I've been suffering for over a week now with teeth and gum problems.... looks like I'm going to have to see a dentist and I don't have insurance, eeek! I found a holistic dentist that I like, my first appointments next week...
Before I forget, I decided to bake cookies last Sunday! They came out pretty good although I think I slightly overcooked them.... oooops! They weren't bad for a first attempt though. They were wholewheat ones and to make them healthier I subbed the butter for avocado (a little tip I read in a magazine).
So a couple of things I have been thinking about over the past few days.... in one of my classes on Thursday night one of the girls mentioned that the school she worked in had just adopted the "HighScope" curriculum. She explained that it gives children more freedom to make their own choices in the classroom (I just looked it up on google and it's a huge proponent of hands on activities for children) and so far it has been very successful. Her main point was that she doesn't understand why we aren't teaching this way in all schools. Good question. I love this type of teaching; I believe that children in traditional education sometimes are so stifled, it's miraculous that they learn anything. Maybe it's because of their amazing teachers! Children are not lesser than adults and we shouldn't treat them this way. They have so much that they can teach us, they are yet to be bogged down with adult life (most of them), they are unbelievably creative and they're imaginations are limitless. These are the types of things we should be nurturing in education, without placing limits. Teachers are there to advise and assist, not dictate and lecture. As you can tell I am very passionate about this and I could talk about it all night. Seriously. Some people might see me as an idealist and be quick to dismiss my views ("wait until you've spent time in a classroom!" they say) but if I aren't inspired to be the BEST teacher I can be and I DON'T expect the very best from my students, how can I expect them to be inspired about learning...?
The other thing I have been thinking about today is gratefulness. Thanksgiving is coming up on Thursday (an all American holiday which I am excited to experience fully for the first time; I'm spending it with a wonderful family I know) and I have been thinking about what I am grateful for. I already try to list a few things every night that I am grateful for before falling sleep. Normally it's things that have happened to me recently, like the awesome family that I live with, or things that have happened during the day. I think that Thanksgiving is about looking at the bigger picture - one way to do it is to look at the aspects of our lives that we are thankful for; those that make us who we are. These might not always be pleasant experiences. For example, my brother and I did not have a great childhood. However, without this experience we would not be the people that we are today. Another way to look at it - it could have been a LOT worse. We could have been brought up in a third world country with no home, food or clean water.
Other things I am grateful for -
my wonderful, supportive, crazy friends: there are not enough words. Seriously. I would have to write a whole new post haha!
My Mum for her patience, her reserved judgement and being stronger than she knows.
My family: my Grandma and Grandad for always being there when I was growing up, I wouldn't have made it without them; my brother for always standing up to me and teaching me hard life lessons without even knowing it.
All the opportunities I have been given over the past few years, which have culminated in me being able to live and study in America.
And finally... Camp Huntington for saving my life.
I feel like I just wrote an acknowledgement page for a book or something HAHA. And yes I did shed a few tears as I wrote this... ENOUGH for today...
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