Life After Graduation (more about christmas to come later)

Well I am currently sitting here typing a blog while my husband and his brother are playing a FIFA soccer game, hence taking over the only TV in the house. We have really got to fix this situation lol! Oh well. Since I do not currently have a TV in my use right now I have used this time to make use of the website teachertube.com.

I was introduced to teachertube.com (a variation of youtube, but it teaches how to do things) in college where we looked at a number of different things. One of these things was something called power teaching. It is a high energy level way of teaching that employs just about every learning style imaginable. It engages students, has them teach a concept, has them listening, moving seeing, everything! It is a really cool thing, one I want to definitely learn more about how to do and how to set up in my classroom. I don't know if I would be able to do it my first year of teaching, when I am just trying to stay alive, but it would be neat to be trained in for sure.

I really enjoy learning, especially learning about things in the education world. I wanna do the best I can to be the very best teacher I can, but I am still nervous. I know I have the drive and the desire, but I am nervous I wont be. What if I fail, what if I get so swamped that I don't know what to do, what if, what if, what if. Thank goodness for student teaching because I don't know if I could have made my way through these fears without it. It has given me the confidence to know that I am ready, if nothing else. No matter what, this is what I have been trained for, this is my calling, this is what I was made to do, and so that is a good feeling, and can get me through all the what ifs that continually run through my head.

I encourage you, if you are an educator, go to teachertube, and type in power teaching in the search. Look at about the third one down or so that says something like power teaching and classroom management, there you can sorta get the jist of what it is about. Then go to the rest that show it in a real classroom, very cool!

And I'm Done. . . For Now

Well on December 19, 2009 I had a crossed a major milestone and goal in my life, I became a college graduate! Literally, this is one of the most exciting moments of my entire life! It was a culmination of so much hard work and dedication, study, memories, all of it, boiled down into one single moment. The feeling of walking across the stage, seeing my family standing in my honor, hearing my name called out, stopping to get a medal for being magna cum-laude, all of it was so surreal, something I am so happy to have gotten to experience at one point in my life! I am so happy to have such a big thing completed. However, I have a desire to go back and get my masters. I am not sure what in exactly, but I am leaning towards a diagnostician, or counseling, I'll just have to explore my options! I wish ETBU would open up a masters education program, because I would definitely go for it!

Of course after graduation was done, it was picture time! We went outside and took some pictures and then it was off to go out to eat. We opted to go to Longview, figuring everything in Marshall would be full! Jalapeno Tree was calling to us, and so off we went, and it was sssoo good! The food was great, and also getting to see the family and just sit and talk to them. I got some great graduation gifts, one being a beautiful necklace that had my initials on a pendant from Mark's mom and dad. Earlier that morning I had received a Pandora bracelet with a graduation cap charm on it from my parents. I received a journal, some cute teacher christmas cup towels, and ornament and money from my grandparents, my favorite perfume and money from my great aunt and uncle, a pedicure and manicure from my other set of grandparents, I am just ssooo blessed! Thank you to all of them! Mark's graduation gift has to wait until Christmas to be given to me, so I am anxious to figure out what that is!

Speaking of Christmas, I am getting so excited and yet, still have some shopping to do! AGGHHHH! Our Christmases are always busy and this one will be no exception, trying to hit both families at once! It works right now for us, so I am not complaining! There will be a lot of fun to come for the Cliftons in the next four days that is for sure!

A little long eh Jenni?

Well I was informed by my friend on facebook that my blog was a little neglected so I decided I needed to update it. There is nothing and everything going on at the Clifton household right now! One big on being my graduation from ETBU!! I cannot believe that I am actually old enough to be a college graduate, let along accomplish such a major thing in life. You know, I am not part of the elite statistic (at least it is elite in my mind haha) of "people who graduate college". The greatest thing is that I know I am leaving with a fantastic education that has prepared me for a job I love! I know beyond a shadow of a doubt education is my calling, is what I am supposed to do for the rest of my life, and something I am pretty good at. So yeah, there will be pictures to come of that for sure! Here are a few photos of the Christmas season around the Clifton's!




Above is an ornament from my Noni and Poppy's first Christmas tree, very special!

Below is our finished tree

This is the hutch thing we have in a our kitchen that me and a few youth girls decorated




Merry Christmas everyone from Mark and Kristen