The End's Not Near, It's Here

Today marks my final entry in my urban journey travelogue. Throughout this semester, I have gained a new appreciation for school. This class has definitely helped me realize I am where I belong, for now. With so many friends and family members dealing with harsh realities in their lives, I was able to appreciate the simplicity of school. We often put so much emphasis on our school lives, that we forget to take sometime for ourselves. While school is very important to me, I think it is equally as important to take time for personal desires.

Throughout my volunteer experience my eyes were opened to young kids from all walks of life. I was able to see how the library, which something the rest of us consider trivial,  is so important to their day to day lives. It is reassuring to know that it is not only an escape, but one where they are able to gain infinite knowledge. In terms of what I was talking about in the previous paragraph, I believe we all need to find our own escape, especially in urban learning. There are a lot of flawless in the systems; however, I think with the right teachers with positive attitude, anything is possible.

Cirriculum Action Project and Wrapping Up the Semester

As the end of the semester inches nearer and volunteer projects wrap up, I have turned my attention to my Curriculum Action Project. Over the weekend, I finished my research on my topic: the power of urban youth culture in the classroom. While I initially thought this would be a good choice, I have since found out there was more information than I could possibly imagine on the topic. There are so many different outlets for urban youth in our schools today. Our preconceived notion is that there is often not a lot we can do to change the influence these students are wrought with. In reality, the best thing to do is embrace it. Rap can easily be the voice of a civil rights movement in beyond.

In addition to my research for this class, I also began working on a final project for my fundamentals of graduate studies course. In doing so, I was able to see the connection in which these different courses often overlap. Realizing there was a connection in all my course kind of made the major come full circle. While each course has different material, our endgame is all the same. We want to make the classroom a better place, in which students feel safe and can strive beyond anything imaginable.

Learning From Our Youths?

We are often told to respect and learn from our elders. While I believe this statement to be true, I realized this week that we should extend the same resepect to those younger than us. I'm a part time babysitter and I've always found it interesting when kids 10-15 years younger than me say things, I wouldn't even fathom. The unaffected personalities of children can teach us a lot about ourselves. After my last voluteering experience at the Riverland Library I was left with much to reflect on.

The young kids I worked with changed my perspective. Most of the time I just thought most kids didn't have much to offer me; however, hearing things from their eyes moved me. These kids wanted to do well and succeed. They didn't have the means most of us can afford but they still had dreams. Having a sanctuary such as the library fed their motivation. I hope dearly that the library can afford to stay open because it really does make an impact in these kids lives. As for the future, I will definitely listen more attentively and realize that young and old, we all have something to offer to one another.

Is It Really April Already?

I can't believe how the time has flied. It is daunting to realize that finals and the end of the semester are right around the corner. It's been a completely new experience for me to be a graduate student. While I was wracked with nerves at the beginning of January, I feel like I am finally settling into the responsibilities ahead. I recently decided I want to complete the testing in order to become a teaching assistant. My volunteering experience in the last week has taught me to never forget where you come from. By seeing young kids in the position I was in 10 years ago has made me realize that life really is a journey.
In addition, it helped me understand an ideal my mom has been constantly reinforcing from a young: the importance of community. It is important to not only shop and eat in your area, to keep the community financially thriving, but also give your time to those who need it. The kids I helped pick out books all had an infectious personalities of innocence and hope. I hope that after this experience is over I am able to keep coming back to this library periodically. It really means something to me and I think it is a vital resource to the community. It gives kids the chance to broaden their horizons and educate themselves on any subjects that interest them.

Is the Future Really That Soon?

On Wednesday of last week I completed two of my hours at the library. It was again nostalgic being back there. I remembered the days of learning the dewey decimal system, putting together puzzles or picking up a new series of books. While there, I helped restack recently returned books. Moreover, I engaged with young readers. I learned about books that are popular now with the tween set. In addition, they still had the bin of puzzles I used to reach for but now with a few more things. I realized when I was there I have quite a few puzzles just sitting around my house so I think when I go later this week to complete my hours I will drop them in the box and give someone else the change to enjoy them.
Aside from the volunteering experience, I had a pretty busy week, registering for classes and laying out my final prep. This is my first semester as a graduate student and it is surreal to think it could be all over in just a years time. Applying for positions and looking into testing has really made me contemplate if I'm in the right place. I want to say I am, but right now I'm just taking it one day at a time. I hope everyone else had a smooth and simple registration process.

Reflecting on the Past

Today was the first day of my volunteer experience at the local library near my home in Fort Lauderdale. It was an introductory day as the lady called it who showed me around. I was able to see the areas where I used to do puzzles, go on the computer or pick books to check out. In addition, I was able to see some of the employees putting together a display for women's history month. It was weird to be in a place I spent so much time as a kid but also quite nice. They haven't specifically layed out what I will do just yet, but I am excited for the days to come.
On a side note, it was quite alarming to wake up to the news of the near tragedy the struck UCF last night. While it is not uncommon nowadays for things like this to happen, it was quite scary seeing it occur somewhere so close to all of us. I hope that everyone in Tower 1 is able to process the information quickly and move on from the whole mess. I think we're all fortunate the roommate of the deceased thought on his feet, saving potentially dozens of lives. I hope everyone is looking forward today and has a productive and enjoyable week.

Mapping the Future

This week I am scheduled to register for my second semester of Applied Learning and Instruction at the university. It is undeniable that registering for classes is always a stressful process. After two months in this major, I'm definitely certain that I made the right choice for me. Now, I am torn as to what I should do for the next few months. Do I take the summer off to pursue other interests or do I keep the motivation going and stick myself in some summer courses? I've taken summer classes every year I've been at university since 2009 so it seems like there's no other option really. The reality is that I could find other pursuits whether they be in the form of an internship or a job. I don't know what I'll do at the moment but hopefully with patience and the resources I have in front of me, I'll be able to make the right decision.

Star Teachers: Myth or Reality?

This weeks topic touched on the validty of Star Teachers. Do they exist? What qualifies someone as a Star Teacher? According to the reading, these teachers do exist and they are those who go above and beyond the traditional actions of a teacher. In my personal opinion, these types of teachers do exist and they are always parts of our educational lives. To me, Star Teachers, are the ones you remember. By remember, I don't just mean their names. I mean the ones that showed you compassion or gave you an extra hand when others brushed you aside.

I think the idea of Star Teachers can be applied to our everyday lives. There are "Star" people in every facet of life. I learned recently that in medicine there are Star Nurses who go the extra mile for every patient they come into contact with. You probably have "Star" people in your life. These are the ones you can call at any hour of the night, who will drop everything for you and make the difference that effects your life long term. I hope everyone appreciates the "Star" people in their lives. Have a great spring break!

On to the Next Thing

    This week in class we completed the final chapter of our Milner text. It was daunting knowing we had finished over 200 pages in only 7 short weeks. Throughout reading this text, my eyes were opened to a new perspective on learning. It was interesting hearing from teachers in a variety of settings instead of the standard ones. This last chapter taught me that I can't even begin to understand the intricacies of what it means be a teacher, let alone one immersed in urban settings. I hope going forward, we continue to delve into the mind of a teacher in urban settings. I really enjoyed learning from a nontraditional perspective and hope I can use this concept not only in my future educational endeavors, but also in this course.

Returning to My Roots

This weeks course was quite interesting to me as we explored the idea of diversity in the classroom. There were lots of methods I was not aware of before reading chapter 5. In addition to the normal coursework, I scoped out a place I would like to do my volunteer project. I will hopefully be doing my volunteering at the Riverland Library, a place I used to spend a lot of time at as a kid. It will be nice to be able to give back to the place that gave me a lot of joy as a kid. Hope everyone is having a good week!

Seeing Things From a Different Perspective

For this weeks blog, I intended to talk about the last chapter we read in the course; however, much more crucial things took place that prompted me otherwise. Earlier this week I drove home to South Florida with a friend. Her mom was having surgery and she was pretty nervous about the whole ordeal so I told her I would come to the hospital and stay with her for a few hours. While we were all hopeful, the news caught us all by surprise. Her mom had ovarian cancer. Luckily the surgeon was able to remove them, as well as any other obstructions. While it was devastating news no doubt, I truly believe that everything is going to work out. Seeing how things could drastically change in a matter of an hours has shifted my perspective greatly. I think educators need to be open minded because you never know what might be going on in a students' personal life. Be there for your students and the environment will thrive. I also learned that everything will be okay in the end and if it is not okay, it is not the end.

Thoughts for This Week

          Today I learned about Dr. Johnson's experience as an African American female educator in a predominately white classroom through our module 4 reading. In addition, I discovered many different techniques that helped her thrive with her students. With this new found knowledge, I hope to be a better educator for future students. I will definitely take the idea of multiple worlds of literacy into consideration, because it is vital for students to be well rounded.
          I would like to know more about new techniques that are being tested out and helping students want to be more proactive in the classroom. If I were teaching this course, I would try to incorporate some of the ideas of Dr. Johnson. I understand it is a lot to ask because the course is online, making access to students more complicated; however, I think just a bit of input from each student could make the course that much better.