Some Beautiful Poetry by the One & Only Langston Hughes

This is a poem by Langston Hughes about dreams. We all have dreams. Some of us are better at expressing this theme than others (like Langston Hughes being better than me, which is why he is a published poet and I am not...yet)

The Post in Which I Insert A Live Link!

One of my hobbies includes study of comics and graphic novels. I am entranced by them. Particularly, I like the fact that they can communicate messages through art in a powerful way (much like literature itself). Some of my favorite comics and books have dealt with some very serious topics. One of which was David Small's Stitches, in which he talks about his battle with cancer. This was a meaningful story for me to read because I am a cancer survivor myself, as is my mother.

Another one I enjoy is Allie Brosh's Hyperbole and a Half. Her drawings are not only hilarious, but they tackle serious issues, such as Brosh's own battle with depression. If you would like to read it, check it out. Her comics are also incredibly funny, in addition to being real.

The New & Improved Introductory Video!

Alright, STOP: Collaborate & Listen

For my classroom management class in two weeks, we will have to do a micro-lesson with a partner and present it and Five Oaks Middle School. I am very much looking forward to this. My partner for this project, Caitlin, and I will be doing a lesson on poetry and rap.

Here's some poetic Vanilla Ice Lyrics to take you back to the '90's. Ice Ice Baby! Since rap is essentially poetry set to music, I will be using clean lyrics such as these and gleaning from other artists.

The genius of Elizabeth Gilbert

If you didn't know already, I am a huge nerd (hence my decision to become a Language Arts teacher). I've been a fan of Elizabeth Gilbert since reading her book Eat, Pray, Love and hearing her on Cheryl Strayed/Steve Almond's podcast, Dear Sugar. I am planning on reading her new book, Big Magic, once I polish off the Divergent series once and for all.

In this TED talk, she talks about the power of creativity. This is a topic I have been continuously interested in exploring, how to infuse creativity wherever and whenever I can-in myself, my teaching, and my content area. She encourages as individuals to, "think of your gifts as being on loan to you."

Things That Make My Life Merry

I've been working on my own gratitude project lately (privately). Inspired by my Educational Psychology class and the book The Happiness Project, I wondered what simple joys I could infuse into my life in order to make it better. Since doing this 100 Days of Happiness Project (I am currently on Day 40), I have found that while I consider myself to be a generally and genuinely happy person, my mood each day has improved-and I've been encouraging people who have been in funks to try some of these methods.

They don't have to be anything big or earth-shattering. It could be something as simple as, "hey, my favorite song came on the radio." Even on days when I have not been in the best mood, a small sign or saying can help pick me up. Here are some examples:

Being goofy with members of my cohort. This is Alyssa, she teaches Health and P.E.

Finding silly signs like this in Whitford.

On Whitford's walk/bike to school day, I scored these free shoelaces. As a broke grad student, I am a big fan of free things (such as food). However, this colorful pair matches perfectly with a pair of shoes I already happen to own. In addition to this bonus, it is a good reminder that even when life seems crazy busy, it is important to carve time out of the day to run, walk, bike, or make time for the things that bring you joy.

Introductory Video...of Sorts

This is sort of a non-traditional, funny intro. I have been reading the Divergent series for my Language Arts methods class and we have been making videos playfully mocking the series. However, I think this works as a playful intro video for a writing teacher as well.

Esol methods 2 from o2jewels

I am a genius!

Because I have successfully embedded my Twitter feed into this blog! Huzzah!

More cool things to come! Stay tuned...

Now here is where I add more things to my post, since I procrastinated a bit on things,

This is a picture of me! I hiked to a lighthouse on Sauvie Island-one of my favorite places.