New tagline!

It's been a crazy semester here in Rochester. Senior year has meant more work both in and out of the classroom. I welcomed 28 new residents in August. I choreographed for BPG, stepping back onstage for the first time in a year. I'm tackling new research for my upper-level and graduate level writing requirements while searching through options for next year. Luckily, one of those is now off my plate!

I have officially enrolled in the Warner School of Education beginning this May. I will be pursuing a Master's Degree in Teaching and Curriculum with initial certification. My specific degree will be in elementary education, bringing me one step closer to my ultimate goal of becoming a teacher. I couldn't be more excited!

This all leads to my ultimate announcement: after my graduation, my blog's tagline will change to "knitting through graduate school, one skein at a time". Be on the lookout for this exciting new chapter of my life!

Giving Thanks

I know, I know - this is a little late. Thanksgiving was 2 days ago, but between all the travel and then spending time with family, I never got around to blogging like I had hoped. But hey, better late than never, right? So, here it is: a list of (a few of) the things I'm thankful for this year.

This year, I'm thankful for music. I've been singing with Roc Hakol since my sophomore year, but this year we're finally starting to come together. There are so many amazing opportunities opening up for us, and as excited as I am for all of those, the best part is spending time with these amazing girls. Some weeks, we spend more time laughing and joking around in rehearsals than actually singing, but we still get our work done. I'm so grateful to have them in my life.

This year, I'm thankful for dance. Dance has been my place of refuge for as long as I can remember, but after a few injuries during high school (and then a repeat my sophomore year of college), I wasn't really sure that I would be able to keep dancing as much as I wanted. Simply stepping back on stage this fall was a blessing, and being able to do so with some of my closest friends was more incredible than I could ever imagine. There's something so special about the bonds I've formed with these dancers through hours spent together. I can't imagine how different my life would be without them, and to be honest, I wouldn't want to try.

This year, I'm thankful for adventures. I had the amazing opportunity to spend 4 months abroad this year, and I can't begin to explain how incredible this was. The people I met and the places I went have become such an integral part of the person I am. In truth, the semester I spent in Bath was one giant adventure in the littlest ways. I've barely gotten to see the others who were on my program since we got back, but that doesn't lessen the space they hold in my heart.

This year, I'm thankful for friends. I've already mentioned Roc Hakol, dancing, and my program abroad, and to be fair, these three groups have shaped who I am in more ways than I can count. However, others have also played a role - friends from my trip to Israel, friends who have moved away over the years, even a few friends from high school who are still around - and I'm so happy that they have.

This year, I'm thankful for family. My siblings and I were never close growing up, but now that we're older, we get along a lot better. I don't get to see any of my family as often as I did when I was living at home, which makes the we spend time together even sweeter.

This year, I'm thankful for change. I'm not the same person I was 4 years ago. In fact, I'm not even the same person I was at this time last year. The person I am today is a combination of all of the amazing experiences I've had and the choices I've made, and I am so thankful that I can say I have no regrets and that I am truly being the best version of me that I can.

The Official End of my Summer

Livetweeting the So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) finale marks the official end of my summer internship with the Dancers Vs Cancer campaign. Though I'll be continuing to work with them, I thought this would be a good time to sum up some of the amazing progress that I have made this summer.

The database I created currently has over 5,000 listings from 20 states and the District of Columbia. That's right, I spent my summer doing "grunt work." What's more important is that I'm PROUD of that grunt work. How many others can say that they worked on a project that had as much of a lasting impact as that?

I got to be really cool all summer as I livetweeted SYTYCD every week. By the end of the summer, tweets I wrote had been favorited (and even retweeted) by choreographers Mandy Moore, Warren Carlyle, Pharside & Phoenix, contestants Serge & Carly, allstars Will Wingfield, Anya Garnis and Amy Yakima, and a dozen of their siblings, teachers, and companies. One week, we were even mentioned by the official SYTYCD twitter account!

The most fun part of my summer work, however, was all the secret projects I got to be in on. The Dancers Vs Cancer National Dance Day video was featured on the highlights reel on SYTYCD, which even I didn't get to know in advance (I may have spazzed out a bit)! As Misty Copeland and Under Armour launched the "I Will What I Want" campaign, advocates prepared to be featured on "Dance Moms" (which I also got to livetweet). The social media campaign that we ran leading up to it included retweets by Tara Lipinski and Misty Copeland, and during the episode we were mentioned by Holly, one of the Dance Moms!

What does this all mean? It means that I spent my summer helping a larger effort to get the campaign noticed. Everyone who favorited or retweeted us, if only for a second, saw our name. They saw the iDance4aCURE handle. They saw the icon of one of our warriors.

For a moment, they got to see all the amazing work that I got to be a part of. 

First Day Jitters?

Something tells me that after 16 years of education, I'm not supposed to have first day jitters. I'm probably supposed to dread the first day of school, and in some ways, I do. When I start to think about the amount of work I'll have this year for my classes, I balk. I haven't even looked at the graduate school applications I'm supposed to fill out this fall. The start of the school year means that I have to face those things, despite the fact that I don't want to.

At the same time, though, the first day of school is still a little exciting. I can't wait to step into my classrooms, meet my professors, and start to learn. I want to know who else will be in my classes this semester. I'm excited about the material my courses will cover this fall, because being a senior in college means that I'm taking courses I really want to be in.

Maybe this is why I want to teach so badly. Because I know how it feels to be excited for the first day of school, despite dreading the start of classes. Because I know that the two emotions go hand in hand, and that that's probably a good thing. Because I want to harness that excitement for the whole year.

Happy First Day of Classes!

Lucky Number 4

As I tried to sit down and write this post, I was at a loss for words. I didn't know where to start. There seemed to be no way to sum up the time I had spent abroad. No way, that is, until I started to think back further to my trip to Israel. That's when I realized today's date, and suddenly, everything came together.

Exactly 4 years ago today, on June 23, 2010, I left on my first trip abroad. I packed my giant suitcase and a small overnight bag and piled into the car. At JFK Airport, I met the 25 other students I would be traveling with that summer for the first time, and boarded my first international flight. We studied and traveled together for 45 days, and I will never stop being grateful for the friendships I made and the ways that travel changed me.

Fast forward to today. Not only has it been 4 years since my first trip began, Saturday marked 4 weeks since my semester abroad - which lasted 4 months - ended. A journey that started when I first landed in England on February 4 came to its conclusion at JFK Airport, where my first journey had begun.

At times, it feels like lifetimes have passed in the last 4 years. I'm so different today from the girl I was then. Even spending just 4 months abroad has changed me in so many ways. In the weeks since my return, I've started to pick apart the 4 months I spent in England, and here's what I've boiled it down to.

Number of visits made to St. Andrew's: 10 (to a class of 23 students)

The school placement program was one of the main reasons I had initially chosen to apply to ASE. I liked a number of things about the program, but the education program had been the first thing that pulled me to it. Thanks in part to friends in Rochester who listened to me rant about ASE and another program that had accepted me, I eventually decided to go to Bath for the semester, which was the best decision I could have made. The students in Year 4 welcomed me with open arms, and I had a fantastic time joining their class every week. 

Number of formal essays written: 6 (plus a 40-plus page education portfolio)

That's right, I did take classes this semester. It's called "STUDY" abroad for a reason. I did plenty of reading, took lots of notes, and even learned a few things in the classroom. As torturous as my Shakespeare class was, it taught me quite a bit. My Tudors and Stuarts course was equally as informative, although significantly more enjoyable thanks to a friendlier environment. My favorites by far were the education courses (one theory and one based on our placements) when the seven of us in the education program basically just hung out with Mike Rix and Andrew Butterworth. 

Number of cities visited: 19 (spanning 6 countries)

Traveling, whether with the program or for personal reasons, was one of the most fun things I did all semester. I took more train rides than I can count, and saw more landmarks and museums than I'll probably remember. I got a taste of so many incredible places, which only made me want to see more. 

Number of blog posts related to my trip: 38 

Even though I knew not many people would probably read my blog posts, I was so glad I decided to write about my journey. I would get back from a new place and pour all the memories out. I realized I became a bit of an adjective junky, but I simply couldn't find any other way to describe all I had seen.

Number of photos uploaded to Facebook: 1252 (plus 1 video)

Where words failed, my camera at least came closer. So many people have yelled at me for not being in many of my own photos, but as cliche as it sounds, I loved the way that the world looked through the lens of my camera. There were so many moments I wanted to capture, and looking back, I'm so happy I did. 

And, of course, the reason you all probably read this post, my grand total.

Number of miles logged: 269.28

I still can't believe all of the experiences I had this semester, or how long it's been since I returned. Looking back to my first summer abroad, I never saw this coming. I never imagined these opportunities, or the wonderful people I would meet along my journeys.

Here's to my next 4 amazing years.  

"Those Trees are Holding Hands"

On top of all the big adventures I've had this semester, I also got to go on a few "mini-adventures" after Spring Break that never made it into blog posts.

Just days after I got back, Rachel and I took the train to Bristol for a Passover Seder. We spent much of the ride getting to know each other, as we hadn't spent much time together during the program. We stepped off the train and split a cab to the synagogue. We arrived just a few minutes early. We found a pair of seats at an unoccupied table, where we were soon joined by a mother and her 9-year-old son; she was originally from Washington DC and recognized our accents. A gentleman in orthodox dress sat at the head of the table, followed by another gentleman. Just as the seder was about to begin, a young man about the same age as Rachel and I took the last open seat at the table. We followed along with the seder, eagerly awaiting dinner, during which Rachel and I talked mostly with James, who we learned was just a few years older than us. He offered to drive us back to the train station at the end of the night, which we gladly accepted.

I undertook my next mini-adventure with nearly a dozen other ASE students when Lindsay led us on a walk along part of the Bath Skyline. The whole route circles around the city, but we just walked on a short stretch of it. From Nelson House, our journey took us past the residences south of the city to a hill overlooking Bath. The title of this post comes from this night; as we walked up the hill, we tried to distract ourselves from the exhaustion we were feeling, and Katie mentioned it at one point when she looked across the street. For most of the rest of the evening, we wandered through quiet, empty fields. One of the highlights of the night was running into a pair of dogs and their owner. One of the dogs ran right through our group to the fence behind us, but the other stopped, knowing we would likely shower her with attention. She was, of course, correct. We paused the walk for a minute so that everyone could have a chance to play with the dog, who loved all of the friends she had suddenly made.

My next two mini adventures brought me into London to check off items of my "to-do" list. The day we returned from Stratford, Megan and I took the train in to see "Once" on the West End. I was particularly excited because Arthur Darvill, a former star of Doctor Who, was playing the male lead in the show. His final performance would be the following day, so we made it just in time. While we were there, we learned that the female lead, who had held the role for 3 years, would also take her final bows when Darvill did. Both leads were fantastic, and I was so glad I finally got to see a show in London! We ran into Chelsea at the train station, who had been in London with Emily for a concert that evening, and rode back to Bath with her.

The following morning, I hopped back on the train to London to meet up with Ambar. We realized as we talked that we hadn't actually seen each other in just over 3 years, which meant that we certainly had plenty to catch up on. Although we had initially planned to spend just 2 or 3 hours together, the afternoon ended up lasting for over 5! I was so glad to get to see her after all this time, and we found we were able to pick up our friendship right where we had left it off. Our new rule has become that we need to see each other anytime we're in the same country :)

The last item on my tourist to-do list was to see the Roman Baths, which I finally did during finals week. Jasmyne, Amy and I met at Nelson house to grab a bite to eat at the Thai restaurant across the street, and then we walked to the Baths exhibit. We spent about an hour in the museum section, and then we took advantage of a free tour around the actual Baths. At the end, we tried a sip of the water (which was warm and tasted funny) before heading out.

That's it for the mini-adventures! I'm heading home tomorrow, but be on the lookout for two more blog posts for the semester in the coming days. Until then, cheers!

St. Andrew's Visit 10: The Teacher's Role

Focus: The Teacher's Role

It's hard to believe this is my final journal for St. Andrews. 10 visits have absolutely flown by, and as I entered the school for the final time, I knew it would be a tough goodbye.

I arrived in the morning to find that Mr. Barry had a few tasks for me to complete before the students arrived for the day. He hoped that the busy work of photocopying letters and sharpening pencils could be done before the day even began, so I set about preparing the materials he asked for. When the students did arrive, they brought frantic questions; "Are you leaving today? Is today your last day? Why are you leaving?" I was touched by their concern, and when I confirmed that yes, this would be my final visit, they were quite subdued. The excitement of the moment gone, they sat on the carpet to learn about the physical aspects of the painting that they had been studying as part of the Take One Picture program. They then incorporated this information into a short paragraph (about 3 sentences) to be part of longer reports on all they had learned about the painting chosen this year, including its history, style, painter, and religious significance.

During guided and independent reading, Mr. Barry asked me to prepare the materials for a display board on the sunflower challenge he is coordinating. For the challenge, 4 participants from each of the school's tree-based houses (1 student each from years 3 through 6) have devised strategies for growing sunflowers outside the school. The sunflowers will be measured every 2 weeks from now to the end of the school year.

After a break, the students prepared for maths. They have an assessment coming up, so for the first time, I got to see them in the mode of preparing. They grumbled and complained as Mr. Barry drilled one question after another, pushing them in the hopes that they will recognize the  questions when the assessment comes. R refused to participate altogether, and he stormed out of the room when Mr. Barry attempted to confiscate the book he had decided to read instead.

My skills in interacting with R were tested at this point, as Ms. Bryant asked me to sit with him in the hall after she had no luck. When I entered, my first task was to convince him to decide to come down from an apparatus he had climbed. My second was to ensure that he didn't climb back up. I breathed a sigh of relief when he finally settled on a spot on the floor, and when Ms. Bryant returned, she praised his choice as well as congratulating me on a job well done. Though he still refused to return to class for the end of maths (by this point he had missed nearly the whole lesson) he did eventually decide to join Ms. Bryant in the library, which was a good idea since the Key Stage 1 students would be arriving for lunch any minute.

During lunch, Mr. Barry expressed his frustrations regarding R, whose behavior has become increasingly difficult lately. Although he no longer assaults his peers when he becomes frustrated, he has learned that if he does not want to comply, he can generally leave the classroom, and the school has little power to stop him. Mr. Barry described feeling like a babysitter, especially since most days R does not complete any academic work or even attempt to join the class.

After lunch, the students changed into their PE kits for my lesson on isolations. They had a bit of a scare when Andrew Butterworth, who had arrived to observe my work with them, was introduced as a representative from a "school for naughty children," described as being "like prison, but a bit worse." J in particular became fixated on the idea, only letting it go when Mr. Barry revealed that it was just a joke.  The lesson had its ups and downs, featuring a few moments of near chaos alongside moments of perfect peace. The machine game, which has always been a favorite of mine, proved to be a success among the students as well. After the lesson, I brought them back into the classroom.

Back in their uniforms, the class presented me with a card and a gift to thank me for being there this semester. A cluster ran up to give me a giant group hug. I answered a few questions that they still had about me, and then we released them for a few minutes of extra playtime. They ended up having even more time than anticipated when the day's assembly was cancelled. RJ and M convinced me to skip rope for a few minutes with them, and I laughed as they sang the "Teddy Bear" tune I had skipped to when I was their age. I left them to detangle M, who had gotten tangled in the rope ladder on the playground. Mr. Barry commented that there's no one quite like her, with which I concurred. We talked a bit about the character of the class, filled with its diverse students, before discussing a bit about my hopes for the future.

I shared a few of my observations about the teachers here, such as the larger role they play with their students. Though I would only be expected to teach the academics in a school in the states, teachers in primary schools in the UK also play the roles of art, music, PE and ICT instructors. In a school as small as St. Andrew's, they also take turns looking after the students during the midmorning break. One of the secretaries double as the nurse, and the other serves students during lunch.

As I dismissed the students at the end of the day, many of them expressed their sadness to see me go. For the first time since I have started working with students, I realized, I would not be seeing my students again, and I wished them all the best of luck moving forward. I thanked Mr. Barry for the invaluable experience and for his encouragement all semester, and he saw me out. In the blink of an eye, my day - and my experience - came to an end.