Liking this song, "Heaven" by Brandi Carlile.

Sorry for the lack of posting; life's been busy but not really exciting (the irony!). Happy almost Thanksgiving!

Thailand Elephant Camp

I'VE FOUND IT! Experiential Learning International offers volunteer spots at an elephant camp in Thailand. Volunteers help take care of the elephants, and teach English. PERFECT!

Save save save save . . .

Doodle 4 Google

Wow, these doodles are really good . . . and there was one from Northern CO!

So, the semester just keeps going. For a curriculum and instruction class, I needed to do an observation of an early childhood interventionist for kids ages 0-3. I got to shadow her for a visit yesterday, and it increased my sense of self efficacy. I can do this job, and be good at it!

I've felt the same way when working at my job. It's like I've finally found a field where I feel confident that I can really help out, and be competent. I hope I can come back to my current school next year; it all depends on if they have a need for my position.

Andres and I are planning on going on a road trip to Wisconsin in July. Some friends have a cabin out there on a lake, and they've invited us to come along. A lot of my relatives are also in Wisconsin, so it might work out well to see them. I'm planning on taking a full load of classes in the summer, though, so I'll have to work something out around that.

For Valentine's Day, we saw "Avatar," and got a pizza from Casbah. I thought "Avatar" was incredible; usually I don't like movies of that genre, but I really felt for the characters and got into the story. I've also been getting these awesome Putumayo World Music CDs from the library. I'm listening to a French Caribbean CD now, check them out if you get a chance.

Anyway, back to work, enough procrastinating . . .

Flying time

A few weeks ago, Dre and I celebrated three years of being together. In August, we'll celebrate our second anniversary :) How time goes!

I met up with my roommate from my freshman year of college last week, and it was so good to re-establish the connection. This year will be the six year mark of our graduation from high school, and subsequent beginning of college. Oh the memories!

Anyway, not much else is happening. My job and classes are going well, and I did some thrift store browsing yesterday and found a tray made of "sovereign New Zealand timbers" for five bucks. It's got a kiwi (the bird) painted on front, and on the back it lists the different kinds of NZ timbers (one of their trademarks) used to make the tray. Definitely brought back some longing for NZ, but a cool find nonetheless.

Still trying to figure out when/ where/ why we can travel next. Things like that always take some time and planning (and funds), though.

New things in a new year

First off, you've probably heard about the devastation in Haiti from the earthquake this week. Please take a few moments to consider donating to relief efforts, and keep those affected (here and abroad) in your thoughts and prayers. Such tragedy; it's hard to not watch and feel totally helpless.

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It has been a while since I've updated. We had a radon mitigation system put in the basement today, and my dad has offered to come up and help us finish the flooring. I'm excited for spring/ summer to roll around so we can spend more time outside, doing landscaping/ gardening and such. The radon mitigator involves this white PVC pipe outside our front door, and I'd like to maybe get a clematis or ivy to grow around it. We don't have any bathtubs (only showers), and eventually I'd like to put in one. My dad has offered to help with that too, but it will probably be a little while before we get to it.

I started a new job close to our new house, and it is going so well. It's part time (which has reduced my stress load incredibly) and at an elementary school. Some of the students have behaviors, but most just need extra help with academic tasks. The kids are great and the teachers and I share good rapport. Everyday is an affirmation that I love helping all kids learn; it's something I guess I just never realized until after my undergrad years. In any case, I am very happy with my place right now.

My second graduate semester started on Monday, and the classes I'm taking revolve around educational psychology, assessment of kids with special needs, and curriculum in the early childhood classroom. The last one I'm really excited about, as I'm trying to figure out what my future classroom will consist of. I met with my advisor and I will be done with coursework after fall 2010, then complete three practicums: one with infants, one with toddlers, and one with elementary aged kids (up to age 8). I'll be done summer 2011.

Speaking of teaching, I found this site on Experiential Learning International from a friend's blog. I looked around at the different programs and fees, and there's one in China I (and I think Andres) would be really interested in. Maybe in summer 2011, after we've had some time to save . . .

The most wonderful time of the year!

I love this time of year! Snow, Christmas decorations, and Advent wreaths always bring such a sense of nostalgia.

We are in the process of buying a house in Loveland, and we may get to close earlier than expected. I put my two weeks in at my job here in Greeley; I can't justify the one hour commute. It was hard not to get emotional when I told the kids I was leaving, as I really do like working with them (even if some days are turbulent).

All of my Master's classes are online, and I'm still looking at being done with practicum in summer 2011 (maybe sooner). I've contacted the Early Childhood Department head with the Loveland school district, and she was enthusiastic about me doing my practicum there. I need to register for the PLACE tests, then I can start practicum in the fall! I've applied for some part time positions in Loveland too; now that we're going to be homeowners, I'd like to have a little more time to maintain our place. Working full time this semester left me with few minutes to spare . . .

Anyway, that's what's new! Happy 2010 (because knowing how often I update, that's probably the next time I'll post on here)!

What a chore, I'm 24

So I turned 24 last week. I used to always think of 25 as the time when I would have a career, house, husband, dog, etc. I'm satisfied with my life thus far, and the ways things have turned out. There's still so much I want to do and accomplish, but that's what the next 24 years are for, eh?

I went to a wolf refuge where my cousin works for my birthday, and he showed us how to feed the wolves. The rest of the weekend was spent lounging around with parents and getting spoiled. Going home is always great.

Speaking of which, we've mostly nixed the Washington idea. The reason for going would be to live by the ocean . . . but what else? Our family and friends are here, and we both have jobs that we enjoy and can build on. So, for now, we're staying put.

Grad school is great, I love what I'm learning and being able to use it. The next month will bring a slew of papers and tests. 1.5 more months to go.

Halloween is in two weeks. It's always been one of my favorite holidays, but we didn't celebrate it last year because we were in New Zealand. The kiwis didn't seem to know what Halloween was, but our Korean flatmates did, and said they wanted to go trick or treating . . . I don't remember if we did or not.

I saw two friends of mine this weekend - one of whom I know from college and the other I hadn't seen since high school - and they really renewed my spirit, such strong, interesting women.

Decisions

So, in about a year, I am looking at doing my practicum for the Early Childhood Special Ed program. Essentially, this is student teaching. I'll spend time with three different age groups of kids, and then I'll get my Master's degree. I've also found the list of course requirements for adding an elementary education endorsement to my license, which I think I'll do.

I need to make a decision before then about where I'm going to do my practicum. We've had the idea of going to Vancouver, WA, for a few years, just for something different. Dre would probably be able to continue with his company there, and I could most likely find a job there after I complete my practicum. But . . . I can't decide to stay in Colorado, or go to Washington, and it's grinding on me.

Washington Pros:

- An hour's drive away from the ocean (where I would love to live)
- Good public transportation
- Close to Portland, OR
- Exploring the Pacific Northwest would be at our fingertips

Washington Cons:

- Far from family and friends
- I'd have to find my own practicum placement, and perhaps submit to more testing (the Praxis)

Colorado Pros:

- Close to family and friends
- I already understand the path to teacher licensure in CO
- Moving expenses would be less $

Colorado Cons:

- Sense of adventure is greatly reduced
- Might regret not going to WA later on

Job, continued

I'm about a month into my new job, and I love it. I felt somewhat intimidated by the kids at the beginning of the year, but now I feel like I have a moderately strong handle on situations when the kids start getting agitated and I need to give them direction. It's always a learning process, but the team I'm with is supportive and communicates expectations for the kids, which helps me out a lot. I'm finding that I'm good at staying calm, collected, and giving stern yet clear directions, which probably was a by-product of working with kids with autism.

Being a para has allowed me to view different aspects of special education through a microscope, and I like being able to connect my job with what I'm learning in my graduate classes. One thing that I've noticed is that not all general education teachers are willing to work with kids with special needs, or accommodate them once they are in the classroom. One of the principles of IDEA (legislation which ensures all children receive a free, appropriate, public education, or FAPE) is that students will be placed in a least restrictive environment (LRE). What this means is that students with disabilities will not be segregated in a room at the back of the school where no one sees them; rather, they will be with their regular peers to the greatest extent possible. However, I've heard about some general ed teachers who single out the special needs kid(s) in their classroom, or hold consistently low expectations for them.

Further, I've heard about special ed teachers who don't have expectations for their students. I was told about a special ed teacher of kids with emotional/ behavioral disabilities who just gave his students puzzles to do, day after day, because "they wouldn't learn anything anyway." Other teachers just let them draw all day. The kids I work with now are in this population, and they WILL learn if they have expectations; I've seen it. They are intelligent; a teacher just needs to unlock it.

Thirdly, one thing I've noticed in the teacher's lounge is that some of the gen ed teachers are very clique-y. Not all of them, mind you, but some of them. It's almost like sitting in the high school cafeteria all over again. Maybe this is just part of the elementary school culture, as I didn't notice this at the junior high school I used to work at. However, at the same junior high school, the teacher I used to work with was confronted by the secretary (who had a daughter with an intellectual disability) about how the money being spent on our severe autism program could be used for students like her daughter. I'm sure that there are a multitude of co-worker challenges I'll encounter in my career, but these are just a few I've noticed so far.