Emma: A Good Dose of Prozac

I know I haven't written much lately, but honestly my life has been kinda dull. Except for the fact that I am student teaching 10th and 11th graders. They're super fun! Everyday is a new adventure. So far the students haven't made me cry, I made myself cry though. On Friday I felt like I am messing up sooo much and I am going to ruin their chances of getting into Harvard--like going from an "A" to an "F"--but then again, sometimes it's just them. I thought I was lazy!

I'm getting better, everyday is a new day, and every period is a new period that I can start over and do better.

So after my meltdown on Friday I watched Emma and felt so much better!

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My New Haircut

So I don't usually like to put pictures of me on my blog because it seems so self-centered, egotistical, narcissistic, and vain. If I had my beautiful burmese cat that's all that would go up, but since I don't, I guess I have to put something up, and since I cut 10 inches off my hair I figured I should let the world see.


Yeah! Ten inches! I know it's soooo short.

"M" is for Maggie's Magnificent Moves

After a long day of teaching I babysit my very adorable, energetic nieces Maggie and Miley (not Hannah Montana). Maggie likes to dance to "Shake It" on her kitchen table. Sometimes you just let 'em do what they want!



Miley was sleeping during the filming of this movie.

Spoiler Alert!

Now that I am student teaching I will not write about my daily experiences (mostly because they will be filled with my teaching misadventures, and I should protect the innocent that and if they found out what I really thought about them . . . ) so hopefully my blog won't get too boring, but don't worry there is never a dull moment in my life!

I Told You I Could Do It!

So, I decided to quit the alphabet thing for awhile since I couldn't think of anything starting with an "M" this week. (I'm going through a dry spell.) This week was my first week student teaching, but lucky me, I just sat back and observed the real teacher--which is nice because I don't really start full-time teaching for a couple weeks, so I can work on my unfinished lesson plans. The big novels I will be teaching are Beowulf and The Scarlet Letter.

Last Friday I taught because my co-op teacher was out of town. It was pretty cool. The first 2 periods were fine. We finished the work we were suppose to, and they behaved well (10th graders can be very chatty) except one girl was texting under the desk, but the substitute picked that up for me. That's the one thing I need to be more aware of is students sneaking notes, phones, and iPods. Last period, oh my goodness! It was fun, and some learning occurred, but . . . WOW! I couldn't contain myself. Tuesday through Thursday I felt tired by 3rd period, which is normal for me, (oh yeah, they do AB days here, and there are four 80 min periods a day + lunch), but when last period rolled around I wasn't as tired. I guess because I was active, and the kids were cracking me up. It was really fun, but I didn't really do any of the preparation. I think I can handle it . . . hopefully!

"L" is for Lacking Logos

Today I watched Clueless, one of my favorite movies, and I realized how familiar one has to be with pop culture to get the subtext. I also realized that it is much like my all-time favorite movie Emma, which it confesses to be about. Yes, I did get the jokes, and (I feel so proud right now) a joke that I didn't get before--amazing how life changes perspective.

Anyways, the reason why I say that I was lacking logos (mostly because it's an "L" word) is because I watched it with my new Korean roommate, who isn't familiar with most of the slang, nor the American pop culture, nor the decade that the story takes place. (I was just starting high school in California when the movie came out, and I can blame Cher for using "like" 20 times in a sentence, for the way I talk. There you go dad! Now you know why I talk the way I do--Cher Horowitz's influence.) My roomie laughed at the right parts which indicated to me that she did get some of it. Afterwards, I asked if she liked it, and she said yes, and I told her that some of it she might not get because you have to be familiar with American pop culture. I don't know . . . maybe it will help her learn English faster, or maybe it will stunt her progression, but whatever the outcome it's a great movie!

"K" is for Kraze Times

This week has been a crazy week. One of those transitioning weeks. I've been homeless (actually my junk has been homeless), working from 11-5 (which isn't a lot, I just don't like working that late, I'm a morning person), driving back-and-forth from Provo/Orem to Spanish Fork, and dealing with some faculty/staff changes at work (that's why I've been staying until 5). I'm just glad that I am taking next week off from work so I can mentally (and physically) get ready for student teaching. By then all my unpacking should be done, and I will be able to read through all the information I've been given about ST, finish The Scarlet Letter, write lesson plans, and, especially, read the "The Shafer Writing Program" that MVHS is using. I'd like to think I'm a good writer (my papers reflect that), but my strength lies in literature; I just like to sit and think--deeply--about a text. (Sometimes that's why I always look like I have a blank look on my face because I am thinking about something, most likely it has nothing to do with what you just said to me.) Being able to write is one thing, teaching an adolescent how to do it is another. Writing is an innate ability, but writing effectively isn't--it took me 27 years to figure that out.