July 26: Writing Prompt #207-Back to School

If you could take a break from your life and go back to school to master a subject, what would it be?

Too many things come to mind for this one, but if I could completely focus on school and not worry about the cost for awhile, I would go back to double major in Speech Pathology and Special Education for Preschool-12th grade.  I do enjoy the field of education, and I loved my years teaching English as a Second Language more than any other job, but I always wished I knew more about the speech and resource areas because often my students struggled with more than just English being their second language. Even today, I am drawn most to the children with special needs and take every opportunity possible to gather more training and education about how I can be of better service to them and work to accommodate them in our daycare programs. If I ever went back to teaching at the K-12 level, I would also like to get more training or complete certification as a reading specialist. I believe these 3 areas of education (teaching reading, speech pathology, and a resource specialist) would really compliment my TESL background and give me the tools I need to help these students with ALL their academic needs.  In addition, I love working in small groups or one on one with students better than teaching a lesson to an entire class all at once, so being a resource, speech, ESL, or reading teacher is definitely my niche.  If I could go back….I enjoy what I do now, but nothing so far has ever held as much purpose for me as teaching ESL and working with my Marshallese students (both adult and child), and I miss it terribly.  Maybe life will lead me back that direction some day, but until that time, I will do the best I can to serve the children and parents who come across my path knowing they are the ones who have chosen a profession in which they are willing to give up their lives for me and this beautiful country we live in, affording us our freedom of speech and religion.  I find my purpose today in serving these selfless souls and their children because I could not do what they do, and I am very grateful for their service. 

July 25: Writing Prompt #206-A Friend in Need...

Finish this sentence: “My closest friend is...”

My closest friend is my husband. He’s the first one I want to call when something exciting or distressing happens. He’s the one I come home to and tell all my stories of the day. He’s the first one I want to ask for advice about any and every situation that presents itself. He’s the one I want to hike, bike, dive, drive, and enjoy every moment of life with, and he’s the one I trust with all my deepest thoughts and through all my darkest moments.  He makes me laugh and calms my fears.  He knows and understands me better than anyone except my Creator. He accepts me as I am, flaws and all. He’s not just my closet friend; he’s my best friend!

July 24: Writing Prompt #205-From the Collection of the Artist

It’s the year 2114. A major museum is running an exhibition on life and culture as it was in 2014. You’re asked to write an introduction for the show’s brochure. What will it say?

A century ago, the “Back to Nature” movement changed our way of life for today. We were headed toward complete technological addiction and ultimate destruction, and suddenly, Mother Nature rose above as she has done so many times over the generations.  Today, in the year 2114, life is much like it was for our great great grandparents, who went fishing and hunting, built forts out of natural materials outside, and whose past times were hiking, gardening, and camping. But, we are lucky to have that today because life might have been very different. Just 100 years ago, children were no longer enjoying the outdoors, but instead were hiding out in front of their TV’s, tablets, and cell phones for anywhere between 2-6 hours a day. What was that like? The Generation X Museum presents it’s 2014: The Technological Age exhibit from Just 25-August 20, 2114. 

Come find out what it was like to become addicted to technology with our interactive exhibits, which  include the most popular video games of 2014 that you can try out Afterwards, check out the “Movie History” room, which shows clips from the many, many movies from 100 years ago and pay attention to how many of them actually had subtle and outright straightforward themes  urging viewers to save the earth before there was no more earth to save.  Finally, check out our outdoor exhibit, which details the advantages/disadvantages of a life spend indoors or outdoors.  May we never forget what we have come from and what almost was!

July 23: Writing Prompt #204 -You, the Sandwich

If a restaurant were to name something after you, what would it be? Describe it. (Bonus points for writing a recipe!)

Okay, I guess my imagination and creativity does not spread this far.  I have NO IDEA what type of dish a restaurant might name after me.  I like so many different types of food that there’s not really one particular type of dish or cuisine that describes me.  Maybe you can show me your creativity by telling me what type of dish or sandwich a restaurant might name after you!

July 22: Writing Prompt #203-The Stat Connection

Go to your Stats page and check your top three-five posts. Why do you think they’ve been successful? Find the connection between them, and write about it.

Most popular posts:

1. December 11, 2010-Good Friends, Good Food, and Good Fun! (412 page views)

I remember wondering why this had so many page views a long time ago, and my research brought me to the fact that when people Google anything including the words “good,” “food,” “friends,” or “fun,” this post will come up.  So, I think this is a fluke one because there’s nothing particularly unique about this post.  It’s really kind of a thank you note to my friends on the island who graciously shared their homes and pets with me during the years I lived in the bachelor’s quarters without my kids.  Still thankful for that, but don’t see this post as particularly connected to the rest. 

2. September 20, 2010-Mondays and Monarchies (101 page views)

So, again, a search for “Monarchies,” “Hawaii,” and “Princess Ka’iulani” could easily bring up this post, and I think that’s where most of the hits came from. This post is primarily describing how the Princess Ka’iulani movie affected me and its connection to my life and the people in it at the time. 

3. August 28, 2010-Roi-Namur, Roi-Namur, Jiggity-Jog (96 page views)

I believe these last 3 most popular posts are connected by these common threads-life on Kwajalein and Roi-Namur, my kids, and the personal details.  The post above is about an upcoming weekend with my children on Roi-Namur.  Anyone who has ever lived on Roi or Kwajalein (if they are anything like me) loves to read about other resident’s thoughts and experiences there (when they are living there and especially after moving away-to keep up with what’s happening and out of nostalgia). A majority of my friends have children, work with children, and/or their children are friends with my children, so when I bring my kids into the posts, they tend to get more reads.  Finally, I am most fully transparent and personal when I post about my children and my family, and I think that type of writing speaks to my readers most because it’s real, and in some way or another, they can relate to it within their own family dynamics.

4. August 6-18, 2013 A Verse for My Son (82 page views)

This post is all about my oldest son, right before his first day of school stateside. He was born and grew up on Kwajalein until he was almost 12 years old, so this was a HUGE transition for him, and I was nervous about it.  One of my most personal posts to date…and possibly the one that the most people related to personally considering situations in their own lives at that exact same time!

5. January 20, 2015 Lessons Learned from Island Life (61 page views)

One of the first posts since I started the 365 day blog writing challenge when I chose NOT to use the prompt provided, and one that I’m sure was seen by most of the island where I moved from almost exactly one year before this blog post date. 

What do you think? What’s one of your favorite blog posts and why?