February 18, 2005 - Posted by Saryn - 0 Comments
Wisconsin rocks! And here’s why. . .
PBS Kids airs a show called “Postcards from Buster.” The premise of the show is that Buster, a cartoon rabbit, he’s also on “Arthur“, travels to different places throughout the country. He learns all sorts of interesting stuff, and meets new people. The people and places Buster interacts with are real, not cartoon. The show is designed to help kids understand and appreciate the rich and varied cultures that make up the United States. I have never actually watched the show, but I have heard very good things about it.
Last week the US Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings condemned the episode entitled “Sugartime!” because it features two lesbian couples and their children. The episode is about the children and their lives in rural Vermont – they take Buster to see how maple syrup is made, how cows are milked on a dairy farm, and to a traditional ‘mud season’ bonfire to celebrate the coming of spring. They are being raised in a loving and supportive home, in a rural American community rich with experience for children. However, because of Spelling’s statement many PBS stations have decided not to run the episode. However there are about 25 stations that are going to run the “Sugartime!” episode. And Wisconsin Public Television one of them.
It really makes me happy to know that there are people out there who have open minds and are not afraid of anything that goes against the “norm.” I think that it is very important for children, and adults for that matter, to be exposed to many different cultural experiences. It is through these experiences that children and adults become well rounded, intelligent, accepting individuals.
February 15, 2005 - Posted by Saryn - 0 Comments
If you look over to the side of the page you will see a new addittion, my Weather Pixie. I am so proud of myself, I figuered out how to add it to the blogger code all by myself. :) Yay me! Now I just need to figure out what I need to do to add a title over it and a divider like the other side bar sections have. . . I don’t have the time now, I should be getting to bed. I know I should be able to do it just by looking at the blogger code that’s there. I am, afterall, a smart girl. :)
As I mentioned in my last post I sang bed time songs to Hannah last weekend. Well two of them keep running through my head. I don’t mind one bit. One of the songs is “Turn Around” (Except my mom sang “pigtails and ponytails” instead of “dirndls and petticoats.”) and the other is “Hush Little Baby” (Exept my dad sang “daddy” instead of “papa.”). I love that my parents sang to me as a child. I have so many warm, happy memories of being sung to when I was tucked in as a child. I felt really honored that I could share some of my childhood songs with Hannah the other night. :)
February 14, 2005 - Posted by Saryn - 0 Comments
This weekend was Gretchen and Randy’s baby shower in Milwaukee. It was a very fun weekend.
Andy picked me and Joyce up on Friday night and we headed down. They put me to sleep on the way down. First we were telling old stories about different friends and then they were trying to remember where everyone in the Freak group was living. Needless to say it wasn’t the most thrilling conversation for someone who wasn’t a part of the group at the time. It also didn’t help that I had been up since 6am. The nap was nice, I woke up just as we entered Milwaukee. Andy and I dropped Joyce off at Mark and Shanah’s and then went over to JoAnn’s. We stayed up watching TV and chatting with JoAnn and Rob for a bit before all heading for bed.
Saturday was the Shower day. We started the day off with a breakfast of yummy donuts at JoAnn’s. After sitting around and chatting for a few hours it was time to head to Mark and Shanah’s to collect them and go to lunch at Japanica. I sat next to Hannah. It was really neat watching her eat with chopsticks for the first time. I loved that Hannah, as a three-year-old, wanted to try my sushi. And that she liked it. I think she ended up eating about half of the roll I ordered. After lunch, JoAnn headed home, and the rest of us (Mark, Shanah, Hannah, Joyce, Andy and I) headed to Mark and Shanah’s house. I got a chance to work on some homework before the Shower.
Then it was time for the Baby Shower. We headed over to Paddy’s Pub. It’s a very cool place with a great atmosphere. A bunch of Freaks from Wausau and Point came down for the Shower and there where a bunch of the InstantCool gang there too. It was a great time. I took a bunch of pictures, but haven’t had the time to get them up yet. I’m hoping to get them up by the end of the week.
Joyce, Andy and I went back to Mark and Shanah’s after the Shower. I played dress up with Hannah. We were princesses and queens. I also read her a few bed time stories and cuddled with her before she fell asleep. Hannah asked if I would sing her some bed time songs, so I sang as many of the bed time songs my mom and dad sang to me as I could remember. I felt very loved and happy. Later, Andy and I left Joyce at Mark and Shanah’s and head back to JoAnn’s.
Sunday, we went to Bif and Helena’s for breakfast and post Shower visiting. Bif made a wonderful home cooked breakfast and he gave us some of his Tropiberry jelly. I’m looking forward to trying it. Then Shanah, Joyce, and I went to Phantom of the Opera, while Andy and Mark watched Hannah. It was a wonderful movie. Not as exciting as when I saw it on Broadway in New York, but I wasn’t expecting it to be.
While Andy finished fixing some computer issues for Shanah, I played some more dress up with Hannah. This time she was the mom and I was the daughter and we went on a camping trip. We roasted marshmellows around the campfire and slept under the stars.
The drive home was pretty low key. It was raining when we left Milwaukee and the closer we got to Point the ickier it got. But we made it back. Andy took a break from driving and hung out for a bit before finishing his drive to Wausau.
I got up this morning and had to take my own drive in the ickiness that can be Wisconsin winters. The drive to Wautoma, where I student teach, normally takes 45 minutes. Today it took and hour and 15 minutes. Fun.
I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
January 31, 2005 - Posted by saryn.a - 0 Comments
Well, I made it through my first week of Student Teaching. The hardest part was getting up at 6 in the morning. The actual classroom stuff wasn’t that bad. I spent most of the week on the outskirts of the class just getting a feel for things and trying to learna dn remember all of the kid’s, teacher’s and vollunteer’s names. I think I have all of the kid’s names, but I’m still glad they wear name tags. I do not have all of the different adult’s names. Most, but not all. I’m sure they will come in the next week or so. The kid’s only have class Monday through Thrusday. On Fridays the teachers make home visits, and prepare the classrrom for the next week. Last Friday I was supposed to go on a home visit, but it was cancelled. I did get to go to lunch with on of the local elementray school principal’s. It was very interesting. I also brought my camera in and took some pictures od the classroom. As the semester goes on I intend to get pictures of me interacting with and teaching the kids.
On Saturday I went to Menomonie to hang out with Jenna before she leaves for Austira on Feb. 3rd. She’ll be gone until the middle of July. We didn’t really do anything exciting, just hung around our mom and dad’s house. But I’m really glad I got to see her before she leaves. I know she is going to have a wonderful time. Jenna is becoming quite the world traveler. She has already spent a semester in Germany, half of the summer in South Africa, and now it’s off to Austria. All of her traveling makes me want to go some place outside of the U.S. I’m sure I’ll go some place one of these days. . .
January 25, 2005 - Posted by saryn.a - 0 Comments
Tomorrow it my first day of Student Teaching. I’ve been for a visit, but I’m still nervous. I’m not sure how I’m going to fit in. I’m not sure if the setting I’m student teaching in is a setting that I eventually want to teach in. I have to not let that effect how I feel about the site. This is where I’ll be learning how to apply everything I have learned over my years in college. This is where I’ll be learning what the real teaching world it like. I just have to remember all of this and everything will be just fine. I’m smart and love working with kids, I know I will be wonderful. *deep breath*