Trains of Thought

*Following my train of thought.*


My time at my current position is drawing to a close in a few short months, which means I have started the search for the next step. Doubt and fear cloud my mind as I begin searching the web for teaching positions. There's also some excitement too that sometimes overshadows the doubt and fear. I've begun making lists of what I know about my educational philosophy and writing out my classroom management plans. Both of these are in an effort to remind myself that I do have a clue about teaching and that I am qualified to apply for these jobs. I think these are normal fears to have about being rejected or failing. It's how I react to these fears that matters. I refuse to sit back and let fear keep me from applying. I am going to be bold and apply. Even if I'm rejected, I'll keep striving toward my goal of being a teacher. I know that my heart is in educating and mentoring youth.


In other news, I've recently gotten my bicycle out and done some repairs. Winnie, that's her name, got new tires and had some of her gearwork repaired. We've been taking trips to work about twice a week for the past two weeks. I could probably do more but tight schedules and rain predictions keep me driving my car on some days. I do enjoy riding my bicycle to and from work. Sometimes I wonder why I'm torturing myself when I'm riding up the hill on the way to work, but it's always worth the ride up when I get to fly down the hill that evening. It's exhilarating! Anyone want to go for a ride?

Cheers!

I'm still feeling 22...

So as you might have guessed from the title of this post, I am currently jamming out to some T. Swift while finishing up some of psychology homework. The perks of being an undergrad I suppose. I would probably be up dancing right now if it weren't for the fact that there are people besides me in the dorm common area. I have not made a post in a while. I know, I know The Farmer's Daughter is probably very disappointed in me...
So since my last post a great deal of awesomeness has happened. Instead of writing in paragraph form, like Granny Eyre would probably prefer I am going to start listing.
1. I turned 23. WOAH. Exciting right? I am losing focusing writing I got distracted ahhhh.
2. The Lego movie is AWESOME, Seriously I enjoyed the movie for the most part. I had my hesitations about it but those were overcome.
3. I have officially been offered a real job that is not the mart of wal! Woot! I have had two interviews today one lasted 3 hours and the director did not even watch me she just let me loose in the center which was actually very exciting. I would really enjoy working with children even if it is not the CDL. But the job offer I got is working with mentally disabled individuals just helping them learn basic every day things that we might take for granted. I am kind of excited about the potential of this job because it is different individuals than what I am use to but I think I am up for it if God calls me to do this. I also applied at 2 other daycare's here but have not heard much back from them and I am not sure how much more harassing them I should do.
4.  There is a new little friend in my two year old classroom at work. I can't say much more except that they are super cute and adorable.
5. There are so many song lyrics I could insert in this post but, I can make the bad guys good for a weekend... , I better not though... But I'm FEELING 22!
6. I should not become a statistician, like ever. It is all gibberish to me.
7. I graduate in 16 days HOORAY!!! Finally
Okay that's all folks no more news on my end. Until next time Captain Something Fun signing off.

The Bystander Effect and Other Events

So yesterday started off a little earlier than normal for me 330 in the morning to be exact. There was a huge power outage all through Berea, and my dorm just happens to have a faulty fire alarm system that likes to squeal very loudly whenever the power is shut off. I learned an interesting bit of information by experiencing the bystander effect first hand that morning which is very coincidental because that was what I had just learned more about in my social psychology course on Tuesday. So here it is 330 in the a.m. and I go out in the hall to make sure we weren't having a real fire alarm or something, which thank goodness that was not the case. One girl is going downstairs to check and see what is going on, while another girl is coming out of her room to see what the awful sound was. The girl coming up the steps didn't see me because she just went back to her room but the other girl and I started talking trying to figure out what to do about the sound. After a couple of minutes of debating on the best course of action which involved checking the breaker box on both floors I heard another voice coming out of the room where the first girl walked in. From what I could gather through my listening in the girl was calling public safety to see what they could do. After about ten more minutes public safety came did so messing around on the system and the sound finally stopped. I tell all of this to say that out of the eleven girls who live in the house only three of us came out to see what was going on and actually try and do something to fix the situation. I should give the other 8 girls the benefit of the doubt and say they just did not hear the awfully loud sound and that is why they never came to check on it. But it does show that when there are more people around, responsibility is taken away so people don't feel as obligated to help.

In other news I have started to fill out job applications for the real world. It is a bit intimidating trying to figure out where and what in the world am suppose to be doing. I have been praying a lot for God to show me the path, just need to be patient and receptive to what His plan for me is.

We had a little get together tonight which was extremely nice, I missed seeing Martha S. but it was good to see Miss Ellaneous, The Farmers Daughter and Granny Eyre. We had a scrumptious and somewhat healthier meals at Panera Bread. Then we did something very spur of the moment for our group which was buy a groupon for bowling. It was exciting though. I very much enjoyed spending the evening with these fine friends :) Oh and for the first time in my life I tried a frappuccino (sp) it was very delicious maybe I can work myself up to just plain coffee eventually but for right now it's a bit strong for my liking.

Since I have just seen the majority of you all tonight there is not much more to tell you about. Signing off until next time - Captain Something Fun

Oh I forgot to say, Last weekend I went to the movies and saw Do You Believe? This movie is super powerful and very moving. It follows 12 individuals in the course of just a couple of days as their lives intercept one another. I have to admit I did tear up a bit. I rate it a 4.5 on a 5 point scale. Here is the link to the movie trailer. You all should give it a watch at the very least.

Snow, continued

Here are a few pictures from last week:

Callie enjoying the snow. 

My driveway the morning after the big snow. 

I spent a few hours out here shoveling away last week. I got the majority of the driveway cleared. I wish I would have taken an after photo so you could see all my hard work!

Also during the week, I started making a t-shirt quilt and did some reading. I will share pictures of my quilt after I actually start piecing it together, since it's just a bunch of squares right now. I spent a couple nights at my sister's house and did some shoveling in her driveway as well. I feel like I did other stuff too, but I really can't remember what it was at this point.

 I enjoyed the snow at first, but now I am starting to wonder if it will ever go away. At least now the roads are mostly cleared and school is back in session. I've found that it has been difficult for me to get back into a normal routine after doing what I wanted when I wanted and being lazy for a week.

Granny Eyre had a small get together on Friday night for all of us. All of the TwentySomethings were there, so I don't really feel the need to elaborate much on what we did. However, I will say that I enjoyed myself very much and was happy to get to spend time with my closest friends again. It has become more difficult to see one another since we aren't all in the same place anymore, but I feel lucky to have friends who make a huge effort to maintain friendships and stay close...if not in distance, then in our hearts. I love receiving letters from you guys in the mail and even something as simple as a Snapchat can make my day better. It's really the little things in life that matter the most!

As most of you know, Sunday was my birthday. It started out with my dad making breakfast for us. The Farmer's Daughter had spent the night with me. It has been awhile since I had a friend over to the house, so I was excited to have her company. Later in the day, I went to my sister's house for some birthday cake. We made a spontaneous decision to go out to dinner and a movie. My sister and her friend had been wanting to see 50 Shades of Grey, and I wanted to go to Applebees so that's what we did. I enjoyed my meal, and the movie wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I didn't really know what to expect since I hadn't read the books. My sister and her friend loved the movie and said that they would buy it on DVD when it comes out and that they couldn't wait to see the others. However, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to my friends. It's all a matter of opinion I guess.

Last night we were having trouble trying to decide what to make for supper, so I suggested breakfast foods. My mom had given me a cow-shaped skillet and some pancake mix for Christmas and I had yet to use it. I think they turned out pretty cute, but I will admit that it was difficult flipping the pancakes. My mom suggested that I flip them into another skillet to brown the other side, and so I had an assembly line of pancakes! haha!

In other news, I had a phone interview yesterday for a job that I recently applied for. I think that it went well, but won't know until next week if I will be called in for an in-person interview. I will keep you updated on that as I find out more information, and am excited at the possibility of getting a job that uses my degree.

I apologize for being so random in my post, but I've never been the best with transitions. You all should know to expect that from me by now! Haha

Take Care, 

Miss Ellaneous

I HAVE A JOB!

Well friends, I am now going to be a substitute teacher.

As I've been looking for a job, a couple of people have suggested I try substitute teaching. My first reactions were: 1. I have very little experience with teaching & no experience with large groups of students in general and 2. My mother (who has been a teacher for 25+ years and a substitute before that), discouraged it because she knows how tricky students can be with a substitute and how little experience I have. But..I searched for a part time job in other fields for about 3 months. I had several requirements though, maybe I was too picky: I wanted a job that I would like, would fit with my school schedule and would be worth the drive (since I live in the boonies)..I was not hired anywhere.
In December my mother talked with a twenty-something acquaintance at her school who was substituting. This acquaintance had a bachelor's degree unrelated to teaching and no teaching experience. This encouraged my mother and she encouraged me to apply to be a substitute. So I finished my application by mid-December for A. County schools but I was only recently contacted because of the holidays. I've had my interview/meeting this week so now I just have a background check, physical, TB test, and several hours completing online trainings before I can begin in the classroom. It could take 3 weeks or more before this is all complete (mainly waiting on the background check) but I'm very excited that I finally have a part-time job in my near future.
When I had my meeting, they also helped me apply to be a paraeducator (what I understand to be a fancy word for a teacher's aid). This part-time position is with a full time teacher and I think it is mainly with the early childhood educators (which I find more exciting than other ages, as I'm sure Captain Something Fun would agree). The paraeducators are paid slightly less than a substitute but I think it would be helpful to start out doing this to get a little experience before I take on a full class by myself. I'm really looking forward to getting started and I hope to be able to work at least 2 (at most 3 days a week because of classes). It sounds like A. County is in desperate need of substitutes so I should be able to get as much work as I can handle. Until and once I begin I'll be eagerly accepting advice from my fellow Twenty-Somethings who have more experience with children/students than I do!

Also, a thanks to Miss Ellaneous for helping me out as a non-supervisor reference! I owe you! :)

I hope to keep you posted on this experience,
The Farmer's (and teacher's) Daughter

Graduation Blues

Having graduated almost a month ago now, I am gradually beginning to settle in to life as a post-grad. It isn't easy. Just five weeks ago, my life was consumed with due dates, a full schedule, two jobs, and a struggling social life. I never had to give myself a to do list. Everyone else was doing it for me.

Since May 4th, I have had to work at keeping myself feeling productive and being entertained. My handiest tool, the thing that has kept me most sane, is this little guy:

A simple (and cute!) notebook Miss Ellaneous gave me. In it I write down what I have accomplished that day. Projects I work on, the four Netflix movies I watched, stores I stopped at, and visits with friends and family are a few of the things I include. I also frequently jot down goals -- sometimes for the next day or the coming week. It is a place where I can reflect on what I've thought or done and later be reminded that I have done lots of things despite being unemployed and not currently going to school.

Unemployment: my main source of the blues. As I've researched and watched close friends struggle with the same issue, I've learned a few things:

1.) Trying to find a job directly related to what I want to do (which is occupational therapy by the way) is like trying to find the golden egg; there's a lot of eggs out there with some benefit (decent pay, ease of work, hours or location) but the golden egg has the most benefits (healthcare experience, part-time, working with children or seniors).  An article I found here says that around half of all college grads aren't able to find a job directly related to their major. HALF.

2.) If you're having trouble finding a job, you are not alone! There's at least one other person searching every classified ad and keeping Indeed, Monster, and Glassdoor tabs open in their browser to be refreshed every couple of hours---me. You'll find the right opportunity eventually.

3.) Lots of articles and books I've skimmed have told stories of people who thought they knew exactly what they wanted to do in the beginning but life offered them something completely different. They've had careers in several different fields that has led them to a job that they truly love.

4.) I'm a darn good housewife. I've had the time to cook. A LOT. I've also gotten to make cute gifts, read  newspapers and books, watch some TV, seek out deals, organize our new home and take better care of myself. But there is absolutely no way I could do it for the rest of my life.

So for now, I'll sit back, try to relax, fill out my handy dandy (and cute!) notebook and continue my search with a promise to myself that I won't let all the waiting and frustrations get me down.

Until next time,