Travel Plans

When I was young, I dreamed of traveling the world each summer on my break from teaching. Needless to say, that has not happened. I had two children and my direction in life took a turn. We usually vacationed at the Jersey shore each summer except for one summer when we went to New York state and toured the entire state. My favorite part was Niagara Falls. We were together for two weeks and we still talk about this vacation. Another favorite was when we went to Cape May together. It's my favorite vacation spot in New Jersey. I love the victorian houses, the shops, and the beach. You can see the sunrise and sunset there because it is a peninsula and surrounded by water.

Before we had children, my husband and I vacationed in Hawaii for two weeks. My husband loved it so much that he wanted to move there. I had to convince him that our family was 8 hours away by plane and that we had jobs to go back to. Well we ended back in New Jersey. We moved 7 miles from our hometown five years ago, and I told him that I was not moving again until we retire.

We plan to travel in a couple of years when our children are out of college. We started a vacation fund and hopefully we will make it a reality. We want to go to Europe and see where our ancestors lived. Everyone has told us to go to Italy. I always wanted to go to England and Greece. I have time to research various countries and tours. I'm hoping that the economy will improve and we will be able to see it all.

Fifth Week and Optimistic Future Outlook

This summer has flown by and soon we will be turning the calendar once more. I usually get depressed when it's August 1st because I only have one more month to get ready for school to start. This year I am excited about the start of a new year. I am returning feeling like I have accomplished a lot. I finally received my master's degree in reading, and I am ready to delve into reader's workshop with renewed interest. I want to start a literacy committee and teacher book club where we can model mini-lessons with our colleagues and learn from each other. I plan to propose this to my principal this week. Since reader's workshop is new to our district, the teachers would benefit from a weekly meeting to share ideas. I'm also excited because I want to start a school-wide collection/campaign for "Pennies for Peace." Each grade level usually has a cause and this year I'm going to suggest that we unite and focus on one effort in order to reap the greatest reward. Also, I will be getting a SmartBoard for my classroom so I'm thrilled to be able to integrate technology into my daily lessons.

This is the fifth week of our precollege reading summer course. We've finished reading our core novel and the students are presenting their projects. I enjoy learning from the individual students and seeing their take on Afghanistan/Pakistan. It's been a good experience thus far and hopefully these students will feel prepared for what awaits them in the fall at MSU.

An Eventful Week

I will never forget July 2009!

We dropped my daughter off at JFK on an international flight to Korea where she will be teaching English to Korean students at a camp. I'm so excited for her and I can't wait to hear all about it. She will return to the U.S. August 12th.

This week my husband and I went to Citi Field Center (the new Shea Stadium) in Queens and saw Paul McCartney in concert. It was an amazing experience. We had never seen him before in person and we listened to 5 decades of music that night!

This week my son is graduating from the Bergen County Fire Academy in full uniform. I am so proud of him. He was effected by 9/11 and wants to help people in need. We plan to visit the 9/11 memorial this summer.

I have enjoyed my experience immensely tutoring/teaching pre-college freshman this summer. It is rewarding to help young adults in a reading program especially with the book, Three Cups of Tea. This book has inspired me to want to participate in the Pennies for Peace campaign at the elementary school where I teach.

It's been an eventful July and I wonder what August will bring!

The Person I Admire

The person I admire most is my mother. She was a positive influence upon me, and she always found the good in a person instead of finding the bad which is so easy to do. My mother was my sounding board, and I would always run ideas by her first before acting upon them. I miss being able to do that and I have found myself thinking about what she would say to me in a given situation. My mother let me make my own decisions and supported me throughout my life. I admired her ability to get up every day and give me a little history lesson. Her memory was incredible! She would tell me who was born on that day or something that had happened on that day. She was a wonderful story teller and also an encyclopedia of information. She had me when she was forty and had already lived a full life, but I never tired of hearing her stories. I miss her very much, but hopefully I have passed on some of her wonderful stories and memories to my children. Some day I hope to write a children's story and include some of her anecdotes. I think children would enjoy it very much.

Favorite Quotes

It's difficult to select a favorite quote because I have quotes from different periods of my life. As a girl scout and leader my favorite quote was "Be prepared." I am a very organized person by nature and people tend to depend on me for having things that they need.

For most of my adult life I have attended MSU, and the school motto is "Carpe Diem" which means seize the day in Latin. I have tried to live by this creed and make the most of every day.

My educational philosophy is based on John Dewey. He has many quotable quotes, but the one that stands out in my mind is "Students learn by doing." I tailor all of my lessons so that students apply what they have learned.

Today's PBS video was very troubling. The plight of innocent people in Pakistan and Afghanistan has weighed heavily on my mind this summer. Two young girls spoke eloquently in the interview with the reporter. One girl stated, "Education is a ray of light and I want that light." I pray that her wish comes true. All children should be provided with an education. Sometimes, as Americans we take it for granted.

Thoughts on the Future

My roles as teacher, tutor, wife, mother, bookkeeper, organizer, coordinator, etc. over the last two decades have kept me in a state of perpetual motion. Now it is time to take a step back and evaluate how I want to proceed with my life.

Since I have finished my graduate studies at MSU, I will no longer officially be a student, but in my career, I like to keep abreast of new literacies and anything that will help me in the classroom. The district I work in has been very supportive of me. Through two grants I was able to get a digital camera, printer, and projector. This year I will be getting a smartboard in my classroom. I am very excited and thrilled to finally retire my overhead projector. Each year, I learn something new and I think that I am so lucky to be able grow and learn in my role as a teacher.

This summer I feel so fortunate to be a part of the EOF reading program at MSU. I am enjoying my role as a tutor, and I am enjoying working at MSU with the students. I can relate so well to this age group because my daughter is in college, and my son has just graduated from high school. I know how hard the transition from high school to college is, and I hope that I am helping these students make a smooth transition. I am also enjoying working with Meghan and appreciate that she has allowed me to take an active role in the classroom. I can't believe that we are at the mid-point of the course already. Time flies when you enjoy what you do.

In my personal life, I hope to spend more quality time with my husband. He has always worked long hours, and throughout our marriage, we have not had much free time together. It was always about getting everything done on the weekend so that we could work during the week. We plan to take a few days at the end of the summer to spend time at the beach. We also have joined a gym, and we are committed to getting into shape and eating right. We have set a goal to take time out each week to have fun. This may sound like a simple goal to some people, but for us it really is not. We tend to work way too much!

Since both of my children will be in college for the next few years, we are waiting until they graduate to start traveling. We would like to visit different states in America and then travel to Europe. I have to save first to make this a reality, and we started a vacation account. I am planning on saving the money I make when I tutor thoughout the school year. If all goes well, I will be packing our bags and taking off for a couple of weeks each summer.

I really enjoy blogging. I wonder if anyone is reading my blogs??? Feel free to comment.

Greg Mortensen's Blog

I enjoyed reading Greg's blog, and I was excited to find out that he has a children's version of his book and another book for children. I'm interested in finding out if I can get copies for my classroom library. Children in my school participate in fund-raising causes each year, and I would like to see if they would be interested in a "Pennies for Peace" drive too. Also, I think that most children are not aware of the struggles children face in Pakistan or Afghanistan. Educating Americans on this subject is very important.

My First Teachers

The two people that have had the most influence upon me are my parents. Your parents are your first teachers, and they teach by example. I was very fortunate to have been raised by two loving and giving individuals. My mother was an old-fashioned stay-at-home mother. My father worked, but he always made time for me. We did not have a lot of money, but I never lacked attention or love. They both instilled in me a love of learning and reading. They told me that it was my job to be a good student, and I loved school. I was always very close to my parents, but our time ran out together and they are no longer living. I miss them every day, but I carry them with me in my heart. There's not a day that goes by that I am not reminded off them. They live on in me and in my children.

Helping Others

I have had the opportunity to serve others in my community through different organizations. My volunteer work includes teaching Sunday School and Vacation Bible School to young children, being a Youth Group Counselor, and being a Girl Scout Leader for several years. Volunteer work taught me so much about children. I learned how to help children of different ages in many ways, and it made me a better person for having so many experiences with young people. I would recommend that children grow up learning how to help others, and then the world would become a better place.

Both of my children are currently volunteering in our community. My son joined the volunteer fire department, and he is very active in our town. My daughter volunteers at a local hospital every week. By helping others, they have learned so much and grown in character. I am very happy that I was able to instill in them the importance of helping others.

Our president encourages everyone in our country to volunteer. Wouldn't that be wonderful if we could all learn how to help people and get along. This book is a great example of how one person can make a difference in the world. I hope the message of the benefits of helping others spreads like wild fire!

Americans Can Be Taught to Help Others

I know for a fact that Americans can learn to help people in other countries. I am fortunate to work in an elementary school where each grade level works on a specific cause to help other people less fortunate than us each year.

In our fourth grade science curriculum, the children study the water cycle. The children learned how water is purified by the water company in our area, and they were also taught that not everyone in the world has safe drinking water.This past year our grade level collected money for families in Africa so that they would be able to have clean drinking water. The year before we raised money for Heifer International, and we were able to provide a heifer (young female cow) for a family in Africa. Also, our school had a clothing drive, and we collected gently used clothing and new school supplies for school children in the Dominican Republic and also in Peru.

By educating our youth about needy people in our country and in other countries, they learn compassion for others. Our school's humanitarian efforts start in kindergarten and by fifth grade, we hope that the children will continue to support causes that help make the world a better place.