A Shift

Since August of 2010, I have been working on a shift in my career path. This shift included going back to school to become a teacher. I did so by attending an alternative licensure program called TILA. Through the program, I attended classes, workshops, read, and wrote thousands of pages on educational pedagogies and methodologies. Anyone who's been a first year teacher knows that it comes with a lot of challenges:  writing your first set of lesson plans for a section of a class, learning classroom management, and handling behavior problems. Did I mention learning how to cope when things aren't going as you planned and how to professionally respond to people and situations that are not always professional towards you? So combined with the challenges of the first year of teaching, I was juggling the ins and outs of TILA's graduate program. Needless to say, I did not have much time for anything else:  blogging especially.

Now that I have completed the program and my work is under review for my license, I am happy to say the desire to blog has returned! To have some connectivity between now and my last post, I will include a link to the website I built compiling my work from this past year's TILA experience:  my Final Portfolio. When I look back on this year, I am happy and thankful to say--it's DONE, I met a lot of amazing people who are working hard to educate our youth, I learned A LOT, and seriously...IT IS DONE!!

This year was seriously like trying to drink from a fire hydrant without drowning!

In an effort to retain some of the information and resources I learned about over the past 11 months, I have created several tabs on this blog. There is some overlap between the resources tabs (CREATIVE! and EDUCATION!) considering I am always looking for things in the "real world" to bring into my classroom. Which reminds me, I did not mention what I got my endorsement in:  K-12 Visual Art. The classes I teach at The Academy Charter School  are all technology-based Visual Arts courses (Junior High level Visual Presentations, Graphic Design, etc.). Therefore, a lot of my education resources are connected to either art or technology--or some combination of the two. I have also taken a huge interest in helping to stop cyberbullying among teens.

Other new things on this blog include my Twitter Feed, Facebook link, and YouTube Feed. I am especially proud of several of the videos I created this year for my school as well as for projects during TILA. If you have some time, and are interested, I suggest you check them out! I hope to add a lot more to the third tab on this page highlighting the places I've been, and things I've done over my lifetime. I want to add images and interactive components to that page, but it is still under construction.

As far as topics I will be blogging on in the future, I hope to share my upcoming traveling adventures to Central America (July 2011) and to Spain and France (March 2012). Although I've been to Central America on several occasions, I will be visiting some new places that I've missed on past trips. The Spain and France trip will be a totally new experience for me, and I am really looking forward to traveling with my school!

I am looking forward to returning to blogging! Thanks for reading and browsing through the new features of this blog!

New Accomplishment

Due to my new-found obsession with the New Super Mario Brothers game for my DS, I have not blogged in some time. Granted, this is a ridiculous thing to obsess with, but that's my life. Don't ask me how much I've read my Bible or something else good for my brain...just ask me if I beat the Super Mario game...

the answer is:

YES!

I have finally beat the game! The last level served as a great challenge, but I finally got through the entire game. Now, I still have to get into the 7th level, which is a hidden level, but I'll get there eventually.

This game just takes me back to my childhood when Nintendo was the cool new thing. I'm really enjoying the new upgrades to the game such as being gi-normous and stomping on everything (which by the way, is how you can easily beat the final level). You can easily warp into other worlds and then go back to where you were. It's pretty neat. Not to mention the other mini-games they also have outside of the classic Mario Bros. game.

Other things I've done since I last blogged have been:
-helped take care of my grandma...she fell and broke her hip and wrist. She'll be coming home on Tuesday finally. I just hope she's ready and can take care of herself while she's home.
-working...school's almost done and then the SUMMER TIME hits. I'm afraid I might be bored this summer at work though.
-watched a couple movies including Blades of Glory (hysterical) and Spider Man 3 (pretty good).

Things I haven't done but should have:
-worked out much...at all...
-read any books
-spring cleaning of clothes

I hope to balance my life out a bit now that I don't have the temptation of Super Mario Bros. on my mind.

*smirk*

Pertussis Positive

So, after being sick for over 3 weeks, last Friday, I decided to go to the doctor (again) for ear pain. I did in fact have an ear infection, so I began antibiotics for said infection. However, curiously on Saturday I began coughing. Not really thinking much about it, I ignored the cough and figured if I had anything that required meds, it'd be covered because I was already on antibiotics.

Wrong.

I continued to get worse as the week progress...a fever being the second most draining part of it. The foremost draining part of being sick was my cough.

Finally, after missing another day of work, I decided I should listen to those around me and go to the doctor (again!!)... So they put me into the "respiratory isolation" room. The doctor decided to test me for whooping cough, which was a lovely squirt of saline solution up my nose. After depositing a snot rocket into a small plastic pee cup, the nurse politely gave me a mask to wear to the lab and pharmacy before departing the medical clinic.

As I left, adorned with my nifty light blue mask I stepped out of the office heading towards the lab and pharmacy. I do not think I have ever experienced such shame in a public setting. I had a leprosy experience. I walked out and everyone was staring at me because of "the mask." It's like declaring to everyone, "Hey! I'm unclean! I'm dirty! I'm not worthy to be around you for any reason." The doctor said to notify my job and those living around me, because I could potentially make them sick if I had whopping cough. Outbreaks are common in the Boulder County, because people don't notify the proper authorities when they have it.

Well, after several days of fevers and coughing, I was tested positive for pertussis. Check out a microscopic version of the bacteria:

Now, I'm having to notify all those I've been around since I've been coughing. Folks at work, some people from church, friends, all the family have all been put on antibiotics.

Now, back to my leprosy moment. I could not help remember the instance of Jesus and the ten lepers.
"Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"

When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

My greatest fear is that I will be one of the nine who do not return and and say thank you to the Lord for all He has done for me. Is that even possible? Could I be so arrogant and rude? Probably. Chances are good that I would do such a thing.

But I stand here today declaring just the opposite. I give thanks for the blessings I have. I offer up my suffering with whooping cough to the Lord for those who do not know Him. May every cough be a sacrifice and prayer for those whose life is still in the dark. May my faith in Jesus Christ be all I need and not just a healthy body to live in.

Amen.

Update

It's been forever since I blogged regularly, so I'm going to try to pick it up again. New things that have been happening are all actually pretty exciting...so here we go!

1. My mom has *finally* allowed 32 years of working at Adams County come to an end with retirement! I am so excited for her, and I'm excited for the possibilities she has to look forward to! She has yet to decide what she's going to do with her time and where she'll start working next...but it's still exciting. Her last day is March 23rd, and she can't be more than ecstatic to be moving onto new things!

2. My parents are also celebrating 30 years of marriage! Another biggie for the month of March...can we say fiesta?

3. Things at work have been going well. I'm working on creating and uploading information on our new website. I've been named the site's administrator...and even though it's a ton of work, it makes me feel so good to have it coming along nicely. (Blogging has actually made it possible for me to conceptualize the 'how to' behind creating a website. So props and thanks to Blogger.)

4. Working at the school has given me the opportunity to help folks who need translation. This is by far one of the coolest things I get to do during my hectic days (that and seeing kids get busted). hehehe...I probably have that social justice streak in me still.

5. I'm a fan of my Nintendo DS game system. I bought a new game yesterday, and I totally love it! I'm playing "The Need for Speed CARBON." I love racing games as well as Skipbo.

6. My new baby cousin Isa is as beautiful as ever! She's starting to get that double chin that most well-feed babies get. She's starting to stay awake more during the day, so it's great to see her do more than just sleep. I love her cute little smile...not to mention the funny little grunting noises she makes! They're adorable.

All in all, things are going alright for me. I am feeling a little strained for time..but that's nothing new! Life in the world of Joy is always pressed for time! :-)