Do You Want to Build A Snowman?

It doesn't have to be a snowman ;)

So let's face it: Frozen is a cinematic phenomenon. I don't care that I'm almost 23, I've seen it about five times and would see it again if presented the opportunity.

I had a friend ask me if I would rank it above Lion King. While the answer is no, It's definitely a close second. This is a movie that I fully intend to buy the day it comes out, overpriced or not.

I just read the most fantastic article and I wanted to share it!

http://www.policymic.com/articles/79455/7-moments-that-made-frozen-the-most-progressive-disney-movie-ever

I really don't think too deeply into movies like this. You could say I'm like a kid in that I watch it because it looks good and I like it because it was good. All these "themes" and "symbols" when looking back I definitely see them in the contexts of the movie, I just didn't notice them and that's not what brought me back time and time again. But realizing their existence just makes the movie that much better :)

Vive la France!

I have to start this out by saying that I am extremely happy with where I am right now. I have two fantastic jobs that I absolutely love. I'm an assistant manager at the movie theater where I've been for the past four years, and I'm a facilitator for English Language Learners...using both my degree and my licenses...I really could not ask for that to be better right now. I'm getting new tastes of independence: I have my own car with my name on the title and my own insurance policy. I share an amazing apartment with my best friend and we seriously are getting exactly what we want from it. All relationships, family, friends, romantic, and otherwise are going well. I truly have nothing to complain about or want for more.

And it's not that I want for more. It's just...I got an e-mail from TAPIF (teacher assistantship program in France) saying that tomorrow is the deadline for the application to teach this year. And with all the commitments I have here I can't really apply. On one hand I'm not that attached to the idea but on the other I always liked having the option. You know, if teaching doesn't work out here I could just go to France. I liked having an escape plan. It's a little weird to think that now going to France would be the irresponsible thing to do...

Need to Get This Out There

I think more teachers need to know how to teach English Language Learners.

The school where I work has just under 500 ELLs. They have two full time teachers, two language aides, and several other teachers and aides that help out with the curriculum for those students. Every teacher in this building has (or has had) an ELL in one of their classes. This is not an uncommon thing. And yet, very few of these teachers have any professional experience or development about best practices for ELLs. "It's not my concentration" or "That's why we have certified teachers in the building" are excuses that I'm very much tired of. 95% of these students are of Chin/Burma descent and I guarantee you I have no previous experience, concentration, or certification in that culture or language. I'm a trained French teacher, do you have an idea of how many of these students speak French? The ones that are taking it for the first time in this school.

So then what am I qualified for that the rest of the teachers aren't? I took the time to study best practices. I understand the standards these students need to achieve and I work on breaking the language barrier and creating a bridge in its place. I took the time to study the interrelationship of language and culture and how simply acknowledging and identifying the cultural differences is enough to a positive environment where the student does not feel so terribly lost or out of place.

Don't get me wrong; I love what I do. I actually enjoy the part where I get to dispel myths to other school personnel because maybe then they'll get to pass the conversation to someone else and create a snowball of accurate knowledge. I love working with these students probably because it comes easily to me. All my students want to learn English. All my students enjoy the lessons I bring to them and actually try to retain them. This is the environment I want my French classroom to be, and I probably prefer ELL to French for that reason. Maybe if I went to France to teach French to Americans I'd get the experience I'm looking for, but I don't think the market is big for that profession :P

I understand why ELL is so often linked with foreign language; the strategies are so often the same because they both derive from taking an acquirable skill and turning it into conscious lessons and concepts. But, there's no reason for any other subject teacher to not be able to do this. I was talking about synonyms and antonyms with an English teacher and we came to a word and she said she didn't think my students would know that word and all I wanted to say was "Well teaching them words they already know would be a little redundant now wouldn't it?"

Here's what really confuses me. Students read The Great Gatsby in 12th grade English. This book has several symbols, metaphors, and underlying meanings within the text. ELLs struggle with seeing these because they are most likely still concentrating on finding the meaning of the printed words, let alone concepts underneath said words. As an ELL teacher, I would spend time showing them different resources they can use to help understand the text better. There are websites that dedicate themselves to understanding specific works of literature. While one might associate them with students who try to get out of reading the book, they can be used as facilitators for the book. With that being said, there are several natural born students that don't think to use these resources, don't understand the book, and end up doing poorly with the unit. If both natural and foreign born students can use the same skills and lessons to do well with the unit, then why is it not being incorporated into the unit by the English teacher?!?

I promise it is not that hard of a concept. I promise I am not a godly teacher because I think of things like this. I just wish other teachers would take a minute to conceptualize how they think they are coming across to their students to see how they could tweak their lessons for the greater good.

If Truth Be Told

If truth be told, I do miss him. I miss talking and I miss hearing his opinions. I'm glad I got my space but I've come to so many conclusions on my own about what we were that I just want to talk because I feel like we might finally be at a point where we can talk without the drama resurfacing. 

New Comic!

I'm cracking myself up with this one. I probably look like GiGi LaFleur when I made it up #noshame

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES

COME ON!

I didn't even realize it but since I posted that blog earlier today, I have now officially made at least one post for a year! Every month in 2013 has at least one post! This is the first year that this has happened! I'm so excited!

Well, I Don't Care too Much for Money...

Money can't by me love :)

I was perusing Pinterest one day and I stumbled upon this picture, claiming to save SO much money over one year!



See, they wow you by the simplicity of starting out, saying that first month you have to put back only ONE DOLLAR and then shows you how much you'd save if you just increase that by one dollar each week for the year! That's almost $1400 dollars wow isn't this easy?!

Well...good question. In the grand scheme of things, is $52 that much? That's the most their asking you to set back!

Well here's my question: If that's not too much to set back, why aren't you setting it back every week? Let's talk if you get paid once every two weeks. That first paycheck you only have to set back $3. That last paycheck you have to set back $103. I'm very curious as to where that extra $100 is going to come from...I don't know about you but I don't make enough to set $100 back with any paycheck.

Call me crazy but if you have $100 that you can set back each paycheck, you should be setting that back, not only $3 because some challenge told you that's all you need to set back. Think about it this way: Would you rather have $1400 in savings or $5200 in savings?

I win ^_^

Here are MY tips (translate: the tips my mother is begging to drill into my head) for saving money:

1) If your goal is just to build a savings, set back 10% of each paycheck. Put it in an account that you can't/won't touch. I make approximately $1600 a month currently. If I set 10% back for a year, I would have $1560 in savings. Not only is that more than this 52 week challenge, but it's a fixed rate. Fixed things are easier to get used to, we like those.

2) Know what needs to get paid each month and WHEN. If you have a rent payment, a car payment, cell phone bills, insurance, know when each thing is due and what paycheck needs to be allocated for it. Knowing what you need to have money for will help curb your desire to spend recklessly. If you need to, write it down. Keep it on your fridge, on your car visor, in your phone, wherever you need to in order to make your spending a conscious action.

3) A late/missing a payment is not worth bad credit. period. end of story.

4) It is a lot easier to consciously spend by paying in cash rather than with a debit/credit card. First, paying in cash means you have to get cash, meaning to have to make the conscious effort to go to your bank or ATM. Then when spending, you physically see how much money you started with and how much you have after your spending. It might make you think twice about if you really need that candy bar at the check out or not.

5) Have a coin collect jar. The good thing about paying in cash is that you get change back. Have a bowl or jar where you put all your change to collect, and then come up with a fixed time (i.e.: twice a year, on your birthday, only when it's full, etc) to cash it in. My mom always said use this money on something nice/fun for yourself. If you think about it, this is your savings (well, hopefully not all of it). While the big savings can be for those big important purchases, this savings can be for you.

6) Don't be discouraged if it takes time for everything to mesh well together. There will be months where you can't put 10% into savings because your car broke down or you needed a new dishwasher. Don't let those bad months stop you from saving all together.

7) Put back what you can, when you can. Even if it's just $15, in the grand scheme of things, every dollar counts.

Hopefully you'll find these to be more practical and a better use of your paycheck.