So first off the last post i put epidural instead of induced...... my bad I wrote it really fast This is key cause 40 hours of labor is a little different having a epidural....
Anyway
So school is over .... till tomorrow I did pretty well in all my classes considering the conditions of last semester. It was probably the hardest year I have ever had. I start school tomorrow so far it looks like a breeze compared to last semester. I need a break...
Besides being crazy and totally a bummer to have around the house this last semester has been great as well. I have so much to talk about but I will briefly just tell you a few things I have learned because again I do not have time.
1. I was able to work in 3 classes a week with kids with disabilities focusing a lot in Autism. Never have I instantly loved doing something and at the same time felt so helpless in teaching. I would love to work with these kids more. They are amazing kids and amazing spirits. Just to give and idea the most I accomplished with a child was to get them to understand that to catch a ball they need to put out their hands. I also learned how terrible the system is with these kids. No system is perfect and there is no clear black line on what to do with them but i was still disappointed with how others treat them and what is expected from them.
2. I was also able to work once a week with ESL (English second language) high school students. This put me way out of my comfort zone. Mainly because I had to go out of my way to speak to someone who did not speak English and find a way to motivate them and give them hope for education. This also opened my eyes to cultural, immigration, and major flaws in the education system. Now I am still not in favor of illegal immigrants but my opinion on how we should educate immigrants to give them a equitable education has. Basically we are setting them up for failure. I believe that everyone can go to College but these kids are given a lot more obstacles that they dont need which means most of them don't go to college which means their kids won't go to college. Anyway I could talk about this for ages and this also needs improvement but there is really no easy way to fix it. (just for example the students who have only lived here for a few months are expected to take the SAT /ACT to get into college or expected to take the normal yearly testing the school gives. the only modifications given to them are a vocab list of translations) I am amazed about how well the students speak and read most have only been her a few months and i took spanish for years and years and still dont get it. I can't imagine expected to learn biology in spanish too. This gives me another goal to learn another language. This summer I am working on Portuguese.
3. I also learned that Day care is one place that I would only send my kid when there is no other way. The kids I work with after school have been struggling with so many problems and being kids they tell me everything they are going through. I feel more like a therapist than a teacher. Anyway I've learned that most of these kids just need to be hugged for days on end. Instead parents are putting them on drugs sending them to a place where they do the same thing everyday. Most of these kids crave attention and there is only one teacher per 7 kids it just doesn't work out. I know many parents need to work and thats just great. I just know some of them can stay home and some of them neglect there kids and put there sanity and well being on the day care teacher. Most the time when the kids have a behavior problem there is a reason why and most of the time I just have to hang out with them and hug them. so hug your kids.
4. I learned how much I can handle and that it is not worth it to push yourself constantly unless you have too when it is affecting your happiness.
5. I learned that I will never understand middle schoolers no matter what. Who Knows what goes inside their head.
6. I learned sometimes no matter how you try you still won't get a A in a class. Sometimes you are just better at other things and won't ever be amazing at the other.
7. I learned that Stephen will love me no matter how crazy and intense I was during the semester. Thanks : )
So our plans for the future are this for now.... things never go as planned so we will see. I will graduate in 2010. Stephen is going to look for a construction management jobs in salt lake city while getting ready to take the gmat and some other classes. He will apply for the MBA programs at the U and BYU and we will see if we get in. Its a two year program which we hope will give Stephen a edge in his career. So we will probably be in Salt Lake for a couple years! ant so bad.
Oh and our dog is amazing here are some fun photos he is awesome we love him. These are from a field by our house and tanner dog park. He can fly he jumps all on his own! Click on the photos to see how high is really jumping.... and sorry for the rants above!
