It's Crunch Time!

I cannot believe there are only 23 days left until school is over! That means that the presentation for this class is right around the corner. This week and next week I am really going to have to work hard, in order to prepare for this final. This class is about the only final I really have to take because all others I am exempt from! I need to really put together my brochure and print out my blogs and journal entries, so that way I can hand them all out to my evaluators. It's hard to believe all of this is coming to an end, and boy am I nervous for this presentation! Hopefully, all the good comes out of this class! (:

Rain Rain, Go Away...Come Again Another Day!

Rain is Falling

Rain, rain, its always raining,
Rain, rain, I end up saying,
Rain, rain, please go away now,
Rain, rain, just leave right now,
Rain, rain, don’t know how,
I don’t care how, To make my rainy day just go away…
So I stand, in the pouring rain,
So I can, feel the growing pain,
Of having rain, coming down like the Armageddon flame.
I can see raindrops playing their game,
Even though they look the same,
I know that there is more to rain……

Relatives grieve for Texas woman with flu who died

I read an article about a 33 year old lady from Texas, who died from swine flu, after giving birth to a healthy baby girl. She was hospitalized for two weeks, after the doctors reported she had some kind of flu, they just didn't know exactly what kind. Since her state borders with Mexico, the flu is spreading slowly but surely into the US. Many people were very upset when she passed away and they had to celebrate her daughter's birth, but Judy Trunnell's death. Trunnell was also a teacher who taught disabled children, so imagine how her students feel and what they have to go through now. I think it is crazy how the swine flu basically appeared out of nowhere. Now with the technology today, we can treat people who have swine flu, in order to save lives. Since she died of the flu, now we know symptoms and everything of this illness, which makes it a lot easier for the doctors to detect!

Here is the link to the article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090506/ap_on_re_us/us_swine_flu_texas

My Sponsor..

It has been a little while since I've visited my sponsor, although I still have been e-mailing and staying in touch with her. The elementary school is taking the NJASK test, so that is why I am unable to visit there. I won't be able to go back until next week, the week of the 11th, which is a problem too because the senior trip starts that week. =/ So I will have to wait until the following week to go back. When I go back I will be teaching the students a math lesson, possibly using the SmartBoard. My sponsor and I have been going back and forth with what to teach and when, so I am in the process of putting the plans together! I cannot wait to get up and actually teach the lesson because it will be at that moment, that this all seems real! (:

Quotes & Sayings That Caught My Eye (:

If a doctor, lawyer, or dentist had 40 people in his office at one time, all of whom had different needs, and some of whom didn't want to be there and were causing trouble, and the doctor, lawyer, or dentist, without assistance, had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months, then he might have some conception of the classroom teacher's job. ~Donald D. Quinn

The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called "truth." ~Dan Rather

A good teacher is like a candle - it consumes itself to light the way for others. ~Author UnknownLeave it to Beaver-->

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. ~William Arthur Ward

The best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book. ~Author Unknown

“I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework.” Lilly Tomlin

My Anecdote

My third and fourth grade teachers were the inspiration I have to become an elementary school teacher. They made class fun and worth being there. In elementary school I loved going to school because my teachers were like my mother, they seemed to love their job and have a true passion for it. My fourth grade teacher, Ms. Basile really inspired me to pursue a career in teaching. She actually gave me teacher's edition books because in my spare time when I was younger, I used to play school with my younger brother and cousin. They were my students and I was always the teacher. My playroom was actually set up as a classroom. I had everything- from the chalkboard and whiteboard, to student desks and a teachers desk. It was just something I loved to do and that is why today I really want to be a REAL teacher!

Softball Today...

Today, we have a great chance of beating one of our teams in our conference- Paulsboro! (: I am really excited to go towards a win because it would make me feel great. I cannot wait for the game today, I am definitely stoked for it. Our team needs to work together, as a team and we will be set! Each and every player needs to get in their "game mode" and put on their "game face." We need to go out there willing to play our A-game and be on our toes for being competitive. (: Hopefully, it will be our third win of the season!!

Almost at the end..

This school year is almost to an end. That means that the BIG presentation for this class is coming up. Now that is a scary thought. All of the work I have put into this project has to be drawn all together and made into a 40 minute presentation. I have to make sure that everyone can make it to my presentation, which will be on June 3 at 11:30 am. I am quite nervous; however, I hope that everything goes well and comes together nicely. I have to talk to my sponsor and mentor and go over it with them. Some things that worry me are not being up there long enough, or not being able to talk in front of all those people; many thoughts are going through my head about this final part of this class, although I am going to have to overcome those fears! Just wish me luck! (:

Peom I read to the class

A stranger you were once.

Then, with a gentle look you took my hand.

As our lives engaged,

you lit my life and I held both your hands.

Now that decades have passed,

our souls have indeed become one.

How fortunate we are

that we have found the love so true

that everyone dreams about.

I read this to the class today, in respect for National Poetry Month. (:

Beginning of a great week (:

Even though it is Monday, I just feel like this week is going to be a good one! I believe that the weather has a lot to do with it. Since it is so nice out, everyone just seems to be in a good mood! (: I woke up on the right side of the bed this morning and so far everything has gone the right way! Hopefully we win our softball game today against Camden because that would just make me even happier. This week will be a good one and I plan on being in this great mood all week. Even though we have 6 games this week, it will still be good and hopefully we win some of them! Also, I hope that the weather stays warm like this because it brightens everyone's mood! (:

What's going on...

So I had my weekly meeting with my mentor yesterday and we talked mostly about my big presentation coming up, too quickly. I was telling her that I am going to put together an actual lesson plan and teach it to my sponsor's third grade class. Miss Oswald thought it was a great idea and I also mentioned to her that I wanted to teach math! Then, I began telling her that Mr. Abrams was mentioning how I could use the SmartBoard. She then showed me some really neat things with the software. There are so many little things to learn about it and so much to use and do; I cannot wait to teach myself how to use the SmartBoard, but most of all to actually get up and teach the students. I do need to come up with an exact date for my sponsor, so that way she can give me a topic that the students are learning. This way I will be on point. I am going to talk to Miss Oswald today and get her opinion on when I should do my lesson plan. I'm going to need enough time to make up my lesson plan and prepare it for my presentation. Can't wait to actually get this all rolling!! (:

The Dictionary Game

Today we played a game in class to help us better our skills in public speaking. First, Mr. Abrams showed his skills by talking about the word, ding-dong. Turk randomly opened the dictionary and pointed to the word ding-dong and that is why Mr. Abrams had to get up and talk about it. He went on for about 2 minutes, with no problem at all. After he was done, he then picked a word for Cindi, which was improve. She got up in front of the class and talked about what it meant to improve and examples of improvement. Cindi talked in front of us for a little over a minute, she hesitated a little bit, but I definitely give her props for getting up at all!
This game was to help us be able to public speak better. We are going to need all the practice we need in order to make our big presentations at the end of this class. It gets very nerve racking having to get up and talk in front of people- and I HATE DOING IT! Maybe if we play this game several more times before our presentations, it will better prepare us. This game might just be the trick to help motivate us to get in front of people and speak with no problem. Everyone always has a problem with public speaking, but once you have the experience, you will do fun. The key to it, is just to HAVE FUN!! (:

letter to ms. carroll

Dear Ms. Carroll,

Senior Project Seminar is a class that lets everyone’s personality come out, in the way they want to be seen. For example, I would like to become an elementary school teacher; therefore, I picked elementary education for my project. My product part of this is to develop a lesson plan and actually teach my sponsor’s third grade class. I feel that this will provide me with great experience in my field of study. After I teach the third grade class, I will present my lesson to my Senior Project class, and maybe they will learn something as well. My project is unique and creative because it gives me a way to express the teaching techniques I have learned from sitting in Mrs. Teti’s class. Also, this will be a way to get a feel of what I would be in for, if I definitely decide to become an elementary school teacher.

By completing this project, I will learn and develop many skills in the field of my choice. For example, so far I have learned that being a teacher is not an easy job at all! There are some students that just don’t care and will do whatever they can to get attention from the class; in my opinion that is just absurd. However, by seeing the ways that Mrs. Teti deals with those students, it has shown that if you know what you are doing in the field of education, then you can deal with them easily. Also, there are so many different styles of teaching, and I have learned different sayings and games to play; instead of just getting up in front of the class and lecturing. To help me with my project and product, I have asked my sponsor and mentor to guide me along the way; however, it is all on me to get it done and the way I want it. I’m sure along the way I will encounter problems; for example, time I have and need to put into it, and the knowledge of the study to make my lesson plan polished. An elementary school teacher is not an easy job!



Sincerely,

Aliccia

Question & Answer

Q: What are you going to do over break to keep your project's music playing?

A: Over break, it will not be possible for me to see my sponsor because Lindenwold schools are closed for spring break. Therefore, in order to keep in touch with her I am going to be e-mailing her over the break. I want to ask her questions about my lesson plan because I brought up the idea to her and she thinks it's a great idea! She just wants to know what week I would be teaching, so then that way she can get me a topic that will correspond with what the students are learning at that time. She also gave me the choice of what I want to teach and a list of the times when each lesson is taught. So hopefully over break I can make a final decision of what subject I would like to teach and the week that I want to teach it. As soon as I decide, I will be on my way to producing my product. After I define and polish out the lesson plan, I can have it finished and ready to present to my Senior Project class; hopefully, they will learn something out of the lesson as well!
To keep in touch with my mentor over break (Ms. Oswald), I plan on seeing her basically every day. Since she is one of the softball coaches, it is easy to talk with her on the way to games and at practices. There are five games over break, so I will be seeing plenty of her. (: Maybe she will have some helpful input on what I should teach and a week I should teach it. Well this is what I plan on doing over the break to keep my project rolling, now I just have to keep up on it the entire time!

My Product

So I have thought more about my product I want to present along with my project. I was going to e-mail my sponsor to see if she could give me one of her lesson plans to look off of as an example. I really want to see if I can make up my own lesson plan and use the smartboard, which would mean getting to learn how to use that too. After I make my lesson plan and everything is finalized, I will not only present it to the class, but see if I could really teach the lesson to Mrs. Teti's class. Therefore, that would mean I would need to get a lesson topic off of her, so it would be something the class is learning at the time. This would really keep me interested and would be great experience in the field! Before I make this a definite idea, however, I want to talk to Miss Oswald (my mentor) and see what she thinks about the idea. Or maybe she will have more ideas! I will never know until I talk to her today (:

When I met up with Oswald today, I brought up my idea of my product to her. She thought it was a great idea and would give me wonderful experience! I definitely think I am going to do this, so I will e-mail Mrs. Teti today and see what she thinks. Hopefully, she can provide a lesson that I could develop a plan for, in order to teach her class. I cannot wait to get this product rolling because this will actually keep me interested! (:

My Idea for my Product...

I don't know exactly what my final product is going to be. I mean I have ideas for it, but I don't have a definite idea of what it will be exactly. My whole project deals with elementary education, so there are many different topics about it- but what exactly could be my PRODUCT!? I have no idea! Maybe I will talk to my sponsor and see if I could develop a lesson plan. I could pass out a copy to everyone of my lesson plan and prove to them what I would want to accomplish for the lesson... this is a start, but I don't know if this would be good! So let me know what you think (:

Finally.. (:

We finally handed our 6-page research paper in, and it feels like a lot of weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I was just excited to get it away from me because I was beginning to get frustrated over the matter. However, I was not happy at all with my finished product. It did not seem like quality material to me. I did do most of the paper ahead of time and worked on it a lot the past week in class; it just still did not seem complete to me! So I would like to work on the paper more because my sponsor is supposed to give me a lot of cool information supporting my thesis- that information might make my paper much better! (: When I receive the information from her I will add it to my paper and keep you guys updated!

My Research Paper

Since our research paper is due on April 1st, I want to start it before it is due because I tend to wait until the night before to start projects and papers; well not this time! I have my outline done to the fullest, all I need to do now is put it into a paper and make my thoughts complete. I have enough information and articles to make 6 pages, I think. Before I start really getting into writing the paper, however, I want to get input from my sponsor and mentor because they may have some really good information about my topic. Maybe they will know a good book or two that I could use, rather than using all electronic sources. I did though already write my first paragraph, so I am kind of on my way! Haa (: Once I really start on this, I am going to be so happy!

Friday was a no-go! =/

So on Friday, I was supposed to go to my sponsor because I haven't met with her in a while! I decided to e-mail her and set up that I would come see her on Friday around 1:30. Well as usual, I left school and went on my way to School #5. When I got there, come to find out Mrs. Teti called in sick and was not there. So instead of returning back to school for half an hour, I decided to go home and run some errands. She had e-mailed me and told me to come this week and that she would let me know when she was planning on returning to school. Hopefully, this week I will get to meet up with her and catch up on the time lost. Although, after this blog I am going to e-mail her and ask her a few questions I have on my research paper. Maybe she'll give me some good input on that and that way I can be on my way to writing a good research paper! (:

St. Patrick's Day

Today is Saint Patrick's Day, and even though it is on a Tuesday this year, many people will still be out to celebrate it. Over the weekend that just passed, on Sunday, there was a Saint Patrick's Day parade and celebration held. I heard it was a lot of fun and very tiring, one of my teachers told me so.

Many people think of St. Patrick's Day as little leprechauns and pots of gold and all that fun stuff; however, it is a religious holiday that the Irish have been celebrating for over a thousand years. The first St. Patrick's Day parade was not held in Ireland, but in the UNITED STATES- crazy, right!? Since the holiday is celebrated during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families tend to go to church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Since Lent makes people not able to eat meat people dance, drink, and feast on Irish bacon and cabbage.

People would never really think of Saint Patrick's Day like this, however, this is the TRUE meaning of the holiday. It is a time to have fun! (:

Pi Day

So this year Pi Day was celebrated on Friday the 13th, and boy was it an extravaganza! This year it was pretty exciting! Mr. Davidson won the "Pie in the Face" contest, however, he would not let anyone put the pie in his face. We were all fascinated when Brittany Robertson and Symone Robinson tried to smash him with a pie. They were not lucky however, because Mr. Davidson made dip moves and matrix moves- it was crazy!! He actually threw himself on the ground to avoid getting a pie in the face. Although, at the end when everything was being cleaned up, Sam Messner threw one at him and got him right on his head and side of the face- it was so funny! The wall however was also smashed with chocolate pie! It was a pretty exciting time at our annual Pi Day Celebration! (:

Only TEN more dayss!! (:

So my birthday is in ten days and I am so excited because I am finally going to be LEGAL! (; My mom and dad are finally allowing me to get a tattoo; therefore, I am hoping they start treating me as an adult, rather than how they treat me now! Since my birthday is on a Friday, I am hoping to go out with my friends and be with them all weekend. However, I am still celebrating with my family on my birthday. We are having ice cream cake at my house and I'm sure a few close friends will be included! (: Well, I just keep counting down the days until I turn eighteen because I am excited. It probably won't feel any different, but it has me looking forward to something good! When March 20 does come around I better get "Happy Birthday Aliccia" in the hallways and everything! :D

Intro Paragraph

Educational research is increasingly determining how to retain quality teachers. As I found on EBSO, a website to find primary documents, in different states and school districts they are trying many different things to keep quality teachers. For example, in an article from New York Times, at the capital advisers spoke about how getting rid of being tenured would help to keep quality teachers. However, some articles were saying that being tenured gives the teachers a sense of job security and makes them know that they are guaranteed their jobs after four years! The opinions go back and forth on how to keep quality teachers, so what is the real solution- only the researchers can come up with it!

This is what i got so far for my introduction paragraph, so what do you think!?

More Research...

I read an article that was saying how teachers really only care about how much they are getting payed, in Cumberland County. Cumberland County has lost almost 500 teachers, last year, because of the salary they were receiving. For example, most of the teachers moved on to places where the salaries were the highest. So, basically teachers were greedy and wanted to leave certain districts in order to make more; which that is not a quality teacher, they should care more about teaching the students, NOT about how much they make. It makes me angry that teachers don't care about their students, they basically only do the career to make as much money as they can! It is not fair for the students because it is affecting their education and the facts that they need to know, in order to succeed. I mean this might not be the number one cause of retaining quality teachers, although it could be a major cause of it.

The following is the link to the article:
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=6&hid=3&sid=932723c8-b0ff-4f37-bf7d-8e7ddf203283%40sessionmgr8&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=nfh&AN=2W62W63519800546

Teacher Tenure: A Battle in the Capital

I read an article on New York Times called, "Teacher Tenure: A Battle in the Capital." It was about how getting rid of the tenure plan would not solve the issue of the educational systems. For example, Michelle Rhee wants to get rid of the tenure program and raise salaries of the better teachers; however, this will not help with the issue of retaining quality teachers. A group of researchers want to start to decrease class sizes, reduce school sizes, make sure the students come to class on a full stomach, and so on. They feel that if this starts to come in affect, it will improve the students behavior in the classrooms, which will help the teachers be able to teach better and get their lessons across easily. I want to research more on how other schools and states are thinking of ways to improve their school systems and such.

The following is the link to the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/15/opinion/l15teacher.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=retaining%20teachers&st=cse

Doodling can help! (:

For all those people out there who get in trouble for doodling all over a test or homework assignment, there is definitely an excuse. Studies show that doodling can help people remember better than those who do not. I found an article on yahoo.com that proved this theory.
They actually set up an experiment to make it true. They had people sit down to listen to a two-and-a-half minute recording of people's names and places they were going. Half of the people were asked to write down only the people's names that were said, while the other half was asked to shade in different shapes, as the recording was listened to. However, the people were not told that it was a memory test. The results of the experiment showed that the people doodling had a higher chance of remembering the names and places said on the recording. Therefore, it is said that when people doodle during a boring task, they will more likely be able to remember the facts, rather than those who just sit there and try to listen!

The following is the link to the article:
http://health.yahoo.com/news/healthday/takenotedoodlingcanhelpmemory.html

EBSCO-Research Paper!

I was researching for my paper that is going to be due in English at the end, which has to be six pages long. There is a website on every desktop of every computer in the school called EBSCO. It provides so many articles and such that will help support basically any thesis possible. I decided to start researching on my thesis about education and I received great results from this website.
All I had to do was type in "retaining teachers" in the search box and many pages of results came up. So far I have only printed out two articles, but I am planning on getting at lease ten; therefore, I have enough to support my thesis and develop a good research paper.

One of the articles I found was Hampton's priority: Stronger schools: The community gathers to name priorities for making Hampton schools "great." It talked about how they are trying to improve Hampton schools by having annual workshops to talk of the problems. At their recent meeting, they said that teachers should teach students more life and social skills and maybe improve the student-teacher ratio by having smaller classes; maybe it is harder to teach in a bigger class because the teachers cannot get to know each student individually. Also, the teachers need to better prepare the students for transition into higher education or the work force. All of these are a few of the problems they spoke about, and are planning to work on during the upcoming years.

The other article I found was BRIEF: State gets 'D+' for retaining, identifying good teachers. This article was about how Pennsylvania schools need to do a better job of retaining quality teachers for their school district. In this state, they use classroom observations to "grade" the teachers and see how their students are learning. They think that the problem of retaining quality teachers are the pension plans, compensation pay, and performance pay. Pennsylvania schools need to crack down and see what is going on because right now they're sacrificing the student's education.

I am hoping to find more interesting articles like these on this website and I recommend that the rest of the class use EBSCO; it will make their lives a lot easier when it comes to research papers. I'm glad that Mr. Abrams introduced me to this website! (:

Start of my Research Paper!

So we are starting to make our thesis and get articles for our research papers. We all have to develop a thesis that deals with our projects, to form a research paper of our topic. Each student in the class is doing a different topic; it's crazy that there are so many things to write about out there!

My thesis is "Educational research is increasingly determining how to retain quality teachers." I feel as though there just aren't good teachers anymore. I mean yeah, they are a select few that actually care about teaching their students and providing them with knowledge; however, there are too many that just don't care and know they are tenured, so they know that they will not get fired. So, I would like to research if there are certain standards, that maybe some states have in order to have quality teachers. I am going to get articles off the Internet that talk about how certain states retain teachers and what standards they must follow in order to continue teaching at their present school.

Not Sure If...

I am not exactly sure if I will be getting the chance to go to the elementary school this week. There is just so much going on right now with school and my life at home, since it is a shortened week also, it is going to be a problem to make time to get there. I may however, be able to go tomorrow earlier in the day because I have a basketball game to attend in Gateway. Tonight I am going to e-mail Mrs. Teti and see if I can come tomorrow around 11, if that is ok with her than I will be able to make it in the classroom this week. I loved it so much last week, that I would love to go in there every day, but it is a little difficult sometimes to work around everything. Hopefully this plan works out and I get there tomorrow! (:

Yoga

2/13/09

Today in gym, we took a different approach to fitness day. Instead of running around the gym numerous times, Mr. McGuirl had his friend, Kate, come in and teach us Yoga. Let me just tell you, I want to take Yoga classes now! It was so much fun and made me so relaxed afterwards. I just think that it has a way of relieving stress from your body.
Before I went to gym, I did not feel good and had a headache; however, after gym was over, I felt better and ready to go on with the rest of my day. I owe all this relief to Kate, the Yoga instructor. I hope to go to classes and further my knowledge in Yoga because it makes me feel better and while doing it, it makes me think about everything! I love it!! (:

First Day on the Job!

Yesterday I went to the elementary school to meet with my sponsor, Mrs. Teti! It was such an exciting experience. As soon as I walked in the door, the students seemed so amazed by me. I walked in and Mrs. Teti told them to call me Miss Aliccia; all of the students greeted me and waved to me. Their faces were priceless because their jaws dropped when I walked in, I felt excited to finally start this project!
While I was there for the hour and a half that I stayed, I experienced the class playing "Multiplication Basketball." They were divided into two teams, the Sixers and the Wildcats. Two students would go up at a time, one was the shooter and the other recorded the score. The students were learning to multiply using parentheses. For example, if they scored two 1-point shots, zero 2-point shots, and three 3-point shots, they wrote (1 x 2) + (2 x 0) + (3 x 3). First they did what was in each set of parentheses, and then they added those numbers together to get the final score! It was such a good idea to make the students learn their math. I hope that when I become a teacher, I can make up "cute" ideas, such as this activity, in order to make the students understand the concepts.

Old Newspaper Article, but Interesting! (:

I found this article on myfoxphilly.com about an assistant principal from Cherry Hill East. Even though the article was dated March 19, 2008, it still caught my interest. It was about how this man was found dead in his office on Tuesday morning, after returning from the Senior Class Trip to Florida. Students and staff agree, however that he died doing something he loved- guiding and supporting students and former colleagues. He spent his entire 35-year career at this school in Cherry Hill, as the assistant principal.
As a teacher, I could not imagine finding my boss dead in his office; that is crazy! I would not know what to say or think. Although, finding out that my boss was found dead, would come as a complete surprise, especially since he was around for so long. If I was one of the teachers that was on the trip with him, I would be so grateful that I was able to spend those last times with him before he passed. This article really hit me and made me realize that when I am a teacher, and I work for older people, I am going to have to realize that they will pass sooner or later. That is just something that I will have to deal with when the time comes!

Below is the link to the article:
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/Cherry_Hill_East_Assistant_Principal_Dies

Rent-A-Friend

So tonight I decided to attend Rent-A-Friend, and let me just tell you, it was pretty funny. I did not think that girls reacted in that type of way to boys; it was crazy! One boy walked out on stage and took off his shirts, the girls went wild. They all started screaming and chanting; then, they began fighting over who could bid the highest and win a date with him. I thought that the girls were only going to pay a few dollars, maybe $20 at the most; however, I was wrong because a girl bought one of the boys for SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLARS! Now that is just crazy! I could not imagine!

I just attended the event for entertainment and that is what I got. With Mr. Egan hosting it, I'd say it was rather funny. Girls in our school are too funny! I did not bring money, although I did raise my paddle just so other girls would bid higher! :p Overall, I'd say Rent-A-Friend went well and raised a lot of money!

Half of the year is over!

I cannot believe that half of my senior year is officially over!! It went so fast. Where did the time go!? Although, I am so glad that midterms are done! I was so nervouse taking them because I am really trying hard to be exempt from my finals. At this time, I am exempt from everything! (:

People told me that my senior year would go by quickly, and they were completely correct! I feel like there just isn't enough time to do everything I want to do. I want to leave a legacy at LHS, so that I am remembered in a positive way!

There isn't much time left to spend with the class of `09! In just 4 months, we will be out of here and doing our own thing! No more seeing these people everyday, it's going to be so weird. However, I cannot wait to get out of here and start the next chapter of my life. I hope I stay in touch with my close friends, as we all go away to college and seperate. I don't think it really has hit that I won't see them everyday, as I do now! It'll be hard, but I am ready to go away to college and begin something new! (:

Important Mail (:

This afternoon, as my mother and I were pulling away to run errands, she checked the mail. She pulled out a rather large envelope that was addressed to me. It was from Richard-Stockton College. In the car, as I tore open the letter in excitement, I was hoping that this was finally the moment I had been waiting for. I pulled out the letter and Stockton said that they had accepted me. I smiled in amazement and was thrilled to be accepted into one of my top choices! Throughout the entire day this was all I could think about. During dinner, I got to announce it to my family and they were happy too and congratulated me. So far, I have only told one friend, but I am just super excited. Finally, all of my hard work has payed off. I hope I get more acceptance letters because when I received this letter, it felt as though so much weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I had been waiting so long to receive one, and I really did begin to think that I was not going to be accepted anywhere; however, I thought wrong! I am so grateful to have received this letter, this afternoon! (:

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

On Wednesday night we had a celebration, I guess you could say, for our Senior Project Seminar class. In my opinion, the night was rather interesting. I arrived at 6:40 and walked in to Mr. Abrams already talking. I began to worry, thinking I had the wrong time; however, he was just anxious to start his presentation and was beginning early. When Mr. Snyder put a stop to his speaking, everyone else started to settle in and the show began.
Mr. Abrams spoke about the class and what we do each day, while all of the students went out into the hallway to prepare a mini presentation. Boy was I nervous!? I was so afraid of getting in front of my parents, teachers, and fellow classmates. What if I stuttered and messed up? What if I seemed as though I didn't know what I was talking about? What if I froze up there? Too many thoughts were racing through my head at one time!
Then, it was time for me to speak. As I walked up to the front, I realized I had to do this no matter what. Once I started talking, my thoughts and ideas came out fine. After I was done, it made me feel a lot better when Mr. Abrams and Mr. Snyder commented on how well everyone did. For everyone who got up there and spoke, it took a lot of courage to do so and I think everyone did a great job! Overall the night went rather smoothly.

First Meeting with Sponsor

Last Thursday, I met with my sponsor Jennifer Teti, who is a teacher from Lindenwold School #5. I just wanted to meet with her to introduce the project because I only was able to e-mail her thus far. Overall, the meeting went well and I am super excited to start for the remaining marking periods of the school year!
We sat and talked for a little over an hour about how the project was going to be ran. She sounded excited for me to be sitting in her room for a couple days out of the week. Mrs. Teti began to say that if I came from 1:30-2:30, I would sit through her math lesson. After talking about how her mathematics is taught, she began to say that if I could come from 9:30-10:30, I could sit and observe her Language Arts lesson. She thought that would be a fantastic idea because if I pick up on a productive style of teaching reading and writing, it will not only benefit myself; but, rather it will benefit my future students.
We finished up just talking about life and college plans. This meeting was a success and I cannot wait to observe Mrs. Teti's third grade class. (:

AP's 1st Basketball Game

On Tuesday, January 20, 2009, aside from Obama's Inauguration, it was Aspen Price-Perry's first game of her season, for girl's basketball. I was so excited to see her play because in my eyes, she is an ALL-STAR! (: After managing basketball since the beginning of the season, it has been a rough one for our girls. They try their best and work hard, but we've had only two wins up until Tuesday! :D Aspen did so good and made it that much more exciting for Sam and I, at the scorekeeper's table. Everyone in the crowd seemed to go wild whenever a basket was made! There even seemed to be more people who attended the game, but I don't know if that was just because it was Aspen's first game or if it was just a good game to come to. This is one basketball game that I am so glad I didn't miss! The team just seemed to be unified and together as one, as each and every one of them contributedo their victory! Every one of the girls did something exciting and I hope the games to come are like this one against Gateway! The final score was 74-54, Lindenwold. (:

Stress & Blah Moods

Lately I have been having this unexplainable mood that I get into out of nowhere. I have no idea where it comes from or the reason behind it. I just get into this mood where I don't talk to anyone, zone everything out, and get mad over the dumbest things! It just doesn't make sense to me. If I could find out why this happens it would be great. I am beginning to think it is stress that is taking over. There is just so much to worry about this year and that may be the reason. However, this mood comes out of nowhere and randomly.
When people see me this way, they begin to ask what's wrong; however, I just reply with nothing because I don't know how to explain the way I feel. I want to try to explain it, but there just isn't an exact feeling or word to let people know. If there was a cure or something to help that'd be great! (: I just want to know the cause of this feeling!

A Letter From the Future

One of my students, above, reading in the library. Winslow Elementary School #4

Imagine that you are twenty-eight years old, and you're writing to a cherished teacher whom you haven't heard from in ten years. Tell him/her about your professional life. What do you do for a living and how did you get there? Consider the following: What schools did you attend? What special training and degrees do you have? Where do you work and what is the name of your company? What do your coworkers and boss think of you? What professional successes and awards have you enjoyed since graduating from high school.

Dear Teacher,
I haven't heard from you in so long! I hope all is well. My life is going great and I'm finally out of school, and I get to pursue the career I've always wanted to do- an elementary school teacher. I attended Rowan University for four years to earn my bachelors degree in elementary education and early childhood. Finally I grew up (: I work in Winslow #4 school and I teach third grade. My early childhood dream actually came true and I hope I am making an impact on my student's lives, as you did mine! Many of my co-workers are good friends of mine now and my boss is great. I wish you could meet him, he is the nicest guy ever. My students are so smart, they surprise me everyday.

One year, my student Robert came up to me on the first day of school crying because he didn't want to go. I simply explained to him that he would have so much fun in Miss Hans's class and he would never want to leave school. He laughed and told me that would never happen. However, at the end of the day when his mother came to pick Robert up, he refused to leave and told her that I was his favorite teacher ever! This brought a smile to my face instantly and made me feel that my students really do appreciate me! It's the little things that count the most.

Well I hope you write me back soon because it would be great to hear back from you. It has been far too long! Tell your family I said hello and let them know my family and I are doing fine. Everything in my life seems to be in order! Thanks for all your inspiration! (:

Love Always,

Aliccia Hans

Myself, below, teaching my students.

Blog Visits

I visited and commented Mr. Abrams, Desiree, Jamie, Sam Messner, and Turk's blogs! The book that Mr. Abrams blogged about seems so interesting and something that I would consider reading maybe one day! Usually I am not the one to read, however, this book seems like one that would catch my interest. Des's thing about being so stressed and not enough time, I totally agreed with. Senior year is sooo stressful and way too costly! Time management is such a big thing to have to manage! I did not know that about Jamie being so self-conscience about herself, and that is sad because she is close to me. She would have been the last person I would think to say about herself; although, I did know she doesn't like to get up in front of the class to do presentations. I learn something new every day! (: Reading my fellow classmates blogs and commenting on them, I feel is great because it opens up my eyes to other opinions and their feelings on certain subjects. I can learn SO MUCH from reading their blogs!

Weekend Grab Bag

Bungee Jumping! (:

Something I have always wanted to do is bungee jump. It's in movies all the time and I think it looks like so much fun! (: I'm quite the risk taker out of my friends. I am the one who goes on the highest roller coaster or the craziest ride in an amusement park; I like being the dare devil. If I was given the chance to bungee jump, I would be so amazed.

When I see people do it in movies they seem to get an adrenaline rush and I want to experience the same thing! It would be great to have that feeling like "Ahhhhh! I am flying from a bridge and tied by a rubber band!" To have that going through my mind would satisfy me! (: I love the craziest things in life and I am not afraid to take these types of risks. I have always wanted to go bungee jumping and I am determined to do so before I die! :D

Chicken Soup for the College Soul

We were told to choose a book in English class that would help us in life and inspire us. I chose Chicken Soup for the College Soul. So far the book has caught my attention in many ways and I cannot wait to go away to experience college. In this book there are so many different experiences that people go through; some are bad and others truly inspire me.

After reading some of this book, the chapter Inspiration Can Be Anywhere really caught my attention. It was about a girl named Hannah Moore who had a dream of going to Africa to help the sick children; however, her family was poor and her mother shot down her dreams. She went through 17 years of her life in shame about her dream. Although her neighbor, Mrs. Haverill encouraged her to do what she believes she can do, and if she puts her mind to it she will become a doctor. The following excerpt was very inspring:

Mrs Haverill said, "Ah, yes, I hardly know you, dear child, but I can see that in you. I have a cousin who was a doctor in Africa during the 1960s. Now she runs a mobile doctor's office on the streets of the city. Ah, yes, Hannah, can you stay a while for me to tell you about her?"

Hannah felt that her neighbor was the only one that believed in her and therefore she went to talk with her neighbor daily. Eventually, Hannah did go to medical school and she is currently in her junior year of it. I hope her dream does come true and she goes to Africa to help the sick children!

Project Exploration

I want to be an expert in teaching younger children and motivating them into making a difference in their lives. Elementary school teachers I feel have the most difficult job! They have to lay down the basics of learning and if students don't understand the basics then they won't make it through the rest of their educational career. If my dream to become a teacher comes true, then I will be the best teacher there ever has been!

Without John Dewey, education probably would be nothing like it is today. He has put a voice on educator's rights and progressive education. Mr. Abrams told me about this man and I was shocked that I did not know anything about him. If John Dewey was not outspoken then I may not have been able to become an elementary school teacher today!

Dewey even went all the way to Turkey to stress the importance of education. Without an education today, you cannot get far at all in life. Almost everything now-a-days requires some kind of degree. It would be great to be that one inspiring figure in a child's life that they always look back on. If I was able to research all about John Dewey and the things he has accomplished in order to make education what it is today, it would be great!

New Blog ..

Hello fellow bloggers!!

I just started with blogger.com because I had thoughts.com and I will be honest, it was a little confusing. I'm hoping this blog site will be easier! (: I have this blog profile because it's for our English class.
I think that our blog entries should be graded once a week, with a series of atleast 3 entries. We should just be able to do three entries whenever throughout the week, we shouldn't have a certain day to do a blog. Maybe one day we just don't feel like blogging, but as long as we get 3 by Friday it's ok!
Each blog entry I think should be our feelings of the day with a "Hot Topic" question of the day. Maybe if Mr. Abrams made a list of questions that we could answer in the blogs; I think that would be interesting. Not everyone would do the same question because they would have a choice of which question they wanted to answer. This way there wouldn't be all the same entries and it would be a variety of readings. (: