Reflections Of This Past Week

Most of my blog posts are about books, magazines and other general, important lessons I have learned along the way but I wanted to write this blog about a personal lesson I learned this week. A lot has happened to me personally this week and it has been hard to deal with at times. As a result, I was not always there for my friends and family as I should have been. Every time I was not as nice as I should have been to the people in my life I regretted the way I acted right afterward. Tonight, I started the Sabbath by lighting the candles and having a really nice Shabbat meal with my boyfriend. I realized during the beautiful Sabbath meal that no matter what happens in my life, good, bad or stressful, I am so lucky to have my friends and family who love and care for me. They are there for me without judgement through good and bad times and the Sabbath is a time that I reflect on my life and my past week and realize that I am lucky to have such a great job and great friends and family who are there for me always.

One thing I am going to try my utmost hardest to work on is being more positive within myself and to others as well. Since Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year, is coming up I am really going to try and use this holiday as an opportunity to better myself by being a more upbeat and positive person because no matter what happens in life if I put a positive spin on something I will be happier and less stressed in my life.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

I have just started reading the book A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and it is a really great book. The book talks all about women in Afghanistan and takes you through the story of a couple women and their life story. It is a very sad book but very inspirational. It is sad primarily because of the political situation and the impact that has on the lives of all the people in the country. It is also sad because of how women are treated in Afghanistan. Women are treated as second class citizens and men are the primary breadwinners for the household so the women have to answer to the men. These women are often forced to marry young to men they have never met and do not and sometimes will never love. I have not finished the book yet but despite the hard lives the main female characters in the story lead they find strength to pursue life to its fullest.

This book really inspired me to reflect on my life. I realized that despite the hustle and bustle of my busy life my problems are minor compared to what people in Afghanistan go through in this story. They are born into a country that is constantly in turmoil and are dealing with the personal hardships that brings to their lives while I am dealing with a busy work life. Reading this book made me realize that I am lucky to have a nice, comfortable home, a great job and great family and friends. I highly recommend reading this book and I hope it inspires everyone the way it has inspired me.

A New Insight Into Children

It has been a while since my last blog post but that is because I recently started my first full time job working with preschool children at a day care center. It has been an amazing experience. I have been working with children part time since I was in high school but working full time with children is very different. Working in one preschool class every day has really opened my eyes to how children interact with others and how the see the world in general. Also, when working in a class with toddlers full time it allows me to connect with them on a personal level. Every day I learn new things about each child in my classroom. Also, every day I am learning various techniques through my hands on experience on how to interact with and teach toddlers.

Things I Have Learned When Working With Toddlers
1. Always talk to them in a friendly and kindly manner
2. Each child is an amazing young person and each one views the world in a unique manner
3. Every day is a unique experience and toddlers want to learn all they can about the world
4. When teaching toddlers always remember to have fun with them
5. As an assistant teacher, I am helping them form the foundational knowledge that will carry them through their future lives