Anna’s Blog

I've kinda decided that I really enjoy having Foundations of Education with Palladino at 8 am. At least, I'm really glad that (if I HAVE to have an 8 o'clock) it can be with Palladino. He's so enthusiastic! I'm pretty sure he's the only teacher I know that feels completely comfortable jumping up and down when he gets excited about a point a student has made. I love it when he's talking about something he finds really interesting and you notice his speech starts to speed up, and his volume gets louder and louder. Sometimes, a student makes a point he particularly appreciates (finds either intriguing or controversial) and he literally runs up to the blackboard and scrawls out the statement (quite illegibly, so excited is he to write the thought before it's out of his mind). Needless to say, it's incredibly entertaining - and it DEFINITELY keeps me awake!

On a more serious note, though, Mr Palladino is so passionate about teaching. And his enthusiasm is contagious! I think it's pretty cool how he gets us thinking, too. He definitely doesn't just give us the answers - he makes us answer his "why's".
Sometimes our class gets into heated debates - and that's always fun! But rather often, I get frustrated with dealing with the 'controversial' issues. Sometimes, I'd rather we just accept things the traditional styles of teaching and the commonly accepted ways of doing things instead of questioning EVERYTHING. I know, though, that he's just trying to get us to think for ourselves and not just believe/do things because tradition dictates.

Posted by Anna at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today was simply gorgeous. I’m not going to lie, I skipped my afternoon classes to sit by the pond and chill with friends. Fellowship with friends (that sounds more…responsible/biblical/righteous). It was a whopping sixty-three degrees out. I don’t know about you, but where I’m from, we call that a Scorcher, in early March.

A bunch of my friends and I sat at a picnic table for more than two hours. We were on our laptops, sang along to my friend’s guitar, threw rocks at the geese, and even took a trip to the caf to get ice cream!

Undeniably, I accomplished very little this afternoon and evening, but I think it was well worth it. Sometimes it’s essential to simply enjoy one another’s company and marvel at the beauty of creation. I love spring!

**Ecclesiastes 3:1 “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.�**

Posted by Anna at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Goodness, I can’t believe Spring Break is over already! I didn’t get too much accomplished, but I definitely needed that R&R…rest and relaaaaxation!

On Monday, my brother and I went to the movie Vantage Point, which frustrated me to no end when it kept ‘rewinding’, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. The next day, I took my little sister to lunch at the nice restaurant in town (because, there’s only one…) and we had an awesome time imitating accents and doing impressions of people from movies and from our lives. I love that girl, she’s basically a miniature me.

I think for the next three days, I slept. And ate. And watched movies. That’s about it, I’m not going to lie. Lounging is my new hobby.

BUT, on Thursday and Friday, I had to observe classes at the high school for my Foundations of Ed class. It felt really strange going back into the high school after being gone for almost a year. I didn’t recognize ANYONE! And all the students seemed waaaay smaller than I ever was in high school. Weird.
I spent Friday observing my favorite English teacher and her classes. She teaches a few advanced freshman English courses (Early World Humanities), and an AP English Lit class. It was interesting to note the differences in teaching styles between the freshman class and the seniors, but I think she was equally as effective in her presentation of the material. As a future English teacher, I knew I could learn a lot from her. As an introduction to each class, she had me stand up and say where I went to college, talk a bit about my experiences in her class, and read aloud my award-winning personal narrative from my senior year. Talk about a welcome!

All in all, I enjoyed my break. It was interesting being back at home and at my old school, and seeing people I never thought I’d see again. I’ll be glad to be back at school, though.

**2 Corinthians 5:9 “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.�**

Posted by Anna at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I’m home on Spring Break! I ended up flying back to good ol’ Michigan on the same flight as my friend Jeremy (he’s from the Detroit area, I’m from the other side of the state), so the trip was a lot of fun in and of itself. Once in the airport, my flight to Grand Rapids was delayed an hour. And another hour. And another. Jeremy kept me company while I waited, and we passed the time by exploring the terminals (check the one with the awesome lights!), went to Starbucks a few times, and then had a makeshift worship session. While we sat at my gate, he played his guitar and I sang. I honestly think we were a blessing not only to ourselves, but to the others around us too. People were seriously stressing out about the possibly cancelled flight, and we were singing praises and were being optimistic. We were rays of sunshine! ☺

Needless to say, a few hours later, I was back home with my family. Praise the Lord for safety! I’m really looking forward to chillin with my brother and sister! …but alas, I have much work to do as well….

**Romans 2:19 “…You yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness….�**

Posted by Anna at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)