Echoes (series) by Jamilah Kolocotronis

This is only my second book review of an entire series, but I have wanted to review the books in the Echoes series for a long time. Today is finally the day!
 
Echoes by Jamilah Kolocotronis has 5 books in the series. In order, they are:
1. Echoes
2. Rebounding
3. Turbulence
4. Ripples
5. Silence
 
To read the description for each book usually found in the back, please click the titles above.
 
I first found out about this series about 6 years ago when a friend sent me the ebooks to the first 4 books in this series. At the time, Islamic fiction was new to me, so it was refreshing to take a break from all the science fiction/ fantasy I was reading. For those people who dislike the books saying they are preachy of Islam, what did you expect from a Muslim publisher??? Who do you think the main audience is??? I don't think the books are preachy and I like how topics are connected to Islam and how references to Islam are made. To me, everything seemed to flow nicely.
 
I really enjoyed the series then and even now rereading the series for the second time. I would consider it one of my favorite series and a great introduction to Islamic fiction (for adults). I like how the author doesn't shy away from any subject. She includes a lot of different subjects throughout the series including life and death, parenthood, marriage and divorce, suicide, gangs, addiction, work and family problems, etc. Because of all of these subjects, I feel like the series is for adults. Therefore, I would only recommend it to adults!

Although I liked all the books each for their own reasons, I enjoyed Turbulence the most, then Ripples, Silence, Echoes, and finally Rebounding. A character's travels to the Grand Canyon, oceans, mountains, Seattle, Michigan, South Dakota, etc. sounded fun. It made me want to go traveling too! I also liked the funny sarcasm parts in Turbulence and Silence. The books did make me realize a few things. For example, the parent-child relationships (particularly in Silence) made me realize I have a lot to improve on. The death of a character towards the end of the series also made me think about how I might die and what I want to accomplish before my death.

Some parts related to family life were interesting. For example, how a character said you can't like someone (or at least it is hard to like someone) that doesn't respect your mother. True! Another character realizes she should have given her children a better father. This goes both ways! When looking for a spouse, one should consider if that person would make a good parent for future children. I really liked "Uncle  Psychologist's" counseling bits. Finally, a marriage might not look like it is going well, but if the children learn from the adult's mistakes, the children can be the best thing that came out of the marriage. This goes to show that mistakes can be a good thing if people learn from them.

Since I am "judging" a series, I think it is okay to say that there were 3 things I didn't like, but still consider it a favorite series. All the characters got me confused at one point, so I actually made a family tree! Of course in 5 big books in a series, there will be a lot of characters. In the Echoes series, there were 20+ main characters! However, I liked that the series went further into the lives of 3 brothers and their children, especially in Ripples. Secondly, despite all the conflicts which were interesting to read about, it got tiring that most of the time, things seemed to work out in the end. Finally, I noticed a number of typos (in Silence).
 
If you want to purchase these books, please order a brand new copy from Books by the Dozen to support by business :)

Practicum Journals 7-9

For more info. on what these journals are and to read journals 1-6, please click here http://sfraww.blogspot.com/search/label/My%20Journal%20Writings

Week 7 (November 4 & 5) Journal

The two days at practicum this week were busy and eventful. On Tuesday, I got the chance to “teach” the students during math and science. The teachers were occupied with other things, so they asked if I could take care of the class. Having their math (and reading) routines memorized, I felt like I could do this! While the students sat at the rug, I played their usual educational songs via YouTube on the smart board; big numbers, days of the week, months of the year, one song on coins and another on the tricky teens. I asked some questions in between, but soon afterwards, it was lunch time so that was as far as we got. (Usually they have centers after songs at the rug.)  

After lunch, my CT asked if I could read a book to the students about Veterans Day. I felt the book was too advanced for the students and not interesting, but that was the only book available on the subject. So again, I asked questions about the book and later showed them a video of last year’s Veterans Day parade. For “busy” work, the teachers asked the students to draw a picture of a parade. Not really exciting, but I couldn’t think of an alternative on the spot. Since there was still time left before the media teacher came, I read Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Louis Ehlert. 

Wednesday was much more exciting. The students took a (standardized) test, the first test I’ve seen them take! My CT went over step by step with the students what they had to do for each part. The test included questions on matching beginning sound pictures, comprehension questions of a short story, recognizing letter sounds, and writing a sentence. While I was walking around, I was surprised (my wow moment) to see many of the students who I thought were smart (because they would answer questions correctly at the rug,) were struggling with the test. I noticed only two students got all 10 questions correct on the matching beginning sound pictures. The IEP students didn’t do that bad, but could have used some individual assistance. 

There was an assembly on safety, so I went with the whole class. Because this cut into the math period, my math lesson for an assignment was affected. I did it on shapes and realized I shouldn’t give stickers the students like in between the lesson (my oops moment)! I wanted to reward and encourage the students to participate, so I thought giving them each a sticker at the rug for answering would be better than giving one for the final assignment (which I wouldn’t have been able to since I didn’t finish). The students were getting distracted by the Disney Frozen stickers and I would constantly have to get their attention away from comparing their stickers with classmates. I eventually got a hoarse throat on top of my already bad cough!

For my lesson, I played a song on shapes in the beginning which worked out well. I also used shape manipulatives and taught them a mnemonic; to remember an octagon has 8 sides, think of an octopus with 8 legs because octo-means 8 in a different language! If I could reteach this lesson (my aha moment), I would ask the students to come up and draw shapes on the anchor chart instead of me doing it all. This would get them on their feet and engage them more. For the final assignment, I would change it and have the students draw a scene including at least 5 shapes they learned about in the lesson. Hopefully my CT will let me reteach this lesson! 

After I had my quick lunch and went to the cafeteria as usual, I showed some students my state quarter collection. I need to pick a few students to start a collection for an assignment and after asking a few students if they collect anything, I showed my collection as an example. Even though they don’t understand what states are, they were really fascinated seeing so many coins (50)! The five students I picked to help me, decided they want to collect coins as well, but we will have to pick something easily available on school property, like leaves.     

In the afternoon, I helped the SPED teacher work on a thanksgiving bulletin board project with the students. They had to use four adjectives to describe a person they were thankful for. It was at this time that a little girl said something disturbing about someone at home! Because my CT was at a meeting, I emailed her later and asked her to take care of the situation with the student and she later told me she did. 

All in all, I was exhausted by the end of the day. I still want to continue taking advantage of any teaching moments I can and hopefully the teachers will give me more opportunities! Week 8 will be very busy as well, especially since school #7 is closed on Tuesday for Veteran’s Day. The semester is going by really fast, but I have enjoyed practicum so far!    

 

Week 8 (November 12) Journal

 

Since School #7 was closed on Tuesday for Veteran’s Day, Wednesday was the only day of practicum this week. Due to this, I only had one day to teach my lesson for an art class assignment. For this assignment, we had to infuse art with a core subject and include an art project such as acting, singing, collage making, drawing using pastels/ paint, etc. I combined social studies and art and my lesson was on how we can be kind to others. I read a book, Each Kindness, and asked questions every few pages. Before starting the book, I asked what kindness meant, and many of the students didn’t know until a boy said “being nice”. By the end of the story, the students were able to understand the difference between what is kind and what is unkind. My CT was out for the day at workshops, but the SPED teacher was nice enough to give me tips (my aha moment) throughout my lesson. For example, she suggested I shorten my lessons for KG students or “put myself on fire” to keep the students engaged and excited, skip parts in the story that students might be sensitive to, define words like regret, etc.    

 

For the activity, I had the students get into 4 groups to practice a short skit on an act of kindness, ex. sharing, saying nice words, helping peers, and not pushing in line, so they could perform for their classmates. I knew from the beginning the options we were given on what art form we could do would be too difficult and messy for kindergarten, but I had to choose something from the list. While I was helping another group, two boys did something and one boy got hurt. He was taken to the nurse, but was fine when he got back. It was a mistake (my oops moment) to have the students attempt acting in groups, something they were probably not used to doing. The SPED teacher advised me that I end my lesson at the rug and have them do something else at their seats instead. So I had the students draw what kind act they did in their groups and collected their work. 

 

Eventually, the students went down to the book fair to see what books they wanted to buy the next day. The students would ask me or the SPED teacher for the price of the books and I felt bad when a few students expressed their concerns to me about money. The lack of money at home will make students feel bad for themselves if they can’t afford something they want while some of their peers might be able to. During my lesson, the SPED teacher told me to skip the part in the story about the girl wearing a dress that looked like it came from a secondhand store. I was surprised (my wow moment) to hear that some of the children in my practicum class are in a similar situation. I don’t blame the little students and nor will this negatively change my attitude or behavior towards them, but it does sadden me to know their situation, especially since they are so young. 

 

Two thirds of practicum semester is over and I am starting to think about what I can give to the students as goodbye presents. I know I don’t have to, but I will miss the students very much and I want them to have something to remember me by. I know I will regret it if I don’t give them even a small gift. In addition, I know they will appreciate whatever I give since they are children and get excited over everything!   

 

Week 9 (November 18 & 19) Journal

 

On Tuesday, November 18th, the students had a half day because it was report card night. The next day, I heard that 18/20 of the student’s parents came in. That was a good turnout compared to another class who had 9/19 parents come in. A teacher of the latter class was disappointed, which is understandable. If parents don’t show an interest in what their child is doing in school and their performance, the child may feel neglected. In addition, the child will not get the help (in time) that they may really need. Of course, parents are busy and tired after work and taking care of their family, so parents have their reasons.  

 

The students had an assembly early in the morning on Tuesday. A few classes performed dances for the Latin American/Hispanic Heritage assembly. After breakfast, the students in my class practiced dancing and the majority of them looked like they were having fun. While the students performed at the assembly and the SPED teacher and teacher’s aide helped them remember the moves, I was asked to record the students dancing, which I did. The students looked adorable and overall, the assembly was entertaining.    

 

Due to the half day schedule, not much teaching was done in class. I don’t know if that is usually the case on such days (this is the first time I was at #7 on a half day), the assembly took time out of an already short day, or because my CT was out. I heard she was out for jury duty, so I haven’t seen her this Tuesday or Wednesday (nor last Tuesday (off for Veteran’s Day) or Wednesday (CT at workshops). I have important things to discuss with my CT and would have preferred to speak to hear in person as soon as possible, so the fact that I haven’t seen her in four days (2 weeks) of practicum, leaves me no choice but to email her instead. 

 

After the assembly, the students did a little bit of math centers and then it was time for lunch. During science, the students learned about wood, while I helped work on a chart for the letter of the week. Soon it was time to go home.  

 

The next day, there was another assembly. Three firefighters came in to talk and later the students were able to go outside to see the fire truck. They were really excited and again, I was asked to take a picture. During math, I played the usual math songs for the students to sing along to. Later, I helped the SPED teacher do a short lesson using an interactive dice on the smart board. While I rolled the dice, she kept track of how many times each of the 6 numbers were rolled to teach the students that we can get a lot of information from a bar graph. 

 

For some reason, the students have been telling on/complaining about each other a lot recently. I was getting tired of listening to this constantly and so was the SPED teacher. Thus, she decided to give an impromptu lesson on tattle-tailing. She explained what tattle-tailing was vs. telling and when students should tell (during an emergency). She wanted to show a video to the students, but I felt like she spent a lot of time looking for one. This happened during science too. A lot of time was wasted just looking for a video when it should have been found before the lesson (oops moment).  

 

It wasn’t until this Wednesday that I realized I am a decent drawer! Previously, I would always think and say I can’t draw for my life, but the students have asked me to help them draw pictures, for example, a birthday cake, an igloo, or an iguana, and I would try on a separate paper. Not only did they like my attempts, but I was pleasantly surprised (my wow moment) and satisfied with my ability. This is probably minor, but I realized that (early) elementary school teachers, are artists amongst there other roles (parent, teacher, counselor, entertainer, etc.). 

 

Now that it is crunch time, I am counting down the days I have left at #7. I would love to work with the students again for student teaching, but I feel like my CT might not like that idea and it would be a challenge to look for parking around the school in the snow. Thanks to my experience in Passaic for practicum, I have realized (my aha moment) that I prefer to work at an urban school district. I am familiar with areas like Paterson and Passaic and I think I will be more comfortable working with younger students in a similar environment.                

My Top 10: Favorite Book Genres

 

I haven't done a Top 10 in over a year, so I am back with a new one! As you can tell by the title of this post, this is going to be a quick list of my top 10 favorite book genres. These are genres I have read and enjoy. I really like a mix of everything, even some genres not mentioned below. But, if a book does combine a few of my top 10, then it usually does make for a good book. (Of course the author's style of writing could change my opinion.) So here are my favorites!

1. Adventure- I think every book needs adventure to be interesting.
2. Children's books- Here is a post of My Top 10 Favorite Children's Books
3. Crime fiction- I got interested in this thanks to author Dr. Laurence B. Brown.
4. Fairytales- Who doesn't like (Disney-fied) fairytales?
5. Fantasy- A long time favorite of mine.
6. Historical fiction- Again, I got into this genre thanks to Dr. Brown.
7. Humor- I love to laugh (and make others laugh too)!
8. Poetry- I love rhymes and was into poetry since a child.
9. Religious- Whether you practice a religion or not, I think there is a lot to learn from these books.
10. Self- help/ Inspirational- I am all about improving myself, so I am drawn to these types of books.

Practicum Journals 4-6

For more info. on what these journals are and to read the first 3, please go to http://sfraww.blogspot.com/2014/11/practicum-journals-1-3.html. These journals are a great way for me to learn from my experiences as well as to remember how the semester at this school went.  

 

Week 4 (October 14 & 15) Journal

Week 4 wasn’t too exciting. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the students, teachers, and I did the same thing we have been doing for the past weeks. They followed their schedule and went about their day as usual. For reading and math, the students did their routine songs at the rug, and then went to centers. At centers, the 3 teachers called students to work with individually while I walked around and worked with other students in their groups. I continued to go to lunch and gym with the students to be with the students as much as possible. On Wednesday, my CT was out so a substitute came in. There were still 4 teachers including me, so it wasn’t a big deal. The SPED teacher took over just fine and later in the day, the smart board got fixed which was exciting for everyone.

 

I realized by Wednesdays, the students are more comfortable with me. Tuesday is the first day in the week I come to their class so this day they are getting used to seeing me again. Some of the students know I only come on Tuesdays and Wednesdays so they expect to see me the next day. In the first few days I was in my practicum class, one girl would cry for her mom during homeroom (right after being dropped off!) and would constantly ask if it was time to go home. For the past few days I was there, I have noticed she doesn’t cry anymore. She is one of the students who would ask me if I will come tomorrow (meaning Wednesday) and tries to get my attention a lot. I don’t know if my presence makes a positive difference to her, but if it does, I am glad.

 

I started to read to a few students at their tables after they finished their assignments for science. I read to a few students individually, and then more students came up to me asking if I could read to them or would sit close by while I read to their classmates. I was surprised (my wow moment) by how much they enjoyed this individual time with me and how comfortable I felt doing this. I think it is a little easier to read to a few students then read to a whole class. Of course I will have to read to the whole class eventually, but for starters, small groups are easy to manage and fun to work with a few students. Since the kindergarteners are so young and can’t read a lot of the books at their tables, they would pick books they wanted me to read to them. I think this would make a good reward for my future (younger) students (my ah ha moment). If students behave, say during the week, then I could treat these students to personal reading time with me. I read to more students later in the day until it was time to get ready to go home. I realized I would read to the same few students (because they would ask first), which isn’t nice or fair to the others, so I have to remember to read to other students as well (my oops moment).

 

According to the journal outline for weeks 4-5, I have to gather some information on student characteristics. There are 10 girls and 10 boys, so 20 students total in a class with 3 teachers (not including me). All of these students (and teachers) are Hispanic. Some of the students are Mexican, Puerto Rican, Columbian, etc. Their ages are 4-6 years old. There are 8 students with Individualized Education Program (IEP) and at least 3 bilingual students in this kindergarten class. As my CT says, she has IEP and bilingual students in a transitional classroom! 

 

There are a few students who I feel have attachment issues, one being the girl mentioned earlier (in this journal). It could be that their young age requires dependence on an adult or the fact that they were not taught a little bit of independence from parents and teachers is part of growing up. Two students in particular have issues with oral fixation (constantly putting fingers in their mouth or licking hands) and another student has anal fixation issues. Two students in my practicum class are a little too friendly with each other, almost like bf and gf (as the SPED teacher correctly identified). These latter issues can lead to problems for an educator. For example, if teachers have to constantly interrupt class time to tell students to take their hands out of their mouths, ask if students washed their hands after using the bathroom, etc. this will waste a lot of instructional time. Because of these two common issues in my practicum class, teachers have to constantly tell students about germs spreading. Students (and teachers) will get sick from other classmates unsanitary habits, leading to more absences, missing lessons and assignments. This in turn will lower the achievement of students and teaching time of teachers.

 

Week 5 (October 21 & 22) Journal
 

The most exciting thing that happened on Tuesday was that I got a chance to read to the students for the 1st time. My CT said for me to read to the class to practice for my observation, so I read The 13 Nights of Halloween. The teachers in the room got some work done while I kept the students busy for a period. I wasn’t nervous and the children were really into the book. I asked questions about the book while reading and later I had them do 4 squares.  They drew 4 events that happened in order in the book and colored their illustrations. The teachers complimented me while I was walking around and helping the students with their assignment. This made me feel a little more confident for my observation the next day.

 

I was surprised (my wow moment) that I was nervous the day of my observation. Just days before, I was telling my older sister that I was confident my lesson would go well and I thought I would do a good job. I realized after my lesson, that too much confidence, for me at least, isn’t a good thing. I got nervous with so many adults actually paying attention to me and the students were a little too quiet than usual. From the beginning, I felt my throat get dry. It didn’t help that my eyes were acting up again either.

 

There are a few things I noticed about my lesson. While I was doing my lesson, I realized I did some things out of order. It wasn’t a big deal because I did cover them eventually. I also said you guys to the students a few times. I didn’t think of adding a clear closure to my lesson either. But my biggest mistake (my oops moment) was afterwards when I realized my lesson was a little too hard for the kindergarteners. I thought it wouldn’t be, but I was wrong apparently. For next time (my aha moment), I have to keep in mind to focus more on what the students already know/ learned.

 

Besides my 2nd observation, I still have to write and teach 2 lessons as part of my classes. I should start out my lessons with what I know the students already learned. Maybe I can introduce a little bit of something new, but not focus too much on new material for my lessons. I could do what I want with my future students because I will know what they have been taught for the most part, but since I will be teaching a few separate lessons for practicum, it would be better I think, if I stick with a topic the students have worked with in depth for a good amount of time.

 

There are actually a lot more things I need to improve on for the next time. Hopefully, I can practice more with the students and get use to adults watching me teach. I will try to get more involved in actually teaching the students rather than just observing and helping them after the teacher is finished. I have to get over my anxiety, and would rather it be sooner than later!

 

Week 6 (October 28 & 29) Journal

I was really looking forward to teaching this week at practicum. When I asked my CT on Tuesday, she said she would be observed sometime soon, but I could definitely teach on Wednesday. She did get observed on Tuesday, but I didn’t get the chance to teach on Wednesday because my CT (and the SPED teacher) were out. I thought the TA and I could take care of everything and even after I was asked about my sub license, the school felt it necessary to split the class into two groups for the day because there was no substitute teacher. About 10 students went with me in a neighboring teacher’s room, and the other students went with the TA to another room. I didn’t get to teach like I wanted to, but I did get to see how another KG teacher ran her class.  

 

I mentally compared this other KG teacher’s room and teaching to my CT and I came to the conclusion that I really preferred the way my CT did (most) things. My CT has reading and math centers, sight words are taught, fun educational songs are used, the room is nicely organized, etc. Of course the other teacher had to adjust to having more people in the room and she may also do similar activities on other days. The students with me did similar work to the other students (mostly a lot of coloring). My students also got to eat lunch with their classmates and I did get to see the other half of the class for a while. Getting the chance to go into another KG teacher’s room was a different experience to learn from.

 

One student in particular that caught my attention was a bilingual girl. From the beginning of practicum, she would talk to me in Spanish and I would tell her to try and say it in English because I didn’t understand her (for the most part since I forgot a lot of Spanish). She would try to talk in English, but is definitely more comfortable with Spanish. She (along with another girl) came up to give me a hug on Wednesday morning. The day before when my CT and I were talking about the student’s work (not in front of them), we both noted how this girl did better than all her classmates! People would assume that since she is bilingual, she isn’t so smart, but that is not true at all. After doing some coloring with the students in the other room, I found it amusing and was surprised (my wow moment) how this little girl caught on that if she copied my color by number, she was actually doing it right. All the student were told to color the picture with whatever color they wanted, but this girl wanted to do it right.

 

The day before (Tuesday), the students went about their day as usual. Minus the 5+ adults in the room at one point in the day, everything was the same i.e. breakfast was served, journal writing, ABC and sight word cards, videos and songs, big book reading at the rug, centers, etc. During lunch, I brought in candy for the students, which they were excited about. After lunch, the class did an experiment turning white carnations into different colors using food color. This is a simple science experiment teaching students how water goes up the plant’s stem (capillary action), but I would consider doing this with my future students (my aha ha moment). The school counselor came in later to do a lesson on making good choices. I felt like she made her lesson to long and difficult for the students (oops moment). The students were getting restless (one girl was dosing off) and didn’t understand much of the lesson. Because the counselor made the same mistake as me, I saw how the students behaved when the lesson goes over their head.

 

I can’t believe practicum is halfway over! I hope I don’t have to be absent (feeling sick).

Black Sheep by Na'ima B. Robert

I read Black Sheep back in September this year, but wrote down some notes in my trusty reading journal to remember how I felt about this book :)

Book description from the back: Dwayne, 16, meets high-flying, uni-bound Misha, and sparks fly.

To Misha it feels like true love, but her mum is adamant that Dwayne is bad news and forbids her to see him. When Misha decides to follow her heart, the web of secrets and lies begins to tighten.

For Dwayne is not quite who he says he is. And as he struggles to turn his life around while hiding his darker side from Misha, his ties with Trigger, Jukkie and the rest of his boys draw him deeper and deeper into gang violence, more serious and bloody than any he has ever seen. One night, Dwayne’s two lives collide, with devastating consequences.

Fast, furious, and unflinching, Black Sheep explore the fatal attraction of gang life, and the redemptive power of love, hope, and self belief.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was really looking forward to reading Black Sheep because I enjoyed Na'ima Robert's other book, Far From Home a lot. After reading it, I gave Black Sheep 4/5 stars, which to me means it was really good (2-3 things disliked about the book).

Throughout Black Sheep, the point of view switches between Dwayne and Misha. This could be a good or bad thing, but it didn't bother me. The length of the story and the subjects makes it a good read especially for teenagers/ high school students in my opinion.

I hadn't read a gang related book in a long time, so Black Sheep was interesting and different, and I was curious to know if all the trouble Misha was going through was worth it for Dwayne. This book also got me interested again to read Malcolm X's autobiography.

While reading, I felt Misha's mother was the typical overprotective helicopter parent who means well, but wants to control their children's life. Dwayne's mother seemed the opposite; not expecting any good from her son and thinking he is worthless! This book is a great example and goes to show that hanging with the wrong crowd, especially if they are "friends", can get a person in a lot of trouble!  

I loved Leona's advice and talk with Misha around pgs. 228-233. However, the dialogue throughout Black Sheep was a little hard to decipher because of the British/ Jamaican accent. I liked that the ending wasn't a rushed "happily ever after" for the two main characters, but I did want to read more about what happened to Dwayne.

These are my thoughts on Black Sheep by Na'ima B. Robert. If you want to purchase this book, order a brand new copy from Books by the Dozen to support by business :)

Practicum Journals 1-3

This semester at uni. I am doing practicum. For my major (and program) I was assigned to a school and class to go to 2 days a week (from morning till afternoon) to work with the students and teacher(s). Throughout this experience, I am required to write weekly journals to submit to my supervisor. These journals have to include specific info. With practicum halfway done, I have written 6 "entries" and decided to share them here. I have been printing them out to go back to since I enjoy rereading my writing ;) but thought I could just post them here instead. I hope you find this interesting! Below are my first 3 journals.

Week 1 (September 23 & 24) Journal

(school name and location removed for safety). The school caters to PreK – 1st grade students, not 2nd graders anymore this year. (sent. deleted for safety) I noticed corner street stores right by the school. Driving around, I saw a few other schools around the area, like schools #11 and #19. In the (kindergarten) classroom I am in, of the 21 students, 20 if not all of them are Hispanic including the three teachers in my assigned room. From previous experiences in the area, I know (deleted) has a large majority of Hispanic families, with a few African Americans and other races.  

When I first walked into my assigned kindergarten class, I was welcomed by the special education (SPED) teacher and I think a teacher’s aide (I don’t remember the position of the latter). The cooperating teacher (CT) had not come to her room yet, but when she did, she was more than surprised to find me there. She was a little mad that she wasn’t “informed”. Although she said it wasn’t my fault or doesn’t blame me, I felt like she was a little mad at me for being there. The next day I found out why. She felt it was distracting to have so many adults in the room. The first day, including me there were four adults at first. Later, an observer from FBA came. So with five adults and others coming and going in and out of the room, my CT felt like her room was a circus. The other two teachers were nicer, but hopefully the CT will start to see me as an asset to her room and students rather than a distraction.

After the students came to their homeroom at the start of the day, I was a little surprised to see that they were provided breakfast. When I asked about it, the SPED teacher said the students got breakfast every day because many of the students came from low income families and don’t eat breakfast or at least a decent one. For example, the second day I went, a student didn’t want to eat the breakfast provided to him (he is a picky eater I heard). A teacher asked what he ate at home and he replied pretzels. She wasn’t satisfied and told him to eat it because he would be hungry again soon. Working with students whose families don’t have the means to provide (a healthy) breakfast everyday would definitely affect the performance and behavior of the students, especially young energetic children like these kindergarteners who need enough good food to grow and play.

Listening to the three teachers in the classroom and others in the teachers’ lounge, I heard many complaints about what they are required to do by people in “higher up” positions. They felt pressured and restricted with all the demands on them. One teacher was aggravated and said that she wasn’t going to do anything for anyone if she didn’t want to. She didn’t see the point of labeling words for the students based on tiers if the students didn’t understand the difference anyway. If I was to teach in that school in the future, I would probably feel like the teachers currently working there; unappreciated and lacking support. The fact that I am not fluent in Spanish in a school where the majority of the staff and students are Hispanic would also make me feel uncomfortable.

A lot went on in just 2 days. Something I think the three teachers could improve on is to not talk negatively about the students out loud right in front of them if the student is not being spoken to directly. The teachers did this once and the students would look up at the teachers a little nervous, thinking they might be in trouble or did something wrong. I loved the ABC songs on YouTube by Have Fun Teaching that my CT put on for her students while they were working. I realized little children like music and if it is educational, why not use YouTube as a resource?

So far I enjoyed the first week for the most part. Of course it will take time for us adults to adjust to each other. The amount of time spent in the school for practicum is also something my body and brain will have to get used to. But, the children make it worth it!

 

Week 2 (September 30 & October 1) Journal
 

I have enjoyed my time in the classroom more this week. I feel like the students and I are starting to form a good relationship. Many of the students are getting more comfortable around me and I am trying to get more involved in what the students do. One girl asked if I would be around when they were on the rugs while another boy gave me a quick hug later in the day. A quiet ESL student came up to give me his folder instead of giving it to another teacher and the same boy actually said bye to me at the end of the day on Wednesday! These might be typical actions the students do with their teachers, but for me, I found these to be signs that the students are really taking my presence in their classroom as a good thing which I am happy about.
 

This week, I have gone down to lunch with the students. Their lunch is around 45 minutes and the teacher’s aide stays with them. Spending this extra time with the students showed another side of them where they don’t have to be so serious and can talk as much as they want. I realized that little kindergarteners really need a lot of help; from the teacher going to the bathroom with them, tying their shoelaces, helping them with their lunch, cleaning up after them, etc. But they are young, so I didn’t mind! I also went to gym with the students again this Wednesday (the aide usually stays with them here too). This week, they played “bowling”. Some had a lot of fun while others were nervous to try something new, saying they couldn’t do it no matter how many times I said they can and should try. 
 

One day during a math lesson, the SPED teacher was looking for a number song on YouTube in front of the students. A previous professor told my class that teachers should already have videos chosen before the lesson instead of browsing the internet right in front of the students. It wasn’t a big deal, but it did waste some time and there is always the chance that something inappropriate could appear, especially for younger children.
 

My CT does centers with her students and has 5 centers each for reading and math. In reading they have played educational games online at abcya.com, listened to stories being read, wrote sentences, etc. In math, they also played games online, did jigsaw puzzles, sorted pictures into categories, made patterns with manipulatives, etc. While the students are in their groups, I go around helping, observing, and working with them. Some students like to show us their work, while others need extra help and I try to work with a few of these students.
 

During one period, the students watched the Leap Frog Letter Factory DVD which I liked! I think I can use this for a future class of KG students or even younger children. I thought I could also show this DVD to other children I spend a lot of time with. I noticed the teachers in my room put a lot of songs for the students to learn their ABCs, numbers, days of the week, months in the year, adverbs, etc. The teachers also read a lot of books aloud. With this being said, I think I should implement some of these in my future lessons with young children!
 

Overall, this week has been enjoyable with a lot to take in and I look forward to next week. It feels like time is going by so fast already. Four days (2 weeks) of practicum are already done
 

Week 3 (October 7 & 8) Journal
 

A lot went on this Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday October 7, the teacher’s aid was absent and this makes a big difference in a kindergarten class of 21 students where they are used to 3 teachers. For example, the TA usually goes to lunch with the students, but since she wasn’t in, I was basically in charge of the students in the cafeteria, with some help from other teachers. Before that, I was asked to work individually with a student during reading centers who needs extra help. I was specifically told to teach him how to correctly hold a pencil using his special one since he would place his fingers in what looked like an awkward position. There was nothing wrong with his hands physically, but after a few attempts at showing him how to position his fingers around the pencil and even holding his hand, he would go back to what he was comfortable with/ use to doing after maintaining the position for a few seconds. I was trying to get him to write a few sentences as part of work from a center, and although he could write a few letters correctly, I was surprised that he needed a lot of help, which I noticed later.
 

When writing, he would say he can’t do it, but I would insist he can and needs to try. A few times he would even ask me to show him how to write certain letters, so I would on another paper. Step by step, I showed how for example, for a  “k” make a long line going down, one little line going like this (showed him diagonally up) and one down (diagonally down). When some letters repeated, I would say he knows how to do it since we did it together. It wasn’t until I went to the computers with him to play capital/ lowercase alphabet bingo on abcya.com, did I realize, he didn’t recognize a lot of letters! In the game, a letter was said and the correct letter had to be clicked until a row was filled. I noticed he would randomly click letters until he saw he got it right. Because he had headphones on and I couldn’t hear to see if he chose the correct letter because he knew or randomly guessed, I told him to tell me the letters out loud. I started to write a few letters for him so he could match my letter with the one said on the screen. I also used the big ABC “flashcards” the teachers used during morning reading routines to show him how the letters looked. Eventually, after I showed him the cards for the letters said on screen, he started writing them on paper! I was pleased to see him do this on his own and doing a good job that I gave him a ticket (a reward system the teachers in my room set up) which he was really pleased with!
 

During math centers, the SPED teacher and I worked with groups of students to make monsters out of construction paper shapes. While they glued their paper shapes, I asked them what shape I was holding and suggested different shapes they use to make a funky looking monster. Later that day during science, the students had to color, cut, and paste the correct order of the life cycle of a pumpkin plant. Some students had difficulty with the sequencing, so while I went around the room, I asked them what order of the life cycle they remember from the pumpkin book that was read to them before the activity. The CT even modeled the correct order and it was on the board for reference, so I pointed to it while I explained and later on, some students brought up their work so I could compare their work with their teacher’s to see how they did.
 

Wednesday the 8th was picture day and it was nice to see the students excited with their hair-dos. The best part of this week was when the class went up to the playground on the roof for gym (because the gym was being used for pictures)! I didn’t know about it until I went up with them and I think the students didn’t either. They had so much fun on the seesaw, slides, and playing tag. I don’t like to just sit around, especially if there are younger children to interact with, so I walked around while they played, even playing a little “tag” with a few of them. Something I think the teachers could work on is to not sit around and chat, for example during gym, but rather go around and make sure the students are playing fair, don’t get hurt, are actually participating in gym, etc. Maybe because I was there the 2 teachers felt they didn’t need to get up, but I had to tell students to share, not jump off from high places on the gym set, or go up the slides (instead of down).
 

One thing I really like that the teachers say are the little sayings/ chants. For example, the teachers say, “I say, you say” for students to repeat information; “1, 2, 3 all eyes on me” to get the student’s attention, and “zip it, lock it, put it in your pocket” for the students to stop talking. I think these are really cute and creative, and would like to use these (if I remember to) when I teach! 
 

With 3 weeks done and only 9 more to go, I am trying to make the most of my stay by getting as involved as I can with the students. I told my CT that if she ever needs anything to let me know since that is what I am here for and although she doesn’t tell me to do anything really, I observe, walk around, and interact with the students on my own (and have been since the beginning). I am continuing to get to know different students more as I talk, read, and work with them. I also go wherever they go as a class, i.e. lunch, gym, getting pictures taken, collecting leaves, etc. I know I will miss the students once I am done with practicum!

My Reading Journal!

After gifting a Reading Journal a few months ago and seeing how cute and useful it is, I bought one for myself! It is the perfect little book to keep notes on books you are currently reading, lists of to read books and award winners, an organized place to write info. on books you are borrowing or others are borrowing from you, and a lot of other cool extra pages to fill out, all book related of course :) I have included some of the pages in this Reading Journal below that I wanted to share. (Click to enlarge the images.)

This is what the journal is about and how you can use it.

There are 50 of these pages, so basically this journal will fit notes for 50 books.

 .

This a close up of the above image. These are spread throughout the journal. There are 5 pages of these in a row then a fun page like the ones below.

My Biblio Style

Current favorite authors and books, checklists of fav. places to read, genres, etc.

One of my favorites, the Reading Trees. What book made you want to learn more about xyz subjects, to read xyz other books by different authors, and to read xyz other books by the same author.  

Haven't done this yet, but the Literary Superlatives looks fun!

Another useful page. Write down all your favorite quotes on the Lasting Language of Literature page.

 

The 2 Books on Screen pages has some fun things to fill out like best and worst movie adaptions of books, books I'd most want to make into a movie, books I'd like to see made into adaptations, and my list of existing movie adaptions to see.

The 2 Borrowing and Loaning Records pages help keep titles and dates organized.

 

Final Thoughts

I have used this book for a few months now and think it is very cute, fun, and useful. This would make a great gift for a book lover or someone who writes a lot of book reviews ;)

God vs. Humans

Below is an "essay" I wrote for my philosophy class back as a freshman in college (I am a senior now!) I've kept is all these years because I liked some of the points I made, so I wanted to finally share it. I did change a few things, since I have obviously changed a bit since I first wrote this, but I tried to keep it original as possible. This is a piece on some statements my professor said for us to write about, including evil in the world and suffering disproving the existence of God. These are just my opinions, so please respect that. I would love to hear what you think in the comments about anything I mentioned below!

I absolutely disagree with the statement that "the fact that there is evil in the world and that religions are often guilty of evil themselves, rule out the existence of a loving God". God and humans are totally different. God doesn't commit evil, humans do. God doesn't make mistakes, humans do. God is just and fair, humans are not always just and fair. Using humans to define something like religion or even God is not right. Similarly, some people think marriage is a bad idea because it can lead to divorce, abuse, etc. Marriage as a system shouldn't be blamed, rather the people involved. Humans are the ones who make a system like marriage or government good or bad in practice.

Yes, many people do proclaim faith in God or religion, but their actions alone shouldn't be used to judged the religion and definitely not God. There have always been people doing bad deeds, so they are the ones to blame, not God. If somebody sincerely wants to learn about a religion or God in a specific religion, the individual should learn from authentic sources the religion provides, whether a holy book or traditional texts, not on the people who to "claim" to practice/ follow it.

With regards to the evil in this world, just because there is a God that doesn't mean the world will always be in peace (or else Heaven would lose its value :). God sent messengers to humankind to live according to His rules and be an example to later generations so everyone can benefit. For example, people shouldn't steal what is not theirs. If they do, they (should) get punished. It is only fair. Likewise, if people choose not to live according to God's rules, they (should) get punished too. God created us and everything in the universe, provides, protects, and sustains us. Therefore, God can punish people if they do something they shouldn't have and went against His commands. That is God's right! People go about fighting for their rights not  thinking that the One who created them has rights over them too (like recognizing His existences and worshipping Him alone without partners)!

Some people make up excuses as to why they did something they shouldn't have. They even go as far as to say "it was meant to happen". First of all, we can all justify everything, good or bad, that we do. It's not always right, but we do it anyways because to us, we think it is okay. Secondly, God didn't force a person to do bad. Freedom of choice was given to humans and some abuse and take advantage of this by doing things they know they shouldn't. We all like to think we are free (even though freedom isn't really free), yet we don't want to take responsibility, especially when something bad happens as a result of our actions. This leads to suffering.

Of all the excuses people make trying to disprove the existence of God is the one of "innocent" people suffering. Unfortunately, many people do suffer through harsh conditions like natural disasters and war, but that is life. The saying that life isn't easy is true! God puts people through tests to see who amongst them is patient and remembers Him in times of hardship, seeking His mercy and forgiveness. Life was never meant to be easy, so people shouldn't expect absolute good at all times. And anyways, how much intervention from God do people want? If a person is about to fall off a ladder, is God supposed to send down a mattress to prevent them from getting hurt? Besides the innocent people suffering, many times people think they don't deserve to suffer even a little bit, but usually they do deserve it. I know it is hard to hear and even admit, but I think it is true. Humans don't want to recognize their faults/ sins, so they are quick to blame others, including God!

Public Library Book Sale Haul!!!

I went to my very first "official" library book sale this past Friday! I was really impressed with the deals and the amount of books there. I tried to control myself and not buy every book that looked good. I was looking for books that I read before and liked to add it to my personal library at home. I also got the idea recently to start collecting books for my future classroom iA or just to keep at home for little children who come over ;) Either way, I found some good books in my opinion and wanted to share them. Looking forward to more book sales! (Click the images to enlarge.)

One of the deals was 5 hardcover books for $3.00, so I chose...

Iron House by John Hart. I saw this in the bargain section several times on Barnes and Noble's site , but never bought it. Read about it here.

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini. I have Kite Runner by him and couldn't finish it, but I wanted to give his other books a try. Read about this book here.

The Ugly Duckling Goes to Work: Wisdom for the workplace from the classic tales of Hans Christian Andersen. I love fairy tales and this sounded interesting. Read about it here.

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. I heard good things about this from someone (on YouTube) plus I am into self-help books. Read about it here.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I never read this completely, but heard a lot of good things about it. I am into "African American" literature and wanted to read this classic. This is the only book not in great condition, but if I like it a lot, I could get a better copy later on. Read about this here.

The best part for me was the children's books I found! These were 5 big books for $1.00!!! I got a 101 Dalmatians book, but gave that away to 2 little kids, so I have 4 to share from this haul.

(PS. You'll probably notice I was on a Disney/movie roll :P)

 

The Nursery Rhymes of Winnie the Pooh. This looked cute and had a ton of familiar rhymes. Read about it here.

Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure: A read aloud story book. I love all the Tinker Bell movies and thought, since I don't plan on collecting all the DVDs, I could still get the books!

The Lion King. Again, I plan on collecting Disney books based on movies I like, so I got this one too.

Step into Narnia: A journey through The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by EJ Kirk. I thought this book would make a good introduction into the series for children. Look inside here.

That's all folks :p

A-Z Poetry by Me: L

I haven't written a poem in a long time, especially for fun, so I thought I would start again. I left off on the letter F and wanted to go in order, but got stuck on some letters. If you would like to see my previous poems, please go here http://sfraww.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-z-poetry-by-me-intro.html Please also take the 2 little surveys on the right side :)

I know this poem needs improvement, but I thought this could be my 1st "draft". Hope you still enjoy it :)

Love

Courage to stand up to save a life
Sacrifices by parents for their children
Respect and friendship between husband and wife

For God and all His creation
Sharing and caring for those in need
No matter their color, gender, or nation

Sought out in people, wealth, power, and fame
The subject of books, movies, and songs
The cause of silly actions in its name

Love: the search of a lifetime

The Returned by Dr. Laurence B. Brown

I haven't done a good old fashioned book review on my blog here for a long time. I decided from now on, I will put up my book reviews here instead of on goodreads.com. I will update goodreads though with a link to my reviews once they are up on my blog.

1st time read August (10th completed) 2012
2nd time read August 22-24, 2014

I have read The Returned twice, the second time around to review it. I am a big fan of Dr. Brown's books, and have done reviews for some of his other books I have read so far. If you are interested, here they are!
The Eighth Scroll
The Zion Deception
MisGoded

The back of the book of The Returned reads: From Dr. Laurence B. Brown, author of the critically acclaimed best-seller, The Eighth Scroll, comes an exhilarating adventure of surprising depth and extraordinary resonance.

For brothers Nathan and Mark Jones, the best summer vacation they can imagine is one of wild adventure. That is why they join their college geochemistry professor on a prospecting trip to South America. But what begins as a simple expedition rapidly devolves into a life-altering trip into the darkest corners of the human soul. The brothers’ lives soon morph into a kaleidoscope of the best and worst that lawless human nature and untamed wilderness can dish out. They quickly realize that their survival depends not only upon one another, but upon the native Indians they have been taught to fear—the only ones who can lead them back to civilization.

Forty years later, Nathan returns to uncover the truths behind the deadly expedition. In the process, he uncovers a secret that traps him in a terrifying collision of belief, superstition, and survival.

 

In the vein of Thomas Berger’s Little Big Man and John Boorman’s The Emerald Forest, Dr. Brown captures with primal ferocity the clash between the west’s fanciful myths of indigenous cultures, and the harsh reality we encounter when our worlds, ideals, and morals collide. Probing the deepest recesses of the human psyche, he lays bare the unadorned savagery not just of primitive cultures, but of all people who are forced into adrenaline-fueled battles of wits and wills to survive. The Returned is an insightful, scintillating, action-packed adventure that illuminates the survival-based instincts that lie dormant in us all—and how choices in desperate circumstances define our characters.

*****

 
According to MY scale as described in http://sfraww.blogspot.com/2014/07/my... to me, 4 stars = really good (2-3 things disliked about the book). So here are my reasons for why I felt the way I did about The Returned.
 

I realized I love the cover art to all of Brown's books, including this one. Not a big deal, but if you pick up books based on their covers (yeah I know its' not good to judge a book my its cover, but who actually doesn't do this?!), then the cover art could make a difference to whether you choose to read a book or not. Regardless, The Returned was very action packed, suspenseful, and interesting. Some parts were gruesome, so if you don't like bloody descriptive scenes, I would avoid this book. (I'm use to this from reading Brown's other fiction books.) The book overall was very descriptive, giving the impression that Brown went to the Amazon jungle himself or did research on it, which he has done for many of his past books. Reading The Returned made me realize that I would HATE to be stuck in the Amazon jungle; I would actually be really scared!

The book is broken into 73 short chapters! While this may be good at times when we want to take a break or easily remember where to continue from, 73 chapters is a lot! A few other parts were also for more of an adult audience, in my opinion. For this reason, I think The Returned would be better suited for adult readers.

When I first read The Returned, I gave it five stars. This time, I was a little more critical. For some reason, giving it five stars again made me think, "I don't consider it a favorite, so why the 5 stars?" So four stars was more appropriate.

I wish I could give more specifics about The Returned that I try to usually include in my book reviews, but for now, this is where I stand with The Returned. It may not be a favorite like Brown's other books, but I still recommend adults read this one. You might learn to value your life more!