Week 1 Review

From this past week I really enjoyed the phonetically defined post from Thursday's announcements. Some of the "definitions" made me actually let out a chuckle.

As for announcements from me, I have two. I am apart of the leadership team of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and we have our large group Bible study every Thursday night at 8 pm in Zarrow Hall. Additionally, this Saturday the 23rd we are having a Pancakes and Poker event in Zarrow Hall. It should be tons of fun and who doesn't love free food and games? I hope to see some of you there!

Tech Tip: Blogger Template

You may have noticed that my blog has a new look to it. I did this at the suggestion of a Tech Tip and I absolutely love the look of it now. I was originally going to use a template, but I decided to instead pick a background picture and then customize the colors of the different components in the "advanced" settings. I think it goes well with the mythology theme but is still pretty feminine. I hope you guys like the way my blog looks now and maybe are inspired to change up the look of your blogs.

Learning Challenges: Looking at Learning by HEART

I am bad at decision making and thus choosing just one part of HEART that sticks out to me is quite the challenge. Health and happiness, attention, and time all seem like areas that are both important to me and that I could improve in greatly. However, since I feel like I already work on health and happiness and time quite frequently, I suppose focusing on attention through this class would not be a bad idea. I have tried mindfulness and meditation before but always give up on it so maybe this time I will try it and stick with it. I also liked the idea of the pomodoro technique and may try implementing it.

As for the other two areas, I am discovering this semester that forcing yourself to wake up at the same time every morning is both good for your sleep health and productivity. I started a job this week that makes me wake up at 7:30 every morning. While waking up that early is not something I particularly enjoy, I have noticed that I have been more productive during the day because I know I must be in bed by 11:15 pm every night if I am to get a good night's sleep. This means I am sleeping more consistently and getting more done which is pretty great. It might even make up for the fact that I am a college kid asleep by midnight and up before 9 am.

(meme by Laura Gibbs)

All in all I am excited to try some of the different HEART challenges this semester. I hope that at least one of them truly improves my school or home life or both!

Reflections on Growth Mindset

When I was reading about the growth mindset I was immediately struck by something I saw in my volunteering at CCFI's Boys and Girls club today. During "power hour" the kids are supposed to do homework or if they do not have homework do something educational. I was working with two kids on some reading words. The words were written on slips of paper that were jumbled together in a jar. Each kid would pull out a word and read it out loud and I would tell them if they were right or not and help them figure it out if they were wrong.

The little girl would pull out some words and know them right away. She looked very proud when I told her she got it right. But, whenever she did not know a word right away she immediately gave up and guessed something even though she knew it was not right. When I would tell her it was not right and move to help her sound it out she would shut down. She would answer the simple question of "what sound does this word make" incorrectly. I quickly discovered she did not know letter sounds very well and was once again throwing out guesses on most letters. I moved on to telling her the sounds of each letter and then asking her to put the sounds together, but by that point she was frustrated and embarrassed so I would just tell her the correct pronunciation and move on.

The little boy, on the other hand, would take getting a word wrong as a challenge. He would go back and sound out every letter and put the letters together in different sound combinations until it sounded like a word he knew. He would then say the new word and was often right. If he was not right I would say "not quite" and tell him which letter was wrong. He enjoyed going through all the words, both those he knew and those he did not.

(Image created by Laura Gibbs)

I now know that these differences may have to do with the little girl having a fixed mindset and the little boy having a growth mindset. In the future I will try saying "not yet" to the little girl instead of "that's not quite right" and I will be sure to praise her when she tries to sound things out. I will also be sure to praise the little boy for his process and excitement about learning.

I am glad I read about the growth mindset today and I hope it helps not just these kids but myself as well!

Storybook Favorites

When browsing through the past storybooks, I came across many that I liked. However, three really stuck out to me as pieces worth noting.

The first was Tales from Lost and Forgotten Artifacts of Japanese Lore by Meagan Fulk. While I know only a small sampling of Japanese lore, Meagan's title grabbed my attention because it seemed an interesting way to retell stories. The introduction was well written and had a well developed back story that really drew me in. I was drawn so far in that I fully intend to read the entire storybook when I get the chance. The storybook's layout is rather simple, but the color scheme fit the contents well. I liked that the words were not on a white background because that made it easier on the eyes to read. Overall, this was a very well done storybook.

(Tales from Lost and Forgotten Artifacts of Japanese Lore by Meagan Fulk)

The second storybook was The Insider to the Royals. This storybook focuses on stories I know extremely well in both their original and disneyified forms: Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and Snow White. What drew me to this storybook was the title. I immediately thought of how funny a gossip magazine's look into fairy-tale worlds would be. I think the author was going for a clean look to make it look more magazine-like which I appreciate, but I think using a bold color as an accent would really have made this project look great. Overall I had fun reading the book and think it is a great idea.

The final storybook was Karma for Kids: Stories for Your Unruly Children. Though I knew nothing of the stories this book was based on, Karma is a concept I have heard about and I have some understanding of it. I like the title because it is very clear what the stories are about and for whom they are written. I also loved the dialogue style for the introduction because it draws the reader in so easily. As for layout, I liked the color scheme and simplicity of navigation. This is a great storybook that I hope to use for some ideas later on.

UnTextbook Overview

When I first looked over the options for week 2 I was really excited to see the biblical units. After thinking for a moment though I decided to leave a biblical unit for week 3 when I am more comfortable with my story telling because I highly respect and love the Bible and want to do it justice. So for week 2 I think I will do Aesop's Fables (Jacobs). I chose Aesop's Fables because we had a big book of them when I was little and I loved flipping through the stories. I am excited to read through them again as an adult with new perspectives.

As for the other weeks, I found so many units that excite me.

Alice in Wonderland is an incredibly fun book that it has been years since I read. I love both the book and the many movie adaptions of it including the classic animated movie and the newer Johnny Depp version. I cannot wait to read this story within the perspective of this class.

(Illustration of Alice by Sir John Tenniel)

Arabian Nights is something I have always wanted to read but have never gotten around to doing so. Aladdin is one of my all time favorite movies, but I know Disney often strays pretty far from the original story-line and I am curious to see what differences exist.

Canterbury Tales have always fascinated me. When I was younger I owned an abbreviated version that I absolutely loved and in high school I finally read a full version. I am looking forward to revisiting these stories.

The Japanese Mythology unit looks really interesting. I like that they are stories I have never heard before and yet they have familiar story lines and characters. Also, I am a quarter Japanese so I am excited to read some of the mythology from Japan.

I look forward to working with all of these pieces throughout the semester.

Introduction to a future occupational therapist (OT)

Hello! My name is Eryn Jordan and I am a senior at OU which means this is my last semester! I am majoring in psychology with a minor in health and exercise science. I recently got accepted to the  Health Science Center to get a master's in occupational therapy!

Though Norman is now a second home to me, I am actually from North Texas, Carrollton specifically. My parents, my sister and her family, and my dog still live in Carrollton. My brother however lives in Virginia with his fiancee. My sister, Ryan, is eight years older than me and is married to Derrick. They have a precious little 2 month old named Anabelle and the past few months of my life have been spent obsessing over her. She is my first niece/nephew and I am completely in love with her.

The day I met Anabelle (Personal Photo)

My brother, Kyle, is a history teacher in Virginia and his Fiancee, Lauren, is attending William and Mary for graduate school. My mother is a middle school special education teacher and my father works for Applebees on the business side. I love my family very much and try to visit as often as I can, though between school and work it can be difficult to find time.

Along with the human members of my family, I have one dog named Reba. We got her when I was a senior in high school and she fits right in with the family. 

Reba enjoying a nice day (Personal Photo)

I do not have any family here in Oklahoma, but I have met some pretty fantastic people. I am a part of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and I met many of my close friends through this organization. This includes my boyfriend, Brennan, and best friends Katie and Bill. My roommates are also pretty fantastic and I met the three of them freshmen year when we all lived on Walker 10. 

Besides being a student, I also have a job as a life skills coach for a young man on the autism spectrum. He is a joy to work with and I feel so blessed to have this job. I also volunteer at CCFI's building in the Boys and Girls Club weekly. 

I do not know that I could choose a favorite book, but The Name of the Rose, Harry Potter, the Bible, and To Kill a Mockingbird are definitely at the top of the list. As for movies, my all time favorites are The Princess Bride and A Knight's Tale. On TV I really love Friends, Star Trek, and Gilmore Girls among many others. Hobby-wise, I picked up crocheting about a year ago and really enjoy both that and coloring. 

I hope this post has helped you get to know me a little better. Please feel free to contact me on my Comment Wall. I hope we have a great semester together!

Week 1 Storytelling: Little Johnny

RIDE away, ride away, Johnny shall ride,

And he shall have pussy-cat tied to one side,

And he shall have little dog tied to the other,

And Johnny shall ride to see his grandmother.

(traditional nursery rhyme)

*****

Mommy and Daddy were whispering away in their room. Little Johnny walked by and saw the door was just barely ajar. He stuck his little eye in the crack and saw Mommy and Daddy talking. 

"Secrets are fun to know," Johnny thought. So little Johnny stuck his little ear to the crack and listened in on the grown-ups' whispers.

"Mama must be so lonely with Papa gone," Mommy sighed. 

Little Johnny wondered where Grandpa had gone. 

"I just don't know how to help her," Mommy said as Daddy wrapped her in a hug.

"I've got an idea!" little Johnny thought, "I'll visit Grandma and take her my pussy-cat. Georgie can keep her company 'til Grandpa comes back."

So Johnny ran to go grab the pussy-cat. He took Georgie out to the stable and tied him to his favorite horse's side. When Johnny got ready to head out he heard a loud barking. He looked down and saw his little dog Lenny was making the noise. Lenny did not like Georgie leaving and wanted to go with Georgie wherever he went. Because Johnny was afraid his parents would hear the barking and come to the stable, Johnny decided to tie Lenny to the other side of the horse. He then sat in the middle and started to ride. He rode away, away to grandmother's house. 

(Lenny and Georgie were best friends)

Grandmother was surprised to see Johnny all alone. She wasn't prepared and still had on her robe. Johnny leaped down from atop the horse and ran to see sweet grandmother. He then took down Georgie to put in her arms and said "This is Georgie, he is a very smart cat and is here to keep you company till Grandpa comes back." Grandmother took the little cat into her arms and looked at little Johnny with love and sadness in her eyes. 

Because Grandmother still looked sad Johnny turned back to the horse. "Here you can have Lenny too. He's rather slow but he's sweet and--" But as soon as Johnny untied Lenny the pup ran to see grandmother with leaps and bounds. He slammed right into her and they both fell to the ground. 

Now grandmother has to walk with a cane, and Lenny was sent to keep grandpa company.

Author's Note. The original nursery rhyme only said that Johnny rode to see grandmother with a cat tied to one side of him and a dog to the other. I decided to expand on why Johnny was going to see his grandmother with his pets. I then based the pets' names and the remainder of the story on Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck. Though rather than accidentally killing someone like the book Lennie, my Lenny just injures Grandmother. However, their consequences are sadly the same. The title I just came up with on my own. 

Bibliography. The original nursery rhyme is "Johnny shall Ride" from The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang (1897).

Beach in west Honduras... One of my Favorite Places

In the summer of 2014 I went to Honduras with Global Brigades. The second week to celebrate our work and to take an afternoon off, the staff took us to a secluded beach on the west coast. It was the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen and if by far one of my favorite places.



                                                                               

Beach in western Honduras. IHA