look in your heart and you'll find

As I sit here writing this post, I can not sit still and I cannot understand why. Today has been just one of those days where I have gone back and forth from being hyper and energetic to completely drained and then back to completely hyper. Sitting in my Bible class today, I could not sit still and was in the mood of laughing at almost everything (even those things that were not actually funny), which I’m sure was much to the chagrin of those around me. This action is currently continuing as I sit here in the office and I’m sure will continue as I go on to pick up things at the library and go back to my room to work on finishing my massive Children’s Literature paper that is due tomorrow.

Funnily, when I look back to a year ago today, I was in the exact same mood. On October 8th, 2008, I traveled up to Scranton in order to see Jason Mraz, and if any of you know me and my love of Jason you can assume I was pretty excited and needless to say…a little hyper. It is funny that a year later I am in the same exact mood, despite not going to see Jason tonight.
But despite my unexplainable craziness today, I do have things to be excited about…

1. The week is finally coming to an end. As I wrote in one of my past blogs, it has been a very busy past two weeks filled with papers, class presentations, tests, etc. etc. Even though the busyness of life will not end once I hand in my children’s literature paper tomorrow morning, it will be a definite relief to know that the past two weeks are over and all of the work that I had to do is completed.

2. Going along with school work…it is extremely exciting for me to say that I took the dreaded EDUC 301 Phonics test last night and feel pretty confident in how I did. Since I have done a number of my education classes a little out of order, I have always been in a class with junior elementary education majors in the fall and have heard their fears in taking this test, which is a two hour long, 120 question mid-term taken at night filled with a ton of information on phonics generalizations and early reading theories and practices. Knowing that I have never been able to understand phonics led me to have some worries about this test even two years before I would be having to take it myself. However, after all of the preparation that we did in class and then studying on my on for the test, I felt well prepared. So if you are an Education major awaiting this test…do not fear. You will be ready. But it is exciting to finally say, “I have survived the Phonics test!”
3. I am going home tomorrow for IUP homecoming. I have yet to be home since arriving on campus at the end of August and am not planning on going home again until Thanksgiving, so it will be nice to take a break and visit with family and friends. I love IUP homecoming too. Despite some of the cheesy things that we do, it is always fun to go watch the parade and  go to the football game. It is also just an exciting time in Indiana compared to the typical weekend in Indiana. Needless to say, I cannot wait.

So as I go off with the rest of my day…I am excited. There are lots of good things ahead of me and lots of worries behind me. Watch out world! Alyssa and her hyperness is about to leave the office!

English has never been my favorite subject. Actually it has always been my least favorite. I don’t like writing, I HATE analyzing books, and I have never truly understood all of the grammar and punctuation rules (which I apologize for if you reading my blog and I make any mistakes and/or my writing style drive you crazy in anyway). All throughout my schooling I never truly got any help with English, which drove my parents crazy. I had an IEP in school and that would always be one of the things discussed but it never really got played out or ended up helping me in the long run. All of my English/writing teachers sort of drove me crazy. Granted there were a number that I enjoyed as people, but as teachers…not really.

Last year however I had the best English Gen Ed experience I could have ever asked for in 20th Century Women’s Literature with Helen Walker. Despite my general hatred for English classes and writing I actually enjoyed her class. We read plays and analyzed them a little bit but the majority of class was all about our own ideas and expressing them in our own ways such as through writing and putting on our own plays. Despite not being a great writer, Helen always showed that she liked my writing and rarely criticized my writing like I had experienced in the past, but she encouraged me to take a good piece of writing and make it better instead.

Last March I also decided to apply for the New Zealand cross cultural for which Helen Walker just happened to be the faculty leader. After my application and interview I knew I hadn’t been accepted and I later found out for sure that I hadn’t been. Even though I was slightly upset, I was truly ok because I knew God had much bigger things planned for me (I’m still not sure what, but I know its coming). I could really tell that Helen felt bad for not having accepted me though. This was especially true at one meeting that I had with her about a paper. She asked me how I was doing and expressed her genuine concern.

It is almost a year later and still she is showing the same care and concern about me. I don’t have class with her this year and I probably wont have class with her again, but I have a feeling whenever I see her she will still remember me and ask me how I’m doing. When I was walking down to work today, we passed each other and had a brief conversation. She asked how I was doing and we talked about how her trip to New Zealand was last month. It was nice to see and talk to her even if it was only for a brief minute. I really appreciate all that she has done for me, which I’m sure is more than she realizes. She actually made me enjoy an English class and she showed me true concern which I would have never expected from a professor that I would only have contact with during one class. Even though I’m still not too keen on English or writing, I have a much better attitude towards it and in a way miss having my English class last spring.