Three years old. According to my mom, that was the age I learned to read. I have always loved to read and write. I enjoyed writing in my journal or making up stories during writer's workshop in grade school, and was a frequent reader as I was not the most social person growing up. Despite my life long love for reading and writing, my positive experiences in English classes did not begin until my junior year of high school. I was bored to tears in my middle school English classes because they moved too slowly for me. I did not have good English teachers my first two years of high school, as they never challenged me or helped me become a better writer. I got A's easily without putting a lot of effort into my work.
However, that all changed when I took Dana's class. Dana had a reputation for being incredibly strict so I was nervous that I would have a hard time in her class. However, my fear was gone the first day of class when I realized that as long as I followed her rules and did my homework, I would be fine. Not only did I not have any trouble in class or with her, but I quickly learned that she was funny, nice, and helped me become a better writer. She helped me improve my writing by putting comments on my papers that showed me what I needed to work on and what I did well, rather than just saying "that was good" or "you need to be more clear." While my sophomore English teacher did not think I could handle honors English my junior year despite maintaining a straight A, Dana thought I was more than ready for the challenge of AP Lit, and I worked really hard to prepare myself for that class. Although AP Lit was my only high school English class that I did not get an A in, I felt that the class really prepared me for the writing I'd have to do in college.
My positive experiences in Dana's class my junior and senior years really made me want to be a high school English teacher. My friends and boyfriend think I would be good at it because I work well with others, have a friendly personality, and am excited about English. However, when I talk to family friends or my parents, they always ask, "what about elementary or special ed?" My first reaction is, "Why? What's wrong with teaching high school English?" I think people are wary of high school teaching because adolescents can be rude and self-centered at times. I'm not saying that teaching adolescents is easy or not frustrating. However, every grade and age has its pluses and minuses, so it's not like teaching with younger kids would be easier than teaching high schoolers.
The choice as to what subject or grade to teach is a personal preference of the teacher. For me, I would rather teach one subject about which I am truly passionate than of focusing on a whole bunch of subjects just to meet the state standards. Okay, so maybe adolescents can be self-centered and rude, but I feel that they act the way they do because sometimes teachers talk down to them and treat them like kids. As a teacher, I would really try to treat my students as adults and take interest in both their academic and personal lives.
When I think about both high school and college, I think about the teachers and professors I really liked or disliked, why I liked or didn't like them and how they taught. Then, I think about how I would either adopt, modify, or disregard that teacher or professor's method to my teaching someday. Because of what I admire or think could be better in classes I've been in, I want to give teaching a try, even if it's just for a short time. I am a huge believer that a teacher can make or break a class. In fact, most of the classes I enjoyed in high school and college were heavily influenced by the teacher or professor.
Friday, January 22, 2010
English Major Reflections
As you can expect from someone taking two English classes in one semester for the first time, I have become exhausted from my heavy reading load. This weekend I have to write two response papers, followed by more response papers (2-3 pages), short papers (4-6 pages), and two 10 page papers over the course of the semester. But as the Chinese symbol indicates, the yin (white) and yang (black) balance each other out. Writing is very time consuming, but I do well when I start early and spend a lot of time editing, which results in the satisfaction when I get a good grade on my paper.
Although I sometimes wonder what I've gotten myself into when I'm faced with a heavy reading load, I honestly feel that English is the best major for me and could not see myself in any other. For the first time in my life, I'm in love with what I'm studying, mainly because I want, not have to study my subject. I look back and wonder why I was a psych major for as long as I was, as I really struggled with my intro psych class and would have had to take classes I did not enjoy . I fell in love with English from day one of my intro to lit class, and now wonder why I didn't make the change sooner. However, I'm glad I made the change before I got too far into psych classes, and as a psych minor, I can take any psych classes I want.
Back in September, I wrote about how I was worried I would make the wrong choice when I was thinking about changing my major. Four months later, I'm a happy gal with classes I enjoy, interactions with like-minded literary peeps, fabulous professors (including an advisor I love), and amazing opportunities outside of the classroom (NUCL, Writer's magazine, English Society, and possibly being a writing assistant next year!). I feel so alive when I'm in my classes, thanks to great discussions, crazy but amazing professors, and being able to enjoy what I study. When I feel overwhelmed, I immediately think about everything I love about English.
"I think I can, I think I can" will turn into "I knew I could, I knew I could" come April (The Little Engine that could)"
Right now, everything feels so fast paced. Exciting and scary. One moment I'm loving English, having an awesome time with my friends or BF, and enjoying being on my own. The next moment, things feel scary because I'm going to be 20 in a little less than a week, and it's starting to it me that I'm almost halfway done with college. Geez...it seemed like just yesterday I arriving on campus for Orientation. I feel like I'm running away from everything that I knew and toward the feeling of being on my own and being able to decide for myself what I want to do. At the same time, everything feels scary, and am afraid that I won't be able to make it.
"Seems like nothing is black and white anymore. Shades of gray and I feel the weight over my shoulder. Kind of tough getting older. Always thought that I knew where I want to go. Now I'm here and I find that I'm still getting colder. It's tough getting older" (Older, Colbie Callait)
"I can almost see it. That dream I'm dreaming. There's a voice inside my head, saying 'you'll never reach it.' Every step I'm taking. Every move I'm make feels lost with no direction. My faith is shaking. But I--I gotta keep trying. Got to keep my head held high. There's always gonna be another mountain. I'm always gonna make it move. Always gonna be an uphill battle. Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose. Ain't about how fast I get there. Ain't about what's waiting on the other side. It's the climb." (The Climb, Miley Cyrus)
Anyways, sorry to bore y'all. Just had a lot to say.
Although I sometimes wonder what I've gotten myself into when I'm faced with a heavy reading load, I honestly feel that English is the best major for me and could not see myself in any other. For the first time in my life, I'm in love with what I'm studying, mainly because I want, not have to study my subject. I look back and wonder why I was a psych major for as long as I was, as I really struggled with my intro psych class and would have had to take classes I did not enjoy . I fell in love with English from day one of my intro to lit class, and now wonder why I didn't make the change sooner. However, I'm glad I made the change before I got too far into psych classes, and as a psych minor, I can take any psych classes I want.
Back in September, I wrote about how I was worried I would make the wrong choice when I was thinking about changing my major. Four months later, I'm a happy gal with classes I enjoy, interactions with like-minded literary peeps, fabulous professors (including an advisor I love), and amazing opportunities outside of the classroom (NUCL, Writer's magazine, English Society, and possibly being a writing assistant next year!). I feel so alive when I'm in my classes, thanks to great discussions, crazy but amazing professors, and being able to enjoy what I study. When I feel overwhelmed, I immediately think about everything I love about English.
"I think I can, I think I can" will turn into "I knew I could, I knew I could" come April (The Little Engine that could)"
Right now, everything feels so fast paced. Exciting and scary. One moment I'm loving English, having an awesome time with my friends or BF, and enjoying being on my own. The next moment, things feel scary because I'm going to be 20 in a little less than a week, and it's starting to it me that I'm almost halfway done with college. Geez...it seemed like just yesterday I arriving on campus for Orientation. I feel like I'm running away from everything that I knew and toward the feeling of being on my own and being able to decide for myself what I want to do. At the same time, everything feels scary, and am afraid that I won't be able to make it.
"Seems like nothing is black and white anymore. Shades of gray and I feel the weight over my shoulder. Kind of tough getting older. Always thought that I knew where I want to go. Now I'm here and I find that I'm still getting colder. It's tough getting older" (Older, Colbie Callait)
"I can almost see it. That dream I'm dreaming. There's a voice inside my head, saying 'you'll never reach it.' Every step I'm taking. Every move I'm make feels lost with no direction. My faith is shaking. But I--I gotta keep trying. Got to keep my head held high. There's always gonna be another mountain. I'm always gonna make it move. Always gonna be an uphill battle. Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose. Ain't about how fast I get there. Ain't about what's waiting on the other side. It's the climb." (The Climb, Miley Cyrus)
Anyways, sorry to bore y'all. Just had a lot to say.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Made it Through Week One!
Week one is over. I made it. It's hard getting back to studying after three weeks of being on break. Because I took most of my core classes last year and three last semester, I'm taking classes I actually like.
Brit Lit: This class is definitely my "yin yang" class. The "yins" of this class are having our midterm the Monday after spring break and having to write a 10 page paper. I know I can do it, but the idea feels overwhelming at the moment. The "yangs" are the plays, books, and poems we'll read (Hamlet, The Duchess of Malfi, Dr. Faustus, Paradise Lost, to name a few), new friend/study buddy Annie, and my amazing professor. Because this is an upper division class with mostly English majors/minors, I think we'll have more in-depth discussions than in ENG 112
Group Counseling: My first three hour class ever, and it was not as bad as I thought. There's no tests and only four assignments, most of them being journals/reflection papers. For four weeks in March, we break up into groups and practice having a group therapy session. Kristine (the prof) not only teaches but is also a hospice director at Kaiser. That said, I think it's cool learning from someone who pracitices what she does as opposed to just doing research.
Literary Studies: I hate waking up for an 8:10 class, but I have a feeling that a)I'll never have to take an 8:10 after this class and b)this will probably be the best 8:10 class I've had. Why? Unlike human bio (I had it at 8:10 last spring), the class is in my major and I have an awesome professor! My professor has A TON of energy and is very fidgety. He's also really nice and knows how daunting research can be, as this clas is a "research methods" class for English. Oh yeah, I should mention that he has a great southern accent (he's from Texas). The class will be a fair amount of work, especially when I have to write a 10 page research paper.
Fine Arts: My only core class this semester, and I expect it to be fairly easy. We just have two tests, a speech, and have to answer questions for the events we go to and the in class activities we do. On Thursday, the professor brought in construction paper and crayons and we got to make pictures with cut out shapes. Besides two on campus events, I'll be going to the art museum, opera (my first!), and a play (39 Steps). I'm glad to have a low stress class.
Because my two English classes are going to be a lot of work (including 10 page papers in both), I dropped my children's lit class. This was not an easy decision, as I love children's lit. Since this class is an ed. class, I don't need it for my major, minor, or degree. While I liked the books we would be reading and thought the professor was very knowledgeable, the class required a lot of reading and projects. While I would have been able to do it if I had to, I decided to drop the class so I could devote time to my English classes.
I had a pretty fun weekend. I went to a bingo event Friday night, and while I didn't win anything, I still had fun. One of my friends was there, and afterwards, we saw Where the Wild Things Are, which was playing on campus. While I wouldn't see it more than once, it was cute for what it was. Yesterday, some friends and I went to get cupcakes downtown at Cupcake Jones. Today...BRYCE IS COMING!! I'm going to pick him up at the airport (courtesy of Zipcar) and then we're going to go out for dinner.
Brit Lit: This class is definitely my "yin yang" class. The "yins" of this class are having our midterm the Monday after spring break and having to write a 10 page paper. I know I can do it, but the idea feels overwhelming at the moment. The "yangs" are the plays, books, and poems we'll read (Hamlet, The Duchess of Malfi, Dr. Faustus, Paradise Lost, to name a few), new friend/study buddy Annie, and my amazing professor. Because this is an upper division class with mostly English majors/minors, I think we'll have more in-depth discussions than in ENG 112
Group Counseling: My first three hour class ever, and it was not as bad as I thought. There's no tests and only four assignments, most of them being journals/reflection papers. For four weeks in March, we break up into groups and practice having a group therapy session. Kristine (the prof) not only teaches but is also a hospice director at Kaiser. That said, I think it's cool learning from someone who pracitices what she does as opposed to just doing research.
Literary Studies: I hate waking up for an 8:10 class, but I have a feeling that a)I'll never have to take an 8:10 after this class and b)this will probably be the best 8:10 class I've had. Why? Unlike human bio (I had it at 8:10 last spring), the class is in my major and I have an awesome professor! My professor has A TON of energy and is very fidgety. He's also really nice and knows how daunting research can be, as this clas is a "research methods" class for English. Oh yeah, I should mention that he has a great southern accent (he's from Texas). The class will be a fair amount of work, especially when I have to write a 10 page research paper.
Fine Arts: My only core class this semester, and I expect it to be fairly easy. We just have two tests, a speech, and have to answer questions for the events we go to and the in class activities we do. On Thursday, the professor brought in construction paper and crayons and we got to make pictures with cut out shapes. Besides two on campus events, I'll be going to the art museum, opera (my first!), and a play (39 Steps). I'm glad to have a low stress class.
Because my two English classes are going to be a lot of work (including 10 page papers in both), I dropped my children's lit class. This was not an easy decision, as I love children's lit. Since this class is an ed. class, I don't need it for my major, minor, or degree. While I liked the books we would be reading and thought the professor was very knowledgeable, the class required a lot of reading and projects. While I would have been able to do it if I had to, I decided to drop the class so I could devote time to my English classes.
I had a pretty fun weekend. I went to a bingo event Friday night, and while I didn't win anything, I still had fun. One of my friends was there, and afterwards, we saw Where the Wild Things Are, which was playing on campus. While I wouldn't see it more than once, it was cute for what it was. Yesterday, some friends and I went to get cupcakes downtown at Cupcake Jones. Today...BRYCE IS COMING!! I'm going to pick him up at the airport (courtesy of Zipcar) and then we're going to go out for dinner.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Portland Bound
Greetings from the Oakland Airport! I am waiting to board my flight back to Portland, and am very excited to get back. While I enjoyed not dealing with the demands and stresses of studying and paper writing, I am more than ready to go back. I can't wait to see my friends, get back to my everyday life, and start my day tomorrow with BRIT LIT!!! I did enjoy spending time with friends, old teachers, family, and family friends. I finally got my glasses yesterday, and am LOVING them! The words on the computer/paper don't look fuzzy and I think they will reduce the number of headaches I've had.
The big news with me, however, is that....I FINALLY HAVE A BOYFRIEND!! A few nights ago, Bryce and I were chatting on Skype and I was typing romantic lyrics and he said that he's been thinking about me a lot. I asked "do you know why I'm writing these lyrics?" and then I told him that I liked him as more than a friend. He told me that he had feelings for me too these last few weeks. Although he is concerned about the distance (he goes to UC Davis), I think the relationship will work out because we've been friends for eight years and keep in touch regularly. He's coming to visit me next week, and I'm excited to show him around campus and have him meet my friends (and Herman, of course).
More on classes next week--one core class, two English classes, one minor class, and one elective. BEST SCHEDULE YET!!
The big news with me, however, is that....I FINALLY HAVE A BOYFRIEND!! A few nights ago, Bryce and I were chatting on Skype and I was typing romantic lyrics and he said that he's been thinking about me a lot. I asked "do you know why I'm writing these lyrics?" and then I told him that I liked him as more than a friend. He told me that he had feelings for me too these last few weeks. Although he is concerned about the distance (he goes to UC Davis), I think the relationship will work out because we've been friends for eight years and keep in touch regularly. He's coming to visit me next week, and I'm excited to show him around campus and have him meet my friends (and Herman, of course).
More on classes next week--one core class, two English classes, one minor class, and one elective. BEST SCHEDULE YET!!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Almost Done with Break
I have three and a half days left so...
1)I'm ready to go back to Portland ASAP as I miss my college girls
2)I have new clothes, thanks to my mum
3)I'm getting glasses for reading and wish my optometrist's office would call soon to tell me that they're ready
4)I've had a cold these past few days...not fun but am slowly getting over it
5)I have a lunch date with one of my favorite high school teachers and am hopefully having dinner Saturday night with some friends
6)I'm actually EXCITED about my classes next semester for several reasons: only one core class (Fine Arts, but that should be EASY and interesting), classes in subjects I'm interested in and STARTING MY SEMESTER OFF ON MONDAY MORNING WITH MY FAVORITE PROFESSOR EVER!! First thought Monday? "Yay! I get to go to HERMAN'S class!!"
7)Break is nice, but I'm always ready to go back after a week. While seeing friends, family, and the like is nice, Portland feels more like "home" to me as I spend most of the year there.
8)He loves me, he loves me not? Hmmmm......he's coming to visit me over MLK weekend!
Okay, so Monday needs to come. 4 days. 5 and a half months....LONDON!!!
1)I'm ready to go back to Portland ASAP as I miss my college girls
2)I have new clothes, thanks to my mum
3)I'm getting glasses for reading and wish my optometrist's office would call soon to tell me that they're ready
4)I've had a cold these past few days...not fun but am slowly getting over it
5)I have a lunch date with one of my favorite high school teachers and am hopefully having dinner Saturday night with some friends
6)I'm actually EXCITED about my classes next semester for several reasons: only one core class (Fine Arts, but that should be EASY and interesting), classes in subjects I'm interested in and STARTING MY SEMESTER OFF ON MONDAY MORNING WITH MY FAVORITE PROFESSOR EVER!! First thought Monday? "Yay! I get to go to HERMAN'S class!!"
7)Break is nice, but I'm always ready to go back after a week. While seeing friends, family, and the like is nice, Portland feels more like "home" to me as I spend most of the year there.
8)He loves me, he loves me not? Hmmmm......he's coming to visit me over MLK weekend!
Okay, so Monday needs to come. 4 days. 5 and a half months....LONDON!!!
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