In case you want to know where I went... I have moved!
www.postcollegeramblings.blogspot.com

Children should be seen and not heard

What a nightmare. The day before the big Halloween party and the kids are nuts. They survived the social studies lesson GREAT! In fact, it was quite a good lesson. For once we had some peace and quiet. It was about cooperation and getting along involves talking, listening, sharing, and taking turns. The first activity had them drawing a picture. The catch was, each pair had one crayon. They both had to have one hand on the crayon. They had to try to draw a picture, but they weren't allowed to talk at all. I told them that if they talked or even if one partner talked, they were out of the game and had to put their heads down. A couple of them didn't listen and got sentenced to putting their heads down. It worked! There was complete silence! The second time they did it, they were allowed to talk, but they had to whisper. If they got too loud, they'd be out of the game. If the expectations are clear and held to, the kids respond well. Everything fell apart in the afternoon, though. They had a lockdown drill that lasted for 30 minutes. They had to be completely silent for 30 minutes and afterwards, they went crazy. They missed their recess so they were completely bonkers and one of them was going on and on about the injustice of not having recess.

Kids are dropping like flies at school. Yogi has been out all week. Kennedy was out two days. One kid in the other pod threw up en route to the nurse. A good number of kids were sent home today due to illness.

Tomorrow is going to be wild and crazy. Oh dear.

I have picked up social studies and math, basically at the same time. I have to write lessons for Monday today so he can see them tomorrow. Then I work tomorrow night 6 to midnight and go back to NJ on Saturday.

It's really no surprise my hair is all gone. 1st graders will do that to you!

And it begins again!

Ok, so today is Wednesday and the first full week of student teaching 2 has ended. I haven't been inspired to sit down and begin my blog again and I'm still not really inspired but I really should start writing the funny things that happen while I think of it. I have some really nutty kids. There are also 20 of them instead of 8. I should come up with nicknames for them again but there are too many to think of.

It has been a bit of adjustment going to public school. I didn't realize how much I'd miss Faith Academy. I think I really miss the community the most... and being able to address bad behavior with the Bible. My co-op is quite different from Janine. Janine and I were pretty alike in personality and this time I have a male co-op and he's very disorganized. I'm getting used to being handed things on the spot and being told to teach them. He handed me a guided reading book and told me to teach it on the spot. He said he wants the principal to come observe me just because. Uh... that wasn't in the contract. Oh well.

I probably have funny stories to tell but I'm not really inspired right now. I need to start updating this more faithfully. Oh, and today one of the girls, Trinity, walked into her teacher's elbow and banged her nose and was going around pinching her nose. She caught me biting my lip trying not to laugh and she said, very nasally, "It's NOT funny!" Hahaha.. oops

Hello, long lost blog!

Wow, I haven't updated this in a while... probably because I'm a little distant from PBU right now. So I'll update it for all the people who actually read my blog (like.. 2 people).

First order of the day: Scroll down to the very bottom of my blog. See that adorable dog? That's Pip. Pip died when I was home in the Philippines. :( Sad. He died the weekend before I got back to Manila from student teaching in Davao.

Speaking of student teaching, in case you aren't tracking with me, I was in the Philippines for 2 and a half months doing my student teaching down in Davao. All about that can be found at www.onceuponastudentteacher.blogspot.com

Moving on... I finished off my last semester of classes at PBU back in May. The very next weekend I went to practicum in Philly. I decided to do the program called "Urban Seminar" which is 2 weeks long and is pretty intensive. It was SO MUCH FUN! I loved it and I have developed a love for innercity education. If you were wondering what happened, you can read my OTHER blog: www.urbanseminar09.blogspot.com

Other than creating several different blogs, I do have somewhat of a life... however, one might contest that point as I am being a bum for a month until I start student teaching again. I actually have a lot to accomplish, but I don't have all the materials I need to begin.

Anyway, I stopped by PBU after flying back from the Philippines. I saw lots of people I don't know due to the incoming freshman class. It was weird. The school has really changed since I was there as a freshman. The past two classes have been.. interesting. I miss being a freshman, but I don't think I'd want to be a freshman now. In some ways, I'm looking forward to graduation... just not to finding a job after that. Haha.

So that's my brief update. Nothing else is really that exciting in my life. I'm using my brother's computer so I'll upload whatever picture I can find on here. Brace yourself for something truly stunning! :)


Smiles,
Becky :)

Everything non-academic I learned, I learned at PBU

In the past 4 years, PBU has taught me multiple life-skills. PBU is not just about academics. The lessons learned outside of the classroom are deep and abiding and will stay with me for life. I shall list some of them:

Snow Days - Snow days are very important things. It's not really a lesson, but since there is a snow day, I figured I should mention it. PBU has taught me to appreciate snow and to hope desperately for a snow day. I never had snow days when homeschooling (plus we never HAD snow) so having them now is great. It's also my last semester of classes, and therefore my last snow day of my college career. I'm savoring it! Especially since it's March.

Golf Carts -- PBU has taught me the fun of golf carts. When I worked on grounds, I got to drive the golf cart like a maniac. I got so used to it that I had to remember not to try to drive my car over the grass and on the walkway. The best part about the golf cart was driving up to the carriage house, turning around, defying all the stop signs, and flooring it down to the arches. It was as fun as a roller coaster ride. Golf carts are also great tools for chasing geese. Whenever one sees a flock of geese, the best thing to do is stop doing whatever important task you're supposed to be doing and chase geese around.

Thistles -- I hate thistles. I also hate pulling them out of the ground. PBU has taught me the importance of pulling out thistles before they grow bigger. Nip it in the bud, you know?

Wasp Killer Spray -- PBU has taught me the power and fun of wasp spray. There was a hill that tended to have wasps a lot and there is something exceedingly invigorating about running around the hill spraying the wasps and watching them drop like flies. It's a welcome break and it provides the fellow grounds worker much needed entertainment on a hot summer day.

How to NOT make friends -- Apparently, when you're on custodial, it's not professional to look for more work. A job that takes 20 minutes should take at least an hour and a half. Looking for extra work after 20 minutes is not professional and should be avoided at all costs. Instead, it is better to drag out a task as long as possible or play pool in Heritage Hall while waiting.

Humility -- Every PBU student should spend a semester working in the dishroom. It keeps you humble. It also teaches you how to work fast, be quick on your feet, and accept burning fingers because the plates come out so hot.

Zambonis -- The Zamboni machine is quite the thing. You have to develop the art of using your entire body weight to push the thing around. It's also a whole lot of fun when it overflows dirty, grey water over the floor you just cleaned. Zambonis teach you patience and the ability to laugh at yourself.

Cheesesteaks -- The Eagle's Nest has taught me the art of making really good cheesesteaks. This is a rather useful skill that I'm sure I'll use many times in my life (not).

Onions -- Apparently there are many ways to cut onions. I haven't figured them out, but I learned that there are different ways.

Romaine Lettuce -- Cutting Romaine lettuce in bulk is a skill I have mastered. It's loads of fun, too.

Data Entry -- One little mistake in Admit Gold can cause a lot of problems. Attention to detail is important. Speed is also handy too. Plus, I learned that I associate people by their applications. When I meet them in person I go "OOOOH! That's the person I entered a few months ago!"

Patience in the Tedious -- According to James, Enrollment Operations puts the "us" in tedious. Bulk mailings and meticulous countings of single sheets of paper for inventory teach patience and a good attitude in all things.

Radios -- Ok, so 10-2 means "I can hear you loud and clear" and 10-1 means "I didn't catch that." Never mess that up. I do it all the time. Also, the code for bathroom is "483." Thanks to PBU security, I learned how to use radio codes.

Vans -- Driving a van is definitely loads of fun. I never thought I would ever drive a vehicle bigger than my car. However, I like driving big vehicles a lot. If I ever have 12 kids, this skill will be handy.

People skills -- Apparently PBU has made me more outgoing. Hooray!

Time Management -- With working multiple jobs and having tons of homework, PBU has taught me how to use time effectively. I suppose this skill will come in handy even after I finish school.

Coffee -- Coffee is a must to begin a day. (Unless I'm sick -- then it's tea) I never really drank coffee until school. AND I never drank coffee this regularly until this semester. (Except today was my first cup in a week because I've been sick)

All-Nighters -- I have never pulled an all-nighter until this semester. Now I regularly pull 2 in a row. It's a blast for the rest of the week. Operating on few hours of sleep is a new skill I am slowly acquiring.

Geese -- Geese are things to chase. Whenever you see a flock of geese, you must chase them. It makes the day so much better.

Rabid Squirrels -- Always check trees for rabid squirrels before you climb them. Who knows, they might just fly out of the tree at you.

Tofu -- PBU has taught me the many ways to make tofu and the many different ways to name tofu dishes. Jerk Tofu, Tofu A La King... stuff like that.

Rice Cookers -- PBU has taught me the skill of using rice cookers, crock pots, and hot pots in many different ways. Who ever knew you could make stir fry in a rice cooker? Who knew you could can jelly using all three things? Who knew you could make really good chicken and dumpling stew in a rice cooker?

Thrifty Grocery Shopping -- Thanks to PBU, I have discovered Aldi and the Bucks Produce Store. PBU has taught me how to make good, cheap meals using both stores. Hooray.

How to Annoy the Mailroom People -- I learned that if you ask every day for a whole summer if you have mail, you can be known by your box number rather than your name. One guy used to call me "435" instead of "Becky."

I am a mere number -- When you work security, you're known by your shift start time. I have learned to be referred to as "23." I usually want to laugh, but it's not really funny. "18 this Supervisor." "This is 18. Go ahead." "When you get done, bring the jeep for 23." Since when am I a number?! Becky un-clear. Hahaha.

Microsoft Office Training -- Apparently this is going to look good on my resume. Hooray. Thanks to Enrollment Operations and being a student worker, I can now say I have been trained in Word and Outlook.

The Mennonite Look -- If you wear skirts enough every day, people think you're Mennonite and try to convince you that you are even when you deny it.

This is getting boring. Actually it was boring from the start. I lost all my inspiration. I'm sure there are many other things that PBU has taught me but I can't think of them.

My, my... I'm really getting good at this blog thing! Haha! I should be doing homework but I have developed the horrible disease called Senioritis. I should have been working on researching stuff for my IDP (but I'm a little crippled by the fact that I need some stuff from the Philippines first to help guide the way the rest of the research is going to head) in the past 4 weeks but of course I haven't. I have kept ahead on everything else, though. As my roommate sarcastically comments "When's that due? 3 weeks from now???" I have senioritis my IDP but apparently not really in the rest of my homework. I tend to like to do everything 1 or 2 weeks in advance and so the fact that I have a paper due next Friday and I haven't started has sent me into panic mode.

Life is chilly. I nearly got blown off the walkway today. It's supposed to snow Saturday night but the last time weather.com said that, nothing happened... except rain.

I have been keeping busy all week. This work week contains about 33 hours. Cool. It doesn't really feel like that because 16 of those hours were in the middle of the night. My brain tells me that doesn't really count.

Linguistics class is cool as always. I am very seriously considering this: http://www.wycliffe.org/Events.aspx?eid=369&ModuleId=34 The problem is... getting out there. :(

Math stresses me out. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Well then...

I haven't posted in a while! Oh well... didn't miss much. Haha.

There are days when the list of things that need to be done seems insurmountable and the deadlines are coming at way too fast a pace when you step back and realize, "God will see me through this... take it one step at a time" Then there are the days when something happens and you are positively beaming with joy. Such a day is this one. Get this: I have 12 credits this semester. I went to my Tuesday night 5 hr class and Dr. Vasso says, "You know this isn't required for your program. You need to check up on this." I talked to my advisor and sure enough, I have more than enough grad credits! I had no need for Global Trends in Education! I dropped it. (And I am sorely tempted to sit in on a Tuesday night class with Dr. Hardesty because he's just amazing and I never got a chance to take him.......) This means I have WAY more time to research and do a more careful job on my IDP. Along with that, my chapter due dates are flexible which means I can spread this project out longer! I wish I could sit in on Pauline 1 with Dr. Hardesty. I wish I could take piano again. However, I do need to utilize the free day of no class to do homework! I might still sit in at least once on Dr. H's class. I celebrated by bonding with a piano after lunch. I'm in linguistics this semester (for fun... it's an audit!) and I am falling in love with language. Music is a language in itself. I miss piano lessons. I miss music becoming more than symbols on a page as my teacher made the music tell stories and have feelings and emotions. It's like reading a story. A reader can follow the guidelines of a story but without making the words come alive, the story can be dead. A musician can follow the music on the page, keep perfect time, and to some extent, follow the written symbols for volume and tempo, but without making it come alive, the music is dead. I can be methodical in my playing and I don't always just let the music become music. Last semester, music became music. I miss it. Not that music ceases to be music, but that I have ceased to go to lessons and have whole new worlds opened up right beneath my fingers. (Ok, not MY fingers... my teacher's fingers... my fingers are still learning the language) Not to be dramatic or anything...........

I have recently moved into the library. I could probably bring my sleeping bag in here and just camp out all day and all night.

We had a snow day yesterday. I spent it reading Dispensationalism by Ryrie. It's a tough read!

I have taken to walking to school every morning. I also walk back if it's still light out. I love it. In the early morning, on a sunshiney day, it's beautiful!

I need to go to work soon.