My Humanities Paper Is Complete!

Good Saturday Afternoon, Y’all!

I think I went to bed around two o’clock this morning (Mississippi time)—oh, I’ve been gettin’ it in on these papers, I tell ya what!

In this go-round, I dedicated all my time to my Intro to Humanities final exam paper. As I mentioned in an earlier blog from this week, I had to write a five-page paper about my favorite work of art, my favorite literary piece, or my favorite musical piece. Well, I kept my promise and I remembered my paper from my Fine Arts class where I wrote about God’s sunsets. Now, whereas I did copy and paste, I also remembered what I learned in my English classes from my freshman year, and I cited my very own paper as a reference.

In terms of my favorite musical piece, I mentioned The Blue Danube by Johann Strauss II, and Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss… I don’t think the two gentlemen are related, but then again, anything’s possible. Anyway, apart from the reason that these two classical pieces are my favorites, I may have mentioned in my paper that I’m actually a fan of classical music; as a matter of fact, it is because of these two legendary classical pieces that I’m contemplating joining the Rust College Band before I graduate. The only caveat is that I need to learn to play an instrument, but that’s another story for another day. And don’t worry, y’all—I was very careful not to mention my added incentive for choosing Also Sprach Zarathustra… let’s just say that I relate that classical piece to a gentleman named Ric Flair! Hahaha!

And finally, as it relates to a literary piece, I chose a poem by Langston Hughes, entitled Mother to Son. The first couple of lines are quite interesting, as the mother drops some knowledge and wisdom on her son with the following line: “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” She goes on to explain the deformities and blemishes that encountered while climbing her personal stairs. And yes, y’all—while I admit that I am no poet, I dug deep down into this particular poem, and I have a newfound respect for it. You see, this poem is basically pointing out that life ain’t as easy as we think. A perfect example of that would be the life of Joseph in the book of Genesis. He had a dream that he would be a ruler, but he had to go through some stuff in order to get to that level. The same could be said for me; I desire to be a teacher, but even I gotta admit that the journey is a rather lengthy one, full of detours and roadblocks, and all kinds of distractions.  It sho’ ain’t easy, but at the same time, I acknowledge that it’s very rewarding so far.

Okay, y’all—I gotta take a little break and walk around the track to clear my head before I work on my final paper. I’ll holla at y’all later.

Peace Out,
Natasha

Inspirational & Motivational

Oh, wow—it is October 1, isn’t it?

Well, with that said: Happy Tuesday, Y’all!

So, yesterday evening in my Foundations of Education class, my professor gave us an assignment to think about one elementary school teacher that made a positive impact on our lives. Well, naturally this was an easy assignment for me, seeing as how I had received the sweetest inspirational letter from one Mrs. Ingrid Martin. Throughout the remainder of the class, our professor had us stand up and announce who we chose and why. Now, here’s the amazing part: Although I was listening attentively to my fellow classmates hype up their respective inspirational teachers, I was trying to put together my speech about Mrs. Martin—I had only written down that Mrs. Martin was the absolute bestest. Well, about seven classmates in, the professor called on the eighth person to come up… and that eighth person was yours truly.

Well, seeing as how I didn’t have a whole lot to go on, I just picked up my lackluster notes and the letter from Mrs. Martin, and I walked up to the front of the class. I first apologized for not being as prepared as I should have been, and the next thing I knew, the words started to flow perfectly. I simply talked about how my first day in kindergarten, I automatically grew to like Mrs. Martin because she had that genuine caring spirit. I began to talk about how Mrs. Martin was in the midst of celebrating her 25^th year of teaching kindergarten, and she celebrated her anniversary with us—I remember the chocolate cake and chocolate chip ice cream very well. Anyway, I concluded my speech with how Mrs. Martin and I still keep in touch, and I had the letter to prove it. I only read the closing remarks from Mrs. Martin’s letter, and once I was done with my impromptu speech, I received an unexpected ovation.

After class ended, Craig—my special admirer (y’all remember him)—walked me to my dorm and told me that I pulled off quite an amazing feat in class. “I like how you just started talking from your heart, considering that you really didn’t know what you were gonna say,” he stated. “You’re gonna be a great teacher, Natasha—and I mean that.”

I thanked Craig with a kiss on the cheek, and he simply grinned uncontrollably, squeezed my hand, and left.

So, yeah—I had a great day in class yesterday evening, but I guess it can be said that Craig had an excellent closing of his evening. By the way: I have yet to respond to his sweet little note that he gave me last week, but I’m not gonna leave him hangin’. Be it by letter or by face-to-face encounter, I’ll holla at him sometime this week.

Until tomorrow, y’all take care, and have a good rest-of-the-day.

Smooches,

Natasha

A Big Surprise in Biblical Studies Class

Hey, Y’all!

So, I just got out of my Biblical Studies class—and y’all ain’t gonna believe it, even if I tell you.

Check this out: My instructor had me teach the class—me, y’all! Now, ordinarily I would jump at the opportunity to teach, especially if it was Sunday School, but to teach a class of peeps at or around my age? That was quite a challenge, and I admit that I was thrown off by my instructor’s request, but I went ahead and taught the class… like I had a choice in the first place.

Well, I will say this: Before I got up to teach, I was doing some kinda praying—actually, all I said was: “Lord, it’s just You and me.” I honestly didn’t know what I would talk about, until I saw that I still had my Psalm 125 paper in my folder. I simply looked up to Heaven and smiled, and the next thing I knew, I was teaching the Biblical Studies class.

Now, I don’t know how long I taught, nor do I know everything that I talked about, but I do remember mentioning that Psalm 125 was my Grampa Clark’s favorite psalm. I also remember using both my Grampa Clark and my Gramma Jewel as prime examples of this particular psalm. And when it came down to the end of my lesson, I remember saying to the class: “Well, that’s all that I have to talk about today, but I would like to thank you all for your attention. Moreover, I wanna thank The Lord for allowing me this opportunity to stand before you and teach. God Bless.”

I heard a couple of my classmates applauding, but I think I was more concerned with sitting down and resting that I didn’t have time to care if they were applauding or not.

After the class ended, my instructor commended me for—and these were his words—“a good job well done.” He made mention that he felt like he was in a Sunday School class at church, then he went on to say that I was “an old soul in a young body.” I couldn’t help but laugh, but I assured my instructor that I had not been on this earth in a previous life. If anything, I have been taught by the best elders in my family and my church… and of course, I was quick to mention Gramma Jewel first on that list.

I have a question for you all: Is this any indication that I am truly born to teach?

Until tomorrow, y’all take care and be good.

Hugs & Kisses,

Natasha

Results of My Paper About Psalm 125

Photo Credit: ChristArt.com

Hi, Everyone!

Okay, y’all—here’s the skinny: I just got the results back from my Biblical Studies instructor about my exclusive paper on Psalm 125. Now, I knew that I did a great job, but I never imagined that my instructor would… well, just check out this note that he wrote:

“Natasha, this is without a doubt an excellent paper. Not only did you keep it within the context of the scriptures, but you provided clear, indepth examples of each verse within this particular psalm. Incidentally, at the risk of sounding biased, I loved how you broke down the second verse. You also showed me that you read your Bible.

Excellent work—keep it up!”

In reading those remarks from my instructor, all I’ve got to say is: Wow.

I am truly humbled behind that review—I really am. Yes, I am perfectly aware that any other time I would be showing off like Dolph Ziggler and singing “Here to Show the World,” but in this particular instance, I can’t do that. I am just in awe that I received such a compliment of epic proportions.

And y’all already know that I gotta make a call to Southern Cali this evening and holla at a couple folks, in particular: Mom, Dad, and Gramma Jewel.

Incidentally, allow me to explain the illustration of Psalm 125:2 that my instructor loved so much. As you know, the second verse says: “As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about His people from henceforth even for ever.”To further explain what this verse was saying, I found a photo from a website called ChristArt.com, which shows mountains surrounding a castle. Right away, the word “protection” came to mind, and then my imagination took over three times as much when I started singing “Jesus Be A Fence.” My mind really took off to the races, y’all, and in the process, I was able to write a great paper. I still call it great, but if my instructor says that it’s excellent, then I’m not gonna argue with him.

Anyway, that’s the story for today—and again I say: Wow.

Until tomorrow, y’all take care.

Hugs & Kisses,

Natasha

The Inevitable in Speech Class

Hi, Everyone!

Well, the inevitable has finally happened—I was called on this afternoon in my Fundamentals of Speech class to talk about why I have chosen to work on obtaining my Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education. I was the third one called on, and I was ever-so-ready.

I want to state for the record that I had on my plum purple dress suit and matching shoes, my hair was pinned in a bun (which is very rare), and I had on fake eyeglasses which I purposely pushed to my nose. Oh, yeah—I wanted to look the part as I was giving my speech. Anyway, for the first time since I’ve been in this class, I did not use my notes at all! I merely started speaking from the heart. Outside of the aforementioned, I spoke about the influences in my life, such as my Grampa Clark, Mr. D, and my Fifth Grade teacher Mrs. Peterson. I also discussed at length about how a teacher’s job is never officially over. When my Grampa Clark retired, he still taught life lessons. Even though I was two years old, I still remember how he would gather up me and my cousins, and tell us all about the importance of a good education.

And incidentally, I even mentioned my conversation with Mr. D in regards to the loyalty and dedication of being a teacher. I still remember Mr. D’s comments: “It’s not about the money—it’s all about shaping the lives of those little ones. And when you have at least one student come back and thank you for being their teacher, you have done a great service, don’tcha know.”

Needless to say, my instructor gave me a good grade on my speech. She said that it was informative and inspiring, and it made her proud to be a teacher.

Well, whaddaya know—that is a compliment and a half!




Photo Credit: childrensacademiclearningcenter.com

 

Incidentally, a couple of the boys in my class said that I was “lookin’ rather sexy” with my hair in a bun and the glasses. I think they were hinting at some teacher’s fantasy. I hate to burst those boys’ bubbles, but I’m already taken—I’ve got a guy back in Cali who is willing to wait for me.

Until tomorrow, y’all have a good rest-of-the-day!

Hugs & Kisses,

Natasha