I just love American Idol and I haven't written much about it. My sister Amber writes about it each week and I have been a slacker. This week the performances were a little boring being "Big Band Night." I still have the same top three though that I have had the entire time. My top three list is as follows:
1. Adam Lambert
2. Danny Gokey
3. Allison Iraheta
This week I was glad to see Matt Giraud go. He kind of drove me crazy because he thought he was "hot stuff" but he really wasn't. The song he chose wasn't very good and I just don't like him at all.
The performances during the results show were interesting. Seeing Taylor Hicks I still don't understand how he really won. I just had to endure that performance. Jamie Fox was great as a mentor but I did not like his perfomance. It seems a little weird to me that he is trying to act like Kanye West or some other R&B artist. Not the best week for entertainment.
I think Adam is going to win it all. Watching him he doesn't even really seem to have to try too hard to be amazing. He is really good. I'm excited to see him next week when the genre is "Rock 'n Roll." I think this will be my favorite week so far.
I think Kris Allen is going home this week. I don't think that he has a loud enough voice to sing rock songs. Plus the faces he pulls while singing bother me. I'm hoping that he is the next to go.
I'll give another update next week!
Friday, May 1, 2009
It's the Wedding Season!!
Two of my freshman roommates got married to their new husbands this week. I just want to congratulate Linsey and Nicholas Walker who got married yesterday! Also, I want to congratulate Steffanie and Cameron Reece who got married today! I'm so excited for all of you!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
We are graduating Friday...It's official!
Scott and I both picked up our cap and gown for graduation today! This means we are really graduating since we have the correct apparel now. Graduation is Friday and we are so excited! Graduation has always seemed like forever away but now it is here.
It has been a long road getting to this point, but very worth it. Looking back on my college experience I have changed a lot over the past 4 years...for the better of course. From staying up late Freshman year....Sophomore year at the Glenwood.... Junior year getting engaged...senior year getting married....student teaching...and now graduating-it has been a journey. It is just crazy finally reaching this point. It won't feel real to me until Friday afternoon.
Soon will come a lot of change and I don't really like change. Growing up is a hard thing to do! After this week our next big adventure will be as of now moving to Ohio at the end of the summer. For those of you who don't know, Scott is going to medical school in the fall. That's why we are moving. Right now he is planning on going to Ohio State University. Those plans could change if we hear from any other schools but that is where we are at right now. I am going to enjoy the summer and not stress quite yet:)
I'm done with school for a long time! Scott still has many many years left to go...
It has been a long road getting to this point, but very worth it. Looking back on my college experience I have changed a lot over the past 4 years...for the better of course. From staying up late Freshman year....Sophomore year at the Glenwood.... Junior year getting engaged...senior year getting married....student teaching...and now graduating-it has been a journey. It is just crazy finally reaching this point. It won't feel real to me until Friday afternoon.
Soon will come a lot of change and I don't really like change. Growing up is a hard thing to do! After this week our next big adventure will be as of now moving to Ohio at the end of the summer. For those of you who don't know, Scott is going to medical school in the fall. That's why we are moving. Right now he is planning on going to Ohio State University. Those plans could change if we hear from any other schools but that is where we are at right now. I am going to enjoy the summer and not stress quite yet:)
I'm done with school for a long time! Scott still has many many years left to go...
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Sorry about boring posts...
Sorry all I talk about is teaching. That's just my life right now and some days it is not too exciting. Teaching in Junior High is never boring, but sometimes I try to forget about the daily events.
Discipline in Jr. High
The other day I was teaching the 7th graders. They were working on an assignment to redesign a menu. They were all working fine until it got to 5th period... There were two students in my class that decided that they didn't want to do anything.
I walked over to their desk and told them to get to work. They replied saying, "I don't have to do this, all I need is a D- in this class." I didn't know how to respond because what can you do when your students don't care about their grades. I proceeded to ignore their comment and walked around the room to them. I stood by their desks again and told them again to work on their assignment. They again basically told me that they didn't care. Keep in mind that this was my first day teaching the 7th graders and there was also a substitute in the room. I wasn't sure what other consequence I could give them since they weren't motivated by grades. I proceeded to tell them as it got to the end of class, "boys, we will talk about this on Monday."
When Monday came, my cooperating teacher was back. I talked to her to find out what to do. We talked about it and made a decision. When my students came in for 5th period that day I was going to demonstrate to them how to make smoothies. I told the other students to go into the kitchen but had the two boys stay behind.
I decided I wanted them to do a lot of the talking so I just said calmly, "Why did you have to stay behind?" They explained to me that they were not very nice last time and didn't do their work. I asked them if it would be fair if they were able to participate in the smoothie lab next time. They said no. I proceeded to tell them that they could watch in the demonstration but they would be working on the assignment they didn't do during the lab next time. They agreed and the next day I had to enforce it.
At the end of school after I had told them the consequence I saw one of the boys in the hallway. He yelled to me, "Why can't I make smoothies?" I answered saying, "You know why..." Then he said, "Why can't you be nice?" I was so close to saying, "Why can't you?" but I didn't stoop to his level I just kept on walking.
Discipline is really hard for me to do! One of the boys came to class the next day and I had him work on the assignment. Of course the other boy was sluffing and didn't show up so the next day he was in In School Detention (not my rule, the school's rule).
Teaching is so much fun! Disciplining just puts a damper on things... Too bad all students can't be little angels...
I walked over to their desk and told them to get to work. They replied saying, "I don't have to do this, all I need is a D- in this class." I didn't know how to respond because what can you do when your students don't care about their grades. I proceeded to ignore their comment and walked around the room to them. I stood by their desks again and told them again to work on their assignment. They again basically told me that they didn't care. Keep in mind that this was my first day teaching the 7th graders and there was also a substitute in the room. I wasn't sure what other consequence I could give them since they weren't motivated by grades. I proceeded to tell them as it got to the end of class, "boys, we will talk about this on Monday."
When Monday came, my cooperating teacher was back. I talked to her to find out what to do. We talked about it and made a decision. When my students came in for 5th period that day I was going to demonstrate to them how to make smoothies. I told the other students to go into the kitchen but had the two boys stay behind.
I decided I wanted them to do a lot of the talking so I just said calmly, "Why did you have to stay behind?" They explained to me that they were not very nice last time and didn't do their work. I asked them if it would be fair if they were able to participate in the smoothie lab next time. They said no. I proceeded to tell them that they could watch in the demonstration but they would be working on the assignment they didn't do during the lab next time. They agreed and the next day I had to enforce it.
At the end of school after I had told them the consequence I saw one of the boys in the hallway. He yelled to me, "Why can't I make smoothies?" I answered saying, "You know why..." Then he said, "Why can't you be nice?" I was so close to saying, "Why can't you?" but I didn't stoop to his level I just kept on walking.
Discipline is really hard for me to do! One of the boys came to class the next day and I had him work on the assignment. Of course the other boy was sluffing and didn't show up so the next day he was in In School Detention (not my rule, the school's rule).
Teaching is so much fun! Disciplining just puts a damper on things... Too bad all students can't be little angels...
Sunday, March 15, 2009
This week in Junior High...
This has been a very busy week teaching!
Monday: I taught about natural and refined sugars. To show them how much sugar is in different foods I measured it all out into plastic bags so they could see. I also measured out how much sugar you would consume if you had a can of soda everyday for a week, and also a month. They were amazed at how much sugar they were consuming.
Tuesday: I did a Jeopardy Test Review. I made a PowerPoint for the Jeopardy game. They had a lot of fun answering the questions. Games are a lot more work than just teaching a lesson. Students don't realize that games are not that much fun for the teacher---it's more work on our part! So according to my students when asked what a sifter does, if you didn't know.... it sifts! That made me laugh, that was the only way they could explain it.
Wednesday: They took a test! Which made a very easy day for me except I had to grade them all afterwards. Grading takes a long time!
Thursday: I started talking about Protein. I showed a PowerPoint that I made. Then in the 9th grade class I had them cut out food out of magazines that had protein and glued them on paper plates. They had to make a plate that was using complete proteins and one using incomplete proteins. In the 8th grade class I had different foods printed on squares on a piece of paper. They cut them out and matched them up with a plant source of protein and an animal source of protein making them complete.
Friday: Today was Protein Activity Day! For both 8th and 9th grade I had a bunch of words about protein scrambled. I made it a competition divided into 4 teams. Each team had a marker and when they knew one of the words that was scrambled they would run up and write it on the board. I gave the winning team some candy. They got really into this. Then for the 8th grade I played the fly swatter game where you write a bunch of words all over the board. Then you give each team a fly swatter. You read out questions and they have to hit their answer with the fly swatter. For the 9th graders I played a basketball game. On their turn they got to choose if they were going to answer a 1 pt. 2 pt. or 3 pt. question. If they got their question right then they got to shoot a basket. I had lines of masking tape on the floor for the 1 pt. 2 pt. and 3 pt. and they stood on the lines and shot a ball into the garbage can. If they made the basket they got the points. They loved that game! It was a fun, but tiring day!
It was a great week, but I'm ready to start another week! I only have like 5 weeks left of student teaching. Also in there is a week of Spring Break so only really like 4 weeks. It's a little crazy!
I have come to realize that I am a little naive. Students nowadays are exposed to a lot more than I ever was. It saddens me at times what students deal with these days. I have also come to realize that parents are extremely important in a child's life. You can tell which students have involved parents and which ones don't. I am learning a lot in this whole experience! More than just teaching...
Monday: I taught about natural and refined sugars. To show them how much sugar is in different foods I measured it all out into plastic bags so they could see. I also measured out how much sugar you would consume if you had a can of soda everyday for a week, and also a month. They were amazed at how much sugar they were consuming.
Tuesday: I did a Jeopardy Test Review. I made a PowerPoint for the Jeopardy game. They had a lot of fun answering the questions. Games are a lot more work than just teaching a lesson. Students don't realize that games are not that much fun for the teacher---it's more work on our part! So according to my students when asked what a sifter does, if you didn't know.... it sifts! That made me laugh, that was the only way they could explain it.
Wednesday: They took a test! Which made a very easy day for me except I had to grade them all afterwards. Grading takes a long time!
Thursday: I started talking about Protein. I showed a PowerPoint that I made. Then in the 9th grade class I had them cut out food out of magazines that had protein and glued them on paper plates. They had to make a plate that was using complete proteins and one using incomplete proteins. In the 8th grade class I had different foods printed on squares on a piece of paper. They cut them out and matched them up with a plant source of protein and an animal source of protein making them complete.
Friday: Today was Protein Activity Day! For both 8th and 9th grade I had a bunch of words about protein scrambled. I made it a competition divided into 4 teams. Each team had a marker and when they knew one of the words that was scrambled they would run up and write it on the board. I gave the winning team some candy. They got really into this. Then for the 8th grade I played the fly swatter game where you write a bunch of words all over the board. Then you give each team a fly swatter. You read out questions and they have to hit their answer with the fly swatter. For the 9th graders I played a basketball game. On their turn they got to choose if they were going to answer a 1 pt. 2 pt. or 3 pt. question. If they got their question right then they got to shoot a basket. I had lines of masking tape on the floor for the 1 pt. 2 pt. and 3 pt. and they stood on the lines and shot a ball into the garbage can. If they made the basket they got the points. They loved that game! It was a fun, but tiring day!
It was a great week, but I'm ready to start another week! I only have like 5 weeks left of student teaching. Also in there is a week of Spring Break so only really like 4 weeks. It's a little crazy!
I have come to realize that I am a little naive. Students nowadays are exposed to a lot more than I ever was. It saddens me at times what students deal with these days. I have also come to realize that parents are extremely important in a child's life. You can tell which students have involved parents and which ones don't. I am learning a lot in this whole experience! More than just teaching...
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Update on Junior High
So, I'm now teaching at a Junior High in Murray. I was really scared to start teaching at Jr. High because I had gotten comfortable at the High School I was at. I started teaching this week and I have been really nervous before I have taught each day. I am teaching the foods classes which are really fun and what I think I'd like to eventually teach. I started with the 8th graders this week.
Tuesday I taught about Carbohydrates and had them do an activity where they cut out pictures out of magazines and put them on sheets that said either simple or complex.
Wednesday I taught them about fiber. I went through a PowerPoint about fiber and grossed them out a little bit talking about digestion. Then I put up pictures all over the white board of food. They had to make a list of foods they would eat to get all the fiber they needed in the day. The girls had to do 20-25, and boys 30-38. After they made their lists I told them how much fiber was in each food. They were surprised about how much fiber they needed and how the foods that they ate weren't very full of fiber.
Thursday I did an Apple Pancakes Demonstration because that was the lab that they had to do on Friday. I went through the entire recipe with them. I also told random facts and stories about pancakes. In the lab they have a camera that projects the demo on the screen so they can see everything. They say it's like watching Rachel Ray. That day I fulfilled my dreams of having my own cooking show:) Some of the random things I shared about pancakes were: I found out that there is a Pancake Appreciation Society.
Their website is no other than http://www.welovepancakes.com/. They even have a pledge that they say, it says:
Friday they were doing their Apple Pancakes Lab. My supervisor from BYU was there to observe so I was a little nervous. They did really well in their lab except there were a few mishaps. I turn around and one of the students is up at the front of the room with cinnamin all over the counter and all over his arms. My supervisor was in the corner laughing so I walked over to him and I asked him what happened. It turns out he was trying to tip the huge cinnamin container over to pour it into the teaspoon instead of opening it up and putting the teaspoon inside. Anyways that's how it ended up all over. I was calm and just said, okay I understand how that happened, now please go get a rag and clean it up. He did and everything was fine. I also walked over to another group and saw that they didn't follow their directions on making their syrup and they had put in their butter before they were supposed to. When I went over I said, did you read your recipe? They of course said yes. Then I said, well maybe you should read it again so you would know when to put your butter in. They were like, what do we do? Is it going to turn out? I just told them to start over again. They did and it worked the second time. It's amazing what happens when you follow a recipe:) It all turned out well and my supervisor was very pleased with how it went which made me feel good.
I'll share the adventures I have next week. In Junior High there is never a dull moment. Right now my students are trying to push me to feel out their boundaries. I'm trying to be firm yet friendly trying to gain their respect as a teacher. Each day is a step forward. I only have about 5 weeks left of student teaching. It goes by so fast! Graduation is right around the corner!
In case you wanted it, here's the apple pancakes recipe:
Apple Pancakes
Pancakes:
2 cups Bisquick
1 Egg
1 cup Shredded Apples
½ teaspoon Cinnamon
1 ½ cups Milk
Mix Bisquick with cinnamon, egg and milk. Beat until smooth. Stir in apples and cook pancakes.
Apple Syrup:
1 cup Sugar
¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
½ teaspoon Cinnamon
3 tablespoons Bisquick
2 cups Apple Juice
¼ cup Butter
Combine sugar, Bisquick, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Blend in apple, and lemon juice. Cook stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils for one minute. Remove from heat and stir in butter.
Tuesday I taught about Carbohydrates and had them do an activity where they cut out pictures out of magazines and put them on sheets that said either simple or complex.
Wednesday I taught them about fiber. I went through a PowerPoint about fiber and grossed them out a little bit talking about digestion. Then I put up pictures all over the white board of food. They had to make a list of foods they would eat to get all the fiber they needed in the day. The girls had to do 20-25, and boys 30-38. After they made their lists I told them how much fiber was in each food. They were surprised about how much fiber they needed and how the foods that they ate weren't very full of fiber.
Thursday I did an Apple Pancakes Demonstration because that was the lab that they had to do on Friday. I went through the entire recipe with them. I also told random facts and stories about pancakes. In the lab they have a camera that projects the demo on the screen so they can see everything. They say it's like watching Rachel Ray. That day I fulfilled my dreams of having my own cooking show:) Some of the random things I shared about pancakes were: I found out that there is a Pancake Appreciation Society.
Their website is no other than http://www.welovepancakes.com/. They even have a pledge that they say, it says:- “ I solemnly swear, from this day forth to enjoy the flip-tastic delight that is pancakes and to branch out and experiment with different toppings this Pancake Day and beyond.
Friday they were doing their Apple Pancakes Lab. My supervisor from BYU was there to observe so I was a little nervous. They did really well in their lab except there were a few mishaps. I turn around and one of the students is up at the front of the room with cinnamin all over the counter and all over his arms. My supervisor was in the corner laughing so I walked over to him and I asked him what happened. It turns out he was trying to tip the huge cinnamin container over to pour it into the teaspoon instead of opening it up and putting the teaspoon inside. Anyways that's how it ended up all over. I was calm and just said, okay I understand how that happened, now please go get a rag and clean it up. He did and everything was fine. I also walked over to another group and saw that they didn't follow their directions on making their syrup and they had put in their butter before they were supposed to. When I went over I said, did you read your recipe? They of course said yes. Then I said, well maybe you should read it again so you would know when to put your butter in. They were like, what do we do? Is it going to turn out? I just told them to start over again. They did and it worked the second time. It's amazing what happens when you follow a recipe:) It all turned out well and my supervisor was very pleased with how it went which made me feel good.
I'll share the adventures I have next week. In Junior High there is never a dull moment. Right now my students are trying to push me to feel out their boundaries. I'm trying to be firm yet friendly trying to gain their respect as a teacher. Each day is a step forward. I only have about 5 weeks left of student teaching. It goes by so fast! Graduation is right around the corner!
In case you wanted it, here's the apple pancakes recipe:
Apple Pancakes
Pancakes:
2 cups Bisquick
1 Egg
1 cup Shredded Apples
½ teaspoon Cinnamon
1 ½ cups Milk
Mix Bisquick with cinnamon, egg and milk. Beat until smooth. Stir in apples and cook pancakes.
Apple Syrup:
1 cup Sugar
¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
½ teaspoon Cinnamon
3 tablespoons Bisquick
2 cups Apple Juice
¼ cup Butter
Combine sugar, Bisquick, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Blend in apple, and lemon juice. Cook stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils for one minute. Remove from heat and stir in butter.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Some Cards I've Made Recently
I like to find any excuse that I can make a card. These are two of my most recent I decided to share. The first one is a baby shower invitation that I made to send out for my friend Katherine.
I made these thank-you cards for the teachers I worked with at Lone Peak.
-Ashley
Thursday, February 26, 2009
New Product
"I'll buy almost anything if it's shiny and made by Apple."
"I like how the email automatically says, 'Sent from a MacBook Wheel,' that way people know you have one."
I hope you like this video as much as I do.
- Scott
Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard
"I like how the email automatically says, 'Sent from a MacBook Wheel,' that way people know you have one."
I hope you like this video as much as I do.
- Scott
Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard
Monday, February 16, 2009
Grocery Shopping
I was at the grocery store the other day, and I didn't have much time. I had almost everything I needed in my cart when I stopped to look at the drink section. While my back was turned, someone decided to take off with MY cart! I looked up and down the aisle to no avail. It was gone, and in it's place was another cart, full of boring, useless groceries. I didn't know if it would be quicker to go "shopping" again for everything I needed, but I decided to wait for a few minutes, hoping the culprit would come back to return the stolen goods. He never showed.I went on a hunt, looking for my grocery cart. I'm sure the other shoppers must have thought I was crazy, as I was both discreetly and not-so-discreetly spying on what groceries they had in their own carts. "Hey Mister, stocking up on the Twinkies, I see??? Ma'am, one of you eggs is cracked. Do you really need THAT much toilet paper??"
I couldn't find it. The suspect must have purchased my groceries and gone home, or so I thought. I gave up and decided to get a cart to do my shopping over again, this time in reverse. As I was on my way to where I left off, I couldn't help but look at what other people were packing around in their carts. And there it was...not my cart, but the abandoned one. As he was approaching me, I couldn't contain my voice, and found myself shouting and pointing, "HEY, YOU STOLE MY CART! WHERE IS IT?!" He cowardly looked away, and said he left it by the checkout stand. I proceeded to follow him to the "checkout stand," which turned out not to be the front of the store, but up the middle of the far aisle on the end of the store, abandoned next to the kitty litter and feminine products, neither of which he was in the market for. He realized he made a mistake, wasn't man enough to fess up, and tried to bury the evidence.
If you play with fire, sooner or later you'll get burned. You may have gotten away with grocery cart petty crimes before, but not today. :)
Scott
Friday, February 13, 2009
Friday the 13th...
Teaching has its ups and downs. Sometimes I love it because the students are so fun, and participating. Other days the students just don't want to listen to me and it makes me feel bad. I think something was in the air today at school. Maybe the fact of it being Friday the 13th kind of stirred them up a bit. I'm not sure. The students were distracted by something that's for sure. I'm very glad that it is a long weekend! Sometimes I just have to remind myself that I really do want to be a teacher...
Monday, February 9, 2009
Exercise
My first blog post . . . Ashley's just too good at keeping everyone updated, so I never have a chance to write :) The intramural basketball team I'm on is now 2-0. We won our last game shooting free-throws with 0.6 seconds left in the game. It was tied before that, and our unfortunate opponents foolishly fouled our player on a 3-point shot. He easily sunk all 3 baskets, and we won 39-36.
I went running again tonight, and it's been a while since I've been running regularly. I was still able to run a 4-mile stretch, but my goal is to work back up to marathon stamina by the end of the summer.
That's all for now.
I went running again tonight, and it's been a while since I've been running regularly. I was still able to run a 4-mile stretch, but my goal is to work back up to marathon stamina by the end of the summer.
That's all for now.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Yes I'm still Mrs. Stevenson even though I have a raspy, manly voice...
I lost my voice by the end of each of the class periods I taught today. It was not much fun. At the beginning of the class I apologized for my manly, rough voice. They were nice to me and quieted down without me having to talk too loud. It's funny looking back now because I sounded ridiculous---well I still do...
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Can a teacher teach with no voice?
Today my voice has been going in and out today...It's a good thing that I had a guest speaker for my classes today! I hope my voice is not completely gone tomorrow. Can you teach a lesson through pantomime? I might be signing as a last result...It's too bad I didn't get a very good grade in sign language. Wish me luck tomorrow!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
It's no fun being sick while teaching...
I got sick yesterday and I had to teach three periods today. My ears are plugged up so I could not tell while teaching how loud I was talking. I feel like I was yelling all day. My throat hurt so bad by the end of the day from talking so much. Luckily it was a late start day so classes were only 50 minutes. Hopefully tomorrow goes better. We did do a textiles lab today where I burned fabrics for the class--they liked that, except it stunk really bad. It's no fun being stick while teaching...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)