These are time sensitive. You do not receive credit if you write them after the deadline each week.
First, there's a blog entry (about 250 words) which will have you respond to a hopefully thought-provoking question. Each week, you must do the blog entry with enough time left in the week to be able to enter into dialogue online with your classmates. Write, reply, write more, reply more, and then write and reply more.
Second, there's a reading. There’s no blog entry associated with this. Just read.
Third, there's a written response to the reading. Your reading and writing on the blog must be completed by the SATURDAY (by midnight) of the week in which the reading falls. This entry should be a long paragraph. YOU DO NOT NEED TO RESPOND TO OTHER STUDENTS' PART THREE EACH WEEK.
Monday, October 19, 2015
WEEK SIX BLOG ENTRY
This could be the most difficult blog entry yet--you are totally free to write on any topic. Be original. Describe your breakfast. Explain how to fix a carburetor. Tell the class how deeply you love writing. Anything--it is up to you!
I’m currently at work right now trying to figure out what to write for this week's post. Rest assured I’ve finished all of my work for work and when that happens I’m allowed to do homework. I’m very fortunate to have a job that’s as accommodating as mine. I have to say though; writing about whatever you want is actually quite hard. It’s like when someone asks you to name seven people who have been president of the United States. Sometimes you suddenly feel like you’ve never even been in a history class because you can’t think of anything to say. Your mind just suddenly draws a blank. I wonder why this happens. Maybe it’s because there are so many options that your brain doesn’t know which one to choose. Or maybe it’s because as we get older we start to overthink everything. We tend to over analyze things because we’re afraid of being wrong or being viewed as “stupid”. But if you really think about it, it’s the people that ask the “stupid questions” or the people that can quickly come up with seven past presidents of the United States that are the smart and courageous ones. They’re not afraid to ask questions, even if the answers are logical. Their main goal is to understand concepts and gain knowledge, no matter what. As a teacher I hope to encourage my students to be these people. I want them to feel free to give suggestions and ask questions no matter how silly they may be. If students weren’t afraid of being wrong or being judged they would be so much more successful in every aspect of their lives.
Hey Eleni, that is really cool that you get to use your free time at work for homework something i wish my job allowed me. On my free time I'm usually stuffing my face because I'm starved or trying to not to oversleep on my naps. But I enjoyed your post! This gives me a little more courage about participating more in my classes!
Hi Eleni! I agree that letting students ask even the most ridiculous questions helps them be more successsful! When we ask big or small questions, we learn so much and that is very beneficial in our lives since education is a necessity nowadays. I like to ask questions and find out more about certain topics that I am interested in. Nice job!
Hey Elieni! Its very true that with this topic there are so many options that our brain has no idea which one to choose. Its hard to pick one that you will have enough to write about and enjoy writing about as well.
Love how you were really ordinary in your blog. Its true about what you say about having free write is one of the toughest things to do! Honestly I still font know what to write about. My mind is so blank. I feel that I need to have a little inspiration to know what I want to talk about. You're totally right about us over thinking everything all the time. I feel the same way about being afraid of asking "stupid questions." I always feel that way when it comes to being in class and professor asks us if we had any questions. So in reality no question is a stupid question. That's what I've learned throughout my whole time being here at Cal State. Very well done! (:
I'm at work right now as well thinking about what i am going to write about. Probably about my week so far and what I'm planning on doing this weekend. Just going to play this one by ear, I suppose everyone is going to have to do the same.
Hi Eleni! I just read your post and think that it was great. I also believe that if students were not afraid of being judged that they would be more confident and would have a better opportunity to succeed.
I think my life has always consisted of standard routines and this is what happens when managing time and punctuality is very important to me. Everyday, from the peak of dawn until bedtime, I perform routines. For example the first thing I do every morning, around 8am on school days, is to get on social medias such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I like to get up at least one hr and half before my class which starts at 10am and I lay in my bed roaming my social medias until it is time to get out of bed. Once i get ready I head to class and I always grab a cup of coffee on the go. When school is over, I go home get ready and head to my job. Since i work at McDonalds my job consists of repetitive routines as well. I take orders, drop fries, bag the food and serve. If I'm in back drive I'm taking orders, greeting the customers, handling the money and saying farewell. I do this most of the time on my 8hr shifts. Once I am free from work, I head home, shower, have dinner and then I do my homework. When I do my homework I like to sit in my room, stay away from my phone, have a snack nearby and I at least get 3 hours in of homework everyday except on Wednesday and Thursdays because those are my homework free days. Before I go to bed I like to wash my face, brush my teeth, watch a episode of White Collar or How to Get Away With Murder on Netflix and then lastly roam my social medias until I fall asleep. At the end of the day when I have done all of this time efficiently I am usually in bed by 11:30 the latest, ready to start this routine the next day. Doing this and doing it accordingly to time, keeps me punctual and stress free. I guess these standard routines have made me a efficiency fanatic.
Hi Yesenia! Your post was really interesting because of how it talked about the routine that does not stress you but relieves the stress! Personally, I have a lot to do in my routine and that stresses me out! It is nice to know that your routine helps you be punctual and stress free! Nice job!
Hi Yesenia! I love watching White Collar and How to Get Away With Murder too! I think Matt Bomer is so cute haha. Anyways, I agree with your post I usually have a set routine too, and when I don't follow it I feel weird and out of control. I guess this is a good thing if you're going to be a teacher though. You have to be very resourceful with your time and create a routine where you're getting the most out of you and your students day.
Hey Jessica, Yeah oddly enough it doesn't keep me stressed because my routines are time set and so I don't run against time. Attack the small things in your routines and get them out of the way maybe this well help you!
Yes these shows are so great and full of suspense! But i feel the same as you, when i don't follow my proper routine, everything starts falling out of place and my time isn't as resourceful.
Yesenia I think its really cool that you are such creature of habit. Being punctual is a priority that I don't think many people value now days, but I like when people do. I also like that you set aside two days a week to keep homework free. It is really important I think to keep some free time throughout the week to stay motivated.
Doing everything by routine seems like a very efficient way of getting things done. I bet working at McDonalds can throw you off track sometimes though. I've never worked at a fastfood restaurant before but I'm sure you have to deal with some real obnoxious customers at times though. Hopefully you finish up with school soon so you don't have to be there much longer.
Hey Yesenia, I keep telling myself it's time for me to go back to my middle school habits of having everything planned out, that way I'm more productive. Now that I've gotten older, I see that part of me fading. If things come up last minute, does it mess up your entire schedule or do you mange to work well around last minute things?
Hi everyone! Today I received my acceptance from California Northstate University College of Pharmacy. I must say that today is one of the happiest days of life as my hard work has finally paid off. I am ready to take the next big step in my life and start learning more about pharmacy and how it is a critical part in our everyday lives. Throughout my education at CSUB, chemistry always appealed to me and I loved helping people. Therefore, I knew that the field of pharmacy was the right career for me and from there I began to prepare myself in order to reach my goal. The pharmacy field is always advancing and I am proud that I will be able to be a part of this amazing field. The reason I chose to accept the offer of acceptance from this school is because the faculty, currents students, and dean did not fail to make me feel at home during throughout the interview and because I would like to participate in the different competitions that CNUCOP always wins. As a future pharmacist, I would like to advance the field of pharmacy through science and art and I hope to work with different kids and be able to specialize in pediatric pharmacy. Furthermore, I would like to give back to the community in the future by working at a community pharmacy or teaching pharmacy prospective students about the application process and such. I hope this post inspires whoever reads it. Hard works pays off in the end and always follow your dream no matter what. Never give up. The sky is the limit.
Hello Jessica, your blog post was truly inspiring! I want to say congratulations, hard work pays off and it gives us all motivation to keep going and to not give up. I wish you the best in your journey! (:
Congratulations Jessica!!! It is really encouraging to see others actually achieving their goals after graduation. It is definitely hard sometimes to completely understand that hard work does actually pay off eventually. To see you getting a little closer to your dreams is really inspiring :)
CONGRATULATIONS on your acceptance! I really wish you the best and your hard work has finally paid off. I'm sure you'll do just fine! Always have confidence in yourself and never let anyone push you down. You can do it, there's no buts or if's. Congrats once again future pharmacist.
Congratulations Jessica, way to go girl. I see you are up to big things for the future. Wish you the best of luck on your future path. How do you feel about starting a new school were you will gain more experience on pharmacy? Yes the sky is the limit and never surrender because there are big things waiting for you out there in the world.
Thank you Carla! That's very sweet of you girly! I am very excited about starting this new chapter in my life where I will be in a new city, with new people, new opportunites, and many more other amazing stuff! This school will offer me the education and skills to become a well-round pharmacist!
Congratulations on your acceptance!! Your hard work has definitely paid off! You are a great example that goals can be met and dreams come true. Congratulations once again Jessica.
Hi Jessica! First of all let me say, CONGRATULATIONS! That is a major accomplishment. How exciting that you're finally going to be doing what it is that you really love. What makes it even better is the fact that you've worked so hard and now you've finally accomplished one of your major goals. I can't wait to reach my next major goal, which will be graduating. It will be a great feeling.
Hello everyone! For this weeks blog topic I would like to give some tips on a child’s first birthday smash cake photography session. I usually take pictures of couples and families but my favorite type of photography is children photography. Smash cake photography has become very popular these days. And there’s no wondering why it’s so popular, the pictures come out so cute! That being said, here’s some tips because it does become a bit hectic while shooting. 1.) You don’t have to buy crazy expensive props. Look around your house and you might find some good props. The dollar store is a great store to find awesome props, have fun and get creative on a dollar! As for the cake, you can bake it yourself or check out your local grocery store, they usually have good prices for small cakes. 2.) On the day of the photo session make sure you take wipes, trust me you will need them. You can always just ask the mom of the toddler and they are almost always willing to bring their own wipes. 3.) Once you have your props set up, make sure to take some regular pictures first of the toddler then bring in the cake last. 4.) Not every toddler will enjoy smashing a cake, but both reaction are just as cute to capture! So snap away and have fun with it. 5.) Some good advice would be to play some music while taking pictures, this gets them usually smiling and dancing. My final tip is to make sure your camera is charged and the memory stick is cleared out. This seems obvious but when you’re running around getting stuff ready sometimes you forget the most important parts. Just remember to have fun, good vibes spread and make for an awesome photoshoot!
Hi Crystal! This blog entry was very interesting to read and be able to learn the steps to a smash cake photography session! I will try this with my nephew for his birthday! I cannot wait to see the results! Thank you!
Hi. Crystal Thank you for your tips, I will definitely try this with my daughter. She is only seven months, but I’m looking forward so see her reaction as she is making this wonderful mess.
Soul mates and twin flames; there is a difference. When people talk about meeting the person they are destined to be with, I hear them use the term soul mate. It's not wrong, but there is a better term for it, twin flame. What's the difference? At the beginning of time our souls were all created at once, and during this time we picked out around 3 to 6 soul mates. This number varies for everyone. When you meet your soul mate, you won't know right away that you have a deep connection with them. It's something that develops over time. Also important, soul mates do not have to be romantic. Your pet, mom, best friend can all be your soul mates. Twin flames are always romantic. You only get one, and they are the other half of your soul. When you meet, there is instant connection. You two are drawn to each other, and innately know right away that you are meant to be together (love at first sight). The problem with twin flames though is that the relationship is usually so intense, that it doesn't last forever. It's like a shooting star. It's not impossible for it to last forever though, it's is just difficult. This idea branches off reincarnation. The idea being that; if your twin flame decides to not come down during one of your lives on Earth, then you will be with your soul mate. Or if you do meet your twin flame and you two don't last, then you will settle with one of your soul mates.
Soul mates and twin flames; there is a difference. When people talk about meeting the person they are destined to be with, I hear them use the term soul mate. It's not wrong, but there is a better term for it, twin flame. What's the difference? At the beginning of time our souls were all created at once, and during this time we picked out around 3 to 6 soul mates. This number varies for everyone. When you meet your soul mate, you won't know right away that you have a deep connection with them. It's something that develops over time. Also important, soul mates do not have to be romantic. Your pet, mom, best friend can all be your soul mates. Twin flames are always romantic. You only get one, and they are the other half of your soul. When you meet, there is instant connection. You two are drawn to each other, and innately know right away that you are meant to be together (love at first sight). The problem with twin flames though is that the relationship is usually so intense, that it doesn't last forever. It's like a shooting star. It's not impossible for it to last forever though, it's is just difficult. This idea branches off reincarnation. The idea being that; if your twin flame decides to not come down during one of your lives on Earth, then you will be with your soul mate. Or if you do meet your twin flame and you two don't last, then you will settle with one of your soul mates.
What you are saying is interesting. I have never though of what your are mentioning. However you may be correct. I personally have not meat a sole mate or a twin flame. Hopefully one day.
I have never heard of this before but it is very intriguing. It definitely makes me wonder if I have met any soul mates or my twin flame. It is definitely pretty crazy to think about.
I enjoyed reading your blog! I've heard the words soul mate but never in my life have heard twin flames. I love learning new things so thank you for this post. It is interesting to know that your soul mate doesn't have to be someone romantic. I don't know if I have met my soul mate or twin flame either but hopefully one day I will.
Hi Shelby! This blog entry was very interesting to read and I might say that sometimes you meet people that you think will stay forever in your in life but unfortunately that does not happen. From past experience, I find that getting too close to people is not good. Distance is good. People change and hearts get broken when that happens. :(
Hi Shelby! What an awesome blog post! I love reading new things and hearing different perspectives on things. I have never herd of the term Twin Flame, so i'm glad that you incorporated it into your blog post.
Jessica: Sometimes I feel the same way, but I personally believe everyone you meet benefits you in some way. Even if it was a negative experience, you learn from it. I wish we could keep all the people in our lives we make a connection with, but free will is what makes the decision to stay special. =]
Fabiola: I love researching astrology, and one day I stumbled across this information. I've noticed the more deep you study and research these things, the more interesting information you will find. =]
The hardest thing about choosing a topic for such a freestyle blog is picking something that you know a lot about and are interested in. Mine would have to be my favorite hobbies. Because of school and life in general I am not able to do any of them as much as I would prefer, but am grateful for the little time that I do get to enjoy them. I love God and serving in the church regularly with High school kids. It allows me to be a good disciple and spread the gospel. My main hobbies consist of swimming, dancing, and reading. I became and avid swimmer in high school and my main meet events were the 500 freestyle and the 100 butterfly. I began Hula and Tahitian dancing when I was about 11 years old. I continued until I was in late high school and had to quit because life was getting too busy because I played multiple sports and couldn’t do everything that I wanted. We did fire poi and knife dances that were really fun. I remember having to braid my hair and wet my braids as a little girl before I would perform at shows because we were afraid of my hair catching on accident. I really love reading Tom Clancy books in my free time. The most recent one that I have read was called Threat Vector. It is about the Chinese and cyber warfare with the United States. What was interesting about this book is that around the time that it came out, Korea was hacking into the movie theaters that were showing the movie about Kim Jong Un. Very coincidentally…I think Tom Clancy knew what was up.
That is interesting, its good that you love god and serve church. I regularly try to attend church. It seems to be like you are a great swimmer. I do not know how to swim. When I jump in a pool I'm the one always grabbing in the side. One day I will learn its ok.
Having younger siblings can sometimes be a motivator to do things that feel out of reach. This is because you want to set the best example and you want this young mind to look up to you and have a great positive impact in their life. It is important to have your moral and ethical values in front of you at all times in order to accomplish this. Sometimes it feels like you just want to take care of yourself with disregard to others. However I achieve great things when I feel like I’m some type of role model that is setting the bar high for them to surpass. When I make a choice I think of my past experiences and if they correlate to my moral standards. It is important to think this way because younger siblings have the tendency to follow the example of what they see and what they are exposed to at home. Evidently the choices we make not only affect us but also the loving people that surround us. This is why when I see younger individuals I think of them as the future of this world and the decisions we make and or things they view impact their growth. It is important to be kind and compassionate toward younger minds specially our siblings that look up to us and cherish us in a special manner. However we must always make good decisions that are worthy of admiring and live up to our way of living.
As I was in class today, we discussed a topic of how young kids aren't learning good sportsmanship like they should be when playing sports. Most of the parents and coaches, who are suppose to be good role models, tend to have a winning mind set and when that gets derailed they take it out on the kids. Some parents and/or coaches will also find ways to get their kids to cheat, helping them to win creating a bad environment for the young, up-incoming athletes. Along with siblings, there're potential bad roll models everywhere.
Today I want to talk about who we are as individuals this is also called the self-concept. The definition of an individual is considered to be one single/particular person. Also the self- concept definition states, “It is a mental image or overall sense of “you.” How many of you know exactly who you are? Many individuals believe that they know who they are. We all give ourselves an impression management. Impression management is a certain representation of how we want to be viewed/ perceived. In reality, I don't think anyone knows exactly who they are. Society has become a huge influence of who we are today. Society has created this sense of telling us how we should be dressed, demonstrating us new trends, the shoes we should be buying/wearing, and more. As an individual we never stop learning nor we stop educating. Every day that goes by we learn different things about ourselves. Though, society has become part of us in a way that we all worry of how we look like, which is called being insecure. I am guilty of being part of this group, because I have become one of these individuals who have become very self-aware of who I am. I have become this individual who wears makeup no matter what the occasion is. I was someone who didn’t care how I looked like. Since makeup has become this new trend I have kept up with it and have become a huge fanatic of it. Society changes who we are! We should never be ashamed of who we are in reality. Remember sit down and think do you really know who you are?
Hi Claudia, I also agree with you society has a huge influence in the "person" that we make ourselves out to be, we model ourselves after the "perfect" bodies and/or styles we see in magazines and on television every day. Its hard, almost impossible to escape the trends, but the best thing I believe we can do is stop following like a bunch of sheep.
I definitely agree with you, there are probably very few of us who really know who we are. Every decision we make influences who we will or who we can become. I have never heard of the concept impression management but I do completely agree with it. Your topic for this blog was very interesting as well.
My basic day from start to finish. Monday through Friday I’ll generally follow the same routine every morning until I go to bed. The weekends are a toss-up from traveling or just having fun and/or relaxing. I usually wake up around 7:30am. After waking up, I’ll turn the alarm off on my phone and commence to either playing Candy Crush and/or browsing through Instagram. Once my lives run out on Candy Crush and I’ve looked through all the recent Instagram updates, I’ll get up around 8am and take a shower. After my shower, I’ll go upstairs and cook the same breakfast I’ve had for the past five years; a glass of milk, two eggs, a bowl of oatmeal with a banana and my vitamins. While I’m eating breakfast, I’ll prepare my lunch for school and get everything together for my classes and daily workout. Once I’ve finish preparing everything, I head out the door and drive 30 minutes to CSUB, where I go to class until around noon. As soon as I’m out of class, I eat the food I prepared that morning and head off to the gym to work out, at either Body Xchange or the SRC at CSUB. After an hour and a half of working out, I’ll drive to work at Body Xchange where I train 5 to 6 clients a day. The sun is usually down by the time I get off work around 7:30pm, and I drive another 30 minutes back home. As I walk in the door to my condo, I put everything away that I prepared earlier that morning and then make dinner, which is usually different every night, but always healthy. As I eat my dinner, I do what homework I have and text everyone back that I was too busy to text during the day. Around 10 or 11 pm I’ll go to bed, but instead of closing my eyes and going to sleep, I’ll play some more Candy Crush and look at more updates on Instagram.
I enjoyed reading your daily routine. I also like routine in my day to day life. It gives me structure, and at the end of the day I always feel like I accomplished the most I could that day.
Well I initially had no idea what to write about for this week's blog, but I just had the scariest thing happen to me. I stopped by my work to pick up my paycheck so I could take it the bank right around the corner. I went into the bank to make a deposit and take some cash out, and everything was going perfectly fine until... I was walking to my car and felt like there was a hair in my face because I have long hair and it typically is flying everywhere. Once I sat down in my car I still felt the tickle on my face, so I reached up and went to swipe away what was bothering me. When I pulled my hand back down, I then saw what was pestering me. In my fingers was a SPIDER! That spider was crawling on my face right under my eye. Once I saw the spider I freaked out and flicked my hand. At that moment I realized that I just threw the spider somewhere in my car. When I looked over, I noticed my backpack was open slightly and then I saw that little creature crawling deep inside my backpack to my macbook. I was not okay with this! I began to try and squish the spider between my laptop and the back of my bag but it wasn't working. I started to drive back to work, but as I was driving I could not stand the thought of it crawling around in my stuff, so I pulled over and started to take all of my things out of my bag. After all the important books and electronics were out of the backpack I turned the backpack upside down and proceeded to shake it so the spider would come it. While I was shaking my bag upside down, I did not see anything fall out. I decided I needed to stop freaking out and I drove back to work before I made myself late. As I was driving, I kept feeling like something was crawling on me. That spider is no where to be found. It isn't in my bag, in my car, or anywhere on me. That stupid creature just performed a disappearing act on me. I don't typically mind spiders as long as they aren't crawling on me! This was so awful especially now that I have no idea where it went.
After reading your blog, all I could think about was where could that spider possibly be. I totally understand how you feel! I don't mind spiders but when they are around me, I freak out! I would of acted the same way as you did!! (:
Hi Ashlynne, very interesting blog with all the details. I could picture every moment you were describing and it made me laugh a little because I could picture your reactions. Well I would of been freaking out as well because I hate insects or any little animal that looks weird or disgusting. I am not an animal person and the only animal I like are dogs other than that I dislike any other. Well I hope that spider won't haunt you down haha. Good post I really like your descriptions.
Kimberly- Ohh trust me I know. I looked everywhere. It was awful!
Carla- Yes it was awful! I laughed about it after when I was telling my coworkers but oh man when it first happened I still felt like it was crawling on me!
Jimmy- OH trust me I already thought about that. My coworkers said that they were going to hatch and crawl all over me
While driving, I've had a black widow spider descend from the top mirror down to my eye level when I was driving once. Luckily, I was in a residential area and could pull over and kill it. Spiders are so scary, no matter how small they are!
So what I have decided to write on is how to make a slingshot out of High Density Polyethylene, or HDPE. So the first step is to find a source of HDPE, which in my case is plastic buckets such as homer buckets. You can cut the bucket into smaller pieces with a band saw but in my case I typically just use a pair of tin snips so that no mess is made. The pieces should be roughly 6x6 in dimension so that it can fit into a metal pan. The plastic is then heated to 350 degrees F, any hotter and the plastic will burn. Don’t add plastic until complete liquefaction occurs. Do this until the metal container cannot handle any more plastic. Take care when removing the container because it will be extremely hot. Let the plastic cool for about 10 minutes on wood risers. After this place a sheet of metal or something like a tile over the plastic and tighten little by little. Do this about every 10 minutes until it is impossible to tighten anymore. Let cool, preferably overnight, when able to handle with just your hands take out of the metal mold. Draw a shape with a sharpie then rough cut with a scroll saw. Shape with wood rasps and if you are impatient use a Dremel with a metal tip. Be sure to cut grooves for the flat bands. And then the most important part of this process enjoy your new homemade slingshot.
Knowing how to make this, would have been handy if I was 8 years old. I would have probably tortured my big brother with it, until he brought out his water gun. These descriptions were easy to follow and very descriptive!
For this blog, I decided to write about my experience as a Mini Corps tutor. I recently was placed at Haven Drive to work with 7th and 8th grade migrant students. I have three classes in total and I would say that my first two classes are the most difficult to work with. They enjoy fooling around and not paying attention. Their attitude toward school makes my job harder just because they have a non-caring mindset towards education. They don’t understand the importance of education and take it for granted. Even though their attitudes affect me at times, I refuse to give up on them. I was hired to mentor and assist them with any help they need and that is what I am going to do. What keeps me going is that these three weeks that I’ve worked with them, I’ve seen some improvement in their attitudes. This makes me happy because it shows me that deep down they care. I believe that many of them get influence by their classmate’s attitudes which becomes a trend in class. If one student starts acting up then the rest start following along. This becomes the main problem in classes especially when teachers don’t recognize what is going on and don’t put a stop to it. I hope that in these months that I am working there, I can change the way my students view education. I really want to make a difference in their life and show them that I appreciate them as students. They are very smart and can achieve many things if they work hard enough.
Hi Kimberly, when I got to the part about children being so hard to deal with at times and you refuse to give up on them that's they way to go girl. Giving up on them should never be an option because we were once their age as well and I'm sure we gave the teacher a hard time not all the time but once in a while. I also work with 7th and 8th graders and yes there are some kids who are really not interested in school but we need to motivate them and try to get them to have some interest in their education. Yes it can be hard but not impossible. We are on the same page because I love children and I really want to make a difference in their life and help them be successful.
I was wondering what you do when they start giving you attitude? For example, I usually have to remind my students to stop talking and get back to work. When I do, they respond back to me with a rude comment giving me attitude. I ignore them at times because I notice that not even my warnings of sending them to the office works. So I was wondering what you do or would do if you were in that situation?
Hey Kimberly, I'm a Mini-Corps tutor as well. I must say that I too am struggling with disrespectful students. My first advice would be not to put the blame on yourself. I have worked in Mini-Corps for almost a year now, and I must admit, I have never been faced with such an amount of rudeness. In my past experiences, I have actually had good classroom management in each class I have been placed in. The students did as I said, and my rules were well established with them. I think a lot of it also has to deal with the how the actual teacher you are working with manages his or her classroom. I say this because I consider myself a fairly strict tutor, and my students often catch up one it. However, this current class I'm placed in (particularly the males) feel as though they are entitled to do and say as they please. I have tried a number of techniques, but none seem to work. I have observed how the teacher manages the classroom and must say she needs some improvement. I may sound like a brat by blaming the teacher, but I have actually had some students tell me if I don't listen to my actual teacher, what makes you think I'm going to listen to you.
Yes it can be really frustrating when these kinds of situations happen. In my case I would get everyone's attention and tell them what they are doing wrong, what needs to be done to fix the issue, and give them a scenerio how it would make them feel if this situation would be happening to them. I know children can be disrespectful but there's a limit and they know the limit we just need to give them little reminders at times.
I love my job because I truly enjoy working with children. I work at a school district therefore I’m with children all day. I have a little sister and a brother who I truly love spending time with. Children bring joy to my life because they sure can brighten up my day. I can be with children all day and never get annoyed or bored from being around them. It is easier for me to understand children than to understand adults at times. For some reason children are easier to understand because if they argue what they say doesn’t hurt but when you argue with an adult it can end up hurting you. I have nothing against adults don’t get me wrong but I prefer working with children. I currently work at a school and volunteer at the Bakersfield Homeless Center. At the Bakersfield Homeless Center I volunteer at the teen room which I have children ranging from ten to eighteen years old. I don’t have much of a preference of age but I do have to say I love working with the kindergartners. These kindergartners could be so sweet, energetic, talkative, quite, and shy. For some individuals dealing with children could be hard but in this case I feel as if dealing with adults is harder. I have all the patience in the world for children regarding their age and how they act. I have always thought about opening a child care for low income families because there are any children who need care when their parents go to work. I have worked at a child care before and it was a really interesting experience.
Carla I don't know how you do it. When I am around children for that long I do tend to get very annoyed. The only children I don't get frustrated with are my niece and nephews.
Hi professor, I truly enjoy volunteering because you learn so much from all the experiences. It's great to gain knowledge and more experiences for future success.
Hi Jimmy, ohhh my I can't believe you get annoyed when I get happy to be around children haha. It happens you may be able to deal better with adults and I am the opposite. I function and work better with children. Of course I adore and love my nephews and nieces. My brother and sister are like my own children who I love and have the world's patience for them.
I have been pondering what I should write about for the last couple days and the only thing that has really popped into mind is to go through what I usually do on most days. So my alarm goes off at 5:30 in the morning every work day and I head to Evolutions Gym in Tulare, which is the city I live in. I spend approximately 45-55 minutes on the treadmill going back and forth from uphill walking to jogging. This may not seem like much of a workout for most but me being ex-chain smoker it gets pretty exhausting about halfway through. After the gym I go home and get ready for work which I have to be at by 7:30. I work at Brower Dairies located in Lindsay, Ca which is a smaller to medium sized dairy. I love my job. When I initially got hired I was supposed to be a mechanics assistant but since I am one of the very few workers there that speaks fluent English my boss, which is also the owner, usually has me by his side and to run his errands, both work related and personal. Some work related errands include picking up belts, hydraulic hoses, and other things the mechanics may need that we do not have in the parts room. His personal errands include taking his dogs to get groomed, taking his kids to school in the morning, or anything else he just don't feel like doing. Most days when I don't have anything else to do we'll usually just sit around and speak of fantasy football or how my schooling is going. Today his daughter that used to have my position came by for a visit which was a nice surprise. We got along very well while she was training me before she decided to leave due to her being pregnant. After work I go home and most days I go straight for my sofa and watch ESPN for a bit but recently I've been watching the MLB playoffs even though my Dodgers have been eliminated already. Thats how most of my weekdays usually pan out. Weekends are a little different. Saturdays I go and visit my mom and sisters and Sundays people usually come over to my house to watch football. This weekend will be a little different since I am going to have a party at my house on Saturday, a Halloween party. I wasn't planning on it being too crazy but I fear it may get a little too big. All my friends are telling me there inviting a few other people. One of my friends told me last night that she is bringing anywhere from 10 to 15 of her girlfriends with her. I wasn't expecting so many people so let's see how this turns out. Hopefully my house doesn't get destroyed this weekend.
Hey Bernie! Parties will always start off at inviting only a few people, and next thing you know it, there are a couple dozen people there. Halloween parties are always so much fun! What are you planning on dressing up as?
You would think it’s so much easier to write about absolutely anything, but there are so many things that run through an individual’s mind everyday, it’s hard to pick one single topic to write about. Although school is still in session, all I could think about is having this quarter over with and being able to travel again. Everyone goes through stress, whether it be minimal or maximal, and one of my main stress relievers is traveling. This weekend I’m excited to say that I’m finally going to go with my boyfriend to Six Flags Magic Mountain. He’s been so afraid of roller coasters ever since he fell off those high spinning swings at carnivals/fairs. I absolutely love the rush of going on roller coasters and I’ve been trying to convince him for a year or so now that it’s not as bad as he thinks it is. Me persuading him has been unsuccessful this past year, that is, until we went to Vegas two weeks ago. My whole family wanted to ride the roller coaster at New York New York, but I told him and everyone else “it’s either all of us ride it, including my boyfriend, or we don’t ride it at all.” Not in a mean way, but just to get him to ride the roller coaster. I’ve always told him, the scariest part is the anticipation of getting on the roller coaster, and once he’s on it, he’ll love it! As we were waiting in line, he couldn’t stop shaking and his heart was racing. But as soon as we got off the ride, I was surprised to hear him say “Let’s go again!” Now, I can’t wait to share the love of roller coasters with him! As for traveling out of state, I can’t wait for our all inclusive trip to Dominican Republic this coming December. That means less spending now, and more saving.
Wow, your boyfriend fell from one of those swings at the carnival! That is so scary! I would have also been apprehensive to go on rides if that ever happened to me. Anyways, I'm glad that your boyfriend enjoyed going to Six Flags and that he overcame his fear.
Writing about anything is harder...than having something specific to write. However...I still came up with something to write. Mostly it’s just a list of things I need to do, but I am so very excited because this is my last quarter being a full time student, and I only need 2 more classes. I am so excited to be so close to being done with classes, and moving on to something new. I originally went to school and majored in Anthropology and after 2 years I took a break, and now I am a Sociology Human Services major. Since I am almost done and only need two online classes after this quarter is over I am moving to San Diego with a friend of mine who is a teacher there. So while everyone is worried about midterms and finals, I am...worried about those too....but I am in the middle of moving my things 5 hours down the coast. When I get to San Diego I already have a job working for the school district, until I decided what I want to do next. I am currently looking into some grad programs but I haven’t really narrowed down what exactly I want to get a masters or credential in. Social work, marriage and family therapy and a credential in teaching or counseling are at the top of my list for now.
Way to go! I have my Associate degree in Human Services and now I'm pursuing my BA in Psychology. I too, would like to look into counseling perhaps educational counseling.
Human services is an interesting concentration, there's so much you can do with is, and sociology. I am also leaning towards counseling but I love working with children, and I adore kindergarten so right now I am a little stuck when it comes to grad school.
So lately I have been contemplating whether I want to continue my masters degree right after I graduate next spring or take a semester off. Sometimes I feel so burned out on school. I went through four years of high school straight into college for three years at Bakersfield College, transferred here to CSUB this past January and will graduate this upcoming spring quarter. I would like to get a masters degree in Educational counseling with a concentration of Student Affairs, so I would be able to work in a community college or university setting. When it comes to registering for classes and seeing what needs to be taken to graduate I absolutely love it. I enjoying figuring what classes should be put together or what double counts. When I was at BC I had to take student development and I learned those sorts of things. Ever since then I pretty much have figured out my schedule and what classes I needed on my own. I've had friends, family, and fellow peers come to me for advise. I will literally sit them down, look at the requirements they may need based on their catalog rights, just as an adviser would, and remind them to check with their assigned adviser as well since I'm not 'officially' a counselor yet. I do realize that is not the only thing counselors do, but it would probably be my favorite because there is nothing more satisfying than seeing people accomplish big and small goals such as passing a class or walking the stage to receive their diploma.
Hey Alyssa, Seems like we wrote about similar things! Congrats on the pending graduation first off. I understand wanting a break also, I know summer just happened but I cannot wait until summer 2016. Educational counseling seems really cool, and something I was also looking into. Do you need to take the GRE for that? And is it just a masters degree or could you just simply get a credential in counseling and work later on your masters?
That is awesome that you want to do something that you really enjoy doing; there are so many people who get into a career just for the financial benefit. I have heard of many counselors who screw over students that is nice to know that there are people who genuinely want to help people. I know it's hard to stay motivated, but you are almost there. Good luck!
Hey Alyssa, I personally would continue for your masters degree right after you graduate. I feel like some people lose motivation if they take a break from school. But if you know your motivation level will be the same if you take a break from school and come back, you should definitely give your body some time to relax.
Terra- I don't think I need to take the GRE, but now that you brought it up I will do some more research to find out(: I don't have to necessarily get a credential because I wouldn't be working with k-12. I primarily would like to work with college students. Natalie- Thank you for such kind words. By experience when I was at BC a counselor screwed me over until I finally decided to take the student development course and tried to reverse the damage lol. Lorena- I agree some people do lose motivation and when I was transferring from BC to CSUB I knew for a fact that if I took a break I wouldn't go back; therefore, I kept pushing foward.
Crafting and baking have always been one of my favorite stress relievers. I have always found myself either baking or crafting during the weekend before starting on my homework or reading. Lately I have not been able to craft or bake during the weekends because I am currently overloading. I simply do not have time to slack off. I am anxiously awaiting for the quarter to be over, so I can continue to do what I enjoy doing in my free time. I really enjoy making bows, and stacked boutique bows are my specialty. I typically make three to five layered bows, and it can be rather time consuming. It usually takes me about an hour to an hour and a half to construct one stacked boutique bow, depending how many layers I want to add to it. I have become very good at it that people often ask who made them and if I sell them. While I am flattered by their comments, I announce that I do sell them because I am quite busy with school and work; it would be far more time consuming to make bows for various clients rather than for three little girls that happen to be my sister, niece, and boyfriends cousin. I see it as more of a hobby rather than a potential source of income, although I do sometimes contemplate the benefits of having that extra source of income. Maybe after this dreadful quarter, I will start to sell bows as I will not be working during the month of December. Thus, the potential income I can make will seem much more appealing.
I love to bake things, cooking is not my forte. Have you seen those cute Disney bows people make? They're made after characters with common color or other identifiable aspects. They're super cute. I think anyone who is artistic and can find a way to live doing their art is amazing! There's not reason not to try it after all.
I love that you are so crafty. I also enjoy to bake; I usually love baking cheesecakes, or cookies. How about you? Any favorite recipes? And you definitely should sell your bows; I'm sure a lot of people would want to buy them to give out as gifts for Christmas. I started making scarves a couple of months ago,but because of school, I had to stop. So, hopefully I'll be able to start again when the quarter is over.
That is so cool! I'm not very good at baking myself, but I love arts and crafts. I can relate. When this quarter is over, I can get back to crafting. =]
Since it's almost going to be Halloween, I thought I'd talk about my Halloween party my family will be having this weekend. Many people love Halloween because it is a time to dress up, eat excess amounts of candy, watch horror movies, or to go to haunted houses. For me, though, it's a time to have fun with family. For the past five years, our family has hosted a family Halloween party for the little ones. There is no alcohol, no provocative costumes, or over-the-top gory props; just good food, funny costumes, and games. Even though we do not have gory props, we still incorporate some creepy elements to make it feel somewhat scary for the kids. We place fog machines next to a hand-made headless horseman, put flickering lights behind a cutout backdrop with sounds to emulate thunder, and hang sacks of "dead bodies" up on a tree where a giant spider lingers nearby. We also put eyes that glow in the bushes, and switch the pool light to have it glow red to give it an eerie feeling. As far as the games go, we usually just try to focus on having the kids do activities and games, such as charades, a pumpkin toss, a couple of drawing activities, and a cake walk. This year, though, we will be adding a couple of new games that the adults can participate in as well. One is called vampire kiss, in which everyone playing wears vampire teeth, and the main goal is to be able to transfer as many marshmallows onto another plate as possible. The other game is called the mummy wrap. This one simply requires toilet paper and two people per team. The point of this game is to race against other teams to see who can wrap a mummy the quickest. To the people who win, we give out small prizes, like gift cards, or candies for the kids. It takes a lot of work to set up our backyard, but it is completely worth it. I cannot wait for tomorrow to see my family; we are all so busy that this is one occasion in which we can be together and enjoy ourselves.
This party definitely sounds like the place to be! It's rare now-a-days to attend a party where there's no alcohol involved, even if there's kids around. It sounds like a big family game night, which are always tons of fun! What are you planning on dressing up as this year?
Ya it's tons of fun. Well, this year, my boyfriend and I are dressing up as characters from a 90's game show. Have you ever seen Legends of the Hidden Temple? But in the past, I've dressed up as Pikachu,and Princess Leia. My parents are dressing up as Tom Hanks from Castaway and my mom is dressing up as the Wilson ball this year; It already looks hilarious!
Well after giving some thought about what to write I decided to write about my experience on the QPR (question persuade refer) training that I attended today Friday October 23, 15. The psychology club presented this training. This training provided information on how to recognize a crisis and warning signs that someone may be thinking about suicide. I learned that there are direct verbal clues: I’ve decided to kill myself. - I wish I were dead. -I’m going to commit suicide. - I’m going to end it all. - If such and such doesn’t happen, ill kill myself. Some of the indirect verbal clues that ware given were: I’m tired of life. - What’s the point of going on? My family would be better without me. - Her take this cherished possession: I wont be needing it, and so on. The first step of QPR is asking the “S” question, they say that it is better to ask a less direct approach, such as have you been unhappy lately?, Have you been so very unhappy you wished you were dead? You know, when people are as upset as you seem to be, they sometimes wish they were dead. I’m wondering if you’re feeling that way too? The second step is, how to persuade someone to get help. Giving your full attention not interrupting, not judgment or rushing, this are some ways an individual can be a good listener. The last step is Referral. According, to the QPR training the best way to refer someone is when you personally take the person you are worried about to a mental health provider. CSUB offers counseling help as well as the counselor-training clinic.
Interesting, I didn't know that there was a step-to-step process on how to talk to and persuade people who were considering suicide. I like that in step two, you give the patient your undivided attention, which is sometimes what they need in order to confront their feelings and to feel like someone really cares about them.
Recently, I’ve had a few questions about the decisions that we make. For example, why do we do the things that we do, aside from attaining shelter and food? Do we really make our own decisions or do we let others decide for us? Do we do things because we are passionate in doing them, we need security, or because society tells us to? I know that most people will say that we need to find our balance—to not be too carried away by what others think of us but also to not be carried away by our ego—but where do we draw the line? For example, for me, ever since I was kid, I was always told that I was going to go to college. I never doubted that I was, but I also never questioned why I was going. I would be told by my parents, family members, and friends that a STEM major was the way to go. Doing a STEM major is the only way you can earn good money and therefore be happy (I agree that this perspective is really biased). Right now, I’m in my fourth year of biology, and I am complacent with this major. I sometimes wonder what I would have chosen if I didn’t have the encouragement from my family to go that direction in college. How do you guys make your decisions? What are your decision-making processes? Does what your family and friends tell you play a big role on how you make your decisions, do you follow your intuition, or do you do a little of both?
Today was my Grandmother's birthday and Mom and Brother drove to Coalinga to visit her. Personally, I see it as a bitter sweet event. I am grateful that she has made it another year and that she remains healthy at the moment. I can't help but get sad sometimes though when I think that she is only getting older and more immobile. It is one of those things in life that you must learn to accept and is inevitable. I think that when you learn to accept the process of life it actually becomes easier to deal when seeing the aging process and eventually endure deaths in the family. Nobody wants their loved ones to pass, but unfortunately it is just part of life. Today I spent the day celebrating her life and enjoying her presence. All we can do live day by day and not take your loved ones for granted. People are here today and could be gone tomorrow. I had the privilege of seeing her smile when she received her flowers. She enjoys cheesecake; therefore, my mother bought her a strawberry cheesecake from SaveMart. My Grandmother was really content. I think what made her the most happy was the fact that she just got to see us. Today was a great day.
I'm glad that you enjoyed your quality time with your grandma. I sometimes, too, grow a bit scared that may parents are aging a little every day, and will eventually die. However, like you said, we must enjoy the time that we actually spend with them. We shouldn't worry about death because it's a waste of time and inevitable.
I’m currently at work right now trying to figure out what to write for this week's post. Rest assured I’ve finished all of my work for work and when that happens I’m allowed to do homework. I’m very fortunate to have a job that’s as accommodating as mine. I have to say though; writing about whatever you want is actually quite hard. It’s like when someone asks you to name seven people who have been president of the United States. Sometimes you suddenly feel like you’ve never even been in a history class because you can’t think of anything to say. Your mind just suddenly draws a blank. I wonder why this happens. Maybe it’s because there are so many options that your brain doesn’t know which one to choose. Or maybe it’s because as we get older we start to overthink everything. We tend to over analyze things because we’re afraid of being wrong or being viewed as “stupid”. But if you really think about it, it’s the people that ask the “stupid questions” or the people that can quickly come up with seven past presidents of the United States that are the smart and courageous ones. They’re not afraid to ask questions, even if the answers are logical. Their main goal is to understand concepts and gain knowledge, no matter what. As a teacher I hope to encourage my students to be these people. I want them to feel free to give suggestions and ask questions no matter how silly they may be. If students weren’t afraid of being wrong or being judged they would be so much more successful in every aspect of their lives.
ReplyDeleteHey Eleni, that is really cool that you get to use your free time at work for homework something i wish my job allowed me. On my free time I'm usually stuffing my face because I'm starved or trying to not to oversleep on my naps. But I enjoyed your post! This gives me a little more courage about participating more in my classes!
DeleteHi Eleni!
DeleteI agree that letting students ask even the most ridiculous questions helps them be more successsful! When we ask big or small questions, we learn so much and that is very beneficial in our lives since education is a necessity nowadays. I like to ask questions and find out more about certain topics that I am interested in. Nice job!
Hey Elieni! Its very true that with this topic there are so many options that our brain has no idea which one to choose. Its hard to pick one that you will have enough to write about and enjoy writing about as well.
DeleteHi Eleni,
DeleteLove how you were really ordinary in your blog. Its true about what you say about having free write is one of the toughest things to do! Honestly I still font know what to write about. My mind is so blank. I feel that I need to have a little inspiration to know what I want to talk about. You're totally right about us over thinking everything all the time. I feel the same way about being afraid of asking "stupid questions." I always feel that way when it comes to being in class and professor asks us if we had any questions. So in reality no question is a stupid question. That's what I've learned throughout my whole time being here at Cal State. Very well done! (:
I'm at work right now as well thinking about what i am going to write about. Probably about my week so far and what I'm planning on doing this weekend. Just going to play this one by ear, I suppose everyone is going to have to do the same.
DeleteHi Eleni!
DeleteI just read your post and think that it was great. I also believe that if students were not afraid of being judged that they would be more confident and would have a better opportunity to succeed.
I think my life has always consisted of standard routines and this is what happens when managing time and punctuality is very important to me. Everyday, from the peak of dawn until bedtime, I perform routines. For example the first thing I do every morning, around 8am on school days, is to get on social medias such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I like to get up at least one hr and half before my class which starts at 10am and I lay in my bed roaming my social medias until it is time to get out of bed. Once i get ready I head to class and I always grab a cup of coffee on the go. When school is over, I go home get ready and head to my job. Since i work at McDonalds my job consists of repetitive routines as well. I take orders, drop fries, bag the food and serve. If I'm in back drive I'm taking orders, greeting the customers, handling the money and saying farewell. I do this most of the time on my 8hr shifts. Once I am free from work, I head home, shower, have dinner and then I do my homework. When I do my homework I like to sit in my room, stay away from my phone, have a snack nearby and I at least get 3 hours in of homework everyday except on Wednesday and Thursdays because those are my homework free days. Before I go to bed I like to wash my face, brush my teeth, watch a episode of White Collar or How to Get Away With Murder on Netflix and then lastly roam my social medias until I fall asleep. At the end of the day when I have done all of this time efficiently I am usually in bed by 11:30 the latest, ready to start this routine the next day. Doing this and doing it accordingly to time, keeps me punctual and stress free. I guess these standard routines have made me a efficiency fanatic.
ReplyDeleteHi Yesenia!
DeleteYour post was really interesting because of how it talked about the routine that does not stress you but relieves the stress! Personally, I have a lot to do in my routine and that stresses me out! It is nice to know that your routine helps you be punctual and stress free! Nice job!
Hi Yesenia! I love watching White Collar and How to Get Away With Murder too! I think Matt Bomer is so cute haha. Anyways, I agree with your post I usually have a set routine too, and when I don't follow it I feel weird and out of control. I guess this is a good thing if you're going to be a teacher though. You have to be very resourceful with your time and create a routine where you're getting the most out of you and your students day.
DeleteHey Jessica,
DeleteYeah oddly enough it doesn't keep me stressed because my routines are time set and so I don't run against time. Attack the small things in your routines and get them out of the way maybe this well help you!
Yes these shows are so great and full of suspense! But i feel the same as you, when i don't follow my proper routine, everything starts falling out of place and my time isn't as resourceful.
DeleteYesenia
DeleteI think its really cool that you are such creature of habit. Being punctual is a priority that I don't think many people value now days, but I like when people do. I also like that you set aside two days a week to keep homework free. It is really important I think to keep some free time throughout the week to stay motivated.
Doing everything by routine seems like a very efficient way of getting things done. I bet working at McDonalds can throw you off track sometimes though. I've never worked at a fastfood restaurant before but I'm sure you have to deal with some real obnoxious customers at times though. Hopefully you finish up with school soon so you don't have to be there much longer.
DeleteHey Yesenia,
DeleteI keep telling myself it's time for me to go back to my middle school habits of having everything planned out, that way I'm more productive. Now that I've gotten older, I see that part of me fading. If things come up last minute, does it mess up your entire schedule or do you mange to work well around last minute things?
Lorena,
Deletethings that come up spontaneous or plans canceled at last minute definitely throws me off track, but i manage somehow.
Hi everyone!
ReplyDeleteToday I received my acceptance from California Northstate University College of Pharmacy. I must say that today is one of the happiest days of life as my hard work has finally paid off. I am ready to take the next big step in my life and start learning more about pharmacy and how it is a critical part in our everyday lives. Throughout my education at CSUB, chemistry always appealed to me and I loved helping people. Therefore, I knew that the field of pharmacy was the right career for me and from there I began to prepare myself in order to reach my goal. The pharmacy field is always advancing and I am proud that I will be able to be a part of this amazing field. The reason I chose to accept the offer of acceptance from this school is because the faculty, currents students, and dean did not fail to make me feel at home during throughout the interview and because I would like to participate in the different competitions that CNUCOP always wins. As a future pharmacist, I would like to advance the field of pharmacy through science and art and I hope to work with different kids and be able to specialize in pediatric pharmacy. Furthermore, I would like to give back to the community in the future by working at a community pharmacy or teaching pharmacy prospective students about the application process and such. I hope this post inspires whoever reads it. Hard works pays off in the end and always follow your dream no matter what. Never give up. The sky is the limit.
Hello Jessica, your blog post was truly inspiring! I want to say congratulations, hard work pays off and it gives us all motivation to keep going and to not give up. I wish you the best in your journey! (:
DeleteCongratulations Jessica!!! It is really encouraging to see others actually achieving their goals after graduation. It is definitely hard sometimes to completely understand that hard work does actually pay off eventually. To see you getting a little closer to your dreams is really inspiring :)
DeleteJessica,
DeleteCONGRATULATIONS on your acceptance! I really wish you the best and your hard work has finally paid off. I'm sure you'll do just fine! Always have confidence in yourself and never let anyone push you down. You can do it, there's no buts or if's. Congrats once again future pharmacist.
Congratulations Jessica, way to go girl. I see you are up to big things for the future. Wish you the best of luck on your future path. How do you feel about starting a new school were you will gain more experience on pharmacy? Yes the sky is the limit and never surrender because there are big things waiting for you out there in the world.
DeleteThank you Crystal, Savannah, and Claudia! That's very sweet of you girls! :)
DeleteThank you Carla! That's very sweet of you girly! I am very excited about starting this new chapter in my life where I will be in a new city, with new people, new opportunites, and many more other amazing stuff! This school will offer me the education and skills to become a well-round pharmacist!
DeleteCongratulations on your acceptance!! Your hard work has definitely paid off! You are a great example that goals can be met and dreams come true. Congratulations once again Jessica.
DeleteThank you Jose! That's very nice of you! :)
DeleteYes girl way to go! New oportunities are always exciting. I am positive you will do great and wish you best of luck once again (:
Deletecongratulations!
DeleteHey Jessica, congratulations on your acceptance! Hard work pays off I wish you the best!
DeleteHi Jessica! First of all let me say, CONGRATULATIONS! That is a major accomplishment. How exciting that you're finally going to be doing what it is that you really love. What makes it even better is the fact that you've worked so hard and now you've finally accomplished one of your major goals. I can't wait to reach my next major goal, which will be graduating. It will be a great feeling.
ReplyDeleteThank you Eleni! That's very sweet of you! Me too, I cannot wait until graduation! You are graduating June 2016 right? Best of luck girly!
DeleteHello everyone! For this weeks blog topic I would like to give some tips on a child’s first birthday smash cake photography session. I usually take pictures of couples and families but my favorite type of photography is children photography. Smash cake photography has become very popular these days. And there’s no wondering why it’s so popular, the pictures come out so cute! That being said, here’s some tips because it does become a bit hectic while shooting. 1.) You don’t have to buy crazy expensive props. Look around your house and you might find some good props. The dollar store is a great store to find awesome props, have fun and get creative on a dollar! As for the cake, you can bake it yourself or check out your local grocery store, they usually have good prices for small cakes. 2.) On the day of the photo session make sure you take wipes, trust me you will need them. You can always just ask the mom of the toddler and they are almost always willing to bring their own wipes. 3.) Once you have your props set up, make sure to take some regular pictures first of the toddler then bring in the cake last. 4.) Not every toddler will enjoy smashing a cake, but both reaction are just as cute to capture! So snap away and have fun with it. 5.) Some good advice would be to play some music while taking pictures, this gets them usually smiling and dancing. My final tip is to make sure your camera is charged and the memory stick is cleared out. This seems obvious but when you’re running around getting stuff ready sometimes you forget the most important parts. Just remember to have fun, good vibes spread and make for an awesome photoshoot!
ReplyDeletehilarious! English 305 smashcake party?
DeleteHi Crystal!
DeleteThis blog entry was very interesting to read and be able to learn the steps to a smash cake photography session! I will try this with my nephew for his birthday! I cannot wait to see the results! Thank you!
Professor, haha yes! That would be hilarious!
DeleteJessica, you will have so much fun taking the pictures! And be prepared for a little mess, but it is totally worth it!
Hi. Crystal
DeleteThank you for your tips, I will definitely try this with my daughter. She is only seven months, but I’m looking forward so see her reaction as she is making this wonderful mess.
Soul mates and twin flames; there is a difference. When people talk about meeting the person they are destined to be with, I hear them use the term soul mate. It's not wrong, but there is a better term for it, twin flame. What's the difference? At the beginning of time our souls were all created at once, and during this time we picked out around 3 to 6 soul mates. This number varies for everyone. When you meet your soul mate, you won't know right away that you have a deep connection with them. It's something that develops over time. Also important, soul mates do not have to be romantic. Your pet, mom, best friend can all be your soul mates. Twin flames are always romantic. You only get one, and they are the other half of your soul. When you meet, there is instant connection. You two are drawn to each other, and innately know right away that you are meant to be together (love at first sight). The problem with twin flames though is that the relationship is usually so intense, that it doesn't last forever. It's like a shooting star. It's not impossible for it to last forever though, it's is just difficult. This idea branches off reincarnation. The idea being that; if your twin flame decides to not come down during one of your lives on Earth, then you will be with your soul mate. Or if you do meet your twin flame and you two don't last, then you will settle with one of your soul mates.
ReplyDeleteSoul mates and twin flames; there is a difference. When people talk about meeting the person they are destined to be with, I hear them use the term soul mate. It's not wrong, but there is a better term for it, twin flame. What's the difference? At the beginning of time our souls were all created at once, and during this time we picked out around 3 to 6 soul mates. This number varies for everyone. When you meet your soul mate, you won't know right away that you have a deep connection with them. It's something that develops over time. Also important, soul mates do not have to be romantic. Your pet, mom, best friend can all be your soul mates. Twin flames are always romantic. You only get one, and they are the other half of your soul. When you meet, there is instant connection. You two are drawn to each other, and innately know right away that you are meant to be together (love at first sight). The problem with twin flames though is that the relationship is usually so intense, that it doesn't last forever. It's like a shooting star. It's not impossible for it to last forever though, it's is just difficult. This idea branches off reincarnation. The idea being that; if your twin flame decides to not come down during one of your lives on Earth, then you will be with your soul mate. Or if you do meet your twin flame and you two don't last, then you will settle with one of your soul mates.
ReplyDeleteWhat you are saying is interesting. I have never though of what your are mentioning. However you may be correct. I personally have not meat a sole mate or a twin flame. Hopefully one day.
DeleteI have never heard of this before but it is very intriguing. It definitely makes me wonder if I have met any soul mates or my twin flame. It is definitely pretty crazy to think about.
DeleteHello Shelby,
DeleteI enjoyed reading your blog! I've heard the words soul mate but never in my life have heard twin flames. I love learning new things so thank you for this post. It is interesting to know that your soul mate doesn't have to be someone romantic. I don't know if I have met my soul mate or twin flame either but hopefully one day I will.
Hi Shelby!
DeleteThis blog entry was very interesting to read and I might say that sometimes you meet people that you think will stay forever in your in life but unfortunately that does not happen. From past experience, I find that getting too close to people is not good. Distance is good. People change and hearts get broken when that happens. :(
Hi Shelby!
DeleteWhat an awesome blog post! I love reading new things and hearing different perspectives on things. I have never herd of the term Twin Flame, so i'm glad that you incorporated it into your blog post.
Hello,
DeleteWow! What an awesome blog post. Now, I have never heard of the term "twin flame". My question to you is how did you learn about it?
Hey everyone!
DeleteI'm glad you all enjoyed my post.
Jessica: Sometimes I feel the same way, but I personally believe everyone you meet benefits you in some way. Even if it was a negative experience, you learn from it. I wish we could keep all the people in our lives we make a connection with, but free will is what makes the decision to stay special. =]
Fabiola: I love researching astrology, and one day I stumbled across this information. I've noticed the more deep you study and research these things, the more interesting information you will find. =]
The hardest thing about choosing a topic for such a freestyle blog is picking something that you know a lot about and are interested in. Mine would have to be my favorite hobbies. Because of school and life in general I am not able to do any of them as much as I would prefer, but am grateful for the little time that I do get to enjoy them. I love God and serving in the church regularly with High school kids. It allows me to be a good disciple and spread the gospel. My main hobbies consist of swimming, dancing, and reading. I became and avid swimmer in high school and my main meet events were the 500 freestyle and the 100 butterfly. I began Hula and Tahitian dancing when I was about 11 years old. I continued until I was in late high school and had to quit because life was getting too busy because I played multiple sports and couldn’t do everything that I wanted. We did fire poi and knife dances that were really fun. I remember having to braid my hair and wet my braids as a little girl before I would perform at shows because we were afraid of my hair catching on accident. I really love reading Tom Clancy books in my free time. The most recent one that I have read was called Threat Vector. It is about the Chinese and cyber warfare with the United States. What was interesting about this book is that around the time that it came out, Korea was hacking into the movie theaters that were showing the movie about Kim Jong Un. Very coincidentally…I think Tom Clancy knew what was up.
ReplyDeleteThat is interesting, its good that you love god and serve church. I regularly try to attend church. It seems to be like you are a great swimmer. I do not know how to swim. When I jump in a pool I'm the one always grabbing in the side. One day I will learn its ok.
DeleteHaving younger siblings can sometimes be a motivator to do things that feel out of reach. This is because you want to set the best example and you want this young mind to look up to you and have a great positive impact in their life. It is important to have your moral and ethical values in front of you at all times in order to accomplish this. Sometimes it feels like you just want to take care of yourself with disregard to others. However I achieve great things when I feel like I’m some type of role model that is setting the bar high for them to surpass. When I make a choice I think of my past experiences and if they correlate to my moral standards. It is important to think this way because younger siblings have the tendency to follow the example of what they see and what they are exposed to at home. Evidently the choices we make not only affect us but also the loving people that surround us. This is why when I see younger individuals I think of them as the future of this world and the decisions we make and or things they view impact their growth. It is important to be kind and compassionate toward younger minds specially our siblings that look up to us and cherish us in a special manner. However we must always make good decisions that are worthy of admiring and live up to our way of living.
ReplyDeleteAs I was in class today, we discussed a topic of how young kids aren't learning good sportsmanship like they should be when playing sports. Most of the parents and coaches, who are suppose to be good role models, tend to have a winning mind set and when that gets derailed they take it out on the kids. Some parents and/or coaches will also find ways to get their kids to cheat, helping them to win creating a bad environment for the young, up-incoming athletes. Along with siblings, there're potential bad roll models everywhere.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteToday I want to talk about who we are as individuals this is also called the self-concept. The definition of an individual is considered to be one single/particular person. Also the self- concept definition states, “It is a mental image or overall sense of “you.” How many of you know exactly who you are? Many individuals believe that they know who they are. We all give ourselves an impression management. Impression management is a certain representation of how we want to be viewed/ perceived. In reality, I don't think anyone knows exactly who they are. Society has become a huge influence of who we are today. Society has created this sense of telling us how we should be dressed, demonstrating us new trends, the shoes we should be buying/wearing, and more. As an individual we never stop learning nor we stop educating. Every day that goes by we learn different things about ourselves. Though, society has become part of us in a way that we all worry of how we look like, which is called being insecure. I am guilty of being part of this group, because I have become one of these individuals who have become very self-aware of who I am. I have become this individual who wears makeup no matter what the occasion is. I was someone who didn’t care how I looked like. Since makeup has become this new trend I have kept up with it and have become a huge fanatic of it. Society changes who we are! We should never be ashamed of who we are in reality. Remember sit down and think do you really know who you are?
ReplyDeleteHi Claudia, I also agree with you society has a huge influence in the "person" that we make ourselves out to be, we model ourselves after the "perfect" bodies and/or styles we see in magazines and on television every day. Its hard, almost impossible to escape the trends, but the best thing I believe we can do is stop following like a bunch of sheep.
DeleteI definitely agree with you, there are probably very few of us who really know who we are. Every decision we make influences who we will or who we can become. I have never heard of the concept impression management but I do completely agree with it. Your topic for this blog was very interesting as well.
DeleteThank you, I had to think of something quick that wasn't too lengthy, so I wrote about my day.
DeleteMy basic day from start to finish. Monday through Friday I’ll generally follow the same routine every morning until I go to bed. The weekends are a toss-up from traveling or just having fun and/or relaxing. I usually wake up around 7:30am. After waking up, I’ll turn the alarm off on my phone and commence to either playing Candy Crush and/or browsing through Instagram. Once my lives run out on Candy Crush and I’ve looked through all the recent Instagram updates, I’ll get up around 8am and take a shower. After my shower, I’ll go upstairs and cook the same breakfast I’ve had for the past five years; a glass of milk, two eggs, a bowl of oatmeal with a banana and my vitamins. While I’m eating breakfast, I’ll prepare my lunch for school and get everything together for my classes and daily workout. Once I’ve finish preparing everything, I head out the door and drive 30 minutes to CSUB, where I go to class until around noon. As soon as I’m out of class, I eat the food I prepared that morning and head off to the gym to work out, at either Body Xchange or the SRC at CSUB. After an hour and a half of working out, I’ll drive to work at Body Xchange where I train 5 to 6 clients a day. The sun is usually down by the time I get off work around 7:30pm, and I drive another 30 minutes back home. As I walk in the door to my condo, I put everything away that I prepared earlier that morning and then make dinner, which is usually different every night, but always healthy. As I eat my dinner, I do what homework I have and text everyone back that I was too busy to text during the day. Around 10 or 11 pm I’ll go to bed, but instead of closing my eyes and going to sleep, I’ll play some more Candy Crush and look at more updates on Instagram.
ReplyDeleteI like the matter of fact nature of this--good tone!
DeleteThank you Dr. Schmoll, it's one of the easier topics I can write on the fly.
DeleteI enjoyed reading your daily routine. I also like routine in my day to day life. It gives me structure, and at the end of the day I always feel like I accomplished the most I could that day.
DeleteWell I initially had no idea what to write about for this week's blog, but I just had the scariest thing happen to me. I stopped by my work to pick up my paycheck so I could take it the bank right around the corner. I went into the bank to make a deposit and take some cash out, and everything was going perfectly fine until...
ReplyDeleteI was walking to my car and felt like there was a hair in my face because I have long hair and it typically is flying everywhere. Once I sat down in my car I still felt the tickle on my face, so I reached up and went to swipe away what was bothering me. When I pulled my hand back down, I then saw what was pestering me. In my fingers was a SPIDER! That spider was crawling on my face right under my eye. Once I saw the spider I freaked out and flicked my hand. At that moment I realized that I just threw the spider somewhere in my car. When I looked over, I noticed my backpack was open slightly and then I saw that little creature crawling deep inside my backpack to my macbook. I was not okay with this! I began to try and squish the spider between my laptop and the back of my bag but it wasn't working. I started to drive back to work, but as I was driving I could not stand the thought of it crawling around in my stuff, so I pulled over and started to take all of my things out of my bag. After all the important books and electronics were out of the backpack I turned the backpack upside down and proceeded to shake it so the spider would come it. While I was shaking my bag upside down, I did not see anything fall out. I decided I needed to stop freaking out and I drove back to work before I made myself late. As I was driving, I kept feeling like something was crawling on me. That spider is no where to be found. It isn't in my bag, in my car, or anywhere on me. That stupid creature just performed a disappearing act on me.
I don't typically mind spiders as long as they aren't crawling on me! This was so awful especially now that I have no idea where it went.
After reading your blog, all I could think about was where could that spider possibly be. I totally understand how you feel! I don't mind spiders but when they are around me, I freak out! I would of acted the same way as you did!! (:
DeleteHi Ashlynne, very interesting blog with all the details. I could picture every moment you were describing and it made me laugh a little because I could picture your reactions. Well I would of been freaking out as well because I hate insects or any little animal that looks weird or disgusting. I am not an animal person and the only animal I like are dogs other than that I dislike any other. Well I hope that spider won't haunt you down haha. Good post I really like your descriptions.
DeleteThis is a ninja spider in training. They are very sneaky little guys. Not to freak you out but hopefully it didn't lay little spider eggs in your car.
DeleteKimberly- Ohh trust me I know. I looked everywhere. It was awful!
DeleteCarla- Yes it was awful! I laughed about it after when I was telling my coworkers but oh man when it first happened I still felt like it was crawling on me!
Jimmy- OH trust me I already thought about that. My coworkers said that they were going to hatch and crawl all over me
I can imagine, I would of been the same. I get freaked out real quick when I see any insects near me.
DeleteWhile driving, I've had a black widow spider descend from the top mirror down to my eye level when I was driving once. Luckily, I was in a residential area and could pull over and kill it. Spiders are so scary, no matter how small they are!
DeleteSo what I have decided to write on is how to make a slingshot out of High Density Polyethylene, or HDPE. So the first step is to find a source of HDPE, which in my case is plastic buckets such as homer buckets. You can cut the bucket into smaller pieces with a band saw but in my case I typically just use a pair of tin snips so that no mess is made. The pieces should be roughly 6x6 in dimension so that it can fit into a metal pan. The plastic is then heated to 350 degrees F, any hotter and the plastic will burn. Don’t add plastic until complete liquefaction occurs. Do this until the metal container cannot handle any more plastic. Take care when removing the container because it will be extremely hot. Let the plastic cool for about 10 minutes on wood risers. After this place a sheet of metal or something like a tile over the plastic and tighten little by little. Do this about every 10 minutes until it is impossible to tighten anymore. Let cool, preferably overnight, when able to handle with just your hands take out of the metal mold. Draw a shape with a sharpie then rough cut with a scroll saw. Shape with wood rasps and if you are impatient use a Dremel with a metal tip. Be sure to cut grooves for the flat bands. And then the most important part of this process enjoy your new homemade slingshot.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great entry--when I said you could write on any topic, I had no idea we would go here! Good job!
DeleteI know it was kind of random but it is always nice just to read something different.
DeleteGreat job! I enjoyed reading your entry and that sounds awesome.
DeleteKnowing how to make this, would have been handy if I was 8 years old. I would have probably tortured my big brother with it, until he brought out his water gun. These descriptions were easy to follow and very descriptive!
DeleteFor this blog, I decided to write about my experience as a Mini Corps tutor. I recently was placed at Haven Drive to work with 7th and 8th grade migrant students. I have three classes in total and I would say that my first two classes are the most difficult to work with. They enjoy fooling around and not paying attention. Their attitude toward school makes my job harder just because they have a non-caring mindset towards education. They don’t understand the importance of education and take it for granted. Even though their attitudes affect me at times, I refuse to give up on them. I was hired to mentor and assist them with any help they need and that is what I am going to do. What keeps me going is that these three weeks that I’ve worked with them, I’ve seen some improvement in their attitudes. This makes me happy because it shows me that deep down they care. I believe that many of them get influence by their classmate’s attitudes which becomes a trend in class. If one student starts acting up then the rest start following along. This becomes the main problem in classes especially when teachers don’t recognize what is going on and don’t put a stop to it. I hope that in these months that I am working there, I can change the way my students view education. I really want to make a difference in their life and show them that I appreciate them as students. They are very smart and can achieve many things if they work hard enough.
ReplyDeleteHi Kimberly, when I got to the part about children being so hard to deal with at times and you refuse to give up on them that's they way to go girl. Giving up on them should never be an option because we were once their age as well and I'm sure we gave the teacher a hard time not all the time but once in a while. I also work with 7th and 8th graders and yes there are some kids who are really not interested in school but we need to motivate them and try to get them to have some interest in their education. Yes it can be hard but not impossible. We are on the same page because I love children and I really want to make a difference in their life and help them be successful.
DeleteThank you Carla!
DeleteI was wondering what you do when they start giving you attitude? For example, I usually have to remind my students to stop talking and get back to work. When I do, they respond back to me with a rude comment giving me attitude. I ignore them at times because I notice that not even my warnings of sending them to the office works. So I was wondering what you do or would do if you were in that situation?
Hey Kimberly,
DeleteI'm a Mini-Corps tutor as well. I must say that I too am struggling with disrespectful students. My first advice would be not to put the blame on yourself. I have worked in Mini-Corps for almost a year now, and I must admit, I have never been faced with such an amount of rudeness. In my past experiences, I have actually had good classroom management in each class I have been placed in. The students did as I said, and my rules were well established with them. I think a lot of it also has to deal with the how the actual teacher you are working with manages his or her classroom. I say this because I consider myself a fairly strict tutor, and my students often catch up one it. However, this current class I'm placed in (particularly the males) feel as though they are entitled to do and say as they please. I have tried a number of techniques, but none seem to work. I have observed how the teacher manages the classroom and must say she needs some improvement. I may sound like a brat by blaming the teacher, but I have actually had some students tell me if I don't listen to my actual teacher, what makes you think I'm going to listen to you.
Yes it can be really frustrating when these kinds of situations happen. In my case I would get everyone's attention and tell them what they are doing wrong, what needs to be done to fix the issue, and give them a scenerio how it would make them feel if this situation would be happening to them. I know children can be disrespectful but there's a limit and they know the limit we just need to give them little reminders at times.
DeleteI love my job because I truly enjoy working with children. I work at a school district therefore I’m with children all day. I have a little sister and a brother who I truly love spending time with. Children bring joy to my life because they sure can brighten up my day. I can be with children all day and never get annoyed or bored from being around them. It is easier for me to understand children than to understand adults at times. For some reason children are easier to understand because if they argue what they say doesn’t hurt but when you argue with an adult it can end up hurting you. I have nothing against adults don’t get me wrong but I prefer working with children. I currently work at a school and volunteer at the Bakersfield Homeless Center. At the Bakersfield Homeless Center I volunteer at the teen room which I have children ranging from ten to eighteen years old. I don’t have much of a preference of age but I do have to say I love working with the kindergartners. These kindergartners could be so sweet, energetic, talkative, quite, and shy. For some individuals dealing with children could be hard but in this case I feel as if dealing with adults is harder. I have all the patience in the world for children regarding their age and how they act. I have always thought about opening a child care for low income families because there are any children who need care when their parents go to work. I have worked at a child care before and it was a really interesting experience.
ReplyDeleteThank you for volunteering! Noble work!
DeleteCarla I don't know how you do it. When I am around children for that long I do tend to get very annoyed. The only children I don't get frustrated with are my niece and nephews.
DeleteHi professor, I truly enjoy volunteering because you learn so much from all the experiences. It's great to gain knowledge and more experiences for future success.
DeleteHi Jimmy, ohhh my I can't believe you get annoyed when I get happy to be around children haha. It happens you may be able to deal better with adults and I am the opposite. I function and work better with children. Of course I adore and love my nephews and nieces. My brother and sister are like my own children who I love and have the world's patience for them.
DeleteHello, Carla
DeleteI share the same feeling like you; I prefer to work with children, than with adults. Good work by the way.
I have been pondering what I should write about for the last couple days and the only thing that has really popped into mind is to go through what I usually do on most days. So my alarm goes off at 5:30 in the morning every work day and I head to Evolutions Gym in Tulare, which is the city I live in. I spend approximately 45-55 minutes on the treadmill going back and forth from uphill walking to jogging. This may not seem like much of a workout for most but me being ex-chain smoker it gets pretty exhausting about halfway through. After the gym I go home and get ready for work which I have to be at by 7:30. I work at Brower Dairies located in Lindsay, Ca which is a smaller to medium sized dairy. I love my job. When I initially got hired I was supposed to be a mechanics assistant but since I am one of the very few workers there that speaks fluent English my boss, which is also the owner, usually has me by his side and to run his errands, both work related and personal. Some work related errands include picking up belts, hydraulic hoses, and other things the mechanics may need that we do not have in the parts room. His personal errands include taking his dogs to get groomed, taking his kids to school in the morning, or anything else he just don't feel like doing. Most days when I don't have anything else to do we'll usually just sit around and speak of fantasy football or how my schooling is going. Today his daughter that used to have my position came by for a visit which was a nice surprise. We got along very well while she was training me before she decided to leave due to her being pregnant. After work I go home and most days I go straight for my sofa and watch ESPN for a bit but recently I've been watching the MLB playoffs even though my Dodgers have been eliminated already. Thats how most of my weekdays usually pan out. Weekends are a little different. Saturdays I go and visit my mom and sisters and Sundays people usually come over to my house to watch football. This weekend will be a little different since I am going to have a party at my house on Saturday, a Halloween party. I wasn't planning on it being too crazy but I fear it may get a little too big. All my friends are telling me there inviting a few other people. One of my friends told me last night that she is bringing anywhere from 10 to 15 of her girlfriends with her. I wasn't expecting so many people so let's see how this turns out. Hopefully my house doesn't get destroyed this weekend.
ReplyDeleteHey Bernie!
DeleteParties will always start off at inviting only a few people, and next thing you know it, there are a couple dozen people there. Halloween parties are always so much fun! What are you planning on dressing up as?
You would think it’s so much easier to write about absolutely anything, but there are so many things that run through an individual’s mind everyday, it’s hard to pick one single topic to write about. Although school is still in session, all I could think about is having this quarter over with and being able to travel again. Everyone goes through stress, whether it be minimal or maximal, and one of my main stress relievers is traveling. This weekend I’m excited to say that I’m finally going to go with my boyfriend to Six Flags Magic Mountain. He’s been so afraid of roller coasters ever since he fell off those high spinning swings at carnivals/fairs. I absolutely love the rush of going on roller coasters and I’ve been trying to convince him for a year or so now that it’s not as bad as he thinks it is. Me persuading him has been unsuccessful this past year, that is, until we went to Vegas two weeks ago. My whole family wanted to ride the roller coaster at New York New York, but I told him and everyone else “it’s either all of us ride it, including my boyfriend, or we don’t ride it at all.” Not in a mean way, but just to get him to ride the roller coaster. I’ve always told him, the scariest part is the anticipation of getting on the roller coaster, and once he’s on it, he’ll love it! As we were waiting in line, he couldn’t stop shaking and his heart was racing. But as soon as we got off the ride, I was surprised to hear him say “Let’s go again!” Now, I can’t wait to share the love of roller coasters with him! As for traveling out of state, I can’t wait for our all inclusive trip to Dominican Republic this coming December. That means less spending now, and more saving.
ReplyDeleteI have friends from the DR--it is supposed to be super beautiful! Have a blast!
DeleteThank you, Dr. Schmoll. I hope it is. It's supposed to be warm still during December, so that should be interesting.
DeleteWow, your boyfriend fell from one of those swings at the carnival! That is so scary! I would have also been apprehensive to go on rides if that ever happened to me. Anyways, I'm glad that your boyfriend enjoyed going to Six Flags and that he overcame his fear.
DeleteWriting about anything is harder...than having something specific to write. However...I still came up with something to write. Mostly it’s just a list of things I need to do, but I am so very excited because this is my last quarter being a full time student, and I only need 2 more classes. I am so excited to be so close to being done with classes, and moving on to something new. I originally went to school and majored in Anthropology and after 2 years I took a break, and now I am a Sociology Human Services major. Since I am almost done and only need two online classes after this quarter is over I am moving to San Diego with a friend of mine who is a teacher there. So while everyone is worried about midterms and finals, I am...worried about those too....but I am in the middle of moving my things 5 hours down the coast. When I get to San Diego I already have a job working for the school district, until I decided what I want to do next. I am currently looking into some grad programs but I haven’t really narrowed down what exactly I want to get a masters or credential in. Social work, marriage and family therapy and a credential in teaching or counseling are at the top of my list for now.
ReplyDeleteWay to go! I have my Associate degree in Human Services and now I'm pursuing my BA in Psychology. I too, would like to look into counseling perhaps educational counseling.
DeleteHuman services is an interesting concentration, there's so much you can do with is, and sociology. I am also leaning towards counseling but I love working with children, and I adore kindergarten so right now I am a little stuck when it comes to grad school.
DeleteCongrats on almost being done with school! I hope that all goes well in San Diego!
DeleteSo lately I have been contemplating whether I want to continue my masters degree right after I graduate next spring or take a semester off. Sometimes I feel so burned out on school. I went through four years of high school straight into college for three years at Bakersfield College, transferred here to CSUB this past January and will graduate this upcoming spring quarter. I would like to get a masters degree in Educational counseling with a concentration of Student Affairs, so I would be able to work in a community college or university setting. When it comes to registering for classes and seeing what needs to be taken to graduate I absolutely love it. I enjoying figuring what classes should be put together or what double counts. When I was at BC I had to take student development and I learned those sorts of things. Ever since then I pretty much have figured out my schedule and what classes I needed on my own. I've had friends, family, and fellow peers come to me for advise. I will literally sit them down, look at the requirements they may need based on their catalog rights, just as an adviser would, and remind them to check with their assigned adviser as well since I'm not 'officially' a counselor yet. I do realize that is not the only thing counselors do, but it would probably be my favorite because there is nothing more satisfying than seeing people accomplish big and small goals such as passing a class or walking the stage to receive their diploma.
ReplyDeleteHey Alyssa,
DeleteSeems like we wrote about similar things! Congrats on the pending graduation first off. I understand wanting a break also, I know summer just happened but I cannot wait until summer 2016. Educational counseling seems really cool, and something I was also looking into. Do you need to take the GRE for that? And is it just a masters degree or could you just simply get a credential in counseling and work later on your masters?
That is awesome that you want to do something that you really enjoy doing; there are so many people who get into a career just for the financial benefit. I have heard of many counselors who screw over students that is nice to know that there are people who genuinely want to help people. I know it's hard to stay motivated, but you are almost there. Good luck!
DeleteHey Alyssa,
DeleteI personally would continue for your masters degree right after you graduate. I feel like some people lose motivation if they take a break from school. But if you know your motivation level will be the same if you take a break from school and come back, you should definitely give your body some time to relax.
Terra- I don't think I need to take the GRE, but now that you brought it up I will do some more research to find out(: I don't have to necessarily get a credential because I wouldn't be working with k-12. I primarily would like to work with college students.
DeleteNatalie- Thank you for such kind words. By experience when I was at BC a counselor screwed me over until I finally decided to take the student development course and tried to reverse the damage lol.
Lorena- I agree some people do lose motivation and when I was transferring from BC to CSUB I knew for a fact that if I took a break I wouldn't go back; therefore, I kept pushing foward.
Crafting and baking have always been one of my favorite stress relievers. I have always found myself either baking or crafting during the weekend before starting on my homework or reading. Lately I have not been able to craft or bake during the weekends because I am currently overloading. I simply do not have time to slack off. I am anxiously awaiting for the quarter to be over, so I can continue to do what I enjoy doing in my free time. I really enjoy making bows, and stacked boutique bows are my specialty. I typically make three to five layered bows, and it can be rather time consuming. It usually takes me about an hour to an hour and a half to construct one stacked boutique bow, depending how many layers I want to add to it. I have become very good at it that people often ask who made them and if I sell them. While I am flattered by their comments, I announce that I do sell them because I am quite busy with school and work; it would be far more time consuming to make bows for various clients rather than for three little girls that happen to be my sister, niece, and boyfriends cousin. I see it as more of a hobby rather than a potential source of income, although I do sometimes contemplate the benefits of having that extra source of income. Maybe after this dreadful quarter, I will start to sell bows as I will not be working during the month of December. Thus, the potential income I can make will seem much more appealing.
ReplyDeleteI love to bake things, cooking is not my forte. Have you seen those cute Disney bows people make? They're made after characters with common color or other identifiable aspects. They're super cute. I think anyone who is artistic and can find a way to live doing their art is amazing! There's not reason not to try it after all.
DeleteI love that you are so crafty. I also enjoy to bake; I usually love baking cheesecakes, or cookies. How about you? Any favorite recipes? And you definitely should sell your bows; I'm sure a lot of people would want to buy them to give out as gifts for Christmas. I started making scarves a couple of months ago,but because of school, I had to stop. So, hopefully I'll be able to start again when the quarter is over.
DeleteThat is so cool! I'm not very good at baking myself, but I love arts and crafts. I can relate. When this quarter is over, I can get back to crafting. =]
DeleteSince it's almost going to be Halloween, I thought I'd talk about my Halloween party my family will be having this weekend. Many people love Halloween because it is a time to dress up, eat excess amounts of candy, watch horror movies, or to go to haunted houses. For me, though, it's a time to have fun with family. For the past five years, our family has hosted a family Halloween party for the little ones. There is no alcohol, no provocative costumes, or over-the-top gory props; just good food, funny costumes, and games. Even though we do not have gory props, we still incorporate some creepy elements to make it feel somewhat scary for the kids. We place fog machines next to a hand-made headless horseman, put flickering lights behind a cutout backdrop with sounds to emulate thunder, and hang sacks of "dead bodies" up on a tree where a giant spider lingers nearby. We also put eyes that glow in the bushes, and switch the pool light to have it glow red to give it an eerie feeling. As far as the games go, we usually just try to focus on having the kids do activities and games, such as charades, a pumpkin toss, a couple of drawing activities, and a cake walk. This year, though, we will be adding a couple of new games that the adults can participate in as well. One is called vampire kiss, in which everyone playing wears vampire teeth, and the main goal is to be able to transfer as many marshmallows onto another plate as possible. The other game is called the mummy wrap. This one simply requires toilet paper and two people per team. The point of this game is to race against other teams to see who can wrap a mummy the quickest. To the people who win, we give out small prizes, like gift cards, or candies for the kids. It takes a lot of work to set up our backyard, but it is completely worth it. I cannot wait for tomorrow to see my family; we are all so busy that this is one occasion in which we can be together and enjoy ourselves.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like so much fun! I hope in the future I will have a family that throws parties on the holidays.
DeleteThis party definitely sounds like the place to be! It's rare now-a-days to attend a party where there's no alcohol involved, even if there's kids around. It sounds like a big family game night, which are always tons of fun! What are you planning on dressing up as this year?
DeleteYa it's tons of fun. Well, this year, my boyfriend and I are dressing up as characters from a 90's game show. Have you ever seen Legends of the Hidden Temple? But in the past, I've dressed up as Pikachu,and Princess Leia. My parents are dressing up as Tom Hanks from Castaway and my mom is dressing up as the Wilson ball this year; It already looks hilarious!
DeleteNo, I haven't seen Legends of the Hidden Temple. But it sure does sound like your family goes all out; which makes things that much better! =)
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ReplyDeleteWell after giving some thought about what to write I decided to write about my experience on the QPR (question persuade refer) training that I attended today Friday October 23, 15. The psychology club presented this training. This training provided information on how to recognize a crisis and warning signs that someone may be thinking about suicide. I learned that there are direct verbal clues: I’ve decided to kill myself. - I wish I were dead. -I’m going to commit suicide. - I’m going to end it all. - If such and such doesn’t happen, ill kill myself. Some of the indirect verbal clues that ware given were: I’m tired of life. - What’s the point of going on? My family would be better without me. - Her take this cherished possession: I wont be needing it, and so on. The first step of QPR is asking the “S” question, they say that it is better to ask a less direct approach, such as have you been unhappy lately?, Have you been so very unhappy you wished you were dead? You know, when people are as upset as you seem to be, they sometimes wish they were dead. I’m wondering if you’re feeling that way too? The second step is, how to persuade someone to get help. Giving your full attention not interrupting, not judgment or rushing, this are some ways an individual can be a good listener. The last step is Referral. According, to the QPR training the best way to refer someone is when you personally take the person you are worried about to a mental health provider. CSUB offers counseling help as well as the counselor-training clinic.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, I didn't know that there was a step-to-step process on how to talk to and persuade people who were considering suicide. I like that in step two, you give the patient your undivided attention, which is sometimes what they need in order to confront their feelings and to feel like someone really cares about them.
DeleteYes, Sylvia this was very interesting. Everyone deserves to have some time of ours to listen attentively. I feel that time is priceless.
DeleteRecently, I’ve had a few questions about the decisions that we make. For example, why do we do the things that we do, aside from attaining shelter and food? Do we really make our own decisions or do we let others decide for us? Do we do things because we are passionate in doing them, we need security, or because society tells us to? I know that most people will say that we need to find our balance—to not be too carried away by what others think of us but also to not be carried away by our ego—but where do we draw the line?
ReplyDeleteFor example, for me, ever since I was kid, I was always told that I was going to go to college. I never doubted that I was, but I also never questioned why I was going. I would be told by my parents, family members, and friends that a STEM major was the way to go. Doing a STEM major is the only way you can earn good money and therefore be happy (I agree that this perspective is really biased). Right now, I’m in my fourth year of biology, and I am complacent with this major. I sometimes wonder what I would have chosen if I didn’t have the encouragement from my family to go that direction in college.
How do you guys make your decisions? What are your decision-making processes? Does what your family and friends tell you play a big role on how you make your decisions, do you follow your intuition, or do you do a little of both?
Today was my Grandmother's birthday and Mom and Brother drove to Coalinga to visit her. Personally, I see it as a bitter sweet event. I am grateful that she has made it another year and that she remains healthy at the moment. I can't help but get sad sometimes though when I think that she is only getting older and more immobile. It is one of those things in life that you must learn to accept and is inevitable. I think that when you learn to accept the process of life it actually becomes easier to deal when seeing the aging process and eventually endure deaths in the family. Nobody wants their loved ones to pass, but unfortunately it is just part of life. Today I spent the day celebrating her life and enjoying her presence. All we can do live day by day and not take your loved ones for granted. People are here today and could be gone tomorrow. I had the privilege of seeing her smile when she received her flowers. She enjoys cheesecake; therefore, my mother bought her a strawberry cheesecake from SaveMart. My Grandmother was really content. I think what made her the most happy was the fact that she just got to see us. Today was a great day.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you enjoyed your quality time with your grandma. I sometimes, too, grow a bit scared that may parents are aging a little every day, and will eventually die. However, like you said, we must enjoy the time that we actually spend with them. We shouldn't worry about death because it's a waste of time and inevitable.
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