Everything...wow

I just finished my first semester of grad school.

This has been...the best schooling experience of my entire life.

So what I've been doing the past 6 weeks is working in an Ann Arbor summer school with children from all over the district. These kids were recommended to attend due to their performance in literacy and math. It was very very challenging, but completely amazing.
I worked with third graders teaching concepts of math and literacy to them and planned a lesson every day for when I was there. After summer school we had class at the school where we would discuss context/methods/reflections of the practice.

I feel so good about the teaching practices they are instilling in us and how our own professors are modeling to us, how they want us to teach children, they are treating us as sense-makers so we know to implement that in our own teaching.

Everything we are doing just fits together in the most amazing way and truly makes you think about everything you are doing in a lesson and making it intentional and focused.

Growing up I thought I was inept at math because I never did well in it, or understood it. Now I realize that the teachers were showing us how to do math, but not the why behind the how. They weren't allowing the students to discuss strategies and to question...I can't wait to be a teacher and really set up these children for success and let them question and discuss and feel confident in doing so. That is how you learn.

For some reason I'm feeling really emotional about the end of this semester. Many told me that a large percentage of people who go into teaching, leave very quickly. But maybe they were not taught the why behind the how of teaching. This summer we worked with the children who have the hardest time in school, and I still feel like I can't wait to get back into the classroom and encourage these kids to be interested in learning.

I think I truly made the best choice by going back to school, and I was truly lucky to be picked to be in this program, it is amazing and I am so interested in learning. I am so excited to teach.

its been a long time...shouldn't a left you, without a dope beat to step to..to step to...

in a few words this is where i'm at now

ann arbor
u of m
grad school
studying
my
eyeballs
out
and
loving
everything
about
it
i
study
and
michael
watches
star
trek

This program, is amazing and I feel so good and so right learning how to be an awesome teacher, my professors amaze me and I get to start working with kids next week! LASKJDF.

And I've become more obsessed that usual with children's books...favorites as of late

Happy years :)

2 years of seeing each other today. I love mu

I'm going to miss my friend/Spring came today

Magic

Spring came today :)

I had some good times this weekend with my awesome Traverse friends.

Be safe over there buddy. I miss you already

Essays and Summers and Cellos

I have many many essays to write- many.

But all I can think about is
Grad school excitement
Moving in May
Ann Arbor Summer with Mike
Seeing Andrew Bird tomorrow
Seeing David tomorrow
Cellos
and excitement for my future.

It took me a long time to feel excited about being an adult and I just feel so optimistic/unstoppable now.

!!

!!DSFS!!

My favorite way to waste time

Wardrobe Remix

history and my mind in a fight

Just finished studying a 150 question review sheet on WW1 and WW2

and all i want is to
(and where my brain is saying to do)

go west
ride bikes
take pictures
nice breezes
tomatoes
flowers
green things
and
laying in
warm
sunny
fields
with my friends.



The Late Greats

Oy vey

This week I have alot of crap to do. I might give up all social interneting for a week. If that makes any sense.

This is how it happend

Tuesday night Mike and I decide to drive up to Traverse City to see his sister's play. It was not the greatest idea we've ever had, as I had 2 exams the next day bright and early. But we're risk takers and did it anyway.
The play was cute, and we saw a few friends for awhile and we decided to study awhile and sleep and then leave at 6am. Well once I got studying I realized exactly how much there was to cover and did not stop until 4am.
At that point we decided, what the hell, we will make a night of it and started off on our 2 hour journey home at 4am.
During that time we had some of the most exciting, enlightening, happy conversations of our lives and well...its extremely difficult to relay that amazing feeling where everything feels right, but ..it did.
We drove into Mt. Pleasant around 6am and Mike suggested we take a walk because it was beautiful out, he stopped at his apartment to get a notepad (and i didn't think anything of it when he came out without one)
We stop at home and then as soon as we step out of my apartment into the driveway he hugs me close and puts something into my hand...I was tired and thought it was a quarter and dropped it on the ground. When I pick it back up I realize its a ring! And he asks me to marry him. :)
Of course i say yes! and thus ensues a long time of us both freaking out in the driveway being happy yadda yadda ;)
I guess he was waiting for the right moment and it really couldn't have been more perfect.

So after grad school and after David returns from abroad we will be getting married, so about 2 years or so.

I am happy :)
and that's how it happened.

IT'S F'real!!

umm Mike and I are engaged!! more details later ;)

3am

On the way to pulling an all nighter- grad school conditioning...ps. I hate Eliot right now.

How Sherwood Anderson died

Anderson died in Panama at the age of 64. The cause of death was peritonitis after he accidentally swallowed a piece of a toothpick embedded in a martini olive at a party.[4]

HATE HATE

I positively hate studying early 1900's dead rich white guy poetry...
I am going to keel over and die because of it.
Put me out of my literary misery please.

Trying to be brave- Children's story I'm working on- Feedback preferred

Work, years in progress. I am not much of a writer, but this was fun to do in one of my boring classes. Feedback appreciated, feel free to butcher it. Its geared towards middle elementary students. I am aware that grammar/punctuation is completely off :)

Margot's Brainstorm

Margot sat on the toilet
She was brainstorming in the only
private place in the house

With a flush and tornado
Margot spun through her thoughts
and landed on a soft gray membrane

Suddenly figures and life formed around her!
mouse detectives looking for clues
A dragon waltzing with his wife at the ball
An orchestra of vegetables playing instruments
Margot marveled at the asparagus's violin solo

An owl darted past her
Margot sped after him without thinking
He stopped, flew to her and she hopped on his feathery back

The two flew over her brainstorm
chattering with excitement
at the amount of rainbows
treasure maps
pirates
massive blue oceans with
sea turtles having tea
and narwhals watching the sunset

The owl landed on the most beautiful sprawling tree
with leaves that glittered
and tasted of grilled cheese
and tomato soup

There Margot observed the world
her brain had created
she dictated to the owl
who carefully put his monocle in place
and wrote every world she spoke

Soon exhaustion took her
The tree cradled her softly
the owl hummed her favorite lullaby
and she fell fast asleep.

Margot awoke with a sudden jolt!
Her brother was knocking on the bathroom door
She stood up, washed her hands and smiled

And sat down to the dinner table
with her mother and father
to a delicious grilled cheese and tomato soup

(the final illustration will be the mother and father as allusions to the tree and owl in her brainstorm, so the tree and owl will be them personified)