How I Became An English Ed Major

This is a piece I wrote for a very special English teacher I once had. 

She was my Louder Than A Bomb coach, who was amazing.

[There was going to be a picture of our Slam team here, but it wont work. :(]

Diana Zwinak is the woman who got me where I am today; she is also the founder of a Non-Profit Organization I am a member of called Teen Writers And Artists Project.

[There was going to be a picture of me and her here but it wont work either. :(]

A very wise teacher once told me

To color with all the crayons in the box.

Now?

I color with all the office supplies.

I thank that wonderful woman

For bringing color into my life

And not just the literal color,

But the metaphorical ones too

Now I see a bad day as gray

With hints and flecks of red

And I paint you a picture

With my words.

I don’t know how I do it

And I have no clue why

But she has helped me to see my gift

And taught me how to use it.

Now I want to do the same

I want to inspire

I want to help.

I want to be that teacher that I had.

The one that at least one student

One writer

One person

One life to change, to make better

To help at least one person.

The way you helped me.

The way you inspired me.

The way you taught me to interpret the ramblings of my mind

And turn it into art.

So thank you.

If not for you, I would not be here.

At this desk

Writing this poem

Procrastinating doing my Intro to American Education homework.

Because of you, I am here

Trying to become an English teacher

Holding back tears

And holding onto the past

As I reach for the future.

Because I hope that I can bring part of you

To my students,

Because that’s one of the best things

I can ever give them.

So thank you,

I can’t even fathom

The impact you’ve had on my life.

But I need to tell you.

Because you need to know that

You are the reason I'm here.

Again, I feel that my weeks end on Sundays, therefore this is my post from last week.  I really am glad that I am an English Ed major, and for those who have read my CA-1, you really can tell how much Diana Zwinak has influenced my life. She is an amazing woman and I can only hope that you had a teacher like her in your life. She always did say that we should color with all the crayons in the box. She probably still does. But what that always meant is to never let someone’s view of you effect what you write about or how you write it. Write it however you want to, because writing is expression, and only you know how to express yourself.

 

Fail of the Week 1: The Eternal Neophyte

So last Thursday, I had pledge voting/ initiation scheduled for my service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega chapter Eta Epsilon (What up?!). This was the second voting/initiation date scheduled for the people who could not make it the first time around, people like me. There were several of us, so I didn't feel bad about them having to do another one for me. So I was working on my CA-2 for my Intro to American Education class and I fell asleep. I woke up at 5:59pm. I was supposed to be there a little before 5. Fail. I look at my phone and realize that I have 4 missed calls and 6 texts asking where I am from my pledgemaster, my APO mom, my sister, and my nephew. Shit. I get up, throw my nice clothes on because it is a formal event. I then ran to the Honors Lounge in the Staley Library. In heels. I get there and I see an empty lounge with the coats and pledge binders of my fellow APO pledges. I sit on the couch and begin texting my friends. "I'm here! Sitting in the Honors lounge. By myself. :(" Once those are all sent out I begin texting my other friend Charlie because I know that I needed a shoulder to cry on. I was begining to freak. Thoughts ran through my head of being kicked out of Alpha Phi Omega. I whoud never become a brother, I would never be able to run for offices, I would never get involved with Fellowship or Fundraising, never be a pledge parent, never do any of that ever again. It was depressing. I felt the tears begin to well up in the back of my eyes as I tried to push them back. Then I heard it. "Here's to Alpha Phi Omega..." the APO toast song began to errupt from the room across the hall. I ran to the door, hoping there would be a window or something, but it was simply a solid door that I could not see through. I then began to pace the hallway outside. I see a fellow pledge of mine and feel a small sense of relief. I wasn't the only one!
"We were supposed to be here at 5! At least I'm not the only one." I said desperately as I shot her a nervous smile.
"Oh," she begins sympathetically, "I was initiated last time."
My face fell as I realized the tragedy of the situation, and the next thing I saw was Abbie coming down the hallway to greet us.
"Abbie! I fell asleep!" I say as I feel the tears escaping the barriers I had put up. She reaches out to give me a hug and I hug her back while resting my cheek on the top of her head as I begin to sob slightly.
"It's gonna be okay hun. Guess what. You're in, you've been voted in." She says reasurradley.
"Really?" I say as I pull away and look at her with eyes the size of dinner plates, glimmering with tears.
"Yeah, you're a neophyte now." Abbie said with a smile that could blind a person. I recalled my pledge exam, a neophyte is a person who has been voted in but not yet initiated.
"Ok." I said, sniffiling and trying to stop the tears.
Just then the door opened and the members of APO began to poor out. My pledge mommy Chelsie then gave me a hug and called me her little neophyte. It became a joke that I was the eternal neophyte. I guess I kind of am. Im getting initiated some time next week, after thanksgiving break is over. To me the weekend begins on Monday, so this is my post from last week. I hope this all works out. :D

My APO Family: (from left to right) Matt Stuckel (nephew), Abbie Christensen (Second cousin 3 times removed), Mari Spidale (sister), Chelsie Spinner (mother), Hilary Bultman (sister), Me, and Joseph Sparks (Second cousin 4 times removed)

Alpha Phi Omega Logo

Alpha Phi Omega Crest

Intro

Okay, so I guess I will start out this blog by telling you why I'm doing this... well to be honest, I really don't know. We are being asked to create this blog and do a blog... no subject, no requirements, and the only thing we are asked to bring are 2 links per week, 2 pictures per week, and 400 words a week. I guess Im almost sort of half way there on the words for this week just with this obnoxious rant I am writing. I find I may actually enjoy this, but you never know. :) I titled this as "Fail: A Tale of Life, Love, and College" because that is the title of the novel I am writing based off of my freshman year here. My friends, C and H, and I were hanging out when we decided that our lives were a romantic comedy being directed by our friend J. So Im not sure what this will be about... but oh well, we'll figure it out. :)