Dear Daddy

Dad, I started writing this on your birthday but life kind of got in the way of me finishing until right now. Sorry about that. There are a few things that I wanted to tell you though with your special day in mind.

The first thing that I want to say is that I miss you. The 1200 miles that lie between us is about 1200 miles too far from you. I miss you so much and I do not do a good enough job of telling you that.

The second thing that I want to tell you is thank you. You have been my greatest support system from the beginning.

Thank you for teaching me what hard work looks like. You led by example and you walked along side us to ingrain a strong work ethic in all of us kids and I cannot thank you enough for it. 

Thank you for teaching me about culture and for developing my love for travel. I never realized where that passion came from before I sat down to write this blog and I realized that I fell in love with the world in 2003 when you and mom took us to Mexico for the first time. Thank you for the opportunity to see and love the world. 

Thank you for teaching me how to laugh. How to find joy in life even during the hard times. You always have been able to find something to laugh at and you never cease to make us kids laugh. (except for when you are scary mad). Your joy is contagious and I am so thankful for that. 

Thank you for teaching me that I am beautiful and showing me how a woman is supposed to be treated. You have no idea how valuable that has been. You showed us by loving moma and treating her right. You love us girls and you make us feel beautiful. There are not words enough to tell you how grateful I am for that. 

I also want to thank you for supporting me in all of life's adventures. You encourage me when I struggle in school, you help walk me through a difficult decision, you support me on mission trips, you drove me to Kansas to leave me there for 5 years. I know that I can always call you and count on you to be there when I need you. 

You have been the best father that I could have asked for. I am so thankful to have you in my life. Nov. 19th will always be a very special day because it is the day that my favorite guy was born into this world. I hope that you had a great day for you birthday. Please just know that you are oh so loved and we all appreciate all that you do. It killed me to not be there with you. I love you so much and I cannot wait to see you soon! <3 

Dear Future Husband

Dear Future Husband,

I am writing this letter to you with a broken heart. I recently got out of a relationship with a person who I thought was supposed to be my forever. I guess you are still out there somewhere. If I am being honest, I sometimes wonder if you exist. Some people treat me like I am silly for having that thought but in the midst of heart break it is hard to push those thoughts away. There are some things that I think you should know.

The standards have been set high. I let my standards fall and I got my heart broken. Not only in romantic relationships but in friendships as well. Now, don't get me wrong. I think that every person that has come into my life has played a huge part in who I am and they have played important parts in my life. They have either been critical to that specific time of my life or they have been a lesson. All that said, the bar has been raised. Not only by learning from my experiences but by the example and expectations set by my father. My dad loves my mom and us girls so much. He showed me that I deserve to be treated like a princess. I hope you realize that too, no, scratch that. I know that if you are the man for me then you will be the guy that treats me like the royalty that I am. I am a valuable daughter of the One True King and I know that you will see that too. I am done letting other people get by with not valuing me and not seeing my worth. I am so excited for you, to have a man that sees how much I am worth and treats me accordingly.

I am praying for you. Before my last relationship I had started writing letters to you, I stopped when I started dating. I wish that I had not stopped because maybe those letters would have been a reminder to me of what kind of person I am waiting for. I have so many hopes for you. I adore you already. I love you. Thank you for loving me for the crazy mess of a person that I am. You are a trooper. Just know, I will love you with everything that I am. I already do. I pray that God is putting the right people in your life that will encourage you and support you and love on you until we come together. I am already cheering in your corner. Any obstacles you may face, I am supporting you in prayer already.

I am so excited to do life with you. I dream about what our life together will be like and where God will take us. I know that whatever comes our way we will face it together. I am comforted by that thought. I am comforted by the thought that you are out there, anxious for the day that we meet. Me too honey. I think about you and pray for you often. Please, be brave, be safe, take care of yourself, trust in the Lord always.

I hope that I see you soon darling, and until then, I will be praying for you. I will hopefully start writing more letters for you, no promises though.

I love you,
Melynda

Growth

Here is the second post in my series that are inspired by singular words. Last one was "beautiful" and the word for this post is growth. Again, I will try not to ramble in this post but I am kind of just going to type what comes to mind.

The first thing that I think of when I hear the word "growth" I generally think of plants. So lets think together, what does a plant need for healthy growth? I went online to find a list of things to do for growing healthy plants... I then compiled a list I like for where I am taking this blog.

         1.  Know your plant: no matter how much care and attention you give to plants, they are not                  going to thrive if you do not know their specific needs.

         2.  Make sure their "home" is big enough: there needs to be room for growth so that the space              does not limit the growing process, specifically for the roots to grow deep enough.

         3. Make sure they have enough sunlight

         4. Water the plants as often as they need: do the research to find out what they need. not enough          water will kill them and too much water will kill them as well.

         5. Fresh air and healthy soil: clean air is crucial for healthy growth and the contents of the soil            are absorbed through the roots, therefore healthy soil is very important.

        6. One thing that we do not often think of is time. We cannot rush the growth process.

Now we are not plants but I think that if we analyze the components of healthy plant growth then we could correlate them to our own lives. I decided to blog about growth for several reasons: the first is that one of our speakers spoke to my heart when he talked about how people who suffer together grow closer and experience a bond that they would not have otherwise. The second is from the day that I was looking for inspirational quotes or phrases to write on my calendar for encouragement and I came across one that said "no rain. no flower."


Lets break this down... on a spiritual level.

1. Know your self- know your specific needs because if you do not know them and are not able to meet them, all the care and attention is not going to make the difference.

2. Make sure your "home" is big enough. By home I mean your environment. There needs to be space for your roots to grow. Growth can be stifled by having unhealthy people in your life, or being in unhealthy situations. Don't get me wrong, on the other hand those situations are extremely conducive to growth. Some of the strongest people that I know grew up in some of the most unhealthy and dysfunctional situations you could imagine. However, I do think that it is good to remove yourself from unhealthy situations when possible. (I do not know if any of this made any sense. Sorry guys.)

3. Sunlight. I do not know about you but when I do not get enough sunlight I get sad, lonely, sickly, and even depressed. However, I get some sunlight from other sources. Physical sunlight is wonderful, not only for a physical level but spiritually and mentally too. My best friend, A, has the same effects on my life as direct sunlight does. I love physical sunlight but I also love the sunlight that comes into my life through the wonderful people that God has blessed me with.

4. Water or nourishment. It is crucial to nourish your soul with lots and lots of Jesus!!! Now, unlike a plant, I do not think that you can overdue the nourishment in this area; it will not kill you. Devotions, prayer, worship music, fellowship, and intimate time with Jesus.

5. Fresh air and healthy soil. I think it is a pretty known fact that you start to become like the people that you surround yourself with. If you surround yourself with healthy people then you will start to replicate healthy things from their lives. If you surround yourself with unhealthy people then you will start to replicate unhealthy things from their lives. It is okay to let go of toxic people. That does not make you a bad person, it means you are keeping yourself healthy, and that is totally okay.

6. Time. Growth and change is not going to happen overnight. Give it time. Be patient. Growth will come and sometimes it come from the most unexpected places.


Growth is stimulated from so many places. Suffering, heartache, health, happiness, rain, sunlight, and and endless amount of places. Growth can be painful, exciting, wonderful, scary. God can use so many things for growth. Do not be afraid of growth, accept it.


Luke 12:27 "Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these."

1 Corinthians 3:7 "So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow."

Beautiful

First of all I would like to apologize for not being very active on here as of late. I let life get in the way. I will try to do better guys, I promise.

I decided that for this blog and for an undetermined number to follow, that I will write based on a single word that comes to my head. Honestly, it could sound better in theory than in reality but we will give it a shot.

The word that has been circling in my mind the last few days is beautiful. I do not know what this post is going to turn into so bear with me. I will try to not ramble too much.

BEAUTIFUL:

I typed beautiful into the search engine and I had many results; some were song lyrics, but a lot of them are definitions. Can we define beautiful? Who are we to say what or who is or is not beautiful? What does it mean to be beautiful? to feel beautiful? Why is the term beautiful generally limited to ladies as an attribute?

I am going to do my best to explore what the word beautiful means to me. I think that everyone and everything is capable of being beautiful. One of my favorite definitions that I found online is as follows: "excellent of its kind". I firmly believe that each and every person is made in the image of God, I think that makes every person beautiful in their own way. I think each person is one of a kind, therefore, doesn't that make each person "excellent of its kind"? I am going to list some things that I would classify as beautiful:

*God
*Unconditional Love
*Family
*My Sister
*My best friend
*Sunrises and Sunsets
*Vulnerability
*Authenticity
*Friendship
*Coffee
*Elephants
*Flowers
*Animals (most)
*Genuine Happiness
*Smiles
*Children
* The list goes on and on......

When I looked up images for the word beautiful the results were pictures of gorgeous landscapes and airbrushed models, therefore I have started a "campaign" for lack of a better word. Its called "Jesus in disguise" and I am documenting the faces in which I see Jesus. Make sure to check it out on Facebook if we are friends!!

Under the influence

Alright. I will admit it. I am under the influence.

Now, mom and dad, before you freak out I should clarify that I am not talking about drugs or alcohol or any other kind of substance like that. I am talking about the influence of people.

What does it mean to be under the influence of someone?
According to Dictionary.com; influence is defined as: the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc.,of others.

If I am being honest with myself then I would say that I really do not like the idea of other people or things effecting my actions, behavior, and opinions. While I am on this honesty role, I will acknowledge that I am under the influence of other people. So what do we do about that?

If I look back at my life, I can see a pattern. I can see that during the times that I was most depressed, anxious, and lonely were times that I had some of the most toxic relationships in my life. That is not to say that I had "bad" people in my life, it is to say that some relationships are just toxic for me; and that does not mean that the person that I am in relationship with is a toxic person. 

I look back and see all the heartache and pain and I realize that sometimes I put myself in the position to feel that way. I let myself be in toxic relationships. I can see how my circle of friends has an effect on my life, my health (mental and physical), my walk with God, and so much more. 

This causes me to examine the people that I am closest to right now. Man, I have some amazing people in my life. Now let me highlight a few people for you: 

My parents are amazing, godly people who show love wherever they go. They love me and they support me. They have taught me what a godly relationship looks like and they are amazing examples of what it means to follow God. I hope that I can become at least half the people my parents are. They are simply the best. 

 I live with some of the greatest people ever. I have been friends with Rachel for almost 14 years and she is one who provides constant encouragement and support; she just has such an amazing heart for the Lord. Her husband Ryan is just as wonderful. He is so gifted and uses his talents to glorify God. I have learned and continue to learn so much from these two. 

My dearest April is such a godsend. If you click on her name it sends you to her blog. This girl has such an incredible heart. I do not think that I could have survived this last school year without her. She has walked beside me through the good and bad and she loves unconditionally. I pray that I will be continually blessed by this sweet soul for many many years to come. 

My boyfriend, Shane. He is such a joy. He brings me so much happiness and peace. If a person could be your safe place he would fall in line right after my dad; and since my father is about 1200 miles away, Shane is my safe place. He lifts me up in prayer, he is my strength when I feel weak, and he keeps me in check. 

My sweet Breanna, if all the joy and the love of the world could be found in one person it would be her. Her and I are education majors and I know that these last four years would have been so much worse if I did not have Breanna walking next to me through them all. 

I really have been blessed with the best. Anytime I am struggling, hurting, celebrating, laughing, crying, enjoying life; I know that I have these people to walk beside me through anything. Thank you all for your amazing friendships, my life would not be the same without you. And for those that were not specifically listed in this post: that does not mean that I do not love you. I simply felt the need to highlight these specific people.  

While I am thinking of influence, and I have already addressed the people that Influence me, I should talk about my influence. What kind of influence do I want to have on the people around me? What kind of impact do I want to make on the world? What do I want to be remembered for? 

On May 19th I posted this to facebook: "Last night Javi wanted the green hand sanitizer to match me and this morning he wanted the strawberry yogurt to be  "just like you" he said... I am honored that this little munchkin wants to be just like me! However, I am also scared. I have these precious little eyes watching my every move, just to be like me. I am just praying, and praying hard, that I can be the best person that I can be, that I can be a good example.... if only for this little boy that I love so much."
I want to be like my parents, Rachel and Ryan, April, Shane, and Breanna. I want to be a great example for my younger siblings. I want people to look at me and see the Lord. I have a long way to go and a lot to work on, but thankfully, I am under the influence.

A Letter to the Weary Mom

This is an open letter to the weary mom,

Now I am not a mother, and I do not plan on being a mother anytime soon. However, I am a daughter that has watched my own mother fall and get back up again. I think that there are a few things that I should have told her as I grew up, feelings that I should have done better about expressing. This post will be my attempt to do so.

I am going to be a little bossy so bear with me. First thing is first. Listen to this song and be held.

Okay, now that we have centered down and we are letting the Creator of the Universe hold us, I want you to listen to these truths.

1. You are important.
As your child's parent, you are the most important (or one of the most important) people in that child's life. I have two moms, a step- mom and a biological mom. Both of these women have made crater like impacts on my life. I was raised by my step-mom and I refer to her as my mother, she is one of my best friends and I cherish her so much. She has done so much for me and taught me so much. My biological mom has taught me a lot too. Even though she has played a different role in my life, I have learned things about life by watching her live hers. It doesn't matter if you are a step-mom, a biological mom, an adoptive mom, or even an absent birth mother. You help define who this child will become. No pressure though.

2. You are enough.
You may feel stretched thin. You may question if you are enough for your child. Here is what I know; if you are present in your child's life, if you love them with everything you are, and if you do your best to provide for your child's needs; Then you are enough. God chose YOU, to parent this child..... He knew that YOU would have that special something that this specific child needs. Again, no matter what role that is, YOU ARE ENOUGH!!

3. Your sacrifices are worth it.
We really do appreciate everything you do, even if we don't do a very good job of showing it. Your sacrifices do not go unnoticed; maybe at first, but not forever. As an "adult" child, I can look back on my life and recognize all the times that my parents went without to provide for us kids, and I can say that I am beyond grateful. Your sacrifices (mom) have taught me so much about the Lord's love, His unending, sacrificial, noble, generous, selfless, unconditional, absolute, relentless, and unconditional love. I think that God gave us mothers to help us understand His love more fully. I think that good mothers are an embodiment of His love. (and I got blessed with an incredible mother!)

4. Some day your kids are going to thank you.
Thank you mom, for supporting me in everything I did. Thank you for standing out in the cold for hours on end to watch my track meets (which I know were not exciting times for you). Thank you for coming to my choir concerts. Thank you for making me eat right. Thank you for making me do my homework. Thank you for telling me no (even when I fought you on your answer). Thank you for disciplining me. All those things you have done for me, all the things I watched you do when you didn't know I was looking; have made me the person that I am today. You shaped the woman that I have become. And I hope that I make you proud. THANK YOU!

As mothers, you have the hardest jobs out there, but I think they are the most rewarding. They certainly are the most important. So keep your chin up, I would like to think the journey gets easier; however I am not a mother so I do not have experience in that field. I do know that my mother is now my friend and she is the best. I know there were times that she felt worn out and I know there were times that she questioned if she was enough for us; but everyday she got up and did her job, she played the role of mom, and I could not be more grateful.


Here is my final request: please remember these truths on the hard days and the good days. Please take the time to be held. And please hug your child! Mothers and mother figures are certainly a gift from God. I could probably go on and on with things I should have told my mom as I grew up and I know that I could never express with words how much of a difference she has made for me; but I will end it here just by saying this: Thank you, and I love you more than words can express!

"I am a failure"

We are all human. We all fall short. Have you ever had one of those “I am a failure” times of your life? I know that I have. Guess what? We all have.

I feel like we don’t like to talk about failures. Our pride makes it so that we don’t like to admit when we failed. Failure can kind of be taboo, we don’t want to confront someone when they are acting out or behaving ill. Failure is normal. Failure is going to happen. Your failures do not define you. I think that the way you respond and handle your failures is what can define you.

Have you looked back on a situation and thought “well I definitely could have handled that better”? We can fail in all areas of our lives. We can feel like we had a parenting fail, we can feel like we failed our parents, we can feel like we failed God, we can feel like we failed our friends or family, and we can feel like we even failed ourselves. What about failing a test? Failures are going to happen! All of the above is going to happen. Maybe not all of them will happen for all of us, but each of us will experience some of them. So what do we do when we fail?

1.     1.  Confess your failure.

My parents have come to me and told me that they are sorry for something. They have come to me, their daughter, and admitted a time that they failed. They have told me when they failed me and other times that they have failed. Let me just tell you that I have not looked up to my parents with more pride and joy than when my parents humble themselves before me and ask for forgiveness and admit defeat. Also, I feel so much better even if I just confide in one person. Don’t stop there though. Make sure to confess to God. He already knows, but telling him about it will make you feel so much better.

2.     2.  Ask for forgiveness.

If your failure has hurt someone else, you definitely should go to that person and ask for their forgiveness. Ask the Lord for forgiveness. There is no place too deep or too far for the Lord to reach you. He is always there, sometimes your just have to put yourself out there to reach Him. Forgiveness is there and available for you if you genuinely want it and seek it out.

3.      3. Forgive yourself.

I was on the phone with my little sister last night and she made a comment that made me stop. She said “We are our worst critics”. First of all, how did my little sister get so smart? But she is right. Sometimes the hardest part of failing is to forgive yourself. Forgiving ourselves are not necessarily easy, extending grace to ourselves, and loving ourselves is often times harder than we think.

And finally…..

4.      4. Reliance.

Rely on God and rely on the supporters in your life. Even though it is hard to admit our failures, there is so much strength and encouragement when you have supportive and loving people in your life. Having that support system is crucial to overcoming hardships and even our own ego. I have an incredible support system in my friends and family and definitely in my Lord and Savior. Trust me, relying on others is sometimes the hardest thing to do; but it is worth it! Oh so worth it!

Your failures do not define you, and that is a lesson that I am constantly having to learn. I can really beat myself up over a mistake or something that happens in my life; but thankfully those things do not define me. The Lord is constantly loving and present in my life. He extends grace and mercy when I definitely don’t deserve it. He has blessed me with amazing people in my life to show me more love and support than I can ever imagine. Keep your chin up, it’s all going to be okay.

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5: 6-7)

Enhancing Learning with Videos

Videos. So much comes to my mind when I use that word; and most of it is not educational. However, there is this really cool video that one of my teachers showed in class when discussing integrating music in the classroom. I have attached said video below.

Here are a couple aspects of video literacy:

1. Viewing a video- like the video posted above, viewing videos can be very effective in a classroom. There are some guiding questions to ask that address the core concepts when viewing a video. They are as follows:
         I. who created this message?
        II. what creative techniques are used to attract my attention?
       III. how might various people understand this message differently?
       IV. what values, lifestyles, and points of views are represented or omitted?
        V. what is the purpose of this message? (Jolls, 2008, p. 37)

2. producing a video- There are some guiding questions to ask that address the core concepts when viewing a video. They are as follows:
        I. What am I authorizing?
       II. Does the message reflect understanding in format, creativity, and technology?
     III. Is my message engaging and compelling for my target audience?
     IV. Have I clearly and consistently framed values, lifestyles, and points of view in my message?
      V. Have I communicated my purpose effectively? (Jolls, 2008, p. 37)

There are also different types of education videos that can be used in the classroom:
1. documentaries
2. virtual field trips (one of my favorites)
3. dramatizaton- such as Hamlet
4. video story telling

I think videos can add some depth to a lesson as long as they are used properly. If not used properly, like other visual and audio aids, I think can become distracting for some students. I think intentionality is a huge part of adding visual aids.


Resources:
www.youtube.com
Smaldino, Sharon E., Deborah l Lowther, and James D. Russell. Instructional Technology and Media for Learning. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.
http://foter.com

I'm a Visual Person!

Have you ever heard someone say: "I'm a visual person"?
If your answer to that question is yes, what do you think that they meant by that? Are they talking about being a visual learner? or are they talking about being a visual thinker? or are they just saying it because it seemed like the cool thing to say?

Well there are some kids who indeed learn visually. There are six types of visuals when it comes to visual literacy. Those six types are as follows: pictures, drawings, charts, graphs, posters, and cartoons.

There are also some kids that are auditory learners. Some kids will learn a lot by sitting and listening to a teacher lecture but feel lost when it comes to a hands on or a visual activity. However, I think it is necessary to help improve listening skills in all children. There are six techniques that can be used to do so. They are as follows: 

"1. Guide Listening- to guide their listening, give students some objectives or questions beforehand. 

2. Give directions- give students directions on audiotape or as a podcast that you have prepared in advance. 

3. Ask students to listen for main ideas, details, or inferences- keeping the age level of your students in mind, you can present an oral passage. 

4. Use context in listening- younger students can learn to distinguish meanings in an auditory context by listening to sentences with words missing and then supplying the appropriate words.
5. Analyze the structure of a presentation- ask students to outline an oral presentation.
6. Distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information- after listening to an oral presentation of information, ask students to identify the main idea, and then rate all other presented ideas." (Smaldino, Lowther, Russell; 212-213)

As a student I can look around any of my classes and see some students engaged when a professor is simply lecturing (as long as it isnt 8AM!) and I can see some students that are only engaged when the professor adds some visual element to their lecture. As a future teacher I see the need to teach to all types of learners; find a way to integrate various elements of learning into my lesson plans. I want all children to feel like I am as invested in their learning as I want them to be.




References:

http://foter.com/search/instant/?q=listening&page=2

Smaldino, Sharon E., Deborah L. Lowther, and James D. Russell.  Instructional Technology and Media for Learning. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.

Connections

"The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts." -C.S. Lewis

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." -Nelson Mandela

"Once you stop learning, you start dying." -Albert Einstein

"Every child deserves a champion: an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists they become the best they can possibly be." -Rita Pierson (She is a retired educator who did "Ted Talks Education" I strongly encourage looking up the video, it is inspiring.)

Connection. That's what education is all about to me. It is a connection to each other, to the outside world, to ourselves (meaning we learn more about who we are), and to the Lord. 

Chapter 5 in our text is titled "Connecting Learners Using Web 2.0 tools" it discusses cyberlearning literacy, and web tools: onine audio and video, collaboration websites (social networking, wikis, and data mashups), mobile broadband, security, student interactions, and the advantages and limitations of using web tools in the classroom. 

After reading the text I think that cyberlearning opportunities provide ways to expand learning and make all kinds of different connections. Using Web 2.0 tools enhance learning and expand the classroom to the whole world; making resources not limited to the classroom. Using the internet and technology makes the entire world a classroom, providing students with experiences that they would not have in the traditional classroom. 

Connections are readily available for students in the classroom, especially with the use of technology. The quotes that I used at the beginning of this post were the result of my mind wandering and pondering on the topic of what education is to me and what it means to be an educator. I think there is a valuable connection between student and teacher (or there can be), a priceless connection available between a child and the world, and necessary connections between the students. I think education is priceless. 

Discovery

"Inductive, inquiry approach fosters a deeper understanding of the content."
I think that using discovery as a way of teaching/ learning could potentially be one of the most effective ways of driving home a concept (for lack of a better term).

Characteristics of discovery are: scientific method, guidance necessary, and scaffolding. 

Advantages are: 

• Engaging
• Repeated Steps 
• And Student Control

Limitations are:

• Time-factor
• Preparation is critical
• misunderstanding

It is possible to integrate technology using digital tools such as cameras, GPS, and videos.

I think once you give a child the chance to discover things then you give them the power over their learning. I know that as a young student when I had the chance to dive into something and get my hands dirty more often than not I was more secure in a concept than if I had simply been lectured said concept. I think that when necessary discovery should be guided (with a student with a learning disability, or a student who is not capable of manipulating the tools used); however, I think each child should have the chance to invest in their own education through discovery. 

Technology and Learning

Does the use of technology in the classroom actually increase student learning?

I think that the answer to this question can be a bit subjective. The use of technology does make "the world" accessible in an instant. However, technology can be distracting. I do know for a fact that if the use of technology in the classroom in not monitored carefully it can easily take away from the learning environment, not only for the child on the technology, but for their peers as well.

From my own personal experience, I find that carefully monitored use of technology can be helpful and beneficial in the classroom. As a child growing up there were not nearly as many technological options as there are today. Now that I am an "adult" and in college, I have found that technology is very helpful for my studies, I can research so much in an instant, I can collaborate with others to help with my lesson plans, and I have found so many neat and creative things to put into my lesson plans that use technology; things that just bring the lesson to life so much more.

There are my ponderings on the topic of technology being beneficial to a child's learning. I think if it is used appropriately it can be very helpful, it certainly has been beneficial to mine!

Melynda

The Beginning

For the first few months I will use this blog as an educational blog for one of my classes. After the class ends I will decide whether or not I am going to continue the blog. So to start here is a little bit about me: 

My name is Melynda and I am twenty one years old. I am an elementary education major and a missions minor. I would love to teach abroad but the calling I am currently feeling on my life is to start an orphanage in Honduras! I love traveling and learning about other people, cultures, and ways of living. I am a coffee addict and I absolutely love owls and elephants. I have been to Mexico multiple times and Cambodia once. I have a long list of places I want to go and things I would love to experience. My family means the world to me and they are my closest friends. 

Thank you for joining me on this journey that is my education and my life! I hope you enjoy reading this blog! 

Melynda