02/20/2009 "Girls + Boys Meeting"

If you don't already know there is two groups at this school that are just for men and women. It's called "Building Women" and "Building Men" it's a group of students that get together and discuss issues likes relationships, celebrity gossip news, even how our previous week had went. The students in these groups all met today during 6th period, I believe the students in 5th period met last Wednesday. The girls and boys in these group never actually met together, we usually just have different meeting on different days. But today was different we met in one of the health rooms and the room was so crowded! We discussed the Chris Brown and Rihanna issue and about how boys and girls react in their relationship. It was a very interesting meeting because everyone said how they felt and we heard the boys' perspective on things.

02/19/2009 "Dealing with Rejection"

So today Mr. Abrams gave me a newspaper article that he thought I may be interested in. Normally I wouldn't be interested in reading newspapers, but the caption seemed to catch my brown eyes (haha). "When the alma mater of your dreams says no" was the title of the article. Basically to sum up the article it was about a High School senior boy who applied to a University that he was sent on getting into. He GPA was great, SAT scores were great, he had the whole package. However, he received a letter stating that he did not get accepted. It was the only college that he wanted to attend and he had so many great things going in his favor. I guess the college didn't see the great things the student had to offer. It kind of made me realize wow, I almost didn't get into my number one college and I would have be absolutely devastated. When I got put on the waiting list for WVU, it made me realize that I wasn't going to give up! And I didn't! I feel very bad for this boy because I know how it feels, it almost happened to me. I wish him good luck in his future and I hope everything works out for him!

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I CHECKED MY APPLICATION STATUS TODAY AND IT SAID THAT I HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED TO WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY! I WAS IN GUIDANCE IN COMPLETE SHOCK, I WAS SOOOO EXCITED, MY BEST FRIEND EVEN STARTED TO SHED A FEW TEARS! THANKS GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT =] IN THE BEGINNING OF MY JUNIOR YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL AFTER SEEING A FOOTBALL GAME ON T.V. WITH WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY PLAYING I KNEW THAT I WAS GOING TO STRIVE MY HARDEST TO GET ACCEPTED TO THAT COLLEGE! I WAS ON THE WAITING LIST FOR THE LONGEST TIME AND IT DEVASTATED ME TREMENDOUSLY, BUT I KNEW THAT IF THIS IS WHAT I TRULY WANTED I WOULD HAVE TO FIGHT. I EMAILED THEM, SENT THEM LOADS OF RECOMMENDATIONS, RE-TOOK THE SATS (HOWEVER, I DIDN'T DO TOO MUCH BETTER) I EVEN SENT THEM A LINK TO MY BLOG (SOMETHING THAT MY ENGLISH TEACHER THOUGHT WOULD SET ME OUT FROM OTHERS =]). I AM TRULY AT A LOST OF WORDS!

Bancroft 02/18/2009 =]

Yesterday February 17, 2009 I went to Bancroft and had a BLAST! Of course like every Tuesday when I go there the students are getting ready for Gym Class. Yesterday for Gym we played basketball and went to the weight room! After gym class I had some one on one time with the students. I guess one of the students thought I wasn't paying that much attention to him so he said "Do you not like me!?" I was puzzled! Why would he every think I wasn't fond of him, I felt sad, like I had let him down. I responded "Of course I like you! Why wouldn't I?" And then for the half hour left of class I talked to him and worked on his math skills! One thing that I absolutely loved about their math class was that the teacher had so many unique ways for them to learn. They were going over addition and subtraction and the teacher brought out a ruler with a bunny on it, every time the problem was addition the student and the bunny jumped forward, when the problem was subtraction the bunny and the student jumped backwards! I am not a fan of math whatsoever, but this is a neat technique to get younger students to enjoy math if they do not like it.

02/13/2009 SCHOOL #4's AUTISTIC PROGRAM

So today I left school around 10:00 with Mrs. Chelotti, we went to School #4 and sat in on an Autistic Class. I had so much fun! When Mrs. Chelotti and I got there the students were going over Math and counting up to ten with Cheerios's! I am glad I went today because I got to check out two different functioning classrooms, such as Bancroft and School #4. I forget what the machine is called, but School #4 has this really neat machine that helps Autistic kids concentrate a little bit better. The classroom I was in was with a group of 3-5 year olds and they are so incredibly smart. I'm really glad that Mrs. Chelotti took me today! I definitely plan to volunteer there a lot more before my Senior Year is over.

02/11/2009 WEATHERRRRRRRR =]

Today is ridiculously beautiful outside. I can't even believe my dark brown eyes. I woke up dis morning and my mom told me that all I had to wear was a little jacket because it's suppose to hit about 68 degrees today! This New Jersey weather is absolutely absurd! We went from having a delayed opening last week due to snow to tanning outside today, I love this weather! I just returned to class from a fire drill and I must admit I definitely plan on making myself productive outside today even if it's just talking on the phone on my porch. I have to take full advantage of this beautiful weather because with this crazy New Jersey weather tomorrow could be a blizzard!

02/09/2009 THE NEW YORK'S TIME -- SPECIAL EDUCATION ARTICLE

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/nyregion/thecity/08disa.html?_r=1

“This is one school, 100 percent full, and it doesn’t need construction; it’s all here. All we’re asking is, let us stay and pay rent.” - Hannah Achtenberg Kinn.

This article made me cry. A Special Education school that teachers mostly preschoolers with Autism is endanger of closing their doors, due to the state wanting the building to be constructed into an apartment building. No child should be neglected and have their education taken away from them and in the direction that the State of New York is going now, unfortunately, that is what may happen to these preschoolers.