Learning Challenges: All About Reading

Picture by Daniel Pennac from Learning by HEART

The part of learning by HEART that stands out the most to me is reading. In order to read a lot, I usually have to start by forcing myself to read at least a certain amount per day. After I start this, I usually find myself getting so caught up in my book that I spend most of my free time reading until the book is finished. Unfortunately, then I have to start a new book, which is definitely my least favorite thing about reading. I hate that I don't know the characters yet and I sometimes have a hard time even keeping all the characters apart! 

This is why I like the above infographic so much. I love to reread books because I already know the characters and I understand their relationships. Sometimes I feel guilty for rereading when I feel like I should be reading new books, but this infographic with all of the "Rights of a Reader" shows that a person should be allowed to read however they want, or to not read! I love to learn new things by reading books, but I think it's important to remember that one can also learn new things by rereading an old favorite. After all, every time I reread a book I have new experiences under my belt that will probably change my worldview (and bookview).

Thoughts on the Growth Mindset

Picture from Jessica Ottewell from flickr

I hadn't heard of the growth mindset before, but I think the idea is very interesting. I think that encouraging teachers to teach with the growth mindset would encourage students to actually learn instead of just seeking good grades. I think that I tend to focus on grades more than I should. When I find something difficult to learn, I often give up and think that it's just too hard. I believe that if I shifted my mindset to the Growth Mindset, I would definitely benefit.

Since I've been at OU, I've spent a lot of time taking classes that I'm required to take. However, because I'm graduating this semester, I'm now taking quite a few classes that I'm not required to take and that I'm genuinely interested in. I hope that as I'm taking these classes, I can use the growth mindset more than I have in the past.

Storybook Favorites

My favorite storybook was Native American Tricksters. I liked the subject matter, which I am familiar with, but I also liked how the stories were told, with Coyote being the site host, but also a character in the stories. The title of the storybook did a really good job of letting me know what the storybook was going to be all about. I enjoyed the introduction because I think it set the background for the storybook well, while being different and interesting enough to make me want to read more of the stories in the storybook.

Image source: Wikipedia

I also liked the storybook Mermaid Tales of the World. This introduction stood out to me the most because it was suspenseful and made me wonder what exactly I was missing since I don't know very much about mermaids. This author stayed the most in character throughout their storybook. I really liked this style, and I thought that it made it more interesting. This is a technique I might want to try in my own storybook. The design of this storybook also kept with the theme very well. I think all of these aspects together drew me into the world of mermaids and made me reluctant to leave.

Another storybook that stood out to me was Aliens in the Outfield. I think that Aliens are interesting, but I've heard very few stories about them, so I was happy to get to read retellings of a few alien stories. By the time I finished the storybook, I really felt like I understood alien stories a lot better. I liked the author's notes in this storybook because they were very thorough and made me feel like I not only understood the author's retelling, but also the original stories. I would definitely want to have informative author's notes like this in my storybook so that I could be sure that the readers understood  the necessary context to my stories.

UnTextbook Overview

For the first unit, I've chosen to do the Saints and Animals Unit. I found this particular unit interesting because it's the unit that I've had the least exposure to, and I wanted to dive in and really learn something new from the beginning of this class.

Saint Blaise icon

I also thought the Alaska Unit sounded interesting because I've visited Alaska. I've also written a research paper on a creation story of a native Alaskan tribe, so I know a little bit about some Alaskan myths. Another unit that I found interesting was the American Indian Unit because I've grown up in Oklahoma in a small town that has a large Native American presence. I've always found Native American language and culture to be interesting, so I would be interested to read more of their stories in the Cherokee Unit or the Native American Marriage Unit.

Aside from stories from America's native peoples, I think it would be interesting to do the African Unit because I'm currently taking two African American studies classes. These stories could be a good way to unite many of the classes I'm taking so that I can relate my new knowledge to other things.

Introduction to a Wordsmith

I’m Alexandra Smith, a senior economics major from Ada, Oklahoma! I lucked out when I decided to name my blog Alexandra’s Myths because I did so without even realizing that when said aloud it sounds almost identical to my actual name! I may not be a certified myth-smith yet, but I’m working on it.

Last semester, I had a really cool internship here on OU’s campus at The Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth. It gave me awesome opportunities to get experience working with an actual client that was trying to decide the best strategy for commercializing their new scientific innovation. My official title was Interdisciplinary Analyst, and I worked with a team of four other students to ultimately give a professional presentation and a concrete deliverable to our client with all of the information that we had acquired throughout the semester. I loved the whole experience, and I’m definitely going to miss it this semester.

My CCEW team: Alex, Stephanie, Lena, me, and Jack

Over winter break, I spent two weeks in Boston, my favorite place, visiting friends. After I graduate, I’ll be moving to Boston to begin a year with an AmeriCorps program called City Year. City Year is a program that I’m really excited to be a part of because it gives students who are at risk of dropping out of high school access to near-peer mentors and tutors who can help them succeed.

I’ve recently been making myself get back into the habit of reading for fun. With all the stress of school, I’ve let myself get away with only reading a few books outside of school each year. My excuse has always been that if I have the time to read for fun, I should be using the time to study or read for my classes. Instead, I end up watching TV for hours! So from now on, I’m prioritizing reading new and interesting books. I kicked this off by reading four new books over winter break, and I’m currently in the middle of a few more. Hopefully I can continue to make time for myself to read and let myself enjoy a nice book every once in a while!

Week 1 Storytelling: The Lonely House

There were two girls who lived in a house, and had lived in the house for as long as anyone knew or cared to know. The first girl was impossibly tall, with forever-long curly hair and features that took up every inch of her face. The second girl was impossibly small (though still with a commanding presence). The small girl had delicate hands and feet, and she had a surprising strength that made her the resident jar-opener of the house.

The girls loved the house they lived in, and they loved that they lived there together. The house was big and blue, and had the wonderful quality of making a person, and especially the girls, feel instantly at home. There were two big bedrooms, each with two walls of windows. The house had enough closet space to keep the house from getting overly cluttered, but not so much that the girls were allowed to hold on to too many useless clothes and shoes. The best part of the whole beautiful blue house was its perfect and pink bathroom. The pink bathroom was large and light and had everything and more that was necessary for two girls who maintained important skin regimes and enjoyed long baths.

After the two girls spent many years in the house, it was time for the tall girl to move. She had dreams and she could no longer be fulfilled in the house. If she could, she would move the house with her. Since that was impossible, she simply left one day, so that she could grow into the person she wanted to be.

The small girl was very strong, but not strong enough to live in the blue house and brush her teeth in the pink bathroom without her tall friend. She had dreams of her own to find, so she too had to leave the house too.

The house now stands alone. There are no girls small or tall living inside.

Authors note: 

This retelling is based on a song:

 There were two birds sat on a stone,

Fa, la, la, la, lal, de;
One flew away, and then there was one,
Fa, la, la, la, lal, de;
The other flew after, and then there was none,
Fa, la, la, la, lal, de;
And so the poor stone was left all alone,
Fa, la, la, la, lal, de!

The Nursery Rhyme Book, author unknown, released 2008

Image information: My own personal image of a home

My Favorite Place, Boston

By Archon Fung (Arfung at en.wikipedia) (Own work (Original caption: “Own Work”)) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


My favorite place is Boston, Massachusetts. I plan to move there after graduation so that I can live in my dream city. I like Boston because it's a city with a young population with tons of stuff going on and many neighborhoods that feel unique. Although I don't especially like cold weather, I do love snow, and Boston definitely gets a lot of snow each year. I've visited Boston many times because I have a few friends who live there, but I am looking forward to experiencing Boston as a true Bostonian, and not just a visitor.