Smell the Roses... and pizza :)

Nee How!

That almost sounds like something a cowboy/girl would say... you can definitely countrify it :)
So today I came back from campus and I was kinda tired and thinking about the paper left and the loong article and questions i had left to do... not to mention the scanning that still has to get done... O Lord! there is gonna be some serious prayer tonight that the scanner doesn't jam on me tomorrow morning! haha! Anyways, so my mind was completely occupied and I was walking to my front door and I noticed the rose bushes my grandpa had planted sooo long ago, and to my pleasant semi-surprise there was a GORGEOUS small, elegant red rose blooming. and so I stopped to smell the roses. And a bee buzzed by me, so I was slightly jarred out of my rosy dream world but I went right back to smelling the roses, because on the other side of that front door was plenty of homework :)
Lastly, here are the pizza pictures! I was too busy eating the scrumptious pizza ;) so by the time I remembered to pull out my camera everyone was done eating, but that's ok. Anyways, I think my favorite picture is Michelle's bean face :D

Michelle's beans ready to be used for multiplication!!

hmmm.... Amanda seems to be in trouble.

serious class discussion underway...

not serious class discussion :)

note the finished pizza to the bottom right :)

what's left... of the pizza

Till next time!
Imani

placement, football

So, I started my placement on Thursday, and it went pretty well. It was a day to remember :) As I was walking to the classroom my mentor teacher said she had greeter duty but the door was unlocked and I was welcome to go in. I thought this would be a good opportunity to look around the classroom. I put down my stuff and started looking around. There were picutres on a bulletin board of all the students and a writing sample about their favorite food, or whether they liked picnincs, there were a variety of prompts. Then I saw some of the textbooks they were using. Having just discussed the glossed over version of Columbus in social studies I opened their social studies book and looked to see what they had to say. There was relatively no discussion on how the Indians were already here and we took their land. However, it didn't assert that Columbus discovered America. It said something along the lines of that the people in England didn't know about it and now they did. I don't remember the exact wording. And this may be because I was in an analytical mood of the social studies book, but I also saw the section they had on slavery (I don't know if this was the section, and the only place it mentioned, but I was slightly appalled). The most in-depth topic it went into was how a slave family got their own family later and flourished. It kind of just skipped over what slavery was really like and how the slaves were brought over here in over-packed ships... etc.
Anyways, onto the stories :) I was waiting in the classroom by myself and I hear someone open the door and tell their child that the teacher isn't here, but an ETSU student is... I was like hmmm... I wonder who it is. So I went to say good morning, but by this time the parent had left. I asked the little girl her name, and then I told her mine. She gave me cute little smile and said, "that's a pretty name" I almost started laughing! it was soo adorable! that was supposed to be my line to make her more comfortable, but instead she definitely made me feel welcome in the classroom. And then, about 2 minutes later a whole crowd of kids came in, and I had stood at the door waiting to say good morning to them, and they just started barraging me with questions. Who are you? What's your name? Are you our sub? and they started getting a little wild ;) and then that same little girl, as she was putting her stuff away said, be nice! ooo man. I think I found my ally in the classroom! haha! But anyways, the rest of the day went well. They're a pretty good class. I got to do a mini-science lesson with the small groups in centers, so that was neat getting to know the kids in a smaller setting.
I could go on to gripe about this new system they have where students take pencil tests and then have to transfer that to a computer, or the teacher has to transfer a test of 40 questions for each student on to a computer, but it really wouldn't make a difference, and I can see some of the reasoning behind it, so.... yeah.
But my mentor teacher is really helpful, she gave me all kinds of resources, stuff for my math paper, etc. I'm looking forward to working with her.
Lastly, football :) I feel soo bad for the Giants!! poor Eli, he played so well with his passes, but there were just so many other mistakes. They play Chicago next week... we'll see how that goes.
And INDY! :) Right now it's only half time, but they're winning! so that's a good sign, let's just hope they keep it up. And I'm really glad the Saints finally lost :D
Anyways, on to finish homework.... can't wait for Pizza tomorrow! Yum yum delicioso!!

Imani

Relatively Wonderful

Today was pretty good... and here is where you are going to giggle (or laugh, if you're a boy - another stereotype, I know, but how many boys giggle, or even if they do, they don't say that "I giggled at that story") my measure of how relatively wonderful my day was involves food. I enjoy good food, the better the food, the better I like it ;) and I loove spreading the joy of good food. So on Monday I went to the library and I had the intention of getting something from Einistein Bros. since it's brand new and all. I got there and I saw cinnamon twists, and I was like hmmm.... that looks good... and then! I saw a tag that said something along the lines of Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Coffee Cake. but there was nothing behind it :( I was so determined that that sounded so tasty that among the bustling lunch crowd I asked the lady if they had anymore. She said she'd check in the back, and when she came out... (cue the singing voices) it loooked BEAUTIFUL! 

I mean doesn't that look amazing? And if it doesn't, I promise it looks even better in person. So she was about to put it in a bag and then she looked up at me and asked me if I wanted it warmed? Did I want it warmed?!? YES Ma'am! o. my. goodness. I cannot explain to you how positively wonderful it smelled when she handed it to me. I waited till I got out of the library and sat on one of the stone walls to take it out of the bag. By the size of the thing, it was not something to eat while you walk, and that's no way to enjoy your first Einstein Bros. Chocolate Coffee Cake. So I sat down, took it out, and chocolate was all over my fingers. It was all warm and melty...... and then I bit into it.
oooo man. The inside if that cake is like butter. It is soo smooth and velvety. and I was surprised because it wasn't cinnammon-y and streusel-y, it was just velvety goodness.
So yeah... onto why I was posting this. I happened to spread the food love today during lunch. First Daphanie and I were going to the treehouse to get a chocolate bar or something and I mentioned the coffee cake to Daphanie and she told some of the girls that we were going and Nekesha offered to split it with me. Now I wasn't going to get it at first, I mean I'd had my share for the week, but I mean if someone wants one, you can't tell them no, right? ;) So I gladly obliged.
And then, I came to the room and Rachel saw me eating it :D and she mentioned that it looked really good. I told her, "o. it is!" and I gave her the details about how great it is, and how convenient it is to go get one (they should hire me as a sales rep or something). And like 10 minutes later I see her walking into the classroom with an Einstiein Bros. bag... SUCCESS!! So anyways, that's two new people I've introduced this fabulous new coffee cake too. I'm sure many more will follow suit ;) Have you tried it? Do you like it? Do you plan on trying it now? :D

O! and for those that don't like coffee, it doesn't taste like coffee at all, it's just named that I guess because a lot of people eat those kinds of cakes with their coffee.

Au Revoir!
Imani

Football and Black Ants

Sooo.... I got a new look. What do you guys think of the new background?
It was a pretty good football day. In fact, that's why this post is so late. I had a Giants @ Colts game calling my name. So quick recap of why today was so wonderful. The Titans lost, the Patriots lost, and the Colts won :) but that also meant that the Giants lost, and though I didn't want them to win, they kind of got slaughtered. Obliterated, demolished, stepped on...
Speaking of what wasn't stepped on, the ants from Black Ants and Buddhism. I knew I wanted to blog about this article when we got it. It just seemed that it was the most interesting. Not that the social studies textbook isn't something I would totally take on vacation with me ;)
There is so much to write about in this article. While I was reading my mind was just buzzing with tangents.
Firstly, I was really impressed with Som Jet. He really had conviction in his beliefs. It takes a lot of courage to stand up in front of your class protesting something that everyone else views as completely normal.
In the last part of the making connections section the kids were brainstorming a list of human rights and as I was reading them I thought about how innocent kids are. They have this clear sense of right and wrong and what's fair and what's not. I remember we watched a video in social studies this week and the kids were making rules for the classroom and I remarked to Heidi sitting next to me that kids are so smart, and that sometimes I think they're smarter than adults. Later that night I was thinking about what it would be like if kids really did make the rules. And I feel like in an ideal world it would work really well, but I guess right and wrong isn't always very clear and that's why things get a little complicated. However, I do think getting down (or maybe up) on our student's level and examining how they view the world can be very beneficial.
Lastly, I just want to say that we need more teachers like Ms. Cowhey. And we should aspire to approach teaching the way she does. She looks at every opportunity as a teaching moment. And not only a teaching moment, but a real in-depth lesson. The lesson could have been "be nice to ants" or "respect all creatures." But she chose to go on a much deeper level and connect it to people in her classroom and the beliefs people hold. She educated her students about the global world and made sure that they didn't live their whole lives hanging out with White Christian Americans, crushing ants and swatting mosquitoes and thinking they were like everyone else on the planet.

UPDATE!!

Hello there!
So, it's been a while. Not really that long, but a lot has happened since I last posted, so just bear with me. I promise there is some exciting (maybe) news at the end.
Let's start at the beginning. On Thursday (the 16th) I went to Happy Valley to meet with my mentor teaching to just get set up. I went in the afternoon, right around pick-up time. The parking lot was so full!! I didn't even think I could find a place with so many cars, parents, and buses.
When I got there I started getting a little nervous. This school is in the country, like country country. Which is fine, but I was just a little unsure about how parents and students would perceive me in my hijab (headscarf) and jilbab. I said a little prayer before I got out of my car and then walked to the school. There were obviously the curious glances, but other than that it went well! :D I met with the teacher and she was really helpful! I am very much looking forward to working with her this semester. She said the Thursday schedule is a little different than all the other days because they have RTI, but I'm looking forward to that as well because it'll teach me how to deal with different kinds of situations. So my first day starts the 23rd... the First Day of Autumn! :D
Next update, my reading assessment with my child. I was very apprehensive going into my session on Thursday. She, understandably, didn't do that well on the media knowledge test, so I was very concerned with the beginning alphabets test, but she did ok actually. Even though I'm not her teacher, I felt so proud of her when she got the right answer. And just a future hint, stickers are your friend! I took some motivational Dora the Explorer stickers... they were magic. There was a point where she flat out told me, "I'm waiting to go back out to the playground." I went into emergency mode because we had only been there for like 6 or 7 minutes and we had more tests that we needed to get done, so I was like, "well, if you can finish this next test for me, I have stickers!" OO what a lifesaver. She ended up picking out 4 Dora stickers, but they were soo worth it ;)
Speaking of Dora, I was reading a Dora book to a 3 or 4 year old little girl whose parents are from Pakistan, and at the end of the book there is a picture of all the Dora the Explorer characters and I was like, "Hiba who is this?" as I pointed to Dora and she was like thas me! And it was soo cute, because she does kind of look like Dora, and then I pointed to Boots and I asked her who that was, she said, thas you! ooo goodness. apparently I look like a purple monkey. I guess that's better than her telling me I look like Benny the Bull who was also on that page. lol!
And Saturday... the PRAXIS. Surprisingly, that wasn't the most nerve-wracking thing that happened to me. I woke up, went to the test, it went ok, there was a set of three of four questions that dealt with one topic and I had no idea what that topic was, but I think the rest of it I did pretty well... We'll see four weeks from now :) So anyways, I got out of the exam... finally, had to wait for soo long, but got to my car, reversed and started driving, and as I'm driving I hear this flapping noise, and I'm like hmmmm.... that doesn't sound good. So I stopped at the light and the noise stopped ;) and then when I started driving it started again, by this time I was pretty sure I had a flat tire so I pulled into Zaxby's and called my dad. Well, it was flat alright, in fact when I was sitting in the parking lot, I could tell because my car was slanted towards the back left. Anyways, I learned how to change a tire today! and that tires are pretty heavy, even when they're flat! And apparently if you drive a flat tire (which I didn't know about, in my defense) the two rubber parts (such untechnical language, I know) apparently rub together and create rubber dust. Which is how you know that you're tire has been deflating for a while. great! I mean, doesn't that sound wonderful?
Well, that's all I have for now... all updated :) I am soo looking forward to tomorrow. I'm going on a picnic with my picnic basket (and some other people :D) but what I'm most looking forward to.... is....

are you reaaaaadyyyy????

GIANTS @ COLTS!!! yayyyy!! Go COLTS!

bok (bye in Croatian),
Imani

First Day of School... the pics

Aloha Block!

Kim and her suitcase on the first day of school

A radiant and pregnant Daphanie on the first day of school.

Pamela and Elizabeth look sooo excited to be here! ;)

Right before Dr. Gann's class... just hangin' out.

Call it coincidence... purple seemed to be the color to wear on the first day.

The Pregnant Women of Block.... in order of due date, left to right.

I'll have the ones from the colonist game in social studies up sometime before Monday! Happy "weekend"

再见 (bye in simplified Chinese)

Imani

...interesting

Do you ever get into a giggly mood? I have running commentary in my head... Whatever happens I have something to say (maybe some of you have already noticed) and generally my commentary makes me laugh. So anyways, I'm in one of those moods right now. I'm trying to finish my math homework, and I just feel like giggling (mind you, math homework is nothing to giggle at) I think it's an attempt to procrastinate. Like I know I should be doing it, but lookie here! I'm on my blog.
Anyways, onto non-giggling, block-related things. I did another reading assessment with my child today. It was interesting (for lack of a better word) We read Curious George Goes to an Ice Cream Shop. She liked it, but some of the questions I was asking her was too difficult. And it's hard to gauge her reading level because she didn't know the front of the book, but she knows the direction I should be reading. And even though she knows that, when she wrote her name, she wrote the first letter, then the second letter was to the left and then she continued onto the right side of the first letter. Is anyone else confused as to how to assess the responses they're getting from their child? At first, I was like uuughhh I wish I got a child that knew all the answers (lol... yeah right!) but I think this is way better. It's actual experience. The assessment is something that should teach me what to do in certain situations, and if there ever was an interesting (sorry for the repetitive word! I usually am much more articulate) case, this is it! Can't wait till we get to the other assessments! My next assessment is on Thursday...
O! and I'll post the first day pics and the Pregnant Women of Block picture soon. I still haven't uploaded them to my computer... but! as soon as I do, I'll post it :D
On to chocolate chip cupcake baking!

さようなら (bye in Japanese)
Imani