A poem for thought

Untitled

I used to have you more than friends.

I used to have, hold and love you but that all came to an end.

It seems like I am not everything you need.

Do I want what we used to have, now that depends.

All I must do now is let my heart mend.

From an aspiring writer, to a published author!

I can officially add the title of "published author" and "published photographer" onto the list of accomplishments that I have already had in my 24 years of life. Wow, how freaking cool is that? Honestly it has been a dream of mine to "make it big" with my writing. While I was so excited when The Oregon Coast Magazine featured a writing piece of mine in their magazine, I am even more excited with the fact that I co-wrote a book. A BOOK! I am so grateful, and so zealous to have had the opportunity to engage in the process of writing a book, never mind the chance to get it published.

Today was such a surreal experience for myself seeing my name on a book, as well as my picture. I kind of felt like Sandra Bullock after she won an Oscar for Best Actress from her beautiful performance in the Blindside. She was so humble, so gracious and so surprised--that is excatly how I felt today! Okay so maybe I did not have a lavish and absolutely stunning gown on, but I did have my awesome blue rain boots on after a field trip with fourth graders to The Great Salt Lake. A girl in my MAT program bought the book and then asked me to sign it. She actually wanted my AUTOGRAPH....mine! That was the first time anyone has ever asked me for my autograph and let me just say how cool of an experience that was. It's not everyday that someone wants your autograph.

Another surreal moment was when I read the first review on Amazon about the baseball book that I co-wrote. I could not believe that this stranger gave us five stars to start out his review. He was so complimentary, so honest and so nice. While I know all book reviews will not be that complimentary, it was a great way to start the process off.

I am so humbled, so happy and feel so incredibly blessed right now to have been given this great opportunity. Getting published is one of the hardest things, and here I am at 24 published. I feel like I am living a dream. Hopefully there will be other publications to come in the future, including at least one children's book.

I officially can cross getting published off my entire life bucket list. Yes, I feel so empowered when I can cross off something on my personal life list.

relationships

Throughout our whole lives we enter into new relationships, some of them last and some of them do not. We begin dating a new guy, or a new girl. We make a new friend, have a new roommate or start a new relationship with a new pet. When a new relationship starts, we (mostly meaning I) get caught up in it. What can I say I am a passionate person! Once I am passionate about someone, it's hard for me not to fully emerge myself in that relationship. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with this, it can bring up some issues. Issues that I have recently realized and am now trying to mend.

I was recently in a relationship with a boy, which abruptly ended last night to be exact. But during my time in this relationship I really put so many other things in my life on hold for him and for us. Things like: my friends, my family, my "Jenna" time and even lessened by quality of some work for graduate school. I did not go snowboarding as much as I wanted to, nor did I go out dancing and such like I used to. Basically I was still this insanely busy person, but insanely busy with school and my boyfriend. I gave up so much for us and now that us is no more.

With my newly found single status again, (which is what I know best) I realized and decided what relationships are really worth being passionate over. When I was in a relationship with Zac I neglected my relationships with my friends. While I might not have very many friends in Utah, the one's I do have I cherish. Yet here I was neglecting all that I cherished. So I have reset my pritorities, and my passions towards working to develop and improve all of my friendships and family communication. While boys will come in and out my life- good friendships last forever. Good friendships show me love everyday! I live a crazy life right now so I already have limited free time, but that limited time will now be for my friends because at the end of the day they are the one's that WOULD BAIL ME OUT OF JAIL if I needed it.

So here is to all my wonderful friends may our relationships just continue to grow with happiness and love. While I may be a bit sad about my ending boyfriend relationship with Zac, I hope that we can begin a new friendship relationship when the time is right of course.

To fire an entire school administration is that the answer?

POLL Question of the day: What is the best way to remove incompetent teachers?

The reason I am posing this question to you all is because of the events that took place in Central Falls Rhode Island where the entire school administration was dismissed after years of school failure. Seventy-four teachers and 19 staff members will lose their jobs in a former-mill town with an unemployment rate of 13. 8 percent. While change is definitely needed towards improving the all the schools, but especially the high school, firing every teacher may not be the right approach. Central Falls H.S. graduate rate is less than 50% and only 7 percent are efficient in mathematics according to an article in the Central Falls Journal, which appeared in the NY Times.

While this approach of firing entire school administrations is not a new one, rather low-performing districts in New York and Chicago did the same, is it the best answer? It's hard for me to think that all 74 teachers were bad teachers, that just cannot be the truth. I think school district board members are always looking to blame teachers first for a school's failure, when that might not always be the case. I think we need to blame the system of how we run our schools, how we value teachers, and the passage of NCLB (No Child Left Behind) as big pieces to this failure pie.

For most of these kids, these teachers were family to them. This town is stricken by high unemployment, poverty, and broken families. By firing the entire staff, the state, the board is hurting the kids. That is what makes articles like this so upsetting because you are affecting the students in so many ways. Just because you change teachers, it does not necessarily mean that the problem will be solved.

Bringing in Teach for America teachers, as the article suggested does not mean good changes will necessarily occur. I really hope that good change is on the way, but who really knows. In my opinion, most Teach for America teachers are inexperienced and under qualified. What this district needs are talented, highly qualified, experienced, well-balanced and emotionally strong teachers and administration. If the district does not hire these type of teachers, then the district should at least pay and help those "bad" teachers improve.

Even with a strong facility, a school district like Central Falls still needs adequate funding to even have a chance for succeeding. In most districts throughout the country they rely on property taxes as the main source of revenue to run the public school districts. Well if you live in a town with an unemployment rate of 13.8% and a high poverty rate, how is a district supposed to have an adequate amount of money to run its schools? You cannot simply blame the administration for underachieving school, rather you must look at the entire picture. By having 74 more unemployed people in the town just adds to this budget deficit that the district is seeing.

Why not work with the teachers and administration that is already there to help them improve their teaching abilities. Why not figure out why these kids are not graduating from high school versus just firing an entire staff. I think the school board looked for a "quick fix" to the problem that has multiple layers. Why not ask the kids why they are not graduating? After reading this article so many kids talked about how these teachers were such inspirations or family to them. These kids want to succeed, but they are in a hard environment. The high school is carrying such an intense burden and I do not think that the board really sees that.

In order to fix our public school's we need to see the entire picture of why schools fail versus just saying that a new administration will have success. We need to stop putting band-aids on a broken system, and start fixing the broken system from the ground up.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/25/education/25central.html

WH PHOTO and history lesson

Okay for all of you that have never been to the White House, let me show you a bit more of it!

Each president has his portrait painted after the conclusion of each man's presidency. Obviously, this portrait is of 40th President Ronald Reagan.

This was the ninth, and final attempt to capture Reagan's true personality. Nancy was the one who insisted that Reagan's "sparkling smile" be captured in the portrait. Finally on the ninth attempt, it was captured to her liking.

This by far is the best portrait of all! Mrs. Reagan had fabulous taste and she seems like quite the persistent woman.