First Day

I have been told that there are people who read this blog and who would like to know how my graduate school experience is going, so here's the brief update:

Class started at 8:30 this morning. In the first 15 minutes of class, my proffessor proudly described herself as an open-minded liberal. Yes, this was my introduction to my multi-cultural education class. I know what some of you are thinking: didn't you take an MCE class this summer? Yes, in fact it was a prereq for the MIT program. But since I enjoyed that class so much, I get to take another one now. Joy of joys.

This will be another class where I'm afraid to say anything, since "we're tollerant of everyone" except those who think things like homosexuality is wrong (they even have a name for us: heterosexist). Oh well, I guess I'm used to it by now. I only hope (and feel free to pray) that I keep my mouth shut when I should, but that I also open it when I need to; I don't want to dirty God's name, but need to be firm as well.

Let's see...I had two hours to kill between classes today, but Karman Tandon called, so we hung out, got lunch and stuff so I wasn't wandering alone that whole time. Then came my science teaching course. We started a computer-lab (we're in the lab on Wednesdays), which was different, but worked, I guess. The class is only those w/ the science endorsement, so there's only 14 of us. The down-side was that we spent the class on the Macs doing a 3-slide powerpoint presentation to introduce ourselves. The proff, who's really nice, was 'teaching' us how to use powerpoint, which was quite boring to me. Oh well, it worked, and the introductions were interesting, at least.

Ok, that was more detail than I originally intended to write, but now you've got it if you want it, so enjoy!

Fall Cleaning

Ok, so I didn't do much spring cleaning this year, but I'm off to a great start on my fall cleaning! Yesterday and today I worked on my room; not just the typical pick stuff off the floor cleaning, but I also went thru all the binders and papers that have been sitting under my bed.

To fully understand the significance of this feet, you need to know that I've kept all my papers and binders since high school, and even one binder from junior high. They have been sitting under my bed, accumulating over the years and collecting dust.

My problem is that I'm a pack rat. I can't throw stuff away. I always think "What if I need this someday?" And every once and a while I do end up using something I've saved, which just re-inforces my pack-rat tendencies.

But I've finally used all the space under my bed and have no where else to put new school binders, so I figured it was about time to get rid of stuff. I'm really quite proud at how I came out. I think I got rid of at least half of what I had. I know what you're thinking: why are you keeping any of it. Two reasons: first, there are classes that I really enjoyed and that I got info that I'd like to be able to reference again someday, and second, I'm keeping all my science material for reference when I become a teacher.

Ok, enough of my boring you with my cleaning story. Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm being good. : )

One down

Yesterday I finished my "September Experience" observation at Skyview Junior High. All in all the 2 and a half weeks there were good. I learned alot about teaching styles and student attitudes and the dreaded WASL.

The time was good, but I'm glad to be done too. It was starting to get a bit monotonous watching the same thing 5 times a day. That, and not being able to be very active in the classroom, I'm hoping the next field experience in the end of October we'll be able to do a small bit of teaching or something.

I still have the M's games today and tomorrow, but after that the team's out of town for about a week and the longest homestand of the season will finally be over! I've gotten to work alot, which is good, but it's been exhausting to go from the JH strait to M's.

Monday my group prepares out presentation, Tuesday we present and get oreintated (supposedly), and then I'll have a week of "vacation" before classes start. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to that week!

And in other news, I got the 5th Harry Potter book from Megan on Wednesday, so I'm highly distracted by that again...

Philipians 2:14

Not to make a huge deal out of it, but am I complaining too much? I just realized that it may seem like all I post is complaints about how hard life is and how I never get any sleep or whatever. That's not my intention at all, but I need to be aware if I am.

I think I can tend to be a bit complantive (my new word), so I'd like to keep myself in check (and need ya'll to help).

Weekend? What weekend?

Ok, so I do actually get a weekend, but it really doesn't seem like it. I worked the M's game tonight, I work the game tomorrow, and I work the game on Sunday (I work Monday's game too, but that's not part of the weekend).

Tomorrow I do get to have lunch w/ Wes and Ben before they both head off to their new colleges; Wes to Stanford, Ben to SPU. Thankfully we agreed not to meet until noon which means: I GET TO SLEEP IN!! You don't know how great that is. This getting up at 6am thing just doesn't work well for me. It'll be good to have the chance to get some real sleep for a change.

But back to my non-weekend. Other than the sleeping in and lunch, I don't really have time to breathe. I'm working the M's game tomorrow night, as I've already said. I go to church in the morning, although I'm leaving early. I go from church to the M's game, which I again work. Then I'll probably head off to Sambica for the Praise and Baptism thingy for the youth groups. That goes until 9 or something. Then I get home, do laundry if I'm lucky, and try and get some sleep before I have to get up at 6 the next morning for another long day (full 8+ hour day at Skyview and then working the M's that night).

Oh well, free-time and weekends are overrated anyway, right?

The windup, and the stretch...

...and the stretch I'm talking about has nothing to do with baseball--wait, ok, yes it does. I guess it has half to do with baseball. I just started a stretch of two weeks that will be fairly crazy, and very exhausting. I worked the M's game tonight (we lost, no big suprise there). Tomorrow morning I start up again and Skyview JH and continue that all week. While I'm putting in a full day at the JH, I'll be spending my evenings getting paid (working M's games). I'm working Wednesday's game, and then Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. So basically, I don't get a weekend. Fun, huh?

Then I continue with my observation at Skyview JH the following week, as well as working the M's games Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It's good that I'm working, since this is the last full homestand of the year, but it's a crazy time to do it. I also have a 4-5 page paper to write about my observation period and an interview I'm supposed to do that'll be due when classes start. And I have a group presentation to prepare by the 21st. Needless to say, I've got lots to do.

Random question: a friend of mine mentioned that I've changed since high school, which I'm sure is the case. But I wonder, how have I changed? For the better? For the worse? Honnest answers only, please. : )

Stuff

Contrary to popular opinion, posting more often does not increase the commenting, at least on my blog. Why bother go thru the effort to put alot on the blog if no one's reading it?

So I'll give you a quick weekend update. First 3 days of my in class field experience are now done. It's been good and tiring (not being a morning person, getting up at 6 every morning doesn't work so well for me). The classes are interesting, and my cooperating teacher is really good. She talks alot, which is a good thing in this case, because she's always explaining what and why she's doing things.

Today, in just a few minutes actually, we will be leaving for Canada to take my youngest sister up to college at Trinity Western Univeristy. That's right, I'll be spending the day up in good ol' CANADA. Random Fact: I've heard the Canadian national anthem so much working for the M's I can now sing most of it from memory.

Ok, time to go!

Day 1

My alarm went off at 6:00 this morning (but of course I didn't get up right away). I then proceeded to get ready for my first day of "school." It didn't take me too long to find and arrive at Skyview Junior High. It's up in Canyon Park, not too far from Ben's house (it's the JH he attended, actually). Got there about 20 minutes early (better than late), so I waited for a while and then was taken to my classroom to meet my cooperating teacher, Mrs. Hjort (Yort, it's danish).

The day was long, but not as long as some days in the bookstore can be. : ) Being the first day of classes for the students, I got to observe Mrs. Hjort use her seating chart and begin to learn student's names (she's a fast learner). There was a little bit of syllabus related stuff, but instead of going over class rules and such, my CT (cooperating teacher) decided to get the students started w/ an experiment on density and bouancy, requiring them to use the scientific method to design their own experiement. They designed today, and tomorrow will implement their designs and see if they have a good design, or if they need to rework it. I was able to wander the class and help answer some questions for the students, so that was good (in previous years, MIT students weren't allowed to interact at all, but had to just observe...very boring).

And now it's pouring down rain and --oh, there was a flash of lightning. Very odd weather we're having today--op, there's the thunder: dissapointingly soft. Oh well. That's all the updating I can really think of for the moment. I'm tired from getting up so early, and need to make myself go to be earlier tonight (yeah right).