Sleep.

Rice packs followed by Ice pads.

Doctors who write notes to get you out of work/school. Who knew that in real life a doctors note can literally get you out of everything. All they have to do is print off a piece of paper and sign it illegibly and you're set.


I'm sure there's more, but that's all my brain can think of at the moment. This is me grinding my teeth in an effort to stay positive.

Feeling Bloggy

I just finished an assignment for my "Technology in the Classroom" class. It was about Podcasting. I am not a fan of podcasting. Yeah, it's cool that people can listen to you instead of read what you have to say, but there are literally ten thousand steps to get there. This is why I am revisiting my blog this fine crisp fall day. Because I love my blog and I hate podcasts.

I do have to admit that my podcast adventure did reintroduce me to something that I have been missing for a while: Poetry. I stopped and thought that for the last three years I have analyzed at least five poems a semester. This semester, on the other hand, I don't think I've even read five poems. This made me sad. I have been reading Peter Pan and Wendy by J.M. Berry, which has been an extraordinary adventure (and thanks to fancy new phone, it's been really easy to access). The book is a bit darker than any of the movies, but I have loved it all the same (and for those of you who already know my affinity for Peter Pan will understand how much I have loved it). I just have to highlight one word that was used that I absolutely loved, it's one of those words that feels good to say: miasma. The definition is even better: noxious exhalations from putrescent organic matter; poisonous effluvia or germs polluting the atmosphere. Isn't that fantastic? Anyway, I feel like I need more literature in my life as of late.

I also think I need more of this fall weather. Given the choice I'd much rather sit in a pile of dried leaves than on the computer figuring out how to make something work as an MP3 file. However, I did have the opportunity to have some time outside, and it was lovely :)

Anyway, I just thought I would share. School is good, life is good, the leaves are changing colors and I think I might go watch them fall.

A Psalm of Life

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream ! —
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real ! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal ;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way ;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle !
Be a hero in the strife !

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant !
Let the dead Past bury its dead !
Act,— act in the living Present !
Heart within, and God o'erhead !

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time ;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate ;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

I found this poem during the class that I am observing at the high school. I liked it a lot, so therefore I posted it. My favorite part is the last three stanzas. I think that this has been on my mind because I've been thinking of what I really want to do with my life. I just think it's great.

Lesson Plans...

Are my life right now. My sister asked me to update my blog so she could know what was going on in my life. Well, there ya go. Lesson plans are my life. Want a taste? Well you asked for it.


Lesson Plan 19

Peer Review

Objective: To help students help each other in the writing process. This gives them a good place to start when they are reviewing and editing their papers on their own.

Standards Addressed: NCTE # 4 Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.

Common Core: 11-12.W2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

1. Discuss what peer reviewing means. Go over classroom rules on respect, these rules play a role in the peer review process (10 minutes).

a. There are “compliments” and then there are better compliments for a paper.
i. A compliment: “I like the font you used”
ii. A better compliment: “The examples you used to back up your argument that Miss Watson is a hero were creative and convincing!”
b. Please refer to the rubric for the specific suggestions involving word choice, details, organization etc.
c. If you are unsure about something editorial, ask me as I will be walking around during peer reviews.

Peer Edit with Perfection!
There are three steps to good peer editing:
1. Compliment the author
• What are a few things that you liked about the author’s writing?
2. Make specific suggestions regarding the author’s. Please look over the rubric for explanations of each of these points!
• Word choice
• Use of details
• Organization
• Sentence length
• Topic
3. Mark corrections on the writing piece
• Look for spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes. (See Editing Marks)
In addition, remember to:
• Stay positive!
• Be specific!

Copyright 2004 IRA/NCTE. All rights reserved. Image copyright 2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
ReadWriteThink materials may be reproduced for educational purposes.

2. After going over the peer review etiquette, go over symbols that should be used in editing. (5 minutes)
a. Also, squiggly line underneath means the sentence or idea is confusing.

3. Have students pair up with a copy of their paper and a copy of the peer review handout. Trade papers and complete the peer review sheet. After this have students get into another pair and complete another peer review sheet. (So by the end of the class period they should have done two, and should have two for their paper) (15 minutes).

4. In the second pair have students read the paper out loud. Reading a paper out loud can help students hear mistakes that they might have missed while just reading it silently (10 minutes).

Disenchanted

dis·en·chant

[dis-en-chant, -chahnt]

verb (used with object)

to rid of or free from enchantment, illusion, credulity, etc.; disillusion: The harshness of everyday reality disenchanted him of his idealistic hopes.

— adj
	disappointed or disillusioned

This is definitely how I have been feeling lately. Mostly towards my major. Have I been wearing rose colored glasses this whole time while preparing to be a teacher? If I were to care about all of my students would my head explode? If I were to put time and effort into my teaching, would I get burned out in three short years? Not even wanting to even learn my student's names? My eyes have been opened a little bit more to everything that teachers face. Especially the politics. And it's made me think more about what I've really gotten myself into.

And the worst part?

I still want to teach.

I want to go crazy helping students understand how to express themselves. I don't want to get burned out, but I want to have expectations for my students. In essence, despite everything that is bad about teaching (the whole overworked, underpaid) I want to teach. I must be certifiable. Disillusioned and a bit disenchanted, but certifiable all the same.

A Day in the Life of Megan

So I've thought about this for a while and I've decided to invite you into a day in the life of Megan. I chose Monday, September 12.

7:30 am Roll out of bed. Literally. Eat breakfast. Put on shoes.
8:00 am Catch bus up to campus for my Aerobics class (cause yes, I'm that lazy. I'll work out, just not more than I absolutely have to).
8:15 am Sit and wait for class to start
8:30 am Aerobics. In this class my teacher has a sadistic goal: To make sure the entire class cannot move afterward. She's really good at achieving this goal.
9:20 am Hobble down the Old Main Hill to go home and change for work.
10:00am- 3:15 pm Old Navy... The smell of paint, the sound of crying children, and lots of shirts to fold.
3:15 pm-4:45 pm Eating food... Doing homework.
5:00 pm- 6:00 pm More homework
6:00 pm- 7:00 pm Relief Society Meeting
7:15 pm-9:45 pm SCED 3210 Multicultural Foundations A class that I thought only lasted two hours, but really it goes for two and a half. That last half hour really made the difference. This is also a distance education class, which means two and a half hours of staring at a screen that is supposed to be teaching me about teaching.
9:50 pm Once again hobble down Old Main Hill... Then pass out at home.

I thought Monday was funny, so welcome to a day in the life of Megan.

Dear Blog,

I'm sorry I have abandoned you lately. I hope you haven't taken it personally. I haven't had ready access to the internet in the past month (i.e. I haven't had internet at my residence in Logan). It doesn't mean that I don't care, it just means that on the rare occasions that I do have the internet I am bombarded by other things. Predominantly homework at this point in time. I have also continued with two jobs and this takes up a lot of time. Anyway, I still care for you blog. And I swear I will try not to abandon you as much anymore.

Much Love,

Megan Kaye

Online Tutorials...

Are definitely not my favorite.

In other news, I have begun my senior year of college. I seriously can't quite wrap my head around it. Next week I will be at Logan High School trying hard not to get lost and participating in an 11th grade English class. Nervous much? I think yes.

U-turns & Low-tech

So I lack the appropriate skills to fully document the trip I took with my siblings to Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. Instead I'm going to recount the journey with some quotes.

Day 1 : Thursday, July 28th

"Is that close enough!?" -Megan

"YES" -Karen (aka the GPS)

"Did you know that they don't have sales tax in Oregon?"-Mindy

"Maybe it's the fish" -Megan

... Two minutes later

"Did I just say 'Maybe it's the fish'!?!"- Megan

That's all we remember from day one, but the drive at 2 am nearly reduced me to tears.

Day 2 : Friday, July 29th

"Hat drinks" -Megan

"Turn the air on. Turn it warm. And turn it towards my pants!" -Gavin

"The shadow of the necklace scared me..." -Mindy

"This is not an OK hill!" -Megan

"I thought there would be grass" -Mindy (in reference to a Portland festivity entitled "Flicks on the Bricks")

Day 3: Saturday, July 30th

"There's a kid in my ward named... From Bremerton" -Mindy

"That guy's shirt has a picture of a giraffe and it says 'Moo, I'm a goat'"- All of us

"I'll just make a square turn..."-Mindy

Saturday was a rough day, so we didn't have very many funny quotes...

Day 4 : Sunday, July 31st

"That train is going like 2 inches a mile" -Megan

"Squish fishing!" -Mindy

"Oh, it just blew away" -Megan (in reference to a bird)

Day 4: Monday, August 1st (The day of my birth, in case you were wondering)

"How would you reuse toilet paper?" -Megan

"How many presidents signed it?" -Megan

"That music helped keep me awake on the drive home."-Megan

"That music helped keep me asleep on the drive home." -Mindy

"I think a screaming pterodactyl would have helped keep you asleep" -Gavin

Day 5: Tuesday, August 2nd

This day was mostly sleeping or watching movies in the car; however, this is just the list of quotes we remembered/documented. Needless to say there were countless more that were forgotten from the sleep deprivation accompanied with the smoke of Seattle. If we remember more amendments will be made to this post. And the running gag of our trip? "If only we had a smart phone..."

Hope you enjoyed our montage of quotes from our trip. If you're dying for pictures, click here.

Reward Theory of Attraction

We tend to like a person whose behavior provides us with maximum reward at minimum cost.

I found this in my Social Psychology book. Lame? I thought so too. Maybe people should work for reciprocation (which is defined as a mutual giving and receiving) instead of looking for the most while giving the bare minimum. Sometimes psychology makes me think people are the worst.

Dear UP House in Herriman, Utah

I want to see you so bad!

I love the Parade of Homes, and I wish I had been there the week it was open. Now I will just have to stalk this house the next time I am home. It even has the hose that Russel can't climb up, and the mail box that sparks the whole story. If only there was a squirrel somewhere, and Dug! Anyway, you are an adorable house and I think people are geniuses for this one act. Woot for the HBA (Home Builders Association) for putting this lovely house in Parade of Homes. Not to mention those who actually built you. My own personal pictures will follow ASAP :D

Stop. Drop. Gold. Black.

Yeah, the zip line is pretty cool.

There Must Be Something in the Air

Because once again this is happening all over facebook....

I stole this from Brooke Austin, but it's true; however, whatever is in the air is just causing me to have itchy, red eyes, sneeze ten thousand times in a day, and have a scratchy throat. I guess pollen isn't the only thing I'm allergic to.

I'm Missing...

The ability to breath through both nostrils at the same time. Who knew allergies could just spring up on you so quickly.

Air conditioning. I currently lack this in my car, my house, and one of my two jobs (mostly cause one is outside). I never knew how much I loved AC, but I do. Love and miss dearly.

Sleep. Because of the combination of the first two, I have had much less sleep. I've found that if I go to bed with an ice pack somewhere in my bed and a fan going full blast sleeping is much more doable; however, it took me over a week to figure this out so much sleep was lost.

Home. I have been a little homesick. Perhaps this is because I am dreaming of my bed in the cool basement, or the fact that I have the misconception that my allergies only affect me in Logan. Either way, I'm missing home.

Family. This goes hand in hand with being a little homesick, but I miss them especially.

Friends. I have friends from Salt Lake to Wyoming that I am surely missing.

I think this list has been great to think about, but I have also found a bunch of things that I have found.

I've Found...

A new respect for people with allergies. I'm not going to lie, I've always thought allergies were a lame excuse to not want to do anything or go outside. I have found the error of my way. Allergies are the worst. I have holed myself inside as much as possible if only to avoid the horrible floating white substance that blocks off my breathing and restricts my vision.

A great tan. As much as air conditioning is fabulous, within the heat of my job I've found I've gained an awesome farmers tan and an even better chaco tan line. I believe I currently hold the chaco tan line crown :) Snaps for me.

Great books. In the time that I haven't been able to sleep (usually from 1 in the morning to 5 in the morning) I have rediscovered great books. The Book of Mormon, The Red Pyramid etc etc.

Home away from home. I bought a hammock. This might sound weird as my "home away from home" but I braved two hours in my back yard with my new hammock, armed with allergy medicine and bug spray and thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was simply so relaxing that the only comparison that does it justice is my own home.

Friends. At the ropes course we are staffed solely by women, minus our head coordinator. This has been the greatest. I have found a friend in each one of the girls that I have worked with there, and I am so grateful to have a summer to spend with them. Hopefully there will be many more nights of Harry Potter and or Village Inn.

Roommates. This goes along with the previous one, but I have found great roommates. What are the odds of finding a roommate that is willing and prepared to encourage me to go to a ballet class? Slim to none, but I was lucky enough to find such a roommate. And we have enjoyed one ballet class and hopefully many more as the summer progresses.

I hope my lists of randomness haven't bored you to death!

Happy Thoughts

Apparently they lift you into the air. I think Peter Pan was right. Happy thoughts are the best. My day started out with a happy thought and the happy thoughts just kept rolling. We'll share this in a list :)

I was making my lunch this morning (good old PB&J) and I immediately thought of my mother. Somehow at some point, whether by my request or my mothers offer, the idea of just having jam on bread was born. My mom and I called it just jam. I remember her asking me if I'd like PB&J or Just Jam, and usually I would say Just Jam cause it was the best homemade strawberry jam that anyone could ever ask for. I loved it. To this day I don't think anything can top Just Jam. Thank you Mother dearest for giving me just what I want-always :)

At Old Navy this morning I was working at the register. When on the register you usually have to multi-task. As you're ringing people up, you also have to greet the customers coming in as well as acknowledge the customers who are leaving. So, I'm ringing up a lady and she has two very cute kids. During the transaction a couple people leave, and I say "Thanks for coming in guys" and the cute boy who belonged to the woman I was checking out enthusiastically says... "You're Welcome!" This happened twice before the transaction was over. He was adorable, and extremely polite.

Ropes Course. (If you didn't notice my life kinda revolves around work). Anyway, today we were doing more building. Thirty feet in the air. With power tools. Now I figure most of you wouldn't believe me so I made someone take a picture. It's a small phone picture, but photographic proof of what I actually do. So enjoy. (The happy thought for this is that I didn't descend quickly [we're not supposed to say 'fall' or we have to sing "I'm a Little Teapot" for all to hear] and I didn't drop anything on anyone. Successful day at the ropes course).

Please disregard how fat the harness makes me look... We have to keep them tight or it becomes very uncomfortable very quickly.

From there we went straight to campus where we learned how to set up a thirty foot movie screen. We then proceeded to watch Tangled and then learned how to take the screen down. In the dark. It was a very good time, enjoyed by all :)

So despite my back hurting a lot (don't worry I've got ice and hot pads) today has been a very long and very successful day and I am excited for the rest of my summer :D

Summer 2011

So far I'm not entirely sure how to go about describing my summer. I really wish I had access to all the pictures we have taken up to this point, but alas... I do not (BUT one of my goals is to get my own camera and document my adventures).

I already wrote a list about what I've learned (and yes Mindy, we learned how to put a helmet on properly so if you descend quickly and happen to land on your head, it actually does its job instead of sliding off for you to crack your head open). And the only other way I can think of is pictures... So my dear reader I think you will just have to wait and see.

Also, today I took my car into the shop. At approximately 10:00 am today I should have a car with a fully functioning driver's side door, AC, windows that roll down, a left front blinker, a rear-view mirror, and a host of other random small things. I am pretty freaking excited :)

Wobbly Log

Today was my first day on the course. Needless to say it was an adventure. Started off with rain (and I'll just tell you now that it ended with much more rain). Despite the rain, however, this was such a great day. In the last two days I have.... (bet you didn't think this was going to be a list. Guess again)

So in the last two days I have...

Gotten my food handlers permit

Been CPR/First Aid certified

Learned how to tie various knots (Partner, Barrel, Figure 8, Fisherman's, and Prussic)

Learned how to use a ATC, Figure 8, and Gri Gri as belay devices

Learned how to set up a zip line

Learned how to actually belay someone as they are in the harness/air

Learned how to put on a helmet

Learned how to put on a harness

Also learned how to check a helmet and harness to make sure it's safe

Been rained on, a lot

Frozen

Scribbled down at least four activities that I will use in my classroom someday

Wanted to rub it in other people's faces that my summer job is cool than their summer job

Been really tired

Read, a lot

Done homework

Finished my laundry

So it has been an exceptionally good day/two days. I'm excited for the rest of this summer. I will try to get pictures of adventures, but of course they pulled the cameras out right after I was done crossing the wobbly log. Oh well I suppose.

Careful What You Wish For....

Remember that one time that I was actually planning and hoping to work two jobs, take classes during the summer and still find time to breath? Yeah me too. I dunno what I was thinking, because that's exactly what I got for this summer, and it may kill me.

Feeling Pink

It's kind of like feeling blue, but more like this...

Possibly some of this.

At any rate, today feels like a Pink kind of day.

Keeping Perspective

So the last week or so has been really hard for me to focus. I have had an extremely hard time writing or studying. And by writing I mostly mean typing in and of itself. I feel like I shouldn't edit this post just so you can get an idea as to how bad my typing abilities have become; however, I won't do that to you. It would be very hard to read and probably not very entertaining for anyone either.

In effort to keep in perspective why I actually want to get good grades and graduate, I bought a book entitled "Letters to a Young Teacher" (I might have also bought it because Boarders went out of business and I got it for like $1.50). Anyway, I have started to read it as 1), an escape from homework, and 2) as a way to remember that I really do want to teach. I have yet to finish this book, but about a hundred pages in and I'm hooked. I love the way Jonathan Kozol brings teaching to most personal level that it possibly could be. He loves the aspects of teaching where the teacher actually learns something of the student, and therefore can help the student better understand the task at hand. Learning and teaching for that matter isn't just a manufactured process to make certain that students make it to the next level and then become successful. Teacher and learning is about relationships, and then building on those to create understanding. I could literally gush about this book for a very long time; however, I won't bore those of you who are not planning on becoming teachers, but I will give you a few snippets that I have found and loved. Most of these probably only make sense in context... but I still liked them a lot!

"That bond of trust and tenderness comes first. Without that, everything is merely dutiful- and generally, deadening. It is not for dutiful aridity that people who love children become teachers."

"... at the end of all those 'ands' and 'buts' there's a piece of hidden treasure where the child tells us something that we never knew about him up to now. And good teachers use that piece of hidden treasure as a key to unlock motivation and to bring the child back into the classroom work..."

"Words like these [proficient, humorous, interesting, colorful] do not teach literacy skills; they teach pomposity... Don't inflict dead verbiage on living children."

There are several more that I have underlined (and yes, I have been underlining things in this book) but those are the ones that I will share for now.

This Wednesday...

Has not been productive. And I'll tell you why. In a list.

Falling asleep in the library

Spending money for food on campus (when I definitely have food at my apartment)

Dr. Pepper

Fruit Snacks (more than I'm willing to admit to at the time)

Blog Stalking instead of finishing my seven to ten page paper due next week

Writing this blog post to avoid doing homework

Facebook

Headache

Rain

Giving up on finding sources for my seven to ten page paper due next week

Thinking about lame stuff

Looking at a paper that needs revising and has red pen all over it saying things like "Unclear," "Confusing," or my personal favorite "I'm not sure what you mean here," as well as ten thousand question marks and then proceeding to stuff it back into my folder.

Did I mention that I've eaten my body weight in fruit snacks?

The huge knot in my shoulder/neck/back area

Writing this blog post that is in essence just me complaining after attending an institute class where the teacher asked us to try to complain less on a daily basis.

Not caring about the grade that I get in my Climate Change class. At this point I think I could be getting anywhere from a B+ to a D so... who knows?

Accidentally giving people the "man you're an idiot face." I promise that's just how my face looks all the time.

Granola bars, also not healthy if you eat more than one (and in all reality, the ones I buy aren't healthy to begin with)

Stinky shoes

Trying and failing to think about the summer

There are more I'm sure, I just thought I'd give you an insight to my lack of productive skills today. I hope you enjoyed. I'll think of something better to write next time, I promise.

The Closer it Gets to Finals...

The more I find myself on facebook, blogger, or any other non-school related website.

Also, it is that lovely time of year: Registration. I think I've said quite a bit on this subject; however, there's more to be said. I hate it. FOREVER.

In addition, I'm wishing this would happen instead of the current situation of just rain:

I also wish that teachers would only have this stamp:

Dear Chocolate Milk,

Thank you for spewing violently out of my nose and mouth. It made for a lovely display, and a horrific choking noise. Also kudos to my roommate for the perfectly timed crazy eyes and fancy new way of saying "Patriotic." Who likes a boring Sunday night anyway? Not me.

Wednesday

I like the feeling of getting things done. This is usually only one sparkling moment within a week that I actually feel this in regard to school work, but it's still good all the same. As a random side note, these moments happen on Wednesdays a lot. Maybe Wednesday is my day or something, but I feel like it's the day I get the most done.

That's all I really had to say. I hope your Wednesday is successful as well :)

Monday

I think Bob Marley Had it Right

Someone posted Bob Marley's song "One Love" on facebook. It's a good song, but it's not just the song that I began thinking about. I recently finished a book entitled A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier written by Ishmael Beah. This book is fantastic. It's heartrendingly truthful, and eye-opening. If you haven't read it, I suggest you do. This is a true account of a boy who was forced to join the army from ages eleven to fifteen. Literally his childhood was gone. Even through this, Ishmael Beah had the opportunity to overcome the horrific details of his past life.

You're probably wondering what this has to do with Bob Marley. Before the time of Beah's "war years" he and his country of Sierra Leone were greatly influenced by reggae, especially Bob Marley. So, there's the tie. This book illustrates humanity. More than that it helps people ten thousand miles away understand someone else, which is probably why I love this book so much. Anyway, read this and then listen to Bob Marley's "One Love," you won't regret it.

Oh Yeah...

This is what I will be doing this summer :)

Click here to see more sweet awesome pictures!

Also, I'm kind of pretty excited.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

This talk has been on my mind lately. I thought about posting the whole thing, but I figured if you'd like to read it lds.org is a perfectly good source. It's a talk about simply living from day to day; planning for the future as you see fit, but in essence living each day walking with Christ and doing small things to travel through life. I think I was reminded of this because of a possibly self inflicted illness that has made it difficult to keep food down. It's made me think literally of daily bread, but also of spiritual daily bread. Anyway, if you want to read the whole thing it's on lds.org (it's a CES Fireside). Here's a snippit though.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
Elder D. Todd Christofferson
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

"Generally it is good to try to anticipate what is coming and prepare to deal with it. At times, however, this captain’s counsel is wise: 'Take it one day at a time. … Don’t look ahead to the pain. Just get through the day.' To worry about what is or may be coming can be debilitating. It can paralyze us and make us quit.

I bear you my witness of the living reality of the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ, and of the infinite power and reach of His Atonement. Ultimately, it is His Atonement, His grace, that is our daily bread. We should seek Him daily, to do His will each day, to become one with Him as He is one with the Father (see John 17:20–23). I bless you that as you seek it from Him, your Heavenly Father will grant you your daily bread, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

Here is the link to that in case you would like to read the rest of it :)

Give and Get is Here!

Give and Get is Here!: "Enjoy 30% off from March 17-20 at Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy plus we'll make a 5% donation to a non-profit."

If you're interested, let me know and I'll shoot you and e-mail or something. It's actually a pretty good deal and it's going towards helpin people so what could be better?

My Weekend....

Has been full of family and friends. The best way to encompass this is through quotations from various aspects.

Jake: I can wait that far. (Life lesson learned. I can wait that far too)


Cohen: HE'S GOING TO SIT ON MY HEAD!


Me: (Pointing to the hairspray and gel, after asking Logan if the toothbrushes went in the cup in the cupboard in the bathroom) Hey do these go in the cupboard too? Or under the sink?

Logan: In the cupboard, but not in the cup. (Sounds smart-alecky but he was just being helpful. Logan is so sweet).


Card for Alec's Bridal Shower: Cute, sleek, and easy to slip off. (In reference to the headbands I got her hehe).

There were more, but my phone does this fantastic thing where it doesn't properly save the texts that I send to myself and hit "save as draft" I dunno how I'm going to phone blog anymore. Silly phone.

Not just Mindy

I had to share this. Mostly because it made me laugh so hard.

The other day I called my mom. We had a pleasant conversation, discussing school, work, and other such things when she asked "Have you talked to Mindy lately? Do you know how she's doing?" I told my mom that I hadn't and then we talked about how we feel like she's fallen off the face of the planet a little bit (don't worry Mindy, I don't think it's necessarily your fault, BYU does that to people ;)).

The next day I talked to Mindy, and proceeded to tell her that our mother had inquired about how she was when I had called. Of course I exaggerated for effect. I said something along the lines of "Yeah, I called mom and she answered and said 'Oh hey Megan... How's Mindy?'" Which wasn't really the case, but made for a good laugh all the same.

So as it turns out, Mindy ended up talking to my mom who then heard about the conversation between Mindy and I and the result? An e-mail titled "Not just Mindy." In which my mom explained that she loved to hear from me, and was simply wondering if I had caught Mindy because she had been unsuccessful in doing so. To this I laughed a lot.

The moral of the story? I love my parents. I like that my parents (especially my mother) loves each one of her children uniquely (despite the rumors that Mindy is the favorite). Anyway, thank you for letting me know that it's not just Mindy, even though we still love Mindy lots :D

A Tidbit

So I've recently been re-reading this book and I just wanted to share a small tidbit from it that just made me stop and think.

"You cannot produce trust, just as you cannot 'do' humility. It either is or is not. Trust is the fruit of a relationship in which you know you are loved. Because you do not know that I love you, you cannot trust me." In reply to this statement, the main character answers "I don't know how to change that." The rejoinder to this: "You can't, not alone. But together we will watch that change take place."

School Lunch

Today I thought about high school lunch. I miss that. The social aspect, all my friends together, laughing and having a good time. Oh and having more than 15 minutes to down my entire lunch, when I actually remember to bring it to campus.

Capture the Future with Your Faith

-M. Russell Ballard

That's all.

She's My Friend

But not my best.

I think I have a complex, and I think I can accurately describe it using the words of Homestar Runner's "Teen Girl Squad."

I'm not often worried about being liked by all, but when I do stop and think about it I feel like I'm liked by most...ish. Anyway, I have developed a complex about this though. I've found that with people that are good friends they like me just not that much. Thus the phrase from So-and-So "She's my friend, but not my best."

So, like "The Ugly One" I have the "She's my friend, but not my best" complex.

The Giver

Today I re-read this book. I love it. So much. Sadly enough I wasn't introduced to this book until my second year of college when one of my professors began cleaning out her office and gave away various books. This is an incredibly good book. The main theme I've picked out of this book is the difference between "Ignorance is Bliss" and "Knowledge is Power."

My own personal beliefs strongly leave me thinking that knowledge is power, but the arguments of "the community" in the novel The Giver are compelling enough to make one believe that ignorance is bliss. That not knowing would be sublime. No pain, no suffering, neglect, sorrow any negative emotion would be ultimately eliminated in ignorance. With these eliminations of negative feelings you would also have nothing on the flipside. No true happiness, no elation, or warmth. No true love. There would be a seamlessness of the "Sameness."

I don't want to give the whole book away if you haven't read it, but it is beautiful, easy to read, and fairly short. This books encompasses attitudes about knowledge versus ignorance while tying it into humanity (sort of haha). Anyway, it is a good book. I'm determined to teach this one once I get there. This might be the beginnings of a lesson plan. I'm excited :)

T.S. Eliot

Mr. Eliot, your poem has perpetually been on my mind. So I think I will share the particular part that has been popping up in my brain. I might have taken this a little out of context, but that's ok right? I'm allowed to do that. I've cited my sources :)

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
By T.S. Eliot

And indeed there will be time
For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,
Rubbing its back upon the window-panes;
There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create,
And time for all the works and days of hands
That lift and drop a question on your plate;
Time for you and time for me,
And time yet for a hundred indecisions
And for a hundred visions and revisions
Before the taking of a toast and tea.

...

And indeed there will be time
To wonder, "Do I dare?" and, "Do I dare?"
Time to turn back...

Today

has been a very long, but very successful day. We're going to talk about it in a list :)

1. Ballet. Turns out I haven't forgotten everything and I only look retarded doing some stuff rather than all of it. Also, I was missing it for a reason. I have been awake and attentive in all of my classes, starting long days with ballet was a good idea. Point for me.

2. I sat by the right person today in my Climate Change Lab. The student aid handed us a sheet of equations and numbers to plug in as a "refresher," this is where I would have started crying however my professor then proceeded to say we could work in groups. The girl sitting next to me actually knew what was going on and with our collective knowledge we got through the whole worksheet! Even though neither of us really knew how to work Excel or Math we made it.

3. English classes are basically second nature and I am no longer intimidated by them even if the professor has a reputation that precedes him or her (bring it on British Literature). I was intimidated the first day, but no longer :)

4. Sleep. How I need thee. New rule that I learned from my body this week. It is fairly vital that I get to bed by 10:30 at least 4 nights a week. Yes, I am an old lady (another way to prove this is that I get heartburn... what 20 year old gets heart burn? Oh yeah, me.)

5. Pretty much trying to get a rhythm down. So far it's going ok I think. I need to go shopping (in case you were wondering) and I am excited for school. First week, take that!

New Buses?

Yeah, I thought about this title long and hard. This is what I came up with. I think Cache Valley Transit has invested in new buses and that plus pancakes and eggs for breakfast was the perfect start to the first day of school. So far I've only been to one class, and sadly enough I have to drop said class, but it feels good to be back in school. I know how you, my dear reader, know how much I love school, so I'm pretty happy.

Other happenings? I am no longer the only person in my apartment. My roommates that I knew returned, and we finally met the newest member of our apartmenthold (it's like household, but in an apartment). I also think I am slightly overwhelmed by the amount of people that live around me. I think I have completely forgotten the socialness of Bridgerland and I also think it's going to take me a minute to get used to it. At Oak Meadows the most people we had in our apartment at one time was when my roommate's family came up for dinner one time, yesterday I spent three or so hours in an apartment half the size with twice as many people in them. Also, I didn't know any of my neighbors at Oak Meadows and at Bridgerland I am being inundated with neighbors... they just keep popping up! Not that I don't like it, it's just different. I think I developed claustrophobia during my Oak Meadows days and I think I am going to have to overcome it very very quickly.

In other news I'm just as awkward as ever, and my development of claustrophobia is only adding to that. I am still a little unsure of how to react to roommates that actually want to talk to me, and sharing a room, but I think I will get it. I feel like I had more to talk about, but I forgot what exactly it was. Maybe it will come back to me, and perhaps I'll just have more to write about tomorrow after I've gone to more than one class. Woot for school!

School Days

Is it sad that I wish school would just start already? Maybe it is, but today has been extremely boring so I've just been planning for the upcoming semester. Gotta say I'm actually pretty excited.

Despite USU's lack of reliable registration methods, I have made it into all of the classes I need to successfully apply for STEP teaching program (which I am pretty stoked/scared about). This is officially my last semester of English, and then onto the world of teaching. Very nervous, but very excited at the same time for that. I'm really happy that I've found something that I could really do and love in life. Somehow I think that even if I wasn't kind of a typical Mormon girl, I would still want to teach, which makes me even happier about it.

In other news I am taking a ballet class next semester. This kind of makes me a little sick to my stomach. I've recently decided that I miss dancing and this is how I reconciled that void. I haven't done ballet in about 8 years, but I figured I also have 9 years under my belt so digging up that old information shouldn't be too hard right? I guess we'll see. At any rate I'm nervous but excited, hopefully it doesn't kill me.

Also, I am taking a Climate Change class (mostly because it was one that fulfills my QI requirement and the teacher waived the prerequisite hehe). Hopefully there is little to absolutely no math involved, otherwise this could be an interesting semester.

Overall I'm pretty excited for Spring Semester 2011. I'm inching closer to graduation and I couldn't be more excited about that. Woot for school? I have a feeling I'll be singing a different tune come March haha

P.S. I moved back to Bridgerland. So far it has been pretty boring cause everyone is home for the holidays, but I'm excited to see how the ward is and who is still in it and meet new people that have moved in :)

Music Really Does Say it Better

The last couple of days I've caught a couple lines of a few songs that have just stuck with me. So here it is, a conglomeration of random lyrics from different songs. Enjoy.

"I'll be alright, just not tonight. Someday."

"Can you hear me? Are you listenin'? This is the sound of my heart breakin'."

"In my dreams your dreams come true."

"Gonna leave them going 'oh oh oh'."

"Why don't we just dance?"

"Sure ain't Narnia" (Haha I don't even know what this song is, but it always comes on at work, and this line always makes me laugh.)

Couldn't say why these are the random lines that stuck out, but there they are.