.....which way is up???

.....some days, it feels like life is whipping by in a blur of readings, lectures, quizzes, papers, tutorials and recently with rehearsals....

The school was originally built for High School teacher candidates and the interior reflects that approach with the lockers, auditorium, classrooms, and cafeteria.  The faculty is isolated from the main campus and adjacent to a public school. Despite my current age, it often feels that I am right back in those days of moving between classes and socializing in the cafeteria with classmates and students I have become familiar with in after class activities. It is a small community in an environment where individuals often forget that what they say or do often finds its way back to the unintended recipient.  It is a great reminder to always be respectful of others and to be mindful of the things you say and do.  As a teacher, it jogs one's own memory of what it was like to be in high school and to remind yourself that young high school students may not have the tools to cope with situations that present themselves through the familiarity and proximity of a variety of personalities.  It is also an opportunity to fine-hone interpersonal skills and understanding that it is a skill that few individuals have perfected.

I am currently enrolled in a group study and educational opportunity in 'emotional intelligence'.  It is a great course that gives one an awareness of how one deals with stressful situations, how one deals with their emotional stressors and finally being given the tools of how to effectively deal with these emotional stresses.  It could not have come at a better time for me in my life's journey. Looking out for my parents through family difficulties, balancing my own home life with the many demands of schooling, battling fatigue and seasonal illness.....like I said....great timing to learn how to deal more effectively when energies are at minimum.  Every bump in the road is an opportunity to learn something and to take away a new skill.

Rehearsals are going well and I find such fun in acting out a part that allows me to have creative licence in complete silliness!!  I wish I had been braver in high school to pursue more extra-curricular  activities. It is an amazing experience creating social connections with colleagues you may not necessarily ever come in contact with. It has inspired me to pursue cross-curricular development with other disciplines. My wonderful friend Brenda has been pivotal in making my costume out of two wedding dresses donated by a fellow actor.  The play will be in the auditorium for the public from Feb 13-16.

There is only 5 weeks left of classes as we ready ourselves to go into our second practicum. There are just a few projects/papers left to go before that time.  I am looking forward to go back to the classroom!!

Lydia's 'Unicorn' poem has made it into a children's collection of poems through the school system. A very proud moment for all of us.  This will be my second child to achieve this!!  Children are such a blessing to watch as they grow up and become their own person!!   Mitchel is being a typical teen....I have to give him credit for trying to once again pull the wool over our eyes.....which earned him a school detention for skipping.  Will is doing quite well, working full time and applying for a career move.  My better half is amazing and supportive through this challenging adventure,  I am a very lucky woman, surrounded by supportive family and friends.

To my dear friends who are starting their cancer journeys, I send you love and strength to keep on going!!  To Dianna, who lost her battle this week - thank you for your inspiration and words of encouragement.
M

...... and busier still.....

..... as if I have not enough on my plate, I decided to take a 'Tribes' course this whole weekend and part of next.  It is a course that was offered as an extra course off campus.  Twenty of us were able to take advantage of this course which comes complete with a work book and two incredible instructors.  There are so many ideas to get students to create connections with each other in a safe, comfortable learning environment.  It promotes mutual respect, attentive listening, appreciations for each other with no put downs and the right to pass if asked to participate.  I am enjoying the opportunity to connect more closely with fellow colleagues that I have not yet had a chance to meet or get to know better.  What a great opportunity to learn about teaching the whole child while networking with some amazing people.  It really is a course that helps to balance an approach to teaching with discipline and leadership while remaining mindful that academics are only one aspect of the student's life. Networking and creating relationships in a collaborative classroom!!
      I am facing one of the longest stretches I have had in over a year of not seeing my Dad.  It is so hard to be away from him for these past few weeks but necessary since I have been ill and there have been some family issues needing to be addressed.  I am sure he is fine, although the hospitals seem to be battling one flu outbreak after another.  This season has been so bad with stomach issues and head colds that so many people are trying to get over.  I am glad I was able to get my flu shot back in November at the University. I pray every night for him while sometimes fighting back the tears.  I wish for the day when he was at the home and I was putting him to bed two nights a week.  At night, before I go to bed, I send him happy thoughts and bid him good-night....I hope he knows somehow just how much I love and miss his laugh and his twinkling blue eyes.
    While the Faculty of Ed started on the 2nd, all the other schools will start this Monday.  The children will return to schools that are currently doing a 'work to rule' campaign in an effort to assert their right to collective bargaining and to eradicate bill 115.  It is an interesting time to be training as a teacher while so many changes are taking place in the profession.
     This week starts the real work on rehearsals and we have mere weeks to prepare before full dress rehearsals at the end of the month.  We should be putting on the play for a paying audience in the middle of February.  I am just enjoying this experience so much!!  I love the energy that is almost tangible and of course the raucous laughter when Steve, our animated director comes up with a quirky and fun idea.  Watching one of the performers shuffling across the stage with a look that sent us all reeling with laughter and making us start all over again, still had me chuckling in the car on the way home.  I am using a recording I made on my iPhone to practice my lines on the way to and from school these days.. I play the recording for my fellow actors and they agree that Lydia sounds super cute.  I am looking forward to hearing what she has to say when she finally gets to see mommy in the play?
   That's it for this week....enjoy your week and remember to pursue your passions and create a positive and happy life!!

.....first semester done.....

.....and wondering where all the time went????  So much has happened in such a short span of time.  I am loving every minute of this experience.  My first few rehearsals are done - biggest fear - will I remember all of my lines when I need to?  I am hoping to record and play back my lines as many times as possibly so that I can in fact do a great job.  It is an exciting time for me to explore and feel free to experiment with all of these opportunities...ones I would not necessarily have taken advantage of when I was a high school student.  There is a lot to be said about being an older student!!

Last Wednesday night, after 8 hours straight of classes, we had a study-a-thon for our Social Foundations class.  There were a number of classrooms set up with various sections to study, quiz or test in preparation for the final exam in the semester.  I won a coffee card for answering a question in the professor run part of the evening.  It is a sad moment when you see a professor retire who you know has such passion for this vocation.  I shook Alliston's hand at the end and once again thanked him for a great lecture experience.

My husband Max had surgery on Thursday and gratefully, his Mom and Dad were able to take him to Strathroy hospital for the procedure.  It was my last day of classes and I felt horribly guilty that I was unable to be there for him.  As it was, the surgery went later than expected and I ended up running around to get his meds after 7 pm.  With little time left to study, I read through my notes and went to bed for some much needed sleep....which never came.

Friday morning - day of the final Social Foundations test and I popped into the cafeteria for a coffee and to check in with my classmates.  I had a bag of gifts to hand out to the group I normally hang out with and a box of chocolates for the janitor and a box for the cafeteria ladies.  Vladka was so excited and surprised when I gave her a box of After Eights....she never expected it from anyone.  So sad considering she has been so sweet and warm to me since I started in September.  Her bear hugs and smiles just made my day!!!  She is not just a janitor, she is a Mom, a wife, someone's daughter and a heck of a nice lady!!!

It was indeed a spectacular day!!  The sun was shining in a bright blue sky with temperatures at 9 degrees.  I had Veronica take in some deep breaths outside Elborn College, to clear her mind and to dry up her nervous tears.  The sun felt good on my face and I was ready to face the exam.  It would be fine and it would work out - faith that I had attended lectures and tutorials and understood the purpose of the course.  Multiple choice are not exactly my top pick, but needless to say, the exam was fair.  Once finished, it was time to head out to Buffalo Wings to meet up with my colleagues for a beer and wings before heading into the Christmas holidays.  While I adore the majority of my colleagues, those that I might not fully appreciate, I always try to find a great personal quality and focus on that.  Speaking well of others, despite what you may feel/think is always the best policy, no matter what.  Lots of hugs later, it was time to head out.... Merry Christmas Everyone!!!! xoxo

Friday was also a day of deep sadness as we sat and watched the unfolding news coverage of an elementary school in Conneticut, whose younger members were gunned down by a mentally disturbed 20 year old man.  My heart broke to hear the stories of children whose lives were cut down and of Robbie Parker, father of Emilie Parker, address the world about the loss of his own precious daughter.  When will these school shootings end?

I have done a lot of reflecting over the past four months and some days I feel really emotional about this   journey.  I know I am on the right path and that this has always been my calling.  I just belong, simply and without question....belong.  We spend our lives looking for that place we know where we just fit in and can be ourselves without having to justify why.  Teaching has always been that place for me.    While my careers were satisfying, none has been moreso than my experience as a teacher.

I have committed myself to living each moment with enthusiasm and joy.  There are a number of additional courses I will be taking on as the year begins in January.  They are opportunities to expand my knowledge and gain insight into the latest teaching principles for engaging and teaching our youth.  This experience has opened so many more doors for me and I look forward to a future filled with more adventures.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!!! xoxoxox

......drum roll to reveal the part in the play.....

......for the university play 'Alice through the looking glass'...... which i will be playing.....is.....the White Queen!!!!!  Tonight was the first read-through with most of the crew and it was fun, fun, fun!!!!  I can't wait to get started on the rehearsals which begin next week.

Max is worried about my school work, and with only 1 project left to complete in two weeks time, I am confident that the marks I have been earning will keep me on the honor list......my desire to balance life with a deep desire to enjoy this experience has given me so much joy.  I am always up to a challenge and wanting to continue to be challenged to be better and to evolve and grow as a person and as a professional.

There is only a few weeks left before Christmas vacation and a chance to catch up and work ahead in the course and complete course content before the final practicum.

....an exciting audition....

......in a dynamic environment!!!!  It is only 30 years later, and I now have the courage, spunk and desire to live out some of the things I never had the nerve to try.  I stood on the stage at 7:30 tonight, sang 'Oh Canada', played a quick part as Alice in Wonderland and did a few dance moves.....and I felt amazing!!!!  This is the gift of enjoying your life and every single moment of it.  I have made some amazing  friends and I spend my days feeling excited to be given this incredible opportunity.....the chance to really live my life.  My friend and colleague sat in the front seat and enjoyed the experience of watching me perform.  Yes, sweet Veronica, it really is like the movies!!!  She is a talented hair and make-up artist and wants to help behind the stage.  Our other techie colleagues willl help support behind the scenes to make this a fun filled experience.

......earlier today.....

Monday started with a cup of chocolate raspberry coffee....yum!!!  Off to Aboriginal studies in a circle and enjoyed listening to some funny and not so funny stories told by our groups.  Today, we needed to understand the power of telling stories and what oral storytelling means to different people and the power of telling a story to lead into a lecture.  We then had an opportunity to meet with two guidance teachers for the Fourth R program which is offered in thousands of education environments to teach healthy relationships and mentoring for Aboriginal students.  There are three high schools that offer this  leadership course in London.  I was very blessed to have been able to participate in one such program on my practicum placement.

I received two assignments back with both earning 100%.  The lecture I gave in our Instructional course  was one I used in the civics course I taught in practicum.  It was phenomenal and I really worked hard on creating an interactive and interesting group activity.  The paper was based on the rationale as to why we really need technological studies.

After school, it was off to Costco to go shopping with the girls and have a quick bite to eat.  I got to push the cart :) and we all got to laugh and laugh and laugh....just drinking in every moment and enjoying the ride!!  We all managed to join the meeting in progress of the first GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) gathering at the Faculty.  Fantastic that there has been the desire to create a safe environment for Gay/Lesbian/bi members of the school and to have those of us who want to support them to be there.

What a great adventure!!!!  I hope you all venture forth and find what makes your soul sing!!!!!!!

......six weeks later....

......and we are heading back to classes tomorrow...

    The time has flown by and so much has happened....I started in one school, moved to another a week later and found myself paired with a natural mentor.  He has taught me so much in the short time I have been there and a part of me doesn't want to leave. While we have different styles, I am in awe of how he effectively deals with some of the most difficult personalities.... I watched a student go from not wanting to cooperate, to one who became involved in the class discussion sans attitude.

     I am looking forward to attending classes again as a student.  I did after all decide that I would enjoy every minute of this experience and I can honestly say that I am.  Friday was a PD day at the high school filled with meetings and a parting of ways. It was difficult keeping emotions at bay with another candidate tearing up every time she saw me.  She wants to stay and continue teaching and I have to admit that a part of me will stay once I step out into the late afternoon sunshine.  My associate and I exchange gifts - he gave me a T-shirt from the DIG convention and I gave him a gift I had commissioned my husband to make - a weapon from StarCraft.  We hug and promise to keep in touch.  We will hug again later when the final assembly takes place and we know the day is over.  I tell him how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to be mentored by an inspiring teacher.  I have learned so much and am eager to learn so much more.  Thank you so much!!!

I am tidying up the written projects which are due this week.  I have been working steadily on my Career Catalog and am nearing completion.  With some helpful hints from other teachers and a VP, I know it will be a good project when completed.

It's time to head off to bed and get some much needed sleep before an early start in the morning.  Three more weeks until Christmas!!!!  Happy Birthday today to my Mother-in-law.  Sending her smoochies!!

....where is the time going.....

.......with so much to do and so little time to accomplish everything.  I am juggling my schedule and flying by the seat of my pants.  Tonight after classes, I sat and watched a rare few hours of T.V as I let the past two weeks sink in.  In just the past 10 days, I have swapped schools to a program that better suits my education and abilities.  While I enjoyed teaching myself graphic design with Max's guidance, I was burning the candle at both ends.  I miss the girls I drove to that school and thankfully, they have found alternate transportation.  The bonus is that I am now a bit closer to school and being mentored by an amazing teacher.

Today I managed to bring in the remote scoreboard controller I repaired on the weekend and later, I was able to repair the 'chyron' computer for the studio.  I am feeling more in the groove and doing things that bring an air of familiarity in a new environment.  It is a great boost to the confidence level.

I taught my first Civics class today and was able to get the students engaged and actively working together in groups to create a new law.  I had a rough start getting the hook-up of my iPad done - I laugh now but first thing Monday morning playing around with the unit is rather embarrasing.  No worries, we got it done and were able to use the rest of the time wisely.  My associate had great feedback and discussed the finer points of the presentation.  In life you come to value those who bring that candid and insightful commentary to help you to improve and see things you would not normally notice.  Life is great.  Tonight I have quite a bit of work to do but that is in keeping with life since starting teacher's college. I am loving every minute of it!!!

The best thing about being a tech teacher??  Having the most amazing tech classmates!!!  We try to get together as much as we can.  The input is invaluable from each person's experience and the humour is a total bonus.  I am deeply grateful.

For the next 2 weeks, I will be teaching the remainder of the Civics classes.  My personal experience with politics is really helping with my knowledge and ability to speak to the students.  Tomorrow after class, I will be heading over to automotive shop to participate in that class so I have packed my boots and safety glasses for that period.

Life at home is just as busy with the kids, husband and twice weekly care of my father at the long-term home.  He really isn't sure who I am anymore but when I say my name, it sparks a memory - he is surprised when i tell him that I really am Marita.  I will enjoy whatever time I have left with my Dad during the weekly Corona Night and the bedtime stories.  He looks so little to me now as he curls in with anticipation for a story I have read him dozens of times.  He smiles up as he begins to doze off.  I take care of his bedtime ritual and have overcome my discomfort of cleaning him from the teeth to the bum.  He has become just another one of my children as I tuck him in tightly and kiss him goodnight.

I will write again when I have a moment to breathe....right now....its time to go back to work.....