All Star of the Week!

Give it up for this week's All-Star... JANET!

Full name:     

·      Rae Eun (Janet) Lee

Nickname:

·      When I was young, I used to love potatoes (I still do).  My family called me Miss Potato.

Which three adjectives best describe you?:          

·      Caring, generous, and a listener

Where are you from?:         

·      I was born in South Korea, and lived in Anaheim, CA for 15 years.

What do you do for fun?:    

·      I love going to karaoke with my friends.  I’m not a good singer but it’s a fun way to hang out with friends and release some stress.  I also catch up with some TV shows and movies during my free time.

Favorite TV show(s) and why:

·      I was introduced to Big Bang Theory by my brother.  I think that show is HILARIOUS!  I’m a nerd.

Favorite Adult Beverage:

·      Soju and beer mixed together to create Korean “Bomb Shot.”  I don’t drink much.  I promise.

Top songs on your itunes play list right now:       

·      “Like G6” by Fareast Movement.  I went to see their performance and it was so fun.  And, it’s on the radio ALL THE TIME!

Favorite food or restaurant:                       

·      I like sushi and Korean food.

If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?:

·      I want to travel around Asia first.  I find each Asian country so similar yet so different from the other.  I want to go to Hong Kong, Japan, and China.

What’s the best (or worst) thing that has happened to you during your fieldwork thus far?:          

·      The students are full of love.  Each day I return to fieldwork, the students say, “Yay, Miss Lee is back!  We missed you, Miss Lee!”  I love the energy and smiles they bring to my days.

Favorite Holiday:      

·      Christmas.  It’s so colorful and cheerful!  I start playing the Christmas songs as early as beginning of December.

If you could be any animal, what would it be and why?:

·      I love animals, but I never wanted to be an animal.  If I have to choose, I would like to be a lion.  Why?  Because I love the movie “Lion King.”  LOL.

What made you want to become a teacher?         

·      I’ve always loved children.  I worked at a tutoring center during my undergraduate years.  I found myself enjoying helping children, and thought teaching is something I can be good at.

Alright so whose ready for a Cohort A Karaoke Night?!? Miss Lee will start us off with her rendition of a Far East Movement song :)

Happy Belated Halloween Photos!

Here are some long overdue photos from our Amazing Halloween Party! Enjoy : )

Cohort A Hogwarts Candidates and divas from the decades!

Buccaneers and animals...

The perfect wives!

Costume winner, Dani!

A ninja turtle's gotta eat....

"When we were young" Photo Contest

 Making their guesses....

The lovely Liz, winning her award for "Most Scholarly Costume"    

Stephanie trying to win big!

 "A" Love

A note about Birthdays!

Hey Guys! October has been a busy month for Cohort A Birthdays. Your student reps previously decided that we would celebrate the birthdays for each month on one day, so even though we don't always celebrate on your actual day, we are still so happy to have you in our group and wish you a wonderful and memorable year. 

So even though your actual days have already passed, here is a big Happy Birthday to Laurie, Nahal, Megan, Janelle, and Liz!!! You guys are awesome, we are all so happy to have you in our group, we wish you a wonderfully memorable year, and we are looking forward to singing you all a very disjointed "Happy Birthday!" 

And one more thing... Below is the list of birthdays for the year! Megan had the great idea to post them on the blog so you could do something special for each others' birthdays on your own. Nice thinking Megan! Even though the picture is pretty tiny, I hope it helps you get an idea of whose birthday is when.

See you all tomorrow for P.E. Good luck to all the groups that are presenting! You will do awesome!!

Don't forget to bring in $5 for the Halloween Pizza Party on Friday and a darling photo of you as a K-6th grader...

Cohort A "All-Star" of the Week

Hey guys! Sorry this All-Star Interview is debuting a little late in the afternoon.... 

All I have to say is you will be glad you waited to find out more about our 

All-Star, Nahal!!

Full name: Nahal Asgari

Nickname:

Nahalie, Panda, Bally ball… I tend to answer to some weird names nowadays

Which three adjectives best describe you?:

friendly, reliable, passionate

Where are you from?:

Laguna Niguel, CA

What do you do for fun?:

I love being outdoors- the beach, hiking, swimming, running. I also love traveling. I studied abroad in Paris for four months and had the opportunity to travel to a handful of other countries during that time. I’ve also been to Europe a couple of times before that and to some other great places! Next on my list… Australia!

Top songs on your itunes playlist right now:

No specific songs, but I’m really liking country right now...

Favorite Adult Beverage:

Mojitos!!

Favorite Restaurant:

Too many to choose from, but I love Sushi and Italian!

If you could meet anyone in the world, past or present, who would it be and why?:

Obamaaa! I think it would be amazing to meet our president and to just sit down and have a little chat with him!

Favorite TV show(s) and why:

Friends, The Office and Modern Family because they are all so hilarious! Ellen because, well, come on who doesn’t like Ellen?

What’s the best (or worst) thing that has happened to you during your fieldwork thus far?:

My kids sang happy birthday to me and handed me a birthday book they put together. Each of them wrote something and drew a picture. It is so adorable!

Favorite Sport to play or watch:

I love watching Football and Basketball!

Any pet peeves?:

Constant negativity… don’t worry, be happy!

Any phobias?:

No, but I’m not a fan of the little creepy crawlers.

What made you want to become a teacher?

I absolutely love working with kids! I think it is so important for them to have teachers in their early years that truly care about them and their education. I also love how they get so excited about the littlest things, its contagious!

So basically if you love any form of physical activity or you need someone to put a smile on your face, Nahal is your girl! 

Hope you all enjoyed reading about our All-Star this week! Good luck everyone with studying for ED 326!! 

P.s. Be on the lookout for a post about Birthdays in the next couple of days. One of your fellow candidates had a great idea to post all the birthdays on the blog!! 

"All Star" of the Week!

This week's "All Star" is none other than Adrienne! Here is some information about this lovely lady so you can get to know her a bit better....

Full name: Adrienne Marie Gallet

Nickname: None

Which three adjectives best describe you?: enthusiastic, caring, dedicated

Where are you from?: I grew up in San Diego.

What do you do for fun?: I like to go hiking on the weekend. I have a book of 101 hikes in Southern California that I’m slowly chipping away at. I also like to cook and am a huge Disney fan.

Top songs on your itunes playlist right now: I just downloaded some Justin Bieber—he’s very popular in the second grade right now.

Favorite Adult Beverage: I like La Palomas (tequila, lime juice, and grapefruit soda).

Favorite Restaurant: I used to live up in LA and loved going to The Counter in Santa Monica. I’ve been meaning to try the one in Irvine.

What was your favorite Halloween costume as a kid?: I was Snow White several times. My Mom made me a costume that I adored; I wish it still fit!

What’s the best (or worst) thing that has happened to you during your fieldwork thus far?: After my first read-aloud one of the students asked me if I would read to them everyday. I knew that I was having a great time reading to the class, but it was so rewarding to hear that they were enjoying it too. 

Favorite Holiday: I’m a big fan of holidays, but I think my favorite would have to be Christmas. It’s so festive that time of year.

Guilty Pleasure: Must-see Thursdays, particularly The Office and Grey’s Anatomy.

What made you want to become a teacher?: I love working with kids and want every child to have the education they need to be successful.

  

And if I'm not mistaken the restaurant "The Counter" is now in Costa Mesa! If anyone feels like chowin' down on a custom-built gourmet burger with our girl Adrienne be sure to give her a call! 

Hope you all enjoy your Sunday! We have a number of assignments due tomorrow so don't forget to complete the following if you haven't yet:

• Bring in a decodable book for ED 326 and a multicultural book for ED 329
• Phonics Chapter Summary/Group Presentation
• Chapter 5 in the Gunning text
• Chapter 2 Discussion points
• Online Discussion Board for ED 303

See you all tomorrow!

-Your Student Reps

"All-Star" of the Week

Happy Sunday Funday Everybody! 

This week's "All-star" is none other than Maddie James. Enjoy!!

Full name: Madelyn Rashelle James

Nickname: Maddie, Madd, Madd dog

Which three adjectives best describe you?: loyal, passionate, and humorous

Where are you from?: Born, raised, and currently living in Laguna Hills, CA

What do you do for fun?: I love to travel. I went to Europe over the summer for over 3 weeks and went to 8 eight different countries! The summer before last, I drove across the country for one month, mainly staying in the south. My boyfriend and I decided to go to as many college football games as we could on the trip! I love the south, definitely could see myself living out there. I also love yoga, strength training and running outdoors. My absolute number one passion is riding horses.

Favorite TV show(s) and why: America’s Next Top Model, Real World and I have to say…Jersey Shore. ANTM is just fun and Real World and Jersey Shore is purely entertaining. Entourage and Family Feud are awesome too.

Favorite Adult Beverage: Fat Tire Amber Ale

Single, Dating, or married: Just celebrated my 9 year anniversary with my boyfriend on Sept. 22^nd. Wedding is in the future J

Favorite Food: Oh man, so tough! Mac n Cheese, Pizza, Fettuccini Alfredo, Funfetti Cake. Definitely a fat kid at heart.

Favorite sport to play or watch: Love to watch football, but love to watch equestrian more. Favorite sport is horseback riding-English, hunter/jumper.

What’s the best or worst thing that has happened to you during your fieldwork thus far?: Being placed with my master teacher, Leslie Whitaker. Everything we talk about in class can directly be related to her teaching.

Biggest fear: Losing loved ones, including my pets!

Favorite Holiday: 4^th of July because I love summer, hot dogs, beer and fireworks!

What’s your guilty pleasure?: Dark Chocolate and Doughnuts

What made you want to become a teacher?: A couple of my teachers in elementary school have inspired me. It also helped that I use to play “teacher” as a kid. (I loved giving spelling tests!)

 So now that football season's started, be sure to invite Maddie to watch a game and sip a beer... or two!

See you all on Monday! 

"A" Love 

Cohort A "All-Star" of the Week

One thing we discussed during our Student Rep. meeting today is that we want meaningful relationships to develop among our cohort members. To begin facilitating this goal, we have decided to feature weekly bio's from each of our Amazing group members. The Cohort A "All-Star" of the Week will attempt to help you get to know your fellow candidates, find commonalities and, hopefully, create lasting friendships.

This week's spotlight is on the lovely Heather

(Snaps to her for being such a good sport and going first!)

Full name:

Heather Rose Fitzgerald

Nickname:

The kids call me Miss Fitz J

Which three adjectives best describe you?: 

Compassionate,  Creative, and Determined

Where are you from?:

I grew up in Lake Arrowhead which is on the same mountain as Big Bear. It is a pretty small town and I totally took the location for granted until I moved away. I miss the lake and the snow but I love the beach so I’m okay with just visiting now.

What do you do for fun?:

I have taken dance classes all my life so I love anything involving dancing. I guess other hobby type things are wakeboarding, painting, going to the beach, and getting together with friends. Oh, and sharing life with my boyfriend Mark!

Favorite Movie or Movie Star and why:

I really can’t think of one specific movie or person. I can say that the type of movies I like to watch are always action movies. I totally take after my Dad in that aspect…. you know, stuff blowing up, car chases…. but I can’t leave out Harry Potter <3

Favorite Adult Beverage:

I’m still stuck on Mojitos from the summer.

Favorite Food:

Chile Rellenos! I love almost any type of Mexican food because my Mom’s side of the family is Mexican and Native American…. contrary to my pale skin.

Most memorable vacation or trip (who were you with, why was it the best):

I am sure there are more wholesome vacations I would choose if I thought longer about this, but the one that comes to mind is a recent Vegas trip. It was for my 21^st birthday and my Dad decided to spoil me and my roommates. The five of us stayed at the Mirage, saw the show LOVE which is the Beatles themed Cirque du Soleil show, and somehow got a free limo ride plus $300 dollars worth of free food and beverages. We tried gambling and all came away from the weekend with more than what we spent. (All innocent, teacher-ish activities of course).

What’s the best or worst thing that has happened to you during your fieldwork thus

far?:

The best thing that has happened is my placement! I’m at Top of the World Elementary in Laguna Beach in fourth grade with my pair Liz Marengo and Mr. Kull (pronounced Mr. Cool….. seriously).

Favorite Holiday:

I love Halloween! I always make costumes myself because I’m a borderline neurotic artsy/craftsy person like that.

If you could be any animal, what would it be and why?:

I would want to be a dolphin because then I could explore the unknowns of the ocean.

What made you want to become a teacher?:

I don’t have any one moment in time where I discovered that I wanted to be a teacher. Although, I definitely remember that out of all the Christmases, the most sought after gift I received was a white board, stand, and dry-erase markers. My third grade teacher also played a role, along with my English teacher who was the only high school teacher who let on that he was actually there for us, not for himself.

So if you love chile rellenos, mojitos, Vegas, or Halloween (and who doesn't?), make sure to get to know our Heather! Have a great weekend everyone and be on the lookout for next week's "All-Star!"

"A" Love

Caldecott Award

Hey Guys!
So as you all know, for our ED: 326 class on Monday we are supposed to bring in a children's book that has been awarded the Randolph Caldecott Medal. This prestigious award is given annually "to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children." For more information on the Caldecott award and past winners, check out:

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal.cfm

Keep an eye out for our FIRST Cohort A monthly newsletter that your incredibly talented Student Rep. Stephanie designed! It will update you on the rest of next week's assignments and give you a heads up on what's to come!

"A" Love

Upcoming Event!

Hello fellow Cohort A members!
Just wanted to remind you all about our FIRST program event, the Fall BBQ! It is scheduled for this Wednesday, September 22, from 4:00-6:00pm in the Education Building Courtyard. Everyone is invited to attend and volunteers for setting/cleaning up are greatly appreciated!
See you all Wednesday!
"A" Love

Welcome to Cohort A+!

Congratulations! You are in the best cohort that UCI has ever seen! Get excited because your student reps have already started brainstorming ways to bring our group closer together and to have the best fall quarter possible.

On this blog we will post about upcoming events, homework deadlines, and program news. It will be a safe space for you to learn more about the program, as well as your fellow candidates. Though we will send out email notifications when there is an important new blog post, feel free to check regularly!

Have a wonderful weekend and see you all next Wednesday for our second ED303 class! (Don't forget to read CGI Chapters 4-6 and write a reaction paragraph, and to send your videotape permission slips home with your students)

"A" Love