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Week 8 - Reflection/Artifacts

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Looking back! You will either step forward into growth, or you will step backward into safety.  - Abraham Maslow I found this quote that I felt like was extremely relevant to Genius Hour. I am use to staying in my comfort zone but after having gone through these 7 weeks of crafting, I would like to continue to experiment with different types of crafts. I now know that I can do this but I definitely need to set time for myself  in order to keep growing. It' funny how at first, this felt like something I had to force myself to do but when I found my niche, I just enjoyed it and looked forward to my Saturday mornings and crafting. Another thing that kept me going were the compliments of my peers, family and friends and for that I am grateful. Wreaths (Artifact One) Out of all the things I crafted, I really enjoyed making wreaths. I made my Thanksgiving wreath and I made two Christmas wreaths. I had originally thought of giving my Christmas ones away as gifts but I liked th...
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Genius Hour Week 7

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“Habit rules the unreflecting herd.” - William Wordsworth This week's quote had me stumped. I'm not going to kid you, I even searched for some articles to help understand this quote. I found this interesting read from the NY Times . It explains how we are creatures of habit and which the word "habit" can carry a negative connotation. Therefore, as creatures of habit sometimes we don't try new ideas because we are stuck in our ways. For the most part, I agree. I am a creature of habit and I don't deal with any type of change easily but a few years ago I read a book called Mindset by Carol Dweck. I've learned to let go of things I cannot control and to be more open minded and try keep a positive mindset about things. Throughout this project, I've learned to embrace my success and my failures. Making a video and a  narrated presentation were not fun nor relaxing ! I would consider those my failures. Do you know how many times I had to redo those th...
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Genius Hour Week 6

“Confidence is going after Moby Dick in a rowboat and taking the tartar sauce with you.” - Zig Ziglar This quote suits my project for this week. Over the course of my Genius Hour project, I've tackled some "small fish". I've handmade some cards, I made a money tree, I transformed a plain white monogrammed letter into something that reflected my own style, and this week I went after Moby Dick!  Not sure if I have mentioned before but I enjoy going to craft shows but sometimes I see a craft and think 'I can make that'. The problem is always finding the time. This Genius Hour has given me the platform to express my creativity and force myself to take the time to do things that I enjoy. One of the crafts I've been wanting to make are wreaths. I love hanging wreaths on my door and in my classroom. I purchased all the materials I needed from my favorite budget friendly place, Dollar Tree. After watching several videos, I had my Fall/Thanksgiving Wreath. ...
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Genius Hour Week 5

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Quote: "Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn." I love this quote. It reminds me of my mom! I always ask her to teach me how to cook certain Mexican dishes and her reply is "all you need is a pinch of this and a pinch of that.. " She tells me but I never make it because I might remember the ingredients but I still don't know how to make it. When I cook , bake, or craft, I need visuals and step by step directions to go with things. I learn by doing! Every time I start a new project I go through some emotions. It usually start with high emotions, then some anxiety over starting and maybe not finishing, but when I do finally get going and finish I am extremely proud of myself! This week, I felt like I did a two for one! I not only created something, I also did it in video format. I don't know what I was thinking but I did it! This week's project came from a Facebook page. I'm friends with a group of teache...
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Genius Hour Week 4

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Quote:  “It is not that I'm so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer.” - Albert Einstein This quote reminds me of this past weekend. I went on a college tour with my teenage kids. The tour guide was so fabulous, I was ready to enroll myself! I told my kids that if I could afford to quit my job and come back to college to learn about Computer Networking or being a Surgical Technician, I probably would! I think this quote refers to desire to learn even after our formal education. It's for people to strive to find answers to their questions. Last week, I came down with bronchitis. I had been invited to my godson's 19th birthday party and I knew I wasn't going to be able to attend or to have time to shop for a gift. Although at his age money or a gift card are better gifts. Personally, I don't like just  giving money in a card. I like to make it fun and personalized. So, I quickly fumbled through my craft box and drawers and I quickly came up with this i...
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Genius Hour Week 2

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Quote: We learn who we are–in practice, not in theory–by testing reality. In some ways this is what I always tell my students and my own children. You never know what you can do until you try, In my classroom, I don't allow students or my own children to tell me they can't do something until they have tried. In a way, I feel this comes from my own passion to succeed. I myself don't like to be told I can't do something because no one knows what I'm capable of until I've tried. I'm not afraid of failure because if I gave my 100% to something and I don't succeed, I will usually try and try again! I believe failures lead to success. Encouragement cards. With all that being said, many of you know that oldest son is in the Navy. When he was in boot camp, I wrote to him every day. It was a difficult time (actually still is) because for the first time in 22 years he wouldn't be home for the holidays. The holidays are a time for joy and if I couldn...
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Genius Hour Week 1

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photo credit: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1409997 Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. – Mark Twain This quote by Mark Twain really resonates with me, especially at this point in my life. I have noticed that as I get older and my kids aren't as dependent on me, I want to be more adventurous. I want to spend more time doing things that I want to do. I want me time! I've always been good at telling other people, "don't live with regrets", "you don't want to look back 20 years and ask yourself, why didn't I do ___!" Now it's time to take my own advice. When considering a new project, I jumped into the reflection exercise. These questions stood out the most: What do I do on weekend mornings?, Are any of these ‘making’ or ‘creating...
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