Today at work I was playing with a boy with purple glasses at the lego table.
He was building a tower and it was as tall as me: 5 feet, 4 inches.
He asked if I would put the Iron Man action figure on top and when I did, he marveled at it for a good while before the entire thing tipped over.
As it fell, I managed to catch two large pieces of it and this kid was so impressed that I “saved” his tower.
“Woah! You’re a hero!”
College student by day, lego tower hero by night.
Today I spent some time in a suburban resource room working with children for a course. I was finishing up my hours today and when a student I had been working with for the past several weeks heard, he asked if I would be working full-time at the school. My cooperating teacher told him that I still had a few years left of school and he looked down at the beaded necklace he was wearing before looking up at me.
“You have to work at my middle school then!”
Although I knew my license doesn’t cover middle school, I told him that I would think about it.
These are the types of moments that keep me going through all the stress of college. I know that I can make a difference in children’s lives and I am so thankful that even when I forget that, the children I work with remind me.
Today as I was doing some field experience in a pre-k classroom, I was able to lead an activity for the first time. It was rather simple, but I was excited that I was in charge of something for once. I had to help children write what they are thankful for on placemats that they will be using for their pie social. Most of my job was just to write words that the students to copy onto paper, but I learned a lot about the children I am working with based on their answers.
Tractors.
Hugs.
Dads.
Family.
My friends.
Ballerinas.
Legos.
Princesses.
And my favorite…My bed.
I hear you, girl.
One day as I was helping out in a Pre-K classroom, the children sat down for snack. When snack was brought in, each child received amounts of carrots, celery, and hummus. Many children eagerly started munching on their carrots, while some (at least one at each of the five tables), started playing with their food instead. I sat down at one table where none of the children had touched their hummus. I asked the children what it tasted like. “YUCKY” “EW” “GROSS” were their responses.
I moved to the next table and asked the same thing. Here, I was successful in encouraging two children to try the hummus. I watched one boy try some with his finger. His face turned from scrunched into a huge smile and exclaimed “PEANUT BUTTER!” Another boy spat and said “EW IT TASTES LIKE SUGAR!”
I moved to the next table and again asked what the hummus tasted like. One girl loved it here, but the majority did not like it. I was again successful in getting one girl to try it. Only to my surprise she screamed out “IT TASTES LIKE BEER!”
This resulted in every kid turning to see what was going on and burst out laughing.
Children.
I watched this Tag video on Youtube and thought it would be fun to write about on my blog.
1. Products
Surf Head texturing paste, Trader Joe’s Coconut Oil, and Maybelline’s The Falsies mascara
2. Foods
Pizza, Red Velvet anything, and Watermelon
3. Places
Lake Superior, the road I grew up on, State Street in Madison
4. Things you’d Miss
Some of my friends, my pets at home, summer
5. Things you do when you’re bored
Netflix, read, study
6. Things you enjoy when its sunny
Going for walks, Sitting outside with a good friend, Being on a lake
7. Films
One Day, Tangled, Love and Other Drugs
8. Songs
By the Bay by Caroline Glaser, Trees by Twenty One Pilots, Only the Good Die Young by Billy Joel
9. Outdoor things that you like
Water, trees, wildlife
10. Anything in everyday life
Smiles, Laughter, Good hair day
11. Traits in any person, not just partners
Humor, Honesty, Friendliness
12. Experiences
Miss Clayton 2010, working with AHS, tutoring a Junior Kindergarten class
13. Things to Watch
Walking Dead, Vampire Diaries, Home videos
Thanks for reading 🙂
It’s the middle of the afternoon, and I sit in my backyard waiting for my mind to settle and take in everything around me. That’s always my favorite part: waiting for the world to explode in details that I normally don’t take the time to notice. After pausing for a minute or two, I begin to notice the small birds in the lilac bushes—there has to be at least fifteen of them—to the tiniest ants crawling around my feet. There’s still some warmth left in you, October, and how I cling to your sun’s rays when the breeze picks up. I am not yet ready for the bitterness of winter that seems to drag on until the end of spring semester, but I suppose no one is. Though I’ll take this bright sunny day for what it’s worth and remember it fondly, when my teeth are chattering as snowflakes twirl from the sky.
Give us one more good day?
Dear October,
Today was a hard day. Seems like each day that passes gets harder and harder. I like to blame it on the weather—the cold creeping through the walls as I sleep—or my classes and their enormous weight they are placing on my shoulders. I am surrounded by schedules and deadlines and it all seems like too much at times. I wish to be by the water where the roar of the waves is all I hear and at the same time, it’s quiet. There are no deadlines in the water. I wish to be alongside a young basset hound, hot on the trail of a squirrel or a man carrying hotdogs. When a basset catches a scent, he can become so entranced that he can get lost himself. To be that dedicated to one small thing and forget about the rest of life for a while would be a vacation in my world. I wish to be swept away in a story and although my bookcase is full, I spend my time watching the clock and planning my deadlines. “Go to class. Work. Observe. Learn. Teach. Discuss. Explain. Analyze. Participate,” is what I am being told, but my brain just tells me to stop and wait and look at the world around me. It tells me to slow down and sit for a while. It tells me to appreciate the little things like you, October. You’ve brought some beautiful days—but, tell me how can I do all this at the same time when I am so tired?
I guess I’ll just wait for the answer tomorrow.
My wonderful boyfriend and I took a trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan this past weekend to attend Apple Fest in Bayfield, WI and Ottawa National Forest in Michigan. We lucked out by picking the perfect weekend to drive the four hours north because the trees were gorgeous with their fall colors. We also lucked out because despite the forecast being rainy all weekend, it only rained on Saturday when we were in the car. I didn’t bring my camera to Apple Fest in case it started raining again and I’m kicking myself for it because the rain held up for us. Apple Fest was a blast–we checked out Bayfield’s shops and we enjoyed Apple Crisp and Apple Cider. There were so many people and dogs there and it was amazing to see the turnout despite the chilly weather.
On Sunday, after checking out of our hotel, we drove up to Ottawa National Forest to do some hiking to some waterfalls near Black River Harbor. I must have said “wow” a thousand times. Our two favorite waterfalls were Sandstone and Rainbow Falls. These two falls were the ones where we didn’t stay on the normal path and climbed up and over huge rocks to peak carefully over the edges at the huge drop to the river. It was the perfect trip and we can’t wait to see what other awesome hiking trails are out there.
Patawatomi Falls
Sandstone Falls
The rocks were so smooth!
More Sandstone Falls
Rainbow Falls (note the fisherman)
The amazing view from the top of a huge rock!
It was beautiful.
We made it to Black River Harbor where the river emptied into Lake Superior. The roar of the water was so loud. I could watch this lake for hours.
Our view leaving Ottawa National Forest.
On September 26th, I attended a presentation by the famous YouTube personality, Laci Green. She discussed what rape culture is and how we can “take it down.” Laci Green started her presentation by defining rape culture and presenting some startling facts such as 1 in 7 gay men and 1 in 3 disabled women are sexually assaulted. She presented us with a few montages of news clips in which we were to discover the pattern that the rapists are sympathized and often charged with little to none punishment for the crime despite the proof that victims presented. She then discussed how society does not like the term “rape culture” because it sounds negative and people believe rape to be common and tolerable, which completely made sense after watching the several news stories on different cases. She also discussed the fact that although it is against the law for universities to not follow through on investigations on rape cases, many universities do not and are now being investigated themselves because of this.
This was a very beneficial presentation to go to as a college student and the atmosphere of the packed Falcons Nest was supportive of this whole issue. I think this presentation impacted me as a multicultural educator by bringing awareness to this whole culture that was there, but under my radar. Now that I know how big of an issue this actually is, I feel like I can now be prepared to provide resources for students and families in a situation like this. I feel like I’m more prepared to answer questions (in an appropriate way) that students might have about this topic. I actually came away from this presentation and wanted to learn more, which will be beneficial as I grow and enter school districts because I’ll want to know what each school district is doing about this societal problem. As a teacher, I feel that the benefits of dramatic play are extremely important especially with gender roles. I plan to provide an environment where my students will be able to explore these gender roles safely. Finally, after seeing this presentation, I feel that it is important to teach children that they have their own rights, including the right to choose who touches them. Children are sexually abused as well and after seeing Laci Green’s presentation, I feel very passionate about protecting my future students the best that I can.
I’ve been meaning to write this post for months (ba-dum ching)
Now that schools are back in session, I’ve found myself on Pinterest searching for studying tips to help me focus and not press that dreaded “Watch next episode in 15…14…13…” button on Netflix. My roommates and I will sit in the kitchen and gossip until one of us will say “Okay, I have to go get my homework done” at which point the four-five of us disperse faster than it takes me to strike a match (granted, it does take me quite some time to strike a match…but you get the point).
Look no further…
Nikki’s tips on NOT to procrastinate
1. Block all distracting websites. There’s this terrifying website that allows you to type in websites you wish to block for a designated amount of time. I did it once. It was awful, but it allowed me to only study (once I gave up trying to bypass it). If you have no self-control when it comes to social media, this might be a good one for you.
2. Create a studying playlist before you have to study. There have been countless times where I’ve sat down to study and spent tens of minutes trying to find the right kind of music to listen to. Now I’ve finally made a studying playlist on Spotify that’s my go-to when it’s crunch time. My current favorite study tunes are any piano cover of trashy pop music.
3. Eat before you study. I’m that kind of person who when it comes time to study, I’ll look for any escape. Food is my biggest weakness as I’ll sit down to study and think hey, I’m hungry, let’s eat. Half an hour later, I’m feeling stressed at my still-towering work load and guilty because I ate a whole loaf of bread. I study best after I eat a big meal.
4. Find a study location. When I really need to work hard, I go to the library and because of that, every time I enter the library, I become instantly more focused. Have a couple study spots that you can go to get away from the distractions of your roommates or mirrors. My favorites include a secret corner in the library, my living room couch (when the mates are gone), and top floors of any academic building.
5. Make to-do lists. Every day, I write down at least three things I want to get done. Crossing off things is one of the most satisfying feelings. That and actually finishing an assignment…I guess.
There you have it! If this helps you, fantastic. If not, figure out what works best for you and go off that. I wish you all the best this school year. We’ll get through it even if we come out alligator crawling.
onlyundecided 