Monday, December 11, 2006
To Florida and Back Again
Whew! Much has happened! I think the best and easiest way to sum it up is to copy/paste an e-mail I sent to my dear small group leader, Mrs. Sarr about the "interesting" basketball game and my trip to Florida. Here ya go:
~~~
I am doing very well! It feels great to be caught up at school already and to have gotten some sleep last night! The weather was unbelieveable! The first 2 days it was in the 30s and 40s! FL had an arctic cold front moving in. On Katie's graduation day, the weather went up to 60s and 70s, so that was more like it! :D The trip was a huge blessing also because visiting Florida Tech helped me to make the final choice (as of now :)). I want to go to Embry-Riddle. I can tell you why if you want to know some other time, but I won't bore you with the big list of reasons now... :D I really appreciate your prayers. It was a great bonding time with family. If you can believe it, we had 10 suitcases to check-in! Katie had accumulated many things over the last 4 years. I don't even want to know how much junk I'll have to haul back. I tend to collect even more things than she does even though I still organize it all.
Let's see... my tooth. At the b-ball game, a girl whose height put her elbow directly at my mouth was pivoting with the ball. She swung pretty hard into my mouth, not knowing I was behind her. It was a loud crack sound and I didn't know what to do. Just one second before I had been poked in the eye which teared for 5 minutes! Kate grabbed me saying "It's ok!" but all I could say was, "My tooth is broken!" It just didn't feel right. Turns out it was just my right front tooth that had bent back about an 1/8 of an inch, almost as if it was on a hinge. Surprisingly enough, this doesn't gross me out. For some reason teeth don't bother me. Anyway, I was very worried that it would come out or forever be stuck in that position. I had quite the lovely lisp. It was bleeding quite a bit too. I ran into the locker room only to discover the V boys on the other team talking... I ran out of there up the stairs to cry in the hallway. Crystal got me an ice pack and my mom found me to call the dentist and orthodontist. We never did get ahold of them until much later, so at the time I just walked downstairs to watch the rest of the game. I felt bad not going back in, but my mom was concerned that if it got hit anymore, it would be much worse. God's providence allowed me to test the tooth to see how loose it was. I certainly wasn't trying to push it, but I ended up clicking it right back in place. The dentist said that's exactly what you should do. I had no idea, but God allowed me to do just that. Anyway, I missed school on Wednesday because of teeth appointments. The orthodontist said to keep wearing my retainer like I had been. The dentist said he'd seen looser ones, so I might just be OK. Worst case senario is that the tooth dies. It could happen in one month, 5 years, or even 30 years. Bizzare! It would just turn brown and then I'd have to wait to get implants... etc... doesn't sound like fun! My prayer is that it will be just fine, but I know the Lord could use it to teach me to trust Him and not how I look. I had a mold of my teeth sent off for a clear, form-fitting mouth guard I have to wear for every basketball game from now on. It's going to keep hurting for a couple more weeks, so I need prayer that it will settle down and anchor properly.
~~~
And another praise: God blessed me with a $1,000 scholarship for me and for Grace Academy math aka Mr. Goodwin! Hooray! Here's the essay:
"When are we ever going to use this?" Another weary student questions the application of polynomial derivatives. Many students too often believe math is only for "smart people". Living in an age of advanced technology and information, why are so many educators still struggling with making math an enjoyable pursuit? To help students learn math well, teachers must passionately use a variety of creative techniques to meet each specific need.
To stay current, many public schools receive grants and funds to purchase the latest computer system or visual aid. But as a private school, Grace Academy does not have that option. Mr. Goodwin, our high school math teacher, does an unbelievable job challenging students to succeed. He takes hours before and after school to prepare lessons and tutor students. Yet he patiently uses the resources he has: EXPO marker ink covers the whiteboard for each class, while graphing examples require an old overhead projector. As a gift not only to my fellow students, but also to my dedicated teacher, I now imagine what we could do with $1000.
I recently visited some college classes and discovered an intriguing system. As students walked into the classroom, they picked up a remote. The teacher had a laptop with information and diagrams projected on the wall. As he asked questions, the students could click a button on the remote that would allow them to answer and participate. By using a notebook with this capability, students easily interacted with the class. Another exciting technology is Microsoft's Tablet PC program. These laptops allow the instructor to write and draw directly on the flat screen, projected on the wall. With this addition to the math program, Mr. Goodwin could show and manipulate diagrams from learning websites or open a document with example problems for the students to solve. Eliminating the time it takes to erase the board often and clean transparency sheets gives students more attention they need. And so, Grace students would be more eager to learn seeing math's applications.
How can this lofty idea be achieved with a limited amount of money? Using funds wisely will allow the unique products to enter the classroom. A Tablet PC notebook can be purchased from a variety of reliable manufacturers including HP and Gateway. Searching auction sites such as eBay.com or getting school discounts at office stores will allow us to make the most of the money. Perhaps nearby colleges would be willing to donate older remote systems. Because math is important to all areas of life, our students must be prepared for their futures. The possibilities are limitless as long as Grace Academy is faithful to dream and believe.
So please, help my little school! We have the staff, students, and dreams. All we need is help to encourage the kind of learning we have always hoped for. This is my school. This is how I would love to help. Thank you!
~~~
Only 3 1/2 days until Christmas break! I can hardly wait... December is the most wonderful time of the year! Hooray! Oh... and only 1 more week of being 17... craziness!
Labels: basketball, Embry-Riddle, Florida, scholarship, tooth
NatNannyNad at 6:31 PM
1comments
1 Comments
-
at 8:43 AM
SKH said...
Except for the Math essay part (:-)), the story was very interesting. Glad that you're back safe, sound, and toothful.
