Angelica's World

I got back about an hour ago from a NYU Residential Education-hosted social justice retreat held at Camp Deer Run (2 hours upstate). Each participant was nominated by someone in their residence hall and then if interested, had to submit an application. 50 students were selected from the 150 applications and I am so grateful that I was one of them. This experience was life changing and something I wish everyone could go through.

Last week we had a pre-departure meeting and part of it consisted of breaking up into small groups to discuss "Whether or not NYU has diversity." I thought this was an extremely interesting topic to lead it off with because it is a dialogue that I hear occurring quite frequently with faculty on campus. Anyway, that got me really excited about the retreat which exceeded my expectations by miles.

We participated in multiple large group activities and also broke up into four smaller cohorts to discuss multiple categories and themes that are a part of the broader "social justice" issue. I have certainly come out a changed and MUCH more knowledgeable person. At the end we had to go around in a circle and say one word that described how we were feeling at that moment--"enlightened" was mine.

The people on the retreat--all 50 participants and all 10 facilitators (CDE's and ACDE's from various residence halls)--each came to the table with such a variety of backgrounds and were so willing to share those with the group. It's so hard to explain the impact that this weekend has had on me but please please please take advantage of any and all opportunities given to you throughout your life--you never know what they can do for you and how they can teach you to do for others!

Okay so I know this sounds completely ridiculous and my ratings in everyone's book probably just plummeted but I'm going to share this personal issue of mine anyway. Feel free to make fun of me at any point along the journey--I'd actually probably laugh out loud if I received comments about this :) (in a good way, of course)

Alright so I've always loved PB & J, I mean, who doesn't? (Yes, I know some of these rare folk are out there and I really don't think I'll ever understand them...the only acceptable excuse is an allergy, otherwise, do share how it is possibly to not enjoy this childhood treat!)

Freshman year when I joined the Dance Team, two sophomores took me under their wings--PB are one of the girls' initials (and my nickname can sometimes evolve into Gelly). Well, lo and behold, the perfect match was made and I found my best friend--what a coincidence. Anyway, so these two girls, addressing this awesome connection, decided to take me to one of the best "restaurants" in NYC--Peanut Butter & Co. on Sullivan and W. 3rd Streets (just south of campus--how convenient!). That fateful day was the start of something awful--or absolutely incredible, you decide! So to keep it somewhat short and sweet (which most readers can already tell are not my strong points) PB and I took to frequenting our namesake restaurant quite some time over the past two years. In the meantime, I took the liberty of introducing some friends to it and talking it up amongst others.

Well, this year I reached a whole new level of peanut butter insanity. I don't even want to know how much peanut butter I've consumed in the past week! I've eaten dinner at Peanut Butter & Co. the past two nights with a friend (the same one both nights haha) and I also learned about an added bonus of Whole Foods--a peanut/almond crusher--it makes freshly crushed peanut butter, honey roasted peanut butter, and almond butter...and you can do it yourself! I crushed, bought, and enjoyed the honey roasted one last night and tonight and I've officially sampled almost every sandwich at PB & Co., plus the sampler and the parfait--all come highly recommended. My one question is, how many people actually like spicy peanut butter (especially with pineapple marmalade and grilled chicken)? I personally think that's the most bizarre item on the menu.

And just to prove how ridiculously obsessed with peanut butter I am (aside from the fact that in four nights I've gone through two jars, about 5 apples, and tons of raisins without even counting the trips to PB & Co.), my friend and I each bought the Peanut Butter & Co. Cookbook (as an early Christmas present). I can't wait to make PB & J French Toast and cupcakes!

Clearly I'm a food junkie. I seriously think I have a problem--I LOVE eating! But I figure, I'm trying new things so at least something good is coming out of it, right?

For Education classes junior and senior year there are cohorts of about 20 students. Juniors in my major have class Tues and Thurs afternoon but tonight two of my classes were cancelled so we got out around 5:45. About half of my class went up to 32nd & Broadway for Korean food at Kang Suh. I have actually wanted to try it and one of the girls recommended this good restaurant. Wow, it was delicious. They gave a variety of complimentary appetizers that were all so different but really good and then I got rice with veggies and tofu but in a hot bowl--I definitely enjoyed it. Everyone's food was great.

It was a really enjoyable night. We just relaxed and had fun together in a non-academic environment, something we hadn't had a chance to do all semester.

And, on Saturday night I'm going with another friend from the class to a Moroccan/African/Mediterranean restaurant and then we're going to see a show about education and 9/11...I'm really excited. I love the fact that NYC has all these delicious opportunities so accessible.

Saturday I headed uptown to Hunter for an Association of Teachers of Mathematics NYC Conference as part of my Teaching Elementary School Math class. I had a chance to reminisce about my elementary school days when I went to a workshop about Math Olympiads (a national math competition for grades 4-7 I believe that presents students with challenging math problems that get progressively more difficult throughout the year). I participated in the program when I was in 4th and 5th grade and used to love it. In the workshop we actually solved some MO problems which was really fun (super dorky I know). The presenter spoke about the importance of integrating problem solving into class every day and having the students direct their learning and construct their own knowledge--it was pretty interesting and tied in well with what we've been learning in class.

Then I went with my class to another workshop about easy-to-make manipulatives and we all got really excited about how we're going to decorate our classrooms and stuff when we're actual teachers. We were initially so overwhelmed because there were a bunch of really cool/cute/fun ideas and we didn't know where to begin because we wanted to use them all.

The closing "speaker" did a Hip-Hop Mathematics workshop which was GREAT! He used to teach up in Harlem I believe and to encourage the students to be interested in school he decided to take what they know and like--rap--and make it academic. So they wrote their own lyrics about the things they had been learning and put it to music. He performed some of the songs with us on Saturday. It was so much fun and me being the cheesy person that I am ended up at the front of the auditorium with 2 other NYU students leading all the professionals in the assigned dance move. I had such a good time at that and really enjoyed how interactive and high-energy it was.

Yet another experience to get me excited about teaching!

Sunday, to add to my academic weekend (I spent 5 hours after the conference working on my final Math presentation with a friend then getting Moroccan food for dinner (absolutely delicious) and seeing a show in the East Village about 9/11 and education) I went to the Brooklyn Museum. As part of my Spanish class, Caribbean Latinos, we have to do some sort of field experience just to get us out in NYC and to make some connections to our in-class conversations.

One of my teacher's recommendations was going to the Brooklyn Museum because through the end of January they have Contemporary Caribbean Art exhibit so I decided to do that. First of all, the facade of the museum is gorgeous--its structure is really neat and not really what I expected. I also had no idea that it is right next to the Botanical Gardens which means I'll have to make another trip out there because that's a site on my list of places to go. Anyway, the exhibit was phenomenal. There was such a variety of art there it was incredible. All the artists took on such different perspectives using so many different mediums. They addressed issues in multiple Caribbean countries as well. I would certainly recommend the exhibit to anyone, especially if you have any interest in Caribbean culture and/or art. I just kept coming upon work after work of interesting pieces. Check it out if you can!

So clearly I've been pretty busy. This past weekend was very academically oriented but in fun ways which was nice. I had many different experiences and enjoyed each one a lot...and I was really productive as far as school work is concerned.

Yesterday was a great day at Student Teaching. I had the chance to sit down one-on-one with one of my students in the hallway and speak to him about some things for one of my classes. I love getting to do this (I did a similar thing with a different child last week) because I get to know so much more about the students. They really open up and share things with me that I wouldn't typically get to learn just from being in class with them. And since the beginning of the year I've had an interest in this child so getting to speak with him taught me a little bit more.

I also went to lunch with my class which is always fun. They love asking questions and getting to know me better so all I ended up doing was sit at the table with them and draw their names (they had to stay inside so they brought markers and paper) and have one student after another ask me to draw their names, as they continued asking me questions. It was great!

At work I finally trained my first client all by myself and I think it went well. The client seemed to have positive feedback for me which was encouraging and I really enjoyed doing it--hopefully I'll continue to have similar experiences as I get further into the job.

Today my friend and I presented our Final Presentations for our Math class. After completing the assignment on Saturday we were really proud of the end product and looking forward to our presentation and after our presentation our teacher told the class that we'd be a hard group to follow because we did such a good job. It was reassuring to receive that sort of public comment from a professor, especially after all the effort we put into the assignment.

I just enjoyed some delicious Thai food with one of my friends and now it's time to organize my life and pack up to go home tomorrow for the holiday.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Just wanted to write a short entry wishing everyone a very happy (and somewhat belated) Thanksgiving!

(I wanted to add a picture and I thought this one was cute--I loved the whole "sharing" aspect of it!)

I've been home with my family since Wednesday afternoon enjoying the change of scenery and a reminder of my other lifestyle. Wednesday night was great; I went out with an NYU friend and her friends and then I got to see some of my high school friends for the first time since we went back to school this semester!

Thanksgiving was a relaxing day filled with lots of eating. Mom cooked a delicious Thanksgiving dinner that probably could have fed an entire town...even though there were only 10 of us. It was nice just spending time with the family, catching up, and enjoying each others' company--I even experienced my cousin's driving for the first time as she's a new one to the roads!

Yesterday we had Thanksgiving Part Two in an attempt to get rid of some more food...but we still have leftovers! And mom forced me to be a part of Black Friday shopping because she wanted to get some Christmas presents for me--even though I don't ask for things and don't really want anything she still likes to have presents for us under the tree!

Dad just helped me put together the budget proposal for the organization my friend and I are starting and now I have a ton of homework to get done!

Of course there's no such thing as a short entry for Angelica but I just wanted to wish all my readers and their loved ones a very happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone took some time to reflect on all you have to be thankful for--I know my list could go on for quite some time!

And now it's off to homework...

Student teaching today was great! I had such an enjoyable day and did so many different things. First period I went to a Professional Development meeting with my Cooperating Teacher. This is when all the 2nd grade teachers come together with the literacy coach and look at the students' work, discuss strategies for working with students, etc. Today we happened to speak a lot about literacy, reading groups, and meeting the needs of all our students (including those having difficulties and those above grade level). I found this to be extremely useful because it completely relates back to what I am learning about in my Teaching Literacy class.

Second period my Cooperating Teacher let me lead the Morning Message which she had written. Yesterday my class went on a field trip to the Wyckoff Farmhouse so the Morning Message was to find smaller words within those words and their goal was 35 words. It was interesting seeing the words students came up with. Some got frustrated and wanted to stop but ended up going back to continue and creating rather long lists. After some time, I wrote the list on the board of the words the class found and when the children told me the word, I asked them to spell it for me too. They came up with SIXTY words!!! I was so proud of them :)

My Cooperating Teacher also let me do a reading assessment of one of the students. They get tested monthly (or something along those lines) to track their reading level and I was able to do one today. Then, after lunch I read the first two chapters of Judy Blume's Superfudge to them--it's actually a pretty good book! Then we reviewed some vocabulary words and the day was just about over. It was really productive and educational. And the more time teaching I spend, the happier I am--I love getting the experience and working so directly with my students! I'm really sad though because I only have four more days left at PS 10 because next semester I'll be placed somewhere else.