Nature's Way

Roland is

allergic to birds

but he insists on

filling the bird feeder

with seed so

he can watch the

birds fly around as

he looks out the

window in his

office.

There aren't magpies in

Oregon.  I thought they

were pretty birds but

learned to hate them when

they wouldn't leave our already

pathetic crops alone.  In

Oregon the most hated bird seems

to be the blue jay.  I think

blue jays are really pretty birds  - but

blue jays are bullies.

Funny, I remember watching

"Peep" with Jenna and there was

one story in which Peep, Quack and

Chirp encounter a blue jay who

thinks she is special and is

unkind to other birds.  I didn't

know that I was watching an

accurate description of the real

life bird.

So Roland has watched blue jays

bully other birds and he has

purchased big seed and

little seed and

has decided to feed the little birds and

let the blue jays fend for themselves.

I have opened the front door a

few times after Jenna goes to

school and have seen a

black cat scurries off as

I step out on

the deck.

He runs away looking like a

rather guilty culprit afraid of

getting caught.  I'm not

interested in catching him.  If

he should be interested in

the birds (which I think is

the reason for hanging around our

yard) and catches them, I hope

he removes their corpses.  I

really don't want a bunch of

dead birds in

our yard.

Sunbeams and Blackboards

I taught Sunbeams twice in my mom's ward.  Both times I was blessed with four reverent children who folded their arms and listened to the lesson.  They may have been too quiet.

Ever since I've married, each class - not matter the age - that I have taught in primary has had at least one very quiet and focused child and at least one who is all over the place - except for my lesson.

Since coming to Oregon, I have had the sad and traumatic, the devastation, the "Oh, I love my teacher" and the "good helper" - that's all been the same kid overall.  I think the most that I ever had attend a single class last year was three.  Before the year came to an end, it was generally just me and Elizabeth.  My lessons were of no interest to her. For the most part, she pretended she was a horse.

This year I have her cousin, Hayden, who just recently turned four.  He's been with me since January.  Then, just a few weeks ago, they added Christopher who had turned three in February.  I don't know who thought he was ready for sunbeams.  He's still in diapers. I don't think he's ready to be in sunbeams.

Granted, three years is a long time to be in the nursery.  It is a hard transaction going from playing with toys to just sitting.  From my observation, those that are in nursery for the longest, have the hardest time  adjusting to being still.  I know my Jenna did.  She still does, actually.

 I thought that perhaps having two children would be easier than just having one, but Hayden has taken it upon himself to be the boss of the class and to discipline Christopher and forget about me.

The lesson I had prepared for yesterday was on food and clothing. I cut an apple in half to show them the star inside.   

Hayden was impressed, but did not want to eat any of the star.  I cut the sides of each apple to give to Hayden and Christopher.  I also gave them pretzels and continued my lesson as they ate. 

 I told them that the clothes we wear come from different sources: for instance cotton comes from a plant which comes from seed,

 wool comes from a sheep;  his bumpy coat gets shaved off and it is used to make sweaters and socks.   

There is even a fabric called silk that is produced by tiny creatures that we call silk worms.

Hayden thought I was quite entertaining but refused to believe any of my "tales".  In his mind he knew that all people are smart enough to figure out that all clothes come from Wal-Mart.

Christopher found some chalk near the chalkboard and decided to start drawing with it - which upset Hayden.  After all, he is older, therefore he should be able to delegate Christopher's every move.  Oh, please.

If I notice the chalk and erasers, I will put them in a bag and hang it from a hook above the chalkboard as they can't reach it, and so I knew there was a piece of chalk hanging in the bag.  I retrieved it and let Hayden have the larger piece.  He proceeded to draw what he said was his name.

Hayden then excused himself to go to the bathroom, so I sent him down the hall to get a parent or grandparent to escort him while I kept my eye on Christopher, who decided to add his own handiwork to Hayden's.

Hayden came back all upset that Christopher would dare mess up his name, and so I told Hayden he could stand on a chair and rewrite his "name" so that it would be too high for Christopher to mess with.  His signature looked a lot different from the first.

Messing with Technology - Turn It In

          The topic for our last discussion in English class was on Turnitin - a device that supposedly makes it easier for the student to submit his or her work and get feedback on originality.  A colored icon appears in a column next to our graded assignment.  Green is the best color to receive.  It means that only 24% of your work or less was borrowed, paraphrased or quoted from other sources.  I just recently learned that there are five colors: 

What I don't get is the color coding on the inside that marks your assignment.

          I would have been more interested in viewing Grademarks or Peermarks, but the tabs wouldn't even open, and so I did not see the point.  Having the colors and source names in columns didn't mean much to me.  It might have well have been sent back to me in Japanese although my understanding of that language is even more limited.   

          I suppose I could research it further, but was told that the site is having technical difficulties.  The way Roland understands it, the university will no longer be using Turnitin.  I would think that may be more stressful for the instructors than for the students.  Maybe not.  I don't know all the ins and outs - except that Turnitin was supposed to be some kind of helpmeet.  I find it ironic that our last discussion was about something that the school has done away with.  Maybe not.  Maybe it has nothing to do with the school.  Maybe it was infected by a virus or sabotaged - which is a shame really, even if I didn't have a full understanding of it. 

          I don't dislike Turnitin - nor do I dislike Blackboard Collaboration (last post) once I get into it.  It's the 30 or 40 minutes of trying to get in (and I have tried several computers) that I don't like.  We were told that if we couldn't get into the writing center because of the Blackboard issues that we needed documentation of trying to get in.  That seems bogus that there would be that need.  If we can't improve for student conveniences (because the way it is set up right now is nowhere near convenient - at least for this student) I am in favor of doing away with it.  

          As of now, I don't know what all the technical rigmarole is involved, but I'm guessing the school has more than just Turnitin to deal with.  Perhaps I will know more this afternoon.  There is an assembly scheduled in an hour.  Should be interesting.

Not Having Success With Blackboard Collaboration

       

          I had an English class on paragraphing during my second mod - which was a great introduction to my class on English composition.   I am happy that this is last week of my third mod.  Love my instructor, but don't care for all the rules that apply to informal writing.  

            So I have been working on the same assignment for four weeks now.  I could pick one of three topics.  I chose soft skills - again, but had forced myself the view it from a different angle - so it wouldn't seem redundant with two other classes that I took. Instead of being part of a team of employees working together, I decided to approach my assignment from the customer's point of view.

            My main gripe is proper communication between the employee and the customer.  Right off the back I came up with two examples of poor service that I had received personally, one from a photography studio that never did establish credibility (at least to my knowledge) and of course my gripes is with T-Mobil as found here

            So, our first week is about brainstorming ideas, or mapping, or free writing, or however, we choose to create an outline.  Our assignment was to be a reflective piece, however, the feedback I received was that it appeared more as a rough draft for my final paper .  She liked my outline and said I would be ahead in the game as I had already created an outline, but I did not receive full credit - though still an A.

            Our second week was to gather evidence.  I LOATHE research.  I loathe referencing and citing.  I followed the instructions for the assignment.  Our instructor was very impressed with the class as a whole.  She said it was the first time she had seen so many follow through and do so well.  It is the only week which shows I have 100%.

            Last week was the rough draft - which I had changed up a bit.  I didn't end up using my complaints (or anybody's regarding any cell phone provider) on T-Mobil.  Instead, I added some more positive comments on customer support with Lowe's as a whole.  I had researched soft skills.  I had researched employment.  I had researched T-Mobil and Lowe's.  I had researched my sources.  I revised my paper over and over.  I had made an appointment with the writing center to go over my assignment.  That was a stressful week.  I had an appointment for a 30-minute one-on-one session. 

It took me 30 minutes just to get in!  It was so stressful!  I hate blackboard collaboration.  I thank the instructor at the other end who took the time to critique my assignment and get it back to me - though she was unable to get it back to me until that evening.  It was the latest I had turned in an assignment.  I think that's part of what was stressing me out - that and stupid blackboard.  28% of my grade depended on last week's overall grade - which is the lowest I've ever had in any of my college classes (but actually quite terrific for my high school GPA - which was actually pretty pathetic)

           

            And then I had come up with all of these other thoughts related to the topic, but not customer service.  Here is what I had thought up:

                "What do Philosopy221 or the Motivation of Psychology have to do with my major? Whether it be in graphic arts or health care, we need to learn soft skills first. But why? Because we need to know more than just our trade. Soft skills are needed by each student to interact with classmates and instructors, to conduct self during an interview for employment and to work well with others in the workforce.

            "I like the idea of Stevens-Henagar or Independence University drawing up my schedule instead of just handing me a catalog and telling me: these are the courses that are needed, and try to pick and choose upon availability. That is frustrating. It is wise on the school's part to assign classes in which soft skills are the focus we need guidance as we post discussions, e-mail our tutors and instructors. Thank you for starting us out on the right path!"

          I had even come across references that I could use. My instructor said I could change it if I wanted, but I thought that was too big of a challenge for just one week - or a week and a half, maybe.  None of my paragraphs seemed to connect - not with the two paragraphs above, not with what I had turned in.  It was awful.

            This week, I think I've got a good final product.  Again, I spent 30 minutes trying to get into blackboard.  My husband finally got me in on the relic laptop that he has.  More stress, but this week is only 18%.  I'm not as stressed.  I have been more prepared this week and had submitted my questions along with the assignment in which I have to have feedback. I have since corrected and submitted my assignment and am done for the week

 YEA! 

           I will miss my instructor, but I will not miss the rules.  I really hope that I don't have to use blackboard again.  If so, I hope that it is a less painful experience for me - or anyone.  What a headache!  I can't remember what bbss stands for:   blackboard collaboration student support?  Right now I fail to see the success.  Stupid blackboard!

New Beginnings: Welcoming Jenna

            I looked online to find sources and give credit to the creator of last night's activity. I found one on pinterest dated March 2011 but there's one on sugardoodle dated 2008 and I would guess even more with early dates.  Though it's gone through many tweaks (as with the young women's, new beginnings, and personal progress themselves) even plausible that it was created before internet access.  Bless those that have shared their ideas through posts and other internet sources.  I commend you, but as I am unable to find the original source, I will not be referring  other sites with this particular post.

            We had to have Jenna at her school by 5:00, though the concert wasn't scheduled to start until 5:30.  Her instructor had advised the class to dress up - girls wear dresses and boys wear ties.  I guess there was some question about why a girl couldn't wear a tie.  He was okay with that and so Jenna chose to wear a tie.  I took her picture before we left the house.

  

              It was a fun a fun concert.  

After it ended, we returned home for Jenna's basketball and went to the church.  She and Roland shot a few hoops before the "New Beginnings" program started.

            Aside from the leaders and their children, we were the first to arrive as they put on the final touches of the decorations and refreshment table.  The theme was:

A "yellow brick road" had been added to the floor that led to the temple

  

            We were each given a program that matched the poster ad

                                                             

            

            Jenna had originally chosen to sit in the back with two of her classmates from primary, but Roland and I moved her to sit with us.  She was moved again just before the meeting started - this time to the very front row where she sat with the young women.

            Our opening song was "I am a Child of God" and then the girls and leaders stood up to do the Young Women's theme  - which was included in the program for those of us who aren't familiar with it

            The young women's president then  stood up to welcome everyone - particularly Jenna, the newest member of the young women.

            We then recited this scripture (while sitting)

            Jenna was then called up by the second counselor who gave an introduction about Jenna.  I have never cried when I've dropped Jenna off at her first day preschool or kindergarten or first grade.  But there were tears in my eyes last night when the first young women took her hand and led her down the yellow brick road and stopped at "faith" to give a message on the value and also gave Jenna a plaque which said:

            Jenna took the sign and continued to walk the path.  Each young women took her by the hand, explained the values of Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Knowledge, Choice & Accountability, Good Works, Integrity, and Virtue.  Each young woman hugged Jenna before she continued on.

            There are actually more values than young women, and so two of the leaders actually took turn in explaining and hugging.  Jenna looked overwhelmed.

            The personal progress specialist explained a bit more of the program as she presented Jenna with a booklet, and a binder, and the theme, a strength of youth booklet and book for camp and apologized as there was no journal (they had run out), and Jenna's favorite part: a bracelet to build upon - collecting charms and value colors when completing goals and projects. 

bracelet inside the box

  

            Our bishop than got up and touched on the wizard of oz and what each character in the story wants and how it applies to our own life. 

            It really was an awesome meeting.  More than half of us were bawling as we sang:

This is one song that really tugs at my heart strings and I really do
have a hard time singing it (or just hearing it) without getting emotional

            After the closing prayer awards were passed out

 and we had refreshments. 

            Cute names were given to the food like: melted witches brew and Ding Dong(s) the witch is dead (no witches were actually harmed during the making of this treat)  I wish I were able to remember them all.

            Jenna and a few other young women disappeared after the program.  When Roland and I walked out to the car, we found four girls playing basketball against the two young man who had been there for another meeting.  That had  actually the "highlight" of her day.  Silly girl.

             

Thank you for being such a fine example

                Krystal and Hank both attend our ward.  Neither one of them is a baptized member.  Krystal is ten and has been homeschooled up until now;  she loves primary.  She started attending with her grandma and cousin. She loves socialization.  She fits right in.  She loves to be there. Hard to believe that she is not a member.  She drinks the gospel up like it's water - which in a way . . . She LOVES primary.

    Hank was a different story. He was a rebel and it showed.  I don't know the full story, but I get the impression that he's been passed off one relative to another for at least a couple of years.  When he came to stay with his Aunt Ronnie, she had only one rule: he had to attend church with her every Sunday.

    Ronnie has been a member of the Church for less than two years.  She's a go-getter.  She loves the gospel and is not afraid to share.  So Hank sat beside her with a scowl on his face.  Evidently, he went to Sunday school and priesthood and was befriended by those attended those same classes. Gradually he showed desire to go to the activities. Now he gets himself up for early morning seminary - which was not a part of the deal.

    Then yesterday, I was asked in primary, to share a little bit about my mission.  I gave a specific example of a bishop from my first area who had to travel 35 miles to get to the ward.  He made a goal to have a ward house built near the city where he lived.  It's been over 30 years since I taught since I helped to teach those he had befriended and found for us to teach.  I was wondering if he had succeeded in building the ward up in that time and looked up his location after I had returned home from my meetings.  There is a branch in the city where he lives and it appears that he is the branch president.  Way to go!  I'll have to let my primary know next week.

    There are were four LDS youth attending Coffenberry last year.  Jenna was the only girl.  That is one reason she wanted "Utah" and "BYU" shirts for school.  She's already put in several "plugs" about the LDS church.  She wants her peers to continue asking questions.  "So what does BYU stand for?"  well, let me tell you . . .

    How great it is that there are so many positive examples.  I have felt such strength and enthusiasm.  It's been awesome!

College Wear Wednesdays

         

          The students who attend Coffenberry Middle School have been encouraged to wear College shirts so that they can start thinking about the future and start planning for secondary education. We're not too familiar with the colleges here in Oregon.  Oregon Ducks seem to be the most popular in this county.  But it was Beavers who had assisted Jenna and others in an engineering camp that was offered.

          Jenna's familiarity lies within Utah.  She wants shirts from BYU and University of Utah - and so I asked my kids if they could assist with her desire.  Jeanie sent a boxload of College wear, mostly U of U shirts, but Jaime said there was one from BYU, one from Weber State.  Plus she has one from Duke University that we had purchased before Labor Day weekend so that she would have one to wear that first Wednesday.  Now she is stocked for wearing shirts each Wednesday without having to repeat for 8-12 weeks. 

          Only one of her shirts says Oregon.  It is printed on the reverse side of the tie dye shirt that she wore the first day back from Labor Day (I don't think she has worn the Duke's one yet)

  I'll get better pictures of the tees as she wears them.