This week, my group and I were asked to research behaviorism. I already had a pretty good idea what behaviorism was thanks to my college psychology classes as well as my education classes (love my Tar Heel education)! This assignment really focused in on what behaviorism is and how can I apply it to my work as a media specialist.
1. What have I learned about behaviorism?
--Throughout this process, I was reminded that behaviorism is essentially conditioning. While there are two types of conditioning - operant and classical - I believe that the one that is easiest to apply in a teaching/learning environment is operant conditioning, in which you use reinforcement to encourage or deter behavior. When there is a desired behavior, you use positive reinforcement to encourage the behavior to continue. When an undesirable behavior is displayed, you use negative reinforcement to stop the behavior from occurring again.
2. What does this mean to me?
--As a middle school teacher, I see that consequences and rewards do work with my students. My kids will do just about anything for a reward (especially if that reward is candy). When they exhibit behaviors that are less than desirable, there is a system of consequences (negative reinforcement) that is meant to teach them not to behave in that manner.
3. How might I use this information for work as a school librarian?
--Behaviorism is very simple to use in a school library. This could be used to teach students the norms for behavior within the library. Without these rules and norms in place, students can cause a lot of damage in a place like a library (especially my students). Using positive reinforcement for a successful trip to the library and negative reinforcement for students who behave inappropriately will ensure that the library is respected and enjoyed by both students and teachers.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Monday, January 6, 2014
Thank you Yoga and FlyLady!
I've always been someone who hates waking up early...or....in the morning at all. I'm NOT a morning person. Because of this, I end up hitting the snooze button 10 times, dragging around, realizing I'm going to be late, and then rushing...forgetting stuff along the way.
I've recently started back doing my routines (thank you FlyLady) and also decided that I needed to do yoga first thing in the morning because of how wonderful it makes me feel. I have an "All Day Yoga" DVD and it starts with a 20 minute AM yoga segment. Still...this means I now have to get up at 5:30 in order to do it, eat breakfast, get ready, get my 2 year old son ready, and leave for work by 7 at the latest.
I always have these great plans to get up early and workout. They always fail.
Today, I won!
I set two alarms instead of four. I got up at 5:30 and came straight into my living room, started the DVD, and did my workout. That hunch that I had about yoga making my day start out wonderfully - I WAS RIGHT! From there, everything went so smoothly. I also attribute that to doing my before bed routine :)
Because of the routines (before bed and morning) plus waking up for my AM yoga, I was able to get ready, get Christian ready, and leave my house at 6:50. I was at work by 7:20 and was completely ready for my students at 7:45! Amazing.
This is what all I've able to accomplish today:
1. Got to work by 7:20 instead of 7:40. 20 minutes makes a difference!
2. Graded notebooks and tests for one of my classes. I usually put this off until the day grades are due. Lol!
3. Computer training and a faculty meeting.
4. Home by 4:30
5. Finished cooking dinner (it had been going in the slow cooker all day).
6. Did my Weekly Home Blessing Hour (dust, change sheets, vacuum, mop, polish mirrors and doors, empty trash, purge mail/magazines)
7. Zone Mission for the day: Dust corners and high shelves/ceilings in kitchen
8. Ate dinner and cleaned up after - cleaned the whole kitchen
9. Helped Christian do his FLY Kid's Challenge: Clean his dresser
10. Did stress relief yoga (20 minutes)
11. Most of my before bed routine is done at this point! This means that I can pretty much roll out of bed and do yoga in the AM without worrying about anything!
If I can keep this up, my life is going to be soooooo much easier!
I've recently started back doing my routines (thank you FlyLady) and also decided that I needed to do yoga first thing in the morning because of how wonderful it makes me feel. I have an "All Day Yoga" DVD and it starts with a 20 minute AM yoga segment. Still...this means I now have to get up at 5:30 in order to do it, eat breakfast, get ready, get my 2 year old son ready, and leave for work by 7 at the latest.
I always have these great plans to get up early and workout. They always fail.
Today, I won!
I set two alarms instead of four. I got up at 5:30 and came straight into my living room, started the DVD, and did my workout. That hunch that I had about yoga making my day start out wonderfully - I WAS RIGHT! From there, everything went so smoothly. I also attribute that to doing my before bed routine :)
Because of the routines (before bed and morning) plus waking up for my AM yoga, I was able to get ready, get Christian ready, and leave my house at 6:50. I was at work by 7:20 and was completely ready for my students at 7:45! Amazing.
This is what all I've able to accomplish today:
1. Got to work by 7:20 instead of 7:40. 20 minutes makes a difference!
2. Graded notebooks and tests for one of my classes. I usually put this off until the day grades are due. Lol!
3. Computer training and a faculty meeting.
4. Home by 4:30
5. Finished cooking dinner (it had been going in the slow cooker all day).
6. Did my Weekly Home Blessing Hour (dust, change sheets, vacuum, mop, polish mirrors and doors, empty trash, purge mail/magazines)
7. Zone Mission for the day: Dust corners and high shelves/ceilings in kitchen
8. Ate dinner and cleaned up after - cleaned the whole kitchen
9. Helped Christian do his FLY Kid's Challenge: Clean his dresser
10. Did stress relief yoga (20 minutes)
11. Most of my before bed routine is done at this point! This means that I can pretty much roll out of bed and do yoga in the AM without worrying about anything!
If I can keep this up, my life is going to be soooooo much easier!
Friday, January 3, 2014
When I Grow Up...
I've thought a lot about this. I'm sure most people have. What do I want to be when I grow up? Does this only apply to careers? Does this also include the kind of person I want to be? I think it does.
Here's who I want to be when I grow up:
1) I want to be someone who has a close relationship with God. Not only do I want to pray and read my Bible like a "good Christian," I want to feel His presence in my life. I want to consistently trust Him and surrender my life into His hands. I want to show my son that this kind of relationship with Him exists and that it is something to work towards.
2) I want to be a good mother. I want to be the kind of mother that gives my child(ren) everything they could ever need and want and more. I want to do this in a way that they are not spoiled or self-centered. I want to guide them to become the person that God meant for them to become.
3) I want to be content in my career. This is something that I am very close to being now. I love my middle school. I love my coworkers. My county is a pretty neat place to work, especially if you work where I do. I think that, with a little more experience, I will be 100% content with my job.
4) I want to be a lifelong learner. I think that I will be someone who is in school or in some kind of course for the rest of my life, and that's ok with me. I have the desire to gain new knowledge. I can't just sit and do nothing to expand what I already know.
5) I want to be someone who is always trying to improve herself. I don't ever want to feel like what I have is ok. I know that sounds strange. I know that what God has given me is enough, but I always want to strive for better. I just feel like that will help me to reach my full potential.
6) I want to be healthy. I want to be in shape. I want to be a healthy weight. I want to be able to run around with my kids and not get so winded. I want to be able to take part in every aspect of life. I want to be free to be the person I want to be without worry of sickness
Any other suggestions?
Here's who I want to be when I grow up:
1) I want to be someone who has a close relationship with God. Not only do I want to pray and read my Bible like a "good Christian," I want to feel His presence in my life. I want to consistently trust Him and surrender my life into His hands. I want to show my son that this kind of relationship with Him exists and that it is something to work towards.
2) I want to be a good mother. I want to be the kind of mother that gives my child(ren) everything they could ever need and want and more. I want to do this in a way that they are not spoiled or self-centered. I want to guide them to become the person that God meant for them to become.
3) I want to be content in my career. This is something that I am very close to being now. I love my middle school. I love my coworkers. My county is a pretty neat place to work, especially if you work where I do. I think that, with a little more experience, I will be 100% content with my job.
4) I want to be a lifelong learner. I think that I will be someone who is in school or in some kind of course for the rest of my life, and that's ok with me. I have the desire to gain new knowledge. I can't just sit and do nothing to expand what I already know.
5) I want to be someone who is always trying to improve herself. I don't ever want to feel like what I have is ok. I know that sounds strange. I know that what God has given me is enough, but I always want to strive for better. I just feel like that will help me to reach my full potential.
6) I want to be healthy. I want to be in shape. I want to be a healthy weight. I want to be able to run around with my kids and not get so winded. I want to be able to take part in every aspect of life. I want to be free to be the person I want to be without worry of sickness
Any other suggestions?
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
My One Word for 2014: Surrender
verb (used with object)
1.
to yield (something) to the possession or power of another; deliver up possession of on demand orunder duress: to surrender the fort to the enemy; to surrender the stolen goods to the police.
2.
to give (oneself) up, as to the police.
3.
to give (oneself) up to some influence, course, emotion, etc.: He surrendered himself to a life of hardship.
4.
to give up, abandon, or relinquish (comfort, hope, etc.).
5.
to yield or resign (an office, privilege, etc.) in favor of another.
verb (used without object)
6.
to give oneself up, as into the power of another; submit or yield.
noun
7.
the act or an instance of surrendering.
8.
Insurance. the voluntary abandonment of a life-insurance policy by the owner for any of its nonforfeiture values.
9.
the deed by which a legal surrendering is made.
I copied and pasted this right from dictionary.com. It almost seems like the very definition leads people to believe that surrender is a bad thing. It is negative. You lose control or lose power in some fashion or other.
If you assume that all surrender is bad, you're dead wrong. In 2014, I am focusing on the word 'surrender.' I want to give up all of the bad elements in my life. I want to abandon unhealthy habits. I want to relinquish all problems and give them up to God. I hope to surrender my life to God's will and allow him to take control.
I hope that God uses this year to transform me in the best way possible. I know that in 2013, He used my one word, 'trust,' to get me in the exact position I needed to be in to succeed as a teacher, mother, and a person. I'm happy overall with the outcome of 2013 and I expect great things to happen in 2014.
I just need to "let go and let God."
--A
Friday, December 27, 2013
My One Word: 2013
In 2013, my Bible Study leader, Amanda, asked us all to choose one word. That word would be our focus for the whole year. This is based on www.myoneword.org. Instead of writing out a long list of New Year's Resolutions (which I totally did anyway), you choose a word.
The word that came to me for 2013 was 'trust.' Now, when I started to pray about this, I came up with tons of word that I could focus on: motherhood, belief, faith, and so on. I prayed and prayed, and trust just kept standing out from the list.
Amanda swore that once we chose a word, God would use that year to strengthen our characters with a focus on whatever we've chosen. I chose the word, told my Bible Study group, and even wrote the word on my meal planning board so that I would see it all the time. After that, I rarely thought about it. When I did, I would pray that God would help me to trust others and to trust in Him. I expected good things to happen. Instead, let me explain how my year went:
1) In February, my son's father and I split up after 3 years together.
2) In May, my hot water heater stopped working and I had to have it fixed.
3) In June, there were problems within my family that I will not explain or dwell on.
4) In July, my A/C unit stopped working and had to be replaced. Also, my car had to have work done.
5) At the beginning of August, I found out that I had been moved to a new middle school. I was not given a choice.
6) In October, I struggled with financial issues.
7) In December, I was accepted into Graduate School at Appalachian (yay!) - which means more loans (boooooo!)
Now, that doesn't sound like a good year, does it? Believe it or not, I'm SO happy that my year went this way.
Here's what I've realized in the past week.
God HAS used this year to change me. The focus has been on trust. It hasn't been all about trusting others. That's what I expected. It's not what happened. It's been about trusting myself. I didn't realize it, but I had lost myself over the past few years. I became someone that others depended on. I was someone who was all about everyone else in my life. This year, I learned that I am important. I learned that my opinions matter and that I have those convictions for a reason.
For example, I went to Church in February for the first time in a long time. I went with just Christian, my son. I was feeling severely depressed and I needed a "pick-me-up." Something happened to me during that service that I'll never forget. I was sitting with two of my former students and the preacher began his sermon. After about 3 minutes, he said something that really spoke to me. It was all about trusting myself and eliminating bad in my life. I had been unhappy in my relationship for a while, and when I left Church that afternoon, I knew that it was over. I just had to trust myself and trust God. I needed to allow Him to heal the parts of me that were broken, but I had to be alone in order to heal. If I hadn't trusted myself and trusted God in that moment, I would not be where I am right now.
I'm not saying it didn't hurt. This year, I hurt in ways I didn't think were possible. My heart had to completely break in order to become whole. My soul had to be torn apart in order for me to heal. God broke me down in order to build me up and make me stronger.
A friend of mine said something to me the other day and it has been on my mind ever since. He said, "You're different than you were this summer. More confident. I like it." He's absolutely right, but I didn't get there on my own. It has been with the help and guidance of the Lord that I am who I am right now.
So, 2013 has been about trust. Time to start praying about my one word for 2014. What will yours be?
The word that came to me for 2013 was 'trust.' Now, when I started to pray about this, I came up with tons of word that I could focus on: motherhood, belief, faith, and so on. I prayed and prayed, and trust just kept standing out from the list.
Amanda swore that once we chose a word, God would use that year to strengthen our characters with a focus on whatever we've chosen. I chose the word, told my Bible Study group, and even wrote the word on my meal planning board so that I would see it all the time. After that, I rarely thought about it. When I did, I would pray that God would help me to trust others and to trust in Him. I expected good things to happen. Instead, let me explain how my year went:
1) In February, my son's father and I split up after 3 years together.
2) In May, my hot water heater stopped working and I had to have it fixed.
3) In June, there were problems within my family that I will not explain or dwell on.
4) In July, my A/C unit stopped working and had to be replaced. Also, my car had to have work done.
5) At the beginning of August, I found out that I had been moved to a new middle school. I was not given a choice.
6) In October, I struggled with financial issues.
7) In December, I was accepted into Graduate School at Appalachian (yay!) - which means more loans (boooooo!)
Now, that doesn't sound like a good year, does it? Believe it or not, I'm SO happy that my year went this way.
Here's what I've realized in the past week.
God HAS used this year to change me. The focus has been on trust. It hasn't been all about trusting others. That's what I expected. It's not what happened. It's been about trusting myself. I didn't realize it, but I had lost myself over the past few years. I became someone that others depended on. I was someone who was all about everyone else in my life. This year, I learned that I am important. I learned that my opinions matter and that I have those convictions for a reason.
For example, I went to Church in February for the first time in a long time. I went with just Christian, my son. I was feeling severely depressed and I needed a "pick-me-up." Something happened to me during that service that I'll never forget. I was sitting with two of my former students and the preacher began his sermon. After about 3 minutes, he said something that really spoke to me. It was all about trusting myself and eliminating bad in my life. I had been unhappy in my relationship for a while, and when I left Church that afternoon, I knew that it was over. I just had to trust myself and trust God. I needed to allow Him to heal the parts of me that were broken, but I had to be alone in order to heal. If I hadn't trusted myself and trusted God in that moment, I would not be where I am right now.
I'm not saying it didn't hurt. This year, I hurt in ways I didn't think were possible. My heart had to completely break in order to become whole. My soul had to be torn apart in order for me to heal. God broke me down in order to build me up and make me stronger.
A friend of mine said something to me the other day and it has been on my mind ever since. He said, "You're different than you were this summer. More confident. I like it." He's absolutely right, but I didn't get there on my own. It has been with the help and guidance of the Lord that I am who I am right now.
So, 2013 has been about trust. Time to start praying about my one word for 2014. What will yours be?
Friday, August 2, 2013
What a great day!
Hi all of you marvelous people that actually read my blog!
I've had a really good day overall. This is awesome. I love having days like this.
I started off my day with my baby boy coming to play with me in my room. He loves to come and cuddle with me in the mornings. I have to go get him out of his crib, change his diaper, and all but FORCE him to come in my room...but once he's there, he loves to play!
Then, we watched Monsters Inc. for the millionth time and had breakfast - Dark Chocolate Muffins. So good and not terrible for you. He loves his "nuppins."
He was so tired after the movie went off, so I put him down for a nap. While he was napping, I drank some coffee and recovered from last night. If you read my blog or watched the video blog from last night, you'll know that I got SICK after dinner last night. I threw up everything that I had eaten since 4:30 pm...which sucked. I felt ok after that, but still felt a little weak. I didn't recover completely until about 5 pm today. I guess it really was a 24-hr bug or something.
We had a light lunch - Christian ate chicken nuggets and I had a No Bake Energy Bite from my fridge. I wasn't incredibly hungry and that helped to tide me over until dinner. (Lunch wasn't served until 2:30 pm...lol).
We then needed to get out of the house, so we went to the grocery store. I was completely out of milk and Christian was running low on apple juice. We went and picked that up, gassed up my vehicle, and came back home so I could cook dinner. We had Egg-Battered Fried Chicken. Sounds like it's really bad for you, but actually comes in at about 288 calories per serving. I made rice too. Christian ate every. last. bite. That always makes me feel good. Boosts my ego when the 2 year old approves.
Christian went to bed at about 7:40 pm. That's 20 minutes early for him, but he was EXHAUSTED after the short visit from Grammy and Papa after dinner. Once he was down, I did Insanity - Pure Cardio. This was the first time that I had done this video and WOW! No water breaks!? I took two, which isn't bad. I pushed through the workout, but I did start feeling a little weak after the first 5 minutes of it. I figured it was remnants of last night's sickness. I kept going though. Be proud!
Now, I'm watching Buffy and trying to relax. I think if I could be any fictional character, it'd be Buffy. I'd even accept the fact that I'd have died twice if I could be her. She's awesome. Haha. I watch Buffy and am inspired to change my life so that I can be as active as a slayer
It's a little lame and embarrassing to say that, I know, but it's one of my many inspirations to keep going with my lifestyle change. I'm in it for real this time around. I'm over feeling bad. I'm over being overweight. I'm over feeling insecure. I'm over it and ready to change!
I've had a really good day overall. This is awesome. I love having days like this.
I started off my day with my baby boy coming to play with me in my room. He loves to come and cuddle with me in the mornings. I have to go get him out of his crib, change his diaper, and all but FORCE him to come in my room...but once he's there, he loves to play!
Then, we watched Monsters Inc. for the millionth time and had breakfast - Dark Chocolate Muffins. So good and not terrible for you. He loves his "nuppins."
He was so tired after the movie went off, so I put him down for a nap. While he was napping, I drank some coffee and recovered from last night. If you read my blog or watched the video blog from last night, you'll know that I got SICK after dinner last night. I threw up everything that I had eaten since 4:30 pm...which sucked. I felt ok after that, but still felt a little weak. I didn't recover completely until about 5 pm today. I guess it really was a 24-hr bug or something.
We had a light lunch - Christian ate chicken nuggets and I had a No Bake Energy Bite from my fridge. I wasn't incredibly hungry and that helped to tide me over until dinner. (Lunch wasn't served until 2:30 pm...lol).
We then needed to get out of the house, so we went to the grocery store. I was completely out of milk and Christian was running low on apple juice. We went and picked that up, gassed up my vehicle, and came back home so I could cook dinner. We had Egg-Battered Fried Chicken. Sounds like it's really bad for you, but actually comes in at about 288 calories per serving. I made rice too. Christian ate every. last. bite. That always makes me feel good. Boosts my ego when the 2 year old approves.
Christian went to bed at about 7:40 pm. That's 20 minutes early for him, but he was EXHAUSTED after the short visit from Grammy and Papa after dinner. Once he was down, I did Insanity - Pure Cardio. This was the first time that I had done this video and WOW! No water breaks!? I took two, which isn't bad. I pushed through the workout, but I did start feeling a little weak after the first 5 minutes of it. I figured it was remnants of last night's sickness. I kept going though. Be proud!
Now, I'm watching Buffy and trying to relax. I think if I could be any fictional character, it'd be Buffy. I'd even accept the fact that I'd have died twice if I could be her. She's awesome. Haha. I watch Buffy and am inspired to change my life so that I can be as active as a slayer
It's a little lame and embarrassing to say that, I know, but it's one of my many inspirations to keep going with my lifestyle change. I'm in it for real this time around. I'm over feeling bad. I'm over being overweight. I'm over feeling insecure. I'm over it and ready to change!
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Cussing Out Shaun T and CURRICULUM HAPPINESS! :)
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Do you see me?
Do you see my face?
I just cussed out my TV. Like, Shaun T has now been thoroughly cussed out. People, if you know me at all, you know I RARELY use vulgar language. I think for 40 minutes, I rarely said something that was nice.
Phew.
Other than that boss workout I just did, it was a pretty good day! I ate fairly well. I tried a new salmon recipe from SparkRecipes. So delicious. I also tried couscous for the first time. It was also REALLY good!
My curriculum is done for the school year. Another teacher and I planned everything. We have all of our resources for the ENTIRE year! We are going to get back together around the 15th and write specific lesson plans for the first few weeks of school. I already feel SO much better about this year, despite the transition to a new school.
On another note, I am so nervous that I'm not going to lose any weight this week. I'm getting back in routines. I'm eating better again. I'm working out. I'm drinking my water. I just still feel like I'm going to weigh myself on Sunday and have gained weight...or measure myself and have gained inches. I'm so terrified to gain weight. I'm scared that I'll quit if I have zero results after a week of working so hard. Then, I feel stupid for feeling that way...which then makes me more nervous. Ugh. I hate this cycle of badness.
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