180 Degrees: WordPress Daily Prompt

Tell us about a time you did a 180 — changed your views on something, reversed a decision, or acted in a way you ordinarily don’t.

When I read this, I immediately thought of how I met one of my best friends, Jackie. Jackie and I have been friends for eight years, ever since she came to my high school as new 9th grader. I had attended my school since 6th grade and the transition to high school wasn’t too difficult for me. I already knew everyone and had my group of friends established, or so I thought. We received 20 new girls in 9th grade from varying school districts and other Catholic schools in the area. It was exciting to have a bunch of new girls in our grade, but I wasn’t intimidated because as far as I was concerned, I wasn’t a “new kid”. 

Pre-season for fall sports started two weeks before the first day of school. I showed up to field hockey try outs with my friends, excited to begin practicing. I remember we were all looking around, spotting the “new girls” and wondering who we could be friends with. This sounds awful, but it’s true! We were definitely sizing everyone up, not in a mean, threatening way, but rather in a curious way. We had been stuck together for years and it was exciting to see so many new faces. 

Somehow I came face to face with Jackie and enthusiastically introduced myself. I remember she pretty much ignored me and seemed to be responding to everyone but me when I talked to her. To add insult to injury, she was super aggressive on the field! I was all for being an aggressive player, but Jackie pretty much body checked me when we were doing one-on-one drills. She barely said sorry even though I mumbled an apology for knocking into her…even though it was NOT my fault. 

I got angrier and more insulted at this new girl as the days went on. Jackie stuck mainly with the other new 9th graders during practices. In small conversations on the sidelines, I attempted to get to know the other new girls and forge some friendships. Jackie still basically wanted nothing to do with me and ignored me or walked away when I talked. One day I was so offended I confided in my new friend, Deirdre (who is also one of my oldest, closest friends to this day). I remember turning to her and saying “What is the deal with this Jackie girl? She is SO rude!” Deirdre looked at me and laughed uncomfortably. I could tell I went too far. “Um, I think she’s nice! What do you mean?” She obviously did not agree with me, but didn’t want to say so. I definitely turned red and became very embarrassed, saying something like “Oh, nevermind!” Great, this girl didn’t like me and I just flat out told one of her friends!

As the weeks went on, I got to know Jackie inside of school. One day, something clicked. I don’t know how or why, but we became inseparable and stayed that way throughout high school and college. A few years later, we were reminiscing about how we met each other. Laughing, I told Jackie my first impression of her. She began laughed hysterically also, and told me she was afraid of me when she met me because on the first day of practice she thought I was a senior girl. She told me she kept wondering why a senior in high school would talk to a new freshman. This explains why she would look or walk away every time I talked to her and why I thought she wanted nothing to do with me!

You could say I did a complete 180 when it comes to Jackie. This situation has definitely taught me that first impressions do not always indicate the quality of someone’s character. Before making that harsh judgment, get to know someone…they might just turn out to be your best friend!

 

 

Erasure

Yesterday I discovered WordPress’s “prompt of the day” and thought it was so cool. Each day they have a new prompt to respond to. What better way to practice being a “writer” is there? Yesterday’s prompt was “Erasure: If you could erase one moment from your past, what would it be?” This got me thinking hard for one big event or bad situation I could take back…of course, there are so many instances in my life that I wish simply did not happen at all, like that fender bender I got into in or the nasty fight I had with my brother. I wish I could have responded perfectly to a rude comment a certain someone made or stood up for myself in a situation that called for it, but I didn’t because was afraid of confrontation or of being rude myself.

There are so many “what if’s” swirling around in my ahead that it is overwhelming. Sometimes I harm myself and my mental health by thinking this way “What if this happened” or “What if that had gone another way” does not help me deal with the here and now of my life. To be honest, If I erased things that have happened to me I probably would not be the person I am today. I’d like to think that things happen for a reason and go by the old saying “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle”. Hopefully I have learned from all these situations that I would prefer to simply “erase” and have become a better person as a result. One thing I know for sure is that if I sit here wallowing in all of the things I wish I had done, or could take back, I will be sitting here for a looooong time (and probably not in a very good mood). I know that all I can do is learn from my mistakes, acknowledge them, make promises to do better and move forward! It’s okay to look back, but don’t get stuck there.

An Irish Treat

I love St. Patrick’s day. This holiday will always hold a special place in my heart. Not only because I am Irish, but because it is a holiday that really represents friends and family to me. I have a tradition with my mom of baking Irish soda bread each year as the 17th of March approaches. My grandmother used to join us, and the three of us would whip up loaves upon loaves of this delicious bread. There is nothing better for breakfast, a snack, lunch, a side at dinner, or dessert than a piece of soda bread with butter. Well, that’s my opinion anyway! I thought I’d share the fairly simple recipe here for those of you who would like to try it! Happy St. Patty’s!

Irish Soda Bread 

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar 

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt 

6 tablespoons softened butter (sweetened)

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup raisins

1 egg 

 

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease it – whatever you prefer

2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl

3. Add butter into the dry mixture and blend with a pastry blender until the mixture is the size of small peas 

4. Add raisins and mix

5. Add the egg and the buttermilk together and whisk. Then, add the mixture to the flour mixture. Mix only until incorporated

6. Place dough onto a floured board and kneed until it comes together. Divide into 2 rounds 

7. With a knife, score an X on the top of each loaf and brush with beaten egg or cream

8. Put onto baking sheet and sprinkle loaves with sugar

9. Bake for about  35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean from the middle of each 

Enjoy! Now my mouth is watering

 

 

Spotlight On: Margarita Engle

One of my new favorite authors for young adults is Margarita Engle. If you haven’t read one of her books yet, I encourage you to do so. Engle is of American and Cuban descent, a child of an American father and Cuban mother. She has won numerous awards for her works, including the Newbery Medal and the Pura Belpre Award, Americas Award, and the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award…the list goes on!

Most of Engle’s books take place in Cuba, where she is from. What I like most about her books is that she writes historical fiction pieces for adolescents about young people who are faced with impossible situations, yet still have hope of making the world a better place. Her characters often face hardship, poverty, prejudice, and racism, yet come together in unlikely friendships that span across class, race, sex, and religion. These are all important, relevant themes to be discussing with our students!

One of Engle’s books that is not to be missed is Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba. The book highlights the journey of Daniel, a young, Jewish boy who has been separated from his family in his escape from Nazi Germany. Cuba has welcomed a ship of Jewish refugees from Europe after they have been turned away from America. However, this doesn’t mean that all the Cuban people are happy to welcome these refugees into their homeland. The book chronicles Daniel’s loneliness in a strange land without his family, and a friendship he makes with a Cuban girl named Paloma, against her father’s wishes.

Before I had read this book, I had never known that Cuba took in Holocaust refugees from Nazi ruled Europe. So often, we think of America as a place that has always welcomed those who were in trouble or displaced. This book opened my eyes in a powerful way to the historical facts of the time, and challenged a lot of what I thought I knew already.  I have no doubt it would have the same affect on young students.

Engle’s style of writing is also lovely to read. She writes in short chapters, each about one or two pages long told from the perspective of different characters in the story. Her style is almost stanza-like, where she presents character’s thoughts and feelings in short, easy to read vignettes. I think her books would be great for the reluctant, adolescent reader because they make the reading easy to do, yet filled with content. Engle’s style gives the reader a strong sense of each character while simultaneously allowing the story to flow in an exciting, interesting way. I felt like I was reading an exciting, riveting story, but learning about history as well as the strength of the human spirit all at once.

I highly recommend Tropical Secrets , as well as The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette’s Journey to Cuba. Both are great historical fiction books for young adults that can be used in numerous ways in the classroom. Happy reading!

Daylight Savings

Spring ahead, fall back

We feel the pain in March for the hour we now lack

Daylight savings, why are you so cruel?

Tricking us while we are asleep in our beds is not very cool

The only treasure, I must say

Is a few hours more of sunshine instead of a finished, dark day

I’ll get used to you soon, I always will

But right now I must swallow this horrible pill

Snow Dog

            My dog is truly a creature of his natural habitat. I posted a picture of him earlier in our “digital storytelling” assignment, but I have to share just one more here. Newfoundland dogs are from Canada, have a double thick coat, and are supposed to be “lifeguards”, with big webbed feet and an affinity for swimming in the sea and rescuing lost swimmers. Now, let me tell you, my dog is certainly not a lifeguard. He is the definition of a scaredy cat who is afraid to even go in the water. Besides his gentle, loving personality, we’ve always regarded him as the opposite of what Newfoundlands are supposed to be like.

            However, there is one time where he truly embodies the characteristics of his ancestors…when it snows! Upon a heavy snowfall like yesterday’s, Bear will make it his business to stay outside as long as he possibly can. When it’s snowing, he will readily sleep outside all night long, embracing the cold and relaxing in a snowy bed he has made for himself. He is nearing 9 years old (63 in dog years!), but his true puppy comes out with the snowy weather. He prances, runs, digs, and rolls on his back, wanting to get as much of the fluffy, white snow on himself as he can. It’s a funny, cute, endearing sight to see that always makes me smile.

 

Here is a recent picture of Bear during snowstorm Nemo….can you spot him?

Longing for Summertime

I am not feeling so hot today, which seems to be the trend of many others’ blogposts lately! I’m not “sick” yet, and I refuse to be! I am in the crummy, tired feeling stage before a bad cold or god forbid something worse comes on…but I am taking plenty of Vitamin C, echinacea, and resting today. For some reason, haikus are not easy for me to write. I think it is because they are very simple and my brain tends to be VERY wordy! However, I think they are beautiful because of their simplicity and their ability to create vivid imagery. I wanted to practice a bit, so here are a few about not giving in to this impending sickness!

Throat twinging slightly

Stomach aching bitterly

Sickness go away

Vitamins, tea, rest

A snow day is the best cure

Taking it easy

Longing for summer

Where illness does not exist

Sunshine can cure all

Not Again!

So, here I am four months after Hurricane Sandy without power again. The storm was beyond anything any of us imagined it could be, and certainly reminded me I have a lot to be thankful for. One week without power in November was something I could endure, but I know that nothing compares to the strength of the thousands of people who were more deeply affected, and those that even lost everything.

Anyway…a transformer blew in my neighborhood and once again, my family and I are finding ourselves without electricity (hopefully not for too long!) Last semester in Dr. Brause’s class, she gave us the option of writing up “25 Things to Do When the Lights Go Out!”  inspired by the recent hurricane chaos. So many of these fun ideas could easily be transferable to the classroom and really urge you to get creative. My classmates had some awesome ideas and here are a few of my own:

1. Learn how to knit
2. Play ZOOM
3. Huddle together for a flashlight-lit story time
4. Make s-mores over gas lit appliances or candles (if safety permits)
5. Make a “reading” fort
6. Play “I Have…Who Has?” with states and their capitols
7. Play “I’m going on a picnic…”
8. Do a free draw “visualization” activity – one person describes a person, place, thing, situation and other’s draw it.
9. Do a “blind sketch” activity following the same rules as #7
10. Make puppets and put on a play or performance of a favorite story
11. Go on a nature walk and record and illustrate what you see
12. Play Mad-Libs
13. Round Robin Storytelling – Have one person begin a story and stop while their neighbor picks up where they left off…see where you end up!
14. READ!!
15. Write a story and illustrate it
16. Have a board game/cards night
17. Create a recipe book of favorite recipes
18. Sing, whistle or hum to play “Name that tune!”
19. Play 20 Questions
20. Put on a talent show
21. Play I-Spy
22. Do a jig-saw puzzle
23. Begin or write in your journal
24. Tell ghost stories
25. Go around the room and say one positive thing about everyone in it or a goal/dream that you have for yourself

…….As I finish writing this I’ve received a text from my mom that power is back on! Woohoo!!!

 

It’s Time to Talk

I will be the first to admit that technology has benefited my life in innumerable ways. As a semi-digital native, growing up in the era of early cell phones, computers, the Internet, tablets, and social media, technology has impacted my social life, my education, my career choices, they way I see the world, and the way I see others in it. Specifically, in the realm of education, the technological advances have made the classroom a different place. In schools, our kids use computers as readily as writing on a piece of loose-leaf. Smartboards allow for interactive, engaging lessons and activities. Skills such as being able to use the Internet, research on a search engine, type, and use a word processing program are all taught explicitly to our students and apart of the Common Core State Standards. It is the thought that our children MUST learn these skills to become successful, career, and college ready citizens in society.

I agree with all of this whole-heartedly. Technology has made the world a new a better place, with fuller possibilities and opportunities for everyone in it. We have the tools to take our knowledge to new heights, constantly, instantly, and all at the tip of our fingertips! However, aside from the classroom environment and professionally, technology resides in most of our lives socially. When I come to think of it, EVERY single one of my friends has an iPhone. Most of them also have iPads, as well as a laptop. Each one of these devices allows for instant gratification, information, and communication with others. We are all constantly in the loop. Outside (and even during) work hours, we check our feeds, apps, e-mails frantically, wanting to be filled in, wanting to connect with others and stay informed.

Why is this? This is the question Sherry Turkle asked in her recent TED Talk in April 2012.  I came across her talk on the online and I found it to be extremely interesting, insightful, and caused me to truly self reflect. Turkle is a sociologist and psychologist, as well as a professor at MIT who studies technology and how it shapes our relationships with ourselves, as well as with the people in our lives. Turkle, herself, is a lover of technology, just like most people. She brightens up at a pleasant text from her daughter, admitting that it felt “just as good as a hug”. This isn’t a terribly bad thing, but she insists, it CAN be a bad thing if we let technology take us places we don’t want to go.

Turkle asserts that our devices that we carry with us are so psychologically powerful that they change not only our daily actions, but also who we are as individuals. I found this statement to be POWERFUL! Sure, I do many tasks on my devices all day long….but is it really changing who I am as a person? I thought about this as I listened to Turkle talk about the idea that as people, we are used to becoming “alone together”. We want to connect with each other and be with each other, but only in amounts that are comfortable with and that we can control. How many times have you heard someone say “I’d rather text than talk.”, even in a conversation where they are “catching up” with an old friend. The fact is, we are hiding from each other while being connected to each other, never really having a real time, raw, unedited conversation!

This “flight from conversation”, as Turkle puts it, sacrifices are ability to self reflect, learn about ourselves, and learn about those around us. All of these skills are foundations of development for our young students. Not only do our kids need to develop these skills, but they need face to face relationships, to feel listened to, valued, and able to communicate and participate. The fact might be that we are expecting more from technology and less from each other. If we are doing this, than we are teaching our students to do the same.

            Now, I don’t think we need to abandon our devices. But I agree with Sherry Turkle…we need to reevaluate our relationship with some aspects of technology. Sometimes, I admittedly bother even myself with how much I check my phone. What does this mean for the youth of today, our students in our classrooms? Are we teaching them to reflect, learn, and grow from real interactions with each other? I don’t have all the answers, but Turkle brings up some great points. We need to create opportunities and spaces for them to have real conversations and to interact with each other. We can even reclaim spaces in our homes to connect face to face, without devices.  Although technology has taken their lives to new heights and given them new skills, we still need to reinforce the “old ones”. So…it’s time to talk!

 

Check out Sherry Turkle’s TED Talk here:

A Lunchtime Respite

Sometimes I think there’s nothing better than going out to lunch. Stealing away forty minutes to go to your favorite, mouth-watering spot with a friend or family member can truly brighten up your day, give you the strength to soldier on through the week, or simply relax you on a weekend. I almost never do this (and I know many of our jobs don’t permit it during the Monday-Friday routine)…but today, I did with the encouragement of my mom. On the odd day that you do, all you need is a partner in crime, someone who can look at you and say “Let’s go to (insert your favorite drool inducing, indulgent deli/restaurant/café/pizza place here)” and egg you on to take a little time for yourself. When the food comes out and you take the first bite, it is worth every bit of the effort of getting there. Every now and then, there’s something fun and refreshing about doing something unplanned in the middle of the day to treat yourself. I encourage everyone to do this once in a blue moon. I promise it will lift your spirits.