Life in second grade has been–interesting, to say the least. My class is a bunch of little chatterboxes. They haven’t quite learned that when someone else is talking, it’s not really your turn. I sometimes feel like screaming “HELLOOOOOOOO! DO YOU NOT SEE ME TRYING TO TALK TO YOU?!” …Sometimes I just start dancing, it seems to get their attention.

I have to convince myself when I’m all stressed out that there is ALWAYS something to smile about–whether me falling over someone’s chair, my kids squirming on the floor pretending they’re puddles (acting out the water cycle–duh), a kid trying to hypnotize me so that I won’t give them homework, the biggest boy in the class squealing “LET’S GO SHOPPING!” (heck yes he was excited about the money scavenger hunt!), or the constant flow of hugs.

I really do love them

we’ve reverted to childhood, with snow angels, a skating rink with an irrigation system collecting water from the gutter (which we thought was going to get us kicked out of our complex but the maintenance guys actually helped with!), hot chocolate, the best of friends, and of COURSE a snowfort!

we already have a delayed opening tomorrow…we’ll see what this weekend has to bring us we have big plans in mind–don’t worry!

in other news….
-second grade has been SO MUCH fun! the kids are insane, and i’ve heard more bad words than i think i’ve ever actually said myself, but they keep me laughing every day!
-the job search is on. in literally every county in america. sweet. thanks, economy.
-95 days until a Master’s degree! there is a paper chain across the apartment to prove it.

<3

fall break. much needed.

4th grade is definitely my new favorite. they have such awesome personalities and are really genuinely excited to learn. sometimes they ask the craziest coolest questions and it’s just really neat to see them so into things that we do! so many times i’ve taught lessons that i thought have just been okay and they’ve come up to me and told me how much they enjoy it–it makes me feel good! i’m really going to miss them in a few weeks when i go down to 2nd grade!!

the running joke around our apartment is that they’re actually making us work to get our masters degrees! –it is a LOT of work! i’m really loving it though. the kids in my class are fantastic and so hilarious! they’re 4th graders and have the best personalities and senses of humor. the kid that someone warned me was a “little shit” has turned out to be my favorite kid. and i’m learning so much! –about teaching AND stuff that i probably learned in 4th grade but definitely forgot! i’ve learned all the bordering states of virginia, the rivers that flow into the chesapeake bay and the cities located on the rivers, the regions of virginia and their products and industries, and all about the eastern shore! and that’s just social studies!

LIGHT THE NIGHT is coming up again! donate, or come walk with us!

In a partnership with the University of Education in Winneba, Ghana we had created a week-long conference for teachers to attend in order to learn strategies to help them teach literacy. We had each researched and prepared a strategy to share with Ghanaian teachers who would attend our workshop. The strategies ranged from using acrostic poems to build vocabulary skills, to using drama in literacy to enhance comprehension. We hoped that because we were going to Ghana to teach the teachers rather than the students, that our work would affect children for generations to come rather than exclusively the children we encountered.

We arrived in Ghana with nine students, two professors, a professor’s husband, and bags jam-packed with school supplies and clothes to give to the local schools. Signs greeted us, “Akwaaba,” which we soon learned means, “welcome.” To me that is the one word that sums up Ghanaian culture. Everyone we met in Ghana, from the staff at the lodge we stayed at, to the children on the streets, to the teachers who attended our workshops, was extremely welcoming toward us. We were treated like royalty everywhere we went and felt like celebrities walking through the streets. The teachers were extremely excited about the strategies that we taught them and were eager to find out everything about the American education system. Comfort, a professor at the University of Winneba, with whom we worked very closely, made us feel at home in Ghana and recruited her sons to act as our tour guides. We even began calling Lagoon Lodge, where we stayed for the two weeks, “home.”

Within a few days we learned that there would be no need for the 70 SPF sunscreen, the mosquito nets, or the water purification tablets. Our trip was scheduled during Ghana’s rainy season and the weather was quite similar to the weather we said goodbye to when we left home. The “moseys,” as the locals called mosquitoes, were conveniently kept away from our rooms by heavy-duty spray that the lodge staff used. We were each given two bottles of water a day, and quickly became rather skilled at brushing our teeth with a bottle of water.

Just as many of our expectations of Ghanaian life were proved wrong, many of our expectations about Ghanaian education were quickly countered. While there were undeniable differences in the education system, namely classes of 90 students ranging from ages 6-21, we found that many of the problems facing teachers in Ghana are the same things that teachers at home complain about. I wrote in my journal on the last day of the conference, after a reflection session with the teachers, “The things that teachers here struggle with are so similar to the struggles that teachers at home face: large classes, lack of parent involvement, multiple languages, and different levels of ability in the classroom. I think that many of us came here thinking that we would be instructing teachers who were struggling to teach. They are all very well educated and extremely passionate about teaching, however, and a lot of what we have been doing is sympathizing with them, and offering suggestions of things we have seen tried at home to deal with the same problems.”

We left Ghana with tears in our eyes, having learned so much about life. We learned the value of education, from people who saw attending school as a privilege rather than a requirement. We learned how to calm down and take in the world around us, from people who would say that something began at 9 and not actually start until 10. We learned the value of taking the long way through town, from people who would tell us that we were going for a quick walk which would end up taking hours. We learned the importance of a smile, from people who were not able to speak the same language, but communicated so much to us through a smile. Most importantly, I think, we learned the value of being happy with what we have, from people who had little to no worldly possessions, yet were genuinely happy people. As we told the participants who attended our conference, we went to Ghana to teach, but ended up learning so much more than we ever could have taught.

I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology!

I know that I have not posted–literally all semester–so some life updates:

**I AM GOING TO GHANA!!! 41 days until we leave. We will be having literacy workshops for teachers –I am SO excited!

**GRAD SCHOOL! In the fall–A Master’s of Science in Education, with a Literacy Specialization in just one year–cannot wait!

**NEW COMPUTER? I really need one–am thinking about a MAC. Thoughts? Suggestions?

**DID I MENTION…that I graduated?!?

And really, just loving life!

a new semester! has involved some pretty exciting classes and a lot of work. so much for a slacking second semester senior year…(check that alliteration!)

some new goals! include running a half marathon. on may 31st. let’s discuss. 13.1 miles. i just laugh sometimes when i think about it. i think it’s a reachable goal though!

last weekend was insane. i met my family and went skiing, and when i got back on monday around 3 my (slightly insane) roommate decided that she wanted to go to dc for the inauguration. let’s just discuss the multiple e-mails that we had received prior telling us not to leave the area due to traffic. well, we did anyway. and had a super time witnessing history–but were back by 3am to go to an 8am class!

some pictures…

beautiful

soledad o'brien--the roomie's fave

i’ve been volunteering at a crisis pregnancy home for unwed mothers. it has been a real eye-opening experience and i really enjoy being there spending time with the mommas and babies

100 days until graduation whaaaaaaaaaat?! we have a big party on friday to celebrate the beginning of the countdown to the end. there will be a paperlink countdown chain in our apartment. pictures sure to come.

the end for now!

a strange dream, that i thought was worthy of sharing–since apparently nothing else in my life has been worth sharing lately….

anyway, i was getting married. that in itself could be a dream…!

but it gets better. she wasn’t the maid of honor. or even a bridesmaid. my sister! she had the esteemed job of driving everyone to the church, supposedly looking awful.

logically, she decided to go home and shower quickly…but by the time she made it back, everything was over.

she missed my wedding. and has no clue who the (un?)lucky guy was….

dream analysis anyone? my psychology major brain is having a tough time with this one

some life updates…in no particular order:

-Teach for America: I’m thinking yes. Seriously. Chicago? Phoenix? Those are my two top choices at the moment. Total opposites, I know. It wouldn’t be until after my Master’s year though–so I have a little while to decide.

-Ghana: Also thinking yes. This summer. To teach literacy. To children and teachers. Amazing? I just have to find the money. That is the issue. I applied for a scholarship today. Hopefully it works.

-Classes: We did our experiment last week! We are testing the effect of flashcards/writing on learning a new language. Basically we had four groups–one studied a list of words, one wrote a list, one studied premade flashcards, and one wrote their own flashcards. I’m basically fluent in Zulu. As in, I know the animals. We haven’t run our data yet, but I’ll keep you updated! Maybe.

-Training for a Half Marathon: HA! The goal is May. 13.1 miles! Funny, I know. We’ll see.

-Election: No matter who I voted for, I am proud of our country and the democracy that  it is. I think this video is amazing.

-Life: is pretty much amazing