Favorite Moment in History

My favorite moment in history that I have experienced within my lifetime is an event that is still ongoing. This past Spring I had the amazing opportunity to study abroad for 4 months in the beautiful city of Barcelona. There, I experienced the Catalan Independence Movement. Many people are unaware of this movement but it is actually very significant right now. The Catalans are a subculture in Barcelona, who are seeking Independence. Although there are several groups of people seeking independence in various places of the world, this movement is becoming very large and is the topic of debate in Spain right now. While abroad, I witnessed the several protests taking place in the streets with hundreds and even thousands of Catalonians. I witnessed Catalan holidays such as Sant Jordi and even indulged in Catalan cuisine.

 The Catalan movement has been progressing since the end on Francisco Franco's rein where he suppressed the Catalans from expressing their culture. Catalonia in short, is Barcelona and its surrounding area. It has its own language, flag, culture, food and traditions. Catalans have their own government and are fighting to be independent because their culture is very different from the Spaniard's. Other parts of Spain are against Catalonia becoming independent because Barcelona is one of the central sources of money for the country. It is a very complex debate. The famous rivalry between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona is further driven by this underlying tension between the two cities.
It was very exciting to experience history as it is unraveling. Perhaps in years to come, this time period will be read about in text books.

A Central Conflict in the lives of adolescents

One conflict that I feel is becoming ever-present in the lives of children and adolescents today in America is divorce. Divorce is only becoming more popular in American families and I feel that more teachers should be more educated on how to help students dealing with divorce. 50% of American marriages end in divorce in America -we need to think of the children that this statistic affects.

Divorce affected my childhood and caused me to grow-up faster than some of my peers. I learned to be responsible for myself at a very young age. Since I was so young, I wasn't as psychologically affected as my sisters were. My oldest sister, who was in the sixth grade, had a very difficult time with the divorce. She suffered severe anxiety and was seeing a counselor. Divorce is something that is almost being seen as the norm in America. It is almost guaranteed that at least one student in your classroom will have divorced parents. With such staggering statistics, teachers must be well aware of the resources they can provide to students and parents.

What Fictional Character Do you Look up to?

I have a tendency to fall in love with fictional characters. When I'm reading a book, I often feel like I know the characters; like they're my friends. One fictional character I truly admire is Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games Trilogy. I love Katniss for her bravery. I love that her bravery and strength is executed by her being herself in a world where she is not allowed to be. I love her for her flaws, how she admits to her flaws but does not let them rule her. Another character in the trilogy that I adore is Peeta Mellark. I love Peeta for the way that he loves Katniss unconditionally. His selflessness and quirks are what capture my heart. 

The last character that I look up to is Liesel Meminger from The Book Thief. Like Katniss, Liesel is beyond brave. She does not conform against her beliefs and is willing to fight for a better tomorrow. There are several similarities between Katniss and Liesel. Perhaps I admire fictional characters that resemble the qualities I'd like to have in myself.

Post Original Poetry

As mentioned in previous posts, I enjoy to write poetry in my spare time. I have a large collection of my works created in both my leisure time and from literature classes. Below are some of my favorite pieces I have composed:

Mostly Red
By Kimberly Stryker

Red headlights, dimed eyelids persuaded to shut with
Muffled hysteria, agonizing orders to ‘stay with them’. 
Can’t fight, must fight, soon to be dead.
Blackouts, shallow breaths becoming less routine
Red, blue, white, but mostly red
Lifted just shy of the heavens, away from the scene

The couple in the corner are
feeling quite guilty.
Never wanted to know the smell of beer and tar.

Up the stairs, to the Left, Surrounded by Yellow

By Kimberly Stryker

In that white house, with the red door

You’ll find what I’ve been looking for.

Up the stairs, to the left,

Surrounded by yellow.

This visit was overdue and unplanned;

You wouldn’t recognize me firsthand.

Won’t be a while, just wanted to see

The walls that cased where life used to be,

The name I carved on the window sill,

And hear the creaks of steps on that third stair.

Though I recognize, why should you care?

Forgive me, I’ve left something behind,

Something that only I can find.

For it is my youth, long forgotten and cast

Aside to rust and die.

Won’t be a while, I’ll make it fast.

It lingers apart of that room forevermore,

In that white house, with the red door

Up the stairs and to the left,

Surrounded by yellow.

Final Reflections on Folktale Assignment

This particular assignment helped me to appreciate the writing process while researching a specific form of literature applicable to the classroom. I've found that as a college student, I'm often guilty of poorly outlining my papers and only creating a single draft. This assignment forced me to take my time with writing which is something that I often have little time to do. I especially enjoyed the peer-conference element. I've learned to appreciate feedback and constructive criticism. I received great advice from my peers which really helped me to improve upon my paper.

In terms of folktales, I'm thoroughly impressed with my topic of choice. I had no prior knowledge on the elements that contribute to a folktale. I've learned to appreciate folktales and their purpose. I like how they strive to teach a moral or a lesson because this is something that I can tactically use in my classroom. I definitely plan to apply my new-found knowledge about folktales to the classroom. After my research, I've discovered numerous educational benefits that folktales present since they help to teach critical thinking skills, problem solving and attention skills. In the end, this assignment was very beneficial to me as a writer and as a future educator.