Thursday, August 25, 2011

Blog Post #1


Hello everyone.  My name is Tricia Spafford and I am a wife, mother, and former teacher. I have been married to Tim, an architect, for 18 years. We are the proud parents of 5 sons. I taught the 4th grade for 6 years at a local parochial school. I quit teaching when my first son, Jay, was born 17 years ago. He is now a senior in high school. Robert, the second son, is a junior and plays the tuba in the band. He is 16 years old.  Anthony is 14 years old and in the 8th grade. He enjoys the game of soccer and is very artistic. Patrick is 11 years old and is a spelling champion and avid reader. Gregory, 9 years old, will always be my "baby."  Being the mother of 5 sons is truly  a unique and wonderful experience. Does every house have a, "No bathroom talk  during dinner" rule? I don't think so.
     I spent 5 years working part time as a Community Resource Officer for the Mobile Police Department. I have learned the police dispatching code and burped it back on an examination last week. Have you ever wondered the police code for a traffic accident without injury? It's 8.
     I enjoy watching my children play sports and enjoy being active too. I am a member of the USTA and play tennis competitively on the local and state level. Tennis is truly a sport for a lifetime.
     I am renewing my teaching certificate this semester. I am ready to get back into the classroom and make a difference in the lives of children. 




Time Management


   
  According to Dr. Pausch, managing time can be a lot like managing your money. People should, and usually do, spend their money on things that are important to them.  People should also spend their time on things that are important.  The skill of time management comes from both positive and negative experiences in your life. You can't fake these experiences.
         I also learned and agree with the idea of setting goals each day. If I have a goal of cleaning the 4 bathrooms in my house, then, according to Dr. Pausch, I should start with the dirtiest one. When you get the difficult part of a task behind you, then the rest can be more pleasant. I try to put this into practice.
     I know Dr. Pausch had a deadly form of cancer and wrote his last lecture. His lecture became a best-selling book. May he rest in peace.



Penn State


     The Penn State time management exercises can be very helpful to many college students. I think the list of time wasting activities and time saving activities can make you reflect on how you are using your time. I don't like to waste time and tend not to do that or my house and life will be in chaos. Sometimes I try too hard and then make careless errors and that sets me back. I will ask for help when necessary in edm310. I will  try to avoid frustration by giving myself a starting and stopping time for the class. I must also set my priorities every day, which I usually do, and reach my goals.






4 comments:

  1. Tricia,
    You seem like you have had a very eventful life so far, especially with 5 boys at home! My mom and dad went crazy with 4 girls and 1 boy, so I can't imagine how you managed to find time to do anything but raise your children and keep them from picking fights with each other since they are so close in age.
    For Dr. Pausch I agree that it is a lot like budgeting money and am still learning to do both. If you have any advice that you are willing to share I would be happy to hear it.
    Jeni Stovall

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  2. Jeni,

    Thank you for the comments. I have learned through my experiences and hopefully they will help me when I return to the classroom. I'm always willing to share my experiences and help someone. I know I still have a lot to learn, however. Good luck this semester. Tricia

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  3. Well done!

    I am glad you changed the font for Post #2 and left justified it. This post was difficult to read.

    Welcome to EDM310!

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  4. Dr. Strange,
    I edited post #1 with a better font for future visitors. Thank you for the suggestion.

    I'm glad to be learning so much in EDM310.
    Tricia

    ReplyDelete