**Student teaching week 3**
The week began like every week at NorthPointe -- with small group
prayer time with the other teachers. It’s such a blessed way to begin my
week; not only do I get nourished through prayer, I get to know the
other teachers and their hearts for the Lord in a particular way as I
pray for and with them. It’s these moments that are set apart from my
other field placements that remind me how much I was blessed to grow up
in Christian education and how I still love it today. It’s two chapels a
week, with singing and speakers who make the real world connections to
the teenager’s lives as Christians. It’s student-organized and
student-led Wednesday morning worship, because these kids really want to
have some extra time to worship the Lord. It’s being able to ask my
students to include a section of their research paper that ties in the
Christian perspective, or asking students to compare the piece of
literature to what the Bible says. It’s knowing that in all I do, I’m
working for Christ, and asking my students to do the same. I’m prepared
for and comfortable in a public school setting; I have no objections to
teaching in a public school during my career and am fully aware I can
let my light shine in that setting. But there’s something about
Christian education that holds my heart, and I’m grateful to once again
be in that setting.
There isn’t too much to report
from the classroom when it comes to my teaching this week. Monday, the
27th, I’ll be teaching full time, both the 9th and 12th grade units.
This week I was still mostly observing as the semester drew to a close. I
have almost all the names of the students in all three 9th grade
sections memorized, but 12th grade is harder mostly because there’s no
seating chart for me to study. I know some of the students who
participate a lot, but I’m going to have to think of something creative
to learn all of their names.
That being said, I
did actually start some teaching this week! The 9th grade finished their
unit, and I started the research paper unit on Friday. However, the
beginning to the unit ended up being a strange start. I was on my 1st
hour plan period, making copies of my materials, and contemplating what I
might add into the lesson to lengthen it; as I reviewed it, I realized I
might have some extra time to fill, and didn’t want it to turn into
social hour. As I was thinking about this, the announcement was made
that we would be releasing early because there was a blizzard coming;
therefore, all classes would last 25 minutes. It actually worked out
well, and I was able to get in what I needed to say. Some adjustments
were made -- a short assignment was added because we didn’t have time to
do it in class, and one activity’s writing portion became just a
conversation portion -- but overall it went well and I still feel
confident it was successful.
As far as my teacher’s support as I
transition into managing the classes, they each are supportive but have
different plans for being present (or not) in the classroom early on. In
9th grade, my teacher has said she’ll remain in the class to support me
for the beginning, and then ease out of the classroom eventually to
give me full control. In 12th grade, the teacher believes it will be
beneficial for me if I’m in control of the class without his constant
presence; he plans to sit in on half of the classes the first week to
see how I’m doing, but transition out rather quickly so I can really
have full management control. I feel okay about both approaches, and think each are appropriate for the different grades I'm working with. Either way, this will be the first time
I’m left completely in control of a class on my own. It’s exciting,
because I can hardly wait to be a teacher, but also nerve-wracking.
We’ll see how it goes!
I also got a new toy to
help me teach lessons this week... a Macbook! First of all, NorthPointe
has a one-to-one initiative they just began, so all of the 9th graders
have Macbooks. So it’s also beneficial that I have a computer I can use
to view their work (like on a shared drive) and so I’m familiar with the
system they’re operating. Moreover, these classrooms don’t have
classroom computers; rather, they have an Apple tv projector that syncs
with Apple products and displays that screen on the projector screen in
the classroom. Thus, in order to show the videos, slides, and pictures I
hope to include in lessons, I needed my own Macbook. I was lent one
from the school just for the remaining time I’m here, but it’s felt like
I have to relearn technology because I’ve never worked on a Mac before.
Even so, it’s fun and a good learning experience for me, and just goes
to show how integral technology has become in education. I’m very
grateful I was given this opportunity to be trusted with school
property, and it does make me feel included in the teaching community at
NorthPointe.
It was a good week, overall.
It was a week with a little more participation, but still allowing me to
be an outside participant. However, now it’s the real deal. My teaching
begins tomorrow, Monday, and continues daily until I return to Illinois
to start over in a new placement. The overall feeling? I’m pumped; I’ve
been planning for so long, and now I get to apply it. know not every
day will be fantastic, but I love what I do and can’t wait to do some
more of it.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Observing the Mustangs
**student teaching week 2**
The
beginning of the week was filled with the hype of the “big game.”
I heard a couple senior guys my first day of being in the classroom
discussing the opposing team. There were flyers spread over the halls
declaring the “neon out” the students would participate in for
the game. There was announcements at the end of the day about it.
Even in Tuesday morning's chapel, they briefly discussed positive
cheering versus negative, the negative example being a chant of
“Calvin sucks!” (meaning they would not cheer that way). Ms.
Straayer glanced back at me during that chant, giggling. Later, she
asked,
"When
should we tell them where you graduated from?"
I
graduated from Calvin Christian, the school NorthPointe now claims to
be a big rival.
“I'll wait until after the game.”
“I'll wait until after the game.”
Being my first week in the actual classroom, this week was focused mostly on observation and getting familiar with the students. Attending the game – in neon – was one of the ways I worked to integrate myself into the life of the school and form a connection to the students. Also this week, I attended a rehearsal for the school play. Ms. Straayer is the director, and since I've involved in theatre for 8 years and already miss it, I eagerly picked her up on her offer to attend any rehearsal I wished. I also attended a night set aside for parents thinking of coming to NorthPointe, spending time in the classroom with my teacher as parents and prospective students toured the school. Though my focus is on what goes on in the classroom, I want it to be evident I'm interested in students' lives outside of the school day as well.
Inside the classroom, I took note of my teachers' teaching methods and management techniques. Though both have given me some permission to take some liberty with how I teach, it's important that I observe these methods because a) these are veteran teachers, and I can learn from them and b) I want to produce a good learning environment, and thus if certain routines work I don't want to shake it up too much.
Since I was observing, the majority of my time was again spent planning. I have to say I'm pretty excited and pleased with it. I have multiple lessons written for both classes, and a rough calendar written out that I just have to put into formal lessons. I've gathered pictures, videos, and websites that will enrich the lessons. Both of these units are on topics I love, so I look forward to sharing them with the students. However, as I plan, I've realized something important - I have to remember what it was like to be in high school when creating an assignment schedule. While reading five poems that are more than three or four verses is no big deal to me, to high school students, even seniors, it may be a bigger deal. I don't want to underestimate the students, but I don't want to push them away by giving them too much either. With this awareness, I've revised my original schedule a couple different times. In my pressing full-steam ahead, I am reminding myself to be flexible and always have a back-up plan on how to revise as needed.
There are also some challenges I foresee. The 9th graders are very talkative, so classroom management (one of the areas I'm working to improve) is going to be key. 12th grade does not seem as rambunctious, but their age itself may pose the biggest issue. I have a brother who is only a year older than them, and I am only 4-5 years older. Though I know this may help form connections, I have to be sure that the line between student and teacher is still apparent.
In the midst of all this observation and planning, I did end up getting to (unexpectedly) lead classes for both teachers a little this week. It all happened on Thursday, actually. In 9th grade, I was asked to lead the students through 2 pages of reading before they started an activity finding colloquialisms; being that was the only instructional time for the period, I was really the main instructor at the time. In the senior class, the teacher had to be home for the afternoon unexpectedly, so I was asked to step in for his last three classes. The seniors had already been scheduled to watch a video of “Gulliver's Travels,” so I just started and stopped the video and kept them all in line. I was also asked to lead an honors course for juniors during his last hour, where they were to work independently on something they started the day before. There was another teacher next-door who was aware of the situation, and who I could have gone to with any problems. However, no problems arose, and it became a fun experience for me. I got to interact with the seniors a little before beginning the movie, chatting casually with them and sharing a little bit about myself (including where I went to high school). In last hour, I got to interact with students I won't see very often, as I'll be teaching a final section of 9th grade on most days during last hour; that became a fun way to end the day. The students finished relatively quickly, and since I wasn't aware of what they are studying, I came up with a not-so-educational-but-still-entertaining activity to do for the final ten minutes (a game I played with the Pathfinder campers). Even though I may not have been teaching them, even building those connections and allowing myself to show my personality was good for me to do. The whole day allowed me to be flexible and think on my feet, which is useful when looking to become a teacher.
Overall, the week was productive and useful. I have a good head-start on planning, which also allows time to revise as I learn about students needs and learning styles. I'm being incorporated into the staff well. I'm starting to get to know students. I even got involved in attending some extra-curricular activities, showing my interest in student life (and they were also fun for me to do). As I look into next week, there will be some more observation as both classes finish up their units before I start mine. I hope that I will be able to lead the class more this week, though, even for brief periods. Most of all, as I look ahead, I feel confident and eagerly anticipate what's to come. It won't be easy, but I seriously love what I'm doing, and hope I can make an impact in the life of these students before I return to Illinois.
The First Day
**Week 1 of student teaching**
It was the first day of going to high school again.
Well, sort of. It was my first day of student teaching, which is at a high school. The fact that I am 22 and going to teach high school for these 7 weeks, not attend, didn't stop my parents from taking the “first day of school picture” before I left that morning.
So, here I am, off and running on this student teaching adventure. For the first seven weeks (ending February 21) I'll be at NorthPointe Christian High in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It's a private school on the smaller side, around the same amount of students at the high school I attended. After being at schools for previous placements with multiple stories, even when they only have three grades, a smaller school was a welcomed change.
I'm working with two teachers at NorthPointe, and teaching two grades - 12th grade for two sections, and 9th grade for three sections, with two planning periods. Though it's a bit of a jump, I'm excited to work with both of these groups. As planned with my teachers, I'll be teaching one unit on writing research papers to the 9th graders, and a unit on the Romantic period in literature to the 12th graders. Both of these units really excite me, because they're both topics in English that I am very familiar with and truly enjoy studying, explaining, and teaching.
This week, however, was different for NorthPointe. Not only did they not begin right away due to two snow days, but it was also j-term. All the students pick three 2-hour classes to take for the day, each of which is teaching on a topic that is not a normal piece of the curriculum. Fun for them, but not so great when you're trying to observe teachers, since they aren't actually doing a whole lot of typical teaching. Also, being that my desk (yes, I get a desk) is in Ms. Straayer's room, and she wasn't teaching a course this week, I spent the most time with her so didn't see many classes.
However, I did have a somewhat productive week in other ways than observation. The two teachers and I discussed a plan for the seven weeks, what units I'm teaching, and when I will start teaching full time - in about 2 weeks or less! I also got to know my teachers, and the other teachers in the school, by spending a lot of time chatting in a relaxed manner. I did attend three of the courses that I thought would be interesting, so got to know other teachers and some of the students that way. Furthermore, with extra time on my hands at school, I've started getting a headstart on my planning, completing a rough outline of how long I expect the unit to take and writing two lesson plans! So, though it may not have been a traditional week, I feel very good about it as I now already feel more comfortable in the school.
I can already tell this is going to be a wonderful fit for me. It's nice being back in a Christian high school, a setting I am initially quite comfortable in, but it's also a very welcoming staff and students. I look forward to meeting my classes this week and observing both of my teachers as they teach and care for these students.
It was the first day of going to high school again.
Well, sort of. It was my first day of student teaching, which is at a high school. The fact that I am 22 and going to teach high school for these 7 weeks, not attend, didn't stop my parents from taking the “first day of school picture” before I left that morning.
So, here I am, off and running on this student teaching adventure. For the first seven weeks (ending February 21) I'll be at NorthPointe Christian High in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It's a private school on the smaller side, around the same amount of students at the high school I attended. After being at schools for previous placements with multiple stories, even when they only have three grades, a smaller school was a welcomed change.
I'm working with two teachers at NorthPointe, and teaching two grades - 12th grade for two sections, and 9th grade for three sections, with two planning periods. Though it's a bit of a jump, I'm excited to work with both of these groups. As planned with my teachers, I'll be teaching one unit on writing research papers to the 9th graders, and a unit on the Romantic period in literature to the 12th graders. Both of these units really excite me, because they're both topics in English that I am very familiar with and truly enjoy studying, explaining, and teaching.
This week, however, was different for NorthPointe. Not only did they not begin right away due to two snow days, but it was also j-term. All the students pick three 2-hour classes to take for the day, each of which is teaching on a topic that is not a normal piece of the curriculum. Fun for them, but not so great when you're trying to observe teachers, since they aren't actually doing a whole lot of typical teaching. Also, being that my desk (yes, I get a desk) is in Ms. Straayer's room, and she wasn't teaching a course this week, I spent the most time with her so didn't see many classes.
However, I did have a somewhat productive week in other ways than observation. The two teachers and I discussed a plan for the seven weeks, what units I'm teaching, and when I will start teaching full time - in about 2 weeks or less! I also got to know my teachers, and the other teachers in the school, by spending a lot of time chatting in a relaxed manner. I did attend three of the courses that I thought would be interesting, so got to know other teachers and some of the students that way. Furthermore, with extra time on my hands at school, I've started getting a headstart on my planning, completing a rough outline of how long I expect the unit to take and writing two lesson plans! So, though it may not have been a traditional week, I feel very good about it as I now already feel more comfortable in the school.
I can already tell this is going to be a wonderful fit for me. It's nice being back in a Christian high school, a setting I am initially quite comfortable in, but it's also a very welcoming staff and students. I look forward to meeting my classes this week and observing both of my teachers as they teach and care for these students.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
The many surprises of 2013
Here we are, on the final eve of 2013. So, like most bloggers out there, I’m reflecting a bit on my past year.
One of the biggest events of 2013 was the semester I spent in Kenya. It was a semester I will never forget. From January to May, I embarked on adventures I never thought I would be participating in. I saw giraffes, zebras, lizards, and monkeys on a daily basis; I rode ostriches (and ate some) and petted elephants; I went on three safaris and snorkeled for two hours in the Indian Ocean; I slept on a beach on a tropical island; I saw incredible sunrises and sunsets; I rock-climbed and hiked several miles; I taught in Kenyan classrooms; I slid down a waterfall and danced with African tribal warriors. It affected my views of my own community as well as other parts of our world, provided new friendships, impacted my view of myself, and overall gave me unforgettable memories.
Shortly after that semester came another highlight of 2013 – working at Grace Adventures. As evidenced by the rest of my blogs, my time working with the high schoolers for most of the summer was challenging, fun, thrilling, and helped me grow and prepare for what is to come in my life.
The fall semester at Trinity was also unlike any other. It included novice teaching, which had its share of challenges but overall gave me confidence for the future. I was able to have real experience in a classroom, and found my excitement for having my own classroom growing and my belief in myself improving. I know I can and will be a good English teacher. It also included another production as the stage manager, as have other semesters at Trinity, but this one was special. I really loved the script, the acting, and the actors in it. Plus, it was my last, which made it even more bittersweet. In fact, the semester held a lot of lasts, and goodbyes to things and people I will miss. The fall semester flew by, and I am just one step closer to being finished with my time as a Troll.
Finally, the most life-changing – and unexpected – part of this year was God placing an amazing man in my life. Kyle is everything God knew I needed. He is a man who loves God with his whole heart, and serves as a spiritual leader for me as well. He cherishes me, and isn’t afraid to show it. He and I fit and it’s fantastic. I cannot wait to see what the years have in store for us, but 2013 will always be special as the year it all began.
There have also been low points of this year. There have been pointless attacks and shootings that have affected our world. Beloved members of the community have passed away, some of them unexpected. The Calvin Christian community lost one of my favorite teachers and an excellent man of faith. It's still hardly to believe he isn't directing the band again this year, but quite a legacy he left. It's a similar feeling for many others from this past year – this feeling of loss, of incredulity that the person isn't around anymore. Despite all the highs, 2013 has brought some heartbreaks too.
So, 2013 draws to a close tonight. I get to spend it with Kyle (first New Year’s kiss I’ve ever had! Woo hoo!), Jess, and Corey (her boyfriend). The most perfect people to usher in 2014 with. This next yearm too, will hold many highs, lows, and suprises. But just as in 2013, God already has it mapped out. I look foward to finding out his plan.
One of the biggest events of 2013 was the semester I spent in Kenya. It was a semester I will never forget. From January to May, I embarked on adventures I never thought I would be participating in. I saw giraffes, zebras, lizards, and monkeys on a daily basis; I rode ostriches (and ate some) and petted elephants; I went on three safaris and snorkeled for two hours in the Indian Ocean; I slept on a beach on a tropical island; I saw incredible sunrises and sunsets; I rock-climbed and hiked several miles; I taught in Kenyan classrooms; I slid down a waterfall and danced with African tribal warriors. It affected my views of my own community as well as other parts of our world, provided new friendships, impacted my view of myself, and overall gave me unforgettable memories.
Shortly after that semester came another highlight of 2013 – working at Grace Adventures. As evidenced by the rest of my blogs, my time working with the high schoolers for most of the summer was challenging, fun, thrilling, and helped me grow and prepare for what is to come in my life.
The fall semester at Trinity was also unlike any other. It included novice teaching, which had its share of challenges but overall gave me confidence for the future. I was able to have real experience in a classroom, and found my excitement for having my own classroom growing and my belief in myself improving. I know I can and will be a good English teacher. It also included another production as the stage manager, as have other semesters at Trinity, but this one was special. I really loved the script, the acting, and the actors in it. Plus, it was my last, which made it even more bittersweet. In fact, the semester held a lot of lasts, and goodbyes to things and people I will miss. The fall semester flew by, and I am just one step closer to being finished with my time as a Troll.
Finally, the most life-changing – and unexpected – part of this year was God placing an amazing man in my life. Kyle is everything God knew I needed. He is a man who loves God with his whole heart, and serves as a spiritual leader for me as well. He cherishes me, and isn’t afraid to show it. He and I fit and it’s fantastic. I cannot wait to see what the years have in store for us, but 2013 will always be special as the year it all began.
There have also been low points of this year. There have been pointless attacks and shootings that have affected our world. Beloved members of the community have passed away, some of them unexpected. The Calvin Christian community lost one of my favorite teachers and an excellent man of faith. It's still hardly to believe he isn't directing the band again this year, but quite a legacy he left. It's a similar feeling for many others from this past year – this feeling of loss, of incredulity that the person isn't around anymore. Despite all the highs, 2013 has brought some heartbreaks too.
So, 2013 draws to a close tonight. I get to spend it with Kyle (first New Year’s kiss I’ve ever had! Woo hoo!), Jess, and Corey (her boyfriend). The most perfect people to usher in 2014 with. This next yearm too, will hold many highs, lows, and suprises. But just as in 2013, God already has it mapped out. I look foward to finding out his plan.
Monday, December 16, 2013
The End... The Beginning
The last time I posted about my semester in general was just
before I started novice teaching. In that post, I claimed I would
post whenever I could, like when I was avoiding homework or when I
had random down time.
As you can probably tell by the lack of posts, random down time was at a minimum. Or if it happened I chose to read a novel.
So my final semester of classes came to a close already and I am anxiously awaiting the start of student teaching. However, before we move on, I'll give a general overview of my semester.
Novice teaching was overall fantastic. I was in the eighth grade Language Arts classroom two days a week, and the seventh grade Social Studies classroom once a week. The students were mostly African American or Hispanic, so it was a diverse experience for me, but fruitful. I taught Language Arts about once a week for most of the time I was there. Through that experience, I started to build a rapport with the students and really look forward to seeing them every week. I also had a good relationship with the teachers, in particular the eighth grade teacher. He was very supportive of me in the classroom; he allowed me to step in and try new activities or methods, he asked about my future, and he gave me feedback on my lessons. Even though I wouldn't use everything he did in the classroom, I appreciated being in his classroom and I felt I thrived in that environment. There are things I need to work on as a teacher, yet this placement built my confidence in my teaching abilities and my excitement to have a class of my own has doubled.
Classes were mostly typical. There were weeks of piles of homework, and there were weeks where homework was completed in relatively good time without too many hairs being extracted. I had fewer classes than any other semester, but with novice teaching also being a component it still kept me with a full schedule.
The Women of Lockerbie was an amazing production. We had eight actors total, plus five members of the production team. Having a smaller cast allowed for more bonding on my part with the whole cast. All of the actors did spectacular and the production went off with very few hitches. Audiences loved it. Most of all, I fell in love with the production and script; I knew most of the lines, I thought the casting was great for the roles, and I certainly didn't want it to end. Nevertheless, it was a great show to end my direct involvement with TCC theatre. Even though student teaching will be great, and though rehearsals often ate up time, I will miss being a part of the production. That black box theatre, the people I've met there, and the memories it holds will always be a big part of my college memories.
I finished the last finals I plan to take. Of course, finals week will remain a part of my life since I'll be grading the finals instead. Yet, for now, the stresses of writing papers and taking tests that comes at the end of every semester is over. It actually wasn't too bad of an end of the semester stress-wise; most of my big projects were finished earlier, and though I had three papers, over half of them had been mostly written a week earlier and workshopped as rough drafts. I was glad to have worked so hard all semester long to make those last two weeks feel like a break.
Now I am home until the end of February; the “real” teaching experience will begin as classes start up in January. I'll be in a 9th and 12th grade English classrooms at Northpointe, then return to Illinois for the end of the semester to teach in an 8th grade Language Arts class. While I'm at home, I hope to also spend some time volunteering for Winter Blasts at Grace, though am hesitant to make too many commitments when I know weekends will be filled with planning and grading.
I'm pumped to start student teaching; I think it'll be a good experience. But I also know there will be a lot of stress involved, and perhaps even some moments of doubt in myself. What I need for the next semester is prayers that I will remember God is guiding me, and this is undoubtedly the path he has planned for me – teaching.
Dark chocolate might also help.
As you can probably tell by the lack of posts, random down time was at a minimum. Or if it happened I chose to read a novel.
So my final semester of classes came to a close already and I am anxiously awaiting the start of student teaching. However, before we move on, I'll give a general overview of my semester.
Novice teaching was overall fantastic. I was in the eighth grade Language Arts classroom two days a week, and the seventh grade Social Studies classroom once a week. The students were mostly African American or Hispanic, so it was a diverse experience for me, but fruitful. I taught Language Arts about once a week for most of the time I was there. Through that experience, I started to build a rapport with the students and really look forward to seeing them every week. I also had a good relationship with the teachers, in particular the eighth grade teacher. He was very supportive of me in the classroom; he allowed me to step in and try new activities or methods, he asked about my future, and he gave me feedback on my lessons. Even though I wouldn't use everything he did in the classroom, I appreciated being in his classroom and I felt I thrived in that environment. There are things I need to work on as a teacher, yet this placement built my confidence in my teaching abilities and my excitement to have a class of my own has doubled.
Classes were mostly typical. There were weeks of piles of homework, and there were weeks where homework was completed in relatively good time without too many hairs being extracted. I had fewer classes than any other semester, but with novice teaching also being a component it still kept me with a full schedule.
The Women of Lockerbie was an amazing production. We had eight actors total, plus five members of the production team. Having a smaller cast allowed for more bonding on my part with the whole cast. All of the actors did spectacular and the production went off with very few hitches. Audiences loved it. Most of all, I fell in love with the production and script; I knew most of the lines, I thought the casting was great for the roles, and I certainly didn't want it to end. Nevertheless, it was a great show to end my direct involvement with TCC theatre. Even though student teaching will be great, and though rehearsals often ate up time, I will miss being a part of the production. That black box theatre, the people I've met there, and the memories it holds will always be a big part of my college memories.
I finished the last finals I plan to take. Of course, finals week will remain a part of my life since I'll be grading the finals instead. Yet, for now, the stresses of writing papers and taking tests that comes at the end of every semester is over. It actually wasn't too bad of an end of the semester stress-wise; most of my big projects were finished earlier, and though I had three papers, over half of them had been mostly written a week earlier and workshopped as rough drafts. I was glad to have worked so hard all semester long to make those last two weeks feel like a break.
Now I am home until the end of February; the “real” teaching experience will begin as classes start up in January. I'll be in a 9th and 12th grade English classrooms at Northpointe, then return to Illinois for the end of the semester to teach in an 8th grade Language Arts class. While I'm at home, I hope to also spend some time volunteering for Winter Blasts at Grace, though am hesitant to make too many commitments when I know weekends will be filled with planning and grading.
I'm pumped to start student teaching; I think it'll be a good experience. But I also know there will be a lot of stress involved, and perhaps even some moments of doubt in myself. What I need for the next semester is prayers that I will remember God is guiding me, and this is undoubtedly the path he has planned for me – teaching.
Dark chocolate might also help.
Punctuation Jokes and Puns
“For any true stickler, you see, the sight of the plural word
“Book's” with an apostrophe in it will trigger a ghastly private
emotional process similar to the stages of bereavement, though
greatly accelerated. First there is shock. Within seconds, shock
gives way to disbelief, disbelief to pain, and pain to anger. Finally
(and this is where the analogy breaks down), anger gives way to a
righteous urge to perpetrate an act of criminal damage with the aid
of a permanent marker.”
For those of you who are grammar and punctuation geeks like me, you probably have had a reaction similar to the one Lynne Truss describes in the quote above, though only now see it in line with the stages of grief. And you laughed. Especially at that last line.
I was assigned to read the book Eats, Shoots, & Leaves by Truss for my teaching English course. It was probably the most I've ever laughed while reading a textbook. So I'm going to be a dork for this post and share with you some of my favorite quotes and examples from the book.
Back cover joke:
A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.
“Why?” asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.
“I'm a panda,” he says at the door. “Look it up.”
The waiter turns to the relevant entry, and, sure enough, finds an explanation.
“Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.”
About us grammar sticklers:
Comments about a student who said he punctuated his texts correctly because he has an A level in English: “Evidently an A level in English is a sacred trust, like something out of Lord of the Rings. You must go forth with your A level and protect the English language with your bow of elfin gold.”
Poor punctuation: “Now, there are no laws against imprisoning apostrophes and making them look daft. Cruelty to punctuation is quite unlegislated: you can get away with pulling the legs off semicolons; shrivelling question marks on the garden path under a powerful magnifying glass you name it.”
Some examples:
The importance of punctuation even has relevance to theology. Since the original text of the Bible wasn't punctuated, there can be interpretations by translators that have different meanings:
“Verily, I say unto thee, This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise.” versus “Verily I say unto thee this day, Thou shalt be with me in Paradise.” (the second leaves room for the option of purgatory)
“Comfort ye my people.” versus “Comfort ye, my people.”(there's a difference in whom is being comforted)
“The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” versus “The voice of him that crieth: In the wilderness prepare ye the way of the Lord.”
“Law of Conservation of Apostrophes... states that a balance exists in nature: 'For every apostrophe omitted from an it's, there is an extra one put into an its.'”
“Between the 16th century and the present day, [the comma] became a kind of scary grammatical sheepdog... the comma has so many job as a 'separator'... that it tears about on the hillside of language, endlessly organizing words into sensible groups to make them stay put... Commas, if you don't whistle at them to calm down, are unstoppably enthusiastic at this job.”
“The big final rule for the comma is one that you won't find in any books by grammarians. It is quite easy to remember, however. The rule is: don't use commas like a stupid person.”
“Semicolons are dangerously habit-forming. Many writers hooked on semicolons become an embarrassment to their families and friends... the writers rock back and forth in their office chairs, softly tapping the semicolon key and emitting low whimpers.”
I didn't make it all the way through the book yet (sorry Dr. BC) but I hope to. I hope some of you also enjoyed a laugh over some of these. Others probably just have more reasons to roll their eyes at me. Oh well. I, Rebecca Reed, claim openly that I am a lover of punctuation, and the humor it can bring.
For those of you who are grammar and punctuation geeks like me, you probably have had a reaction similar to the one Lynne Truss describes in the quote above, though only now see it in line with the stages of grief. And you laughed. Especially at that last line.
I was assigned to read the book Eats, Shoots, & Leaves by Truss for my teaching English course. It was probably the most I've ever laughed while reading a textbook. So I'm going to be a dork for this post and share with you some of my favorite quotes and examples from the book.
Back cover joke:
A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.
“Why?” asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.
“I'm a panda,” he says at the door. “Look it up.”
The waiter turns to the relevant entry, and, sure enough, finds an explanation.
“Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.”
About us grammar sticklers:
- “While we look in horror at a badly punctuated sign, the
world carries on around us, blind to our plight. We are like the
little boy in The Sixth Sense who
can see dead people, except that we see dead punctuation.”
- “Stand outside a... cinema
indicating – with a cut-out apostrophe on a stick – how the
title Two Weeks Notice might
be easily grammatically corrected (I did this), and not a soul will
take your side or indeed have a clue what your problem is. ”
Comments about a student who said he punctuated his texts correctly because he has an A level in English: “Evidently an A level in English is a sacred trust, like something out of Lord of the Rings. You must go forth with your A level and protect the English language with your bow of elfin gold.”
Poor punctuation: “Now, there are no laws against imprisoning apostrophes and making them look daft. Cruelty to punctuation is quite unlegislated: you can get away with pulling the legs off semicolons; shrivelling question marks on the garden path under a powerful magnifying glass you name it.”
Some examples:
- “Next week: nouns and
apostrophe's! (BBC website advertising a grammar course for
children)”
- “Frog's piss (French wine
putting unfair strain on a single frog)”
- “Member's May Ball (but
with whom will the member dance?)”
- “New members welcome drink
(doubtless true)”
- “Childrens' education...
(in a letter from the head of education at the National Union of
Teachers)”
- “The driver managed to
escape from the vehicle before it sank and swam to the river-bank”
The importance of punctuation even has relevance to theology. Since the original text of the Bible wasn't punctuated, there can be interpretations by translators that have different meanings:
“Verily, I say unto thee, This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise.” versus “Verily I say unto thee this day, Thou shalt be with me in Paradise.” (the second leaves room for the option of purgatory)
“Comfort ye my people.” versus “Comfort ye, my people.”(there's a difference in whom is being comforted)
“The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” versus “The voice of him that crieth: In the wilderness prepare ye the way of the Lord.”
“Law of Conservation of Apostrophes... states that a balance exists in nature: 'For every apostrophe omitted from an it's, there is an extra one put into an its.'”
“Between the 16th century and the present day, [the comma] became a kind of scary grammatical sheepdog... the comma has so many job as a 'separator'... that it tears about on the hillside of language, endlessly organizing words into sensible groups to make them stay put... Commas, if you don't whistle at them to calm down, are unstoppably enthusiastic at this job.”
“The big final rule for the comma is one that you won't find in any books by grammarians. It is quite easy to remember, however. The rule is: don't use commas like a stupid person.”
“Semicolons are dangerously habit-forming. Many writers hooked on semicolons become an embarrassment to their families and friends... the writers rock back and forth in their office chairs, softly tapping the semicolon key and emitting low whimpers.”
I didn't make it all the way through the book yet (sorry Dr. BC) but I hope to. I hope some of you also enjoyed a laugh over some of these. Others probably just have more reasons to roll their eyes at me. Oh well. I, Rebecca Reed, claim openly that I am a lover of punctuation, and the humor it can bring.
 |
| It even has a punctuation repair kit! These are stickers I can stick to incorrect signs. |
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Semester goals... Mid-term.
A couple weeks ago, one of my friends mentioned in Outcry (the
weekly student-led worship service) that as seniors, we only have so
many Outcrys left. Then, at the end of the hour, we circled up as we
so often do, and sang “My Friends May You Grow in Grace” as a
Trinity community, hands latched together. I glanced around at the
faces, and saw faces of seniors who were hall-mates, roommates,
classmates, friends, or just people I've spent time with along the
way, and I nearly started crying. I've already felt somewhat of a
shift this year from the regular hang-outs to less time together as
many are more busy with senior-level classes, internships, novice
teaching, student teaching, and leadership positions than before
(myself included). But we only have so many more times to gather
Thursday nights for worship, or to spend time together on “I don't
wanna do homework, let's watch a movie” nights, or to go out on
dinner dates. I'm (most likely) going to be spending part of next
semester student teaching in MI, and even when I'm back on campus so
much of my time will be spent at the school, grading, or writing
plans for the next week. Plus several friends are going abroad, or
also starting internships, and so the time to spend with one another
is passing us by – quickly.
So instead of making this post all sentimental (there will be PLENTY of those to come), I want to set some goals, so I don't waste the precious time I have left - which is starting it's downhill slide towards the end of the semester, as this week marks midterm!
These may or may not be the typical specific/measurable/attainable/relevant/time-bound goals that education always asks for, but, hey, I'm not getting graded.... I don't think.
That's a solid start, I think. Perhaps made a little too late,being already half-way through the semester. Yet, I do still have some time to make these a reality in my life. And I am not letting it go to waste, if I can help it.
You all can help, too. Some of these I'm going to need some support and some cooperation in order to make steps toward reaching these goals. Now that I've put this out there for you, my world, to see, a) I won't be able to slack and b) you all know what I want to do, and can make plans to help me. I hope you all can agree to that for me.
You all rock, and I love each one of you (appropriately).
So instead of making this post all sentimental (there will be PLENTY of those to come), I want to set some goals, so I don't waste the precious time I have left - which is starting it's downhill slide towards the end of the semester, as this week marks midterm!
These may or may not be the typical specific/measurable/attainable/relevant/time-bound goals that education always asks for, but, hey, I'm not getting graded.... I don't think.
- Spend weekly time with my closest friends who are not a part
of Tib 30, in Women of Lockerbie, or
in English classes with me. Note: that isn't to say my closest
friends who are in
those 3 categories don't count... bear with me. Anyway, back to goal
1. For those girls that I don't necessarily cross paths with because
our schedules don't demand it, I
will
demand it. And already I haven't done a good job with this... But I
want to improve. This doesn't necessarily mean it'll always be a
couple hours together, because let's be honest, that isn't always
possible weekly. Maybe it's just a stop in your room on a study
break, or twenty minutes of dinner together. As long as I see you
every week, and talk for more than five minutes, I'll be happy. Of
course, I will welcome spending a couple of hours together as well,
as long as we both have free time!
- Minimize
the complaining about my profs, and daily remember just how grateful
I should be, and am. No offense to everyone else from other colleges
who believe their professors are the best, but seriously – Trinity
professors rock. In education, I constantly hear how important it is
to build relationships with your students, and Trinity professors
have definitely modeled that. They know my interests and hobbies –
they ask about the play, they make suggestions about topics they
know I'll enjoy writing about or participating in, they comment on
my Courier articles, or they refer to me in class when they know
it's a topic I am knowledgeable about. They're willing to chat with
me, about school, teaching, or just life. If I am feeling
overwhelmed, they usually will extend grace on assignments and an
empathetic word. And yet, I never want to ask for extensions unless
I have a superb reason because I don't want to let them down either;
I would hate to disappoint any of my profs, and I've actually shed a
tear in some of their offices because I feel terrible about the fact
I accidentally slept through a class when I was supposed to turn in
a project or my hard drive crashed and my finished paper was erased.
They support my efforts, building me up and yet also providing
feedback on where I can improve. All of this goes for some
professors I've only had once as well – it doesn't matter, they
remember my name and could strike up a conversation with me when
they see me passing by. When I returned from Kenya last year, I was
just as excited to see some of my professors as I was to see my
friends, and I actually went around to several of their offices to
just say hi. And this semester is the last semester I'll be taking
classes, aside from my student teaching course. I want to enjoy the
time I have with these wonderful adults and mentors. And I don't
want to let time go by with me complaining rather than appreciating
the blessing I have going to a college with professors like these.
- Have weekly real conversation, lots of laughs, and quality time with my girls of Tib 30. I know we're all running 500 directions – softball, psych club, classes, work, theatre, Roseland – but I want to spend time every week together, all of us, making memories. Maybe we're still doing some light homework, but all sitting together and chatting while doing it. Maybe that's dinner together, since we now have a kitchen. It could also be chunks of quality time I get with each of you, at different times when our schedules allow. Perhaps we create a short amount of time where the words softball, class, theatre, psych club, and work-related terms are not allowed to enter conversation so that we all can share our own time, free of discussion of other extra-curriculars we're apart of separately. I'm just throwing ideas out there, but I seriously need more quality time with you girls, so that this semester doesn't pass me by and I never get a chance to make the good memories of Tib 30.
- Spend more time with friends I met through theatre... But spend that time out of the theatre. We've had one girls night with 3 of my close friends, and it was lovely. This needs to happen more. And for others, perhaps let's grab dinner together sometime, or go out to Plush Horse. Essentially, let's just catch up when we aren't making blocking notes, running through scenes, or setting up for a performance.
- Stress less over my schedule. This is a whole lot easier said than done, and I guarantee I will stray from this goal several times. But it's a goal nonetheless. The thing is, I'm pretty good at time management (I say as I have spent a couple hours/days, combined, typing this post... but really, I am a good time manager, I swear). I need to trust myself that it will get done because I'm going to make sure it does. Yes, on those days that I don't come back to the room from 8 am-11 pm because of class, novice, work, and rehearsal, that means a late night of homework. But that isn't time I'm wasting, and I'll get the homework done as efficiently as possible, get some rest, and start again tomorrow. And also, I should be okay to take a half hour break during those other days I may have more leeway with my time. I'll burn myself out if all I do is go, go, go with work and never let my mind take a break. With all that's on my plate, and with my inherent drive to complete tasks, I will work everything out with my schedule. Then, once I've already made a plan, I need to just let it be and not fret over every detail. I have a plan, and things may come up, but I'll bend and I will get it done. So stop stressing, self!
- Don't spend frivolously. I didn't earn an income during last semester, and I won't next semester either (I'll be doing too much work to earn a living... figure that one out!). I don't even want to talk about the loan payments that await me after I graduate. And I'll also be taking on more financial responsibilities as I start a real life – rent, bills, groceries, etc. With all of that awaiting me, plus still having to make tuition payments for the next 1.5 semesters, I cannot afford to throw away money on things I don't necessarily need. Groceries – necessary, but I don't need 2 cases of pop, a few boxes of name-brand cookies, and a bag of candy just because I feel like it. Spending a few bucks on used books I find for my classroom library – pretty useful and a good idea, but I don't need to be spending $20 per book just because I want to read it. And I certainly don't need to buy another plaid shirt just because it's cute.
- Take more pictures! I'm usually a picture-taking queen. Yet,
I noticed as I posted this blog, I have hardly any pictures from
this semester. So this needs to be remedied.
That's a solid start, I think. Perhaps made a little too late,being already half-way through the semester. Yet, I do still have some time to make these a reality in my life. And I am not letting it go to waste, if I can help it.
You all can help, too. Some of these I'm going to need some support and some cooperation in order to make steps toward reaching these goals. Now that I've put this out there for you, my world, to see, a) I won't be able to slack and b) you all know what I want to do, and can make plans to help me. I hope you all can agree to that for me.
You all rock, and I love each one of you (appropriately).
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