Last Blog

I am so excited to say this is my last blog! I have been so busy this semester and these blogs always seemed to be such a hassle. I have realized they are not so bad though. We are really lucky to have just had to write a paragraph or so about anything we want. I am sure my classes in the future will not be as easy. I really thought I would never be done with this semester. It is weird to think I will be a sophomore in college. I have a lot of work ahead of me and I really need to buckle down. This past semester I found myself waiting until the end for everything. It would not be so bad if all my stuff in every class was not due at the same time. I am just going to have to get my priorities straight and remember what I am working for. College is going to fly by if it goes as fast as my past two semesters. It is kind of scary to think I will be on my own and in the real world so soon. It is exciting though but right now I just cannot wait until summer. Hopefully this summer will be as good as my last, if not better.

Summer

So this school year is coming to an end and I am so excited. I do not have big plans for this summer but I know it will be great. My boyfriend works all week but we will have nights and weekends to hang out. I plan to get a job as well because I will need something to help pass the time and I definitely can use the money. Other than work we plan to take weekend trips occasionally, the first being a trip to Six Flags. We went last summer and it was lots of fun. I love roller coasters and it is a great way to get away and have some fun. July 4th is my grandparent’s anniversary and this year they are celebrating their 50th. My mom and her siblings have planned a big party for them so my boyfriend and I will fly up for that. My whole family will be there so it should be a lot of fun. My boyfriend has never been to Maryland with me so I will have a lot to show him. My grandparents live in Annapolis so the party is at the Naval Academy which is extremely nice I cannot wait for him to see it and we also plan to visit Baltimore so he can see the boardwalk and all. It is so hard to keep focused on my school work when I know summer is so close!

Last Class

I did not know what to expect going into class yesterday. I was actually kind of worried because I felt I had no clue for my final paper. Wendy really helped break everything down and now I think I have some idea to how I will approach my paper. It is going to take some time though because it will be hard to figure out the right way to put it all together. I have never written a 10 page paper but I know the four parts will make it a little easier. I am going to have to add a lot of extra stuff because I have realized I am missing a lot of statistics that are needed. I need to get started soon so I am not stressed out and left with everything at the end. It was really good to find out that was my last class. Having Tuesday off will give me extra needed time to work on all my final assignments. I really cannot believe this semester is almost over; it went by so fast! This class was really helpful and hopefully I will remember all the skills and techniques Wendy taught for future classes.

My Dad

My dad is the best. Not only has he brought my family up in church, he has also given us a good environment to live. Our house has been very structured my whole life. My dad is very strict but I know now he was doing it for the best. He did not want his kids to get hurt. I think most of his strictness and structure come from his life in the military. He has really good manners and is very orderly. My dad has taught me to have good morals and respect others. I am also able to enjoy life to the fullest because he introduces me to new things and makes me think so much. My dad takes my family on trips often, mostly to the Smoky Mountains. I have had the privilege to stay in the outdoors and have a good time without life’s accessories, such as television. My dad has always been involved with me and my siblings, from playing with us when we were kids to talking to us about our struggles as teenagers. I feel like I can talk to my dad about many things and he always has different point of view for me to reexamine the issue from.

No Child Left Behind

Education is very important and affects many aspects of a child’s life. The United States does care about education as seen through the attempt of No Child Left Behind. President George Bush and Congress put the No Child Left Behind Act into place in 2002. It requires every state and school district to come up with assessments and standards for Mathematics, Reading, and Science. These standards are used to see how well schools are doing. The law does try and pull everyone to equal educational levels, but does it in the wrong ways. We need to have national guidelines that make sure all schools are providing the same opportunities to learn for all students. Some students are going to be at lower level because of their economic background and other various reason and these all need to be taken into account when evaluating progress. These students are going to need more help due to their disadvantages. Although the underprivileged will need a lot of attention, the students working at a higher level need to continue getting the work and drives to stay and exceed the levels they are at. Altogether each child needs to be examined differently according to their needs and learning styles and be assessed accordingly.

My Weekend

It is finally Friday and I am so excited! I think this has been one of the longest weeks ever! So today is my boyfriend’s sister’s birthday and her boyfriend is throwing a party for her. My boyfriend and I are going to go to the party and I can’t wait because my boyfriend and I do not go out much since we have gotten our puppy. My sister is going to watch him tonight so we have no worries. It should be a lot of fun because people have come in from out of town and her boyfriend’s house is always a good time. Tomorrow my boyfriend and I are planning to go fishing with his little brother. We thought of going fishing last weekend when there was such great weather so I hope tomorrow is nice. I have not gone fishing in forever. I used to go fishing all the time when I was little with my grandpa. I was even in a fishing rodeo a couple of times. It is so exciting when you get that tug on your rod and you know you have caught a fish. I know it sounds lame but it is really relaxing to fish. You really forget all your worries and just enjoy the outside with friends and family!

Homelessness Again

It also upsets me that he would put a picture of Bellevue Baptist Church up beside the Fed Ex Forum and compare them by saying look at these buildings that had so much money put into but can’t give to the homeless. I do not know much about the Fed Ex Forum and Memphis’ spending but to back up Bellevue I do know that there are thousands of members so we need to be big to have enough seats and rooms to have worship and Sunday school class. Bellevue has been very blessed in the donations and money coming in and I think it is great that it was able to be built so nicely because it is a place to worship God. Bellevue also does a lot in the community. Right now Bellevue is reaching out to Memphis through “Bellevue Loves Memphis” which is a bunch of different opportunities for the members and others to help out in many different areas. People help tutor, work at soup kitchens, or do other things to help those less fortunate. It was wrong of Gathje to talk so negative about others. He should be happy that anything is being done to help. It is the small stuff that adds up in the end.