UNDA PRESHA!

I have two more days until my presentation and I'm the world's biggest klutz! I accidentally taped over some of my video so I have been running around like a chicken without a head, trying to fix my mistake. Tomorrow, I am going to get help editing all of my sweet footage from the wonderful Dimere. Fortunately, I am not as nervous about the presentation as I was before but I have to get all of my ideas organized better so it just flooooows when I am in front of the class. Hopefully everything pulls together nicely and works as planned!

CRUNCH TIME

Now, we have about a week left until presentations and the heat is on! I have been filming my videos and Next week is going to be completely devoted to editing it to make sure it is perfect (or at least close to perfect). I have already chosen six blogs and now I am trying to master pamphlet-making. Putting my bibliography together is probably the most stressful thing right now because I cannot find a lot of sources from before. I'm going through some of my blogs, hoping to find some of them. It's late, but I am reading a book from Mrs. Burns about anger and some things to do when you get angry or when you are about to get angry- it is very cute! Well, wish me luuuuuck :)

Senior Trip

My senior trip was a great time. Of course I rode some of the best rides and got a tad bit sun burnt but aside from that, I learned a lot about myself and other people. Anyone who knows me very well is aware that I struggle with keeping my emotions in check, especially anger. There were some things that happened during the trip that opened my eyes and showed me who belongs close to me and who I should let go. I spent a couple of hours doing my own thing and hung out with just about everyone. That was my goal: to spend time with most of my senior class and get to know more about my classmates before I leave high school. I think I handled every situation pretty well, avoided gossip and confrontation a lot, and did not let anyone ruin my mood.

Comparing the three...

My presentation is going to be focused on comparing and contrasting counseling in three schools- elementary, middle, and high school. Throughout this project, I was not sure what I wanted my presentation to be on but as time passed, I found myself soaking all the information I learned throughout this experience and picking it all apart. I found qualities and traits counselors in all of the schools shared and I noticed some differences. My main goal is to make the audience see things from my perspective and take notice to how much work I really put into this project.

NJ ASK

Yesterday, I went to the middle school and gave Mrs. Rapattoni the questions for the interview (the same ones a Mrs. Burns) and all the ladies in the guidance office would like some time to practice what they are going to say. We had a fun time sitting and sorting bins for the NJ ASK, a standardized test, and counting booklets. Although organizing is not one of my best qualities, I think becoming a counselor would help me improve in that area. In school #4, the basic skills teachers organize the test booklets but in the middle school, they have to go through all of that madness. Mrs. Rapattoni said that she loves seeing the kids but during testing, things are too busy and she does not really get the chance. I cannot wait to come back from the trip and get things going!

Welcome back, Burns!

Mrs. Burns is feeling a little better and is back in school! I am glad we got to catch up and go over my ideas. Since it is the end of the year, she needs to send over paperwork to the middle school for the upcoming fifth graders. Kids who have special needs are required to keep in contact with counselors and also be in certain classes. To make sure the middle school counselors are keeping an eye on the students' progress, Mrs. Burns needs to send over some info.

We went through my interview questions and they include: what is your involvement in the school, what are some every day problems a counselor in elementary school faces, what is your favorite part of the job, least favorite part of the job, and what was your occupation before you began counseling?

When I come back from the trip, I am going to start filming my video and put it all together nicely.

Bad day

Today was a pretty bad day. I woke up very late and had the worst migraine all day. I had to go to Virtua to get a physical and a PPD for my new job and went to the wrong Virtua AND got stuck in traffic, which made me late to my other job at NJA3. Aside from all the bad things that happened today, I did accomplish something. Since we have senior trip next week and prom two weeks later, I figured it would be smart to get as much work done for my presentation this week as possible. Tomorrow, I am going to see Mrs. Burns now that she is doing better and back in school. We are planning to go over some of my ideas and get started on making my video. I realized last night that all the tapes I had for the video camera were used, filled with old memories from bbq's, birthday parties, and vactions.

I made it a priority to go to Target really quick before my physical and pick up some tapes. I cannot wait to get started on my video! Tuesday, I'll be with Burns and Wednesday, I'll be with Rapattoni- this week should be quite productive.

My anecdote

Sometimes our peers are not the best people to talk to and get suggestions from. When I was younger, I had a friend who was going through a big problem at home and I wished I could help her somehow but I was only a kid. She was afraid to talk to her mom about the situation and was stuck between a rock and a hard place. A light bulb in my head automatically turned on- whenever I really have a problem that I cannot find a solution to, I go to the guidance office whether it has to do with grades, friends, school, or home. My friend was reluctant at first but once I introduced her to the guidance counselor and she became comfortable talking with the counselor, she soon came to find a solution to her problem. I admired the ability the counselor had to get people to open up and her compassion for the students. Once I got into high school and really thought about what I wanted to do in life, my first idea was to become a guidance counselor. I love being able to help others. In case you were wondering, the guidance counselor was Mrs. Rapattoni, my mentor now and my friend is doing great, made the right decision, and is living a happy life.

That's Life!

Sadly, this week I did not get the chance to visit my mentor and sponsor. Mrs. Burns had surgery on her ankle and she is stuck at home until monday (GET WELL SOON BJBURNS!). Mrs. Rapattoni is going through the whole NJ ASK process at the middle school and I understand it is very overwhelming for her. On Tuesday next week, I am meeting with Mrs. Burns and we are going to play around and try to come up with our interview and skit. Then, I am going to make my way over to the middle school and do the same thing there. Hopefully, I develop my ideas more and actually come up with some good footage or whatever you call it! Since I did not get the chance to meet with them this week, I am going to try to accomplish as much as possible next week before I go off to my senior trip. May is a very busy month and while my schedule is empty, I might as well get some work done.

Dictionary Game!!!!

In class, we are playing a little game called the DICTIONARY GAME. The main purpose is to not make our fellow classmates look like fools, it is to help us gain confidence when we give presentations.

This game also prevents us from using the infamous

"Um's and Uh's" to use up time in between thoughts of what we are going to say next. I found it difficult to keep my voice loud and keep a nice flow of words. Honestly, if we keep playing this game, I believe I will see a difference in the way I speak to a crowd of people and feel more prepared to give my presentation on my experience visiting with guidance counselors and telling people what I have gained from being in the Senior Project class.

POETRY MONTH!

Fire and Ice

Some say the world will end in fire,Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desireI hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction iceIs also great

And would suffice.

WISE program

Mr. Vick and Mr. Paul came to our school to speak to us about our presentations. I found some of their advice and ideas helpful and my plans are a bit more developed. My videos will probably be short because Mr. Vick suggested that shorter clips keeps people's attention. I would hate to bore the audience or lose some one's interest! I was hoping to visit with Mrs. Burns but unfortunately, she just got ankle surgery and is going through recovery; I can see her next week though. Hopefully, she feels better soon. Overall, I think it helped a lot of people and made me feel more prepared, knowing what is expected of us. It looks like I have tons of planning to do and I still have not figured out how to work the video camera. Tomorrow or Friday I am going to visit Mrs. Rapattoni and Ms. Ryan at the middle school to start these interviews and catch up on things.

Preparation

Over break, I have had the senior project on my mind. I borrowed a video camera for the presentation and today, after school, I am going to read the booklet to try to figure out how to work the dang thing! I have absolutely no skill with any technology. Wish me luck!

Letter to superintendent

Dear Mrs. Carroll,

I chose senior seminar so I could test out my dream career to see if it is worth going on to college and getting a degree in it. The career I chose to observe is guidance counseling because I have always been interested in working with children younger than myself and mediating when there is a problem. My project deals with a mixture of both middle school counseling as well as elementary school counseling. At this point, I am confused about which age bracket of children I would want to work with. Next month, my presentation is going to be a video documentary including interviews with Mrs. Burns, the counselor at School #4, Ms. Ryan, and Mrs. Rapattoni, the counselors over at the middle school. In the interviews, the counselors will explain what they do on a typical day at work, some problems they may face, and their involvement with the schools. I am also considering adding skits in the documentary displaying pretend mediation's with actors from the high school. I thought making a video would be very personal and reflect the hard work that I have put into this project. At the end of my presentation, I want my classmates to be astonished and take notice of how much effort was put towards my video.

Hopefully, I will learn how to incorporate two different ideas into one creative project, as well as learn how to work a video camera and edit my clips to make sure the documentary is presentable. Since I am using an older video camera, I am going to ask Mr. Flickinger, the video productions teacher, to show me how to make a good quality video. For the actors performing the skits, I am going to talk to the drama department and gather a couple of students who can help me come up with a small script and act in the video. I think the most difficult part is going to be editing the video and cutting unwanted parts out without ruining my presentation.

Ideas, ideas...

I talked about my idea in a previous blog about what I wanted to do for my presentation. Yesterday, my classmates gave me their opinions and suggestions about the project. I thought maybe I could interview the middle school counselors and Mrs. Burns about the things involved with being a counselor and what they go through every day at work. Over break, I will make a list of questions to ask them and look for my antique video camera. (ha ha) After their interviews, I will tape fake sessions with actors from the high school and possibly my little brothers to act as the elementary school kids. In my presentation, my classmates and teachers will hopefully recognize the similarities as well as the differences between the two school's counseling.

Presentation

Our presentation is coming up in May and I know it seems like a long time right now, but it would most likely come in a jiffy. I am beginning to brainstorm about what I want to do for my presentation and my gears are certainly turning. For some reason, I have always enjoyed video documentaries. I thought maybe if I learned how to actually work a video camera first and then begin to work on editing so I can produce a video that includes some fake mediations and stuff and maybe a tour around a guidance counselors office. I don't really know- just something interesting and different. I want to leave an imprint on everyone in the class so after the presentations are over, they can say "wow, Desiree's project was pretty sweet!" Well, if anyone is actually taking the time out of their lives to read my blogs, please give me some ideas or suggestions!

Relief!

Thank goodness this research paper is done and over with. I feel like so much weight has been lifted off of my shoulders! I feel confident in the research I have done and I am thankful my sponsors and mentor helped me find some good stuff. The only thing I would have changed about my paper was my conclusion. I had tons of ideas and articles I wanted to integrate into my paper but I was not sure exactly where to put this information so it would make sense and overall, prove my thesis to be correct. I wish I could say APRIL FOOL's and take more time on this. But- I chose to procrastinate and in the end, I turned in my best work that could have possibly been accomplished in such little time.

Ps: check out the little Kiss panda bears! Happy april fool's day!

Rapattoni

Yesterday, I met with Mrs. Rapattoni and it was very refreshing. We talked about how this class is going and even some personal stuff. 99.9% of the time was spent weeding through the ten pounds of research I have collected over time. Now, I know I have been procrastinating but a lot of my hours are spent organizing the information that I have and figuring out a grabbing introduction. I am feeling very confident about my paper and I hope that it comes out as a success.

Painting

In an article I read a couple of weeks ago, there was a woman who was bipolar and every time she felt angry or manic, she would paint. All of her negative energy was released through the tip of her paint brush and transformed into a work of art which was merely a reflection of her emotions. This has recently inspired me and encouraged me to find a way to release all of my negative energy rather than lashing out on someone or something. I know I am not bipolar but I do throw tantrums. Sleeping or eating is not a good way to handle your emotions. All it does is repress your feelings instead of release them. Hopefully this weekend, I can make it over to a craft store and purchase a canvas and some paint. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

Ask For Help

Never be afraid to ask for help. I have been using EBSCOhost as well as GALE all along and I could not figure out why I was not getting any really awesome articles. Well, yesterday Ms.Hans pointed out that I did not place a check next to all of the things I wanted to search for. Once I took her advice, everything worked out great. I ended up getting an article about art therapy that was extremely helpful. Speaking to Mr. Abrams about my thesis made me realize that in order to really prove my point, I should change the thesis to something I will have an easier time proving. I felt more confident in changing my thesis so close to the due date and I already have information stored that will be great for my paper. It's not what you know, it's how you use the information you know to make your paper as good quality as possible. Next time, I will not wait so long to ask questions. Trial and error is what it is all about!