Week 2 Reading Diary, continued: Biblical Women

The story I decided to read this week is Biblical Women written by the authors of the Bible.

The story of The Witch of Endor is quite interesting. Although King Saul was probably used to getting his way, the witch wasn't automatically willing to give up her safety to help him. She said " Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?" I think I could definitely use this is useful aspect of this story for my story. Also, I think having the main character (like Saul) have to "struggle" to get what he/she wants instead of it being handed over keeps the story interesting.

The story of Bathsheba is also so intriguing. I say this because even though she made the bad decisions and David did what he did to Uriah, she still loved Uriah and "mourned for her husband". This could be an interesting aspect to add to a story where "love conquers all" even one individual (like David) feels like they have the other's feelings "in the bad".

In the story of Esther, one “favorite moment” or aspect that I have is the whole idea of Esther’s secret that she is keeping from the king. In addition, not only is she keeping a big secret, she doesn't know what will happen if she tells the king- be killed or that it will save her people. I find this interesting because the character that you “least” expect to have the “answer” to the problem or to know valuable information, is the one that has it. Also, another important aspect is to never be fooled by character’s “kindness”, they may be the most evil ones.

Next, the story of Susanna shows the possibility of someone proving someone else “wrong” when it comes to a decision. This could be useful when thinking about the plot of a story and if we should automatically assume what’s said is true. In the stories about Mary, this shows to never be surprised with a “plot twist” in the story. The author can change the story completely in the matter of one situation. Lastly, it’s important to watch how different characters will act in different ways towards situation, other characters, and troubles they are facing (Mary and Martha’s reactions).

Esther being dressed by her maids. This could possibly be before she tells the kind she is a Jew (hence her looking sad or worried). Source: Esther

Week 2 Reading Diary: Bible Women

I hope I did this correctly! 

The story I decided to read this week is Biblical Women written by the authors of the Bible. 

There were a few moments that stood out to me during the first section of reading. For one, all of the women mentioned were the ones who were being put to the test in the story. Also, in all of the stories the woman was the one who enacted the “plot twist” for the story with a major decision. For example, with Eve, it was a decision she made to eat the fruit. With Sarah, it was also about a decision she made about letting Abraham sleep with Hagar. With Hagar, it was a little different; she had to make a decision as to whether or not she believed enough in God to save her and her son. These women, along with the rest ended up being the surprise “game changer” for the story. This common plot throughout all of the stories is interesting and could be useful for writing my own stories. I could use the idea of having the same plot for all parts of the story and having different characters be the ones who make the story turn out that way. In addition, like the Biblical women stories, I could continue the theme of having all the “same” main character in each part. Meaning, I could use all female or male, adults or children, or even animals as the one “type” of character that always seems to be the one who changes the plot of the story. Lastly, I think the setup of the stories is interesting to look at as well. They were all “headed” one way, then the big decisions were made (by the women), then the story completely changed from it’s original plan. However, with these decisions, God always turned the story around, possibly making it end even better than it could have before. This type of character could be used as a God, hero, or "fairy godmother" type of character in my story.

Photo showing Hagar's trust in the Lord to protect her and her son (with an angel) after being sent away by Abraham. Source by Tiepolo on: Wikimedia Commons

H.E.A.R.T. Learning Challenges

Just like the growth mindset, I think the H.E.A.R.T. learning challenges are just as important.

While I was reading through all the pieces of H.E.A.R.T., I could see different aspects of each that I either have heard before, have done in my life, or that I have told myself that I should do.  I think that is what is so great about this type of information- you can always continue learning from it and applying it to your life.

Since I am a college student, you would think that I would chose the "T" for time management as the one that interests me the most. However, as I was looking through the letters, another one actually stood out more to me. Out of the choices, the one that is of my interest to me, in this moment of my life, is "A" for attention.  I feel odd deciding on that one, but when I read it I thought to myself, "Hmm, these challenges are definitely ones I could do to improve my relationships, my overall grasp of what is going on around me, and teaching myself to better focus on the task at hand". I think "attention" can be used for multiple aspects of my life such as with school, work, my relationships, family, etc. Being a college student, life can get very busy and sometimes it's hard to focus on one thing and actually pay attention to what's going on around me. I think if I try to apply some of the ideas that were given to my life, I think they could definitely benefit me in multiple ways at this time in my life. 

Out of the H.E.A.R.T. choices. the one that I feel that I have actually already been working on would be "H" for happiness.  I say this not because I was "unhappy" before, but I have learned since coming to college that I need to make decisions about my relationships, things that I am involved in, my career choice, and so many other things that make me happy overall. Starting a year ago, I started getting more and more involved on campus with different clubs, plus I was willing to get out of my comfort zone to try new things. In addition, last summer I decided to change my major to Human Relations, which was a complete 180 from where I started when I first came to OU. Throughout all these changes and new experiences, I have tried to keep a positive attitude and know I'm not defined by my grades or how people view me or my major and I think that has helped tremendously with my happiness (and even my health), which I think is something everyone (especially new college freshman) needs to hear.

All in all, I think all the aspects of H.E.A.R.T. are important to work on and continue to learn about. However, I do think at different times in our lives, we focus on one aspect more than another because of the specific season, time, or challenges we may be facing at that moment and I think that is perfectly okay.  

I love how this quote can be applied to any area of life. I believe our circumstances do not determine our happiness. Source: photo by BK on Flicker.

My Thoughts on Growth Mindset

I love the whole idea of this assignment and the discussion that can come from it!

Before this assignment, I had not heard of Carol Dweck (or at least I can't remember that name), but I think she does a fantastic job at speaking clearly and expressing the message she is trying to get across. Also, I feel that she is very knowledgeable about this subject and cares about it too, which I think is even more important than having the "book smarts" about the topic. In addition, I don't believe I had heard of the exact terminology "growth mindset" before, but I have definitely heard these ideas from family, friends, teachers, and other individuals in my life. Between taking classes, readings different blogs/news stories, and having discussions at home, I think that is how I mainly learned about "growth mindset". I feel like I have been lucky to have been put into these conversations with knowledgeable people who care about this subject as well, because I have gained this mindset for myself and also for younger teens and kids that are just that much younger than me. 

When Carol was speaking about growth mindset when it came to schoolwork, I kinda had to step back a little bit and think about my school experiences that I had growing up. Honestly, I was the kid who thought most assignments were easy, without much of a challenge. However, I believe the environment I was in and the school that I went to did not have the resources to challenge me and many other classmates more than what they were doing, because there were still so many who were being challenged with what was given. Thinking back to elementary school, all the way through high school, I remember having the conversations of assignments being "easy" and I still got "praise" for that. I never thought about how that could have affected me with my self-esteem or work ethic when the time came when I would be the one who was being challenged. I do have to say, thinking about what she said and looking at my life, I could see what she was talking about though. All through my years of going to school in Henryetta, a very small public school, I was the "smart" one. However, when I came to the huge campus of OU, I was challenged and I wasn't getting the praise that I was used to. Whether or not that is the reason my freshman year at OU was difficult or not, it does make me wonder if my childhood experiences had not prepared me in a way that they should have. I believe as I get older, challenges aren't as scary as they were when I was younger, because I have seen failure before. But I do still think I have those "road blocks" that hinder me from just going "all out" when faced with a new challenge. I think these challenges could be that I don't want to mess up and fail, I want the ending to be exactly how I imagine it, I want it to be perfect (and maybe even easy) the whole time, and I want to be adequately prepared for whatever comes up.  However, I have realized, that things never turn out how they are supposed to (usually), they aren't going to be perfect (or at least what you consider perfect), you will mess up and fail sometimes, and you usually won't be prepared for all of the things you will face; and all of that is perfectly okay. This I feel like is the biggest thing I have learned, especially being at college. That at OU, I will learn a lot about different subjects, but I will also learn a lot more about myself and life in the four (or more) years that I'm here. 

After reading and watching the videos about growth mindset, I think I will continue to be interested in this topic. I don't think it's something that is a "one time thing" or something that only "certain" people need in their lives. I think we all need to continue to improve and continually being aware of this topic is important in order to do that. 

I guess I would have to say that my personal learning goals for this semester is just to try to stay better organized and don't get overwhelmed with schoolwork. I think I can accomplish this as long as I do the work early and ask questions when needed. I'm pretty excited about all of my classes this semester, because I'm finally getting into my actual major classes, so I'll be learning and discussing stuff that actually goes along with my major, so I'm pretty excited about that. Also, I think keeping this growth mindset on my mind will help me relax and enjoy this semester as well. Knowing that it's okay to fail and just because I do, doesn't mean I'm a failure and I can't do that class or my major, I think will give me an "edge" that other students may not have.  

This picture describes exactly what I needed to hear my entire freshman year of college. I think this is something very important to keep in mind as I go throughout college and life. Source from Laura Gibbs at: Growth Mindset Memes.

My Three Storybook Favorites

After looking through the long lists of Storybooks, I found three that truly stuck out to me and caught my attention. The first one was Biblical Bad Girls (link is https://sites.google.com/site/biblicalbadgirls/intro/home). I found this one pretty interesting because I feel like the Bible is such an interesting topic. When I saw this title and read the Introduction, I realized that I had heard of the characters mentioned multiple times. Taking this into consideration, I would definitely think this topic is very familiar to me due to the reading and lessons I have done and heard from the Bible throughout the years. However, I feel that this specific “story” will still allow my imagination to grow and give me a new perspective on these well-known Biblical stories. Also, I would have to say that the title for this Storybook is perfect for this topic and it made me immediately think of some of the characters that the author actually used. Once I read the Introduction, I do believe the author does a great job explaining what the Story will be about, while also catching my attention enough to read. I think the author’s style of introducing the topic is great as well. She does a great job of not giving away too much information, while also presenting a question about these Biblical women that make you want to learn more. When first looking at the Introduction page’s design, it does catch my attention, because of the color mainly. It’s bright enough to highlight the words, but not too bright where it makes it hard to read. In addition, while the design is kind of simple, I think it still goes well with the topic. However, I think if the author would make it less “sweet” and more “edgy” I think it would have matched the topic a little bit better. One thing that I do like with this Introduction is the solid color background for the words and a picture/image behind that. It makes it easy to read, while also giving it some “flare”. Lastly, I think the author does a great job of making the titles of each section easy to understand what is under them, which I believe is important and I hope to do in my own Storybook.

The second Storybook that I enjoyed was the Tragically Ever After (link is https://sites.google.com/site/tragicallyeverafter/home). I would definitely have to say that this topic is something familiar to me due to the fact that I grew up watching Disney Princess movies and knew their stories forwards and backwards. However, I would have to say that this take on the topic is one that I have never heard. In addition, I would have to say that the author does a great job of catching my attention, while also letting me know what the topic is possibility going to be about. Reading through the Introduction, I would have to say it does do a great job of explaining the topic, plus it also makes me want to read the stories almost immediately just to figured out what happens after “happily ever after”. One aspect that I noticed about this introduction is how the author catches your attention immediately with questions, making you want to continue to read on to “find the answer”. I would have to say, that I do wish this intro was a little more eye-catching color wise, but I do like how the author spaces out the words where it looks even and organized, which is something I really want to try to use for my Storybook. I think the best part of the design is the titles of each section, because it gives you a good idea as to what will be talked under that tab. I do wish the colors and pictures would have been more eye-catching though, because I think that would have made this Storybook even better.

Lastly, one other Storybook that stood out to me was Murders in the Bible (link is https://sites.google.com/site/murdersinthebible/home). This topic is one that I would have to say is familiar to me, but it is definitely not something that I have really thought about much. Also, when I first read the title, it wasn't exactly what it turned out to be. I expected it to express the stories in the Bible where people died, etc., but it actually is a story where someone is making his goal in life to complete Exodus 21:2. This Introduction was probably one of my most favorite, just because of the Biblical background it gives, but also because it is very mysterious about the stories it is introducing. One thing that this Introduction does, is it really tries to connect the topic and it’s design, like the type of font, pictures, and colors the author uses. I would have to say, because of these aspects, this Introduction makes me know what I’m getting myself into. I know the stories are going to be meant to be “spooky” or “scary”, definitely backing up the “murder” wording in the title. For the overall design of this Introduction, I think the author does a great job. I think the images, colors, and fonts are appropriate and the tabs are simple but give you exactly the main idea behind each of the stories. For my own Storybook, I hope I can make my topic and design flow and connection as well as this author did for her Storybook, because I think she did a great job.

Imagine used to give reader a "first glance" of what the story (Murders in the Bible) will be about. Source: Simon Cooper

Overview of my choice for Week 2 in the UnTextbook

My choice of readings for Week 2 will have to be Myth-Folklore Unit: Bible Women. This particular topic caught my attention because I am really interested in learning more about the Bible and the characters that are presented in it. Also, I feel like reading and learning about these women will give me important Bible knowledge that I did not know previously. Lastly, being a Christian, I feel like it's sometimes "expected" of me to know all of the people in the Bible. However, in reality it's hard to keep up with all of the characters. I feel that these readings will be very beneficial to me for multiple reasons.  

While looking through the UnTextbook, I found a few other readings that stuck out to me as well.

The first one was  Myth-Folklore Unit: Nursery Rhymes. This one stood out to me almost immediately, due to the fact that a previous assignment had the option of choosing a nursery rhyme (which I did) to create our own story. While reading through those for that assignment, there were quite a few that I had never heard of and also some that I had completely forgotten about. I think that aspect is what caught my attention the most and makes me want to read some more of the rhymes; enjoying looking through them to refresh my memory or even allow me to learn some new ones as well. Also, when it comes to this unit in particular, I have heard so many of these rhymes and different versions of them, it'll be so cool to connect all of those and actually read the correct wording for the different nursery rhymes. The next reading that stuck out to me was Myth-Folklore Unit: Noah and the Ark.  I like this unit, because while reading the  overview of what it would discuss is stuff both biblical, but also "legends" from people. I haven't really had the chance to read legends, stories, etc. that (could) go "side-by-side" with the Bible. I especially am anxious to see how much of the information presented is similar to the Biblical story or if I learn new things I had not noticed before. Also, another reading that stuck out to me was Myth-Folklore Unit: Alice in Wonderland. This story was another that caught my attention fairly quickly. I guess I hadn't thought about Alice in Wonderland being considered a legend, fable, myth, etc. Of course I've heard the story tons of times, but this particular section of reading will be interesting to see how much of the story is actually left out from the different movies and plays that have been made from this story, or if they keep the information consistent throughout all of them.  Lastly, one more reading that stuck out to me was Myth-Folklore Unit: Adam and Eve. Like I mentioned before, I am super excited to read more about Biblical stories and their characters. Although most Biblical stories I should be familiar with, I know there is still so much information that I can't remember or haven't looked up or read myself.  I feel that these units are especially interesting to me, because I find them important in my life and I want to read and learn even more about them. 

I decided to go with a picture from the Noah's Ark Unit. I chose this picture because of the different colors it shows, how many people it shows working on the Ark, and also the location of the Ark being built. All of these things create an interest in me even more so to read these stories in this unit. 

Photo of Noah and workers building the Ark, preparing for the flood. Source: Nuremberg Chronicle

Introduction to a Dog Lover

Hi everyone! My name is Amanda Trammell.

- This is my second year here at OU and I am a Human Relations major with a Nonprofit Organizational Studies minor.  I would have to say the coolest thing about my major is learning new techniques and skills to reach different groups of people like never before!

- When it comes to my career path and what I would like to do in the future, I don't have it quite figured out, but I do have some ideas. I would like to use my degree and work for an organization or company that helps young women and children in a positive way.  I was and still am a Girl Scout, so I think working for them would be great. In addition, I think it would be interesting to work at a children's shelter where foster children have to live. I guess I would have to say that my big dream goal someday would be to possibly open up my own shelter or to run one completely. But as for right now, I plan on volunteering when I can and learning more about job opportunities and what types of jobs are out there for me.

- I would have to say my best class that I took last semester was my Intro to Human Relations class, because it was my very first "major" class that I took and I absolutely loved it and the professor that taught it. It definitely opened my eyes to the many different people and their opinions that we have on OU's campus. In addition, I would say my "accomplishments" last semester would be that I tried to get more involved on campus by joining two clubs that deal with my major/minor or are of some interest to me. I learned over the course of my freshman year that to really enjoy college you need to get involved!

- Over Christmas Break, I had a lot of family time. Whether that was with my parents and dogs at home, my boyfriend's family, my church family, or with some of my extended family. I didn't do a whole lot of crazy stuff, but I did have a few fun things I got to do. First, my church youth group had a lock-in at the church on New Year's Eve. I had the great privilege to stay up all night and chaperon young high schoolers while they played high and seek in the dark and played other board games.  Second, I got the chance to see one of my cousin's who lives out of state a couple of times. It was really nice to catch up with him. Lastly, I had the chance to go to Texas to see more family and attended my cousin's baby shower! It was wonderful!

Personal photo of my boyfriend and I at the church lock-in around 5:30 a.m.; photo from January 2016.

Personal photo of my cousins and I when I got to see Dan (left) for the first time in over a year; photo from January 2016.

Personal photo of my cousins and I at my cousin's baby shower; photo from January 2016.

- I would have to say some of my favorite books are The Hunger Games, Insurgent, Delirium...anything that is "dystopian" genre and is in a series. I like all sorts of movies, as long as they aren't scary and they have a good story line or they are funny. However, I don't usually watch a whole lot of movies. Instead I watch Netflix. Some shows that I have watched so far are Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, House, Breaking Bad, and I'm currently watching Switched at Birth. I guess I would have to the best movie I have seen recently would be Pan or The Maze Runner.

- I like most types of music, as long as it isn't screamo or really heavy rock. I typically listen to easy-listening or "feel good" music. I really like NeedToBreathe and band that sound similar to that.

-I have six dogs back at home who are basically like my brothers and sisters. I just love them so much! I have 3 chihuahuas, a German Shepard, a bull mastiff/hound mix, and then a stray dog that I really don't know what he is!

 Personal photo of my 3 chihuahuas, bull mastiff as a puppy, and my German Shepard; photo from December 2014.

 Personal photo of my bull mastiff mix after he tore up his bed. Dog shaming at its best; photo from December 2015. 

Personal photo of two of my chihuahuas and I. Roxy (left), Scooby (right), and their offspring (middle); photo from January 2016.

- Like I mentioned in a previous blog post, Just a few of....My Favorite Places, I have three very different places that I just love so much.

- I would have to definitely say that my most favorite type of food is Mexican food. I love, love, love chips and salsa. Second would have to be Italian food. I would say my least favorite types would be any type of Asian food. Also, my favorite thing to cook from scratch would have to be my grandma's homemade mac and cheese, it's so good (and cheesy)! Some other weird foods that I like that not many people do would be mushrooms and cottage cheese (not together of course!).

- I feel like since I came to college, I don't have as many hobbies as I used to. I like to read when I have the time (like on breaks), I like to watch a new series on Netflix, I like to craft and attempt to complete Pinterest projects, and I like being outside when I can. If I had more time, I would definitely read more and I would try to be even more active outside like do some hiking.

- Last but not least, if I had one day for "fun" I would want to go on a road trip with some friends and enjoy the day together adventuring.