Mind Bottling

Verizon Wireless

2010-08-24T13:47:00.000-04:00

I had 3 interviews with Verizon last week. 2 over the phone and 1 in person. As of now I am waiting for them to finish my background check and get back to me about the position. I would really like this job. Praying that it works out.

Green Mt. Res trip

2010-08-11T12:06:00.000-04:00

Interesting

2010-07-31T17:13:00.000-04:00

So I'm packing up all of my belongings in preparation of my big move to Denver tomorrow. In the process I found an old history paper I wrote two years ago for my "America Between the Wars" history class. The paper compared the success of the Hoover and Roosevelt Administrations during the Great Depression. Hoover is basically remembered as a horrible President and Roosevelt the savior of the world. This was not always the case. Hoover was initially beloved by the American people. One of the quotes in my paper sums it up best...

We were in the mood for magic. We had summoned a great engineer to solve our problems for us; now we sat back comfortably and confidently to watch the problems being solved. The modern technical mind was for the first time at the head of the government...Almost with the air of giving genius its chance; we waited for the performance to begin.

I can't help but draw comparisons between Hoover and Obama. The question is, will history repeat itself and will Obama legacy end up being the same as Hoovers?

Can It Really Be This Easy?

2010-07-26T22:34:00.002-04:00

A proper relationship with God consists in first trying to understand his truth and then embracing and obeying what one understands.

Thoughts?

2010-04-13T10:10:00.000-04:00

Saw this quote today and found it interesting.

"idleness is active selfishness"

Thoughts?

if this is true i'm very selfish...

Home Sick

2010-03-09T07:41:00.002-05:00

Wish i had Dorothy's red shoes right about now...

Awesome

2010-02-28T14:07:00.007-05:00

Woah I"m halfway there.

2010-02-26T18:07:00.002-05:00

2 months down 2 to go! halfway.

yeah...um about that...

2010-02-25T21:48:00.000-05:00

tired. not feeling motivated. kind of home sick. can't go hunting or fishing. and i'm hungry for something i can't figure out what. i have to teach a tomorrow and i can't figure out an activity to go with the lesson...so yeah...um about that...

South Dakota Has the BEST Local Commercials

2010-02-24T15:42:00.002-05:00

Get 'R Done

2010-02-23T11:41:00.001-05:00

During my student teaching semester as apart of my college requirements I keep a daily journal. The following blog entry is what I wrote in my journal yesterday, Feb 22, 2010.

Man, today was one of those days. The periods just seemed to drag on and on and I could not seem to get the students to understand the concept of using a map based upon latitude and longitude---for once they actually seemed confused instead of apathetic. It also doesn’t help much that I do not like geography at all; not one bit. Actually I just lied, that is not entirely true. I took a human geography course at Penn State my sophomore year and really loved that class. The course covered topics such as human trafficking, the impacts of globalization on different cultures, trends throughout society, etc. I would love to create a geography curriculum based upon the topics my human geography course covered, but right now I do not have the time or content knowledge to do so; especially concerning Latin America---the unite I’m currently teaching. The material I’m most comfortable with is American History and oh how I am looking forward to start teaching that class next week. It will give me something to think about other than how uncreative I am and what an awful teacher I must be because I can’t make geography more interesting.

For the most part the material the book covers is pretty much the same information in regard to physical data---despite the region or topic. It is always, mountains, beaches, valleys, rivers, oceans and plains---I get it already! Isn’t it common sense that land formations will be similar across a region?? If something interesting comes up talk about if not, fine move on. I’m not quite sure if the students understand this concept completely or if they are disinterested for other reasons. I find it really difficult to come up with creative ways to make learning about land formations fun. There are only so many things you can do or talk about concerning physical geography. Its subjects like geography that makes me wish I only had 50 minute periods of instructional time instead of 90. At this point I have taught 2.5 chapters of the 5 that are included in the Latin America Unit, and I can’t begin to describe how much I do not want to teach the last 2.5 chaptersThe historical information that is supposed to complement the physical features is crap at best—covering the main events and ideas with halfhearted interest. Again I personally do not know that much about the region to do my own thing here. Needless to say it is kind of frustrating. . I thought about asking my mentor teacher if I could bring the unit to a relatively quick end, but decided against it. I do not think quitting when something gets tough is a virtue possessed by a quality teacher. I guess I just need to man up, make the best of the time I have here and Get ‘R Done. Yes I just said Get ‘R Done.

Wind=I'm a Whimp

2010-02-14T11:44:00.001-05:00

Why does it have to be so cold and windy here in Pierre all the time? It has come to the point where I dread leaving any building i'm in because once you go outside its like Mike Tyson hit you in the face. Every other morning it seems that we get 2 inches of snow, which acts as super mirrors, reflecting the sun into your face blinding you. So I walk from building to building squinting, bundled up because of the cold---which doesn't really help because the wind blows right through you. All these factors are so overwhelming its enough to reduce a grown man to a whimpering little school boy....I can't wait till spring.

Lo Siento

2010-02-11T15:11:00.000-05:00

OK so it has been a while since I've posted anything. sorry. just haven't been feeling it lately. however, i should have some new posts coming soon. so stay tuned.

Pictures

2010-01-29T19:12:00.001-05:00

My mom sent my my camera to computer adapters so I could upload pictures for everyone to see. check em out.

http://picasaweb.google.com/arneff

Or just click on the Pictures under Cool Links.

Apparently White Board Markers Are the New Weed...

2010-01-28T16:57:00.000-05:00

I was a part of the staff that tutored last night, and what ended up happening was very interesting. When we showed up at the dorms and there weren’t any kids there. After about 15 minutes 3 girls showed up but nobody else came for quite a while. Then I found out that the dorm staff decided to show the students a video on the consequences of premarital sex. Apparently they showed it to the girls first and the guys second. Showing the video was probably a good idea (especially with these kids); students should always consider the possible consequences to their actions. However, I do question the dorm staff’s choice in choosing to show them the movie during tutoring, which is on a set schedule on Wednesday s from 6:30-9:30. Why couldn’t they have shown the video some other time during the week? Eventually though they did let some students come and we were able to give the kids the extra attention and help need with their work.

Halfway during my time in tutoring, I noticed that Miss Q (will remain anonymous for legal privacy purposes) entered the room, sat in the corner and appeared to be in a bad mood. I approached her to see what was going on and found out she was upset that her friend Agnes got PR’ed (which I believe is Parent Removal). She said she didn’t want to be here at school and that she wanted to go home. She started to complain about her homework, teachers, the dorm staff and the activities they make the students do. It was clear that she really missed her friend. She then went on to say that she had talked to her mom on the phone and asked her mom to come get her and take her out of school. According to what Miss Q said it appears her mom is going to come and get her sometime in March? It didn’t appear that she was going to be taken out and put in a public school….I think she mentioned something about visiting her grandmother. I was a little upset by this, I like Miss Q she’s a nice girl and a good student. I don’t want to see her leave school and fail the semester because she misses her friend. From what I heard about the students’ home lives I’m not sure it would be the wisest decision either. So for the rest of the night I tried boost her spirits a little bit by encouraging her and making her laugh. I told her if she left I wouldn’t have and cool people to hang out with and I might cry in front of the whole class. She just gave me a funny look and laughed.

The other day the principal sent out an interesting memo to all the teaching staff. Apparently some of the students had been stealing teacher's white board markers, dying hair them (specifically their bangs) and huffing them. How do these kids think of these things? This stuff never would have occurred to me at their age, at least I don't think; I really can't remember what I was like in 4th 5th 6th 7th and 8th grade. It looks like I might have to practice my “criminal mind”---probably not the best choice of words---more often and my teacher observations skills. Crazy!

I taught again today. We finished reading the section of the text book on the Mayans. It might have been the first time the students actually read the text. I'm pretty sure every other time when their were assigned to read it, they didn't and just tried to find the answers to their homework. The reading got a little boring, both on tuesday and for the short amount of time we did it today. I know reading textbooks aren't very fun, but its good for them. The only way they'll ever increase their reading levels is to practice. I also tried to help them with their comprehension by asking them question and filling out a graphic organizer together. After we were done reading about the Mayans, we started the section on the Aztecs. However instead of making the students read even more textbook, I chose to present them the information in a PowerPoint and semi-story form. I think they liked this method a lot better, and I preferred it to. I will probably do it this way more often, but they need to read too. Anyways after talking about the Aztecs we discussed their religion/mythology/gods. Next I had them create their own god, give it a name, draw a picture of it and write a short story about it similar to those of the Aztecs.----I don't think this is heresy for a Christian, at least I hope its not! lol----They seemed to really get into the project. I can't wait until Monday to see what they've come up with.

News Flash

2010-01-28T16:19:00.002-05:00

In other news, I am going to be an Uncle, again. My brother and his wife are having a girl. I don't know the possible names or any other details, but still...pretty cool.

Beards and Bullies

2010-01-27T17:47:00.000-05:00

So I believe it was last weekend that I shaved my beard again. Its no big deal. I shave every once and a while because after and extended growth period my beard tends to feel greasy and dirty, even with regular showers and washings. However I have had a beard the whole 3+ weeks since I have arrived at Pierre. The kids have known nothing of baby face Aaron and grew quite accustomed to beard man Aaron. After shaving I went over to the dorms to work in the rec-room Upon entering the room I received some unusual looks and stares from the students yet thinking nothing of it I continued working (aka playing pool and ping-pong with the kids). As I was in between pool games, one of the girls came and sat next. She squinting she looked at me and said, "why did you shave? You look gay! Its ugly! I smiled and said well its a good thing it will grow back then huh! (not that there is anything wrong with looking gay) True story.

Welcomed Responsibilty

2010-01-27T15:43:00.001-05:00

For the last three weeks, everyday has been somewhat of a routine: wake-up, get ready for work, go to school, check my mailbox, unlock the classroom door, check the room temperature, turn-on or turn-off the heater, take coat off, set up desk space, wait for students to come, observe Mr. L. Observing Mr. L, at first was fine this whole experience was new to me and I was eager to see how things. However, I quickly became bored with just observing and wanted to take on more responsibility. Days that had initially passed rather quickly began to drag on and I began to view the ringing of the bell at 1:15 as my daily savior.

However today was different, I was in charge. Today was the first opportunity I was given to teach this semester and the change from Mr. L's lessons was very much welcomed, if not by my students at least by me. I started each class of by introducing myself a little more thoroughly than previously had been done. I put together a PowerPoint presentation with pictures of me, Pennsylvania, Penn State, and an Amish buggy. I explain what the Amish were and that Pennsylvania is famous for its Amish communities and needless to say each class was floored by the fact that they don’t use electricity. After introducing myself I segued into my lesson. I have been assigned to teach the students a Unit on Latin America, for 7^th grade geography, so we discussed the different topics we would cover throughout the unit: Early History, Mexico, Caribbean and Central America, and South America. After the overview I reviewed with the students the physical elements of an area that make human settlement possible and did an activity relating to these elements. After the activity we started to read the text together discussing important information about the Mayan Civilization—its geography and cities, society and achievements, and eventual decline. For the most part each class participated relatively well. Time flew by so fast we didn’t get finished with the lesson and will have to continue it tomorrow. Overall, it was a fun experience and I look forward to doing it more often over the rest of the semester.

State of the Union

2010-01-27T11:15:00.004-05:00

Stupid Migraines

2010-01-25T17:02:00.000-05:00

I had a migraine on Friday which made my sick and throw up. I got another today at almost the exact same time of day which I thought was interesting, but thankfully all my insides stay where they're supposed to....
My first day of teaching here at PILC is tomorrow; hopefully I won't get another migraine for a long long time and especially not when I'm teacher. They just make you feel so miserable. Prayers are appreciated.

Grades = Bologna

2010-01-20T23:36:00.002-05:00

So this evening at tutoring I learned that the school is not allowed to give any student a D or and F. Everyone has to receive a grade of C or higher in every single class. If kids fill a test or homework apparently that retest or continue to do it over until they get an A (or at least a C). I am told the reasoning for this is that if a student get a D or an F its because the teacher didn't do enough or teach them right. Heaven forbid the kid earned the F. As a result the kids know that eventually they can get the teachers to just give them the answers and they won't have to do any work. I was astonished to find out today that every single 7th grade kid in my geography class has an A, every last one. This is such a shame because the students are not being prepared for the public schools they will attend after graduating from PILC which only goes to the 8th grade. Public schools won't hold the hands of the students like PILC does and most students either end up flunking or dropping out. Hence the cycle of gangs and poverty is perpetuated.

All this makes me feel really bad for my roommates as their classes MUST follow a strict curriculum exactly. They have no leeway discuss topics students find interesting or try out new/different teaching practices. Everything is all about rote learning. I am grateful Social Studies has not yet become a regulated content area and I have some freedom to experiment.

PUNK'd

2010-01-20T16:04:00.000-05:00

After Lunch today two girls where waiting behind the door in the stairwell I take to return to my classroom. They jumped out and scared me, giggled and ran away. haha

Week 3

2010-01-19T16:32:00.000-05:00

Well, Today marks the start of my third week here in Pierre. The time seems to be flying by on the one hand, but on the other it seems as if I have been here a really long time as well. I think the roommates and I are starting to get the hang of things around the area. We went to the movies on Sunday and we have started to experiment with the local meat and produce. Joe cooked a meal last night with hamburger and sausage from either the Korner Kitchen or Grocery, I’m not really sure but it was delicious. A lot of the teachers have been telling us that it is a sin to buy meat products at Wal-mart so we thought we would give the local businesses a try.

I started working in the dorms on Friday, and let me tell you it was an experience to remember. What a completely different environment from the school setting!! From what I saw in the rec-room, the kids basically have free reign while down there and do pretty much whatever they want. Wrestling, running, screaming, and blaring the TV; the rec-room was pretty much what you would expect when rules and structure break down: chaos. Well it really wasn’t that bad, but it was wild ha. The rec-room is a pretty cool place the kids have a big screen TV hooked up to cable, 2 smaller TVs hooked up to a Playstation and a super nintendo, pool tables, foosball tables, ping pong tables, and snack machines. With tons of available activities and access to multiple sugar rushes its no wonder their so wild. I had made the mistake of wearing a hat while working in the dorms and every five seconds a little girl was trying to steal it and force me into playing monkey-in-the-middle with one of her friends. Sometimes I indulged them and they got quite a kick out of it but needless to say I won’t wear a hat again. At the end of the night when all of the students were dismissed back to their rooms upstairs, we turned the volume down on the TV. which had been set at its maximum level and the funny thing is you could barely hear it about the students. The basement being all concrete and cement does help things either. Despite all the chaos and noise, it was good seeing the students in an environment in which the felt more comfortable being around me, and maybe I felt more comfortable as well. It helps you to look past all the gang issues and their tough guy attitudes and see that deep down they really are just kids.

Tonight I am working in the dorms again and am guess that we will be taking the 7^th and 8^th graders to watch the 5^th and 6^th grade boy’s basketball game. It should be a fun time. Other than that, I have my lesson plans and ideas finished for next week. I’ll begin by teaching the 7^th grade geography unit on Latin America. The first couple lessons will be on the Maya, Inca, and Aztec. Hopefully they’ll find it interesting, but more importantly I’m hoping that I’ll learn from what does and doesn’t work in my lessons and become an effective teacher as the semester progresses.

Pictures

2010-01-18T11:36:00.002-05:00

I may have left my camera to computer adapter at home somewhere so I may not be able to upload any pictures while I'm here....

Job Search

2010-01-12T21:36:00.000-05:00

Towards the end of my time here in Pierre I will have to begin the job application process.---its really only 3 months away.... So I need to be thinking about where the jobs are for a Secondary Social Studies major and where I should move. Thoughts? Ideas?

Slightly Disappointed and Blaming it on Hip-Hop

2010-01-12T16:40:00.000-05:00

I have been here in Pierre for about a week and a half and so far the experience is not what I thought it was going to be, in regards to the students or curriculum. Now I didn't have the typical "savage" image of the students in my head before I arrived---I'm about the graduate from PENN STATE; I'm educated and know better---but I was expecting the students to maintain their traditional values and cultures. I thought that throughout the semester I would have the opportunity to learn a lot about the different tribes represented by the students---roughly 15 total---sadly this will not be the case.Moreover, the school curriculum does not even try and to make up for the lack of instruction the kids receive at home, and I am literally helpless in trying to implement special lessons within my classes due to a personal lack of knowledge. So unfortunately I will have to satisfy my curiosity about Native culture on my own through personal study. Needless to say I'm more than slightly disappointed.

Why don't the students know any thing about their peoples cultures, values and histories you ask? Well the answer to that question is slightly complicated and is due to a number of different factors. I'm currently reading a book called "Speaking of Indians" by Ella Deloria, an Indian herself, that claims there came a point in time that the elders didn't think the younger generations could be trusted with the "old things" because they were too sacred. Thus many of their value systems have been lost. With their histories and cultures forgotten, over the years the majority of Indians have become assimilated into mainstream American culture. Those that were not so eager to embrace "white ways" were forced onto reservations and even then could not maintain their cultural separation. Currently, reservations are nothing more than rural ghetto's. Gangs are prevalent on the reservations, and it is very easy to understand why. Many of my students come from family situations that neither you nor I can even begin to comprehend. During their first week back to school, multiple students have a hard time adjusting and are worried sick about a younger brother or sister at home. They are worried that once school lets out for the summer they'll return home to find their brother or sister extremely sick, or worse yet dead because mom or dad was passed out on the couch drunk--to busy to feed or take care of the kid. Understand that the school here only deals with students in grades 1-8, and that these situations cause them to grow up more quickly than one can imagine. The lack of safety and security provided to my students by their families is often sought after and assured in gang membership. Native gangs often follow the national gangs across the U.S. and include the Bloods, Crips, and Latin Kings---all of which are major bad ass gangs. Due to the rural nature of the reservations, law enforcement is often not able to patrol as successfully as it would like,---also due to under funding---thus violence and gang activity is able to escalate very quickly with little to no repercussions. It goes without saying then that the school would be majorly affected by gang activity. A couple year ago, at the schools annual fall festival some students were actually planning a hit on some other students. Luckily the staff was able to uncover the plans before the were carried out and intervened. As a result anything even slightly associated with gang activity has been banned from the school included but not limited to rap music, gang signs, certain way the kids wear their close, drawings etc... The crazy part about it is the Bloods and Crips are traditionally African American gangs---i'm not saying all African Americans are gang members---, and the majority of things banned by the school as "gang activity" are associated with modern Hip-Hop and R&B culture. My students think they are black lol!! This whole situation is quite interesting to observe. Aside from the gang talk and the bad press (gossip/stereotypes) the students get, if you would walk into my classroom today you would not be able to tell the difference between these students from any other.

In terms of education most of the students that attend Pierre Indian Learning Center, are rather far behind their national peers. The schools has for several years now failed to meet its AYP and NCLB standards. About 80% of the student here have some sort of specific learning disability, and many of the students in my 8th grade History class can only read on a 4th grade level--if they're lucky. Learning and the motivation to learn comes hard for these students so it looks like I have my work cut out for me..I begin teaching in 2 weeks, but right no my duties include lots of observation, reflection, and planning. Although it looks like its going to be a challenging semester i'm positive it will be even more rewarding.

Other than that, things are good and my roommates are cool.
We've had a heat wave for the last few days; 35 degrees today.

Second Impressions and First Day of School Duties

2010-01-04T20:54:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I was a little discouraged my first day in Pierre, wondering why in the world I chose South Dakota as the place to do my student teaching semester. Its freezing cold here and the wind blows constantly slapping you in the face, nipping at your nose and all that jazz. Moreover, the town is so small it only takes 2 minutes to get anywhere you want to go, not leaving much in the way of adventures and after school activities.

I was expecting Pierre to be more like State College, which offers a decent range of activities from 3 movie theaters, performing arts, sports games, and outdoor activities. Sadly this is not the case. For example the town does a have a movie theater (only one), but only shows three movies. WHY?! lol I already watched one with my dad, Sherlock Holmes which was pretty good, I might go see Avatar, and will not be attending the Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 showing (why the world needed a 2nd Alvin and the Chipmunks is beyond me). I'll probably only get to see four movies the whole time I’m here, included Sherlock Holmes and possibly Avatar. Yeesh it’s a good thing I brought some books along, but by the looks of things I should have brought more. There doesn't seem to be a demand for performing arts of any kind in Pierre and outdoor activities are out of the question for at least 2 more months, maybe more. I may however be able to catch a few local high school basketball games.

Aside from all this Pierre does have one major positive. It has great food. I have only eaten at a few restaurants so far but everything I had so far has been awesome. My dad says the town knows how to cook a mean steak and I really enjoyed the bbq ribs. I love western style restaurants. Also, there are a couple of Mexican joints in town as well as the usual fast food places giving a bit of diversity. I may just gain 20 extra lbs this winter, so be prepared and try not to mention my weight when I come home. Although once spring comes, I may be able to get outside and do some hunting--2nd big positive. My mentor teacher was telling me today that one of the female teachers at the school and her husband are big hunters and he may be able to talk them into taking me on a spring turkey hunt....which would be awesome. So be praying for some favor for me!!

However, as I began the school day today I realized why I had come to South Dakota....I had come to teach kids, and not just any kids but the ones that nobody else wants to have to deal with because they are troublesome and it’s too much work to bother with trying to teach them anything. My spirits lightened today as my mentor teacher and I drove north to pick up a few of the young guys and bring them back to the boarding school for the spring semester.

After getting the tour of the school and being introduced to a number of people whose names I cannot recall, my mentor teacher and I headed north to the reservations to pick up some students. The Countryside here is best described as rolling prairie as there are some hills but the land is mostly flat and stretches on forever. I kept my eyes peeled as we drove just in case I might see some wildlife, as South Dakota is supposed to be a hunter’s heaven. The snow made the animals pretty easy to spot, however I would most likely have seen them either way as it seems they like to hang alongside the road. I saw tones of Pheasants which are really pretty birds, saw a lot of while turkey, and some coyotes which as I am told are pronounced ki-oats in South Dakota.

We arrived at the first stop a little early so we decided to drive a little farther north and see Sitting Bull's grave site monument and head into North Dakota to see some buffalo. The grave site was neat, it was pretty much an obelisk in the middle of a field, but we couldn't get close to it due to deep snow drifts and the lack of a 4-wheel drive vehicle. The buffalo were cool, really big animals. It would have been amazing to see herds of them stamped across the plains a couple hundred years ago. It is a shame they were almost harvest to extinction.

After that we picked up 3 boys roughly 10 years old and younger. I couldn't tell the land we were on belonged to the reservation. It looked like the rest of South Dakota, prairie land with and occasional small farming town scattered here and there. After picking up the boys we headed pack to Pierre, which is pronounced--pier--in South Dakota, and took the boys to Pizza Ranch to get some dinner. The restaurant is closest to a Ponderosa back home. After dinner we dropped the students off at their dorms and called it a day.

I'll probably read, watch some football, and iron some clothes and go to bed early to finish out the evening. Overall, it’s been a good first day.

First Impressions

2010-01-02T23:13:00.000-05:00

IIIIIITTTTTTTT'SSSSS SSSSSSSSOOOOOOO CCCCCCCOOOOOOLLLLLLLDDDDDD! 4 degrees farenheit with a wind chill factor of -20.

There is literally nothing around. I was told today by one of my new roommates that the verizon wireless dealer in town is the only one around for 3 hrs!!! I'm in the boonies!!

At first I was wondering what I had gotten myself into and if I had made a mistake in coming to South Dakota. However, after I had some time to adjust to things, I'm have become determined to make the most of my time here. Pierre is a nice town; everything seems to be well kept, and its not like I'm going to have tons of free time anyway. I am here to learn how to teach, and as long as I focus on that, this semester will be a success.

Dad and I ate dinner tonight at a place called Mad Mary's Steakhouse and Saloon. It was a really cool restaurant decorated with the western style theme. The food was really really really great but this came as no surprise to me because there was a picture of Clint Eastwood at the booth in which we sat. Everybody knows Clint never settles for less than the best.

I am settled into my new place for the most part. Pictures will be taken and posted as soon as I am able. Its a nice place and will do just fine for the next four months. I have tomorrow to myself again and will probably spend some time with dad before he leaves Monday and I officially start the semester. Also on Monday I will be riding the school bus that picks up the students and brings them back to stay at the school for the rest of the year.

Thanks to everyone that was thinking and praying for us as we traveled. Shoot up some more prayers for dad on Monday!

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T21:56:00.000-05:00

So its officially 2010. So far the year is off to a good start because Penn State won its BCS bowl game against LSU. The SEC is way over rated. Anyways I leave Denver tonight for Pierre, and thus begins a new chapter of my life. This is what it all come downs to: student teaching. Hopefully, I will be a competent and creative teacher and possibly teach the kids a thing or two. However I know I'll learn a lot more from them this semester than they will from me. Prayers are apprecitated as my dad and I travel tonight.

Denver, Colorado

2009-12-30T18:27:00.000-05:00

After a 30hr trip, countless pepper sticks and whoopie pies, my dad and I finally made it to Colorado. It has been nice visiting with family and friends. One of my favorite parts of visiting Colorado is the authentic Mexican restaurants and I can't wait to go to dinner tomorrow night for New Years Eve. Can't Beat it! Its crazy to think I'll be in South Dakota in a few days, and that it will be the start of my last undergrad semester. Dad and I will be leaving Denver at Midnight on New Years day and should be in Pierre the next afternoon.

South Dakota Bound

2009-12-25T17:35:00.000-05:00

My parents gave me a Garmin for Christmas so I can find my way to and from South Dakota. Leaving Sunday or Monday and taking a detour to Denver to visit with some family beforehand. Should be a good time. Leaving Denver for South Dakota and will arrive in Pierre in the afternoon on Jan 2.

2 weeks

2009-12-18T00:08:00.001-05:00

Finished with classes and finals. Will be in South Dakota in 2 weeks.

Student Teaching

2009-12-17T22:55:00.003-05:00

OK, so it is currently finals week and although I should be studying, I am not. At the end of the month, I will be making my way out west to complete my student teaching practicum at the Pierre Indian Learning Center in Pierre, South Dakota. I thought I would keep a blog in order for friends and family to stay informed about the details of my time there. For those of you who chose to follow, enjoy.