eCache |
Michael Dooling, a renowned children’s book illustrator and author, visited school yesterday. He discussed his craft and painted for us. Dooling’s interest is colonial America, which fits right in with our Social Studies lessons. He donned the typical clothes of the period and amazed the students.
In the evening, Dooling returned to draw students. He is a remarkable man, has great talent, and resides here in New Jersey in Audubon.
A big day with lots of activities kept me moving. I am so exhausted. Despite the rain, the weather is breaking, which is helping us with being upbeat. Share our day with us.
Once spring 1993 arrived I was a full-time student again commuting from Cape May to Glassboro.
The very first thing I ever taught was my adult classmates how to make an origami butterfly. Each of us was assigned/selected a topic. I spent a week or two (whatever amount of time we were provided) practicing in a bar. Each night after work (I was waiting tables at the time) we would go out for cocktails. I’d take a stack and practice. I then began teaching my friends how to make these. I then created a board with each step and successfully taught my peers. Pretty cool.
Olivet School
I took classes through the summer. My first in-classroom experience was at the Olivet School in Pittsgrove. I was teamed with another graduate student, Mike from Atlantic City. We we assigned to a first grade class. I really enjoyed the experience.
I recall teaching the students the number nine. We used a balloon on a stick to model. I also recall making a bulletin board with a tree. I have little artistic talent, but I was Renoir compared to Mike. His tree was dreadful.
Wood School
After leaving Pittsgrove, Mike and I headed over to the Wood School in Millville.
Johnstone School
My student teaching experience was in a third grade class at the Johnstone School in Vineland.
That summer I completed my thesis The Effects of Multimedia On Student Writing. Interestingly, I entered Glassboro State College, but was graduated from Rowan University.
I attended Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. I had many majors during my four years. Originally I was an accounting major. This was influenced by my sister’s degree. I changed this after my Intro to Accounting class. I earned As in the class, but I was bored silly. I could not imagine doing that for a living.
I was an Art major one semester so I could take a Three-Dimensional Design class that was only available to art majors. Those who know me understand just how silly this sounds.
In the end, I graduated as a double major: Business Administration and Philosophy.
I was an East Dorm Rat for all four years. Few students live in those hallowed halls for four years.
ZBT was the fraternity I pledged. I dropped out when I realized that after a year, all my friends would have graduated. This was an ongoing theme at the ‘Berg; all my friends were upperclassmen. I knew so few folks in my own class I spent graduation week (including graduation) in Maine and Boston.
During this time I attended my first Grateful Dead shows, had more surgery on my ears, and drove my first car (a Mazda 323).
When I looked at St. Andrew’s School, everything was different. It was a splendid day and the sun glistened off the pond. The school was no more handicapped accessible than Lawrenceville, but the staff bent over backwards to make my father comfortable. The school was smaller, but had girls, and to this 14-year-old, that was something. The decision was left to me and I selected the lesser known school.
After all that it would be perfect to say how much I enjoyed it. Much like my childhood, it was much more appreciated after I left. It’s not that I didn’t like it when I was there, but I was a teenager struggling with my identity. Living at a school where my classmates flew in on their private Learjets, I think it’s safe to say I struggled with my identity. But who didn’t?
Seeing as soccer was the wrong sport at Wildwood Catholic, I opted to run cross country here. That was the wrong sport here and I was once again on the “loser” team. I played basketball and squash during the winters. I did not play a sport in the spring. My love of baseball was on hiatus for a few years.
I met three lifelong friends here. Bentley was a roommate for part of one year. He, Steve, and Andrew all spent summers in Cape May with me over the years. Steve and I lived together in Boston for a year and a half after college.
Welcome to eCache @ RDOwens.net. This blog represents my ramblings about politics, GPS games, New Jersey, education, cooking, and other topics.
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My politics are conservative, but I am an independent. I like reasoned discourse. More