Friday, March 13, 2009

I...

I karate chopped a llama in a hole because big bird said so and he's my leader.

Pick the month you were born:
January-------I kicked
February------I loved
March--------I karate chopped
April----------I licked
May----------I jumped on
June----------I smelled
July-----------I did the Macarena With
August--------I had lunch with
September----I danced with
October-------I sang to
November-----I yelled at
December-----I ran over

Pick the day (number) you were born on:
1-------a birdbath
2-------a monster
3-------a phone
4-------a fork
5-------a snowman
6-------a gangster
7-------my mobile phone
8-------my dog
9-------my best friends' boyfriend
10-------my neighbor
11-------my science teacher
12-------a banana
13-------a fireman
14-------a stuffed animal
15-------a goat
16-------a pickle
17-------your mom
18-------a spoon
19------ - a smurf
20-------a baseball bat
21-------a ninja
22-------Chuck Norris
23-------a noodle
24-------a squirrel
25-------a football player
26-------my sister
27-------my brother
28-------an iPod
29-------a surfer
30-------a homeless guy
31-------a llama

What is the last number of the year you were born:
1--------- In my car
2 --------- On your car
3 ----------- In a hole
4 ----------- Under your bed
5 ----------- Riding a Motorcycle
6 --------- sliding down a hill
7 --------- in an elevator
8---------- at the dinner=2 0table
9 -------- In line at the bank
0 -------- in your bathroom

Pick the color of shirt you are wearing:
White---------because I'm cool like that.
Black---------because that's how I roll.
Pink-----------because I'm NOT crazy.
Red-----------because the voices told me to.
Blue-----------because I'm sexy and I do what I want.
Green---------because I think I need some serious help.
Purple---------because I'm AWESOME!
Gray----------because Big Bird said to and he's my leader.
Yellow--------because someone offered me 1,000,000 dollars.
Orange--------because my family thinks I'm stupid anyway.
Brown---------because I can.
Other----------because I'm a Ninja!
None----------because I can't control myself!

Spring Break

This spring break I don't have much planned. I'll probably spend most of the time relaxing, working, and spending time with my family and friends. I'm so thankful spring break is finally here I've been needing a break for quite sometime now. If I could go and do whatever I wanted for spring break though. I would go to a beach, enjoy some sun, meet new people, and have some fun.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

human intrest story




By Camelia Teodosiu

Alexandra is a young single mother, a frail woman, whose beauty hides behind her somewhat tired eyes. I met Alexandra during my visit to a nursery school which offers a Step by Step program – an educational alternative that is adapted to children between the ages of 0 and 3. She was on her lunch break, and she had come to spend some time with her daughter, Maria, who was overjoyed. Maria showed her new drawings to her mother, asked her to sit down on one of the chairs, a sponge-stuffed cube, resembling a die, so that they could build a Lego house together.

The children had finished their lunch, and they were preparing for their afternoon nap. In a matter of minutes beds that had resembled lockers were pulled down for the children; the sheets were nicely colored, and matched the curtains, the wall-to-wall carpeting, and even the animated scenes painted on the walls. We tiptoed out of the room, lest we wake the children, and went to the parents’ room to talk. Alexandra told me her story. About 18 months before, she was really desperate, and didn’t know what to do or where to go. Her husband, with whom she was not officially married, left her for another woman who promised to get him a job. At that time she and her husband owed quite a bit of money for the upkeep of the apartment they lived in, and he later failed to pay any alimony. The little money she had was not even enough to feed her baby properly. She breastfed her baby daughter for about seven months, but then she was forced to wean her, as she didn’t have enough milk. She could no longer go without a job as she was in great need of money. But there was no one to leave Maria with while she was working; she could never afford the luxury of getting a baby-sitter. And so she started asking around about a nursery school with good and caring staff. That was all she wanted... She knew many nursery schools had been forced to close down because of financial problems, and kindergartens would not bother to take on very young children, under the age of one. However, she did not give up asking around, until she discovered that the kindergarten in her neighbourhood, a large building resembling a school, had actually expanded its activities, and would accept children under three. She took Maria for a short visit, to see what their chances were.

“I remember that Maria smiled as soon as we entered the nursery school, looking around in wonder at the bunnies, flowers, landscapes and various fairy tale characters wearing nicely colored clothes painted on the walls,” recalls Alexandra. “The headmistress, a energetic woman, all heart, received us as if she expected us. She showed us around, pointing out the conditions they offered, and explained that all the children were very well looked after. She assured me that they were carefully supervised, and were involved in activities that were meant to develop their imagination and personality. It struck me that she might be under the impression that I was an inspector or something, and then I thought that I must have entered a private nursery school. Everything seemed too good to be… available to a person like myself, with very limited means.”

By this point in our conversation the children were getting up from their nap. As they waited for their afternoon snacks they each went to their favorite play area.

Maria was already a “veteran” in the nursery school, having been practically raised here. She knew the place and all the routines as if she were at home. She knew when and how the menu changed, and understood that she could request to be served a particular dish she liked on the next day. She was also allowed to go over to the baby group, of which she had been a part when she first came to the nursery. Another thing she was aware of was that she would be going to the junior group in kindergarten the following year, hosted in another wing of the building that she had visited several times with her teachers.

While I was talking to Alexandra the Headmistress came up to us, and cheerfully explained that she had managed to make all the arrangements for the installation of an independent heating unit in the building: “It will certainly reduce our heating costs in winter,” she told us.

I was impressed by everything I saw: the furniture that had been specially designed, built and arranged, the materials used for play, but also to help develop imagination and creativity, as well the patience the staff demonstrated towards the children. Some children were playing on a small plastic slide, with protected edges, set up right in the middle of the room, others were going in and out of a small house where they could entertain two or three guests at a time, as the house was too small to accommodate more; still other children were colouring or painting, paint smeared on their hands, faces or the tip of their noses, while the remainder were rolling around on the floor, playing with some big sponge-stuffed, yellow and red cylinders. None of the objects had sharp corners or edges that could hurt the children.

The teachers informed me that the program had made them feel more motivated, more willing to develop new projects together with the children and their parents. “Step by Step,” said one of the teachers, “is an alternative for early education, which offers children a harmonious, caring and nurturing environment, contributing to the balanced development of their personality. Even at very young ages, children learn social skills, how to express their preferences, get to know what their rights are; parents also become fully aware how absolutely essential the first three years of life are for the subsequent development of any individual.”

“We realize that parents need us as much as the children,” said one of the teachers. “At the parent counseling center we provide direct assistance relating to any psychological issue arising in the parent-child relationship.”

I would not be exaggerating if I said that my assessment of the “Step by Step” educational alternative would be full of superlatives. Their care and concern for the children, their educational methods, the way they involve parents and the community, the way in which they manage to attract financing partners and sponsors... all these seem truly exemplary to me. Of course I asked for more details about the program, which I feel should be made available to all children, and implicitly to their parents. I was informed that the program had been implemented by the “Step by Step” Center for Education and Professional Development (CEDP), a non-governmental organization, supported by UNICEF. It is obvious that UNICEF, the most renowned international symbol for the promotion of the child rights, had to be somehow involved in such an initiative.

Teachers are particularly appreciative of this new methodology, approved and implemented by the Ministry of Education and Research, and many of them have expressed their willingness to participate in the program, which has since expanded to include several counties.

The “Step by Step” CEDP and UNICEF are partners in this vast early education project, supplying initial and continuous training, logistical and financial support for teachers, and exchanges between these.

It is interesting to note that while everyone is aware of the importance of education, particularly of early education, for the development and future of children, there are too few people who show their willingness or commitment to become involved. But all it takes is a moment to recall how much you would have appreciated more attention from the grown-ups when you were a child... Just think back to the Antoine de Saint-ExupĂ©ry’s book, The Little Prince, which ends with a drawing and the following phrases..:

“This is, to me, the loveliest and saddest landscape in the world. (...) It is here that the little prince appeared on Earth, and disappeared. (...)

Then, if a little man appears who laughs, who has golden hair and who refuses to answer questions, you will know who he is. If this should happen, please comfort me. Send me word that he has come back.”

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Alphabet Story

A few days ago, Brooke came to me with a problem. Brooke said she was having a problem with our friend, Ashlynn, because Ashlynn supposably kissed Jacob while Brooke was out of town for a few days. Carefully, I listened to what she had to say. Dang, i seriously don't want to intervene. Even though, I wanted to help her out; I was having a hard time believing what she was telling me. Finally, I just sat down and told her I loved them both equally and could never hurt either one of them, but I would help her out the best I possibly could. "Gosh Grace, I'm not going to castigate her" she responded. However, from what I was hearing I could tell Haley was instigating this situation quite a bit. I really can't stand that about Haley; she always is getting in the middle of somebody's business. Jacob really doesn't seem like he would do such a thing to Brooke. Kammie even thought this whole thing was blown out of proportion. Long before I was Brooke's friend her and Jacob had an affinity for one another. My thought of this whole thing is Brooke should just sit down and talk with both Jacob and Ashlynn. Not always did thing go as I thought they should though. Oh, well thank goodness they did this time; she actually took my suggestion into consideration. Poor kids, this was all just a rumor come to find out. Quite stupid I think. Rylee, and my most of our friends believe that Haley just wanted to try and get with Jacob. So things were going good for everybody now. They all forgave Haley as well. U know how high school drama is... Overrated. Very bizarre situation! We all learned a big lesson from this stupid ordeal. eXactly what we should've already known. Zoie (our favorite teacher) is happy to see us all back at school and this problem had been alleviated. (:

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

It's a dogs world


Cupcake

I wonder if she knows how much she means to me. I love my mom (Annabelle) so much, even though sometimes she gets upset with me (Cupcake). It's usually because I make a mess in her floor. I don't mean too, I really don't, but when ya gotta go. You gotta go! I would tell her to let me outside if only I could talk like all the people around me do.  My mom treats me like a princess. I know she would do anything for me. It's so upsetting when I disappoint her. Like this one time, she took me to the park to play on a Sunday afternoon. It was such a blast. I found new friends, Sky and Rascal, we were running around like crazy. Actually so crazy, that we went too far off. For awhile, we weren't worried because of all the fun that we were having. When the sun started going down, we tried to head back to the park. We ran for miles... We just couldn't seem to find the park. I knew Annabelle was worried about me. Especially after the stars in the sky had started to twinkle.
I was scared. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to go home, but I was so tired and worn out from all the wonderful fun I had. As well as Sky and Rascal. So we just decided to sleep under a near by tree. Early the next morning, we finally came upon the park. There was neither of our families to be found. So we had no choice but to find our own home. Only problem was... I had to do it alone because Sky and Rascal lived on the opposite side of town. Only about 12 minutes had passed and the dog catcher rolled right beside me. He stopped the van, trying to be sneaky and catch me. I ran as fast as I possible could but my little legs couldn't take it any longer. I was too worn out from all the running, and the little bit of sleep just wasn't cuttin it. He finally got ahold of me. Off to the pound I went. I couldn't believe it. I really hope my mom, Annabelle, calls or comes by here looking for me before it's too late.  Tuesday morning, I woke up to see my mom standing there glaring at me. Like I had put her through hell. I was so excited to see her, but then again... she didn't seem so happy to see me. She said "Cupcake what in the world were you thinking?" I barked in response as in I'm sorry. She paid the fee and got me out of the pound. Thank God! I was so thankful to be home again. I could never repay her. I did promise her I would NEVER run away again though. (;

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Christmas FREEWRITE

Christmas is my favorite holiday. Not only do you get gifts; but it is a time of celebration for the birth of Jesus, and you get to spend time with family and friends without having to worry about school. This year should be exciting, since we are moving. It's kinda like starting over. We have a new place for everything to take place. I can't wait to get moved in. I hope my 2008 Christmas has many good memories.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Anything (;

Today is the last home varsity football game. I have to work unfortunately. Hopefully the game will still be going on when i get off at nine. So i can at least see the seniors walk the field and see some of the action. I'm totally excited for tonight. I hope this weekend is fantastic and goes as i plan. (: