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Trauma-Informed Mentoring

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I went to an event meant for mentors of elementary school children! It was a lot of old people. The event was at the middle school, and hosted by Susie Merrick, who really likes what Big Picture does. She was super happy to see me. The speaker was Alex Shevrin Venet, who does a lot of work in various schools and places teaching about things like trauma-informed practices in schools. She was SUPER cool and interesting, and I totally have a crush on what she does with her life. I want to learn everything I can from this woman. So. Cool. She started off by having us tell our table-mates the highlight from our day (and the worst part too) and then allowed us a little wiggle time to get our bodies ready to focus. I really liked that even though most of the people attending weren't in school still, the focus on getting ourselves ready to learn was still there. She gave us a quick talk on the basics of trauma. Most of what she talked about I already knew, but here's a summarized v...
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The Facts About Slavery in Vermont

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I went to an event at the First Congregational Church, hosted by the Racial Justice Alliance. It was about Slavery in VT, and the current laws that VT has vs other states, and what needs to happen moving forward. Also, my friend Ally went with me and that was really nice of her! I didn't learn very much, and I didn't enjoy it. Here's why: I didn't come in with enough background information. With previous events, I either had a basic knowledge, or the event was designed for people with minimal prior knowledge of the subject. For this event, they dove right in, and I was a little bit lost from the start. There was a lot of mentioning of laws and cases that I hadn't heard of, and this made it hard for me to follow. The information wasn't given in a way that was easy to understand. The presentation was VERY text heavy (a few paragraphs on some slides) with almost no images or other visuals. It was all black text on a white background. The first three slides to...
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Brainwaves, Stress Response, and Trauma

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Last night I went to the hospital for a talk on "brainwaves, stress response, and trauma". I had really no clue what I was walking into, but it said it was open to the public and free with free parking, so I went. There was no more than 15 people there, and most seemed to know each other. The youngest was probably a college student. The talk was an hour and a half long and was lead by Bryn Perkins, a doctory woman. She was supposed to have another speaker there, but due to snow, she couldn't make it. Here is some of what I learned: Neurons form synapses in the brain, which creates connections to form memory. They are helpful when learning to do something, because the more you do it, the easier it'll be. However, they also reinforce bad habits. Brainwaves are created when neurons "fire", or send impulses to each other. Because of that, the faster and harder your neurons are working, the higher frequency the brainwave is. Brianwaves can have different fr...
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Infectious Diseases – How Do We Combat Them?

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I did something super out of my comfort zone! I went to a " VTeen 4-H Science Pathways Café" at UVM. The basic concept is that teens do cool sciencey workshops and there's food. The one I attended was called "Infection Diseases- How Do We Combat Them?" and was lead by UVM grad students that learn about diseases and other sciencey things. Here is a breakdown of the two hours I spent there. Upon arriving, I was told to make a nametag. They really needed sharpies instead of crayolas, because it was a very smudgey nametag. Then, I went to claim a spot at a table- the room was arranged in tables with chairs all around each one, so very much not lecture style, which made me happy. Once everyone arrived, it was "eat pizza" time, which I didn't participate in, and then the learning started. The workshop speaker/leader, who has a name I can no longer remember, but couldn't spell anyway, introduced himself and the basics of the topic. Then, he introd...
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Projects!

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I've started a lot of projects this Summer and finished... none of them! Four weeks left till school starts, so here's what I have to (maybe) wrap up. I'm making an instrument out of plastic bottles and bike valves. Basically, I've drilled holes in the caps and pumped different amounts of air into them, so when you tap them they make different pitches. Currently, I still need to get a few more bottles, and I also haven't tuned any yet. I have a system ready to hang them, so I'm really just waiting till I find a good system to tune them. I don't know how to understand any of the tuning apps or devices, and I'm not great at doing it by ear, so if you have ideas, or if you're capable of either of those things, let me know. I might need help! I'm collecting data on emoticons! My google form, which if you haven't already filled out, you can here , is collecting information on birthdate and whether you use :) or :-). So far, I've had over 1...
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Shelburne Farms!

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I spent a week volunteering as a "Steward In Training" in the Children's Farm Yard at Shelburne Farms. Here's some lists, and some pictures! PROS: Really cute animals! It was fun to spend time with types of animals I usually don't interact much with (like calves!) The staff are all super nice and supportive! I really enjoyed talking with some of them about their backgrounds and current role at the farm, and they made sure to include me (and the other SIT) in their daily tasks.  Learning! For me, this wasn't a huge learning experience because of my previous experiences raising animals, but I did learn more about how the farm works, and some specific things about animals. I also learned a bit more about how to create safe and respectful interactions between children and animals, which is something I am always happy to learn more about, since I have animals that I love to share. Pretty relaxed environment! I was allowed to have my phone on me, the dress co...
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All the things I've been reading!

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It's been a while, so here's a quick list of the books I've read recently! Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) - L. A.C. Rosen 3/10. I did appreciate the representation, and agree with the concept of books like it existing, but it felt a little whiny, and also was a little too fluffy for me. Link will bring you to a description, and a whole lot of goodreads reviews. Anger is a Gift - M. Oshiro 8/10! Really good! Like if Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda  and The Hate U Give  had a child. Definitely read it if you liked either of those and are in the mood to cry. I impulse bought it within 24 hours of starting it. So. Good. I'll post a fuller review of this one soon. Smart but Scattered Teens - 3 people that I'm not gonna list 6/10. A book on how to parent teens, focusing on executive skills. This is what happens when you go to book sales when it's dark out. I am working on parenting myself! I actually learned a lot and was kind of hooked. I use a...
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