Football!!!

Hey!
Apparently the west coast is really missing out...I had no idea how much fun football is...no wonder there are so many fans! You cannot imagine how amazing Clemson football can be to attend. It's so much fun; I think I'm going to be converted. Here are some pictures to give you an idea. The first is tailgating before the game. This is the whole team on the field. At halftime, the band, cheer, and flag teams spell words with their formations. Can you see what they're spelling in this photo?

New Home revisited

Hey everyone!
I remembered that I posted some pictures of my new home, but it was before I moved in so it had all of the previous owner's stuff in it! Here are some newer pictures with my paint and belongings and just more of ME :) I still have things I want to do...paint my bedroom and bathroom purple, paint the upstairs, screen in the porch, landscape...you know how it is; there's always something to do. But it's so much fun! Here is my dining room for which I chose a very bold paint color and made into an office (with a nice new desk and all!). This is my kitchen...nice huh?! This is my front room (I so wish I had remembered before taking the pictures to take the tags of the couch I've had for a year now)...what color would you call the paint? I'm still contemplating the decorating in thsi room. This very strange picture was taken from my office just to give you the look of the three rooms together (office, front room, and kitchen).

Valerie and Iris visit South Carolina

Hi!
I've been wanting to share how much fun I had with my cousin and her daughter visiting, and all about moving into my new home, but really have no time. So, I'll just tell ya'all a little at a time ok?

Valerie and Iris spent a whole weekend with me. My brave cousin flew out of Los Angeles, CA alone with her 9 month old daughter to come see me in South Carolina. Isn't she GREAT?! I loved having her here and we had a lot of fun. We went to the Greenville Zoo, the Falls Park on Reedy River, and Hollywild. At Hollywild we saw lots of cool animals like the pictures below. Iris was ADORABLE and the whole weekend was FABULOUS! Here are a few pictures of their time in the South.

Humidity, curriculum, and schedules

Hi!
This will be a strange post. I don't have any news really, so this will be full of random thoughts. First thought...it's HOT AND HUMID in South Carolina in the summer! Like you didn't already know that right? But I stepped out of my apartment today and it was so humid that I felt like I was in a clothes dryer or sauna. Amazing! I'm going to need a second job to pay for air conditioning! I think it must be the moisture that makes it so beautiful out here though so who am I to complain when I love the natural surroundings right?

My second thought is that I'm really enjoying the curriculum theory class I'm taking this summer. It's whirlwind fast, but I've learned a lot about trends in what we teach our kids. The first textbook we read (yes, an ENTIRE textbook in a week and a half!) was about curriculum from 1890's to 1950's and it's amazing how little has changed. This era is called the progressive era and the idea is that there were communities of scholars challenging the traditional five subjects curriculum (that traditional curriculum was supported by the humanists...interesting perspective huh?). One group that challenged it advocated for more child-centered instruction instead of subject centered. They were called developmentalists and wanted to use children's interests to decide what to teach. Another group, called social efficiency, was all about putting business practices into education. They suggested that the most cost effective education was one that prepared children for their future occupation. That's where vocational education, driver's ed, etc. first came into schools. The last group was the social meliorists and their focus was on using education to stop inequities and marginalization among American society. Is there one group with whom you agree most? Really an unfair question since I only gave each group one sentence! But what I think is particularly interesting is how long such arguments have gone on and how much of it we see and hear about today. The book also emphasized the role historical events played in the curriculum. For example, after Sputnik, it was back to traditional curriculum because we got behind playing around with other curricula and lost to the Soviets. Or, how, World War I caused many kids to leave school early and so developmentalists were at the forefront because if we taught to the kids' interests, they might stay in school longer. And I'm sure you can imagine that during the Depression, social meliorists seemed the way to go. It's all very interesting I think.

Well, last topic of the day is about scheduling. I'd love to have some Californians come visit South Carolina (and of course visit me!) and I'd love to come out to California sometime this summer. Here's my summer schedule (oops, it wouldn't fit so just email me for details and I'll attach my calendar) if you can fit anything in, let me know. I'm so excited that my cousin Valerie is coming in July and my parents are coming back (I hope!) to help me move. Speaking of which, if anyone here in Clemson knows of local movers that are reliable and inexpensive, PLEASE let me know because I'm looking for movers in July (July 20th ish).

Here's a picture of my ADORABLE cousin Valerie's baby Iris. She's SOOOOO cute that I had to share (Thanks Tiff for sending the pictures to me!). I hope everyone is happy and doing well!

Inside the doors of the new house

Hi!
As you already know, my offer was accepted on the house in Pendleton. Friday was the home inspection and there are a few issues to resolve ( a dead tree, and air conditioning woes) so I'll keep you posted on the progress towards moving into my first home. In the meantime, here are some pictures of the inside. They are small pictures, but can be bigger if double clicked on (remember, I haven't moved in yet so the furniture and decorating are all someone else's). I also wanted to post a wish list so that I could network and if anyone knows anybody who could help, pass along my email address for me...maybe I could trade favors with someone like for tutoring or babysitting (which I LOVE to do) or something like that. The wish list is:

• Trucks and manpower to help move in
• A new washing machine/dryer
• An invisible fence for a dog in the backyard
• Ideas for decorating and landscaping (which I am so excited about doing)
• Someone to make a screened porch with stairs or teach me how to do that
• Prayers and good wishes for it all to go well
• Visits from friends to come see it (and maybe drink wine and play games!)

Thanks again everyone! Here are the pictures:Front room as you walk in the front door

Dining Room


Master Bedroom

Jacuzzi Bath in Master

Backyard

The beauty of nature in Clemson, SC

Hi! One of the things I love most about South Carolina is the natural environment around here. There are trees everywhere and birds singing all the time! In fact, I have some bird feeders on my porch and two doves (among many other adorable little bird species) are here everyday. They are beautiful and I love their cooing.

Today I walked around the South Carolina Botanical Gardens. This state garden is at Clemson University, and it has a Discovery Center, Geology Center, and A LOT of gardens and nature trails. I don't know a whole lot about its history, but there are a lot of beautiful pictures and information at the website and I strongly recommend clicking on that link to see it.The Hosta Garden

So anyway, I went there today to look around. I had imagined a garden like the Portland Rose Garden we used to go to when I was younger. The Rose Garden had clearly defined sidewalks on which you walked around admiring roses with plaques naming each one so you could learn about the varieties of roses. Not so the SC Botanical Garden! While there were plaques around naming a few plants, once you walk a few feet away from the beginning of the trail, you were in wild wilderness land (my name, not the officially endorsed name).The duck pond

You see, my story begins with my ill-fated decision to take a nature hike away from the main paths. Now, in my defense, there were trails, just not as beaten down as the main trails. I suppose I should have consulted a map before beginning the journey but I was certain it would just be a big loop. It was not! Three hot hours later, I was hopelessly lost.

So, I did what any nature lover would do...I took pictures of everything I saw. I figured that if I ever went back, I could use the pictures as a guide. Here are some of my favorites:Tall trees

I wonder why I like this one?

Stream under bridge

Can you find the butterfly?

After a couple of hours of being lost I was getting a little nervous. I sat down to text message a friend of mine that if I wasn't back by the time it was dark, she should send a search party (I was kind of joking). Well, wouldn't you know it, but I sat on a log with hundreds of red ants! Luckily I was wearing pants and sleeves so it wasn't too bad, but in trying to brush them all off me, my camera, and my cell phone, I got millions of tiny little bites all over my hands. The good news is that I discovered I'm not allergic to red ant bites. The bad news is they stung like tiny little bumblebees. You can barely see them now, and I"m totally fine, but for a minute there I got the heebie jeebies! I finally made it out of the "forest of no return." I am thankful for the exercise and the beauty, but next time I'm bringing a map and a friend along just in case!There are two turtles here and they were so cute chasing that lilypad in the middle. They dove under it, poked their heads up, and swam around it!

A beautiful day

Hi again!
Although I have no intention to post everyday, I couldn't resist sharing my news today! First of all, here's what Oliver did today.

And now, what did I do? I GOT A HOUSE! Well, technically my parents bought an investment home, but it's MINE :) I made an offer on it yesterday, and heard tonight that they accepted it. So now comes the financing and house inspection, and move in July 20th-31st. YAY!!! It's a great place, and I'll get pictures and more information about it to you on this blog soon. It's 3+2 and a half, with a master bedroom downstairs and two bedrooms with a Jack and Jill bathroom upstairs. There's also walk in storage upstairs and a nice yard downstairs with grass and trees. There are two patios, one off the kitchen and one off the upstairs bedrooms; the picture below shows one of the two and it's the one I want to screen in and make steps to the outside. I'll be looking for a roommate to join me in this beautiful space.

Picture of the whole neighborhood

I also found a beautiful walking trail around the lake here in Clemson. It was so nice to walk around the lake at sunset! Now I just need a man and a dog to walk around the lake with me :) Here is a picture of how pretty the lake looked.Not good pictures because I only had my cell phone camera with me, but it sure was pretty!

Introducing my blog

Hi!

I thought this would be a good place to post pictures and news of my adventures at Clemson. I have just finished my first school year here in South Carolina; two semesters down and who knows how far to go! It has been a good year and an interesting one. The classes aren't too hard, with the exception of quantitative research classes. Statistics was hard and the idea of using them again and again in quantitative research is a bit daunting. The preparation for becoming a professor includes teaching, research, and service. The teaching is easy and fun of course (although I may change my mind on that after teaching my first class at Clemson this fall). Service is an area I'm just developing...trying to serve on committees and in leadership roles. The research is much more difficult than I had imagined and I feel I need more classes for this. One of the things I enjoy in this doc program is that all the students in the program with me are smart and accomplished too. It's fun to talk and work with them. This summer I'll be taking a pretty full load. There are two summer sessions, June 4-21 and July 5-Aug 8. First session I am taking two classes, one from 9:15-12:15 and then from 1:15-4:15. Second session I'm taking a class from 1:15-3:15 and am hoping to audit or take another research class. Tillman Hall where my office and classes take place

I'm also working with Vivian Correa (who is brilliant by the way) on a few research projects. It's a great opportunity to learn about the process. We were in Barnwell, SC in May. We stayed at the Days Inn and conducted assessments of the community's early childhood programs such as Head Start, public 4K (kind of a pre kindergarten program), and child care settings. It was an interesting time. The community was profiled in a very sad documentary called the Corridor of Shame (www.corridorofshame.com). Apparently schools in the cities along Interstate 95 have little funding and the condition of their buildings and classrooms is horrible. An anonymous donor from the area gave Clemson $100,000 to try to prepare young children for school. The team of us working had an interesting time.

The other project I'll be working on with Vivian begins during the summer. A community out here called Wahalla has experienced tremendous growth in its Latino population. Vivian is from Puerto Rico and fluent in Spanish. We're going to go into homes, visit with families, and video tape parents reading with their children to learn about family literacy practices. It will be such a great experience for me!

I'm still looking for a house to buy in the area. I think it will be a good investment. I'm looking in communities near Clemson such as Clemson itself, Central, Pendleton, and Seneca. It's a hard decision because I want to consider resale. Homes in Clemson are more expensive and I would need a roommate to afford it. Homes in Pendleton go quickly; I've put two offers in that have not been accepted. Seneca is a little further out. So, I'm not sure. I saw some nice homes yesterday and will probably make an offer on one of them. I'll keep this blog updated.

I don't know when I'll be out to California next. Probably for a week in June or in August. I'm very excited that my cousin Valerie and her beautiful baby daughter Iris are coming out to visit in July! I'm doing more 2Teach consultation trips this summer as well. I have presentations in Prince George, Maryland June 27-30. And, I'll be in various counties in West Virginia August 9-19. Wendy Murawski, the owner of 2 Teach, has developed a lot of new resources including a website and software program. You can learn about 2 Teach at www.2teachllc.com.

I hope everyone is as well and happy as I am! Love, Jeni