Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Birthday Season

Currently reading: Spirituality at Work, The Wisdom of Fr. Brown

Well, it's birthday season in New Jersey and I am missing it. Happy birthday to Anne and Elizabeth (yesterday) and to Steve (two days from now) and Miguel Jose Antonio (the 8th). I miss you all and I've been thinking of you and praying for you all lots and lots. For some reason or another, I've never actually been around for Mike's birthday, and this makes me very sad. I'll have to stop going so very far away from home.

I've decided to add a currently reading section to this, because I'm constantly reading interesting things here, and I think some of you might like them a lot. For example, Spirituality at Work would be a great book for all my friends with grown-up jobs, because it's not about bringing God into the workplace, but finding Him in the work itself, where he already was. I like this idea very much, especially because I can already see how this idea will affect my teaching in the fall. If I can see God in each and every one of my colleagues and in my students, of course I will be a very spiritual person. I've only read chapter one so far, but I will continue to spin out some thoughts on the matter here as I read along.

I just finished the book that Steve and Jess gave me for graduation, and now I feel very intellectual. It was that kind of novel, I think. I didn't like it at all until the very end. It had a throroughly unlikeable cast of characters, and throughout my reading I found myself wondering why on earth they had given it to me. But after I finished I think I understood a little more the humour of it. In case anyone is interested, it was A Confederacy of Dunces, and it actually is indeed well worth the read. It's not a quick read though.

I like it here more and more each day, especially as things with class and community really pick up. I'm going to be starting my work sample soon, which is the plan for an entire unit of teaching. I'm really excited about that, but a little intimidated by the process. It's going to be ten whole lesson plans and objectives and state standards etc. I think it should be incredibly valuable, but it's also looking pretty difficult. I think I'm going to do it on a short story unit, so that I can use it early in the year teaching wise. It's weird to think that this is where I am now...a professional teacher. It's something I've wanted for a long long time, and now it's actually beginning to happen and it's more than a little overwhelming.

Ruthann is in town this week, so I'm hopefully going to spend a good amount of time with her. I'm excited to see some New Jersey out here :)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hopefully when it's your birthday season some people will be able to visit you or something, bet that'd be a kul b-day present.

I ass-u-me you still wanna teach Spanish. What grade level do you wanna teach? I figure you're leaning to teach up to the high school level, but is there a certain age you wanna work at?

& what's Ruthanne doing over there? She there specifically to visit? Or she doing something else there?

P.S. Congrats on reaching the final step on achieving your dreams. It's so rare that people get to do that in their lives, and I'm glad you've been able to work hard and achieve yours 8 )