"What YOU believe, YOU can achieve!"

"Don't limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, you can achieve." -- Mary Kay Ash


This quote is very fitting to how and what I am feeling right now. This semester has proven to be THE most difficult yet - and I know that it will not get any easier:( I need to keep reminding myself that I am so close to reaching my goal and that with perseverance, determination and FAITH - I will achieve my goal.

SMILE, DON'T CRY!

Source from: dreamstime.com

As I reflected on where I was at this point in the semester, I felt that this motivational quote was a good inspiration for me.  Why?  Motivation is the driving force that keeps one going toward one’s goal.  It is the energy that gives you strength to get up and keep on going even when things aren’t going your way.  Among the many challenges in life with family, work, and school, I definitely feel overwhelmed.  My goal is to complete this course by making my best efforts no matter the circumstances.  One major challenge is completing the Diagnostic Report in a timely manner.  The Diagnostic Report is like a jigsaw puzzle with all of its component pieces.  Although several pieces of the report have already been completed, due to many foreseen and unforeseen circumstances, more session hours are still needed to work with my student to complete the rest of the puzzle.  So in order to achieve the best outcomes and reach my goals, I must accept the situation and think positive!  I CHOOSE not to CRY! I WILL not CRY!  I WILL focus on the thousand reasons to SMILE!  CHEESE!



“You've got to S-M-I-L-E
To be H-A-Double-P-Y”
― Shirley Temple

Gloria and I smiling for the camera with Dr. Rivera while our students work independently. o)
Missing Aileen and Lee.  We'll take one together next time, ladies!  



Don't Quit

Don't Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow,
Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Edgar A. Guest

This semester, thus far, has been difficult.  The course requirements, along with work and family, have been overwhelming.  I've thought of withdrawing from my courses several times.  However, my professors and colleagues have been encouraging and inspiring me to continue.  There will always be hardship; lots of hills, twists and turns, but how we get over those hardships will define who we really are.  So as I work on my diagnostic report for ED643, as massive as it is, I have to remind myself to breathe, work as diligent as I can, and remember that I have great professors, classmates, friends and family to lean on and support.  In the end, what I do is going to affect me.  So I have to tell myself to stick it out and don't quit!

November and December Birthdays!

Happy Birthday to all whose birthday we've missed!  A special blessing goes out to the November and December birthday celebrants!  Enjoy your Special Day and may you have many more blessings to come!  If you were born in November or December, but do not see your name listed below, please let us know immediately. Thank you!

NOVEMBER:

Fatima Tibudan
Pam Villanueva
Dr. Stoicovy

DECEMBER:

Ted Nededog 
Dr. Rivera

STOP KONY!

  Recently, my friend Tiffany Bourgeois has produced a video on youtube.com to highlight the unfortunate events surrounding Kony and the LRA.  Joseph Rao Kony is the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a militant group in Uganda that is known for child exploitation.  The LRA goes village to village kidnapping children, using the boys for their military and selling the girls for the sex trade.  This video was posted with the sole intent of showing the rest of the world that we will not simply look the other way as the crimes against humanity continue.
     As teachers I truly believe that it is our duty to keep our children up to date with current events.  Many of them go about daily, unappreciative of their freedom.  They walk around with a minimalistic attitude, wanting to just 'pass' through life.  They only desire to do just enough, not to strive for excellence.  With all the freedoms that our nation has given us, we must live our lives to its greatest potential.  We must remember all these individuals involved that cannot afford to think of pleasurable activities, because their lives have been stripped from them.
     Stop Kony!

Dynamic Trio Hard at Work!

Dynamic Trio are working diligently to post their blog reflection and ace the diagnostic case report! 
Pictured L-R:  Johnavan Tamayo, Cindy Galvez, and Ted Nededog.