New Generations, New Book Series

My dad took me to see The Woman in Black tonight.  Of course the star of this horror film is Daniel Radcliffe, who most of the world knows as Harry Potter in the movies made from the very popular book series by J.K. Rowling.  The movie was really scary if you ask me so I attempted to lighten the mood (and make myself feel better) with quite a few Harry Potter references such as, "Come on Harry, Expecto Patronum that crap!!!" "Dad, he really needs his wand." 

Anyways, I got to thinking about how I grew up with Harry Potter.  I was about the same age as the characters when the first book came out and as I read each book I felt like I was literally growing up alongside Harry, Ron, and Hermione.  The books will always hold a special place in my heart, as well as the phenomenal movies that just came to an end this past year.  Therefore, I just think that all of the students I come across should absolutely love Harry Potter as well.  

I just came to the realization that this is not the case.  I am devastated.  If I really force myself to think about it the books came out years ago so it is quite rare to find young adolescents as excited about it as my friends and I were (and still are).  There are other book series replacing Harry Potter for the newer generation.  As an education major I do know what some of these new series are like Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Maze of Bones, etc.  I have yet to find a book series that even comes close to comparing to Harry Potter.  That being said, I guess I am a little biased, but my mind just cannot grasp that anything else I read is capable of surpassing it.  

So the whole point of this post is to say that as a new teacher, I need to read a lot more and do research about what is currently popular in the world of YA (young adult) literature.  I know that I read constantly and I did find a lot of new YA books during my classes in college, but trends are constantly changing.  Teachers owe it to their students to be familiar with what they're reading and be able to relate  to it.  

I sort of already do this, but I just wanted to make a point of how important it is to stay relevant and I just wanted an excuse to post about Harry Potter.  And express how depressed I am that an era has ended and the next generation doesn't share the same enthusiasm for the book series as mine did. :(  

FYI: I am still going to force encourage students to read Harry Potter and probably make them hope that they  love it as much as I do. :) 

A Riveting Day in the Life of a Substitute Teacher

Update: I have been subbing quite a bit. My least favorite place to sub is Sandy Valley for two reasons. 1. It is a 45 minute drive and I have to be there at 7:00 am. 2. I have to deal with ignorant, disrespectful, ungrateful high school students.

The only reason I have been subbing there this week is because I was guaranteed to work 3 days in a row and it is stupid to pass up work like that. Anyways I was there today for hopefully the last time and I had tons of free time since the teacher is an intervention specialist and only teaches 2 classes of her own.

So after teaching 1st period English I was inspired to write about it. I wrote in real pen on real notebook paper and everything. Two pages front and back. Here we go...

I am sitting here at someone else's desk having just read about JFK's assassination with their 9th grade English class. It saddens me to watch them follow along in their literature books with no emotions displayed on any of their young faces (well there was one kid who kept looking at me but that just made me feel weird). I consider myself young at the age of 22 and historical events like JFK's assassination touch me and fascinate me. The impact of events like this one last forever, or at least they should, and I wish more of today's students would take an interest in them.

It happened in 1963 when the parents of my generation were practically babies. The devastating event took place so long ago to someone like me, but it reminds me very much of a significant event during my childhood. After the students left I read a few primary sources from that day written by 7th and 8th graders. They sounded very similar to what I could have written on September 11, 2001 as a 6th grade student, age 11. I remember where I was when the hijacked planes hit the World Trade Center. What class I was in, who I was sitting by, what I was doing when our teacher turned on the television. It was the same way in which an older generation remembers exactly what they were doing when they found out President Kennedy was shot.

In Lyndon B. Johnson's Address to Congress on November 22, 1963 he said, "The time has come for Americans of all races and creeds and political beliefs to understand and respect one another. So let us put and end to the teaching and the preaching of hate and evil and violence. Let us turn away from the fanatics of the far left and the far right, from the apostles of bitterness and bigotry, from those defiant of of law, and those who pour venom into our nation's bloodstream. I profoundly hope that the tragedy and the torment of these terrible days will bind us together in new fellowship, making us one people in our hour of sorrow. So let us highly resolve that John Fitzgerald Kennedy did not live---or die---in vain.". Doesn't that sound eerily like the world we live in today? Sure, we achieved civil rights on paper and elected a black president, we Americans came together to fight for these accomplishments, and there are some people in our country who genuinely respect and tolerate each other for differences. However, I must say, with deep regret, that JFK ultimately did die in vain because nothing has changed. We live in a world overflowing with hate , violence, bitterness, bigotry, racism, and prejudice.

All of those terrible feelings and actions are not just between black and white, Muslim, and American, right wing and left wing. They are still manifested deep within the hearts of Southerners and Northerners. The Civil War has been over for 150 years and some Americans still do not understand or respect one another on those issues. I just finished reading Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War by Tony Horowitz. He traveled through 10 states with past ties to the war visiting battlefields, monuments, museums, and local,legends. He interviewed all different types of modern day Southerners with varying views and opinions about the Confederacy.

Some of the current attitudes of Southerners towards the North, Abraham Lincoln, and blacks are enough to make anyone sick to their stomach. I know people still raise the rebel flag and harbor racist tendencies, but I would have never known how many Southerners truly hate the North still today if I hadn't read this book. It has given me a whole new perspective and a new sense of fascination and frustration about the only war fought on American soil. I have heard it said before that the South thinks the war isn't over. I used to laugh and disregard it as a ridiculous statement. I mean, they can't really believe that we're still fighting, right? Although I haven't changed my belief that the war is technically over, because of course in the correct history books the North won, slaves were freed, and the Confederate states rejoined the Union, I now believe that the war is still being fought in the hearts and minds of citizens all over. It is not something I am happy to agree with, but I now know that it's true.

In short, this book has left me conflicted. I haven't changed my morals and beliefs that slavery, prejudice, and war against brothers are wrong. I still think the Civil War was a great tragedy for all Americans. But, all of the perspectives and opinions are jumbling around in my head as to who was right and who was wrong, or better yet, who IS right and who IS wrong. Of course I am angered by the modern day Confederates who hate blacks and Northerners and wish both were dead, but I can understand the Southerners who simply feel a sense of loss of their identities and way of life. I can understand their sadness at a tragic past for their ancestors and how different their futures could have been without a war. Perhaps cities and towns would be grander and there wouldn't be so much generational poverty. Being from the North I also wonder what our future could have been like with no war. That doesn't mean I'm glad we had a war, but I am glad that we won. See how conflicted I am?!

I graduated from college a few short months ago and since then I have been worried that I will lose my knowledge and skills now that I am no longer in school using my brain to learn new information. I have even been watching Jeopardy every night because of that fear. But, I realized that I was wrong. Anyone who knows me knows that I read---not just a little, but a lot---actually saying a lot is an understatement--- and I realized that I have been learning and enriching my brain each time I turn a page in a book and each time I contemplate what I am reading about. As long as I continue reading, contemplating, and actively searching for answers to my questions I will not lose my ability to learn, I will add to my body of knowledge. So I now resolve to continue reading, writing, and thinking about the things that interest me. I want to be inspired. I vow to seek knowledge and understanding for my own pleasure for the rest of my life. I will never stop learning and I will never stop passing what I learn on to the next generation(as soon as I snag that teaching job). So maybe this is what the content of my blog will be, or maybe I'll change it again next week. I'm all over the place so who knows? I certainly don't. But if you made it this far, thanks for reading. :)

Love Tara

Ways to Relieve Stress

I am not 21 anymore. Another year older and I'd like to think a little bit wiser. I am not saying that I have it all figured out, because I'm not even close, but I have learned a lot from my life experiences. I know who I am and what I want in life, now the issue is following through on the changes I want to make.

One of the big things I have come to admit about myself is that I am prone to stress. I am not kidding when I say that they way stress affects me is not normal. It destroys me. Now that I have come to terms with that I have found new and different ways of dealing with it. If I hadn't, someone might have had no other choice but to check me into the loony bin.

1. Reading: I have loved to read since I was born. This is not a new development. It has always been a way for me to relax and get away from reality. It is something I always made time for no matter how busy I was with school, work, etc. I always had a book that I was reading for the pure enjoyment of it. I will never quit that habit. It was instilled in me since birth.

2. Bath & Bodyworks: I was never one to believe in the power of aromatherapy until the end of 2011. I was student teaching which is the ultimate definition of stress. I had this stress relief soap from Bath & Bodyworks that I didn't really think much of until I realized how much better I felt after smelling it. It really did relax me. So over the course of a few months I have a candle, lotion, body scrub, body wash & foam bath, shampoo and conditioner. I am so serious when I say that spending all that money on those products is so worth it. I even have backups for when I run out.

3. Routines: When you are younger you go to bed late and don't bother to wash your face. You wake up late for school and don't take time to eat breakfast or moisturizer. Having a routine makes everything go more smoothly and makes you feel better. I am not perfect at this by any means but I am making an effort. I realize how important it is now.

4. Yoga: I started going to classes at my university. I think it's great for overall wellness. It stretches your muscles, relaxes you, and even helps with weight loss. I am working hard to make this part of my daly routine. Slowly but surely I am getting into it. I have done it once since the new year started. I have a DVD and a mat. I just need to start doing it daily.

All of these things will help me when I get a teaching job and the stress really kicks in.

Oh and I almost forgot the most important thing: PRAYER!

Prayer helped me get 3 subbing jobs in the next few weeks. I also just applied for teaching positions in South Carolina so we'll see what happens.

Hello 2012, Hello Real World

It has been a few months since I have updated my blog. There are a few reasons for this: 1. The end of my student teaching in Charleston was really stressful due to resume writing, job fairs, and last minute paperwork. 2. I graduated from Ashland University on December 17. 3. The holidays were filled with family gatherings, braving the crowds for last minute shopping, and catching up with friends.

I did it. I finally graduated from college after 3 1/2 years. I worked my butt off for the entire duration and I came out with a 3.97 cumulative GPA and was even 4th in my class of about 165 students.

This is all very exciting stuff, but also very scary. Just about everyone I know started another semester today and I didn't I am really done. Sure I have lots of free time, but now I have the daunting task of finding a permanent job in my field. The job fair in Charleston did not go as well as I had planned. Nothing came of it, but there is another job fair there in March. The brand new middle school opening in the fall will be there so a ton of jobs will be open because of it. I am holding on to the hope that I can get a job that takes me back to where the sun always shines.

In the meantime, I am spending a lot of time on Pinterest, making crafts and adding new recipes to try on a dreary day (and there are lots of them in Ohio). I have been spending a lot of quality time with my dog because I don't know how much time the old pup has left. I missed cable while I was gone so I've been watching a lot of show and movies. Right now I'm on a Boy Meets World kick because I discovered its on MTV2 every day. I also just got onto the sub list for Summit County so I hope to be making some money soon. I even applied at Books-a-Million today because I know I need something else and I don't want that something else to be McDonalds anymore.

The "real world" is creeping up on me. Scratch that, it is here. I am going to have to start paying my own phone bill, car insurance, rent, and pretty soon student loans. So this blog has shifted from a student Teacher's adventures in Charleston to a new Teacher's adventures in the real world. Here we go.

Clemson or Carolina???

For those of you who were so concerned about whether or not I would find activities for tomorrow that you just couldn't sleep, no worries I now have plans for the whole week.  :)

I knew that something would come to me eventually, and right after it did I wished I had stayed downtown longer today because once I had the idea the plans did not take long at all.  I just hope they go as well as I think they will.

There are more important things on my mind right now, now that I am well prepared for the school week of course.  If I end up getting a job and moving down here, how will I know which side to be on.  I have no ties to either Clemson or Carolina, but if I live here people will ask me who I am for and I will need to have an answer.  Clemson has prettier colors and a name that just sounds a lot cooler than Carolina Gamecocks, but.....I can't think of any buts so I guess it'll be Clemson. Problem solved :p

And I found these really cool program covers from back in the day, so that makes me want to stick with my decision even more.

Moving down here is a really big decision and I think that fact just now hit me.  I love it here.  There are so many places to explore and it's near the ocean.  It is beautiful.  I found a church that I really like going to.  It would not be the end of the world to have to live here.  I am sure that I would enjoy it....

But, I also need to consider the sacrifices.  Life at home will go on without me.  My grandpa doesn't travel and he would be devastated.  He is always telling me how much he misses me and that he can't wait for me to come home in December.  I don't know if I'll even be able to tell him that I want to move here.  Also, I will barely ever see my friends. And I will be doing a lot of things alone, which I usually don't mind but I'm pretty sure it would get old after a year or so.  

The bottom line is, I need to be where the jobs are.  I am happy here.  There is no reason why I shouldn't move here.  Ugh there is just so much to think about for the future.  Becoming a real adult is so conflicting.  

Right now I need to go grade some projects and relax a little bit before the stressful week begins.  Bring it on 7th graders, bring it on. 

American History > World History

The sun sets at approximately 5:30 pm now.  I guess that means I should wake up earlier next Saturday.  But, even in those short daylight hours I did a lot. I am exhausted.

I drove to Mt. Pleasant and ended up at a park by the water.  Since I was there and I accidentally paid for 10 hours of parking (the machine needed exact change and I didn't read that until after I lost my 5 dollar bill)  I decided to walk across the Arthur Ravenel Bridge.  The view was fantastic and I felt really good afterwards except for the fact that my legs were like Jell-O.  It was such a perfect day for it.  The sun was shining and I was warm in just a long sleeve shirt and sweater in November!

Then I drove to Fort Moultrie, which was free this weekend because of Veterans Day.  I was pretty excited about that.  It was really cool to walk through it and learn about it's rich history.  It served our country for 171 years starting in the Revolutionary War.  They had a cool demonstration with people dressed as soldiers from every major American war.  Some of them fired their weapons. It was pretty awesome.

The truth is I was just thrilled because I was experiencing American history instead of reading about world history.  I am stuck with world history all week long and it was such a relief to learn about things I actually find interesting.  I know people say that there is a lot more to world history and it covers a much longer period of time and that American history is really short compared to it, but I would rather learn about something that happened right here in my own backyard.  I'm not saying world history isn't important, because it is, but if I had the choice between Latin American independence movements and the Civil War, I would choose the Civil War every time....

...Which is kind of unfortunate considering I need to think of a good way to teach Latin American independence for Monday.

Oh well.  I'll figure it out.

After I walked around the fort I went to the beach.  I sat on my blanket and read my book while the sun was setting.  I could hear the waves crashing and feel my face burning from being out in the sun all day.  It was perfect and relaxing.  I am not used to having access to the ocean in November.  But it is something I could get used to. :)

Veteran's Day Adventures

After my first week of solo teaching at College Park I can sum my feelings up into one word: frustrated. I am doing the best I can but it doesn't seem to be cutting it.  7th graders frustrate me.  Most of them are sweet kids and I really like them, but some of them are awful to have in class.  My classroom management skills have evolved to where I am no longer a pushover, but even being really mean has absolutely no effect on these students.  All it does is make me feel terrible.  


I think the reason Thursday was so rough was because it was the last day of school for the week and we had a substitute teacher in for Mrs. Pulaski.  The kids were so crazy all day and would not listen when I told them to be quiet.  I will never understand that.  Whenever a teacher told me to be quiet in school, I listened.  I was so angry by the end of the day that one of the students told me that my veins were popping out.  I couldn't see myself, but I believe it.  


I have to start teaching Latin American independence movements on Monday.  I have the big activity for Wednesday and Thursday already planned, but I have no idea what to do for Monday and Tuesday.  I have racked my brain over and over again and I just can't think of something fun and engaging for them to do.  I never had this problem with 5th grade language arts.  This is another reason why I am so frustrated. I know that everything can't be easy, but it should not be this hard. 



Maybe God is trying to make me realize that as much as I love history, I shouldn't teach it to 7th graders.  If I get a social studies job, I would love for American history to be in the standards.  I just can't make myself get excited about the unification of Germany and Italy or the Haitian revolution so how am I supposed to make them excited.


I keep telling myself that no one can be good at everything, but I still feel like I am failing at my job if I can't figure out how to teach them the information they need to pass the PACT test (kind of like the OAA except for South Carolina).  


Perhaps I should just acknowledge the fact that I had a bad day on Thursday and then move on.  Nobody has told me that I am doing a bad job.  I have received good feedback from Mrs. Pulaski.  I have no reason to be this hard on myself.  I need to relax and then retackle the problem tomorrow.  


On a lighter note, I took this much needed day off and relaxed.  


I went to lunch with a few girls I met at church, which may not sound like much, but it was such a blessing to hang out with people and talk since I am alone here most of the time.  

Then I decided to just drive towards downtown Charleston and see what happened.  I ended up at Patriot's Point where the battleship the USS Yorktown has been turned into a museum.  It was really cool to see, but kind of creepy to walk through alone.  I had to fit through small spaces and the path of the tour consisted of plenty of twists and turns.  I think the main reason it was so creepy because it was so empty and quiet.  There were all those beds the men slept in and all the sinks where they washed at and the tables they ate at and all the dental chairs and medical rooms.  It was just sort of eerie to be there alone.  Whenever I came across another person I jumped.  

I ended up talker to an older man who was a veteran.  He said being on the ship brought back a lot of memories.  He said they were good ones.  He told me a few stories, I said thank you for serving and then we parted ways.  A few minutes later he came back to me and said thank you for saying that.  I hope that I made his day by letting him know that he is appreciated.  After that whole situation I started getting emotional.  The Medal of Honor part of the museum made me even more emotional.


I don't even want to think about what my life would be like if there weren't men and women who chose to go above and beyond in serving our country.  I don't think I could ever have the guts to do some of the things veterans have done.  I watched a video about a man who threw himself on top of a grenade to absorb the impact so that the rest of his comrades could defeat the enemy.  I cannot even fathom that kind of sacrifice.  I would do a lot for the people that I love, but knowingly throwing myself on a grenade that's about to explode!? Would you do that? I was seriously about to cry while hearing about all the heroes who risked their lives for our freedom.

*As an afterthought, I would like to say that I do not condone going to these types of places alone.  It is not safe, I repeat, not safe for a young women to be wandering around by herself.  However, if you can tell me the last time I complied to a rule like that I will give you a million bucks.  I am not going to sit around miserable just because I have no one to walk around Charleston with.  

Anyways, I was terrified towards the end of the day and I will explain why.  I got off the Yorktown and decided to check out the submarine next to it.  Submarine=even smaller, cramped, couldn't escape from a kidnapper if you tried, space.

Long story short, a man with a 10 year old son gave me the creeps.  First he said something about me being 12.  When he finally believed I was 21 he said oh good because I thought I was creepy for thinking a 12 year old was cute but now its okay.  

What!!!??? No, Mister.  It is NOT okay.  Leave me alone.  I am no longer going to be nice and start chats with strangers.  I thought a man with a kid was safe! What is this world coming to??? 

Alright, so that's my horror story.  

The lesson here is: If you're smart you'll always take a buddy to a battleship.