GSPT 2010 Family Reunion

This past summer I had the wonderful opportunity to attend Tennessee's Governor's School for Prospective Teachers (GSPT). I made some new friends and everyone there was my "family" for half of the summer. We really bonded and felt like a fmialy, and it was an experience of a lifetime that I wouldn't replace for anything in the world. I got a glimpse of what college classes/professors are like, being on my own away from home, and having to be responsible for my laundry and money and eating/exercising habits. Not to mention I got some college credit for doing it (and I need to save all the money I can).



Well, today was the first day I got to see some friends from GSPT. We had a great time laughing together, going ice skating on plastic, playing games, and just seeing each other again for the first time in five or six months. It was wonderful to see them all again and I can't wait until our next "family reunion."

Just wanted to keep you updated on what had been happening since this summer's experience.

Annie ♥

Merry Christmas

Just wanted to tell you "Merry Christmas" as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Lord, and King, Jesus Christ.

Happy Birthday Jesus!!!

How Many Kings

Last year I heard the song, "How Many Kings," for the first time. It was such a moving song that really talks about Jesus' humility. Jesus is the King above ALL kings. If any of "us humans" had that title, we'd expect people to serve us...afterall, we would feel like we deserve it. However, this was not Jesus' attitude at all. He came in the form of a baby...a person that needs so much care and time and attention, a person that can do very little by himself, a person who has to be fed and bathed and changed and clothed, a person who can't even talk when he is first born...this is the form that the Ruler of all things came in. What humility to show everyone that the person who can do anything and everything (Jesus) came as someone who can't really do anything at all. What humility Jesus showed to everyone when He deserved to be born in a palace made of gold but instead was born in a stable. What humility to give up His place as King and Lord and become the least for you and me. What humility God showed the world when He gave up His Son for all of us...for a world that's broken and torn and imperfect. All in all, Jesus showed humility to the world. And if Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, was humble, how then do we act when we're nothing, when we sin all the time, when we should be the ones serving God?

Here's the song with lyrics of "How Many Kings..."

Christmas Goodies

Ever wonder what to get your friends for Christmas? Of course it needs to be something that they will get a lot of use out of that's affordable for you. Well, here's an idea: Christmas goodies, homemade munchies, some yummies for the tummy...or whatever else you want to call them. I did this last year and decided to do it again this year. My mom and I make goodies every Christmas for us to have at home and for her to give to some of her friends and Sunday School teachers and such, so it isn't too much trouble to make a few extras. Everyone always loves a good treat and they get a lot of use out of them. Sure, it doesn't last for years and years, but the recipient thoroughly enjoys it for the time he/she has it. ☺ To make it look really cute, you can also put it in a decorative bag. For guys, do a masculine print on a bag that can be thrown away (because afterall, they don't care about the bag). For girls, you could try to find a tin or a cloth bag to put their goodies in. I tried that this year and my friends loved them and thought they were the cutest thing. So this year, don't stress yourself out trying to find that perfect gift for someone when it's right in front of you.

♥Annie

Awake Tonight

So this post is more for fun than anything else, and it is also an update on this year's Winter Wonder Slam...

On Friday night, I had the opportunity to go to the annual Winter Wonder Slam concert (also called the "Awake Tonight Tour" this year) with my youth group. This is a concert Toby Mac does annually with other artists, and this year it happened to be Shonlock and Skillet.

Shonlock started out our evening and was magnificent. He had some really great songs that got everyone pumped and also did some fantastic dance moves that I can't even begin to attempt. (I think it would give everyone a good laugh if I did try to do them, though.) ☺

Then came Skillet. They have never been my favorite band, but they did a fantastic job Friday night. I even sang some of the songs with them. I also have to tell you how talented they are...the drummer is a girl and one of the best drummers I've ever heard. I just watched her in amazement playing the drums AND singing, which is such a hard thing to do. Then the violinist and cellist also outdid anything I could've imagined..."WOW" is all I can say. And the bass player and electric guitarist were also phenomenally stunning. I especially loved hearing some of the stories behind the songs...they were very touching. All in all, Skillet did a WONDERFUL job!

And of course for the grand finale and main attraction of the evening....

TOBY MAC!!! He was awesome (as usual). He and his Diverse City Crew promised their all and gave us beyond that. They performed for about an hour and a half straight. I still don't know how this forty-something year old dad has the energy to jump around and sing for that long. I have to tell you that I was so excited to be with other "Jesus Freaks" playing some "Funky Jesus Music" and being a "City on Our Knees." I was definitely doing some fist pumping and lots of singing, probably embarassing myself to death. ☺ I'm sure the people two rows back from us who were obviously bigger fans of Skillet thought I was nuts. During the concert we were also reminded that we are "Made to Love" in this "Diverse City." We had a great time of worship...it's really cool when you're surrounded by other Christians and people who love Jesus and can just worship Him together.

All in all, it was a night of fun with some wonderful friends in my youth group who acted crazy with me. ☺

-Annie ♥

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It's that time of year again! The leaves have changed, people are traveling to Grandma's house, trees are being decorated, and over-eating has started. Not to mention the fact that Christmas music is being played on every radio station and some type of Christmas movie is always showing on TV. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

However, for some, it is also one of the hardest times of the year. Sometimes all people experience is the stress of trying to please everyone with the gifts they want, making sure they see every single family member, decorating, and...well, you get the picture. It's also a time of year when loved ones that have passed away are remembered and missed a little more than usual, which also brings more stress and sadness.

What most people, including myself, forget a lot of times is that this time of year is a time to experience joy, peace, hope, love, selflessness, thankfulness, and so many other things. So this year, I'm going to try to concentrate on experiencing all of those wonderful gifts that God has given me, instead of any of the other feelings people have around this time of year. Maybe you can be that little light of Jesus to the world as a reminder of who He is and what this time of year is all about. And after that, hopefully you and I will continue to be a reminder of Jesus and who He is instead of simply during this time of year, because after all...It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Mulligans for Everyone!

For those of you who aren't big golfers out there, a mulligan in golf is (according to dictionary.com) a shot not counted against the score, permitted in unofficial play to a player whose previous shot was poor. In other words, a little bit of grace shown to the other player.

A couple months ago my family and I visited some very dear friends in Florida over our fall break. We had the opportunity to see where they live, shop, eat, swim (they live about 10-20 minutes from the beach), and attend church. Now the weekend we were there just happened to be the Sunday when their pastor was out of town and they had a guest pastor speak. He spoke on grace and talked about the mulligan in his message. (Yes, I am repeating lots of what he said because I thought it was a wonderful life lesson.)

I know I keep talking about grace, and some of you might not even know what that is. Basically, it is something freely given that no one can ever earn. God extends grace to us when we sin and He did this when He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins. Jesus did nothing wrong and lived a perfect life, but the gift of salvation was given to us when He sacrificed His life for everyone in the world. Because He paid the ultimate price for our sins on the cross, God can look at us as holy and blameless and pure. However, you have to accept the gift of forgiveness that God gave us for Him to view us in this way.

Anyway, back to the story...

The speaker kept talking about how God has given us grace and how we need to do the same for others. We need to show people God's grace. Because God has extended grace to us, we need to follow His example and do the same for others. We need to be carrying mulligans around in our pockets and have some ready to give to others.

Now, you might be wondering why I'm sharing all of this with you. You see, grace is something that is very hard for me to give out. I tend to view things in a more just manner. My thought a lot of times is, "Well, you really deserved that." But how dare I think like that. There are so many times people have extended grace to me when I don't deserve it, and I am so grateful they have. Not only that, but God has extended an abundance of grace to me. I am a wretched person who deserves death and to be separated from God for all of eternity. But God has extended grace to me that I have accepted, and I now get to spend a lifetime with Him. I don't deserve to, but He gave me that wonderful gift. (Now, are there times when you will still receive consequences and punishments? Yes. This is because God is not only a God of grace, but He is also a God of Justice. And I know all of that can be confusing, but that's another story for another day.)

God has been making it very clear to me these last couple of months that I need to extend more grace to people. The other day I found this verse on my iGoogle home page...You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Philippians 2:5 (New Living Translation). Then, on facebook, I found this post on a friend's status...Grace will be my song. These were both reminders to me to show grace to people. The verse got me thinking about how God would act and what He would do. His whole attitude would be that of grace and love. That's exactly the attitude I need to have.

These are just some thoughts on where I am on my journey learning more about extending grace and love to people. So I hope we can all remember to carry around some mulligans in our pockets to give out to people. :)

♥ Annie ♥

The Feast

The Feast. It sounds like a Thanksgiving feast filled with turkey and corn casserole and rolls and the other traditional Thanksgiving day foods, right? Well, not exactly. The Feast is an event at my church that we have been holding for four years now. And what it is is a school-on-school competition to see who can eat the most hamburgers. I know this sounds crazy or insane or weird or gross or any of the above, but it is an event that many students at the local high schools have come to know.

I love the Feast. It is a time for worship and a message, as well as a time for stuffing your face with tons of hamburgers. However, it's a little more than just that. It's a time for a seed to be planted. These kids may come for some free food that they can actually eat, but they are also being able to intake some free spiritual food. It gives them an opportunity to experience God's love and what He has to say to them. And I am someone who is all about the seed being planted...because it only takes one. After it's planted, it's our job to leave it up to God to grow it. Now that may include God nudging us to invite them to church again or it might include just loving them and showing them who God is. But one thing I do know is that every single kid there last night was there for a reason and I can't wait to see God's plan unfold in their lives. :)

Role Model

Have you ever had someone in your life who you consider to be a role model? Hopefully you do have that person that you can look up to and learn from. Well, I was recently assigned to write a memoir for an English class I am taking. It is to be based off of the book, "Tuesdays with Morrie." (If you haven't read it, it is a very touching book, one in which I cried through at the end.) We could choose any person we wanted to and after a few days of praying about it, I chose mine. As I am writing my memoir (or really a memoir mostly about her life and my relationship with her), I have to examine how she has impacted my life. I can't simply say, "Oh yeah. She was really helpful. However, I have no idea what role she played in my life." I have to truly examine the things she's taught me, who she is, etc. This project has also gotten me to think about all of the other people in my life who are role models. I have been able to see that there are many people in my life who have impacted me in some way, whether big or small. And they have all touched me in different ways. For some, it is that they stand up for what they believe in no matter what the cost. For others, it is the obedience and trust they have put in the Lord. And for others, they are teachers that have taught me and gone beyond their job of teaching. We all have role models and mentors that are all around us....the questions is, "Who are they, and what are they teaching us?"

Let the Countdown Begin...

We are less than one week away from our county's fall break this year, and everyone knows it.

It is now the time of year when the sandals and sundresses go away, light jackets are worn, students are more talkative than normal, and everyone is taking their last trip to Florida before next spring. It is such a wonderful time of the year with the leaves changing, having bonfires with friends, and going to a few more high school football games.

But for me, it is more than that...
There is something that happens to me every single year around this time, and that is...HOW MUCH I TRULY LOOK FORWARD TO FALL BREAK. Sure, Christmas, spring, and summer breaks are great. However, I feel like those are just nice breaks to have from life. Fall breaks are much NEEDED for me. I always start feeling exhausted and physically, emotionally, and mentally drained. I feel like I have very little left of me to keep giving people and putting into school and life in general. Right now, I am running off of a LACK of sleep and lots of sugar ;) My weekends are filled with football games, band competitions, and church. Now don't get me wrong, I love participating in each and every one of those activities, but they do keep me very busy. And right now in school, teachers are concerned with new benchmark tests and craming all the information they can down our throats, so we will be caught up when we return to school after fall break. So let's just say that this year more than ever, it is a much needed and looked-forward to break.

Therefore, with all this said, let the countdown to fall break begin...

I'm Worn Out!

I know I haven't written in a while and I apologize for that. This is so for two reasons: 1) I haven't really thought of anything too exciting to write about, and 2) Like the title states, I AM WORN OUT and in the midst of a busy life...

We have been in school for a month now. And I can't tell you how much I love this year. Everyone says junior year is your hardest academic year, but it isn't so much that as it is that I am simply so busy. And to be honest...I'm tired. For the past two or three weeks now I have just been going, going, going. Not that I don't take my little rests and breaks every day, but there is always somewhere someone in my family needs to be and something I need to do for school, even if it is only to help me get ahead. In fact, we have so many things to do and places to be that my mom had to put up a family calendar on our fridge so we can keep up with everything. This is just something we aren't quite used to.

But I also know that God is in control and He is helping me get through all the busyness. In fact, there is one way in which He has helped me and I just keep thanking Him for it. I just noticed it this week, but I am so thankful that I don't have a job. Crazy sounding, I know...especially coming from a high schooler's mouth. But it's true! Towards the end of this summer I applied for three different jobs (well, two of them were the same place just at different locations). I was really hoping for a job that would put a little money in my pocket and I just prayed that I would get a job at the place God wanted me at and at the time God had planned for me. This was such a hard prayer to pray, because I really wanted a job. But I am so thankful that I did not get a job. My life right now is too busy for one. I think my stress level would put me beyond breaking point and I would be in tears right now. But I'm not. Just this week, I have had/will have SIX different club meetings to go to. That's more clubs than there are school days!!! And I know that I would be even more exhausted if I had to go to a job on top of all that. So, again I will say, THANK YOU GOD THAT I DON'T HAVE A JOB!!! ☺ This is just another way God is showing me that He knows what's best for me and how He is taking care of me with my best interests at heart. So until next time...

Annie ♥

Junior Year is Finally Here!!!

If you are anything like me, then you are the type of person who can't wait for the next school year to get here. You are someone who can't sleep the night before and ends up staring at the ceiling for hours. You are also someone who gets really excited over school supplies, finding out your class schedule, and organizing your papers with dividers. Well, this is how I have been for the last week or two...

As of today, August 2nd, I am officially a JUNIOR in high school. This completely blows my mind! I am so ecstatic to be entering into this next stage of my life. I am also trying to grasp the idea that I am almost finished with high school. Common knowledge is that junior year is one of the hardest years in high school. Not only is the work starting to get harder with A.P. classes, but this year I will have to start visiting colleges, zoning in on a college and major, taking the ACT and/or SAT, looking up scholarships and which ones I can apply for, trying to get a job, and the list goes on. But hopefully it won't be as bad as everyone says and I will have some fun. I also cannot wait to see what God teaches me this year and how I grow spiritually and emotionally.

Freedoms

"Why don't we use our freedoms and liberties that so many people fought and died for?"


This quote came to me from a man who came to speak to my church family and me one Sunday at the end of May. The thought of it is so fascinating and, at times, earth-shattering. When you think about it, it gets you to analyze how we, as Americans and Christians, use our American freedoms in our daily life to live out our Faith. We have to ask ourselves, "What am I doing in my daily life to make sure I don't let those freedoms go to waste?" Part of using our freedoms consists of being conscious of our actions. Be intentional of how you live. And continue to use the freedoms our country was built upon and the freedoms men and women fought and died for in order to give us a better life. If we don't, we might wake up one day and find ourselves without the freedoms and justices that are so important to us.

Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16 NIV

P.S. I know it is past the Fourth of July, but I believe anytime is a good time to talk about our freedoms, especially before the start of a new school year filled with opportunities to use them.

Two Weeks and Four Days...

There are only two weeks and four days left until school starts again for me. And other schools are not far behind. This is only about half a month to eat, sleep, and finish summer reading. All we have left is two and a half weeks to travel with family and friends. School will be here before you know it. Life is too short in which to waste these two weeks and four days. We should all be preparing for this next school year, this next phase of life. For me, I will be a junior and have to seriously start looking at colleges. I have the ACT and SAT to take. I have one more year with my friends who will be seniors. But more importantly, I look forward to another year to be an example of who God is. I have another year where I can grow spiritually, pray, and be a leader for Christ. Am I guaranteed this next year? No. I, along with everyone else on Earth, am not even guaranteed my next breath. But I will try my best to live for God and not loose sight of Him for every moment He allows me.

Home Again, Home Again

I am home! The last five weeks of my life have been amazing. I have learned, grown, and experienced different things. I would not trade the last five weeks for anything in the world. I would highly recommend governor's school to anyone who has an interest in it. Not only did I learn more about the teaching profession, but I got to learn some personal life lessons, as well. I know there is a reason God let me go and a reason it was this summer. I am seeing this more and more as time goes on, even if I do not know all the reasons yet. I am so thankful for this time in my life and am still trying not to burst into tears at every waking moment when I think about it. We all became a family there. When you live, eat, and play with people for a over a month, this is what happens. Thus, that is another reason why it was so hard and sad to leave. Therefore, I can say nothing but good things about governor's school and encourage anyone who has an interest in it to apply.

Mixed Emotions

Do you ever have one of those moments when you truely enjoy what you are doing and want it to last forever? When you cannot even imagine yourself doing anything else because it seems so natural for you...but at the same time, you want life to progress, to go on. I am having one of those days/weeks. I have enjoyed my time immensly here at governor's school. It feels like I have been here forever and cannot even imagine what life will be like this Friday when I go back home. We have genuinely become like family here and I am not looking forward to saying all of my good-byes. However, I am excited to go back home to my friends and family. It seems as though I have missed so much back home and cannot wait to hear all the stories.

So, while I am excited to catch up on all of the events back home and see all my friends and family, I am sad to be leaving governor's school and my month of learning and fun.

Days 17-25 - Teaching Experiences

During the past week I have had the opportunity to taste a little bit of what teachers do. I taught students going into fifth and sixth grade with two other governor's school students. We did this through a program called Youth University (YU) at UT Chattanooga. It was an awesome experience. We all had to do thorough lesson plans, implement guidelines and classroom rules, practice classroom management, and teach for an hour and twenty minutes. While we were doing all of these things we were also getting observed by UTC staff and some of our governor's school counselors. They all gave us a lot of input, including things we did very well and things we needed to improve on. It was a tremendous learning experience that I can reflect on as I am considering a career in education.

My group was given the topic of Knights and Castles. What we did was we took that topic and taught about things related to that time period, the Middle Ages. Every day we had the kids interact with us while we were teaching and we periodically completed projects so the kids had something hands-on to do and so they could have a chance to be creative. This worked very well for us and it seems that the kids learned a lot. By today, they could respond appropriately to questions we asked them about topics discussed this week. They all also did very well on a jeopardy game we played in class today. This also happens to be a jeopardy game that we designed in our tech class.

This week was very fun, but also hard work. I learned some things I am good at and some things I need help with. But after all, an effective teacher is always learning and seeing what works and what does not.

Days 13, 14, 15, and 16 - Preparation

Next week all of us at governor's school get to teach a lesson every day for an hour and twenty minutes to a class of kids in a UTC camp program called Youth University. I have mentioned this before, but now I feel the clock ticking. As said before, I get to teach fifth and sixth graders about knights, castles, and basically the middle ages. A lot of preparation and planning has gone into these lesson plans. Our plans have to last the whole time, there has to be activities, and they have to learn through it all. We also have to come up with different ways to teach them because kids all have different learning styles. I think I will feel a lot better when my group and I have all of our plans ready and finalized. We also have to have good classroom management and be able to keep their attention. Teaching is not the easiest job in the world. I did know that before, but it is one thing to know it with your head and actually experience it yourself. I still have not decided for sure whether or not I want to be a teacher, but I am hoping that by the end of this experience I will know for sure if teaching is the profession God has for me.

As for all of the things we have done this week...
We have mostly done work and just socialized with each other. We did, however, have a water fight last night, and we have a surprise for us tonight. We also went to an art museum today and had to create a skit and discussion/topic on a painting. I have really been challenged to come up with different ways to teach and to come up with different topics from things I never would have thought of before.

I have to go now, but will continue to keep you posted, even if it takes me a few extra days than when I first started out.

The Challenger Center

Yesterday we went to this thing on the UTC campus called the Challenger Center. It is a place where you can go to experience what it is like in a Space Crew and in Mission Control. You get a mission and you have to rely on every other member, whether they are in Mission Control or Space Crew, to do their job. It was a very hands-on team building experience. I personally found it very stressful to work in Mission Control because we had to do most of the work and get it to the Space Crew in time. If you are part of the Space Crew you still have to work within a time limit, but I did not stress over it as much. Well, that was more for my job. I know other people's jobs were probably more stressful in Space Crew. I was Remote #1. We had to analyze data in Mission Control and collect data in Space Crew. We all got to experience both. However, if one person did not do their job, it would mess up the entire operation. It is a good concept to learn in life, especially when working with other people. All of our jobs are different, but if one person does not do his/her job, it can mess the whole project, or whatever else you are doing, up. It also teaches us that we need other people in our life and cannot just go through on our own. We need to work with other people and learn from other people. While Jesus is our ever-present strength and he can do anything, I still believe we need a community of people to help us and who we can help. We can all work together and use our own gifts and abilities to work together for the glory of God, serve others, and show God's love to others.

Day 9, 10, 11, and 12 - BUSY and TIRED

Sorry I have not written in the last few days. I have ben exhausted, working on assignments, and still trying to have plenty of time to relax and hang out with new friends. In a way college life is not so bad, but in a way it is not that great either. For starters, it is a lot of big assignments that are due on different days, all with time spans overlapping each other. It could be a lot worse, though. And then I remember that in two years it will be. I will not be in a some special program for a month with only twenty-six other people. I will have more than two classes. I also will have teachers that know I am in college and not in high school anymore. Two of the biggest things I need here are good time management skills and lots of motivation. I am working on developing these things. There needs to be a good balance of school and fun. While I make it seem like all we do and worry about is work, that is not true. As I have said earlier, we have gone to the Aquarium and the Creative Discovery Museum (this one twice). We watch movies in our counselors' dorm at night. And just last night some of the girls that remained here on UTC campus had a slumber party. Life is good. I have to go right now and work on journal assignments. Miss all of you guys back home!

Days 7 and 8 - Craziness

These past two days have been crazy! We have been soooo busy and I feel like I have not really had a break yet.



For starters, I have to let you know that I finished my lesson plans that I had to turn in today, but not without much hard work and a fairly late night. (Mom, it wasn't too late so please don't ask.) ;)



Yesterday, we had the opportunity to visit the Aquarium here in Chattanooga. It was a wonderful experience. I even got to pet a Sturgeon and a Stingray! The Sturgeon felt very rough and the Stingray felt really slimy. It was something fun to do in an environment where we could learn without restrictions and guidlines.



Today we went to the Creative Discovery Museum (CDM). I did not get to experience all of it, because we had to create lesson plans in a group, but I liked what I did see. For those of us not going home this weekend, we get to go back to the CDM and "play" there for a longer period of time. We also continued having class today, getting our questions answered, presenting things, finishing up things, and learning a little bit of new material.



I am so grateful for this opportunity and cannot wait to see what else I learn. Hopefully, with this experience, I will have a clearer view of the profession God wants me in. Good night everyone. I hope you have a marvelous rest of the week. :)

Day 6 - Sunday Services

Since I am a couple hours away from home, I did not have a chance to go to my home church. I had the opportunity to try and find a different church for my four weeks here. Because I grew up in church, I have always been in a church that my family and I both liked and claimed as our home church. I have not really had the chance to visit other churches too often. However, today I attended a church just down the road from campus. A group of us went together, and it was good. It felt a little out of place to be in a different church, but it was kind of cool, as well. The Pastor talked seriously and joked around some, the worship was contemporary, and the atmosphere pretty nice. All in all, it was a good experience.

After church, I chilled some and then started making some lesson plans. My first ones only have to be for one subject, one day, and one hour and twenty minutes. That is not long at all, but yet it has some challenges. I have to make sure it fills up that time period. It has to be fun and exciting. The kids have to learn a lot from it. There are still so many other requirements that it has to meet. This can be a very daunting task. However, I enjoy it much more than the other project we have to do...

The other project we have been working on is a PowerPoint of a part of the philosophies of education. I have the topic of behaviorism. My group and I got so much accomplished today, but still have to work some kinks out. I cannot wait until this project is over.

Overall, governor's school is still a lot of fun. I believe I mentioned this earlier, but it feels like we have known each other for most of our life. I love this feeling of family and community. Our counselors are also pretty cool. We have four counselors total, two girls and two boys. We have now also labeled them as parts of "our family." We have the "mom," the "dad," the "two-year old," and the "aunt." What fun this experience has been so far.

Day 5 - Weekend Fun

Today we visited Ruby Falls and Rock City. Ruby Falls is a cave with a waterfall waiting for you at the end of it. It is truly a beautiful cave and tour. The only other cave I have been in is Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. I personally found Ruby Falls more interesting and fun. Rock City is very much filled with fairytales and beauty. It even had a Fairyland Cavern. It was very interesting, and I have heard it is especially beautiful at Chrismastime with all of the decorations. After all of our "tourist visits," we came back to UTC and just hung out and finished what work we needed to, talked, laughed, watched movies, ate spaggetti, and killed a huge jumping bug that took forever to die. All in all, it has been a wonderful first weekend at governor's school.

Day 4 - It's the Weekend Already?

This week has been one of the fastest and one of the longest weeks of my life. It feels like I have been here forever, but at the same time I fell as if this week has flown by. While here at governor's school, there are times I start feeling stressed. I look at everything I have to get done bby certain dates, but it always helps me to break it down and get little things accomplished inside of those bigger things. However, I am also having a great time. I am meeting and getting to know new people every day, while also watching movies and playing games. Tomorrow is really when we start to go to different places and do different things. We are going to Ruby Falls and Rock City tomorrow, and we get to go to the Creative Discovery Museum and the Aquarium next week. I have to go now and get ready for my big day tomorrow....talk to you guys later.

Day 3 - Walmart Fun

Today was filled with more classes and group work. We also received an assignment that is due next Thursday, which includes creating a powerpoint over philosophies of education. I was assigned behaviorism. As you can see, I feel like I am learning a lot already. We have mainly been talking about behavior styles and different learning styles, but I cannot wait to see what else we learn this summer.

Tonight we went to Walmart. For those of you who do not know me or know me well, I love getting out of the house. I really do not mind where I go as long as it is somewhere. But I was even more excited than usual tonight about going to Walmart because I have not been anywhere, besides the campus here, since Tuesday morning. And even those little trips, like Walmart, can be so much fun, especially if you have good friends to go with.

As a side note, I am thanking God right now because I wrote this entire post from my dorm room and am able to post it from here, as well. This is exciting because my computer has been in remediation for the last two days waiting for me to continually update it. I will get back to you soon.

Day 2 - More Teachers, More Friends

One thing I really enjoy about governor's school is we are put in groups for so many different activities. This allows us all to be able to meet new people and interact with those besides our main group of friends we hang out with. I have been able to meet so many intelligent and kind people here. How grateful I am for that! We also have been getting to know our teachers fairly well too. Yesterday I only had chance to meet one of my teachers. Today I had the opportunity to meet the rest of them, as well as have a question and answer session with the Dean of the school and the Head of the Department of Education. It was very interesting and I got to learn many interesting things about educators, their college education, and different tips when getting an education degree. Well, I must go now to complete an assignment and to start on some research for "Knights and Castles."

Day 1 - It's Finally Here

For those who do not know which governor’s school I am at, I am attending one for prospective teachers. Yesterday was my first day of governor’s school. It was a day of mixed emotions: excitement, fear, joy, nervousness, and a sense of the unknown. So I don’t bore you with too many details, I will try to be brief. In reality, we did not do too much. There were lots of orientations and the setting up of classes and such. We then had the afternoon to relax and get to know people better. Another thing we did was we drew topics out of a bag at random so we can teach it to a group of kids in a couple of weeks. I drew “Knights and Castles,” which is to be taught to fifth and sixth graders. I am looking forward to being able to teach these kids, plan activities, and learn more about what goes into planning a lesson. We also had quite a bit of free time to get to know our roommates and the campus. They are such wonderful girls. Last night we even played volleyball. For those of you who know me, and even those of you who do not, I am not really an athletic person. Thus is the reason I am thinking of pursuing a career in education. However, while we were playing, one girl made the comment that it felt like we have known each other for ten years. I could not agree with her more. It was a lot of fun, and hopefully I will get a lot more practice in and be able to show you my new acquired skills when I return home.

The Reason Behind this Blog

In case you were wondering why I chose this title for my blog, it is as simple as this: I currently only have two more years of high school left. For the two years I have already completed, I feel as if it was here and gone right before my eyes. I know that the next two years will be the same. Therefore, it feels as if I am traveling at lightning speed, just like a time traveler, through high school.

As for the reason behind starting this blog, I am leaving for governor's school tomorrow morning, bright and early. I figured this would be a great way for me to keep in touch with those here at home, instead of constantly trying to find time to text or write snippets of my experiences on facebook. I also will not have to share monologue after monologue, and story after story to friends and family when I return home. However, I do hope to continue this blog after my time at governor's school ends to share thoughts and experiences as I continue my high school journey.