Week in Review 10/23/16

This week started off with a killer headache - not very fun!  It actually woke me up from sleep and lasted most of the morning.  Fortunately my sisters still wanted me to hang out with them (okay, they pretty much forced me, but I'm still glad)  We decided to get breakfast at McDonalds and then we planned to visit the consignment shop, but it was closed.  We found this alley that was great for pictures, so of course we had to pause for a photo op.

Since I wasn't feeling up to laughing and getting rowdy, we decided to just sit quietly and play some board games.  I was happy - I love playing games.

Fortunately I started feeling better because I had signed up to clean the temple in the afternoon.  I have never done it before and really didn't know what to expect.  It was SUCH a great experience.  My job was to dust all of the baseboards and door jams on the first floor and also to sanitize every surface that hands could have touched on the entire first floor.  It was crazy - I honestly didn't find one piece of dust during my entire shift!  I wiped the inside and outside of every worker's locker as well as every chair and table on the first floor.  I was told that they do this after every day's sessions.  Isn't it amazing that such care is taken to keep the Lord's house in such pristine condition.  It just makes sense to me.

Jodi spent the afternoon cleaning the temple also, but we didn't get assigned to work together.  

  That night was quite chilly and so I turned on the fireplace and practiced the piano for a long time.  Even though I am always nervous, I am enjoying my calling to play the piano in relief society because it forces me to practice.  I have been asked to play for primary in two weeks, so I also practiced primary songs which are much more fun!  I also started practicing Christmas songs which are my favorites.

This week I got to help Tanja (another instructor) with the Simulation Lab for the students.  Simulation is great training because the students get to interact with a high-fidelity manikin.  He is also spooky!  His chest rises and falls as he "breathes", his heart beat and rhythm can change according to his situation.  His eyes blink, wink, or close.  The students can feel his pulses in his feet and wrists.  He moans, coughs, screams in pain, and even makes vomit sounds.  He has a speaker so the instructor can have him speak and respond to questions from the student nurses.  It is a great way for the students to get real-life experiences without the risk of harming the patients.

I got to run the computer that adjusts the manikin and also got to speak as the patient.  It was so FUN!  I loved acting like I was in pain and trying to subtly guide the students to do interventions that are best for the patient.  l had a ball when I (as the patient) got very confused and I started talking nonsense and calling out things like, "who's going to reset the pins to I can take my turn bowling?" and "Alice, ALICE (the imaginary spouse) these people are trying to kill me!   I think the students learned a lot too.

Wednesday night I stayed late at work to act as tour guide for an open house.  Because I stayed so late, my boss told me to take Friday off.  She didn't have to tell me twice!  So Friday morning Marilyn, Kalel, and I decided to visit Cyn.  The kids were off school for fall break, so she was watching her grandchildren.  We had a great day all playing games together, going to lunch, and then going to a movie.

We decided to see "Mrs. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children".  The theater we went to was marvelous!  Each seat was big, comfy recliner!  I was really worried that it was so comfortable that I would fall asleep, but I managed to stay awake for the entire movie.  The movie was interesting, not  what I expected, but it was pretty good.

Thursday I came home to find Kim and Kalel laying at the top of the stairs playing Candyland together.  When asked why they picked the most inconvenient spot in the house they replied that the kitchen table was full of stuff (of course it was THEIR stuff) so they couldn't use it.  Crazy boys!  They then invited me to play with them, so of course I sat right down on the top stair and joined their game.  Spontaneous fun is the greatest!

Caution:  The following is venting of frustrations - don't read if it could upset your happy mood.  This week was midterms for the students - I didn't have any classes that needed midterms but I was present in the sessions where the other instructors expressed their concerns with some of the remarks made by the students.  I also witnessed a few of the students complain about the midterm.  I am in total awe at the incivility of some students.  Don't get me wrong, it hasn't been all that long since I was the one taking those tests and a distinctly remember how hard and frustrating they were.  But never in a million years would I speak to my instructor the way some students did this week.  They were just plain RUDE.  From what I have researched this seems to be a common theme throughout most of the country.  There are way too many students who do not show respect to their teachers and yet expect everything to be handed to them on a golden platter.  It makes me sad.  I feel that respect is vitally important and that each person deserves to be treated respectfully.  Yelling or cussing at someone, especially someone who is an authority figure is not acceptable.  And even worse, it is those who are the first to criticize or demean are the ones who are demanding and are always complaining that the work is too hard.  Honestly,  I'm not sure that I want that type of student taking care of me when he/she becomes a nurse.  I just think that respect by both the student and the instructor should be expected and given.  Ok, end of venting.

Over all I am thrilled to be a teacher, and the majority of the time it is a great environment.

Today we had a regional stake conference that was broadcast from Logan.  The speakers were great and the music was fantastic!

THIS WEEK I AM GRATEFUL:

That I was taught the value of each person in the world, that I understand and live by the principle of respecting others.