Book Review: The Glass Castle

This book was recommended to me by my friend, Megan, after I had mentioned in my last book review how I'm so interested in family dynamics.

The Glass Castle is a book of memoirs written by Jeannette Walls. Her family is essentially a bunch of nomads, traveling around the U.S. dodging bill collectors. Any time a situation got a little harry or her dad got sick of working, the family would up and move. I'll be honest, this book was a lot to handle at moments. I had to keep reminding myself that this was actually a set of memoirs and that I had found it in the "Non-fiction" section of my library. "No way this could happen in real life!" or "No way people like this actually exist!" were the thoughts that continually kept creeping back into my mind. I had to convince myself to keep reading a few times because it is too hard for me to hear about awful things happening to children. I've mentioned before, becoming a mother made a new kind of heartache arise in me every time something bad happens to a child. I can't watch Law and Order: SVU anymore because it's just too much! 

I felt myself getting physically mad--no, not mad--livid/furious/irate over many of the responses the parents had to Jeannette and her siblings. The situations the parents put them in, the way the children were treated,  the fact that more often than not, the kids were more responsible than the parents, drove me up the wall! 

It brought me right back to when I was a teacher. I remember one student that came to me with a drop-out form. "What's this?" I asked him. "It's a form you have to sign so I can drop out." "But you're a senior, you literally have 6 months until you can graduate. Why don't you just stick it out until graduation?" "Because my parents disowned me and I have to work so I can eat and pay bills." AHHHHHH! If I could have told him everything I was thinking I would have told him, "You'll never go back for your GED like you think you will. It's not that you can't or don't have the intellect or intelligence to do so, it's because GEDs are expensive and quite frankly, not even close to the same as a high school diploma. Also, you're parents suck! That's right, I said suck! You only get to be a kid once and they stole that from you. They literally stole some of the most precious memories you will ever have right out from under you. The saddest part is that you will probably never fully understand what you missed out on! The amount of wasted potential that is balled up inside of you makes me want to cry, real tears of sorrow because you and I have come so far since you called me a 'bitch' the first month of school. I had big hopes and dreams of showing you just how awesome you could be! But instead, you're going to quit. Again and again and again, you're going to quit. Because your parents suck!"

But teachers don't get to say things like that. Especially not new teachers that haven't reached tenure yet. So instead I told him I wouldn't sign it. If he was going to drop-out, I didn't want any part of that. Then I learned I had to sign it. So I did. It makes me sick just thinking about it.

So yeah, it hurts me when bad things happen to children. The one thing that kept me going was that I knew the ending. I didn't actually know the ending, but being around kids enough, you start to get the sense about the ones that rise above. The ones that say, "screw you" to all the garbage their parents had filled them with and decide to find out what the world is really like for themselves. The book was written so well that I knew Jeannette had been one of those kids that rose above her parents and her upbringing. 

Just thinking about this has got me all fired up again! It was a book filled with raw emotion. If you want a book that will make you feel, this book delivers.

The Corners of My Heart

I promise, someday I'll get back to some of the other reasons I started this blog, but the Spiritual Health side of my life has just been in the forefront of my mind. It seems that's the way it is when we are going through big changes.

During the 7 Days of Easter, I went looking for this talk, but came across this one along the way. If you don't want to read or listen to it, he talks about how there is a lot of bad in the world, but we have the power to leave that bad behind (for the most part). The talk is entitled, "Place No More for the Enemy of My Soul." The title alone fills me with such power and strength.

One of the reasons I chose to teach in the Health Science field was because I wanted teenagers to understand that their quality of life came down to their choices. A lot of times in high school, I felt like some of my friends got drunk and performed other harmful behaviors was because they felt like that was what they were supposed to do--we were teenagers, that's what the world expected of us. Because I had been raised to not drink or sleep around, I realized I had a choice in the matter. I chose not to do those things.

The other day at church, this lady was teaching the Sunday School lesson and she talked about how she (and all of us) hold on to certain rebellions and tuck them away into the deep corners of our hearts. We're unwilling to sacrifice them, even though we know the happiness of righteousness will bring so much greater joy than any rebellious act could. Some people may scoff at the words 'rebellion' or 'sin', thinking that they don't correlate with happiness. However, in my life, I've always seen a direct correlation between the choices I made and my happiness. I've never had to deal with the misery that is associated with addictions or the heartache and stress that comes from deciding to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. I'm not saying anyone is a bad person because of these acts or that I'm a better person because I haven't dealt with them. I'm just saying that sometimes, as adults, we forget that the choices we make do have  an affect on our happiness.

The teacher's comment made me think about what I have tucked away in the corners of my heart. What am I unwilling to give up--despite the happiness that would come by doing so. Sometimes, we preach and preach about certain aspects of life, but we really need to take a deeper look at what's happening in our own. What's stopping us from achieving our maximum level of happiness?

I came across this graphic on Facebook today, and I loved it's simplicity. Happiness and positivity really can be quite simple to achieve, but what choices are we willing to make to achieve them?

Serving Size

Today as my sister and I were on the treadmill, we started discussing some of our different teaching experiences (she taught Social Sciences for several years). I was reminded of a time when one of my students had an "Ah-ha" moment.

She was the Student Body President, a senior, AP Student, and was for some reason in my sophomore class. Usually, seniors were only in my sophomore class because they had failed health as a sophomore. Although I didn't know her, most people can pretty much figure out from Day 1 that the Student Body President probably didn't fail health. I asked her on the first day of school,
Me: Why are you taking this class?
Student: I don't know...it just kind of looked interesting
Me: Alright, but most of the health stuff will be a review for you
Student: Oh, it's okay!
This class was not just a regular health class, it also explored a variety of health careers...plus it was easy. I totally loaded my schedule senior year with easy classes, so while I liked to hope that she really did want to learn about health careers, I could read between the lines on that one.

Later on in the year we began our Nutrition Unit. One activity I would do with the kids was to (1) learn how to use the food labels on the back of food products (2) look at the food labels on foods that they actually eat to see how they were doing nutrition wise. One of the biggest mistakes people (not just teenagers, people of all ages) make is that they do not understand serving sizes. For example, most ice cream has a serving size of 1/2 cup...when was the last time you had only a 1/2 cup of ice cream? I can't help but throw this in...

So this was always a very eye-opening experience for the kids. (Side note: if you keep track of the sodium you intake, your mind = blown!). This same student came up to me a few weeks after we had this lesson,

Student: Nelson, I need to tell you something.

Not usually how teachers like to start conversations...I've had that turn into "I'm pregnant" one too many times!

Me: What's up?

Student: You know how we did that food label thing? Well I used to eat, like, two peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches a day, because, you know, that's not that bad right? Well since we did that activity I realized how much I was eating...and how much I wasn't using those calories. So I just stopped eating them so much. I've lost 10 lbs! 

Aww, to be young with crazy good metabolism :)

I can guarantee, my intent was never to have my students lose weight. However, I was all about CHOICES! Taking what I taught them and using it for their own good. Like I said before, this was definitely a well above average student, about to enter college. This concept escapes many of us! For many people, they work out non-stop and the weight still doesn't seem to come off. A lot of that comes down to your serving size. Like the video suggests, Fig Newtons are most definitely a health alternative to other cake and cookies, but eating them by the sleeve isn't going to get you anywhere! Serving sizes don't have to be a scary thing, either. It's one small adjustment you can make. It can take you from the feeling that you can "never eat what you want to," to eating what you want, just in moderation. 

Do you ever look at food labels? Do you like to? Or does it just depress you? :)

I don't do it all the time. I go through stages where I'm awesome about eating right and then when I'm not. Usually I do after a not so good binge to help me be where I want to be.

I do look at them for what J eats though!

What has helped you with your serving sizes?

Do you have questions about nutrition or eating right?

Thoughts...in no particular order

As I sit here on the eve of the beginning of my teaching career, I can't help but have no freaking clue how I'm supposed to feel right now. I didn't always what to become a teacher. It was something that sort of just happened to me in college. And as the economy steadily went down hill in the past years or so, I began to think that I may be one of those people that don't end up using their degree. Because of an amazing turn of events, and I'll be the first to say, divine intervention, here I sit. Not only with a job where I'll use my degree, but a teaching position that is furthering my education and career all at the same time, an opportunity most have to fight tooth and nail for many years to receive. I feel blessed, I feel nervous, I feel excited, I feel... It's nice to have a crazy mix of emotions every now and again. A new beginning that I truly have no clue what to expect from. I only have a few constants in my life, my Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ, my husband, my parents, my sisters, my brothers...and that's about it. But the older I get the more I realize that those are the only constants I need.

I sit here not knowing what to expect, and in some ways, am excited to not know. I've always been one of those people that has it all figured out. Even if I ended up changing my mind, I always went from knowing exactly what I wanted to do...to knowing the new exactly what I wanted to do. It's amazing that as I become more aware of who I am, gain a better appreciation and knowledge for the aforementioned constants, I just don't care anymore about knowing every detail of what is to come. Change used to be a dreaded thing for me, now it's what I look forward to...now it's less of an adjustment and more of an adventure.

I love the opportunity I have to feel the need to prove myself to others. Is that just sick? The fact that I always do better when others doubt me? I sort of see it as a blessing, but lets be honest, it's more of a RUSH than anything! That feeling when you know all eyes are on you, when you know that there are many waiting, watching, wishing you'd fail, and then BAM! just like that, you're on the top of your game and they can't help but feel glad they have you. (keep in mind this is only how these sorts of situations have happened in the past...just hoping it happens this way again haha). The rush of accomplishment has been my high since I stopped playing soccer competitively and just focused on school. It was my sick addiction in college. Most late teens/20-somethings get drunk and do drugs, I would go to the library, study for 10 hours straight, run to the testing center and ace a test, hahaha, I get a rush just thinking about it. How lame is that? But that's what it's like for me now, and I don't/won't ever feel stupid about it, because look what I have to show for it. I didn't have those moments where I blacked out in a drunken stupor and did something I'll regret for the rest of my life, nope, I have an honor roll membership, a letter notifying me I'm on the Dean's List, a Student Teacher of the Year award, and lastly, a job people would kill for. Granted I know for a fact that these accomplishments, ability to sit for 10 hours in a library and pass a test (studies show this isn't a good way to go about college, kids), and this job are all blessings from my Heavenly Father. There's no doubt in my mind about that! But I can't help but just loving it all! Just soaking up this moment, where all my hard work paid off..... And just loving every minute of it!

*Cheers*

P.S. Don't let the confidence fool you, I'm scared out of my mind, but I'm a firm believer in "Fake it 'til you make it"

No longer a mountain cat..?

When I was in high school, I went to A.J. Dimond High School, home of the Lynx!

When I was in college, I went to Brigham Young University, home of the Cougars!

When I............GOT MY FIRST TEACHING JOB, at Cottonwood High School, I BECAME A COLT!!!!!!!!!!

That's right folks! I am Cottonwood High Schools newest addition to their faculty. I will be teaching absolutely NOTHING I am currently certified for haha, which means I'll be taking a couple more classes, but I am nothing less thanSTOKED and EXCITED for this awesome opportunity! I'll be teaching Intro to Health Science (basically anatomy/physiology meets exploration of health professions) and Medical Terminology. I am surprisingly WAY more nervous about Medical Terminology because I don't have a ton of ideas at this point on how I want to structure the class. Luckily, the good people at Granite School District have set me up with a mentor that graduated from my same program at BYU and had to go through the certification process just like I will, so she knows what I know and what I don't know...and from what I hear, is very willing to give me ALL of her lesson plans. I honestly can tell you that this is a blessing from God because the whole way I found out about this job, applied for this job, got interviews, and finally received this job was nothing short of a miracle! That being said, Kody and I feel rich haha! It's amazing to go through college and come out the other side with a job that you are extremely excited to have. I'll also be the advisor for HOSA, which should fit nicely with the two classes I'll be teaching! It'll be nice to be able to teach, as well as get involved in an extra activity right off the bat! Anywho, I thought I'd share the good news with you all...and any of you Utahans that can share any knowledge you have about Cottonwood with me would be greatly appreciated!

*Cheers*