I may not be a rocket scientist...

But at least I got to meet some! Rocket scientists, that is. It's a pretty neat opportunity that I'm getting, actually.

Because of my G.A. position, I was offered the option to attend a workshop that was a joint project between ETSU's Center for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Education, the International Storytelling Center, and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on integrating storytelling into science curriculum. Although I'm not actually planning to become a science teacher (economics is my specialty), I accepted the invitation to attend. And I am sooooo glad I did!

Today was the first day of the two-day workshop. It began with resident storyteller Donald Davis opening with a story about his fourth-grade teacher, who took his class on an unforgettable journey around the world. What a way to start the day!

We were soon meeting the NASA scientists who'd journeyed from California to share their stories and information about what they are doing to search for answers about our universe. They spoke about their ongoing project, the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft. I'll freely admit that much of the scientific information was over my head, but that fact did not make it any less fascinating (or impressive). We participated in some activities, and were even given a small homework assignment to complete before tomorrow's session.

Definitely, the highlight of my day was eating lunch with a female scientist, Trina, whose passion is one of Saturn's moons, Titan. In addition to being absolutely brilliant, (Of course she is, she works for NASA!) she was a great conversationalist and incredibly friendly. During her portion of the presentation today, she talked about the women who are involved in the project, and something she said really stuck with me. I don't have it memorized word-for-word, but the general gist of it was, "Mediocre men succeed all of the time. We'll know that we've achieved complete equality when women who are mediocre succeed." Interesting thought, huh? I'm still chewing on that one.

Yay for being done with hard tests!

I am pleased to report that I completed my Praxis II tests on Saturday. They were really, really difficult...but I think I did fine. I suppose I'll just have to wait to receive the test scores in about a month to know for sure how well I knew my stuff.

After taking the tests Saturday, I relaxed for a bit at the house, and then drove back into town to attend a surprise birthday party for a friend. It was fun, and I was finally able to get my greedy little hands on the Mid City Grill's delicious garlic hummus and garlic and apricot sauce! Mmmmm! Heaven!

Afterward, I drove to my friend Laura C's place, where we drank mojito martinis and watched movies and just generally chatted and got caught up. It was terrific fun. When I woke up Sunday morning, I attributed my stuffy nose to an allergic reaction to her cat (I'm pretty sure the cat sleeps on the bed I slept in).

However, it would seem that I have actually caught a bit of a cold, since I'm still feeling pretty puny a day later. I'm at home today, just trying to rest and feel better. I HATE being sick. Apparently, I was not diligent enough in my use of antibacterial hand sanitizer....*sighs*

At least I didn't get sick until AFTER my Praxis tests. Thanks goodness!

Update: One Month Later

Yesterday was the one-month anniversary of the day Matt hopped on a plane back to Florida, leaving me here in Tennessee to work on my scholastic endeavors. I'm officially at the point where I want a visit. Me there or him here...I don't care which.

The unfortunate thing is, I have only nine days from today until I take my Praxis II tests. And they're kind of a big deal. As in, I don't get to do my student teaching until I've passed these tests. So, I can't really afford to set aside time for a hubs visit right now. *sighs* At least I'll soon have the Praxis out of my way, thank God!

In other school-related news, I have finally begun my graduate assistant work. Can you say, "thrilled"?! My duties are to assist a fifth-grade science teacher in her classroom at the best elementary school in our area! It's so cool! You see, one of the objectives of the Center for Excellence in Math & Science Education is to provide support for teachers in the community, so that they are better able to provide a thorough education for the students. So my role will be to do whatever the teacher needs me to do. That may include some busy work like organizing materials, distributing classwork or materials to the students, etc. However, it also will include direct interaction with the students, helping them with their work, answering questions, just kind of being the "assistant teacher" in the room! Yesterday, I spent the day with Mrs. Hull (the teacher to whom I've been assigned)and really learned so much! I couldn't ask for a more valuable and rewarding G.A. position than to get to spend 20 hours per week in a classroom, learning so many teaching and classroom management techniques. To say that I'm pleased is a vast understatement.

That's about it in the news department. Missing Matt. School's under way. Praxis II exams in 9 days.