Stressful

This week I learned just how stressful finals and preparing for them can be. For the past week I have been going through a major cycle of stress. I am eating horribly, not sleeping well, and my skin has become my worse enemy. The culprit, stress. And not just any stress, the stress of school. Life at this moment is chaotic. You're trying to get last minute projects done, trying to prepare for finals, and all while trying to keep the passing average that you have right now! For a student, I don't know if there is a more stressful time.
However, I think that the stress which we are encountering now will better help us deal with situations when we become teachers. We can take all that comes at us now and try to learn from it. Remember, what doesn't kill us, makes us stronger.

The Importance of Sexuality Sensitivity

This week in a diversity class meeting, we had a discussion on homosexuality. We learned how one's sexuality affects everything in their day-to-day lives. We had two guest speakers that shared their stories of the realization that they were homosexual and also how they came out to their families and friends. As expected, different family members and friends took the news differently.
I learned that this is a very sensitive subject. It is something that we will deal with in children at a very age, but that we can not discuss sexuality with children, we have to refer them to a counselor.
I will use this experience in my future teaching, should I ever have a student who needs help or a colleague who doesn't know how to handle a situation.

Understanding Disabilities

This week, I, along with other students in my Diversity class, learned a lot about people with disabilities and how they live. We had to literally walk (or roll) in their shoes.
We had to do activities while pretending to have a multitude of disabilities. We were required to use a wheelchair, wear a blind-fold, wear ear-plugs, and other things to simulate disabilities.
I learned from this experience to empathize with what people with disabilities go through. We should not judge, jump to conclusions, etc. We should learn to respect people who are different from us and understand their differences.

Systems of Numeration

This week, in my Math for Elementary Teachers class, we learned about systems of numeration other than our own.
We, as a class, were given a chart, upon which we were to decipher and write out numbers in other numerical systems. Examples of these systems are, Babylonian, Roman, Mayan, and others. It was a rather big challenge because in day-to-day life, one does not even think of other systems. We learned the correct way to write out these numerals and how to read them.
This tool will come in handy once we become teachers. Our students will not have to learn all of these systems, but we will be required to teach them the Roman numerals. However, it will be nice to know how to do the others so that we can introduce other ways to our students to spark their interests.

Never Give Up Hope

This past week, I learned that no matter the situation, one should never give up hope.
My fiance and I have been looking for a home to purchase for 7 weeks now. Our first week of looking, we found a house that we liked and put in a bid. The bid was accepted and we looked forward to the closing date. A week before closing, something went wrong on the sellers end and we had to begin looking again. Fast forward 6 weeks, we found another house. We put in a offer, and it was rejected. The next day, our realtor called and said that she had found THE HOUSE! We went in and looked at it. We fell in love. Yet another offer was made, but wouldn't you know it, 2 other offers were on the table. Someone else's offer had been accepted. We were crushed, but since we were the next highest offer, the seller decided to keep us as a secondary. Saturday, while at the circus with my little brother, my realtor called again. The first deal had fallen through...I was overjoyed! We got the house that we had fell in love with. Now, we are going through the whole closing/paperwork process. We are still cautious, but Lord's willing, we will close on March 3rd.
This has taught me that no matter what the situation, one should never give up hope. I will use this in everyday life when coming into contact with challenges and disappointments. Never give up.

Significance of the Internet

This week (and the week prior), I have been in transition. My fiance and I have been in the midst of a move. We are in search of a home to purchase, and during this process, decided to move out of our apartment and in with some friends of ours. This move will only be temporary, no more than three weeks to a month. So in lieu of redirecting our internet service, we decided to have it postponed. This is where my problem began. I have learned that without having the internet at home, you are pretty much cut off from the world, of school that is. All classes now require that you be on or check things online at consistent intervals. Yeah, there are computers at school, but who has time to go to school to get on the internet? Not me.

So, I now know that having the internet is much more of a necessity than I previously believed. I vow to try not to be without it again...What an inconvenience!

Using Excel

This week I learned how to use an excel spreadsheet to create dominoes.

This was a valuable tool to learn. You must use the cells to create equal sides to your rectangular "bones" as they are called. Then you can add your own symbol inside the dominoes to create your 'numbers'.

This will be used to teach children mathematic problem solving. They can help in addition, multiplication, and subtraction.