Week 5 of my long practicum

Happy Thanksgiving flowers?! Okay! Yes, this is the third bouquet since I started. I feel special.



Homeless lunch and lunch items at the end of EVERY day. So goes the sad life of our lunch basket. I feel disgusted.



My ESL students made cranberry sauce from scratch and served me some on a cracker. It was delicious! I feel thankful.



And of course, a witty corny joke left as a note for me on my desk. It really made my day. I feel appreciated.



I decided to break the "every other week" routine of my posts because this week was filled with so many good things, I just had to share. I love flowers in the classroom because it reminds me that we nurture the students so that they can bloom. If we neglect them they will wither... or rot, like forgotten lunches in the lunch basket. And even students, who at first seem to struggle, can achieve success as delicious as homemade cranberry sauce.

And, frankly, I just love a good corny joke.

One of the best parts of this week was when I was teaching tinikling (a traditional Filipino dance) to my students during P.E. I was genuinely worried that they would not want to do it. But lo and behold, all 30 of them got up and gave the first 8 counts a try. By the end of it, they were all hopping over my "bamboo sticks" (laid out skip ropes) and were working on the first 16 counts! I get all warm and fuzzy when I see them genuinely enthusiastic about anything I teach, but their participation in dance is even more special to me.

They like me! They really do!

Practicum after week 4

My latest bi-weekly installment of my practicum photo journal. Enjoy!


Fresh flowers for a new week.




"Need a pencil? Just don't forget to return it!" (I still have them all... so far!)




One of my lunches. I call it "oval bento", inspired by all my friends who make actual themed bento lunches for their kids. You know who you are! ;)




Symbolic of my practicum: I take the bus every day, I reflect every day.




After a long week of conferences with the students' parents, I decided to treat myself to a slice of butter chicken pizza, as per the suggestion of one of my students. It complimented my bacon-pep-mushroom slice deliciously.




I have been at "80% - full immersion" these last two weeks. My S.A. insists that I'm really at 100% because the few blocks she's kept require not much more than supervising the students (ex. Class meeting, reading with grade 1 buddies). Whatever it is that I'm at, I feel just fine. Everything is fitting like an old shoe.

As each week ends, I get more sad. I don't want this fun to end!

My first 2 weeks of my long practicum

I got fresh purple orchids from one of my students on my very first day.




I got myself a fancy lunch bag.




I left my umbrella in the classroom after the first rainy morning.




My desk is messy, but I got my name on it.. in 2 languages!




I realize that I can only see my forehead in ALL the staff washroom mirrors.




Boo urns, I think I got compli-sulted on my lilac pants. By a staff member.




I did the Terry Fox run with the kids.




My awesome School Associate has an awesome poster at the front of her class.




And if only you could see my class... There are at least 4 kids who are mini versions of my friends. I won't say any more, but if you're a friend of mine and you know that you make me laugh, chances are I'm talking about you. I love it! I feel at home :)

A Ridiculously Good Looking morning

It sure is cold this morning. I can't get over how picturesque RGL looks though. They're even better looking in HD!

Music that made me smile yesterday

First thing in the morning, I saw an email from John Legend in my inbox...



I know he didn't really write me, but you should have seen my smile when I saw it. Turned out to be a taste of his single "The Beginning" from his upcoming album Love in the Future. Not bad Mr. Stephens, not bad at all.

The other thing that made me smile occurred late last night when my homeboy sent me the link to Justin Timberlake's single "Mirrors". I loved this song already but thought I'd start crying cuz the video is melancholic too, but it's the stuff I dig, so I liked it nonetheless.
http://www.vevo.com/watch/justin-timberlake/mirrors/USRV81300104

Oh music, thank you for being good to me!

As seen on the SFU Surrey campus

A bouquet of roses in a planter.

Either they were forgotten or they were placed there by the recipient to be forgotten.

Tear.

Where am I?

The Bay Area?.. Or on the skytrain leaving Surrey?.. Either way, it's a welcome view to end a tiring week!

Happy Friday, friends.

Forget raindrops on roses, these are a few of my little favourite things from Christmas '12

See the full gallery on Posterous

Our Nativity scene, the little gifts that look huge, and delicate crocheted snowflakes by my sister annie.

When the dog bites...