Goodbye Spring.....Hello Summer!

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We did it!! we've successfully completed ED646!! Thank you all...it was a great learning experience.....Its time to say goodbye....to Spring that is, and HEEELLLLOOOO Summer!!

Final Farewell

The time has finally arrived and we must but bid each other a fond farewell, at least for the summer. It has been great being in class with you and working together to get our A's for the semester of ED 646. I do have to say that I have learned a great deal about being a reading specialist and I am looking forward to being able to apply all the theory I"ve learned about reading.

See you all next semester. Have a great summer, Christine and Mar, we need to meet for our ESL Praxis. We're done with ED 646 but we still have the darn test to take.

image downloaded from google image search.

A necessary farewell

Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends. ~Richard Bach

We're sure to meet again, Ladies. It's been a full semester with a lot of information gained and shared. I've taken things from each of you (no, you can't take them back!) and I can say I'm a better student and teacher as a result. I'll see you soon!

Picture taken from http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs19/f/2007/251/b/d/Mouse_Farewell_by_nJoo.jpg

Doing, doing--DONE!

We've certainly made this semester count! We've tried out a lot of what we've only read about (mentoring, producing action plans, presenting to paraprofessionals as literacy coaches), and while it has been tough (check me out, I only had one class and I'm complaining?) I feel it has been worth it. Fifteen weeks is just about done, and we've fit in a lot of living into them, huh? Let's try to squeeze in a comparative amount of resting and relaxing into our summers, shall we?

“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.” --Abraham Lincoln

A working Mother's Day!

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"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life"- Abraham Lincoln

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers in Education and to my colleagues who are mothers.

In memory of my mom, your love and prayers will forever live in me.

What's the greeting from CNMI??

Well, it's "Hafa Adai," for those of us who might not have had our coffee today--or Tuesday (me). Taking a page from our activity, I asked my students to share different phrases from their language. The classes were so into the "weird" and challenging sounds in each other's languages! It was nice to tap on the "experts" in the class and highlight the value of their existing knowledge. I was only shooting for a few phrases, but the classes kept wanting to find out more. I miss doing this, and I hope that in the years to come I can make this a regular thing--maybe a weekly phrase from all the languages represented in the class?

Today I tried the Speaking/Listening Activity with my students. I cut down the speaking time to one minute, but students still had a hard time coming up with topics to speak about. It was funny for them to realize that they love to talk during class time but couldn't bring themselves to speak for a minute in front of the class. As much as I'm looking forward to the summer, I already know that I'm going to miss my kiddies.

Down but not Out!!

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"Sickness is mankind's greatest defect." -Georg C. Lichtneberg

I have been feeling sick this past week, but because of SAT 10 I fought it until it caught up with me. Now I'm home, sick with a fever....and here I am still fighting!! I may be out sick, but I'm not down!!

Tomorrow is Another Day

We've come a long way this semester. Now that we're in the last few weeks, it almost seems as if it's all going by so fast! A lot of things have been discussed and for myself, I hope it's all being filed away for ease of reference later. A big thing I've gathered from the readings is not to be discouraged with mistakes or obstacles. It's a tried-and-true truism (an ultratruism?) that mistakes are a part of growth; the key to life is to learn from one's mistakes and to continue to be willing to try even knowing that mistakes will come one's way.

“Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow.” --Mary Anne Radmacher

Anyone else see Scarlet O'Hara saying, "tomorrow is another day"?

ED 646 It's Done!

We've done it! We've completed the course! I am sad that the class is over, but not because I will miss the work. Even though we didn't see each other much in face to face classes, we knew that we were there for each other. I hope everyone has pretty much finished all the assignments and are ready to present their livetexts next week.

I thought that the book we used for this class was very useful and it will certainly be a resource for me IF I become a reading specialist. It all hinges on whether I pass or fail the PRAXIS II.

I don't know about you but the last chapter really helped me to understand why many of our programs have failed. That innovations cannot just be implemented without considering several factors including but not limited to evaluation results and the participation of those who will implement those innovations. I now appreciate why some teachers resist change and that change is personal. Lots of food for thought.

My quote is from the book: Things do not change, we change by Henry David Thoreau. After this class, I believe that much of my way of thinking about change has changed. Although I do not like being evaluated, it is an important component for designing instructional programs that will work - to keep evolving - to keep adding, deleting, adjusting - to keep making room for improvement.

photo: chimneys of the Topkapi Place kitchen in Istanbul, November 2010 by faye kaible