Posted by: ariella24 on: August 22, 2011
It’s just after 8:15 pm. I am sitting in my new dorm room, surrounded by (mostly unpacked) stuff. Tomorrow is my first official day as a student teacher. I have to admit, I’m quite nervous. I’m also exceptionally excited. I feel like my life is rushing at me faster than I can cope with it, but I know that with God’s help, I’ll get through this and do great. I would appreciate prayers, though.
Well, I’m going to go to Kroger now to pick up some food for this week, since I don’t think the college store will be open, and Kroger will probably be cheaper. I don’t know if I’ll be getting lunch tomorrow or if I should bring one. Better safe than sorry, I guess…
More tomorrow, after my first official day!
Posted by: ariella24 on: August 8, 2011
I came back from Cedar with a bad cough–a really bad cough, the kind that comes with phlegm and feeling awful and shortness of breath. I’d had it for a week when I came home. On Thursday, when I’d had it for two weeks and it wasn’t getting any better, I went to the doctor. After listening to my breathing and what I said about my symptoms, the doctor told me, “You have pneumonia.” He said it like I’d just won a prize or something. I guess that’s better than giving it to me like it was terrible news…
Anyways, the doctor gave me medicine and an inhaler and had me have a chest x-ray. I came home and I’ve been doing what I was told ever since (except for the inhaler; I just can’t get the hang of that stupid thing…)
I think I’m getting better. Of course, that just means that I’m not coughing as much and that there’s less phlegm. But when the cough medicine wears off, I end up coughing so much I feel like I’m going to barf. The stuff also makes me drowsy, so I’ve been acting more and more catlike, sleeping for a few hours at a time all day. (That’s why I’m up at nearly 2 in the morning now; I woke up coughing and now I’m not tired again yet.)
I am tired of being sick. I hate feeling like this. I want to get better so I can get ready for student teaching. This is exceptionally irritating!
Posted by: ariella24 on: May 13, 2011
A couple weeks ago, I drove all by myself to a doctor’s appointment. It wasn’t a very long drive, and I made it there all right, but it felt like a big scary thing to do because I hadn’t done it before. Today I’m doing another big scary thing–driving up to my student teaching school in Marion all by myself to go on a field trip with my co-op teacher and her current group of 4th graders.
I practiced the drive last week with Daddy, and I’ve practiced driving several times since then just around home. Last night we practiced going on the highway. I have a pretty good idea of where I’m going and what I’m doing. I wrote out directions for myself based on what I know and what Google Maps told me this morning. I’m praying, and I know others are praying (or will be, when they wake up). I know God will be with me and work everything out in the end. I’m still nervous.
This is my second real driving test of the summer. The next one will come in a couple of weeks, when I drive up to the school again to see a “regular” day in the classroom.
If you’re reading this, please pray for me. I’ll text or call Daddy when I get there this morning (probably text), and I’ll write another post about all my adventures tonight when I get home. I know I have to get used to this, and I’m determined to. With God’s help I know I can do anything. I’m going to be a teacher, and that means I’m going to have to drive, so I will. If today goes well, I think it’ll be a big step in the right direction for me.
Well, I have to eat breakfast and pack a lunch, so I’ll sign off for now. Bye!
Posted by: ariella24 on: May 9, 2011
Technically I’m on summer break now, but I don’t feel like calling it that. I’m home for May and part of June and then I’ll be heading to Cedar. When I come home at the end of July, I’ll be preparing for student teaching and heading up to IWU around August 20th. That will not be a break. So I’m on May Break, and I’m enjoying it. I have the house to myself for most of the day because everyone else is at work or at school. The kitties are here, I have my computer to play on, I can watch TV, and I might make cookies today. I’ve been practicing driving with Daddy, and on Friday I will (hopefully) be driving up to my student teaching school in Marion to meet my co-op teacher and go on a field trip with her and the other fourth grade classes. I think I can drive up there and back on my own.
Well, that’s about it for me. I just thought I’d post a brief update. I know the person who really reads this blog lives here with me (hi Daddy!) but I also know that he likes to read this. So here you go. I’m off to knit and maybe make cookies. I might also take a walk today because it’s very pretty outside. Bye for now!
Posted by: ariella24 on: April 17, 2011
I’m sorry I haven’t blogged for ages. I’ve had other things to do and I haven’t felt like writing about life. But I’m procrastinating on about five papers now and I felt it was time to let the world know I am still alive. So here, in list form, is what’s been going on lately.
I think that’s about it. I don’t know if I’ll blog again before I go home. (I’m not sure how that’s going to work, actually…) It’s going to be a long week and a half…
Posted by: ariella24 on: March 11, 2011
I have a very broad mind. I’m a global thinker. Ideas tend to come to me as big, complex, overarching things that I have to work hard to break down into details. With teaching, this is both great and terrible. Even this semester, when I’m not actively doing any sort of teaching, I’ve been getting all sorts of ideas for lessons and units. Units are more common. They’ll just pop into my head randomly. I’ve been trying to write them all down.
I have buckets of teaching unit ideas for different grade levels. Some are very specific, like the one I came up with tonight about ancient Greece. I know that’s taught in 6th grade, so the unit would be aimed at that level. It would hit on every aspect of the curriculum (thanks to the amazing variety of stuff that has to do with the Greeks, who influenced pretty much everything in one way or another) and involve all sorts of fun activities. Other units are more general, like the recycling one I came up with in Environment and Society class the other day. I came up with a general plan for activities and centers and even a few books to read, but I could adapt it for different grade levels.
The problem with all of this, of course, is that I have no idea what grade I’ll end up teaching, even for student teaching in the fall. I have this amazing Ancient Greece unit in mind for 6th grade, and if I end up with 6th grade, I’ll probably try to use it. But it’s not going to work if I end up with kindergarten. Also, obviously, since the ideas are pretty broad, I would still have to do a lot of work to flesh them out into full lesson/unit plans that my professors would accept. Even so, I love this part of being a teacher. I’m going to keep collecting. If nothing else, the giant stack of ideas, resources, and plans will (hopefully) impress my professors when I go back to talk with them for my “midterm check in” next week. And (hopefully) they will give me something to talk about. If I can do that without crying or making myself look ridiculous, I’ll be fine.
Posted by: ariella24 on: February 17, 2011
I haven’t done as well taking my medicine this week as I’d planned. I took it on Monday and it seemed about the same as on Friday. I think I went to bed on time. It didn’t matter so much on Monday night because I don’t have class till noon on Tuesday/Thursdays, so I sleep in. That was a mistake on Tuesday. I slept in too late and didn’t take my medicine. I didn’t take it yesterday either because I forgot. Today I set the alarm for 7, got up, took my medicine, and went back to sleep for another hour and a half before I just couldn’t sleep any more. It seems to be working. So far this morning, I’ve memorized the poem I needed to memorize for American Poetry this afternoon, written up my ideas for teaching poetry in the classroom, and written a letter.
The medicine definitely works. That wasn’t ever really an issue. I think the test will be seeing if I get to sleep at a decent hour tonight. I always have trouble on Tuesday/Thursday nights for some reason because I have to get up early on Monday/Wednesday/Friday mornings so I can get to class at 7:50. (I usually get there around 7:35; it’s a habit I’ve picked up from being an El. Ed. major and I’m not sure the English department understands…) When I go to bed at midnight, I only get about 6 hours of sleep, which is not enough. I have knit night tonight, but I’m going to try to get to bed by 10:30 or 11 at the latest. I have to have knit night this week. I canceled it last week because I had the giant grammar test of doom to complete, and one girl was very mad at me.
Oh look! It’s only 9:08 and I’m already finished with yet another thing! I think going back on my medicine has been a very good thing for me so far (provided it doesn’t affect my sleep…more tomorrow on that…) Bye!
Posted by: ariella24 on: February 14, 2011
To My Readers:
I’ve tried for an hour to write an appropriate post for today, encompassing my own feelings on the holiday, a bit of what we’ve been talking about in Jane Austen and the Bronte Sisters, and a ramble on my own love life (or lack thereof). I’ve written the post about five times and have finally realized it’s not going to type up the way I want it to. Therefore, I’m officially giving up. I wish every one who reads this blog the happiest of Valentine’s Days. May your day be filled with chocolate and people you love. I intend to go and get some chocolate before the day is out, and I’ve written notes to several people I love dearly to remind them of that fact. I remind you now, dear readers, that I love you too. Happy Valentine’s Day.
Yours,
Anne
Posted by: ariella24 on: February 11, 2011
Well, I think I’ll stick with the medicine-for now, anyways. It felt different. Before, I’d take the medicine and somehow I didn’t feel different. I don’t know if I just got used to it or what. Today, I definitely noticed a difference in myself. I was more focused and I took better notes in class. My old indicator of my foot starting to jiggle didn’t come back until around 2, when I was in my room and done with classes for the day. That’s pretty good, I think, although I’ll have to see how it works on Tuesday/Thursdays.
As far as side effects go, I didn’t notice the ones I noticed before. I had lunch with a new friend when she spotted me coming into Baldwin and called me over. I think the medicine has mostly worn off now, and I’m tired. I’m usually tired on Friday afternoons/evenings without the medicine. I take this as a good sign.
I’m not going to take my medicine tomorrow or Sunday, since I tend to sleep later on weekends, but starting next week I’ll try to take it every day and see what happens. I don’t know what the end result of this will be. If the medicine continues to help me concentrate and doesn’t bring back the old side effects, I may keep going with this dose. If something else happens (I start having trouble sleeping again, for example) I’ll talk to Daddy over Spring Break (March 4-13, for future reference) about what I should do. (I’m guessing the first step will be going to the doctor to talk about this.)
Posted by: ariella24 on: February 11, 2011
I have decided to start taking my medicine again. I went off around Christmas for two main reasons. One was that I was sleeping late because it was break and I didn’t want to have to get up early to take it. The other was that I didn’t like the side effects. I don’t know if it was responsible for making me so jumpy and nervous, but it was affecting my sleep. I was having trouble getting to bed at a reasonable hour at school last semester, and I didn’t like that. (You can’t be a very good teacher if you don’t go to bed until around 2 and then you get up at 6 to get ready for school. Four hours of sleep just isn’t enough.)
That being said, I’ve noticed that I can’t focus as well on things this semester. That’s obvious. Without the ADHD medicine, the ADHD is harder to control. I’ve tried my best (I haven’t forgotten my keys or my ID yet this semester) but yesterday I tried to leave the college store without paying for the food I got and then forgot about half my lines in the Pride and Prejudice drama during our practice. (I did better during the actual performance, but I still forgot things, and it wasn’t just nerves. I don’t get all that nervous when I perform.) I also had trouble focusing on the Giant Grammar Take Home Test of Doom, which is due today. I finished it (mostly) but I don’t know how well I did.
I took my medicine this morning when I got up at 6. I’m going to class as soon as I post this and we’ll see what happens. Today’s Friday, so I can experiment and not worry about not getting enough sleep because I have nothing to do tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it goes.
