The rest of my summer....

Well, one of my teacher friends mentioned to me yesterday that we are starting school soon- yikes! I haven't even stopped teaching yet, between summer school and MSU. I love it, though and wouldn't know what to do with myself for two months if I didn't work over the summer. That being said, I am looking forward to the rest of August. Here is what I am going to do:

Go in my pool (a lot!) and attempt to get a tan
Read (mostly trashy novels!)
Hang out with my mom
Sleep without setting an alarm (even though I still get up at 7:30)
Get prepared for school (I am totally a Type A personality!)
Go to the gym and take some long walks
Watch talk shows (I love Ellen and Oprah)
Play with Bella
Spend time with some friends
Go to a comedy show
Attend my friend's wedding
Celebrate my 31st birthday (no comment!)
Try to cook more (god help us all!)
Go to the dentist
Clean my house (notice this is last!?)

Well, that should be enough to keep me busy for a few weeks! School starts pretty early this year and it will be the first day before we know it. I hope to continue working at MSU, so hopefully our paths might cross again, but like I said in the last blog, please keep my email and let me know if you ever need help with any other class or novel.

For Ashley!

Well, it was brought to my attention that I haven't added a blog in a while! So, I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed all of the presentations and the book reviews today. For just a short six week period, you did quite a bit of work. I hope that you feel better prepared to start college and please keep my email address in case you have any questions- you can ALWAYS contact me!

Independent Novel Suggestions

Go to http://my.barnesandnoble.com/Meghan-Lanzas-WishList/cm/1620352/ to read a synopsis or excerpt from the list of suggested novels.

Favorite Quote

Even though I love quotes by Eleanor Roosevelt, my favorite quote is by John Dewey. He was a philosopher and an educator, who is most well known for his advocacy of democracy. Ironically, I am also related to him through my maternal grandmother, whose maiden name is Dewey (he would be my great uncle, twice removed- or something like that!) Anyway, the quote he said that I love so much is this...
"Education is not preparation for life; Education is life itself."
This quote means a lot to me because I see going to school and education as a bigger picture. It is not about the grades or receiving a diploma at the "end"- the idea is that there IS NO END and that education is a lifelong process.

PBS Video from Class

If you would like to watch the last 15 minutes of the video from today's class ("Children of the Taliban"), go to http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/pakistan802/video/video_index.html and start on minute 25:00.

Also, feel free to add an extra post to your blog on this video!! Label it "PBS Video".

Greg's Blog

It is great when you admire someone and then they make themselves accessible to you! Greg wrote this book, but the story doesn't end on the last page. Through his blog, readers who were affected by his life can learn updates about his work through the Central Asia Institute. I really enjoyed reading about his daughter and how she got involved with her "Pennies for Peace" campaign. It just shows that every penny can help. My school did something similar to this during the past year and it united the whole student body together as well as raise money for a good cause.

Change for the better

There are a lot of people who have influenced my life and changed me for the better. My family, my friends, even my students affect me in positive ways. I tend to see the best in people and I think anyone can teach you things about yourself and about life. The person who has affected me the most is my Mama (my grandmother). She is in her 90s and she and my grandfather have been married for 68 years. You name it and she has seen it or experienced it. I can tell her EVERYTHING. She is one of my best friends, my biggest fan and most loyal confidant. She was also a teacher and motivates me to be the best teacher I can be- although her advice has included throwing erasers at students if they misbehave (lol- times have changed since the days she taught!)

As we go through life, so many people touch our lives- some in minor ways and some in major ways. Just remember, for a little sister or brother, for a friend or a child, YOU might be that person who affects and influences them the most!