Thoughts of Spring

I love this image. Lately, I find myself relating more to the crazed purple minion with a full plate of schoolwork and mom-responsibilities. I completed my formative evaluation and I'm just about finished revising my interventions. Next week, I plan to teach my intervention to my study participants. I'm anxious to write about results and nervous as the calendar inches closer to March 31th. I'm keeping in step with the timeline established with our syllabus. I'd love to dedicate more time to this project but I must balance it with the other demands of my life. Have a good week everyone!

Intervention Revisited

For some reason, I've been stuck in this fearful mode concerning the success of my intervention. I asked Amy if this is normal. In other words, what if my intervention doesn't yield positive results? Amy reassured me that conducting a formative evaluation should offer feedback on my product before I roll it out to my students. I've had quite a few "a-ha" moments during this brief but important semester. Like most, I'm fearful of failure, which maybe means I'd make a poor researcher. As a teacher, I'm constantly able to revise and revamp my lessons year after year. This research project seems so final with so much at stake. So, a new week brings formative evaluation with several students as well as my supervisor and a department coworker. Wish me luck!

Check out this Valentine I made for my husband. We had an amazing Valentine weekend with two winery tours and a night away at the Stockton Seaview Marriot! Thank God for grandparents!

Capstone Research: Part II

After submitting my first assignment of the new semester, I feel like I'm back in Capstone/grad school mode. It was tough! Being JUST a teacher, mom, and wife was keeping me quite busy December & January. I had so many ideas about creating my intervention so this assignment helped to push my thinking forward. My intervention revelation came in the shower over the weekend. Strange, right? Maybe not, since it's my only 10 minutes of peace each day. It took me 2 hours to put my ideas into writing for Amy. Now, I'm anxiously awaiting feedback. Needless to say, it will be a busy week for me preparing for next week's assignment. On the family front, I included this image because I recently booked a flight to California. We're taking the boys to Carlsbad to visit Legoland and Disney November 2014! Our first (of many I hope) flight! I'll be planning this vacation when I need a mental break from Capstoning! Have a good week everyone.

Sweet Ending

This will be my last official post for the Fall 2013 semester. I'm beyond excited to have my final proposal paper finished, submitted, and returned with comments. This past week, I spend over 10 hours finalizing the final project. I completely underestimated how time-consuming it would be to revise and finalize the final document. What an accomplishment! This past Monday, I spend 3 straight hours at my desk before finally submitting. I nearly fell over when I finally stood up (this is not an exaggeration). However, even with numb legs and blurry eyes, I am overwhelmed with joy having finished. I have to also say I'm very appreciative to Amy for all her feedback, guidance, and encouragement during this process. So, Merry Christmas and Happy 2014! See everyone next semester for Capstone: Round 2. I'm including a holiday recipe (see image for inspiration)

Chapter 3 Submitted

What a relief to submit Chapter 3! I feel like I can finally relax and focus on all things turkey in preparation for Thanksgiving. It took me about 2 hours to write all of chapter 3. As usual, I did my writing on
Sunday at the Stafford library. In the spirit, I'm grateful for Sunday library hours and a husband who will stay home with our boys. I'm looking forward to attending the Capstone Showcase on December 9th in preparation for our own projects. I'm also working on revising earlier chapters of my research project in anticipation of the end of our semester. This is where the majority of my time will be spend between now and the rest of our time in the class. Happy Turkey Day everyone!

Research Hiatus... Over

For our vacation, I spent a relaxing and rejuvenating week in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. What a cool place! Similar to LBI, but with southern flare. I needed the mental break from research and work. Now, I'm planning on completing and submitting my Evaluation Tools & Procedures. It's hard to believe we have just four weeks left in the semester, which means the holidays are upon us. Time passes quickly. In the next week, I also plan to start compiling Chapters 1-4 of my research in order to identify any inconsistencies and/or areas in need of revision. What an undertaking! Wish me luck.

On our trip back from NC, we stayed overnight in Virginia. To my surprise, our hotel was right next to this outlet mall, which included a Vera Bradley Outlet. Jackpot!

The image is take from the deck of our timeshare. Breathtaking sunsets!

Halloween Highlights

Harrison & Sawyer Halloween 2013

The scariest part of this Halloween is the amount of time and energy required to complete this Capstone research project. I underestimated the time necessary to complete the analysis of needs assessment data (5 hours total to write 7 pages). The most challenging aspect was communicating the data in the appropriate charts and graphs. I tried to read the paper from the perspective of someone unfamiliar with my topic. I'm awaiting feedback on my recently submitted Needs Analysis Findings section of the project. Currently, I'm reviewing IDD text to review goals and objectives. I plan to reread this portion of my IDD paper too. My family is vacationing over November break, a much needed break for my research-saturated brain. 

Wishing all treats and no tricks to everyone this Halloween!