10 Things that Make Me Happy

1.      My Family – My family is always there for me no matter what. They always have my back

2.      My Friends – As I discover this adult world I have learned that some of my friends have become like family.  They always know how to pump me up and there for me to celebrate my victories.

3.      Teaching – I have finished my first year of teaching.  It was an amazing experience.  Watching little people grow over a year is a wonderful experience.  Experiencing a child discover their independence is the most rewarding experience

4.      Running – running gets my positive energy following

5.      Reading – I feel like each time I dive into a book I get to live someone else life for a little bit

6.      Music – I pump out my lesson plans listening to tunes.  Music has always motivated me.

7.      Anything pink – I love the color pink

8.      The first snow – I love the magic that the first snow brings

9.      Coloring
10. Organization  

One Blessed Summer

I have had an amazing summer! It was filled with surprises and much laughter.  I was truly blessed this summer. 

1.    Teaching – I have my first teaching job!  I will be at the same school I student taught at and I could not be more excited!

2.    Grandma – My grandma suffered a heart attack the weekend of the 4^th July.  That was probably the worst weekend of my adult life.  She is currently in the hospital.  She has had one surgery and is waiting on one more.  This weekend reminded me how precious family is.  

3.    An unexpected friend – I had a co-worker this summer who had my same sense of humor.  She is a wonderful friend to me and I’m so glad she came into my life this summer.

4.    A closer bond – I have a friend who I have been friends with since I was a freshman in college and this summer we got even closer.  She always has my back.  She celebrates my victories and cries with me during sad times.  She brings a sparkle to the world. 

5.    Driving – This summer I drove an hour each way to my job.  I listened to a lot of audio books! 

6.    Camp – This was my first summer working at a camp.  I really enjoyed working with these kids.  We were outside every day and we swam several times a week.  

Non-Verbal Students

            These students amaze me every day!   They live in a world driven by communication and have to figure out how to convey their wants and needs without using traditional methods.  When these students are given the tools to help them communicate they often run with it. 

            People who work with students with these needs learn to read them very carefully.  Certain movements may indicate that the child is distressed or needs something.  Each non-verbal child I have worked with has taught me something new.  Just because they don’t have words to express what they are thinking does not mean that they are not thinking.  These children are so bright!   

Shoes

Some might say I have a shoe obsession, but I have learned over the years that shoes serve different purposes.   In life you have different activities you have to do and with each activity come a pair of shoes.

My Shoes:

·         Black ballet flats – These are my professional shoes; I have never been a heels girl. 

·         Sandals – Every Friday at my job this summer we had water day.  These were a life saver. 

·         Sneakers – These are my comfiest shoes.   My family loves to hike, so I often wear these on the weekend.

·         Flip-Flops – These are also my weekend shoes.  I also wear them around the dorm.

·         Slippers – I get cold really easily, so these keep my feet toasty warm. 

Summer Reflection

Another summer accomplished!  This one flew by!  I finished my last general requirement class, Geology.  It was a five week class which the quickest I have ever taken a class.  Next class student teaching!

            This summer I worked again with an extended school year program as a one-on-one aide.  I worked in a kindergarten through third room.   The lesson I learned this summer is to treat the classroom adults like a team.  Everyone is trying to do the best thing for the child and you need to talk to one another about your reasoning behind these ideas.  As someone who is trying to go into special education I realize that I will be working with a lot of people between the therapist and all the aides in the classroom.  Communication is key for the child to get all they need.  Through subbing for this program I have been fortunate to see different teacher’s styles.  I have realized that there will never be two teachers that have the same approach.  Each teacher is unique.  I think that each teacher brings their own personality and this contributes to their style.  Seeing so many approaches has left me with plenty of great ideas!

5 Things I Believe In

1.    Hard work pays off – My whole life I have lived by this.  Yes I have been there when you spent your whole weekend working on a project and you go to class on Monday and your teacher extends the deadline.  Think of it this way you have your afternoon off while your peers are working on the project.  One of my professor said that slackers will make it in college, but once they get into the real world it’s going to hit them.  Work ahead you will thank yourself later. 

2.    Don’t be afraid to be your self – I really like to color and some people might consider this childish, but for me it is really relaxing.  Every time I have finals I usually end up coloring for a break.  For my nineteenth birthday I got two coloring books and a huge box of crayons I could not be more excited.  For Valentine’s Day I colored each of my sorority sisters a Valentine’s picture and wrote a note to them.  They really seemed to appreciate it, so sometimes the things that make you unique make you really likeable.

3.    If you care about someone let them know - I think it really important to let people know how much they mean to you.  I text some my friends every day and let them know how much they mean to me.   This is something that I feel is getting lost in our society and being told that you mean something someone is a real confidence boost.

4.    Alone time is a good thing – When I first started college I wanted to be with people all the time as I have gotten older I have realized that being alone is sometimes nice.  After a long day it is really nice to sit down and read a book in a quiet place.

5.    Work on Your Weaknesses – If you try to avoid your weaknesses you are never going to get better at them. Face them head on.  When I was younger I would run away from my weaknesses, but in the end I would save time if I just dealt with them. 

My Favorite Present

My favorite present that I have received is a boom box.  This was my introduction to music.  That Christmas I had asked for several CDs.  After that Christmas I was hooked on music.  Since I was four years old I had been taking dance classes, so music already; played a role in my life.  Through my pre-teen years I would spend hours in my room creating dances to my favorite songs.  Whenever I am stressed out I like to make up dances I always feel better after.  Where my music is played has changed over time, but my love for it has never wavered.