The Beginning of the End of the Semester

Hi everyone! Like many people, I have had a crazy week being overwhelmed with different projects and tests for my classes! I am nervous about all of the things I have to complete before the end of the semester! On top of that, I am almost done with the 65 observation hours I had for my elementary and special education classes. It is bittersweet because I love the students and I really enjoy being in their classroom! I am really happy because I talked to the classroom teachers and they invited me to come to help out in the class even after I have completed my hours!

The only thing that I am upset about is that in order to complete my observation hours on time, I have to observe this Friday and miss out on Caldwell's Service Day, which is one of my favorite days of the year! I know my observation hours are more important, but I really enjoy Service Day! Last year, I went to another church in Caldwell and I cleaned out one of their supply closets. I truly bonded with the other people that I was sent to the site with and all of the people at the church had nothing but great things to say about Caldwell College! They also really appreciated all of the work we did because we helped to create more room for different activities, such as their Sunday School classes.

Although I love observing, I am going to miss participating in Caldwell College's Service Day this year! I hope that everyone who does participate in Service Day has a lot of fun and truly enjoys the experience! Through service, I have found out that the best way to become a better person is to help other people.  

Having a Great Day!

This week, I have been very stressed with the four different midterms I had!! It was hard for me because I had to study a lot for my exams during Spring Break and then I was very stressed studying this week! I am so happy that as of today, my exams are over! This morning, my day became even better when I was tutoring. As many of you know, I plan to be a special education teacher and work with students with special needs. Even though I have been working with children with special needs since I was fifteen, many people warn me that it is going to be a lot of hard work. I understand that my job may not be easy, but I am willing to do whatever it takes to help these children and make them happy.

Sometimes, when the responses people give you fill your mind with doubt, you need to be reassured that you are making the right decision. Today I had one of those unexpected moments when someone reassured me that I am making the right decision. As one of my jobs, I tutor students throughout the week. Today, I tutored a student who has a disability. I helped her to complete her homework assignments as I usually do and after we finished her assignments, we began to discuss our plans for the future. When I told this young girl that I hope to be a special education teacher one day, she was overjoyed. She said that because she had been in special education classrooms all throughout her life, she knows that they need new teachers to help improve the system of education for special education students. She also told me that she can see from the way I help students during tutoring that I will be a great teacher!

Right before the student left, she turned to me and said, "Thank you for helping people like me." When she said this, I was literally left speechless. I thought it was so thoughtful of her to say and I also appreciated her very kind words. Sometimes, when we have a difficult week, we become discouraged and fear that the career path we are taking may be too difficult or may not be the correct plan for us. I was having one of those difficult weeks this week and this student reassured me that I am choosing the perfect career choice for me. I find nothing more rewarding than the feeling that you know that you have helped someone, such as a student with a disability, that you know is sometimes overlooked in our daily lives.





This is an image that is used to promote disability awareness.



Being in the Classroom

Happy St. Patrick's Day! This week, during Spring Break, I spent a lot of my week observing in a second grade classroom at St. Cloud school for observation hours! Even though it was hard waking up early, I really enjoyed going spending time in the classroom more throughout the week because my schedule only permits me to observe every Friday. When I walked into the classroom on Wednesday, it felt great because many of the students were excited to see me! All week, the class was working on a project for their bulletin board for St. Patrick's Day. They wrote stories about how they met a leprechaun! I really enjoyed working with the students on this project because I saw them first write their "sloppy copies," then I helped them edit their writing, and it was so rewarding to then see them hand in a perfect copy of their paper! After the students finished writing their mini-essay, they also each colored a pot of gold to put on their bulletin board. The final product was so cute! I love observing and I cannot wait to have my own classroom and spend time helping students and doing what I love each day!

My little cousin Elizabeth and I at the parade!

I am also very excited because my family is celebrating St. Patrick's Day today! Due to the fact that everyone in my family is Irish, it is a big holiday for us! My whole family goes to my uncle's house and we eat corned beef and cabbage and celebrate our Irish heritage! My family really began celebrating St. Patrick's Day last week because we also attended the St. Patrick's Day parade in my hometown! It was a lot of fun! I hope that everyone has a Happy St. Patrick's Day and enjoys the rest of spring break!

The Flag of Ireland!

 

Preaching in Action!!

This week, I made some very exciting plans for the summer! As some of you know, I went to a Dominican high school, and that was one of the main reasons I decided to attend Caldwell! I am so glad I did choose to come to Caldwell College because I have had some of the best experiences and have met the most wonderful people here!

When I was in high school, I attended something called the Dominican Preaching Conference. At this conference, my high school met with many other Dominican schools across the United States. It was so interesting to meet students my age from all over the country! We talked about different campus ministry events each school did and we became very close with one another by the end of the week. It was a week full of prayer and service. It was one of my best experiences in high school!

This summer, I am lucky enough to attend the Preaching in Action Conference! Each year, Caldwell sends two students to this conference and it is like the conference I went to in high school, but it is for Dominican colleges. A lot of my friends have already attended this conference and they say that is is an amazing experience. I loved the preaching conference in high school, so I am sure I am going to love it in college, too! Plus, the conference is taking place in Chicago and I have never traveled there before, so I am very excited!

Here are some pictures from when I attended the Dominican Preaching Conference in 2008 in Michigan. I am so excited to go on the college conference!!