Solve the Mystery!!

It's almost Thanksgiving! NO SCHOOL Thursday or Friday:) the positives of this = 2 days of lessons I don't have to plan!!! and more time for lesson planning!!! ... or so I thought.

I will be spending Thanksgiving with the SAKAIS in the east this year:) In Maryland... I think.

Last weekend Auntie Kim sent me an email telling me to get all my planning for the week after Thanksgiving because I would be too busy having fun to do any!!! Special holiday "festivities" are in the works, but I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY ARE!!!! I received a couple hints. see if you can figure out this mystery!!!



Hint #1
I got this one last night.
at 5:48pm I received this text from auntie Kim

"You got all your planning done for next week? Hope so cuz I just got word about the festivities and you're SOOO not going to have time to plan. ;) i'll give you a call tuesday to tell you what you need to bring for the long weekend."

My response:
"I'm soOoooOooo excited!! Give me a hint!!

Auntie Kim:
Oh...ok! Here is your hint! Because of our festivities, Uncle Keola INSISTED on putting up all our Christmas decorations. It's a time issue.

Me:
I don't get it. Can I please have another one?

Auntie Kim:
there may be more hints to follow in the coming days, so keep your phone close.

I have been keeping my phone very close, and very charged, but the next hint did not come via cell phone. I just checked my email and found this clever little poem:)

Hint #2
For this Thanksgiving break,
You'll want to pack light.
No textbooks, computer,
Or plan book in sight.

Pack comfy warm clothes,
And GOOD walking shoes,
A dress, and an umbrella (if you have one),
Those are things we'll definitely use.

If your camera phone
Is the only camera you've got,
Then don't forget your charger
Because pictures...you'll take a LOT!

Hint #3May come later today
By phone or by e-mail
So check both, don't delay!!

Auntie Kim : )

hmmmmmmm... still don't know what it could be...

Last Week

Dear Woodrow Wilson High School

My name is Haliaka Kauwe. I am 22 years old. I am not a student. Thanks

Just Last week...

1. A student asked how old I was. I gave her my typical "i'm older than you and younger than your parents" response. She followed that with "well, I just thought you had to be in college to do your student teaching"

2. I went to observe a teacher during my free period to get some tips and learn the ropes a little better. I sat down at a desk in the back and the kid next to me says "Hi i'm chris. are you a new student to the class?" No, chris darling I"M A TEACHER!!!! ;(

3. A security guard stepped in front of me as I was leaving school. apparently students are allowed to exit that particular way...

4. I was subbing for a teacher who had to leave. The kids were working on an assignment and I sat down at a desk to do some grading. Mr. Giddens came in the room, looked around, and then said to the class "Do you guys not have a teacher?" YO GIDDENS I"M PRESENT AND NOT A STUDENT!!

5. Devin walked into class and says "hmm, Ms. Kauwe's gone today" "Hi Devin" I say loudly because I am of course, not gone. "Oh dang. Hi Ms. Kauwe. I though you were a student hahahahaha"

yea yea yea Devin, you're not the only one lol

D.C. is D.efinately C.ool

Things that make me happy

*Cousin Parties!!!!
*the new habit Ant P is getting into of telling me I "look nice today" everyday:)
*the marriage of Chase and Cameron (This is a House reference)
*harry potter references in House
*how the apple truly never does fall far from the tree (I had parent teacher conferences yesterday)
*That Mr. Greiner (my mentor teacher) brought me hot cocoa so I could also make use of the coffee machine in the room... and also that he brought me a mug after I kept forgetting my own every day for weeks
*Waking up to little Lillie bounding in my room:)
*Chillen with my homegirl chris-to-the-tin-to-the-a
*When my students cheer for each other
*the musky/smoking smell of the hall way that leads to my apartment
*running down the hall way that leads to my apartment as fast as I can
*getting the fist seat on the metro
*seeing the sun shine on the Potomac in the morning
*starting a new book
*seeing my kids engaged in a lesson
*watching small children chase the gigantic goose that lives in the fountain in the middle of my apartment complex... so random
*Dinner with the Sakais
*listening to my kids rap the presidents- they are skilled. like for real.
*when I hear a kid drop the f bomb I tell them with a hurt expression that I don't like that word... every kid always apologizes and never says it again
*How today I asked Devin who general Weyler was during group study 4 times in a row and then when we played who wants to be a millionaire thats the question he got.
*getting mail
*hearing Hi Ms. K in a southern accent

Things that don't make me so happy
*they allow dogs in my apartment complex...meh:/
*that cameron left Chase- dosn't being MARRIED mean anything anymore??? lets work though our issues people

Here a little there a little

I'd like to make a quick plug for improvement. Today I taught a lesson 2nd period. The kids were fine, but I felt skattered and off. There lacked "flow". This made me quite nervouse then to teach my 4th period. 2nd period can handle a day when i'm off, but 4th period. hah oh 4th period. nother story. A story that needs flawless flow and a display of masterful teaching that I fear greatly exceeds me. They are a rough class and a treasure all the same. So after a volcanoe of stress and overwhelmingness erupted out of my stomach and trough my eyes I ate a sandwhich. It's incredible what eating lunch will do to calm a person down. Then I went back to the lesson plan. I tweaked and added according to my mentors input and put on my "bring it" face. and 4th went great!!! Ok so they talked while I was sometimes, little joe had to go out in the hall, angel refused to give up her phone and thus got written up, but... I think they learned something. I think they learned more than second period. I think my lesson and myslef as a teacher...improved. Am I a master teacher? Heck to the no. Am I even a decent teacher. idk. It's probably an arguable point, but am I a better teacher now than when I woke up this morning. I venture to say that I am. I'm learning to find satifaction in improvement. Sometimes that has to be enough.

p.s. Student teaching is hard. Like way hard, but the kids are GOLD. pure gold :)

Be Nice

Vidz for U.S. History

sup brotha

well I stayed in Utah until the beginning of July at which time I felt ok about leaving BYU life and starting something new. My brothers Maka and Paul stayed in Utah after a rockin family reunion to drive home with me. I picked them up in Orem from my unlces house and off we went. Well we just went down the road to McDonalds because although I've lived in Provo for the last four years I don't know how to get onto the freeway from Orem. SO... sitting in the parking lot of McDonalds I instruct Maka to go in and ask for directions. He refuses. I ask Paul. He also says no. I demand one of them go in and Maka says "were both men. We can't ask for direction. you go in" Men? this kid is 14 and paul is 17. hah ok I think. It's gonna be a long trip with me and the men. But down the road a few hours I begin to sing and out comes "on top of spageeeeetiiii" ... now at this point my borthers could have told me to shut up or ignored me. I would have expected either and neither would have offended me; however as I began to sing "all covered in Cheese" not just one but both brothers joined in. There we were three kauwe kids bompin down the highway singing about spaghetti. and as we were singing the last little ropes of saddness I still had about leaving Utah disintegrated and I remembered how much fun I have at home. If I were sitting in class or at a ward function and my borthers were there only they wern't my brothers I would want to be their friends. So you can see how convieneint it is for me to have all of them actually be my brothers and live with me:) This past month i've been running with paul, many movies have been rented, delisiouse food eaten. Theres been a couple bike rides, water fights, bon fires, kite flying, smores making, basketball, lots of good meals,and mostly just hang out time. My borthers, and nika, are hilarouse and the older they get the more funnier they get and they all play off each other and the fun factor increases to even greater heights. needless to say I am home and loving it. If you ask me if I wish I had a job I would tell you yes, but the honest truth is that I love this carefree not working chill with my homies life.
also. I went ot canada last week. It was everything I dreamed it would be and more. Southern Alberta is the bom and tiffany is too:)

My Visiting Teachers

*They brought me a corn bread
*They showed me a great youtube clip
*The stayed ten minutes

These Girls are BOM!!!!!

MUST READ!!!

on a scale of one to ten, one being Tiffany's Calculouse book and ten being Harry Potter 4: The Goblet of Fire. HUNGER GAMES is an 11!!! The sequal Catching Fire is equally amazing. There is political turmoil, physical intense action, and a great love triangle. I highly HIGHLY reccomend. There's a 3rd coming out Aug 24 called Mockingjay. You can pre-order it at amazon:)

Take a Hike

This is a rough sketch of what I see when I get out of my car and must go to work. I drive to the parking lot, get out of my car, lock the door, make sure I have my phone in my purse and then turn around to see this. The yellow door at the top of the page is my objective. Right through there is where I work. As the picture shows, there are a couple of different ways to get there. I beleive the conventional way would enclude talking the sidewalk that leads to the stairs and then taking the sidewalk that leads back to the golden door. This way is long, but socially normal. There does however, lie another route. Up through the terrain. So there arn't really any wild predators up this way, but it is steep. like super steep! and it's all bark. Theres some bushes and flowers and a couple tress. BYU landscaping has done a nice job. You will notice that this route provides a striaght line for the gold and is significantly shorter. This is the route I take. It requires me climbing up using all fours. I know it should shame me to climb up this every morning, but everyday when i turn around from my car and take in the situation I just can't pass up the short cut. So up I go each morning. Some people call me the hiker, others just think i'm totally weird, and still yet there are my favorites that admire my hiking abilities. Once I was in a skirt and so I tried not stooping to all fours, but when I stood up i got caught in a tree. Instead of calmly untangling myself i panicked and ripped myself away. I ripped my shirt lol. Not my classiest moment :/ but I have been getting better and quite fast. Today as I was leaving work I was walking out with my friend and co worker Bronson. We exit through the golden door and proceed to our cars. With out thinking I wave him goodbye and begin walking over to the edge of the hill. I roll over the short cement wall at the top and begin my usual hike down. Then it hits me that Bronson and I have of course parked in the same place. And hes surly watching me prance through the bark like a fool and suddenly it becomes very important that I beat him to the parking lot. Fristly so that I don't have to talk to him after he's seen me be rediculouse, but mostly so I can show him how much faster my way is and how what i am doing has a valuable and stategic quality. So I pick up my pace, but it was to much and I totally fall, and get kinda stuck in the tree agina. I Get back up and to make up for that lost time i'm practically surfing down the hill through the soft bark. I get to the sidewalk at the bottom. my shoes are full of dirt, bark is all over my pants and there may have been a couple twigs in my hair, but bronson hasn't even made it to the stairs. "Thats right fool!" I think as I rustle the leaves from my hair and walk superiorly to my car.

one step at a time

Well I'm on my lunch break, and Ive been meaning to be healthier. Rugby is over, which means no more can I eat what I want and lose weight and no more will I be forced to excersize, and no more will there be an excersize available that I love with all my heart :( nevertheless, I am determined to stay healthy!! how? the hard, but only effective way. Diet and excersize. Which for me translates into not eating taco bell for every meal and running... yes I know I hate running... but running/ working out a lot. and regularly. so for lunch I decided a bagel would be healthy and maybe a fruit of some sort or a string cheese. but as I was walking over to the food court I passed a group of boys eating taco bell. I love taco bell. It's been my food fad for the last few months. Lst year was taquitos from seven eleven this year is a fresa bean burito and cheesy fiesta potatoes from taco bell. I immediatly cut the bagel and decided I'd start eating better tomorrow. Pathetic I know, but wait, I find a little bit of dicipline. As I get to taco bell I begin to talk myslef out of it. I begin to think about other choices that I also enjoy and that would be better for me. But the bean burrito was pretty persistent and it's just some protein in a tortilla right? It's not like I'm eating a greasy burger. So I got the burito. The cheesy fiesta potatoes in all their sour cream and fake cheese glory were harder to rationalize though. I knew I had to cut them, but as I pondered what to replace it with and stood looking at a shelf of apples and oranges and bananas I just couldn't do it. Well, I gave up the potatoes, but I wasn't ready to replace them with an apple just yet. I got the frozen yogurt, not to be confused with soft serve ice cream. yogurt. healthy. delicious. frozen yogurt. so I figure not a bad start. better than the norm, but room for improvement. :) but don't get to comfortable on that shelf my little apple friend. i'll be ready for you by next week!!!

24 hrs= 1 day

sometimes days are good and sometimes they are bad. Sometimes they are horrible and unbareable, but they always keep on going. Life keeps on going. you never know or can predict what will happen, but you know that the metronomic pattern will keep going at it's steady pace never pasuing or getting thrown off beat.

ipt286

prompt:write a proposal for your final project. Include what technology you're using and explain how the students are active participants and not just observers. You don't need to comment on someone else's blog this week.

My final project will use sketchup. This is a software program that allows students to create 3d models on the computer. I will assign students to create a model of the living quarters of one of the following: an indentured servant living in Jamestown, a wealthy gentleman in Jamestown, an Native American shelter, and a family living in the Massachusetts Bay colony. After creating the models the students will be placed in groups with each different model being represented and will present their work to each other.

A little Tech can go a long way...it turns out

Here's another post for my "how to use technology in teaching " class

Prompt:How has your conception of technology changed since the beginning of the semester? (If it hasn't changed, explain what your view is and why it hasn't changed)

Actually my view on this has changed quite a bit.

Old view: Technology is unrealiable and never works. It's confusing and hard to use, and maybe could be cool, but it's coolness in the classroom is not worth the effort and chance of failure.

New/Curent View: You don't have to be a computer specialists to do cool things with tecyhnology. In fact most programs like blogging, making imovies, creating a wiki page, etc are set up by computer programers to be incredibly user friendly. Also I think there are a lot of ways that tecnology can enhance learning. It gives acces to unique tools, and has the ability to make a lesson more engagning. Plus Technology contines to be a bigger and greater part of society. Not only would I benefit from learning a few basic things, but being able to work with technology is something I should be teaching my students as well. So I still think technologicy is a little confusing and it takes me a long time to figure out usually;hoever, I suppose using it is not impossible and it actually has a great deal of value. The pain I thought technology was has significanlty decreased and it's value as gone up in my mind. I feel that to be the best teacher I can be I will need to incorporate technology into my classroom.

sup April

K so the beginning of April is approaching RAPIDLY!! which means... Kale has been out for a YEAR! REally...??? When did a whole year go by? Have I even done anything slightly cool or productive since he left? I'm not sure, but at the same time it's been ages since I had a good chat with the kid. time is fickle and strange, but solid and unchanging at the same time. anyways heres a little clip from his email today. He is wise boy. and HE certainly has done much cool and productive work in the last year.:)

Yesturday we had a thunder storm and i sat outside with Elder Neves and we talked and watch the lighting. God really controls everything, and we are so small. but by small and simple things are great thigs come to pass. The Gosple is true


CTR
Elder O Cara (the Man)

iPT

I love how this wiki has a direct link to the schools homepage. there is a lot of valuable information collected on this site that is helpful for both parents and teachers. Yea it's high school so it is good for it to be "older" looking, but i think there is room for it to be jazzed up and look at little cooler. But check it out...http://westwood.wikispaces.com/

I got in

I got accepted to the Washignton DC program. I am majoring in History teaching and after april all i'll have left to do is my student teaching. I applied to do this program through BYU that takes you to Washington DC to student teach where you get to do it in an inner city school. I applied with all the hope and ideals and passion a new and ignorant teacher could have. I love teaching, I really do and my passion lies in inner city work, but suddenly the thought of leaving provo has become a sad one. Cool stuff happened here. I made good friends, did fun stuff, learned TONS, grew in neat ways. Meaningful stuff happened here and it's sad to leave it:(. Plus I know where the grocery store is here and I have friends here. The excitement of DC has left and it just looks like a gigantic mean city that is going to suck me up, overwhlem me and leave me feeling useless. I got acdepted last tuesday, but I havn't told anyone. Maybe if i don't say it out loud it won't be true and I can stay in my provo Kingdom where I know the peeps and I know the ropes. Maybe i can postpone being a grown up...maybe. BUT... in the end few things make me as happy as teaching does, and I was smitten with DC when I went a couple months ago. plus it's my dream to teach in an inner city. I know DC is where i'm suppose to go and I know i'll have great time. I just didn't know I had grown so attatched to ole Brighman Young. so here is me being brave and saying it out loud. I got into the DC Program. In September I am going to Washington DC where I will teach inner city teenagers about the civil war and the constitution and hopfully about integrity and service too. I am going to Washington DC.

Ip&T

Prompt: tell about why one of the things we talked about in class would be cool to use in your classroom

K one thing we talked about was googlemaps. Googlemaps is a super cool feature. You have access to any map and you can click to zoom in and stuff. They also have this satalite thing that lets you see the streets and stuff. This would be incredible in the classroom. especially for teaching history, like I will do. Maps are used in History for every unit. Dosn't matter what you're studying it happened somewhere. There is a locationand seeing where it is brings it to life, and makes it more real. Plus I think that people should know that things are different in other parts of the country or of the world. You should realize a world outside of yours exists,and maps are a great tool is helping studetns to realize that. Plus I think reading a map is good skill people should have. Googlemaps can help you out with that!

Does anyone have any questions?

In the last two days I have found myself the target of some weird questions. Tiff suggested a blog post about it...meh...why not? :) the other day i'm at work and this guy calls in at 3:59 ( I get off work at 4:00... I work at the BYU Alumni Records Office- people call in and ask us to look up their old roomates or they update their own addresses and such) so this guy is talking to me and i'm looking up relatives and stuff for him... this is normal... but then hes asking me if helaman halls (the dorms at BYU) have a phone everyone can use and where it would be. um...????? I lived in Heritage. how would I know that??? Then he asked me how he can set up a facebook account. again...pardon??? we discussed facebook for quite a while. He wanted to know if BYU implemented a special protection software against the inappropriate posts of some people. by now it's like 4:15 and I am becoming less and less interested in this strange conversation with each minute that I am at work longer than I am supposed to be. Then he interrupts my schpiel about BYU's internet blocking to ask if i'm Canadian? Am I Canadian??...really? If only this man knew the irony. Well, sir I happen to be in the Candian club and i have an unusually large number of Canadian friends and aquaintences, but no I am not Candaina and I am quite certian there is nothing in my speech or anything I've siad to you that would suggest that I was. Random hah, but whateves. He ended by saying how helpful I was and I left on my merry way. yesterday I was on my way to class and I called up the At&T Store to see what time they closed. There are cars and mopeds driving by as I walk thorugh campus and they are making some noise. The AT&T guys hears the noices and responds with "are you riding a dirt bike?" My face contorts into the same confused did-you-really-just-ask-me-that face that it has been making a lot lately and i say "what?" again he asks me if i'm riding a dirt bike to which i can only laugh and asure him that I'm not...sadly. So in response to all these questions. Yes, Helaman halls has a courtesy phone, but I have no idea where, going to facebook.com will walk you though the steps on how to create an account, facebook has a system by which you can report inappripriate pictures and comments but it is compeltley independant of BYU- although BYU does have an internet blocking system, I am not Candaian, and i don't ride dirtbikes around campus, but I really wish i did. Does anyone have any other questions???

eye pea n tea

this weeks prompt:This should be a post that your high school students would be able to read, understand and apply. Using the information you've read about internet safety, write an introductory paragraph about why the concepts you're teaching are important and then write some simple rules you would want your students to follow to keep themselves safe online.

Using the internet is an incredible resourse. Life with the internet is fun and convieneint.:) I for one greatly enjoy that, but Ben Parker said it best in spider man "with great power comes great responsibility" I take that to mean cool stuff always has a "be careful!!" sign attatched or a disclaimer of some sort. so here's the bad news on the internet 1. How do you really know who you are chatting to??? 2. Inappropriate things pop up 3. With online banking and such passwords and account information is less secure. 4. The threat of identitiy theft is real! Bottom line: internet safety is important. This stuff happens and while it's hard to imagine it happening to you...it could!!! SO...here are some good rules to apply when using the internet!
-Using a different password for you bank account, email ect will decrease the risk of someone being able to break into ALL of your stuff
-opening a link or email where you don't know the sender can be dangerouse. It may contain a virus or be some sort of scarm- never give it your info!!!
-don't ever ever ever give personal information out online- even if the site looks legit- these bad guys out to steal your identiy are tricking!!
-Careful with file sharing programs. They are cool cause you can get movies, music and games for free, but sometimes you may be sharing other things you didn't intend to and not even know!

Me and Mac

Technology and I are very fickle friends. Mostly because I don't understand it, but also because I feel like it dosesn't work a lot of the time. It's dissapoited me in the past and now I'm slow to trust it; HOWEVER, I just made a movie on imovie and posted it on youtube!!! You could say I'm a little bit famouse;) hehe na but really here is another prompt for another post for IPT! "Write about what you learned from this project and how you can see yourself using it in your future classroom."

oh where to even start...

I learned how to navigate better on a mac. Me and the dell have been good friends the past four years and working on the mac had it's uncomfortable start and awkward moments, but like any friendship you keep plugging along and it gets better.

I learned the copywright laws even better and how to properly site things

I learned how to MAKE A MOVIE!!... how to play around with imovie and how to post that onto youtube.

now for how I see myself using this new found knowledge...

Well education seems to favor the mac so i will probably be usning one as a teacher. It will be good to know how to make ws and enter grades and stuff using it.

Making videos can be an effective tool as a teacher and I like that I have the option. Furthermore knowing how to put it on youtube is like sharpening the tool. Then students could view it when they wanted and you have an easy way to show it in class. If I had my students make a video I now would be able to show them how to use imovie.

k so here it is. Haliaka Kauwe Presenting... "Triangle Shirtwaist Factory" An informative and empathetic tale of a devestating event in history. When America went from 1800s to 1900s industry went crazy. There were lots of immigrants who flooded into the factories producing everything from meat, to clothing, to anything. BUT the conditions they worked in were apauling. This film tries to portray a little bit of the horrific lifestyle endured by the factory worker of the early 1900s.

Burn Baby Burn

Ingrediants:

- 1-2 Gallons of Gasoline
- 9 Tennis Balls
- 1 Knife
- 1 Lighter
- 1 Flashlight
- 1 Camera
- 1 Golf Club
- 1 Frozen Lake

Stir that together and I promise it's a good time!!!

Ipt...this is for you

Topic: What is the difference between effective and ineffective media in the classroom?

Well... I would say that effective media is in essence...effective. Which I would say means that it is engaging, that it is educational, that it is memorable,that it is inline with school curriculum, and that it enhances the value of your lesson. For anything you do in teaching if you are not doing it in a way that is engaging for teenagers, well, then it doesn't really matter what you say. You need to remember your audience and effective technology will do that and be interesting for them. At the same time you can not just show funny clips for a good laugh. There needs to be learning involved and that learning needs to be inline with your curriculum. Bottom line, if the technology used makes your lesson better than it would be without the tech, then I would call it an effective use.

Ineffective media I would then classify as anything that takes away from your lesson. Weather because it is boring, confusing, isn't working, is above or below student level, or does not teach any education information it is not going to enhance your classroom. The point at which the technology begins decrease the learning in your classroom it becomes ineffective.

Dear IPT Friends...

Video numba 1-


I picked this one because I loved the song!!!

as far as copyright laws go...
Wrong:
- Used the entire song
- Too many pics
- No citation of pictures or music

Right:
- The video clip used was less than three minutes and cited
- The purpose and character of use was good
- It doesn't reduce the value of the music, pictures, and video clip on the market
- The goals of the movie stayed in line with the goals of the music and pictures used.

Ways to fix the wrongs:
- Pay to use the song, or get one from a site with approved music, or only use 10% or 30 secs (whichever is shorter)
- Make sure the pictures come from multiple sources
- Cite the sources of pictures and music

Video numba 2-Heres a link

Wrong-
- No Citation
- Pictures may or may not have been legitimately acquired
- If from the same source...too many pictures

Right-
- Inspiration of one individual
- Purpose and character of the use was good
- Nature of the pictures were appropriately used
- The value of the pictures on the market were not effected

Correction-
- Clearly cite sources for pictures
- Use no more than 3 pictures form the same source
- Look to sites, such as creative commons to find legitimate pictures.

A needed rant and nothing more

Let me start by painting the scene. I am a student at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. I consider it a good college. Professors here are genius people who write books, and invent things. Mostly they do research here and teaching is just a little aside necessary to get grants for more research. These people are smart. super smart and as a student I appreciate that. My class about the civil war went way beyond the north fighting the south. These intelligent professors give you in depth ideas and facts that you didn't know before. It's stimulating. It's interesting. Learning takes place. So for this semester I sign up for a class entitled: The Geography of the US and Canada. I am a history teaching major so I really should know and really like Geography. and well... I love Canadians. so I was stoked to get into this class and it seemed to be very promising. WRONG! My professor runs it like a bad high school class. Our topic for today:climate. So he shows us a twenty minute video of pictures he's taken of nature. what is the educational purpose in that? I'll tell you there wasn't one. Yep Utah has mountains and California has a couple orange trees. Thanks Professor, but guess what, um I knew that already! It seems to me he just wanted to show off that he does photography. not a characteristic of an effective teacher. Finally, he stops the eternal display of "climate enhancing knowledge", and already annoyed I think well at least he might say something worth my time. but alas, I was wrong again. He told us that the temperature gets colder the farther away you get from the equator. Yes he even had a kid stand there as the sun and danced around him holding a globe. I learned this in 3rd grade and that teacher at least had a flashlight for the sun. I left my family to come to college. I made sacrifices! and all this guy cam give me is that the earth is tilted...DUH!!!! you gotta give me something more man! Contrary to the enriching and learning filled experience I imagined this class to be it's turned into well...kinda just a waste of time.

My country tis of thee, sweet land of liberty o thee I sing

the prospect of going to D.C, seeing the big city, seeing the historical coolness that permeates the capital and most of all seeing Auntie Kim, Uncle Keola and..... LILIE!!!, has been one of major excitement! and the Sakais did not let down:) I went with my cousin Kamakea to D.C. for our cousin Lillie's 5th birdthay party. 5 days of fun for 5 years of life!! For a day by day account of the fun times complete with pictures see "The Sakai Family" on my blog list. I'm just going to capture a few of my favorite moments.
1.)In the morning I would wake up (I like to sleep with the door open) and I'd see Lillie standing out in the hallway peeking in to see if I was awake yet. She was just tall enough that all I could see was her little head bobbing just above the railing. I would smile and open my blanket and she would come bounding in and snuggle right up next to me. she is sweet and adorable:)
2.) There were many games played including "This is a...what"-not Lillies fav, chutes and ladders -not my fav- hot potatoe- kamas specialty, and our number 1.... trouble. I only wish I could capture the funny times that entertwined our gaming times. suffice it to say Lillie has a very cute laugh (probably something she gets from her mom), Kama is very good at making her laugh, and in chutes in ladders lillie gave herself the brown haired girl, Kama the blonde girl and me the blonde boy :p
3.) When we first got there Auntie Kim showed us to the bathroom where she had a little basket of srubies and toothpaste an hairspray for us which I greatly appreciated for the practical uses , but also the cute way they matched the bathroom colors.
4.) ok well I'm remebering that there are to many good times...to many to write about- it's become overwhelming, and the excitement i used to associate with blogging is dying fast. I think I'm just tired. at any rate, suffice it to say Kamakea is a very fun minor to travel with, Lillie is a sweet heart, auntie kim is hilariouse, and uncle Keola is funny with a twist of quarky. Sakais are bom and D.C is a fun place. My desire to do my student teaching there and live with Auntie Kim them has increased ten fold.

One for the peeps in Ipt

As much as I would love to recount the funness that has been going on, this post is for my class about how to use technology in teaching. A scary and yet badly needed class for me. So here we go with this weeks scholarly topic..."Gospel Insights-What are the gospel implications for this new world of social networking?"

The "new world of social networking" immediatley makes me think of facebook. Tie that in with the gospal and I think of all my young women leaders that I've been able to keep in contact with thanks to fb. I think of all my cousins, uncles and aunties that I stay in better touch with; that I get to see constant pictures of and here about things going on that I would not otherwise get to see. This makes me branch out to blogging where I think the church would appreciate the fun stories and whitty writting I read where I am more strongly connected to my family and friends. Online networking truley allows you connect better, to stay in touch. It's nice. But just like my fellow goup member, Tegan, wrote in her blog (see link under the cool new blog roll gadget I added-learning things already in this class:) ) "Like all good things, Satan has a way of twisting them" theres always the crazos that use it for bad things. So be wise, and use caution and I think you will be able to benefit from many aspects of online social networking and avoid the not so postitive things.

Greatest Hits of Christmas 2009

So rather than discuss all the details I've picked some of my favorite moments of Christmas break:)

Track 1: SHENENDOAH: Riding in the car I was abnoxiously serandading Paul with all the songs I learned in my singing class last semester. I finished "Peace Like a River" and began on "Shenendoah". Much to my surprise papa stew new that song too and dad and me sang the whole thing together.

Track 2: OBSTAKLE COURCE: We got a wii fit for christmas and one of the games you can play is an obstacle cource. You run in place while standng on the little wii board and to jump you striaghten your legs. My dear mother hunched forward as she ran stepping as fast as she could and pumping her arms. She added throwing her arms into the air on the jumps. Effective and hilarious.

Track 3: YUGIO CARDS: We had to clean the family room. Us kids method is put everything into a big pile and then clean the pile. So I found a stack of Yugio cards...and put them in the pile. Found another stack...put them in the pile. Then I found 3 more stacks and realized there shuldn't be that many. After I put them in the pile paul and kekela "put them away" by placing them on the video stand or next to the couch. I would find them next to the couch and put them back in the clean up pile. Upon discovering this I insisted they take the stupid cards to their rooms, and was pleased when I no longer was finding them around the family room... until three days later. One stack under the couch and one on top the entertainment center. My broters are sneaky people.

Track 4: Volleyball: We went to the church and were passing around a volleyball. It was a hard ball and none of us had played in a while and we all had red forarms. Kekela notices and says "we all look like Haole's who have been in the sun to long"

Track 5:BRAZIL CALLING: Kale called! It was good to hear his voice. His hello made me shriek and his goodbye made me cry. In the middle we all took turns talking and listened to his fun stories. He's a good missionary:)

Track 6: COLD NIGHT: Kekela got cold in the night so Maka gave him his blanket. He also took rooster salt and pepper shakers at the youth white elephant activity to give to my mom for her birthay. Nice kid...most the time;)

Track 7: HULA GIRL: One of the wii games is a hula hoop contest. Basically doing an ami as many times as you can will get you a high score. Princess Nika schooled us all doing 450 amis to the left in 90 secs. More than I did! lol. Homegirl got skillz!!

Track 8: TAKING DOWN THE TREE: Paul and I were in charge of taking down the tree. It led to the finding of some stockings and this little number
This barely even covers it. The whole break was full of pactical jokes, teasing comments, wresling matches, much eating, and lots of laughs. Dorothy had it right. There is no place like home.:)