Thunderstorms!

Where is the fall weather?! I am so tired of the rain and now it's starting to thunder outside. I don't enjoy traveling when it is raining. People are sometimes overly cautious and it causes traffic and accidents. The day seems to be dragging on. I have so many things that are due today. This has been a really hectic week! At 2:45, all the stress that I have been experiencing will be gone. Tomorrow, I am observing at the Middle School and I can not wait to see my 7th and 8th graders. I never realized how attached you can become with a group of students, especially when you are not their teacher. They are so much fun to be around and I learn something new each and every day from them =)

Middle of a hectic week!

Today is only Tuesday and there is so much to do! Tomorrow I have a HUGE geography test and I am so stressed out about it! I have been studying for it for about a week and I feel confident in my abilities to do well, I just want the test to be over so the worrying stops. For Thursday, I have to present something I have been working on in my ED 447 class. I have decided to show my photo story of my Sweet 16. I hope everyone likes it! Then, I have to hand in my Economics paper and be able to talk about it. After that, I need to submit my first lesson plan. I am freaking out about that too! I can't wait for tomorrow and Thursday to be over!


The one thing keeping me sane through all of this work is my observation. I have fallen in love with my 7th and 8th grade students at West Essex Middle School. Since they are younger, they have no real concerns or cares in the world. This makes me happy that they focus on the little things in life and worry about everyday things. Although I want to teach high school, I believe if I was offered a job in a middle school I would definitely accept it. The students are great and I think I could make a big impact on their lives. The three teachers I am observing with are fun to work with. Not only do they portray their information in various ways, they love the students they are teaching. It gives me inspiration to keep going and work hard to become a teacher.

It's time for a birthday celebration!

Today is my sister Alessandra's 23rd birthday! My sister is my best friend even though we constantly fight. I would do anything for her. She is my inspiration for my future career as a special education teacher. When Alessandra was five years old, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Her brain tumor was wrapped around her brain stem, making it inoperable. The doctors did massive chemotherapy and radiation to shrink the tumor. Alessandra is considered a miracle because she is the only survivor of a brain stem glioma. Parents often call Alessandra to talk to her to give them hope that maybe their child will become a survivor. Alessandra is an inspiration to everyone. She has overcome so many obstacles that her been put in her way. She attended Community School in Teaneck, N.J. where I hope to teach. The teachers love the students and even though they have learning disabilities, they make learning fun. Alessandra may have processing problems but she is by no means stupid. Her IQ is near perfect and she attended the French Culinary Institute in Mahattan where she became a certified pastry chef.


Since last Thursday, my sister has been working in the San Gennaro Feast in Mahattan. She works for the family restaurant, Umbertos Clam House. They have the best fried calamari I have ever tasted! Umbertos seafood is delicious. They also have a variety of different types of food. My family is treating my sister to dinner tonight and I can not wait to see her!

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall :D

Although summer is my favorite season because it is gorgeous all the time, there is no school, and my birthday is at the end of August, I am so happy that it is finally fall. Fall is my second favorite season. I love how the leaves are changing colors, there is a crisp feeling in the air, and I absolutely love fall clothing! Boots are my go to item of clothing in the fall. I have Uggs, knee high boots, and short boots. You name it, chances are that I own it. Sweaters are also a necessity in the fall. Since I am always freezing, I love getting to wear layers of clothing, especially when I can add a scarf to my outfit. Fall means that there are many holidays coming up. I LOVE celebrating holidays because I get to spend much needed quality time with my family :) Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. You get to dress up and be someone else for a night. Sometimes, it feels good to let go of yourself for one night and be a different character. Fall is happening all around us and I can not wait to see what this fall season brings.

The end to a long and tiring week...

This past week was extremely difficult. Sunday marked the anniversary of 9/11. It has been ten years since the World Trade Centers were attacked. I remember that day as if it were yesterday. I was sitting in my fifth grade music class in St. Clare School when all of a sudden my classmates were told they were leaving to go home. I did not comprehend what was going on because the teachers were not allowed to disclose anoy information to us. My best friend, cousins, and I stayed in school the entire day. When I went home and saw the news, I was shocked. From a 10 year old standpoint, I did not know why anyone would attack the United States, especially New York City. Since I am from Staten Island, I personally feel the tradegy affected me more than people in different states. New York is the best place in the world and seeing my home attacked made me angry. I fortunately did not know anyone who died in the 9/11 attacks. However, my friends did. My heart goes out to all those who were affected by this devastating tragedy.

Yesterday, I also got the chance to observe again. I am really enjoying my observation so far. The cooperating teachers try to incorporate me as much as possible into their lessons. I have mostly been observing 8th grade Social Studies classes. The students were given a pre-test citizenship test yesterday and surpisingly most of them did really well. I am excited to see how the next few months turn out for these 8th graders =)

First day of observation complete!

Since I am registered in ED 348, I am required to do 40 hours of observation. Today was my first day observing in the middle school I was placed in and I absolutely loved it! The cooperating teachers that I was assigned to work with are so nice and they really enjoy their subject. Even though it was an initial meeting, I am aware that they are enthusiatic about getting their students to love the subject they teach. Social Studies covers a variety of topics and I am interested to see how each teacher tackles different eras in history. Although I want to teach at the high school level, observing in a middle school can open up a variety of possibilities that I never thought of. The students were a little hesitant to see me in the room but eventually warmed up to me and even asked for my assistance while working at the computers. I am so happy I finally get to observe!

I have so much school work to do in the next few days and I hope I am able to get through everything that I need to do. I am super stressed! However, being around kids during my observation is giving me motivation to keep going and not to stop pursuing my dreams of becoming a teacher :)

Thursdays are my new Fridays!

Having classes for four days out of the week is great! It allows me to save money in gas traveling back and forth to school and I get to sleep in on Fridays! Next week I am going to start my 40 hours of observation and I can not wait! Being able to finally sit in a classroom and see things from a persepective other than a student is going to be extremely interesting. I am really enjoying my ED 348 and ED 447 classes. These classes are not structured to textbook learning. They provide hands-on activities that make you think outside the box.

Last night, I watched the Republican debate as a requisite to my American Government course. I am a registered Republican but I do not vote strictly within my party lines. I think it is important to listen to each candidate and what they plan to do to fix our economy. The candidates united in attacking the Democratic party. Each candidate has their own ideas on how the economy should be fixed and the steps to do so. Tonight President Obama is addressing the nation and I am intrigued as to what his response is. By incorporating speeches into a class, I am more apt to want to know more about the topics the candidates are presenting. http://2012.republican-candidates.org/

What a weekend

My four day weekend was eventful, to say the least. On Thursday night, I did some homework and then reunited with my Zumba family. Zumba is a dance workout and I have been hooked on it ever since I started going in July. It is a great way to have fun with your friends, without realizing that you are working out. The intructors are so friendly and make you feel welcome. Some of them have become my best friends. Being with my Zumba family allows me to escape from all the stresses of school. It calms me down and gives me energy to push through any obstacle in my way.

On Friday, I was off from school. This afforded me the opportunity to sleep late and get a jumpstart on homework. On Saturday, I got into a huge fight with one of my best friends. She feels as if I am replacing her, which is not the case. Sometimes I wish she would see that we have a good friendship and not to question it. Right now, I am unsure of where our friendship stands. Whatever happens, happens.

On Sunday night, I attended two Zumba classes along with my best friend since the first grade. Although we had a falling out about a year ago, everything has been resolved. I am really happy to have her back in my life.

On Monday, I spent time some much needed time with my family. Its nice to have my family around when I am stressed or have problems. It helps to talk about things instead of keeping them inside.

I fell in love with the song stereo hearts by gym class heroes as soon as I heard it.  This song has been on repeat on my Ipod ever since :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3NbrnCtEM8&feature=feedlik

First week of classes complete =)

My first week of classes is complete! Since Labor Day is on Monday and I have no classes on Friday, I have a four day weekend :) I am super excited to have an extra day off so I can get back into the routine of school. Getting up at 6:15 was definitely not easy this week, I am exhausted!

My ED 348 class started to discuss positive and negative experiences we have had with different teachers. It seemed that each student had both a positive and negative experience throughout their education. Personally, my 10th grade global history teacher inspired me to become a history teacher. He turned a subject I always found a little dull, into one full of excitement. Through the use of visual aids, handouts, group projects, a class website, and notes, I was constantly engaged in the lesson. Sometimes he was graded me harder than the other students because he wanted to get the best out of me. My negative experience was with my math teacher during my junior year of high school. She taught straight out of the textbook and did not know how to relate the information to the class.

In my ED 447 class I am starting to get the hang of the website delicious.com. It allows us to get websites we find interesting and add them to our profile. I have already found so many interesting websites that I would use for teaching, as well as informational websites.



http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Ke%27e+Beach+Hawaii&view=detail&id=1879A2010A9FB226D436CFA31BD362472D0176E8&first=0