Almost Done!!!

This is my last Instructional Technology class. :( I'm sad because I enjoyed this course and found it very useful for my future as a teacher! I only have one final this week so I'm pretty relaxed about that. I do have a five page paper due on Thursday, but its all about my reflections on my observations for the semester; that will be fairly easy. I am a little nervous about my final tomorrow because it is for my art course and that's going to be a lot of information to take in. I did pretty well on the midterm, so I think I'll be fine for the final. Idid quite a bit this weekend. I had an interview at the school I'm observing at next semester, which went SO well! I absolutely love the school! I really would like to teach there. On Saturday I had work. Ken came home on Sunday, so we had pizza with his family and then went shopping. We went out for lunch on Monday then I went out shopping with my mom. DPhiE is doing a Christmas Party for some kids who's moms attend meetings at a battered women's shelter. We're donating gifts for the kids. I had three girls and three boys to shop for (my mom and I wanted to go shopping for them). The girls were 2, 13, and 16 and the boys were 3, 9, and 11. I really loved shopping for them, and I really hope they enjoy the gifts! I hope everyone enjoys their breaks!!! Happy Holidays! :)

This Week...

This week was completely crazy, I don't think I went to be any early than 3AM everyday. I've just had so much to do. I admit I've procrastinated, but only because I work better under pressure. However, I may have let a little too much pile up. I only have two finals next week, so I won't be so stressed. My room looks like a disaster area, I have just been putting my stuff wherever I see space, I feel awful for my roommate. Today, I have to present two lesson plans back to back. I'm not really stressed, but its getting irritating. I think I'll be okay though. On Friday I have an interview with the principal of the school I'm observing at next semester. I'm nervous, but at the same time I'm really excited. I've talked to the principal before and he seems very nice, but I'm still a little nervous.

Thanksgiving Break!

Instead of a normal four day weekend, I had a week-long break. I stayed up here over the weekend of the 18th-20th, then after the KDE induction ceremony, my mom took me home. Tuesday I slept in and worked on some schoolwork I had due. Then I went out with my boyfriend. On Wednesday I went to the class I observe and I helped out with their Thanksgiving feast. Later on, I went to New Brunswick with my friends Joy and Punit. Joy and Punit used to work with me at Daisy and I haven't seen either of them for a long time. We went out for sushi and got frozen yogurt for dessert. It was really great to catch up with them. On Thursday, I cooked a sweet potato casserole and my mother, sister, and me went to my cousin Louise's for dinner. My sister was sick, so she left early and brought back food for my grandma and her. I was so happy to get together with my cousins Gracie and Laura. After my mom and I got home, we didn't sleep. We stayed up and went shopping at Freehold Mall at 2:30 AM! It's a tradition for us to go Black Friday shopping. I got a few new shirts from my favorite store; everything was 50% off! My mom and I went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and got a few gifts. We then went to a diner and went to sleep once we got home. Later on I went out to eat with Ken and we watched the movie She's Out of My League. It was VERY funny and cute. On Saturday, I went out to dinner with one of my best friends Carol. My mom came with us. It was really nice to go out and have a delicious dinner. On Sunday, I went to breakfast with Kenny and then I came back to Caldwell at night. It was a great weekend and a great break before all the hecticness of finals!

I Registered!!!

I registered yesterday and got into almost every class I wanted! I was really trying to get into Children's Literature but it was full by the time I registered. So now I'm taking Shakespeare's Political Plays at 8:30AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On the bright side, I don't start until 3PM on Mondays and Wednesdays, and I have Fridays off! I do have two night classes though, but that's totally fine with me. I'm also taking my second Scholars program course! It's on politics and propagranda in film, which sounds amazing to me. The other classes I'm taking are Intro to the Exceptional Child, Methods for Early Childhood education, English Literature, and Sacrements in Contemporary Life. I'm a little nervous to take 18 credits, but since I have a lot of breaks, I should be able to keep my GPA up.

Registration

So I definitely thought I could register today because after this semester I'll have 68 credits done, but apparently I only have a total of 53 already completed and I need to register tomorrow instead. :( I'm a little stressed out, but I guess it won't be too bad. In other news, I'm officially the Vice President of Academic Affairs for Delta Phi Epsilon! I'm in charge of organizing social events, and obviously, academics affairs. I need to make sure the girls are getting their work done and keeping up their grades! We are also having a Purple Pancake Dinner tomorrow to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation! All are welcome and it is from 6:30-8:30 for the general public, tickets are $5 for an adult and $2 for children!

What A Week

This was definitely a crazy week. I went home Thursday night so I could observe on Friday. After observing I went out to dinner with my boyfriend to Chili's. On Saturday, I had work, we were supposed to go to a farm in Holmdel, but because of the weather, we stayed at the building all day. On Saturday night, the roads in my area were pretty clear, so I was able to go to my boyfriend's house and watch the movie "Life As We Know It", which is one of my favorite movies. On Sunday, I went to Ihop with Kenny and then I started to pack up my things for school. I then got a call that said classes were canceled. I was SO happy because that meant I could observe my first graders on Halloween! On Monday I went to the school and helped out with the Halloween party and the parade that the school does. The kids looked SO cute in their costumes. There were a few witches, ninjas, superheroes, and a composer! The teachers also had very creative costumes. The teacher I'm observing went as a member of the Lollipop Guild from The Wizard of Oz and her aide was the Cowardly Lion. I just went as a cat, because I didn't want to look overdone. My sister and I decorated the yard for Halloween and scared a LOT of kids, it was so funny! Then on Tuesday I came back to school :).

Survey!

We all just made accounts on SurveyMonkey.com. I just made my first survey and it's about favorite types of music. :) Please take it and let me know how it is!!! It's only five questions and very basic. Thanks!

The Survey!

I'm so ready for the weekend, it's not even funny.

For some reason, I am just SO tired today. I cannot wait to go home tonight and be with my family. I have my music class after this (but it should go by quickly since the other students are presenting today) and then my other education class's midterm (which I should literally just breeze through). Tomorrow I'm observing my first graders! I'm so excited, they're so interesting to observe. On Saturday I'm going to the zoo with the program I work with (Daisy). The zoo is my FAVORITE trip to go on with Daisy. The participants get very excited and always have a great time there. After work, I'm going to babysit the two little girls that I've been babysitting since they were born. On Sunday I'm going to a walk for Alzheimer's in Paramus. I'm very excited because I really enjoyed doing the Breast Cancer walk last week. I also want to go to the Alzheimer's walk because I have a few friends that have family members who suffered or are suffering from Alzheimer's. I would love to support the cause in honor of them.

I'm presenting my first lesson plan in music today and I'm freaking out!

So, the title of this post is self explanatory. I have my very first presentation today and of course I'm the first one in the class to present. I'm nervous that I'm going to not do so well and be a little shaky. I would really like to get a good grade on this lesson. My lesson plan itself is fine, I'm just VERY nervous for the presentation part. Hopefully it'll go alright. On another note, I finally figured out how to start my webpage! Yay! I'll definitely post it on here once I finish it up!

Two Day Week is Over (after my other two classes)

Caldwell College gave us two days off for Columbus day (which eventually turned into a five day weekend for me, because I don't have class on Fridays). On Friday I had an event for Delta Phi Epsilon and then we went to Applebee's after. Saturday was Bid Day for the new members so we had some Italian food and music, it was a lot of fun, but I was really sick so I didn't enjoy it as much. Then two of my sisters drove me half way home and my mom met us at a rest stop. On Sunday I went to Hoboken and the MoMa with my boyfriend. I stayed home and relaxed on Monday becuase I felt SO sick, then on Tuesday, before heading back to school, I went to the doctors. The doctor said it was just a cold and I would be okay. Then I went back to school and studied for my art midterm (which I had yesterday). That was my only class yesterday and today I have this class, my music class, and then my other education class. And I'm so excited to go home because I'm observing tomorrow! Then on Saturday I have my first day of work (for the season) and I'm going back to school because on Sunday I'm participating in a breast cancer walk with my sorority sisters! :)

Columbus Day Break!

It's Columbus Day weekend this weekend! Friday and Saturday I have DphiE things so I won't be going home until Saturday night. Then on Sunday I'm going to the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) with my boyfriend. I need to go to the MoMA for my art class. The day the rest of the class is going is my first day of work so I need to go another day. After the MoMA, we'll probably go out to eat in Hoboken. On Monday I'll hang around with my sister and probably go shopping. I might go back to Caldwell on Monday night. If I don't, then I will observe on Tuesday. I really hope I can observe Tuesday because I would like to see how the students are on other days of the week (since I usually observe on Fridays). I'm so excited for the weekend! I just really want to relax and have a little time to rest, especially after rush week! :)

Rush Week!!!

This week is rush for my sorority Delta Phi Epsilon! Rush week is our recruitment week for women interested in becoming a part of Delta Phi Epsilon. We have information sessions and events for Potential New Members. I'm so excited to get new girls involved because Greek life is so new to campus! DphiE is a great sorority and we totally break the stereotype that's often shown in movies and media. We do a lot of philantropic events for ANAD (Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders), CFF (Cystic Fibrosis Foundation), and Delta Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation. We did a HUGE bake sale and hair tinsel event yesterday that raised money for breast cancer awareness! We're also doing a walk on the 16th in Parsipanny for the American Cancer Society and the funds will go to breast cancer research! I'm so excited to go because I've never been to a walk before!

Observing Tomorrow!

I'm SO excited to observe tomorrow! The class I'm observing is so fun to be around! I can't get over how smart these kids are, it's so funny! The teacher I'm observing is so nice and a great teacher. The aide that is in the room is hysterical and very down to Earth. I also love observing at the school because I went there for first grade and I know a few of the teachers. I would love to student teach here, but I want to observe at other schools to see if I really want to observe in elementary school or not.

My Weekend (First ever staying up at Caldwell!)

Although this is my second year at Caldwell, I have NEVER stayed a full weekend in the dorms! This weekend was my first. I stayed because I have an alumni scholarship, and needed to help out at an Alumni Tea on Saturday. The women at the tea had graduated from Caldwell College 50 years ago! It was so nice to see all of them, they were SO sweet! There was supposed to be a bonfire on Friday night, but because it rained, student activities had a dance in the old gym. It wasn't all that great, but I had a good time with my friends. Sunday was my sorority (Delta Phi Epsilon)'s "Sister to Sister Sunday Dinner". I had so much fun setting up and eating a nice meal with my sisters and a few potential new members! I also got to sleep in a lot this weekend, which was absolutely wonderful. On Saturday, my mom and cousin Louise came up to visit me and bring me some groceries. We went out to eat at a very cute diner in West Caldwell and then to a cupcake shop. I got a Samoa Cupcake and it was DELICIOUS! I'm definitely going to get that again. It was a basic yellow cupcake and had a caramel and coconut frosting with a little chocolate drizzle; amazing!

Making A Website

Today we are making a website in ED 447! I'm so excited, this will be the first time I'm making a website! I also have my first lesson plan due today for my Music for Elementary Teachers class. I'm a little stressed because I haven't written a lesson plan before, but I think the professor is just checking to see that we have it done, then correcting any mistakes. I think the one part of teaching that I will like the least is doing lesson plans, but it's the mahor part of the job, so I'm sure I'll get used to it.

First Time Observing!

Friday was my first day of my 40 hours of observations for my ED 340 class! I'm observing in a first grade inclusion classroom, at the primary elementary school I attended for first grade. At first I was kind of shy and just took notes about the class. Then I moved my seat, and one of the students came up to me and introduced himself. After that, I offered to help around the classroom with their cloud projects. The class was very sweet and the students seemed to be comfortable with me. I couldn't get over how cute it was when they called me "Ms. David". I seriously cannot wait to go back in two weeks! The teacher was also very welcoming and helpful to me. I'm so excited to continue observing. I think I may even want to teach younger students now!

I love not having classes on Fridays!

I have the most amazing schedule this semester. None of my classes start before 12PM and I have Fridays off! This Friday is my first day of my 40 hours of observations! I'm so excited! I'm going to the elementary school I attended and I'm observing a first grade inclusion classroom. I really hope this turns out well. Maybe I'll think about teaching younger students. I'm not sure which grade level I'd like to teach just yet, so I'd like to get a feel with different age groups. I do want to be certified to teach preschool-12 though.

Three Classes Today, then a Four Day Weekend! :D

This is my first of three classes today before my four day weekend! I still have my Fundamentals of Music for Elementary Teachers (which I LOVE) and my Teaching Language Arts for Elementary Students later on today (it's the first time we're meeting, so I'm a bit anxious.) Today in ED 447 we worked on our blogs (haha) and started exploring delicious.com which may be one of my new favorite sites! It's so amazing, I've found SO many amazing web pages about Special Education and Autism. I also found a lot of resources for teachers in general. I know I'm definitely going to be using delicious.com throughout college and during my teaching career. http://www.delicious.com/DanielleDavid

First ED 447 Class!!!

Today is the first day of Instructional Technology (ED 447) at Caldwell College! I'm so excited for this class because I would love to learn about different ways I can teach my future students using technology. I am especially interested because I plan on teaching Special Education, and I find it very interesting how new technology and social media are being used to work with students with special needs. I have previously blogged for another class my first semester as a freshman and I am very happy that I get to blog again!