The year of the Dual Christmases

So, this year was a year unlike any other. We got to have 2 Christmases. There was a big storm headed our way, and we were not going to be able to have our own Christmas morning and still make it to Salt Lake this weekend. So, after feeling sufficiently bummed out and rather sorry for ourselves, Ryan took a Sharpie Marker to the calendar, and we had ourselves a Double Christmas :).

The cookies we left for Santa


Ryan hinting that he looked like Santa

What Santa left us besides presents :)




Ryan opening his blanket



Our celebration with Santa's offering


The aftermath


Ryan's Christmas surprise: Eggplant Parmigiana

Holy Funny Story

So, this is a story about work. As I have said before, I work in an elementary school, and this particular story takes place as the Kindergarteners make themselves into gingerbread men or women. We traced each child, then let them decorate their cut-outs to look like themselves. I was watching the, providing feedback, reminding the children the things they could put on their people (eyes, a nose, a mouth, hair, etc.). I went to help Gage with what he was doing, but all the time, I was watching Braden because he was working with dark brown construction paper on a dark brown gingerbread man. I stood up and looked over at him, when I noticed something on his gingerbread man. He had put genitals on this gingerbread man.

I called over the High School Helper to make sure that she saw what I saw, so that at least two of us had seen what was going on. So as not to assume that I had seen what I thought I saw, I asked Braden, "Braden, what have you got there on your gingerbread man?" to which he replied by grabbing his own genitals. and looking at me. I'm sure that my eyes about bulged out of my head, and that my mouth may have hung open for a moment or two. When I composed myself, I said, "No. No, no, no, no, no, unh-uh. Braden, do we come to school like that?" He said no. "We wear pants to school, don't we?" He said yes, but that was a part of the pants. I said, "You should just cover that up, and put some long pants on your gingerbread man, because it's cold outside, huh?." He wouldn't do it, so Nicole and I had to do it later. I was mortified in the moment, but it's really a funny story. I just couldn't believe that this little 5-year-old boy would do something like that. It was definately hillarious.

First Time Teaching

So, after all of my whining and complaining about Mrs. Obray and the crap job she has done as a clinical teacher, I was right in my assumption that I would learn more in my "teaching experience" in her class than I have all semester. Here is a small list of the things that I learned:

1. For some reason, unbenownst to me, I no longer get insanely nervous in front of groups of people.

2. When a student gives an answer to a question, never EVER tell that student that their answer is wrong. Ask them how they got to that conclusion, and help them to reconstruct an answer for you.

3. Preparing the lessons is actually harder than delivering them.

4. Ask open-ended questions, and allow students a minute or so to think and process the question you have just asked.

5. Take teaching moments as they come to you. Do not force them, but allow students to make their own conclusions and assumptions about the provided materials.

In a short 40 minute span of time, I learned more about teaching than I ever could have in a classroom. I am so much more confident of the progress I have made, and of the things I need to do to continue to progress. Also, it gives me a much brighter outlook on the next semester. Most of what you need to learn about teaching won't come from sitting in a class, having a former teacher tell you everything they know about teaching. You have to experience it. You have to put in your own personal effort and take that leap of confidence and courage to find out what needs improving, and what is perfectly okay. Everyone's teaching style is different, and you need to figure out your own, while on your own. Student teaching and my first year on the job will be tough because I will be succeeding and failing on a consistant basis, but if that is what it will take for me to be an effective teacher, then that is what I want to experience.

WHY?!?

So, after reading our "Woodford Blog", I began feeling a little better about what has been going on. I was so angry earlier that I was crying, and just wanted to scream and yell and throw a little tantrum. Here is a bit of the story, so just bear with me.

As I have stated before, this semester has been a little bit of a trial for me. But, despite the bad teachers and wasted hours, my clinical teacher has been worst of all. She hasn't been in town most of the semester, and she is angry that I haven't completed all my 30 hours for the "experience". But, the trouble is that she is also my methods course teacher, which means that she was supposed to set up the clinical experience for me at the beginning of the semester. She never even told me what a clinical was, and around the end of September I started asking other history majors in my other education classes what was going on with theirs. I had to go set it up and I already didn't like the way she ran my class. So, I started late, and she has been out of town about half the time that I've been her clinical student. Now, she won't cut me any slack, even though it is finals week. I will only have 2 hours left, and she wasn't in town at all last week when I could have come in to finish it all up. I paid her $50 to do her effing grading, and SHE is mad at ME that my hours aren't done. She won't sign my papers to pass my clinical unless all 30 hours are done before the end of the semester. She won't let me do them next week or anything, it's do it or fail.

So, I've been pretty livid about it all, but then I read Alies' story about raw meat in the Book of Mormon. Like I've stated previously, I realized that while I didn't learn much about how to be a teacher, I have learned a million ways not to be a teacher. And, the raw meat to my clinical is that I get to have a teaching opportunity with her students. It will be the first one, and I'm hoping it will tell me more than most of the semester has been able to. But, we'll see after tomorrow.

Finals Week

Well, it is finally almost finals week, and I could not be more excited about it. This semester has been the hardest one yet, but not because I have had difficult classes. I have been going to school for a grueling 3 1/2 months and paid over $3000 to go to classes that I don't feel any better after taking them. In my mind, $3000 and 3 1/2 months should have gotten me a little bit more. I have been more terrified this semester than ever before of being a history teacher because I don't feel prepared in the slightest.

However, after a tint of optimism one week, I decided something: even though I know absolutely NOTHING about being a teacher, I have learned a great deal about how NOT to be a teacher :) In a very real and honest sense. I also have discovered the kind of teacher I want to be. How to accomplish those goals I have yet to determine, but I am hopeful that next semester's education classes go a little smoother. But, like the rest of my life, I will just have to wait and see, but keep working in spite of it all.

BREAKTHROUGH!!!

Today was a GREAT day.

I work at an elementary school, as many of you already know, but I tutor after school with a group of about 8 fifth-graders. Generally, they are okay and except for the number of them, we are able to get around to them and they get a fair amount of their homework done. All, that is, except for Mariano. At the beginning of the school year, it was a constant struggle to get him to sit down and do his work. He is very defiant and a "class clown" of sorts. Even teachers had a hard time with him, and they hold authority that I, as a lowly tutor, do not hold. Anyway, on a good day, I'm okay and on a bad day, he hates my guts. I kind of edged in with him when we had a "stupid human tricks" back and forth. I earned a kind of "cool" status.

So, the semester continues, and I start to learn more and more about his family as time goes on. He has 9 brothers, and he is second oldest while the oldest is around 17 or 18. His dad works in Wyoming, which leaves his mom alone with the boys all the time, and having to work. Mariano has to get them all up, dressed, fed, and to school on time. Big job for a 12-year-old. But, his attitude began to make more and more sense.

However, he is still up and down as to whether we (as tutors) are cool or if he hates us. Today was his birthday, and we really wanted to get him something small. He parted his hair today, which has never happened, and he just looked adorable. We went to the faculty lounge and bought him a Mountain Dew (his favorite) and a Twixx. We went to give it to him, and you should have seen his eyes light up. It almost made all of the struggles with him worthwhile. We went back to the other kids, and just before it was time to go, he came up to me and handed me a folded piece of lined paper. He said, "Melanie, this is for you, Jaelynn, and that other girl (he has never bothered to learn Jennie's name because he doesn't hate her like he hates Jaelynn and myself)." It was just a simple thank you note, but he signed it "Your friend, Mariano C."

I know it was kind of little and insignificant, but sometimes, amid a great struggle, it is nice to know every now and again that you have made the slightest difference.

Well, this is new

So, since Ryan and I will be moving to Wisconsin here in a little over 8 months, I figured it would be good to get one of these started. That way, everyone who wants one can get an update now and again. So, here goes my first attempt at blogging. :)