Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
How about a little change of pace?
I decided to shy away from the regular flow of my blog posts to write about a little something different. I was doing some browsing today when I stumbled upon www.emmawatson.com
I have to make one confession, but not on my behalf. Dusty has a minor crush (okay, a pretty big crush) on Emma Watson of Harry Potter fame. To those of you who are HP fans, you know her better as Hermione Granger. I found her website listed above and did some looking around.
I just have to say how encouraging it is to me that this gifted young actress (she is 20 years old) still finds it essential to attend college, despite the fact that her net worth is around $35 million dollars. In a generation where young celebrities often fall short of losing themselves to pressures of drugs, alcohol, and other troubles, I think it's actually really cool that EW is committed to an education (At Brown of all places!) and other things. Read around on her website to learn more. I really like the layout of the page. She seems like kind of a class act.
While I hate to admit that my own boyfriend has a crush on another woman, I guess I can accept that it's Emma Watson. Nonetheless, I felt the need to make him choose through the following photograph...
I took this picture in London outside of a Burberry store where apparently, EW is a huge hit. Who would you choose if you were Dusty? Before you go answering, watch yourself because I was really tired that day and hadn't showered in awhile so I look pretty nast. But some say grunge is beauty.
In the spirit of Emma Watson and my new found respect for her, here are a list of other celebrities that I feel raise the bar on admiration:
~Justin Bieber (I have to admire this guy for staying away from the bad stuff even after two years of crazy stardom, and I recently heard that his new movie, Never Say Never, is actually really good. And he is a Christian!)
~Natalie Portman (Phenomenal actress in Black Swan... Harvard Grad)
~Hayden Panetierre (She stole our hearts as Sheryl in Remember the Titans, and won me over as a dolphin activist who protested against the killings in Taijii... If you have never seen the documentary The Cove, you HAVE to check it out)
~Chad Ochocinco (You are probably like... Um, what?? But yes, Chad raises the bar. I recently found out that the money he is fined for various antics on/off the football field are all donated to charity. I find that pretty admirable)
~Brad and Angelina (I don't really feel the need to explain myself on this one. They are global ambassadors and they have adopted three children internationally. I admire that)
A few months ago, I may have put Miley Cyrus on that list, but nowadays, I feel like she is headed down a rough path to rockiness.
And if you feel I am a bad judge of character when it comes to admirable celebrities, that's fine. This is my blog so I write what I want!
I have to make one confession, but not on my behalf. Dusty has a minor crush (okay, a pretty big crush) on Emma Watson of Harry Potter fame. To those of you who are HP fans, you know her better as Hermione Granger. I found her website listed above and did some looking around.
I just have to say how encouraging it is to me that this gifted young actress (she is 20 years old) still finds it essential to attend college, despite the fact that her net worth is around $35 million dollars. In a generation where young celebrities often fall short of losing themselves to pressures of drugs, alcohol, and other troubles, I think it's actually really cool that EW is committed to an education (At Brown of all places!) and other things. Read around on her website to learn more. I really like the layout of the page. She seems like kind of a class act.
While I hate to admit that my own boyfriend has a crush on another woman, I guess I can accept that it's Emma Watson. Nonetheless, I felt the need to make him choose through the following photograph...
I took this picture in London outside of a Burberry store where apparently, EW is a huge hit. Who would you choose if you were Dusty? Before you go answering, watch yourself because I was really tired that day and hadn't showered in awhile so I look pretty nast. But some say grunge is beauty.
In the spirit of Emma Watson and my new found respect for her, here are a list of other celebrities that I feel raise the bar on admiration:
~Justin Bieber (I have to admire this guy for staying away from the bad stuff even after two years of crazy stardom, and I recently heard that his new movie, Never Say Never, is actually really good. And he is a Christian!)
~Natalie Portman (Phenomenal actress in Black Swan... Harvard Grad)
~Hayden Panetierre (She stole our hearts as Sheryl in Remember the Titans, and won me over as a dolphin activist who protested against the killings in Taijii... If you have never seen the documentary The Cove, you HAVE to check it out)
~Chad Ochocinco (You are probably like... Um, what?? But yes, Chad raises the bar. I recently found out that the money he is fined for various antics on/off the football field are all donated to charity. I find that pretty admirable)
~Brad and Angelina (I don't really feel the need to explain myself on this one. They are global ambassadors and they have adopted three children internationally. I admire that)
A few months ago, I may have put Miley Cyrus on that list, but nowadays, I feel like she is headed down a rough path to rockiness.
And if you feel I am a bad judge of character when it comes to admirable celebrities, that's fine. This is my blog so I write what I want!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Kids say the darndest things
I can't believe that already, another week of teaching has flown by. And with that, I have a three day weekend for PRESIDENT'S DAY! I'm not quite sure as to why we are given the day off to "celebrate" (if that's what you want to call it) but I will take it as a gift.
The last five days were interesting at school. They went really well once again, but as I mentioned last time, I was combating a pretty wicked virus that I am still recovering from here. It made for a long day Wednesday. I woke up in the middle of the night and was just drenched in sweat. I guess that means my fever broke, and since then, the aches and pains have left and now I am just dealing with a cough. Thursday and Friday were days I think I will learn to covet as a teacher someday: MOVIE DAYS. Do you want to know the best thing about studying the Great Depression? Cinderella Man. Starring Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger. A perfect cinematic depiction of American life in the 1930's. And also a perfect way to entertain a bunch of tenth graders for a three day period when it's a busy time in the school year. It is conference time at Maht which means it's busy for teachers. Thursday I spent fourteen straight hours at the high school discussing grades and class with parents. If there is one thing I have learned from conducting conferences at a teacher... it's that every parent deep down just wants to hear that they've got a good kid. So despite a few low grades here and there, it was mostly a good experience to be able to give parents what they want.
So back to the movie I'm showing... I did a little introduction to the film on Thursday and asked if anyone had seen it. Immediately, the class asked ME if I've heard the song.
What song?
Apparently, the rapper known as Eminem recently created a new song titled "Cinderella Man" and it's all the rage with my tenth graders. I had no idea of this... I'm not really a huge Eminem fan. Plus, I have no time to really explore music these days anyway. So I shrugged my shoulders and showed that I was unfamiliar with the song. They freaked out! It was as if I was an outcast that knows nothing of popular songs with teenagers these days.
Anyway, I told the kids that I listen to country music and that didn't score many brownie points with them like I thought. Sigh.
So on Friday, I told them to take out their video notes for Cinderella Man, and one of my student's raised their hand and said... "Ms. Miller. Can you RAP the LYRICS to the SONG, Cinderella Man?" And the whole class burst out laughing.
Kids.
I've had a couple of days to mull over something I heard this weekend in connection with teaching in a classroom. On Sunday, I went to the BU football banquet, an annual tradition occurring after each season's end. Because BU did so amazingly well this year, the banquet was postponed til just yesterday. My friend Kyle was one of the handful of seniors that spoke at the banquet. Kyle is currently student teaching also and shared an interesting thought... Imagine your classroom full of students that are either obedient, or disobedient. I can relate to that completely. I have both in all three of my classes, and the ones that are often disobedient sure make me appreciate the kids that are nothing but angels of OBEDIENCE. Kyle said that we should picture ourselves as "God's pupils." Imagine God as the teacher and us as his either obedient or disobedient students. It really put things into perspective for me. I couldn't imagine how much joy it must bring the Lord to see his people obeying him in everything they do. In contrast, it also must really frustrate him and drive him crazy to watch those of his children disobey. Isn't that an interesting kind of thought?
I just felt the need to share that with everyone this week. Kind of funny to envision yourself as a student of the King... but that is one role we can take on as Christians, right?
Hope everyone is having a great last week of February! Dusty is home in one week... I can't wait!!
The last five days were interesting at school. They went really well once again, but as I mentioned last time, I was combating a pretty wicked virus that I am still recovering from here. It made for a long day Wednesday. I woke up in the middle of the night and was just drenched in sweat. I guess that means my fever broke, and since then, the aches and pains have left and now I am just dealing with a cough. Thursday and Friday were days I think I will learn to covet as a teacher someday: MOVIE DAYS. Do you want to know the best thing about studying the Great Depression? Cinderella Man. Starring Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger. A perfect cinematic depiction of American life in the 1930's. And also a perfect way to entertain a bunch of tenth graders for a three day period when it's a busy time in the school year. It is conference time at Maht which means it's busy for teachers. Thursday I spent fourteen straight hours at the high school discussing grades and class with parents. If there is one thing I have learned from conducting conferences at a teacher... it's that every parent deep down just wants to hear that they've got a good kid. So despite a few low grades here and there, it was mostly a good experience to be able to give parents what they want.
So back to the movie I'm showing... I did a little introduction to the film on Thursday and asked if anyone had seen it. Immediately, the class asked ME if I've heard the song.
What song?
Apparently, the rapper known as Eminem recently created a new song titled "Cinderella Man" and it's all the rage with my tenth graders. I had no idea of this... I'm not really a huge Eminem fan. Plus, I have no time to really explore music these days anyway. So I shrugged my shoulders and showed that I was unfamiliar with the song. They freaked out! It was as if I was an outcast that knows nothing of popular songs with teenagers these days.
Anyway, I told the kids that I listen to country music and that didn't score many brownie points with them like I thought. Sigh.
So on Friday, I told them to take out their video notes for Cinderella Man, and one of my student's raised their hand and said... "Ms. Miller. Can you RAP the LYRICS to the SONG, Cinderella Man?" And the whole class burst out laughing.
Kids.
I've had a couple of days to mull over something I heard this weekend in connection with teaching in a classroom. On Sunday, I went to the BU football banquet, an annual tradition occurring after each season's end. Because BU did so amazingly well this year, the banquet was postponed til just yesterday. My friend Kyle was one of the handful of seniors that spoke at the banquet. Kyle is currently student teaching also and shared an interesting thought... Imagine your classroom full of students that are either obedient, or disobedient. I can relate to that completely. I have both in all three of my classes, and the ones that are often disobedient sure make me appreciate the kids that are nothing but angels of OBEDIENCE. Kyle said that we should picture ourselves as "God's pupils." Imagine God as the teacher and us as his either obedient or disobedient students. It really put things into perspective for me. I couldn't imagine how much joy it must bring the Lord to see his people obeying him in everything they do. In contrast, it also must really frustrate him and drive him crazy to watch those of his children disobey. Isn't that an interesting kind of thought?
I just felt the need to share that with everyone this week. Kind of funny to envision yourself as a student of the King... but that is one role we can take on as Christians, right?
Hope everyone is having a great last week of February! Dusty is home in one week... I can't wait!!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day Post (a day late, naturally)
I have been busy busy for the last week and a half.... preparing for this past week when I began teaching on Monday! If you have been checking in trying to figure out whether or not I survived, I'm sorry that you had to wait this long. Oh, and I'm alive, also. Honestly though, I couldn't ask for a better placement, or a better classroom, or a better group of students. Minus the three boys in my last hour of the day that meow... that is a whole different story that I don't want to waste my time discussing.
I took over with the Great Depression unit. And no better time than this past week when we were experiencing multiple days of negative degree temps! Wahoo! The kids have been great. It's kind of amazing how much you learn just within a week of experience, but really, I feel like I have learned SO much just based off of one week of trying to manage three classes of kids that are so unique and different in their own way. My first class of the day is second hour, and they are awesome. They are the most controlled group of kids I have all day, and they participate constantly which helps me out in tremendous ways. My second class is fourth hour which conveniently has a lunch break right smack dab in the middle of the period. On some days, this is a good thing, and on other days, it's the worst. But they are also great kids. My final class of the day is actually the last period, 6th hour, which is full of interesting kids. It's the boys that do me in...
Today we had a lesson on FDR and Herbert Hoover, comparing the two to decipher the similarities and differences that they share. or those who may not know, Hoover and FDR are both former presidents from the Great Depression era :) I know that there are in fact people out there that might not really appreciate history like I do... which is totally fine, so I clarify! Anyway, so I'm having the kids do research to compare and contrast the two. And one of my students gets up there to defend Herbert Hoover and says... "Why would we ever elect a president who is in a wheelchair?" And.. I froze. How the heck am I supposed to respond to something like that? I didn't know what to do so I looked at Janine, who immediately said, "That is inappropriate, and you're done. Sit down."
It's times like these I realize they call it student teaching for a reason!
But other than that, the occasional stupid remark or flub in class, things are going SO great. I love the school, I love the social studies department, I even kinda enjoy looking at Dusty's football picture in the trophy case on my way out to my car (kidding). Jana and I chaperoned the winter dance last weekend and had a blast with that, and believe it or not... I am over halfway done with my first unit! So far I haven't had too much trouble with planning, because I have a fair amount of time during the day where I am without wireless and just have nothing better to do than grade and figure stuff out!
So there is a student teaching update. A positive one. It's amazing how my attitude goes so haywire at the beginning of a new challenge, and very quickly settles right into whatever it is I have to do. I was an emotional wreck my first week. Now, it's just something I get to do everyday! Nevermind that it's something I wake up at the crack of dawn for.... but that's no big deal.
In other news. Dusty is coming home in ....... (DRUMROLL) THIRTEEN DAYS. Wait, I'm wrong, he doesn't just come home... he MOVES BACK! And I'm ecstatic. I haven't had much time at all lately to even express how excited I actually am, and when I really think about it, I'm thrilled BEYOND thrilled. And I also found out a couple of weeks ago that I will get to spend spring break in Arizona with my Grandma Bev and my aunt and uncle. So I am looking forward to having that much needed break and in WARM WEATHER at that!!
Not much else has been going on... Other than great stuff that's been going on in my relationship with God... which I swear I have been meaning to write about, but just haven't found the time. But to sum it up in a nutshell, I have been going to church every Sunday with my fam, and have been spending time in devotions with a book that I love called "Experiencing the heart of Jesus" by Max Lucado. Dusty suggested this devotional to me last year and I kind of forgot I had it (oops) until right before I started student teaching and it as been an AMAZING guide in helping me tackle new stuff, and also in getting to know Jesus on a much deeper level. There is so much more to it that I want to save for another time, but I just have to put that out there, I am learning so much apart from just how to be a teacher in this time, and I'm grateful for what I am learning.
The only downside to the last few days is that I got really sick over the weekend, mostly starting on Sunday, and it has worsened over the last few days, like really bad. I have a cough but no stuffy nose, and I feel achy all over and might be running a slight fever, but I don't have a thermometer so I really can't be too sure, ha! This is the downside to having a mom who is also a nurse: You are never TOO sick to get checked out. Seriously, I could be foaming at the mouth and my mom would probably tell me that I just need to ride it out. So... I don't know what I'm sick with, but my mom the nurse says its a virus. I want to respond by throwing on boxing gloves and kicking the crap out of the virus but we are at about round 3 right now and I'm losing bad. Okay, horrible analogy. I thought it was funny before I actually wrote it out.
Notice I'm not erasing it anyway.
So there is a quick, failing to do my life update justice post. One more thing that I can't complain about: THE WEATHER IN MN! It's been a nice, brisk upper 30 degree week so far and the snow is actually MELTING. I can't believe it. I love winter for a couple months, but February is definitely the time that I need to say SEE YA and never look back. Looks like nature is compliant with my beliefs for once!
It's amazing how things can seem so much more upbeat and exciting when you have something to look forward to. In just a few short days, Dust will be back. Exhale. I really can't believe it. This was a long and tough road but we are just about at the end of it, and I really can't believe it. As much as I would love to say it was awesome for our relationship (and it was), I'm ready to just toss that idea aside to just welcome him home, finally. I really love him, and I miss him to pieces.
I have to share this photo ^^^ It was taken this past summer at our friend Britt's wedding and she just recently posted the pics to Facebook... I love this picture. How cute is he? I adore him.
I took over with the Great Depression unit. And no better time than this past week when we were experiencing multiple days of negative degree temps! Wahoo! The kids have been great. It's kind of amazing how much you learn just within a week of experience, but really, I feel like I have learned SO much just based off of one week of trying to manage three classes of kids that are so unique and different in their own way. My first class of the day is second hour, and they are awesome. They are the most controlled group of kids I have all day, and they participate constantly which helps me out in tremendous ways. My second class is fourth hour which conveniently has a lunch break right smack dab in the middle of the period. On some days, this is a good thing, and on other days, it's the worst. But they are also great kids. My final class of the day is actually the last period, 6th hour, which is full of interesting kids. It's the boys that do me in...
Today we had a lesson on FDR and Herbert Hoover, comparing the two to decipher the similarities and differences that they share. or those who may not know, Hoover and FDR are both former presidents from the Great Depression era :) I know that there are in fact people out there that might not really appreciate history like I do... which is totally fine, so I clarify! Anyway, so I'm having the kids do research to compare and contrast the two. And one of my students gets up there to defend Herbert Hoover and says... "Why would we ever elect a president who is in a wheelchair?" And.. I froze. How the heck am I supposed to respond to something like that? I didn't know what to do so I looked at Janine, who immediately said, "That is inappropriate, and you're done. Sit down."
It's times like these I realize they call it student teaching for a reason!
But other than that, the occasional stupid remark or flub in class, things are going SO great. I love the school, I love the social studies department, I even kinda enjoy looking at Dusty's football picture in the trophy case on my way out to my car (kidding). Jana and I chaperoned the winter dance last weekend and had a blast with that, and believe it or not... I am over halfway done with my first unit! So far I haven't had too much trouble with planning, because I have a fair amount of time during the day where I am without wireless and just have nothing better to do than grade and figure stuff out!
So there is a student teaching update. A positive one. It's amazing how my attitude goes so haywire at the beginning of a new challenge, and very quickly settles right into whatever it is I have to do. I was an emotional wreck my first week. Now, it's just something I get to do everyday! Nevermind that it's something I wake up at the crack of dawn for.... but that's no big deal.
In other news. Dusty is coming home in ....... (DRUMROLL) THIRTEEN DAYS. Wait, I'm wrong, he doesn't just come home... he MOVES BACK! And I'm ecstatic. I haven't had much time at all lately to even express how excited I actually am, and when I really think about it, I'm thrilled BEYOND thrilled. And I also found out a couple of weeks ago that I will get to spend spring break in Arizona with my Grandma Bev and my aunt and uncle. So I am looking forward to having that much needed break and in WARM WEATHER at that!!
Not much else has been going on... Other than great stuff that's been going on in my relationship with God... which I swear I have been meaning to write about, but just haven't found the time. But to sum it up in a nutshell, I have been going to church every Sunday with my fam, and have been spending time in devotions with a book that I love called "Experiencing the heart of Jesus" by Max Lucado. Dusty suggested this devotional to me last year and I kind of forgot I had it (oops) until right before I started student teaching and it as been an AMAZING guide in helping me tackle new stuff, and also in getting to know Jesus on a much deeper level. There is so much more to it that I want to save for another time, but I just have to put that out there, I am learning so much apart from just how to be a teacher in this time, and I'm grateful for what I am learning.
The only downside to the last few days is that I got really sick over the weekend, mostly starting on Sunday, and it has worsened over the last few days, like really bad. I have a cough but no stuffy nose, and I feel achy all over and might be running a slight fever, but I don't have a thermometer so I really can't be too sure, ha! This is the downside to having a mom who is also a nurse: You are never TOO sick to get checked out. Seriously, I could be foaming at the mouth and my mom would probably tell me that I just need to ride it out. So... I don't know what I'm sick with, but my mom the nurse says its a virus. I want to respond by throwing on boxing gloves and kicking the crap out of the virus but we are at about round 3 right now and I'm losing bad. Okay, horrible analogy. I thought it was funny before I actually wrote it out.
Notice I'm not erasing it anyway.
So there is a quick, failing to do my life update justice post. One more thing that I can't complain about: THE WEATHER IN MN! It's been a nice, brisk upper 30 degree week so far and the snow is actually MELTING. I can't believe it. I love winter for a couple months, but February is definitely the time that I need to say SEE YA and never look back. Looks like nature is compliant with my beliefs for once!
It's amazing how things can seem so much more upbeat and exciting when you have something to look forward to. In just a few short days, Dust will be back. Exhale. I really can't believe it. This was a long and tough road but we are just about at the end of it, and I really can't believe it. As much as I would love to say it was awesome for our relationship (and it was), I'm ready to just toss that idea aside to just welcome him home, finally. I really love him, and I miss him to pieces.
I have to share this photo ^^^ It was taken this past summer at our friend Britt's wedding and she just recently posted the pics to Facebook... I love this picture. How cute is he? I adore him.
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