Second Practicum

Like I said in my last post, I have not blogged in forever. I know I am letting countless people down lately! Seriously, for all four of my faithful readers, I shall do a recap of my life this fall beginning with my second practicum placement. This recap probably will take a few days.
I spent four weeks at this high school and absolutely loved it! I really enjoy working with high school students. The staff here is wonderful and I learned so much. During the majority of my time here, I worked with tenth grade students who were doing a research project on environmental issues. I helped teach them search techniques, how to evaluate sources (particularly websites) and how to cite their sources. I felt much more comfortable with this age group than with the younger children...although I know I could do that job well too.
The librarian I worked with has a wonderful sense of humor. You really must have a sense of humor to work everyday with students. She is a collector of amusing sayings and fun little toys that she has at her desk. Here is a picture of one of her favorites (and mine too)...the stress reduction kit that is necessary for every school librarian. Click on the image to read it. She has a great collection of toys at her desk that the kids enjoy playing with. She says it is a wonderful way to get kids to come to the desk and talk with her. They play with the toys (wind up toys, a shushing librarian action figure, bean bags with faces that talk upon impact, etc.) and stand at her desk and just chat with her. The kids really respond well to her sense of humor.
While I was working there, Halloween came and went. It is a tradition in this school for all the staff to dress up and parade before the student body on the morning of Halloween. Every year there is a theme. This year's theme was "fairy tales, folk tales or fables." Here we are dressed up as one of Aesop's fables: The Fox and the Crow. Click on the title of that fable if you are not familiar with the story. Jacquie (the librarian) is dressed as Aesop and is holding a fox puppet. Kathy who works in the library too is the crow. I am dressed as a piece of cheese...thanks to my second cousin, Kim who lent me the cheese hat. I wish I had a group picture of the rest of the teachers. We had Little Red Riding Hood, Granny, the Witch, Paul Bunyan, many of the seven dwarfs, Snow White, the troll for Billy Goats Gruff,...I can't even remember what else. It was a lot of fun.
Besides having fun and really loving coming to work each day, I learned so much. Jacquie has a wealth of knowledge after over 30 years of being a school librarian. I hope I managed to soak up at least some of it. I enjoyed working with the students and with the teachers. I just cannot wait until i get a job of my own one day. I have completed my studies in School Libraries...and am now eligible to get a job. I do know of a few possibilities for next fall. Please say a prayer for me that I will find just the right job for me.
I have technically finished this practicum, but next week I get to go back to this same library because the ninth graders are doing an interesting project that Jacquie thought I would benefit from seeing. I can't wait to go back there!

Distressed...but trying to trust the Lord!

I never did blog about Mother's Day. I had a very pleasant Mother's Day visiting my dear mother in Webster. Now that we have lost our father, I can't help but wonder how long I will have my dear mother. His health was always so good and he took care of her...who's health quite often has hung in the balance. We just never expected to see him go first. I get distressed thinking about this. Please pray that we will make good decisions for her care while she remains with us.

After our visit, which included lunch and a few hours of visiting, our family decided to grab a quick dinner out on the way back to our town. So we stopped at DiBella's in Perinton to eat some subs. Here are our three children. I love it when they seem to be enjoying one another's company.

I have another bit on my mind lately. A "little bird" told me that a certain school librarian will be retiring this year. (this is not public knowledge yet and has been posted in-house only) I really want her job! She is in the school that is within walking distance of my home! However, I am not quite done with my degree. That will be done in the fall some time. Two different people told me to apply for the position anyway. I don't have my portfolio together...and I also really want to do my student teaching. I feel like I am going to learn so much from that experience. I don't want to skip it. Another library friend of mine ended up skipping her student teaching to accept a position. The University gave her credit for student teaching anyway using her new position. It worked...but it is not really ideal.

Another bit of distress and regret...which I am trying to let go of, but it is difficult! I'm just saying, "Ugh!" right now. Two of my classmates each got a hold of me lately to inquire if I am taking any summer courses. I am not. They are both taking "YA Lit." I am so disappointed because when my father became ill, I needed to make some tough decisions. I knew I needed to take the fall semester off to spend as much time as I could with him and assist in caring for him while he was on hospice. I only had two classes left to take-"YA Lit" and another class. I emailed my adviser asking her if it would be prudent to take one of the classes in the spring semester while student teaching...leaving me one class to take. I knew that "YA Lit" was offered last summer and inquired whether or not it would be offered this summer. She wrote back and said that it was NOT going to be offered this summer. She strongly suggested that I take all of my course work first and student teach in the fall. I have followed her suggestion. Now I find out from my friends that "YA Lit" IS being offered during the first summer session...which means that I could have been completely done with my degree at the end of June! This would have solved a multitude of problems I am having being delayed until December.

In all fairness to my adviser, I like her very much. I know that she would not have lied to me about what was or wasn't going to be offered this summer. I am sure that she was telling me the truth as she was aware of it as of the first week of September this past fall, but I am so disappointed and feel very distressed.

I'm wondering if you lovely ladies could pray for me and offer up encouragement. Oh...and there is some good news. I found out I passed my ATS-W teacher's exam, which I had been afraid that I had failed!

Busy! Busy! Busy!

The last few weeks have been busy. I read the following books within the last two weeks

• What Happened to Cass McBride
• Everest Book 1: the Contest
• Dive Book 1: the Discovery
• This Can't Be Happening at McDonald Hall
• Schooled
• Sixth Grade Nickname Games
• No More Dead Dogs
• Luna
• Empress of the World
• and am currently reading The Lost Years of Merlin

How did I manage to accomplish this along with going to a Middle School to do book talks for two different English classes and also going to a High School to present a lesson to a video production class? It helped that 6 of the books (all written by Gordon Korman) were fairly easy books to read. Those were the books that I book-talked. I enjoyed being at the school and the kids seemed very interested in listening to me.

I'm enjoying Library school. It is quickly coming to an end. Next fall I will be doing two school library internships...and then I will have my Master's Degree. Hopefully I will be getting a job. I love the field that I am studying and hope that I am successful in finding a job soon after finishing.

Over the summer I plan on reading all the cool articles about my field that I have found, but have not had time to read. I've bookmarked them all on my Diigo account.

A little closer to being finished

I spent a fair amount of time yesterday at a local High School creating this book display. I will say that I am quite pleased with it. The display showcases some traditional literature (Shakespeare, Kafka, Poe), some biographies (Malcolm-X, Trotsky) and some history (events of 911). All of these items have been written in graphic novel format. So if you never quite understood what was going on when your English class read MacBeth in High School, you can pick up its graphic novel counterpart.
Next month, the librarian plans on using this same display. She is just going to switch out the books to the fiction graphic novels that the kids are into such as the Japanese manga.
Anyway...this project is part of a reading promotion project that I am doing for one of my classes. A little bit closer to being done!

Sticky Once Again

Do you remember my sticky posts from last year? Well things are getting sticky once again!

(Photo by VirtualErn at Creative Commons Flickr)

School has started

This past week school started up for me. I already wrote a 3 page essay. I've also read 3 YA novels (The Outsiders, Hotlanta, and Gossip Girl) and started a 4th (Ender's Game). I feel like I have knots in my stomach and am sure that I can't get everything accomplished on time. I have other things on my mind too...like my kids, my mom, money, the job market, and some other concerns. I fell less upbeat than I did a year ago. Maybe it's just these past few months and how hard they have been. I guess must be honest and admit that I'm feeling a bit depressed.

Obstacles and Bends in the Road of Life

I am really anxious now to get back to my grad work. I'm almost done...only two more courses and then my school internship. As many of you readers know (all 2 of you), I had to stop my studies because of my father's illness. None of us expected him to go so fast. I spent the day with Mom. I really miss Dad. I had a dream about him last night. I don't remember any of the details of my dream, just that he was in it. At Mom's, I just had to check to see if his coat was still hanging on the hook in the laundry room. It was. Along with his hat and sweater vest. Somehow that makes me feel good. I like seeing them there.

I just hope there are no more unexpected bends in the road for a while. There is good news! I can do my secondary level practicum with the same librarian that I was originally going to do it with. I wasn't sure if I could because she talked about retiring some day on her blog and that worried me a little.
Even though I am anxious about getting back to my studies, I am also strangely nervous about it.

Sweet Success!

Things are looking good now! The Paris Webquest went really well yesterday. I was very pleased and more importantly, the teacher was pleased!
Most of my BIG projects are done! I think I'm actually going to survive this after all.

The end to sticky is near

It pays to have a friend who makes maple syrup. Allen stayed over night at a friend's house (Jacob), who's parents are Robin and Kieth. I mentioned them a couple of posts ago. On Saturday morning, they gathered up the sap and went and had it made into syrup. Allen went along to take part in the whole process and came home later with a jug of maple syrup. Yum! Nothing beats the real thing! Thanks, Robin and Kieth!

Things are looking better concerning school. I have gotten a lot of major projects completed and handed in. The load on my shoulders is lighter! However...the trip to Paris is still on my shoulders and that is the biggest one! In two days, I present the lesson. I'm really nervous about how it will turn out. I don't feel ready! On a positive note...I managed to complete my cataloging homework this morning without feeling completely confused! Yeah!

I am looking so forward to being done with all of this! Just a few more weeks and I can take a little break before starting up again.

Stressed out in Paris

Well...things have gotten really ugly around here for my grad work. I was so stressed out yesterday that I actually cried. I was so overwhelmed! I thought that there was no possible way of getting the work accomplished. But...I managed to complete one of the things that was giving me great grief.

However...the biggest project is the webquest I mentioned a couple of posts ago. Please pray that I can take a classroom of 10th grade French students on a virtual tour of Paris and have it be a smashing success!

I really need to get a good grade on this!

(image source: DiscoverFance.net)

Getting unstuck!

I have been working hard on a research paper. It is coming along very well. It is due on Tuesday by midnight. I'm sure it will be done before then. I'm learning a lot and enjoying it!

I'm also doing a collaboration project with a teacher at a high school nearby. Basically what that means is that I take on the role of a librarian and work with a teacher to help her complete a lesson objective. In this case, a French teacher wants to teach her students about the basic layout of Paris and the sightseeing monuments, museums, etc. I'm creating a webquest for her to use as a tool to do this.

Good news! I think I have a short internship lined up for myself at a public library in a town nearby. I'm pretty excited about it! (More on this in a later post)

Here's the plan. After this semester, I take 2 summer courses (including the internship I just mentioned). In the fall I take 2 courses. In the spring I do my practicum (a librarian's equivalent to student teaching) and then I'm done! I will have a Master's Degree in Library and Information Science and I can get a real job!

Elephant Cake

This is how I feel when I look at my plate this semester. I don't know how it is going to all pan out, but right now it seems impossible.

The longest stretch

We are getting into that long stretch of winter now...where winter seems to go on forever. Bitter cold temperatures lately that make it difficult to get out and take the dog for a walk. This picture was taken on a balmy 20-something degree day. Sometimes Sherman just sits by the coat rack, glancing up to where his leash hangs...hoping I'll take pity on him. We still have a good 2 months to go before it lets up. I always start to feel a bit melancholy this time of year. I think being busy with school work helps. I'm trying to eat the elephant one bite at a time. Once this semester is done, I think the toughest part will be over. I will be more than half way done and I'm hoping that I will be taking fewer classes in the fall. Next spring I will do a practicum and then hopefully find a job.
I am getting tired of putting up with a camera that has no working flash. I hope to have enough money soon to buy a new one.

Frozen Stiff

Well...it was negative 5 degrees here this morning. The kind of day where the snow actually squeaks when you walk on it. Last night was my first night of cataloging class. Luckily I do not have to drive to Buffalo for it...just up to Rochester.
Mr. and Mrs. F.F. Thompson look cold, don't you think? They lived in Canandaigua over a hundred years ago. You can read a little bit more here if you like. They look a little stiff from the cold. Perhaps they should go in where it is warmer. Mary is holding a miniature of the hospital they helped build in town here on it's original site.
Good news is that my last book arrived today...all the way from England!

Trying to Understand

I have been frittering away my time before school officially begins. Actually...I have done some reading of the textbooks that have come. I am still waiting for 2 textbooks to arrive. I have made some poor decisions while ordering and am suffering the consequences. I am nervous about my textbooks not being here and also about the amount of work I need to do. I think my load looks heavier than it was last semester and that scares me.

I also dropped my glasses and now there is a small crack in the left lens. I did not think it was a big deal because I could look past it, but now it looks like it is growing...kind of the same way a crack on a windshield grows.

Isn't this a lovely picture that I took of St. John's Episcopal bell tower here in my town? I love the way it is framed by all the bare branches. In two months it will be two years ago that I dropped my camera and broke the flash. I have been living with it that way ever since. I am getting good at making do...but I must get better at it. With me going to grad school, we are going farther and farther into debt. Hopefully...it is a step backwards to get ahead in the long run. In the meantime, I will wear the clothes I already have, not go to Starbucks, cancel my membership to Curves, cook using boneless chicken and ground beef, walk instead of drive, eat in,...and whatever else I need to do to cut expenses. I really have everything I need...but as a typical American I think I need more.

"I am not saying this because I am in need, For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
-The apostle Paul,
Philippians 4: 11-13

Admittedly, I am still trying to understand the secret that Paul did. I struggle so much with it.

Ice and Stress

Today there was an hour delay for school because of icy road conditions. I haven't been out in it, but my husband walked to the local Y where he lifeguards and swims. He said the sidewalks were terrible. He called to tell Allen and Audra that he would be driving them to school. Allen had already left. He doesn't like walking with his sister and I think he left on purpose before she was ready. I thought he was leaving awfully early. I told him he should wear his boots, but he would not do that. I am a silly old mom who apparently just doesn't get it I guess. So Audra got a nice warm, dry ride to school and Allen walked to school...slipping and sliding all the way. Upon arriving to school, his feet were probably wet and frozen (see his blog).

School officially starts on Monday for me...but not really, because I have a professor who has already assigned a reading and a short assignment which is due on Tuesday. There is a problem for me with that because I have not received my textbook yet. I ordered a used copy from Amazon in mid-December. I was wondering what was taking so long, so I checked on it. I was horrified to discover that I had ordered it from someone in England!!!! Yes, you read that correctly...the country of England! I went back to the original posting of the book and there is no indication that it was being shipped from England. The shipping cost is also pretty average, so that wasn't an indicator either. Anyway...I immediately went into a state of anxiety over it. Who knows how long this will take to arrive. I finally opted to order a second copy of the book...this time finding a seller in New York State. I ordered it rather late, but I'm sure it will get here before the other one. Luckily I have a friend who is taking the same course. She lives in Fairport...about 3 towns away from mine. She has her book and if mine does not come by Friday, I will drive to her house and photo copy chapter one. It was a blessing that she agreed to help me out.

The semester has not even officially begun and I'm already stressing! Not a good sign.

Getting Back to Normal

Well...the holidays are over. I took a walk yesterday and took a few pictures of some remnants of the festivities. Time to get back to normal...whatever that is. I have most of my decorations put away. It was tough getting back into the swing of things this morning. The kids are back at school.

Next week I go back to school. I am still waiting for most of my textbooks to arrive. Two out of five have come. Not sure I'm ready for it again.

Excitement in the Air

Audra took this picture of herself. It's not perfect, but somehow I find it appealing. I am done with school work for the semester. So far I have gotten grades for 2 out of 3 classes and did excellent. I am still waiting to know how I did in the other class. I am glad for the break and looking forward to enjoying the holidays. Do you feel the excitement of Christmas in the air? I'm starting to feel it!

Almost time to relax

Ruth says I need to update my blog. She's right. It is rather boring looking at the same thing over and over again. Sometimes there are good reasons for it to remain static...like tons of school work and deadlines. The good news is, I am almost done! All I have left to do is finish a research paper and take an online open book quiz. I already have five pages written for the paper. So it is almost time to relax...just like Sherman here is doing with a coke on a hot summer day.

Actually, my house is a wreck since it has been neglected for so long. The first thing I plan to do after returning home from Long Island (we are leaving to go there Wednesday morning for Thanksgiving), is to clean my house from top to bottom! And of course there will be the whole Christmas holiday to keep me busy. I don't feel mentally ready for that. It does not seem real to me that it is going to be here soon. The other thing I am planning on doing is more reading. Yup! More reading. There were many children's books that I heard about that I wanted to read while taking children's Literature. So many books....but not enough time. I have a list going!

Gettin' there

Oh how I wish my camera's flash worked. It really hampers the blogging a bit. I am almost done with this semester! Tomorrow I must visit an Elementary school library and give a thematic storytelling lesson. I have chosen the Iroquois Indians as my theme. I will be telling an Indian Legend to a group of 4th graders since they are studying the Iroquois Indians this year. After I tell it, I will talk to them about Indian Pictographs. I will tell a second story with pictographs using a flannel board.
One more research paper to do, which I haven't started yet.
Sorry to bore you with this.