Your mission, should you choose to accept it...

One life.  Six songs.  Five pre-determined age ranges and one free choice selection.

What would you choose?

I have no idea what you would do, I'm not a Vulcan.  But here's what I chose:

Birth - 6:
James Taylor: Fire and Rain

7-10
Michael Jackson: Thriller

11-14:
Dee-Lite: Groove is in the Heart

15-18:
U2: One Tree Hill

19-present:
Madonna: Jump

free choice:
Robert Plant & the Strange Sound: Shine it all Around

As for which song I'll choose for the basis of a lesson plan?  Stay tuned...

Buckle up, Buttercup.

Arts & Crafts and Playlists, Oh my!

Perhaps the best thing about my MLE course at NLU is that it enables me to exorcize the demons of my own middle school experience.  Oh yes, I was one of those slightly deformed, permed, pimply, and awkward kids who made unfortunate fashion choices under the guise of expressing myself.  Hey, don't judge: Madonna made it sound so easy and glamorous!

My middle school experience, however trying, was indeed facile and pure compared to the issues that today's young adolescents face.  One thing that tipped me off that today's middle schoolers are truly experiencing a brave new world?  The myriad of text abbreviations we had to wade through today.

My small-group members will perhaps chuckle when I say "AWGTHTGTTA!?"  And don't get me started on the icky ones that made every single one of us squirm in our seats as if we were the ones in the middle of a growth spurt.

This weekend I was able to engage in arts & crafts, grad school style.  On Thursday I turn in a soundtrack of my life encapsulated into 6 songs; complete, of course, with cover art that exemplifies my identity.  Ten years ago I would have given my professor the stink-eye and done the bare minimum.  Today I am grateful for the opportunity to put my years of stay-at-home-single-mom to use.

All kidding aside, Dr. Mee has successfully cultivated an environment in which we can all be our best selves, our best students, and our best prospective teachers.

If I ever emerge from my perceived state of sleep deprivation and complete my plans for total world domination, I will surely take time to reflect on how my Middle Level Electives and its corresponding endorsement helped me get there.  The children are indeed our future, and I for one am arming myself.  With information.  Because as all good Gen-X'ers can recite: knowing is half the battle.

Buckle up, Buttercup.

The 3 R's, according to me

Hm, my very own 3R's of education.... Oh, the power!  So.  If it were up to me:  CIS; Challenge, Inspire, Showcase

Challenge breeds critical thinking, which in turn leads to active citizens;

Inspiration drives any self-aware person;

Showcasing is the only way to get the word out!  Especially for a middle or high school librarian.

Oh my, what have I gotten myself into...  Buckle up, Buttercup.

PS: this is a drilled down version of my assignment.  My full thought process can be found at Imagine.  

And away we go...

While growing up, I loved the movie The Princess Bride.  As any Gen-Xer will remember, Buttercup is the famed heroine.

Buckle up, Buttercup.