Thoughtful Thursday

This is going to be a short post. I thought I would take a moment today to explain a little bit about my job.

I graduated college in May of 2008 with a bachelor's degree in early childhood education. I started looking for a job immediately. However, the market was no too friendly to me. I ended up starting up a classroom in August 2008 (as a long-term sub) at the school where I did my student teaching. Ten days into school, though, the county moved teachers around and the position went away.

When this happened, the principal offered me the assistant teacher's position in the same classroom. Having no job and having already formed a bond with these students, I quickly accepted. So, I spent all of last year as a kindergarten assistant. That's the short of last year.

This summer, I continued with my search for a job. Again, the economy wasn't so friednly - in fact it was even tougher. At the beginning of the school year, I got the news that I was moved as an assistant - from kindergarten to special ed at a different school. Now, I'm a special ed assistant in a cross-categorical 4th and 5th grade classroom. And I'm going to grad school full time (9 hours). And still job hunting.

That's the quick version of me.

Thoughtful Thursday

I so wanted a thought provoking epic post for this Thursday. That's why I put off writing it - thinking that maybe something would come to me.

Guess what? Nothing epic came to me. So, I'm just going to share a little bit with you about my life this semester and what's keeping me so busy.

The first thing keeping me busy is a forty-hour (sometimes more) a week job. I currently work as an assistant teacher in a self-contained special education classroom. This class is a cross-categorical class (meaning a variety of disabilities) of fourth and fifth graders. We have nine students, plus several resource students that come in and out. I am always on the go between working with groups, supervising, and taking students to and from locations. There is hardly a dull moment in the day.

The next thing on my plate is 9 hours of graduate classes. This is considered full-time for graduate school. I just started my Masters of Teaching, Learning, and Advocacy this year. I love being back in the learning environment with others interested in similar topics, but it does take a lot of time.

So, if you add those two up, it totals 49 hours and I haven't even factored in the transportation, meal, or homework time. And I'm not going to. The number would be too astounding. I'm just simply going to say that maybe now you can understand why I'm so busy.

Am I complaining? No, not really. I love my job (even though I'm still looking for a teaching job) and I'm enjoying my classes. I just wish there was more time in the day.

And that's as thoughtful as this Thursday is going to be unfortunately.

Thoughtful Thursday: Stardust Discussion

Stardust is among my favorite books and movies. I picked up a copy of the book from my local library a day after seeing the trailer for the upcoming movie. I quickly dived into reading it and had it finished within two days. I still had about a month to go until the movie would released. In the meantime, I recommended the book to everyone who asked. Crystal read it and was as delighted as me. Gaiman found a way to create a fairy tale for the adult readers. The story is whimsical and adventure awaits Tristran Thorne around every corner. There's hardly a moment when you're not entralled with the language and plot of the story. From start to finish, I had a hard time putting the book down.

Luckily, I found that the movie was quite similar. Many things were altered or changed from print to big screen but that doesn't really matter. The essential story is the same. Gaiman is actually listed among the producers for the movie, so you know that he had a part in the changes. This makes them easier to accept. The largest change is the ending - one is more fairy tale-esque, while the other dwells closer to reality. I'll let you figure out which for yourself.

If you have some time, I highly recommend reading and seeing Stardust. I promise, you shouldn't be disappointed! (Unless you have something against fairy tales and fantasy worlds. Then, you might want to steer clear.)

Thoughtful Thursday: My Favorite Book

So, when I created the schedule last week, I thought that picking a favorite book would be easy. I have since then decided that it's no small task. That being said, I'm going to list my top three and I'll give you fuller reviews of each in the upcoming weeks.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman
I will admit it - I read this book simply because I saw the preview for the movie. The preview intrigued me so much that I looked up the title and discovered there was a book. I immediately put it on hold at the local library and read it in two days flat (even with my summer job). So, when the movie officially came out, I had already read and fell in love with the book. I was grealty pleased with the movie even though bits of it are different.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
I'm not even sure what got me started on this book. For some reason, I set out to read it even though I had no need or reason too. It wasn't long before I fell in love with Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett. Unlike Stardust, I was not pleased with the Hollywood adaptation of this book. There is much to be said for the A&E miniseries staring Colin Firth though...

Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
As far as funny books go, this one is on my list. I have read many of Kinsella's books, starting with Shopaholic. I have read all of the books in that series. I am not sure what got me started on this one either, but I am happy that I did. It took me a little while before I got into it, but once I did, I found that it was fun to read. It's not a book that you take all that seriously, but that just makes it funner to me.

That's just the first three that popped to mind. I'm sure there's more that I could list if I allowed myself longer to think. I will be reviewing each one in the upcoming weeks. If you have a preference on which one I start with, just let me know.

What are your top three favorite books?