MAIZE DAY!!!
Justin and I spent last Saturday at the Big House watching Michigan beat Wisconsin in football. It was packed and very loud. The game was awesome and it was great spending time with Justin after a long week of not seeing him at all.




I started last week at Hudsonville Public Schools doing my field placement and think I am really going to enjoy my time there. I love the kids, my instructor, and other faculty. I am learning a ton and doing a lot of testings for kids who are "At Risk." Most of the tests are academic or ADD. I am learning that ADD is very OVERdiagnosed to kids, especially elementary kids.



I am beginning to wonder if the kids that are brought up as "At Risk" by teachers are really being brought up because of the student's best interest or for the teacher's best interest? The kids we see are disruptive in class with their behavior and are doing poorly academically. We are seeing that the reasons they can't focus has nothing to do with ADD but rather the fact that they can't focus. Should these kids be put in "special" classrooms or places just because they are behind their peers by a few IQ points or is it best to keep the child in the classroom? Teachers seem to say, "get them out" (mainly because it is easier for them and the students to learn), but I am seeing that some of these kids may be hurt more in the long run, especially socially by taking them out. Interesting to think about.

Justin and I are trying to figure out our schedules. He works mainly mornings and nights, while I work mostly mornings and days. That leaves very little time for us to spend together. Between YL, church activities, sporting events, and other things that come up during the week, that leaves little Justin and Dawn time. We cherish every moment of time together. God continues to be faithful to us and showers us with love and support. We feel so blessed by our community and friends. Our apartment is now beginning to feel more like home and we love it. God is good!!

Here it is! The picture everyone has been asking me for. This is just 1 of the 1600 pictures that we recieved from our wedding photographer. She did a great job and we love them all. It will be difficult deciding only 125 for our book.

This weekend we spent celebrating Justin's 25th Birthday up the the cottage in Baldwin. We fished, layed out, watched Michigan kick Notre Dame's butt, ate steak and salmon, and enjoyed eachother's company. It was wonderful. We listened to our ipod music on our new FM transmitter as well. What a great gift. There is no better place to be than at the cottage when it is beautiful and sunny.

It is official. I have been placed at Hudsonville High School for my internship this year. It wasn't what I orinally wanted but unfortunately options were running low and if I chose against this school I probably would have been placed somewhere in Ann Arbor or Detroit. So....for the sake of keeping our marriage strong, I thought I should choose to stay in GR so I can actually see my husband.

It's amazing how much I am learning right now between the changes of marriage, school, and just life in general. Praise God for new opportunities, stories, and challenges. God is faithful and good. He always has been.

Seize the Day......

The weekend was great! Justin and I spent a lot of time with family and friends after a long week of work and school. My classes began last week Thursday and went really well. It will consist of a lot of reading and papers, but it looks manageable. Hopefully I will feel the same when my practicum begins.

During one of my seminars last week at U of M a white male stood up and said that because there are not many males in the Social Work profession he now understands what it means to be a minority. He is in classes consisting mostly of females and is very uncomfortable at times making comments because he feels that all the females in the room are stereotyping him before he even speaks. I thought it was interesting to hear a white male claim to be a minority in our world. Shortly after, an African American woman stood up and said, "there is no situation where a white male is ever a minority in this world. White males always have privilege and power, whether they are one of many or the majority of people in the room."

What does it mean to be a minority. Can a white male ever claim to be one? It is obvious that in our profession that a white male will move up the ladder more quickly than will anyone else. Do white males have the right to connect themselves with that term?

I also attended a "Gender Identity" seminar where I had to stand up and introduce myself and be identified with whatever it said on my card. I began, "My name is Dawn and I am a bisexual (which was on my card)." Everyone went around and claimed to either be lesbian, gay, transgender, asexual, bisexual, or transsexual. Then we talked about our reactions. I responded saying that I was uncomfortable, not because I was claiming to be bisexual but rather because I never introduce myself normally including my sexual orientation. A woman then responded back to me that, it is a privilege to not have to say that I am straight when I introduce myself. I begged to differ. Does it really matter whether or not we are straight, lesbian, or gay? Should it be a part of an introduction to someone I just meet? If I had AIDS, would I have to make sure that was out on the table too? What poses privilege and what doesn't?

Anyways, enough about my thoughts. Enjoy the day embracing diversity, love, and acceptance of everyone. Praise God that we aren't all the same!

Today I had a diversity seminar at U of M for 4 hours where we talked about many different issues that I am soon to face what looks like daily. Maybe you can help me out with some of these questions I had after the seminar.

One woman made the comment, "As a social worker (or professional) one must rid themselves of all personal beliefs to work with people." Is this even a possibility? Can one rid themselves of all their personal beliefs in order to work with an individual or do ones personal beliefs motivate all the decisions that the professional makes unconsiously? Is there a way of embracing your beliefs without imposing them onto others?

Another comment was made by a woman, "I want to work with children because they seem to have the most messed up view of reality." Is this a true statement? Should we be focusing more attention on our youth because when really what is learned in the home shapes a child's view immensely? Do we just assume that parent's views on something such as diversity, racism, sexual orientation, etc. cannot be changed but children's views can?

Just a couple questions to chew on. I will have many more as the semester goes on. It looks like all my classes will be on Thursdays with my practicum being on Mondays-Wednesdays. Hopefully Fridays will be a day of rest for me. How wonderful that would be. Justin and I are still trying to figure out all the little details to make our schedules work. What a joy.

Seize the day.....