School so far...

Is busy. Between classes, volunteering, work, and homework, I have no time to breathe. Or sleep. It's a good night when I get 5-6 hours of sleep. Being busy is sometimes really great but lately I've been feeling really overwhelmed...and I'm SO tired. Don't get me wrong, I love the things keeping me busy...I just don't love the result.

Anyway, school is great otherwise. I love my classes (except my composition class). I am taking 4 classes this semester: Gender in World Literature, Composition (Writing in Education), Spanish, and Literacy and the Learner (which is kind of like three classes in one because there's a lecture, lab, and recitation). The Literacy and the Learner class is a lot of fun. Every week I go to a middle school here in Fort Collins and work with a group of 6th graders on Literacy skills. Each week, I prepare a short lesson and activity to teach them a literacy skill. I was TERRIFIED at first but now I love it! It's challenging and a lot of work but incredible practice and it's really rewarding when the kids respond and participate. I also love my Gender in World Lit. class. We've read some really great books this semester. We just finished the Kite Runner. Loved it! The only class I really don't care for is my composition class. It's so boring and we did this awful group project at the beginning of the semester that didn't go so well. ugh. It was terrible. Anyway, it's just not my favorite class at the moment. At least it's easy though. Ha.

I've also been volunteering at two elementary schools (3x a week) because I need 20 hours to apply for the school of ed. It is so much fun. At one of the schools I work with 4th graders and at the other I work with kindergartners. :) The 4th grade teacher has me do a lot of clerical work so I don't get to work with the kids as much, which is disappointing because I WANT more practice with the kids. The kindergarten teacher though, she's amazing, and actually lets me work with the kids. They are so fun and so cute! I get to do all kinds of fun stuff with them. Sometimes it's just reading them a book, working on learning to write the alphabet, or helping them learn their address and phone numbers. Last week we went outside and took pictures of the different parts of the trees. So fun! :) I hope that I can still volunteer with them next semester.

I've been working in the kitchen at the Tolkien House. I only have three shifts a week but it's an extra $100-ish every month, which is nice since I have to buy groceries now. I really like working in the kitchen but it's a little crazy this year because we have a new cook, who doesn't have a lot of experience. So, a lot of responsibility for keeping the kitchen running has fallen on Ashley and I. Ashley, because she's the kitchen crew chief of staff...and me because I am her roommate. Haha. I kinda fear for the fate of the kitchen next year when we're not here...

Oh, and the fish drama. Our fish Pico died a couple of weeks ago. :( We don't really know what happened to him, other than he had some sort of infection and the antibiotics didn't help. Now Sharkbait, my betta that I got during my first year of college, is sick. He has a disease called Dropsy, and even though I've been medicating him, he probably won't make it. I think he's just too old. :(

So anyway, that's my life lately. Thanks if you're still reading this incredibly long post. I'll try to be more consistent with my blogging.

Peace Out. ;)