Hello on this drizzly Iowa winter day... :)

I am on the downhill side of my graduate coursework now and I am happy about that and also thankful for all of the learning I have acquired.  That's called knowledge, correct?

I have gained so much in the way of best practice, collaborative techniques, and technological skills.  The classmates I have interacted with have helped to hone my thinking and philosophies.  For this, I am thankful, too!

Soon, I will have to reintroduce myself to my husband of 30 years and see where we want to go this summer to get reacquainted.  It has been an intense 3 years.

Looking forward to graduation in May! :)  I will hopefully earn my MAT (Masters of Arts in Teaching), an ELL endorsement, and a TAG endorsement.  The Masters and TAG endorsement are coming from Morningside College and the ELL endorsement comes from William Penn University.  This will be a total of 54 graduate hours in about 3 years time!

GT is NOT... - Unwrapping the Gifted - Education Week Teacher

GT is NOT... - Unwrapping the Gifted - Education Week Teacher

Happy Independence Day America!!

I trust you are all reflecting on the freedoms we are blessed with in this great nation under God. :) I am about to have a couple of friends here for lunch in our Country Cottage. :) I will post some pics later about our day ( just did ).  I "get" to play the Star Spangled Banner at our mile-long parade today in Morning Sun. I usually watch, but my dear husband, who normally plays, cannot...so the understudy has been called in... :)

Digital.Cameras.Picasa.Voki

My mind is so full of things recently learned... it has got to be full to the brim...
Tonight I am working on a family quilt...with digital pictures...
Today I made a Voki....
This afternoon I started my book Critique....
Tomorrow I get to make a musical Jeopardy...

This is good. Very good. :)

Over the Top

Have you ever thought of the benefits of being a teacher? I am thinking it is a career that takes us "over the top", as far as total satisfaction in a career. Let me explain my thoughts these days....

I am enjoying so much the classwork this summer. It is a lot, and sometimes I am frustrated at the level of learning that is expected. My two instructors consider each of their classes a full time job...so where does that leave time for gardens, or free reading, or having lunch with friends?

What I want to emphasize in this post, is that even though I am full to the brim with thinking, writing, reading, and more classwork than can be humanly finished in time, (God will help me....) I am content to be learning, to be gaining skills that will help me as a teacher to excel, and perhaps even help my students go "over the top"... :)

It is a very satisfying thing to be able to be perfectly content, while working like mad to finish assignments and be a little ahead of the deadlines. Yes, I am content, and completely "over the top" in what I have already learned and will be learning yet in these summer courses.

Favorite Links Begun....

http://www.ask.com/

The Plan

THE PLAN of coursework:    

 

completed                              current                            future
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fall '07 1 Stages of Language Acquisition EDEX 500 132/Mside

Fall '09 1 Improving Instruction for ELL I EDEX 400 143/Mside

Summer '10 3 Introduction to Gifted Education EDUC 401G/Mside

Summer '10 1 OUR KIDS conference in Johnston,IA Mside for WPenn

Fall '10 3 Educational Research 501/Mside

Spring '11 3 Learning in Educational Settings 502/Mside

Spring '11 3 Issues in Education 512/Mside

Spring '11 1 SIOP via AEA 32 Tiemann/Mside

Spring '11 1 Our Kids Independent Study/

7-12 Practicum EASL 390/WPenn

Summer '11 3 Instructional Technology EDUC 522/WPenn

Summer '11 3 Teaching Methods K-6 and 7-12 EASL570-575/WPenn

Fall '11 1 ESL Tutoring--40 hours EASL 350/WPenn

Fall '11 3 Curriculum Methods for the Gifted EDUC 581/Mside

Fall '11 3 Reflective Teaching 610/Mside

Spring '12 3 Student Diversity/Educational Practice 611/Mside

Spring '12 3 Dev./Management of Gifted Program EDUC 580/Mside

Summer '12 Report for Educational Research/solfege Mside

Summer '12 3 Theory of Language and Linguistics EASL 202/WPenn

Fall '12 2 Internship: TAG (apply by 7/1) EDUC 582/Mside

Fall '12 3 Language and Culture EASL 210/WPenn

Spring '13 3 Language Acquisition EASL 250/WPenn

Fall '13 2 K-6 Practicum EASL 390/WPenn