Week 8 has only 8 hours left.

My friend and I were just talking about how incredibly fast this term has gone by! It's actually quite scary. 

- side thought: is it bad that every time I squeeze my wrist it "pops". 

On thursday I have a 3 hour class that is supposed to be an intro to teaching. kind of a waste of time if you ask me... BUT last night was a high point in my college career. I would like to recommend the book Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire to everyone who will ever spend much time with kids. This is a quality book about what happens when you truly respect kids and hold them to high standards. The Author, Rafe Esquith, is one of the most sought after guest speakers int he teaching world and his HIGHLY decorated.(Disney teacher of the year, etc.) So that means that his time is highly sought after. 

After reading his book our class of thirty students had a lot of questions for him. Our professor sent him an email with the most asked questions and to our surprise he quickly replied. He then said that he was horrible at emails but would love to talk to us on the phone. Well our class pleaded with our professor to use a class time to call - knowing that it wouldn't actually happen, besides, why would a world renown author spend time actually talking to a bunch of undergrad students??? But, again to our amazement, our professor set up a time to call him yesterday during our class. Excited and full of anticipation we spent over an hour and a half asking him questions about teaching. This was a very powerful point in my life. 

I don't want to be the next Rafe Esquith. Actually, he doesn't want me to be either, but there are some things I want to imitate that Rafe does very well. I want to care about my students. Truly care. Enough to call them my children. I want to care about them so much that I I don't teach them music - I teach them to be honorable. I will use Music as a catalyst to teach about dignity and honor. I want to be an example for them, and that means I want them to come to me with questions about anything; life, relationships, their future, homework, anything. 

 

So if anyone actually reads this (you could leave a message every once in a while to let me know), ask me in a couple of years if I am holding myself up to this standard. Because it is what my students deserve! 

Have a great weekend!

the clouds (and rain) are back

We just had a week of great weather. Sunny, warm, and beautiful. THe weather was so nice that trees and flowers started blooming a couple weeks early. The only thing that was bad about last week is that I had bronchitis. I missed a lot of school, spent a lot of time inside while wheezing and trying not to cough. 

I am finally feeling better, but now the weather sucks. 

today my alarm wasn't set. so on top of everything, I have that groggy, the day started crappy, feeling. 

BUT 

I am choosing to have a productive day. A day that I do well on the quiz I have in 10 minutes. I will get all the homework I need to get done tonight, and I will get everything accomplished so that I can watch a movie with my wife tonight. 

So I challenge you to choose your day. Don't be affected by what the world around you is trying to tell you. and while you are at it, choose to laugh a little. 

Lent starts today

Here is the list of things I would like to give up...

Tests

Singing

money

stress

bills

for some reason I am not going to be able to give these things up. 

tell me what you think.

Stupid Harry Potter

So I had like 5 people tell me this last week that I HAD to read Harry Potter. After a couple of days I finally gave in. I read the first one in two days. Problem is...

I didn't do anything else. I did go to class, well most of them, but I didn't do any of the homework that was do in them. Stupid. 

Yes it was addicting but now I am so far behind I probably not get to do anything fun this weekend. 

The worst part of reading the first book is that I knew the ending thanks to the movie, so I had a hard time anticipating the villain. 

But hopefully soon the second one will be started.

Have a fantastic Friday.

Anxiety and a grad app.

There are days when all I feel is scared. I am scared of letting the people closest to me down, scared I will not live up to the standards that I have put on myself - the standards others have for me. 

But it depends on the people. There are a few people I know and see regularly that I couldn't care less what they thought of me.  I wonder why? 

I have been told that I need to achieve a 4.0 gpa this term to confirm my spot in the graduate program next year at OSU. I have never had a 4.0 in my life. anxiety. 

The pressure of having a larger family is always on my shoulders. I love it when my wife tells me she wants children. I understand that, and that is want I want also. BUT I really would appreciate all you other idiots who think it is your right to fuel already deep wants/wishes of motherhood to stop. I love my wife with everything I am, and WE will make that decision (or God) when the time comes. so back the crap off. anxiety.

There were a couple of comments made in my grad interview that made it sound like a decision has already been made that all the proffs will help get in and through the program next year. sigh. finally no anxiety. 

Biology is about to begin. goodbye.