Hi Everyone,
Thought I'd write and give you an update.
Mom is still away on her Italian expedition. She is currently staying in the lap of luxury--sitting in the Four Seasons in Milan in the center of the fashion district, DURING FASHION WEEK!! OMG!
On this side of the Atlantic, my orthotics arrived last week. Daniel and I went to fleet feet to get some shoes to fit them. Eduardo, our enthusiastic sales clerk rambled away in Spanglish about the importance of arch support and lectured Daniel on the detriments of flip flops. We left with a really good pair of sneakers and a pair of flip flops that mold to your feet like shoes. With my new sneakers and Daniel's flip flops we now brave one mile walks almost daily. I can actually feel the improvement in my legs' alignment. God is good.
That being said, I have had to resign myself to the fact that fashionable shoes will not be in my life for a long time. Fortunately, I have chosen to enter a career where comfort is encouraged over style (especially when it comes to shoes). Many teachers can be sighted happily plodding around in crocs, clogs, sketchers and various other fashion atrocities. While my vanity cries out against it saying, "your legs look hideous in those things," I suppress that voice and continue to walk in comfort.
I can still drool over great clothes though. So, while thinking of my mom I have looked up some of the Spring 2008 shows that were showed last week in Milan. Pictures are posted below for your visual enjoyment.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Friday, September 14, 2007
Reading optional...
Hi Everyone!
For our Journal entries in my human growth and development class, we have to tie our readings into personal experiences. I thought some of you might get a kick out of this one.
Babysitting my six month old niece, Beatrice, on a warm Sunday afternoon, I can’t help but notice her intently staring directly into my eyes. I begin to wonder how much of her surroundings she comprehends. At this point she is just starting to take shape as a human rather than an organism that exists solely to eat. My dad starts laughing and begins to make jokes about her rotund thighs. She lets out a deafening cry that can be heard through the thick, brick walls of my brother’s apartment. She undoubtedly detected his sarcasm. She has developed a fondness for the women in the family, a partiality that I believe is due to (and excuse the cliché) the softer nature of our sex. Beatrice is a creature completely free of guile, which is why I love her so much. She has little appreciation for cynicism and lets you know immediately if she does not like you. Unfortunately for my dad, Beatrice finds his grey beard a little too sinister. Alas, he has had to spend numerous hours at the mercy of an inconsolable, twenty pound infant who angrily rejects everyone except a handful of female relatives.
It is on this strange note that I begin to discuss the amazing phenomenon that is child development. While it is unclear how much our little Beatrice is taking in, she certainly seems aware of people discussing her and can easily detect a change in a person’s tone.
Studies offer contrasting views as to whether “infant speak” practiced by mothers can aid in language development in young children. Our chapters on development and cognition offer some interesting insights into a variety of factors that affect and aid children as they are developing, cognitively and linguistically through their teenage years.
First, Vgotsky asserted that learning and development cannot occur without social interaction. Children acquire their way of thinking and much of their knowledge from their cultural surroundings. Second, they are guided by a more knowledgeable “other,” usually a teacher, coach or parent who helps them understand concepts they would otherwise not encounter or understand. For me this view seems irrefutable. Strange as it may sound, I was always aware of the tremendous influence my parents had on my learning and development. I can remember testing out notions on my parents and developing a view of the world through trial and error. My parents were also available for suggestions on school work that was just a little too difficult.
Related to this is Vgotsky’s notion that all children have a Zone of Proximal Development. According to this theory, a child is capable of a certain range of cognitive abilities and activities that he is not yet capable of completing alone, but can complete with the aid of an adult or more skilled peer. A teacher must work within a child’s zone for the lesson to be successful.
Vgotsky’s theories can easily be applied to classroom practices. Since Vgotsky asserts that much of students’ knowledge comes from their surroundings, it is important create lessons that incorporate their daily lives. Material becomes more approachable to students if it is relevant to them.
Teaching material that is within students’ Zone may also require scaffolding. Scaffolding can mean anything that shifts some of the responsibility of an assignment away from the student. In my field, ESL instruction, this may include simplifying the language in directions, making fonts bigger, providing word banks, or putting pictures next to vocabulary words. The importance of modeling all activities you assign in the classroom cannot be stressed enough for ESL students. Giving examples of exactly what you would like your students to do, prevents re-explaining the assignment a dozen times and eliminates confusion on the part of the students.
I look forward to learning more about how young people think and develop and how I can approach them in an effective and caring manner.
For our Journal entries in my human growth and development class, we have to tie our readings into personal experiences. I thought some of you might get a kick out of this one.
Babysitting my six month old niece, Beatrice, on a warm Sunday afternoon, I can’t help but notice her intently staring directly into my eyes. I begin to wonder how much of her surroundings she comprehends. At this point she is just starting to take shape as a human rather than an organism that exists solely to eat. My dad starts laughing and begins to make jokes about her rotund thighs. She lets out a deafening cry that can be heard through the thick, brick walls of my brother’s apartment. She undoubtedly detected his sarcasm. She has developed a fondness for the women in the family, a partiality that I believe is due to (and excuse the cliché) the softer nature of our sex. Beatrice is a creature completely free of guile, which is why I love her so much. She has little appreciation for cynicism and lets you know immediately if she does not like you. Unfortunately for my dad, Beatrice finds his grey beard a little too sinister. Alas, he has had to spend numerous hours at the mercy of an inconsolable, twenty pound infant who angrily rejects everyone except a handful of female relatives.
It is on this strange note that I begin to discuss the amazing phenomenon that is child development. While it is unclear how much our little Beatrice is taking in, she certainly seems aware of people discussing her and can easily detect a change in a person’s tone.
Studies offer contrasting views as to whether “infant speak” practiced by mothers can aid in language development in young children. Our chapters on development and cognition offer some interesting insights into a variety of factors that affect and aid children as they are developing, cognitively and linguistically through their teenage years.
First, Vgotsky asserted that learning and development cannot occur without social interaction. Children acquire their way of thinking and much of their knowledge from their cultural surroundings. Second, they are guided by a more knowledgeable “other,” usually a teacher, coach or parent who helps them understand concepts they would otherwise not encounter or understand. For me this view seems irrefutable. Strange as it may sound, I was always aware of the tremendous influence my parents had on my learning and development. I can remember testing out notions on my parents and developing a view of the world through trial and error. My parents were also available for suggestions on school work that was just a little too difficult.
Related to this is Vgotsky’s notion that all children have a Zone of Proximal Development. According to this theory, a child is capable of a certain range of cognitive abilities and activities that he is not yet capable of completing alone, but can complete with the aid of an adult or more skilled peer. A teacher must work within a child’s zone for the lesson to be successful.
Vgotsky’s theories can easily be applied to classroom practices. Since Vgotsky asserts that much of students’ knowledge comes from their surroundings, it is important create lessons that incorporate their daily lives. Material becomes more approachable to students if it is relevant to them.
Teaching material that is within students’ Zone may also require scaffolding. Scaffolding can mean anything that shifts some of the responsibility of an assignment away from the student. In my field, ESL instruction, this may include simplifying the language in directions, making fonts bigger, providing word banks, or putting pictures next to vocabulary words. The importance of modeling all activities you assign in the classroom cannot be stressed enough for ESL students. Giving examples of exactly what you would like your students to do, prevents re-explaining the assignment a dozen times and eliminates confusion on the part of the students.
I look forward to learning more about how young people think and develop and how I can approach them in an effective and caring manner.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Pretty Skirts and dresses:)
A designer who came to my attention last spring is Thomas Maier for Bottega Veneta. I guess the house was previously known for upscale leather goods. They design everything from eyewear to shoes to men's and women's apparel, but I am especially partial to their dresses.
I love how the first dress is super girly but then has pockets to modernize it a bit. The blouse in the second picture is demure yet feminine thanks to details and ruching around the neck and sleeves.
Spring 2007
.
I love how the first dress is super girly but then has pockets to modernize it a bit. The blouse in the second picture is demure yet feminine thanks to details and ruching around the neck and sleeves.
Spring 2007
.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Adventures in Babysitting
Today after lunch with Daniel's parents we went down to visit Beatrice. Mom and dad were babysitting b/c Mike and Jo had a wedding to go to. Apparently little B was freaking out after they left but she calmed down when we got there. She liked me the best! Haha! D was teaching her how to make the toys squeak.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Save the bees!
Mom knew what she was doing when she gave me honey when I was sick.
To see why, read this story or watch the video to the right of it (it presents the same information.)
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/20/sunday/main1913900_page2.shtml
To see why, read this story or watch the video to the right of it (it presents the same information.)
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/20/sunday/main1913900_page2.shtml
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