Desk.

This was my desk at work today. I am transitioning from holiday to winter decor. Away went all my holiday books and stuffed animals and up went books about winter, snowmen and penguins! Of course one thing led to another and I have (once again!) moved my popcorn word wall, changed bulletin boards/border, changed student's seating and left a big pile of things left to do tomorrow! It was good to be back though! 1/3/2011

Friends.

I have been friends with these three amazing women for about 10 years now. Between them they have 6 children- 3 of which are my godchildren (and I have dibs on being godmother to any future children!). On paper we really don't have much in common, but these are my "go to friends", the women who know me at my worst and still love and support me. I am blessed. The photo is kind of crappy, but the point was to make sure we got a picture, not the quality! =)

Organizing.

On New Year's Day, I organized. (and napped!) As of now that will be my "One Little Word." The photo boxes (one for each family member) hold random cards, old photos, poems Glenn wrote and other little bits and pieces of mementos I want to hang on to but have no idea what to do with at the moment.

New Beginnings

I started this blog to fulfill a requirement in my technology class and early on decided I would keep up with it. But as usual, life happened and I paid no attention to the blog. But I have had a great break from summer classes, just turned 47, and am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel...meaning I can almost touch my diploma! Yes, I have Praxis 2 exams to take and lots more classes to deal with, but I am close enough to make it seem real. So, Telford's Teachable Moments will become a place where I share what I learn as I continue my journey through life.

Who says you have to start something new (or restart in most cases!) only in January? You know, the whole New Year's Resolution thing? For me, August is the start of a new year. That is when school begins and as a future teacher, will be the start of new classroom full of children! I can't wait until that day! But for now, August is the start of a new year as a student. New textbooks, new binders, pencils and even a brand new backpack on wheels! I love new beginnings! For the past week and a half that I have been on break, Glenn and I have cleaned the attic, which means going through every single tote and being very discerning about what we keep and what we will get rid of. Then we moved onto the kitchen cabinets and pantry. Next, the sheds in the back yard.Sheds, as in more than one! Glenn has one for his tools and other "manly" items.The other shed houses things I have not been able to part with. Until this past Saturday. Six trips to the dump/Goodwill in the 4Runner meant I did some serious parting! Old greeting cards, baby clothes from my 22 year old baby and sadly, her crib which had warped from so many years of being stored. Clean House would be proud- kind of! They would have asked me to get rid of everything for some flooring or a new mattress and I would have had to bribe friends to buy back all the items I wasn't ready to part with!

Another new beginning will be menu planning. With a variety of health issues for each member of the family, cooking became more of a hassle than I was willing to deal with. Not that grabbing something available was healthy for any of us or just having a bowl of cereal. So I started planning meals for one week at a time. We have had to change the way we shop (every week now), but so far I love it! I want to plan for several weeks ahead so I can be prepared for the back to school rush of projects, homework and tests. I know what I am going to cook and have even started setting the table earlier in the day and am excited about having a "real" meal planned. Glenn and I are meeting with the nutritionist tomorrow so I will hopefully come away with even more ideas for healthy meals to meet all of our diverse needs.

The next new beginning needs to be including exercise into my day. I tend to be in front of a desk or computer doing school work, which is not very healthy! My feet swell and everything hurts by days end. So the exercise bike that is staring at me as I type will begin to see more use. I am sure change will be slow in coming, but it is just the beginning! So one step at a time...

Giving thanks

Well, I said I would keep up my blog and what better to time to update then after submitting my Milestone 2 portfolio for review! I feel a sense of accomplishment that something that seemed so stressful can now be checked off my list! I wish I could bask in the glow, but finals begin and a science fair project and psychology papers still call my name. But for just a few precious moments I think I will go to the deck and look at the stars and give thanks for the guidance I receive each day, because with Him, I would not have been able to do ANY of this. I have added a video of one of my heroes of the faith- Rich Mullins. Listening to this song reminds me to remember this journey is what I am being called to do and He will not let me fail!

One more thing...

Wow! Where do I start? I really have enjoyed this process. My biggest concern is forgetting all that I have learned before I get into the classroom! The nice thing is that many of the tools have tutorials, so I can watch and figure them out all over again. I would like to keep on blogging through the rest of my journey through college. It has been for the most part a fabulous experience. I have met some wonderful people who I can't wait to see in action in the classroom since I just know they will be wonderful teachers. And I have met some who should well, let's say rethink their choice of a career. Being an educator means being open to LIFE LONG LEARNING and new ideas! And remember, we are there for the students, not the other way around. Enough said. For now. Really. I am moving on.

There were lots of surprises along the way. For instance today as I tried to complete the rest of my 23 Things and was tired from a long day at school, I came upon Thing # 20 and had a great time posting the video to the blog and listening to the song. It brought back a great memory and made me smile! Then Thing #21 where we created videos! I loved that and posted it to my Face Book page! I even called my daughter to share in the glory of my creation! I will play with this more after school is finished!

I liked the idea of posting something new I learned everyday to my blog. One blog I recently began following is from someone I knew back in high school. She has twin boys with Downs Syndrome and uses a theme for each day of her blog. For example, one day is Angels Among Us, the next is Happiness Project, etc. It makes it easier to blog I think if there is a theme.

Thanks for the a great class Dr. Wall!

Thing #22

Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot on Audio CD, Audio Download

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I used Learning Out Loud and listened to the excerpt from the book Through the Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot. Elisabeth and her late husband Jim are spiritual heroes of mine. I have read many of her books and am working my way through Jim's journals. I have the movie and the story is a powerful testimony to the healing power of God.
I would like to create podcasts for my students. Being a kindergarten teacher, I could use the sound effects while reading stories that students could listen to during center activities. I am anxious to get a clasroom of my own and get started using the skills I have learned this semester!