BYU Reminiscing

It's graduation time!! I honestly can't believe my time at BYU is ending. Where did those 4 years go?? (Okay, technically 5) It still went so fast. In many ways I still feel like I was a freshman yesterday, but I have changed and grown so much.

One thing I can say is that I have 0 regrets. I put my whole heart into BYU during my time here. I studied, worked hard, became a competent teacher, worked at the library, held callings, attended devotionals, grew spiritually, went to parties, stayed up late laughing with roomates, made life-long friendships and so much more.

First of all, I AM GOING TO BE A REAL TEACHER. Ahh! I am so grateful for the BYU education program. Although I didn't love all my teachers, I met some of the most inspirational and wonderful teachers that have become good mentors and friends to me. Each of my mentors pushed me in a way I needed to help me become the teacher I am today. I am so grateful to them! And to each of the cute students I got to work with in my practicums and student teaching experiences.

I believe that we have the people in our lives that we do for a reason. I made some of my best friends during my time at BYU.



First, this girl. I met Nicole my freshmen year at BYU and we bonded instantly over our mutual love for ice cream, Jane Austen movies, and cookies and cream milk. Nicole is one of the most loyal, thoughtful, and fun people I know and I am so lucky to have met her!! (Even though I make fun of her country side ;))

My sophomore year I roomed with these awesome girls:



I got to live with my amazing friends Mere, Missy, and Lauren from high school who also introduced me to Andrea and Emily who became fast friends. Andrea and Emily are pretty much the same person: so fun, friendly, and kind! We had some crazy fun times!



This year was characterized by dinner group, frequent scare attacks on Katy, dance parties, and tons of laughter.

The next year I got to live with these two goofballs:



Although at first Missy and I were skeptical of having a freshmen roomate (love you Erica!!), we quickly bonded over our mutual love of just dance!  We lived in the same complex with all the old roomates so there were still plenty of good times and sleepovers...just with even more friends added!





I am SO glad life gave me a second chance at becoming friends with this goof:



Although Missy and I were friends in high school, she truly became one of my very best friends during our days at Casa Dea. We went on so many adventures in her little yellow bug! We ate way to much frozen yogurt, watched too many episodes of Merlin, and belly laughed constantly.



So happy she is now home from her mission and lives not too far away!! Later Missy and I got to room with these 2 adorable girls:



Kassie and Brynn became such good friends during that year! Later I got to be an EFY counselor with Kassie which was a blast! She has always been someone I could talk to and rely on, and now she is married and has an adorable baby!



I know that Heavenly Father gives us second chances to become friends with people. The next year, Missy left to go on her mission and I moved in with this wonderful girl:



Caitlin had been in my ward at the Elms, and although I knew of her we weren't that close. Thanks goodness we got another chance! Sometimes I feel like Caitlin and I are the same person. We are both education majors. We both LOVE Downton Abbey. We both love reading the same books. Cait is a true friend. She is a good listener and gives the best advice. In fact if it weren't for her expert advice, I might not be married
right now. We had so much fun and I met so many amazing people that semester!









I love that as the years went on, I made new friends, but kept the old ones too. It just felt like my circle of friends kept expanding to fit all of these amazing girls. During my last days at Casa Dea I met Sarah and Hilary, two of my very best friends.





These two girls were such good examples to me! They are so talented, hardworking, and such good friends. Also, Hilary and David give excellent dating advice. And are good at killing mosquitos ;)

I also met many amazing friends while working at the Harold B. Lee library for 4 years!







There are so many others I'm missing, let's just say I met SO many wonderful people who have blessed my life during my time at BYU. Thank you to you all, because of you I have truly been changed for good.







Friends make life sweet :) I know that wherever life takes us, we will always be friends.

Recognizing the Lord's hand

Now that student teaching is over I have much more time to do things that I enjoy. Yesterday I finished reading this book:



It was amazing! I couldn't put it down and ended up reading it in two days. (although if you know me I guess you would know that's not altogether unheard of :)) It's the story of a Muslim man who ends up converting to Christianity, and eventually to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Warning: it is a little graphic at parts, put his story and ultimate change is very inspiring.

The thing I liked about this book the most is the focus on finding the Lord's hand in our lives. This man had absolutely horrible things done to him. Like Joseph in the Old Testament, he was imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. He spent fifteen years in an Egyptian prison in the very worst of conditions. Through it all he never forsook his testimony of Christ. Even though he was not delivered from his terrible circumstances right away, he took notice of the ways that God was supporting and sustaining him.

Sometimes, God allows us to pass through trials for our own good. Like Elder Bednar said in conference a couple weeks ago, our trials and loads give us the "spiritual traction" that we need to make it back to Him. This man's trials led him to Christianity, and to his ultimate conversion to the church. This book inspired me to look for the little ways that I can see the Lord's hand in my life daily. I would highly recommend it!

Things I want to keep from Mrs. Boman's Class

I just a month in Mrs. Boman's fourth grade classroom at Geneva Elementary. It was a wonderful experience. She has become a good mentor and has shown me how a really great teacher works. There are a lot of things I want to keep with me from Mrs. Boman's class so I thought I would write them all down so I won't forget when I have my own classroom. :)

1. Reading and Writing WITH students: There are two things Mrs. Boman did that I loved! One, when the students came in in the morning, she wrote in her journal with them on the ELMO. I love this because first, she doesn't ask them to do anything she won't do herself. She writes with them and helps them feel more motivated to write. The second reason I love this is that she is modeling good writing! She models what she wants it to look like, and gives the kids an insight into her life at the same time. She also had a poster where she showed the kids what books she is reading. I love this because they can see that she is always reading too! She tells them all about what she's reading, and what she thinks about it, and if they should read it too.
2. To go along with this, I love her book circles. Everyday after the silent reading time, she brings the kids back to talk about their books. She emphasizes that reading is thinking and that while the students are silent reading, they should be thinking! Making predictions, thinking about character traits, making inferences, asking questions, etc. She calls these "buzzes" and the students share their buzzes when they come back and talk about their books. She also tells them what she is reading and a thought she had about her book.
3. Music! Mrs. Boman always plays music when the students are writing in their journals. It sets such a calm, peaceful feeling to the morning and the kids love it. She will also sometimes put music on while they are working or give them the choice if they want music or not.
4. Kareoke for fluency. Every other Friday Mrs. Boman lets the kids do kareoke to practice their fluency (accuracy, speed, rate). The day before she lets them submit songs they want, and she reviews the lyrics to see if they are appropriate. She bought a guitar hero microphone online and plugs it into her laptop, and runs it with a program called something-line (need to check with her on that). She has made a youtube playlist with all the songs they can sing and she pulls sticks to see who sings. They are allowed to bring two friends, and everyone has to be singing along even though they are not standing up.
5. Mini Lessons for Reading/Literacy: Everyday Mrs. Boman teachers a 20 minutes mini lesson on a literacy topic that the students need practice on. She uses Big books to have shared reading, and she uses graphic organizers to pull information out of the books and display it visually. Ex: compare & contrast, cause & effect, etc.
6. Brain Breaks. Before any major subject (math) she has her students stand up and spread out. Then she leads them in some kind of brain break to get them moving and stretching and ready to focus again. She also has the students give her jumping jacks if they yawn or are not participating during math.
7. Compliments/Questions after sharing in math. She says it's important to train them to ask good questions and give good compliments, not just I like your pen color. It may take a lot of modeling, praising, etc.
8. Tickets for good behavior. She gives tickets randomly throughout the day for good behavior, the kids write their names on them and put them in a jar. On Friday, she draws some names and those kids get prizes.
9. Learning Objectives. They read their learning objectives in different voices: tired, deep, excited, pirate, etc. Tickets for kids who memorize goals. She has them repeat them over and over so they can really get the concept.
10. Lets kids pick their guided reading books. Give them choices between several different books that are all still on their level.
11. Enthusiastic! Levels of volume when she talks, whispers when she really wants them to pay attention. Have fun with it!
12. Friday surprise. Each week she has a Friday surprise to motivate the students to have good behavior, those who don't sit out. It can be as big as extra recess, playing in the snows, etc, or treats, a hug, etc.
13. Read aloud! Always wonderful :)
14. Warning, star, loss of recess.

Well this is all I remember for now. It really was a wonderful experience to be in Mrs. Boman's classroom. She is an awesome teacher and I hope I can have a caring and safe classroom just like hers is.

Well hello! It has been awhile. The only problem with the private blog is there is 0 accountability. I don't really know what to write about, but I have to write consistently! So here's a list of life lately:

I found out I will be teaching 4th grade at Spring Creek Elementary in Provo. So excited, and so nervous! This will be my first experience in upper grades with the 'tudes.

My best friend Kim Engle is getting married in 2 weeks!!! I'm so excited for her and so excited to attend my first sealing in the Salt Lake Temple. Temples are special and sealings always remind me of my own special day.

We have been making a lot of yummy things around here! Sweet Potato Canelloni, (which we had at a restaurant in Park City and recreated) pumpkin curry, chicken diapers, homemade pizza, chicken pesto sandwiches. A lot of my friends, single and married, say that they don't have time for cooking. Well, you have to eat! I just feel like taking that one hour to make an actual balanced meal is not only a break and stress reliever from homework, but its also way more nutritious and it's fun to at least get that time to spend with Ty. So we are fans of cooking, busy or no!

I got to catch up with my dear friend Missy today. It is always a joy to talk to her, we laugh and laugh at the silliest things and have remembering all of the good times when we were roomies. She is such a good person and always leaves me with a positive attitude and a smile.

Well, that's my thoughts for now. We actually had a super fun weekend, maybe I will blog about that next with some pics. Although are weeks are filled with a lot of homework, work, and just business, we always try to save time on the weekends to just have fun and be together. Weekends are the best!!

Of Fall and Wedding Cakes

I have absolutely loved these past couple of days. It feels like Fall!!! I can finally break out my sweaters and jackets and eat delicious pumpkin flavored treats. Sooo excited for Fall. I have many plans in this season such as taking beautiful fall drives, collecting leaves, corn mazes, carving pumpkins, making yummy soups, celebrating the marriage of my dear friend Kim and turning 23! Wow. I can hardly wait. :) Even though I usually love this season, it somehow seems even more exciting than usual because it is my first Fall married. I feel so excited to start new traditions with Ty and do all of these festive holiday things together.

This weekend I had to do a creativity project for class. Basically, our teacher recognized that our major this semester is sucking the life and creativity out of all of us. The assignment was to do anything creative-anything we love to do or want to try or just something random that brings us joy. What a breath of fresh air for an assignment! I thought about a lot of different things but finally decided to make a wedding cake. I feel like it is a cool skill to have and I was super impressed by the lovely cake my wedding cake maker made for me out of her own home! So Ty and I went to the store and got all of the ingredients to make a scumptious two layer pumpkin choc-chip and red velvet cake with cream cheese filling and buttercream frosting. :)

It was a LOT harder than I anticipated. I spent 7 or 8 hours over the weekend baking, cutting, frosting, freezing, refrosting, constructing, and finally decorating. Oh and eating. Lots and lots of eating took place after it was all documented. :) First the most part, it was a success! Only two major errors: for the first batch of frosting I used regular sugar instead of powdered which made for some crunchy texture, and then while decorating my frosting got all melty and didn't look so hot. Oh well. The project itself was a success-I really really enjoyed those hours not worrying about regular homework or life, just creating something I had never done before and taking pride in my work. What do you think? Do I have a future career in the wedding cake business?

It might take some work. I think I'll stick to just baking and cooking for fun and for my inner joy and creativity. :) Ty and I love to cook together and have tried out some really good recipes. Can't wait to make all the yummy pumpkin food and soups I'm craving now!

On Serving

This week has been crazy. Literally everyday is jam packed with places to be and things to do. However, I made a goal last Sunday that no matter how crazy things got, I would stop and serve if I saw a need. I'm happy to report that I did really well! I really feel like making that goal and then being on the lookout for opportunities made a big difference. Here are some ways I served others this week:

I helped a classmate with homework she didn't understand.
I drove my visiting teachee to the bishops storehouse and helped her haul food to her house.
I cleaned all of the dishes Sunday morning so we could have a clean house.
I made dinner for my sister and drove her home when we went to the gym.
I got a birthday present for a friend and surprised her at home.
I cooked dinner and made breakfast for my husband.

On Becoming

2 journal posts in a week? That has got to be some kind of record. I am really loving this blog journal thing...it's so nice to be just able to type what I am thinking. Whenever I go to write in the blank pages of a real journal I feel so much pressure. Like what I write about has to be so wonderful and profound that all of my posterity will be so inspired and enlightened! Too much pressure for me. Doing a journal online makes me feel like I can say what I want, without too much eternal significance. :)

Life is a tad crazy this week...and probably this whole semester. This is my last real semester of classes on campus. After this it will be student teaching, and then...a real job! It's weird to think that this is what I have been working up to for so long, but now that it's almost here...it's a little scary! BYU is my safe place. It's familiar, comfortable, and I love it here. But, the way our teachers are working us in the EL ED program, it may be a welcome relief by that time.

I've been feeling a little discouraged this semester. Our teachers keep saying this will be the hardest semester, the hardest practicum, and it has been a lot just to keep up with my homework for the next day. I am taking all of my methods classes; science, social studies, math, literacy...all of the classes that will hopefully make me competent in teaching all of those subjects. Some days I get really scared about being a teacher! It is not an easy job. In fact, in may be one of the hardest things I will do in this life. I have to be absolutely commited and hard working, which intimidates me at times. I'm scared that in my older grades practicum that I won't be able to relate to the kids and that they won't like me. I'm scared that they will have sassy attitudes and won't care about learning or my lessons. While these are legitimate fears, I have to remind myself that this is exactly how I felt 6 months ago when I was starting my practicum in first grade. I felt scared, nervous, anxious, and inadequate. But it ended up being amazing! I bonded so well with those twenty first graders. They loved and respected me. It wasn't easy, that's for sure. I spent hours planning lessons and getting to know my students and learning classroom policies and procedures. In fact it was just when I was feeling confident that it was time to go. But I learned fast by doing. I gained so much confidence when my teacher would tell me I taught a good lesson, or a student I was working with finally understood the concept, or when I got the highest scores on my evaluations than any other pracitcum students at my school. So while I am faced with another hard semester, and potentially even harder classroom experience, I know that I have the potential and capacity to be able to work hard and do this.

One thing that I was so grateful for happened when I was leaving my first practicum classroom. My teacher told me, "Not everyone that comes here should be a teacher. You should be a teacher. Thank you for how kind you have been to my students and how you have taken care of them." I still have a long way to go learning content, curriculum, and best practices for teaching. But one thing I do have is a love for children. A love for learning, and for helping them be excited about learning new things. I think there is something really special about inspiring a child, when you do that, you never know what great things they may accomplish in life or how they may improve their own situation. Although I may not be the perfect teacher yet, I know I have all the attributes to become a great teacher.