Thanksgiving

I'm thankful for a lot of reasons...

• I'm thankful for God. He's been with me for many years, and He always leads me the way that's best for me.
• I'm thankful for my family. Even though it's been a rough two years, I'm glad to have them. Plus, I'm glad to be around to see my little siblings grow.
• I'm thankful for a job. Some days are hard, but I'm glad I have a wonderful boss/principal, and I'm blessed with two APs too!
• I'm thankful for the people, teachers, I work with, because we are there for each other.
• I'm thankful for students. Some give me rough days, but I'm especially thankful for the ones who do their best and appreciate me as their teacher. I'm especially thankful for my 7th/8th period kids, who have been better than last year's group; they also are very special to me!
• I'm also thankful for God. He's my first and my last, my Alpha and Omega. He gave us Jesus to be our Savior, and He sent us the Holy Spirit to be our Comforter. If I had to decide on a friend (which would be a tiny list anyway), the Trinity, with God as the lead, would be my ultimate friend.

I think this video clip sums up how I feel about the ones I care about.

Art I Created: A Look Back!

My Created Art

     Way back in the beginning of R. Andrew's Corner, I posted about art that I had created in the past. I believe the web site that I had my photos uploaded to ended, because I remember deleting the post altogether due to the links no longer working. Well, I was looking back at my photos and I thought I'd share them again, especially ones that I never got around to showing. 

     Drawing is special to me, but it is hard! I love creating with my hands, but drawing comes at a difficult price just like writing does - it takes a toll on me. I don't know why but tapping into my creative self is a challenge, and the stubborn person that I am tries to procrastinate until I force myself into drawing or painting or even writing stories. I mean, I can see the art, or hear my characters and know their stories, but even beginning them is a trial because there is this blockage that attempts to stand in the way of myself and the creation in my mind. So, when there's finally an opportunity to open up this skill, I cherish the product that came out of it, no matter if others find little worth from it. 

     I know I'll never be an artist or an illustrator, but I'm still proud of what was created from my mind to my hands. These are just a few! 

One of my originals. I'm in the blue chair!

Characters in love...or in feud. Originally done with charcoal but improved from a software program. Was a potential art project for Art Appreciation class in Spring 2008.

A baby donkey I drew in Children's Literature class in 2010.

Backside of my Final Exam project for Art Appreciation class in Spring 2008.

Front side of my Final Exam project for Art Appreciation class in Spring 2008.

Randomness created from a software program...Circa probably 2004/2005?

Another randomness created from a software program...Circa probably 2004/2005?

Art project for my Creative Expression class in Spring 2010.

Illustration of a portrait of my great-grandmother, for her 77th or 79th birthday. Made probably in 2000 or 2002...

Recoloring and improvements of the original drawing. Done in 2010 from a software program.

Drawing of my left hand during my Art Appreciation class in Spring 2008.

Sequel to the drawing that I did below...

Made this in 2006...Was shocked myself at his face after finishing it...

Created from a software program in 2007.

Updated version from the above. Revised in March 2012.

Illustration from my children's book that I wrote in 2010.

Random drawing during Children's Literature class in Spring 2010.

A place dear to me. Created in 2009.

Bacon and Dogs!

Clip-art from Microsoft Office

     So, this morning, I was craving for some bacon for breakfast. I hadn't eaten any bacon for a long while, and I knew that there was some turkey bacon in the freezer. While cooking the bacon, one of my dogs ("Cinnamon") walked into the kitchen and could smell that I was cooking bacon. I could tell from her puppy-dog eyes that she was craving some bacon also, and I immediately felt a jingle coming along. 

     Now, I must say that, being someone who fancies humor a lot (I know, shocking!), I kind of established a habit of creating voices for my two small dogs. Don't worry, I'm not insane! Early on, it started out just for fun, to annoy/entertain family members, but over the years their voices have been a defining distinction about the two that the voices seem to match their own personality. For instance, Cinnamon is more laid back and always resembles an elderly grandmother in her actions, so her "voice" is slow and deep, like a very old grandmother. Chance is more active and quirky-looking, so her "voice" is fast, high, and she's more prone to "say" something off the wall. Well, I'm no dog whisperer, but since I sort of know them so well, the voices just come freely and strangely matches their actions so well that what once was entertaining to my family members now has become weird because they say it's like I can read the two dogs' minds (yeah, right)! Sometimes I'm told I'm in the wrong profession, that I should be a voice animator instead of a teacher! What's even more freaky is that the dogs know when their "voice" is used, because they'll stare at me (probably thinking that I have no clue what they're really thinking, and that their voice doesn't really sound how I portray it)!

     Well, I felt in the spirit this morning, so I started thinking of a jingle about bacon, in Cinnamon's voice. Don't judge me! Well, this is what I came up with:

Bacon!

Bacon, it’s so yummy!

Bacon, in my tummy!

I want a slice of bacon.

Please give me some more bacon.

It leaves me with a hankerin’

For more bacon!

     It was actually nice to do that again, since it has been a while since I attempted their voices. I have to admit, it is fun! I mean, just to do their voice and see their pitiful stare is the biggest reason I do it, because it's as if they're saying, "Oh, keep trying, buddy!" Sometimes, I think about writing stories revolving around the two having these outstanding adventures...then I think about the many books with similar ideas and reconsider. Perhaps one day, though, I'll write a story with them, just to say I did! Those two mean the world to me, and I hope they'll be around for many years to come (which is saying something, considering Cinnamon will be eleven years old this year). Here's a photo of the two: Chance is the blonde, while Cinnamon is the brunette.

Storybook Activity Idea

I recently read the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick and really enjoyed the story. But above all, I really enjoyed the artwork. My favorite part in the book happens somewhere in the middle, where Hugo recalls his father's favorite film, A Trip to the Moon, by Georges Melies. In the film, a group of travelers take a rocket ship to the moon and encounter strange inhabitants. In one particular scene, the rocket ship travels directly into one of the eyes of the Moon. I don't know why, but I simply love the still from the movie that depicts this scene. It inspired me to do an activity that showcases this particular scene in the book. 

All I did was use some easy molding clay (the kind you can find at any store in the arts & craft sections) and molded a flat circle, then molded a nose and two eyes and a mouth. Afterwards, I baked it in the oven for about 19 minutes and let it cool. Then, I decided on how I wanted to color it. After several trials and errors, I eventually went with a yellow exterior, because that's how the image of the moon looks like in the photo I based it on. Then, I covered the face with glue from a glue stick and then layered it with gold glitter. The eyes also were originally colored brown, but it didn't look that well, so I re-colored it with blue liquid glitter. Additionally, I made a background to go with it. All it consists of is black construction paper with a rocket ship and stars drawn around a space I designated for the moon. Here's how the finished product looks:

     The activity got me thinking about how cool it would be if I, once I have my own classroom, were to do something like this with my students. I really think that would make Language Arts more enjoyable - diving into stories with our students and then, once done, allow students to recreate their favorite parts by either acting out scenes, or drawing their favorite moments, or even creating scenes from the stories by using clay and making a diorama! This is simply what I did: I took a favorite part from a book I recently read, and I recreated my own interpretation. I really think students would enjoy this approach, and it would enhance their reading experience. Of course, this would also be a ripe opportunity to collaborate with the art teacher too! If there are worries that a regular teacher couldn't pull this off in his/her classroom, then collaborate with the art teacher to allow this sort of activity to be done!

     I remember being in 5th grade and having the chance to recreate a scene from one of the stories we were reading in class. The story was Summer I Shrank My Grandmother by Elvira Woodruff, and we were assigned, in class, to choose one of our favorite parts and illustrate the scene. One of my favorite parts was when the granddaughter woke up one morning to find that her grandmother had shrank to a tiny toddler, so I remember drawing the grandmother as a little girl with red curly hair, with a red wagon! 

     I see no wrong in doing this in a classroom. I mean, I look back on the times my teachers used these moments as teachable experiences and I yearn to have those same moments with my own students. That's one of the reasons I wanted to be a teacher in the first place! I understand that, in a world where we have to deal with teacher accountability and high stakes testing, it can be frustrating to abide by our requirements while also trying to fit in enjoyable moments...but we shouldn't sacrifice the enjoyment just to have more "learning", especially if the enjoyment enhances the learning experience!


     Well, to get off of that unintentional soap box, I close this entry with a look at the clip of Melies' film A Trip to the Moon, which inspired part of Hugo's storyline and my art activity. Oh, and don't feel shy of checking out The Invention of Hugo Cabret or Summer I Shrank My Grandmother from your local library!...They are two really good books!

Looking Back On Things...

Clip-art by Mircosoft Office

     Life has a funny way of happening...We encounter things and people that leave impressions on us. We even become people that we never thought of becoming. Sometimes we look back on things and cannot believe we ever encountered unique situations like we had...

     What I mean is that the person that I am today simply cannot believe that I ever made a fan website for a TV show that I once liked, and actually loved (to which I also made "fan-videos" for). The only things that came out of that experience are my basic knowledge in HTML coding, and also my skill of putting together video clips (which has become helpful with my family videos). I also cannot believe that I use to be on forums debating my beliefs in front of different sorts of people, from atheists, deists, wiccans, and even fellow believers. Sometimes I wished I still had that sort of spunk that I had (because I feel like I have gone soft in defending what I believe), but I also appreciate the person that I am now, because I have grown from the teenager that I once was, when I did those things. I do not regret those moments (especially the debating, because it strengthened my faith in God), but I am glad that I have moved on from those moments, from those people.

     I sometimes wonder what I should be like in the future. Should I have been a cook, creating foods galore? Should I have went to college to be a preacher/pastor? Should I have enrolled in college to be an E.S.E teacher, dealing with specifically older children with physical disabilities? Should I drop my elementary education major and solely concentrate on my writing fictional stories for children or young adults? (Should I still seek that option along with the teaching quest?)

     I sometimes wonder if I made a mistake in choosing education over preaching, cooking, and writing...I always push those thoughts aside by saying, "I can do all of those things while teaching as well..." But can I? Do I even have the option to? Will I ever be a teacher or writer, or will I just fall into a trap and forever wander in this world until my day is done and I've gone to Heaven?

     Let me share a little secret with everyone: Everything I have done has been a struggle. It takes me time! It takes effort! It takes mistakes!...It takes hard, bone-crushing, glass-shattering mistakes! None of it has ever been easy for me...but I try. That is the key...trying.

     It also stinks that I feel way too old...for a 23 year old, yet also behind on my years. That sounds weird to describe, but that is how I feel. I feel mature towards some things, but other things I do not do well, and it makes me feel dumb and useless for even trying. I wish I could turn time around and relive the time when I was 5 years old. My life seemed so simple during that time, and all I had to worry about was that I was afraid of the dark and hated going to sleep at night.

     But, alas, here I am, a college student who aspires to be a teacher and also a children fiction writer...am I crazy to believe I can be both of these things? Especially in today's economy? Do not tell my brain...tell my heart what you think!