Saturday, August 27, 2011

Blog Assignment 1

About Me
My name is Robin Hendricks and I am a single mother who works two jobs, and goes to school. I was born and raised in Mobile and plan on being here forever. My lifestyle does not lend itself to much "me" time, but I do enjoy reading, watching movies, SEC Football, and spending time with friends and family. My son is five years old and requires much of my time, which I gladly give as often as possible. In fact, most of my interests are more on his level than on mine (Spiderman, Batman, video games, etc.). As chaotic as it is, being a mother is my greatest accomplishment thus far and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
My son is the person who inspired me to enter the field of Education. Teaching him has brought me greater joy than anything ever has and when considering a lifetime career, teaching and being closely involved in children's development felt natural. I am currently in Secondary Education for Social Sciences, but hope one day to enter into the Administration side of the Education field. I believe strongly in education reform and want to be part of the process and help make a difference, not just for children, but society as a whole. The children are the future generation and anything that we do now to improve their education and learning experience will have huge impact on the way the world looks in 10,15, 20 years and so on. I look forward to learning as much as I can in EDM 310 and how it will help me accomplish some of those goals when I am ready to enter the classroom.

Randy Pausch on Time Management
Dr. Pausch's video on time management is almost a blueprint for my life. I have always considered myself to be excellent at time management because in order to do all of the things I need to do in a day and fit in a little sleep time, I have to live by a list. More than anything, time management involves a drive to succeed and do things well. His video reinforced for me many of the things that I already know and live by each day. If not for time management, my days would be scattered and everything would be a mess! The first time I ever heard of Dr. Pausch was several years ago when I was e-mailed a link to his video, "The Last Lecture". I don't remember how many times I watched it, or how many times I cried, or how many "a-ha"moments that I had, but the video changed my perspective completely on how to live my life. The old saying, "Don't sweat the small stuff." speaks volumes coming from a man who is dying and has so graciously accepted his fate. Instead of anger and resentment, he decided to impart wisdom on those willing to listen, and so many are still listening. It is a truly remarkable video and he was a truly remarkable man.