22 Things I Learned 22

1. Don’t be afraid to be yourself the people that matter will stick by you

2.    Alone time is ok you don’t have to social every minute

3.    Study hard it will pay off

4.    Working during breaks will teach you so much

5.    Work out – it helps with everything

6.    Take small risks

7.    When you are really interested in something don’t be afraid to totally nerd out

8.    Read a lot – books have so much to teach you

9.    Dance whenever you feel like it

10. Don’t be afraid to give people a second chance

11. Let those close to you know how much they mean to you

12. Write letters – people have so much to teach you

13. When you listen you learn so much

14. Sometimes you should stand up for what you believe in, but choose your battles

15. Children make you see the world in a new way

16. Wake up with a smile on your face

17.  Even though you may not see some friends everyday they still mean the world to you

18. Loss is hard

19. Driving is not as scary as I thought it was – plus it gives you a lot of independence

20. A little boy can make you see teaching in a new way

21. The important moments are usually the little moments

22. Love life 

Growing Up

You know when you were a kid and someone asks you what you want to be when you grow up.  The thing you don’t think about is paying rent and paying for car insurance.  This week I had to get a new car battery and faced some of the realities of adult life.  At the car place they called me mam.  That was weird.  When I go to schools for field work they often mistake me for a student.    

            There are perks to being an adult though.  You can hop in the car and go to the library when you want to and yes I am a nerd.   You can work a job and make your own money.   I love my job and honestly it probably is where I am happiest.  You get to have deep friendships that mean the world to you.   Some of these friendships will turn into heartbreaks, but other amazing friends will be there to help you through that time.  

My Grandma and McCallie

          I know it has been a while since I have written, sorry this past semester was super busy.  I spent a ton of time in the classroom this semester doing field work and studying.  Now I am at home enjoying my break with my family.  I am feeling really grateful for my family.  My brother is coming home in four days after being away for a while.  I am really excited to see him.  My grandma had surgery today.  She has been on my mind a lot lately.  She is a daily inspiration to me.

            My grandma has not had an easy life, but somehow each day she wakes up each day and finds beauty in everything.  Every time I talk to her on the phone she makes me smile.  She makes me feel so special each time I talk to her.  She is a very giving person.  She collects soda tabs for St. Jude.  She came for both my graduation and my brothers, which is a big deal because she lives in California, so it is a journey to get here.  She has taught me what is truly important in life.

            The other big event in my life is that my family got a puppy.  Her name is McCallie and she is full of sass.  I love her so much.  She greets me each morning.  She loves to cuddle and be held, but she also likes to chew on things.  I was upset when I found that she had chewed a whole into my PJs the other day.  My new strategy is to give her a toy when she is on my lap, so I do not become the chew toy.  She is very smart, but I might be a little biased.   My dad taught her how to high five.  It is so cute!   She also knows how to roll over.  She has brought my family so much joy.   I can’t wait to see my brother meet her.  

What I have learned Freshman year to Senior year

1.    Get involved

a.    I could have never imaged myself in some of the organizations I am in when I was in high school.  So put yourself out there, it is worth it.  You will meet so many different people.  I am involved with two service clubs.  I am also in Equality Alliance, which supports the rights of the LGBT community.  I am also in a sorority.  The service groups have given a chance to have leadership role.  It also gave me a chance to get use to speaking in front of people, which I will be doing as a teacher. 

2.    Friends teach you a lot

a.    Some friends will be there from your freshman year till your senior year and some may transfer.   One of my friends called me on my birthday last year and left a voice mail.  The reason why this is so impressive is because she transfer out of my school my freshman year.  It is so nice that she took the time out of her day to give me a call.  One of my close friends and I have been friends since freshman year it has so neat to watch us to both grow.  My friends have taught me how to be a good friend.  One of my good friends answered the phone when I called her at two in the morning when I was upset.  My friends have taught me that being there for your friends when they are going through a tough time is really important.  This summer my dog passed away and all my friends really helped me get through this time.

3.    Exercise

a.    Exercise is a great way to deal with stress.  When I am feeling really stressed I love to go for a run.  I always feel better after I run.  It is also really easy to gain weight in college.  At my school the best food at the dining hall is the deserts.  If I want to keep eating the chocolate chip cookies I have to keep running.  My school also offers exercise classes that are a ton of fun!  Last year I did Zumba, yoga, and kickboxing.  

Summer of Growth

        This summer I grew up a lot!  I worked almost the whole summer and took two classes.  The thing I gained the most was independence.  Last Fall I got my driver license, but until this summer I had not driven by myself.  Now I drive myself to work every day.  I use not be able to imagine what it would be like to live on my own after I graduate college, but now I am staring to be able to picture it.      

            This summer I also gained my teacher voice.  The kids now take me seriously, most of the time.  Sometimes I worry that I am to stern, but one day I worked in a different classroom and one of the students asked where I was all day.  I guess the kids like me if they want me back.  I have enjoyed working with these kids this summer.  They inspire me daily.  Each of them have their own personifies and they each do things that make us smile.

I think one of the scariest things about working with kids with special needs is that some of them run.  You have no idea where they are going.  My worst fear is that they will get to the parking lot.  I have learned to be quick on my feet. 

This summer has helped me see that I am going in the right direction.  I really want to be teacher and have gained an extra push to work harder in school this summer.  Last summer I worked with high schoolers.  This summer I worked with kids in elementary.  Each experience gave me valuable experiences.  

My Summer Goal

            So my summer goal may sound a little weird, but if you are an education major you will understand.   My goal is to work on my tough guy teacher voice.  You want me to in courage a kid I have you covered, but something I have been trying to work on is using a serious voice.  My biggest struggle is that sometimes kids do really cute things when they are being mischievous and I end up laughing. I think I have been making progress this summer.  I have been subbing as an aide in special education classroom.  Now when I whip out my serious kids actually listen to me.  The kids give me plenty of opportunities to practice it, but I don’t mind because it gives me a chance to practice. 

            Another thing I have been learning is that with different children you have to respond differently.  Some children you can sing songs to keep the class in order.  In a kindergarten class I was in the teacher would sing part of a song and then the students would sing it back.  It talked about a bubble.  The students knew when their bubbles were in they were to be quiet.   Other students need to know you mean business.  Some of the younger students I have worked with need their hand held when we go outside. The school is located by a major road.  Some of the kids have tried to get away from my grip.  I tell the child that they have to hold my hand when we are outside.  It is a risk to the child safety if I let them go. 

High School and Life Changing Experience

          My junior year in high school I took this class called Children’s Literature.  In this class we learned how to read books to children.  I learned the importance of practicing books before you read them to the kids.  Kids love when you do different voices for different characters, but that takes practice.  There are two different approaches to reading a picture book.  I remember loving this as a child.  You can show the students the pictures while you read it or you can have students form a picture in their own minds and then show them the picture.  Every Monday we would go to the local elementary school and go and read to the kids before they went to school.  This was one of my first experiences with kids in a school setting.  This made me want to become a teacher even more.  These kids where so excited about books.  They were really engaged with the books. Our final project in this class was a study on a author.

            This school year I was able to see kids listening to books again.  I work in daycare with preschool age kids.  After I was done with work I would go directly to my field work classroom, which was at the kindergarten level.  The amount of growth that kids make between preschool and kindergarten is crazy.  I would read books to both groups of kids and you could see how much they grow.  Many of the preschoolers had a hard time to sitting through the whole book.  The kindergartners would ask questions throughout the whole book.