No More Road Blocks

College Unbound has changed my life!

 I am so grateful for all the people there who are supporting me through this next chapter in my life. Thank You! I can't continue to allow road blocks to deter me from my goal of finishing college. I am focused on me this time. As a teacher I have witnessed the development of many children as they grew and flourished into young people. I love what I do and I know I am making a difference in their lives. College Unbound is helping me to appreciate who I am as teacher and learner!

Chickens and Horses

Question A
On a farm there are chickens and horses. There are total of 118 heads and 298 legs. How many chickens are on the farm?
Show how you know!  
118 heads. 31 of them are horses. 31 x 4= 124.
 87 chickens with two legs each = 174
totaling 298 legs on the farm.

My understanding of the math I learned on Khan

1) I watched the Beauty of Algebra video.
I learned that math is the universal language. I already had an understanding that math can be the voice for people that speak another language from me but I had no idea that it could possible be the language that may connect us to the rest of the universe. That is so exciting! The video taught me that in algebra x or any symbol can mean lots of things and if you divide x by y which can also stand for anything I want, lots of great things can happen. I learned that letters can stand in for any item or symbol to make an equation like y=p(x) also in physics f=m(a) which is force equals mass times acceleration. It's the same equation only using different symbols. The beauty of this equation is that it can be used in any application. And it's not so hard to understand.
Algebra is not very hard for me but its getting a better understanding of the topic and remembering what I've learned is the hard part. I'm excited to learn more.

2) Understanding variables video:

As I watch the videos on variables I didn't know, or maybe I forgot I knew, that a negative number times a positive number equals a negative number. The practices stumped me twice. But it didn't stop me! I tried two more problems. Here's one I did:
c=4 and d=8
-10(c) +3(d) +5
I got -49 but the answer is -11 and I don't understand how they got that answer

Another problem I did looked like this:
b equals 6(6) and a equals 1
6b squared + 5a-5
The answer is 216
This problem looked like it was going to stump me but guess what? I REMEMBERED! I remembered that squared is multiplication.

3) Combining like items:
While watching the video I learned that 2x+3x=5x and then I learned that I can not add different items together such as y's to x's. Such as 7y+2x+3x+2y= 9y+5x. That was cool.
Now I did a problem with combining items and I don't understand how they got their answer. My answer was -1b+3. The computer said the simplified answer was just b+3. Why?

Math assignments

1) Question B -

Maria needs to save $500 to swim with the dolphins.  So far she has saved $75.

What percent of the total has she saved?

Answer :I got 75 divided by 500 = .15 which also =15%

2) December 3- Question D

 A strange scene : imagine a conveyor belt, with tins placed at regular intervals onto the belt at one end, moving along at a steady rate towards a labeling machine at the far end. A gerbil starts from a tin at the beginning of the belt and steadily jumps from tin to tin, finally jumping off immediately before the labeling machine.

When the gerbil jumps at a rate of one jump per second he arrives at the labeling machine in 20 jumps but if he speeds up and manages two jumps per second he can fit in 32 jumps before the end of the line.

How many tins are there on the line ?

Answer:

Gerbil- 1 jump per sec arrives at labeling station in 20 jumps
32 x 2 = 64 cans
20 jumps per second = 20 cans in 20 seconds
2 jumps per second times 32 jumps = 64 cans


3) Question A

In Fred's Design School, 25 % of the teachers teach art. If there are 50 art teachers, how many teachers are there in the school all together?

x= 50 divided by .25 = 200

200 times .25 = 50

4) Question C

Suppose 6 goats take 6 minutes to eat 6 pumpkins.

How long would it take 2 goats to eat 2 pumpkins? Answer: 2 minutes

How many goats would it take to eat 30 pumpkins in 30 minutes? Answer: 30 goats

5) Question D:

After baking a delicious pie, I cut it into 8 equal slices.  

After eating a piece, what percent of the pie is left?

Answer: 7 divided by 8= .875 which roughly equals 88%

6) December 3 Question 3

 Place each of the numbers 1 to 5 in the V shape above so that the two arms of the V have the same total (when added together).

How many different possibilities are there? Answer: at least 3
What do you notice about all the solutions you find? Answer: I found that when I put the odd number at the base it worked for me.

Can you explain what you see? Answer: I saw a pattern. If I add the highest and lowest numbers to the base on one side and add the two numbers in the middle plus the base on the other I will get equal numbers.  

Can you convince someone that you have all the solutions? Answer: Yes I can. ex: putting 5 at the base and 1 and 4 in the left circles and 2 and 3 in the right I was able to find 10 on both sides. If I put 3 at the base I put 2 and 4 on the left side and 1 and 5 on the right. I got 9 for both sides. 

What happens if we use the numbers from 2 to 6? From 12 to 16? From 37 to 41? From 103 to 107?

Answer is the same. It works out if all the base numbers are odd.
What can you discover about a V that has arms of length 4 using the numbers 1-7?

Answer:  Adding a 4th to the V and using numbers 1-7. I got my wish. Putting an even number at the base worked out.

Math in the work I do

Math took over my life!
I'm involved in a math course with Rachel Brian and because of that I have gained a personal interest in math for preschoolers. I have come to realize that children benefit from more math activities.

I have discovered that I average 15 mins a day to work with the 9 children involved in my project. The best times to work with them are between 10 and 10:15. Giving me 1 minute and 55 seconds to work with each child.  It has come to my attention that I can squeeze an extra 10 mins at the beginning and the end of each day totaling 35 mins for the whole day. That's now 4 minutes 28 seconds of time for the whole day per child. An extra 3 minutes and 13 seconds! Most of the children come to school late and leave early. Leaving roughly 5 children at these "squeeze in" times.  The percentage of children that I will reach from beginning of the day to the end of the day averages 56%
5 children at the end of each day divided by 9 children involved= roughly 56% or .55 of the children I may reach throughout the day.

Spiders in my hair

Spiders In My Hair

Kneeling in my tomato garden I notice a web. Glistening in the sun light it's wet from the recent rains. It's hard to see though beautiful. I search and scan. Looking up and under the leaves for the host. Then, I see her. Scared at first. I'm frozen. We eyeball each other. My two on her. Her eight on me. I continue my purpose as if I hadn't noticed. She waits as I harvest. Try as I might, I work hard not to disturb her craft. She sits and ponders my existence. I wonder about our probable contact. I wonder about a spider in my hair. Will I freak? Will I scream? No, I am instantly calm. Something comes over me. A wave, like a blanket of warmth. I wash my worries away with dreams of the future. Spiders in my hair. I cleanse myself of all death from the past, Of all deep purple webs of hate and impatience. With spiders in my hair I welcome the wonderful adventure of change through College Unbound!

More ways I Work resilience into my life

The one concept that I forget to use when dealing with stress and the feeling of failure is Taking Deep Breaths. I have had feelings of anxiety and I forget that I can step out and take five breaths in and three breaths out. It was nice to read this part as a refresher course for dealing with stress and feelings if failure. I use lots of ways to feel better about situations. Using the Me/Not Me thinking and the Always/ Not Always thinking. So I didn't feel I need to say I learned something new when I didn't.

My Resilience

I couldn't view the whole video by Angela Duckworth. It broke up on my 4 minutes in. Even though the video was very short, I did like what she had to say. I liked the readings very much. One concept I liked, and I liked them all, was the idea that post traumatic stress could cause people to experience failure. In my own life I had experienced a feeling of failure. Years ago my husband left me nine days after my second daughter was born. He remarried less than two years later. I didn't think he would move on that fast and replace me which made me feel very depressed. It took many years for me to recover from that feeling but once I did I felt I was more resilient because of the divorce. My daughters and I had so much fun when I got back on my feet. We traveled, we danced we lived life to the fullest! I can relate to JK Rowling. It was almost as if getting a divorce, falling on my face, this close to being homeless really helped me become a better mom and a better woman all around.

Some of the other concepts I agree with are the four basic dimensions: achievement, community, spirituality, and legacy. I also liked the idea Robert Emmons expressed, when one is lost the others get stronger. Love that! To rebuild is another concept I like. To rebuild your life is to start fresh to gain independence to experience what it means to refresh your life. I liked the connection to the great cities of Chicago and London and the great fires they had to suffer through which Made them a better place.

Nine ways to fail better:
I appreciated the nine points to pay attention to when dealing with failure.
My favorite of the nine was ways to cultivate optimism. Emotion awareness, impulse control, multiple respective thinking , empathy all help me calm in the heat of fire where the thought of failure might rear its ugly head. I value the idea that you can change the way you view a situation to help you achieve a better outcome in the face of failure.

I do harness the Bridget Jones Effect!
I started blogging to help me with problematics situations and hard times in my life. When I started College Unbound I had to start a blog for school. It was like just adding another leg to the table. Extra support and easily adapted. I am here, I am strong, I am resilient. I can do anything.

Thinks to remember;
Don't blame yourself
Don't say ALWAYS
Don't say CAN'T
And don't say NEVER

Chickens and Horses

Question A
On a farm there are chickens and horses. There are total of 118 heads and 298 legs. How many chickens are on the farm?
Show how you know!  
118 heads. 31 of them are horses. 31 x 4= 124.
 87 chickens with two legs each = 174
totaling 298 legs on the farm.

A Pre-Schooler and Self Assessment
A Personal Review
After my presentation on A Pre-Schooler and Self Assessment and after the feedback I received I came to the conclusion that I need to engage with my audience more. I had two people hand in feedback from my presentation and they both noted my need to read less and engage more. I took from the readings that it’s very important to be honest with yourself because this is the key to being honest and true to others. When you are honest with yourself  it would come organically when engaging with others. On that note, I will begin by being honest.

The direction for the project was to allow my photographs, videos and quotes from my project to speak for themselves. I didn't anticipate myself as the focus piece for the project. My project was designed with a huge projector in mind. When I heard that I would not be projecting my project onto a big screen, I felt that a monkey wrench was thrown into the mix. The problem was that it was too late to change it. I had already finished my work. I needed a plan 2 for mishaps. However, for this project I feel that I didn’t take into consideration that things would turn the way they did. I understand the feedback and I appreciate them.

In my learning plan I added Communication as part of my growth and learning with RWU and College Unbound. I am still working on being able to feel comfortable speaking in front of a crowd. The moment I opened my laptop that night, I felt unsure of my own abilities to speak about something I already know so well. Teaching preschoolers, it’s what I do and I do it very well.  I will practice talking without reading from notes and learn how to reach down deep into my own knowledge and heart to share what I have to give.
In conclusion, I agree with my critiques when they said I need to engage my audience. I will work harder next time to give space and time for the paradoxes of life.

Delectable Treats

The Creative Whack Pack

The Explorer:

1) See! Hear! Taste! Feel! Smell! I will listen in my environment  and record all that I hear children saying. What motivates them? What moves them? Act on it!

2) Find a Pattern. I can introduce the changing season as a pattern to use in Art for my project with Simon and the rest of The Maples.

3) Expect The Unexpected. Simon might change his mind or become frustrated with the process.

4) Use A Random Idea. What way can we use a mirror in our class and connect it to art?

The Artist:

1) Reverse Your Viewpoint. I would love to see how Simon sees his art. What pictures come up in his mind? What is his vision?

2) Make a Comparison. My project is all about discovery. Cause and effect. Seeing the benefits of a child becoming self aware. Like when a child first learns to walk.

3) Imagine How Others Would Do It. Others might add video. and self discovery. What I had learned from observing Simon and documenting his self discovery.

4) Change Its Name. I could rename it Open Ended Thinking Through The Arts.

The Judge:

1) Focus On The Real Truth. My focus should be on Simon and the other children’s development in my class without having to connect it to my college blog.

2) Ask A Fool. A fool might say, “If the child were the teacher and the teacher the student what would you learn from that child?” I would learn/remember the endless possibilities that is childhood. Without fear I would embrace my creativity.

3) Slay A Sacred Cow. I wouldn't have to “slay” any animal. My school has endless resources. The rules a policies today outweigh what was once everyday procedures when I first started. Now, we can do anything.

4) Check Your Timing. My timing is right on time for this kind of documentation. I will follow this group up to the four year old class. We have a ways to go before we leave each other. 

The Warrior:

1) Put A Lion In Your Heart. Pass success has made me believe I can do this with great ease and understanding.

2) Be Dissatisfied. The amount of time I have to do this is disappointing to me. I want to be done by Dec. I am disappointed in myself for holding off college this long. I am rushed to do it and do it well. Self Goal.

3) Get Rid Of Excuses. If I could get rid of three excuses they would be:
A) I was unable to get the Power point going. B) I am missing files. And, C) I lost audio.

4) Get Support. I would ask, plan visits, set up meet and greets. I would follow up with calls and/or emails.


The Four C Model
I understood The Four C Model pretty well. I just didn't think that long reading was necessary to get the point across. It was too long and the font was very small. At first it came off as confusing. I didn't understand the Cs. Mini or otherwise till later in the reading. I could sum up the reading in this one paragraph. Here it is: Everyone is born with some interest in creativity. In this paragraph we will refer to the four levels of creativity as such:  Beginners we will call mini c. Local talent will be called little c. Some training in the field? Let’s call them Pro c and if you make it big, well you are a  Big C. Everyone is born a mini c. It’s up to us all if we decide to stay at the beginners level or reach on up to the Pro Creative level. Not everyone will make it to the Big Creative level. This is the dream of a lifetime. Think of New York City. If You can make it there, you've arrived!

I did like the part on Helen Keller. I had no idea! That section of the reading was important to understanding the Pro creative and Big creative levels. In the end I saw Helen as Big.

My Thoughts on Critical Thinking and Self Assessment

Critical Thinking

 I was fascinated  and excited to learn that I will need to dive deeper into critical thinking.  I find that I evaluate many areas of interest and fact based information daily. I seek to learn and know about more things. At times I feel like a walking encyclopedia of random nonsensical nonsense.  I research, for fun, things I want to know more about. I try not to apply critique to something before I have all of the facts. When in a discussion with someone else, I may want to devote all of my knowledge of the topic with proof on hand, so there is no room for miscommunication or misunderstandings. I weigh all of the options and seek to understand the other person's point of view. It's not easy using critical thinking. I do not imply that I am very skilled at all with the technique. Critical thinking requires one to be reflective on ones own faults and admit that one can be wrong. It's the being wrong part that's hard for me. Keeping an open mind is key to being a critical thinker. Looking at all sides and validating your opponent's option is vital to growing stronger as a critical thinker. Critical thinking is premeditated thoughtful thinking. I learned from the reading that you must first have self discipline and control and that's important. With blinders on and a one tract mind you can not move forward.

Applying critical thinking to my project allows me to understand the whole child I will be evaluating. Here's what I learned, Critical thinking is fundamental to assessment. Without critical thinking it might be very difficult to examine all of the elements of learning, development and understanding the importance that is Early Childhood Education. My project A Preschooler and Self Assessment will follow a small child in his discoveries in the arts. In the beginning of the school year I asked him what it was he wanted to learn in my class. He thought for a moment and responded with, "I want to learn how to paint beautiful." I observed his play for a week and started to document his work. He seemed like an open minded child ready to tackle anything. His interest in sensory play was key to knowing his level of tolerance to certain things like a soapy sensory table and sand. I begin to understand how far I can take him within the 7th RIELS domain of The Arts. I used critical thinking to understand his style of learning and my style of teaching and taking observations on him. Thinking on my biases and influences on him, I use self regulation to make sure I am not forcing my options onto him. I know he is looking to me to give answers and help him help himself, however, I wonder how much of my presents will effect him. How will I impact his decisions making? How might my biases change his interest? I have decided not to give input but ask him what he is wanting to do next regarding art. I want him to know that there is no limit to what he can do. I don't want to apply my own voice. I want to hear his. I ask lots of questions of him and take many pictures of his play to help him reflect back on at the end of each week.  I use analysis to examine ideas and put into play events that will create self discovery and my goal for him, self assessment. As a student myself, I  have made a template and/or guide line that I will follow to help me keep track of potential ideas he might come up with. I will infer to my notes and records for potential conclusions as to what he might want to do next. They will change. I am certain of that.

My Reflections on The Little Black Book

After reading The Little Black Book by Jeffrey Gitomer I became motivated to get connected to all of the people I am so very close to in my field. However, The reading came off to me like a "business" motivational preaching tool that you hear in seminars. I am not one to attend these kinds of ,"Feel Good" meetings but it did speak to me. Although I felt that way in the beginning, I read on. I came to the conclusion that it is a homework assignment after all, and I HAVE to read it.

My mother has always said that you have to do it weather you want to or not. Like it or not. So, I read on. The parts I did liked about the readings were the sections where Jeffrey talks about self esteem and how it plays a critical role in making it or not making it in successful connections. My self esteem issues come up when I compare myself to my peers who have their bachelor's degrees. I do not...yet. When I finish CU my goal is to connect with worthwhile people to collaborate with. Perhaps in a freelance sort of field or I can go national with NAEYC. At this time in my life I'm not looking to climb the corporate ladder of success. I want to help children as well as myself.

The truth that my sex is not as rare in my field as my blackness, makes me want to be involved in helping the communities in which I've come from. The low income black community. The demographic that I am currently working with are wealthy white doctors, lawyers and professors. I think I will better help those families that are struggling with the same childhood questions the doctor is struggling with but also struggles that include ways to keep their lights on and put food on the table. The doctor has worries but may not have the real life survival worries that the bus driver, or preschool teacher, like myself, making less than $30,000 a year have. These kinds of worries carry over to the children in the home which carries over to that child's performance in school. I know, I've been in their shoes.

I'm not at all saying that all black families are struggling and all white families got it made with a few exceptions like common early childhood dilemmas. I want to be clear about this. There is no doubt that I have had many privileged whites and not enough young black families, privileged or not coming in to my school. Although I've been there for 14 years, my boss may say that I don't know the financial backgrounds of my families in my care and that's true. I don't know.

 I can only see the few vs. the many. I know my school is expensive and I know that many families (black, white, Hispanic, etc) have their fair share of difficult times. However, I am feeling a sense of responsibility to help those that don't often come into my school. They deserve the same attention I pay to the doctor's children. The same energy to help their child succeed and do well in public school. I want to put a smile on their face at the end of the day that I could help them elevate any preschool stress and help their child become ready to learn.

 My mom was single parent struggling as first a student and later a military soldier. I went to school hungry, unprepared, cold and/or sleepy too often. She doesn't know this because I wanted to put on a happy face for her not to worry about me. She had enough to worry about.

Looking back on my life experience I want to connect with people connecting to this demographic. I think young black mothers need to see a teacher that looks like them, been where they are and who can help them feel that they are not alone. They don't need to feel like they are being judged or looked down upon because they are struggling to make their childcare payments. I really want to be there for them.

Rongina Driggers
September 2012

My Little Black Book

The Little Black Book
Rongina Driggers CU Student
Adam Bush Cohort Adviser


My score for the Little Black Book Connection Test is  60. The scoring remarks state that I am, "In the BIG CLUB of people who think they're 'pretty good', but in reality are just getting there." It also states that I should, "Make a game plan to intensify my efforts." I'm pretty happy with the score although I know I could have gotten an 80. Most of my excuses I'm about to give are due to self esteem. I do not yet have my bachelor's degree in Early Childhood. Lots of the people in my field do and it's one of the first things stated in their stats when you read their bio. I felt for a long time that I was embarrassed to show that I do not have one yet. I put myself on hold to feed my very young and growing family. With that excuse out of the way, I'm here to say that my skills are excellent and my knowledge on the subject is better I think than lots of teachers who have BOOK smarts and not field smarts like me.

 I know what I'm doing and I know what I want. I am poised when speaking and confident in my own abilities. The score of 60 represents my connections with members of the BFP community. The parents, staff, and Administrators and people who come to do workshops and make observations. I am in contact with some of the old staff that has gone on to other jobs and adventures in life. Even though they now longer work with me at BFP I continue to work with them on a regular bases. Most of the higher ups in my field are easily reachable through my current contacts and Yes I can make a greater effort to get connected with these people.

The three books I'd like to read to better myself are:

* Already Ready by Katie Wood Ray and Matt Glover
*In Pictures And In Words by Katie Wood Ray
*The Myth of the First Three Years: A New Understanding of Early Brain development and Lifelong Learning by John Bruer

The Person I would like to get to know better is:
*Michele Palermo Director of Early Childhood at Education Department in Providence RI

Let's unpack our RRACC PAACC and get busy learning

Where we will use:

• Applied Knowledge

• Critical Thinking

• Problem Solving

• Communication

• Accountability

• Collaboration

• Creativity

• Reflection

• Resilience

• Advocacy for Self & Others

(INFJ) My MMDI Report

INFJ
"If your closest personality type is INFJ then you have a strong, private sense of knowledge and vision, often for hidden things that other people would think can't be known. You see imaginative possibilities and insights, especially in relation to people, anticipating a future for them that they can't even see themselves. Although you probably have some strong relationships, your insights may be so unusual that others find them difficult to accept, and you may therefore find it difficult to articulate them."

I learned that I am a caring and understanding person. I liked taking the MMDI test even after speaking to a young man after class who told me that he was very upset he had to do it saying it wasn't an accurate test. I've taken this test before for a workshop I attended at BFP. I’ve noticed my score changed. I don’t remember the original letters so you’re just have to take my word for it.
There are times I feel I want to help the less fortunate. I felt as though I would have liked to visit other preschools to help them better their curriculum. I'm not sure if I'm burned out but the passion is not there anymore. I love music and photography and I like to allow young children to explore both and this is currently where my focus lies.

I agree with the report that states I see imaginative possibilities and insights, especially in relation to people. That makes me feel good because that's exactly what I wanted to be. What hurts my feeling from the report is the part that says others might see me as unusual and might have difficulty accepting me. I feel and this report states that I am accepting of people but because I am “unusual” others might not accept me. That hurts but true.  I feel that I AM misunderstood often and others don't have the patience to figure me out when I go out of my way to understand them. It happens to me all the time. I have often feel that I should not care so much about people and maybe I wouldn’t get hurt. But that’s not my style.  

In the end, the report was interesting and fun to take.  
Rongina Driggers
Sept 11, 2012

• (May We Never Forget)

My Generation X

Rongina Driggers

Adam Bush College Unbound

Writing Sample

September 10, 2012

                                        Generation X and The Rapidly Developing Technological Mind

     "They took the credit for your second symphony. Rewritten by machine on new technology,  now

 understand the problems you can see. Oh-a oh" 

The English rock band Buggles sang a famous song for a generation. My generation. A song in which we embraced the quickly growing new technology of the 1980's. The technology of the TV from bunny ears to cable. From radio to video. Videos showing your favorite artist performing the very song you loved from the radio. You can now VIEW that song. You can see it being sung at the same time while listening. Amazing! The Walkman changed the way we listen to music. As a young teen, that was ALL I wanted to do!  There was a boom of technological growth in the computer age from office computers to home computers which eventually lead to laptops, notebooks and smart phones. Generation X is what they call my generation. I am proud to be a member of that unnamed generation, that raggedy and mismatched group of misfits. We hacky sacked and slammed danced our way through our teens and dreamed of the future. 

Generation X-ers where fortunate to see such a change. I can remember when my mom bought our very first Beta machine. OH MAN! We could now watch movies at home? FAR OUT! A New age shift in the way we communicated with each other and entertain ourselves. Video Killed The Radio Star generation. Kindle killed Borders generation and Beta killed the drive in generation.

We, as advancing educated people, can not be blind to the ever changing technological times. However, I agree with Nicholas Carr most days because I'm a historian and nostalgic at heart. I love real books and my 35mm cameras. I find it so ridiculous that I say I like these things but there was a time when they didn't exist either. It makes me laugh.

In Carr's essay, he talks about the changing times of information and data, quick reads and blogging and the notion that our cognition might not keep up with it all. Mr. Carr's essay starts with a great quote from a famous movie and later list research and other quotes from educated men and woman including quotes from world renowned Socrates. Socrates explicitly stood against the idea of the written word. Saying the written word will kill the spoken word and in the end kill the man. I was fascinated by the history he spoke of and the trials and tribulations of the people involved during that time. Just Fascinated! I enjoyed reading about Socrates very much. I found myself wanting to search Google to learn more about the history and came to the realization that Carr was right! That I have become lazy and impatient!

Carr stresses his point saying, "The Net has become the universal medium."  And he's right. I have often found it difficult, frustrating and bothersome at times to have to go and search ,in a book, flipping through the pages, to satisfy a seemingly simple question. Now history can prove that I had existed in the days of encyclopedias and have used them for school projects. History can also prove that it wasn't that long ago that I used the public library to borrow hard copy books and videos to entertain myself and two young daughters.

 How soon we forget. Today I ask myself, "Where will I begin if I wanted information without the use of my laptop?" I don't have encyclopedias in my house. Gee, the last time I saw a set of these books I was 10 years old. I don't go to the library anymore. Why should I? My source for information should I want it can be discovered with a touch of a button, right at my finger tips.

Last night I screamed at my computer screen with discuss and bitterness in the back of my throat. In real life I am an advocate for the simple life. I want to be grid free! I own free range chickens and an organic garden! I follow the creed that is Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! How can I be addicted to the artificial mind that is Google? Surly this must be a joke. After reading Carr's essay I had a conversation with my family on this very topic. 

My daughters think the article Carr wrote is, "Silly".  My middle daughter Taylor asked, "Then how are you going to find what you're looking for?" And she's right too!  It's true, in this day and age to keep up with technology we must go forward. In Carr's ideal world, we would have to go BACK to the past to find what we're looking for and to further our education. As romantic as it sounds it's time consuming. Todays technology has outgrown those days. We must allow our brains to evolve to keep up. We must set our minds to trust in own bodies to grow with the vast changing unknown.

Now, I can understand the concern Carr has with computers. Thinking they might take over and start having 

feelings and such. But that's just movie magic. I can understand his nostalgia and his feelings about our minds becoming robotic and letting go of all naturally emotional control but, that's not going to happen. Carr quoted James Olds who said, "The adult mind is very plastic. breaking old connections and forming new ones." Just imagine the possibilities!

 My body and mind has the ability to work as a healer, communicator, processor all in one. I want to exercise my mind more. Challenge myself, work harder. Imagine where we can go. I never in a thousand years thought I would be able to see the video for Video Killed a radio Star on a cellular, hand held, smart phone when I was ten years old. Never in my lifetime! How amazing! I want to feel as brave and smart as Steve Jobs was. He was a genius! I want us to grow as humans. Not to be stifled in my mind. I don't want to ever forget where we came from but I sure as hell don't want a mental block either and forget where we're going. 

"In my mind and in my car

 we can't rewind we've gone too far.

Video Killed The Radio Star"

Rongina Driggers

Preschool Teacher and Amateur Photographer

September 2012

This I Believe

The Phoenix From the Fire

“Of The Wombs I've Come

And The Wombs That Have Come Of mine,

I Am Whole.”

I wrote this poem last year after my daughter told me she had gotten engaged! I love poetry. I  am an amateur poet. Sometimes I write to clear my head or to remember a feeling I had experienced. I am also an amateur photographer in my spare time. I have three blogs dedicated photography and poetry called Twigs In Her Hair. Photography and poetry both pull me towards Life.  My senses and my daughters are my muse. Exploring with both helped me to overcome a lot of social obstacles I was struggling with in my life. I guess you can say I was shy.

Last month, my best friend of 20 years Ann, asked me to write a poem for her of an experience she had at a party the night before. I smiled instantly when she asked. A thought of confidence crossed my mind at the notion of helping a friend.  I can do this, No problem. That would be awesome! Then I thought about the fact that she asked me to transcribe for her a feeling of fulfillment and eureka that SHE had. At that moment, the feeling went from awesomeness to honorable. I felt honored she asked ME!

She starts telling the story so I can get the gist. The images she wants me to write about would have made me cry if I saw it in person. What she saw that night that inspired her and moved her so deeply was something out of a dream. She said, "I saw their auras. I saw their souls and auras dancing in harmony! I felt reborn that night Gina. While I was dancing with these people. I became connected with myself. I found my inner Indigo Child. Can you write something about this for me? About the Indigo Child?"

I listened a little more about the spiritual night she had. All I could say was, "That's so special Ann! Sure I can but, Why me?" She said, "You write so beautifully Gina. I love your stuff. I know you can bring my vision to life." She trusts me to put HER experience into words.  That morning, I learned that I need to have more confidence in my own abilities. I need to trust myself.

College Unbound told me I had to write a paper on This I Believe. This is so cool I thought. No one has ever asked me to do this before. I have to somehow  find in my heart what  I truly Believe in.
Thinking more on “This I Believe”, I remembered something else. Years ago a woman at my school approached me and asked if I could take pictures of her family. She said, "I will pay you. I've seen your pictures online. You're really good Gina you should sell your work!" I felt completely shy, not at all confident and tongue tied to boot. For whatever reason, when someone complimented my photography or the words I've written, I become shy and withdrawn.

I didn’t matter what it was I didn't truly trust myself.  But why?. After my conversation with Ann I went back in the past to find out where this feeling of self doubt came from. When did I start writing to help myself feel better? Where do I begin to paint the pictures of my life? Where do I begin to talk about trust and love?  Although I'm proud of my accomplishments today, I survived something no one should have to live through. And it hit me.

Sixteen years ago my husband left me. My baby girl was nine days old when my life changed in my heart. Up until that point in my life, my what I felt about love was the same. Up until July 3rd 1996 my love was trusting. When I was younger I had no reason NOT to trust love. My mother bestowed upon me unconditional love. As did my grandmother and aunties. My brother and sister came into my life years later and the unconditional love continued. The love I have for my daughters can never be measured.

But the part of love that you share with a spouse, I learned, CAN be measured and mine was. Five years. I married young and I divorced young. The divorce came as a surprise. I locked myself away for years. I lost weight and became sick. I lost myself and then, one day, I started to write. I wrote everything I've been feeling over these past 16 years. I had an emotional break down. To think that I almost killed myself over love makes me sad to this day. I didn't plan on suicide or anything dumb like that but, my body wanted to shut off. I was unreachable and incapable of plugging back in. I was a zombie. There were times when I even sent my little girl to school in dirty clothes. I had no idea how bad off I was until I put pen to paper.
The first poem I ever wrote is called Winter Morning Blue. It reflects my life at the time, my experiences and desires. Writing has helped me get over lots of things that have plagued my life.  I put a lot of things on the back burner including the trust I should have had in myself to accomplish something and reach my goals like finishing college.  Ann and lots of other people who love and support me saw it, but I didn't.  It had been a long time since I had any respect for myself. Writing poems and short stories and taking pictures, beautiful pictures, have been the key to healing my own heart. I grew from the ashes of that dead love. Unconditional love was once again born in me.

I am The Phoenix that came from the fire. This new woman became possible because I started believing in myself. I am worthy, I am lovable, I am somebody and I NEED me. I became the epic ending of that sad chapter in my life and I didn’t even know until today.
Now healed from the past, I realize today that I WAS hurt. Badly.
I was unhinged and discontented. When my husband left I felt as though I had nothing left to stand on. As I grow older I realized that I had to be hurt in order to grow stronger.
I post my pictures and poems online all the time now. I now value what people have to say about my work whether it’s good or bad. And maybe I wasn't shy after all.  Becoming a student at College Unbound also has boosted a sense of pride and confidence in myself. I am giddy. Ask anyone! I feel the love for myself now and  I know I can do anything!  In THIS (Point to self),  
I Believe!

Rongina Driggers
Ameteur Photographer and Poet
www.toomanytwigs.blogspot.com

Hi Adam!
Rongina  here! This is my new college blog.