3MT results

This past fall semester, I competed in a 3MT competition.  3MT stands for three minute thesis and boy was it interesting trying to talk about my dissertation in three minutes or less!!  Check out this link for more details.  Below are pictures and video from the event.  Enjoy learning a little bit about my dissertation and work in 3 minutes!

Photos are courtesy of Lorenzo Pedro

Video courtesy of Dan Smith

 

Transcript from Video:  Have you ever judged a book by its cover only to find out after you get to know the characters, the setting, and the plot that what you thought that book is about is different from what’s on those pages?  We all do it. We all make assumptions based on first impressions.  We do it to others and they do it to us.  Everybody in this room can probably think of a time where the way they perceived themselves differed from how others viewed them.  “Are you Deaf or hard of hearing?  Which do you go by?”  This is the title of my study and was also a question I was asked many years ago as a student.  So I conducted a study where I talked with ten different participants.  We had in-depth interviews where I asked them questions about their identity and their hearing loss.  Four of my participants were students, ages 12 to 17, who also had hearing loss and the remaining six were their caregivers or parents because research shows that caregivers play a crucial role on identity development in their children.  So the results of my study show there is a continuum of identity types.  Now these identity types have already been established in the literature on deafness but my study found that three factors influenced which identity type was selected:  interactions with others, environment/setting/context, and life experiences (both those in the past and what they currently face today).  So, as you can see, we have hearing, person with hearing loss, culturally Deaf, medically deaf, hard of hearing, and others that are up there on the slide.  For example, you could have a student in a quiet setting, like a classroom, where he could access that instruction and hear the teacher, he may select the hearing identity type, even though he has hearing loss and wears hearing aids.  Yet that same student, in a different setting, a noisy setting, such as the cafeteria during lunch where he may struggle to access communication among his peers, he may select a deaf or a hard of hearing identity type.  So identity is fluid, it changes, depending on these three factors:  interactions with others, environment/setting/context, and life experiences.  Why does this matter?  To be self actualized individuals and to advocate for ourselves we have to know how we define ourselves and convey that to others.  Caregivers/parents, teachers, counselors, and other school professionals need to realize that the way they view their children may differ from how the children see themselves.  This could also be applied to students in other populations, students with learning disabilities, students with autism, students from other cultural backgrounds, even different religions, you name it, we all have different backgrounds but no matter whom we’re studying and looking at, in terms of identity and how they perceive themselves compared to how others perceive them, we must realize people are people first and to not judge a book by its cover.  Thank you for your time.

 

Unexpected Turns

Last October started off on a very sad note.  As a result, I took a bit of a reprieve from social media, emailing, and use of Internet outside schoolwork.  By the time mid October rolled around, I was desperately ready for an escape from reality.  In the wee hours of Tuesday, October 15, 2013, I boarded a plane and flew to Nashville for the first time.  After a couple hours of waiting in the terminal, my little brother walked off another plane and joined me in time for lunch.  Off we went to explore our new favorite city and to check into a hostel for the first time!  I think of that special trip often but have been reveling in memories from that excursion a lot lately....I guess since it's almost one year since Patrick and I met up in Tennessee!  You can read more about the music we heard, the fun people we met, and the cool places we explored here.  

It was also during this same traveling week that my packet was mailed (by my sister-in-law) to Ohio to apply for the job I currently hold!!  God is so so so good!  I suppose you could say that last October was the month of many beginnings in spite of the endings/changes that also occurred during that timeframe.



When Saturday came, marking the end of our glorious time in Nashville, we flew to Baltimore together that morning.  As we departed from our plane, Patrick hugged me goodbye and I said, "See you at Thanksgiving!" before catching the plane that would take me south back to Raleigh, NC.  I remember planning out my 3MT (three minute speech) as I drove the 90 minutes back to High Point to try to stay awake during the drive.  I returned to an empty house since my parents (who were in town from PA for the weekend) were in Charlotte with my NC family watching my brother compete in one of his races.  I took advantage of the quiet and went to sleep early since all the late nights of music listening and days of walking endlessly in TN had caught up to me.

Sunday was spent playing catch up with schoolwork and planning for the week ahead while I wished I was still in Tennessee having fun with my little brother.  The next day was a difficult one with readjusting and getting back into the swing of things at work.  Little did I know that come lunch time when I took a break from work to check my email, and to log into Catholic Match for the first time in three weeks, I would stumble across a certain profile.  Yes, Monday, 10/21/13, last year was a special day indeed for it brought me to meeting Adam!  I can so clearly remember how I felt that morning...I was not looking forward to the mountain of schoolwork/dissertation/planning that awaited me from my extended fall break but I do remember smiling and being thankful for the fun trip I had just returned from and was well rested due to having slept a lot on Saturday night into Sunday.  I often wonder if I had known the day was going to end the way it did in talking with a pretty cool guy out in California, would I have done anything differently?  Probably not.  I am glad things unfolded the way they did...in all aspects of life.  This is proving true today as I received some disappointing news last night but then received incredible and astounding news today....only God could write a story this good!  Going back to the beginning with Adam, a large part of our conversation in the earlier messages/days were about the 3MT and it was because I needed to practice giving the speech aloud to someone not familiar with my work/research that I was able to skype with Adam for the first time...and why the pressure to meet him was off I think.  I went into this new friendship thinking he would be a fun person to talk to and that he was genuinely interested in helping me with my task at hand rather than viewing him as a prospective spouse let alone anyone I would meet offline.  Little did I know that he would wound up being a helpmate for life.  Again, only God could orchestrate something so clever in His timing.  

So, here we are just under a year from that fateful Monday afternoon.  When October 15th rolls around again, you'll find me in an airport.  This time, instead of being in Nashville, I will be at the airport in Harrisburg, PA to greet Adam as he steps on Pennsylvania soil for the first time. What an exciting trip we have planned....we'll cover LOTS of ground from Harrisburg to Lancaster to Schuylkill County to York to Gettysburg to Carlisle then Mechanicsburg and everywhere else in between....this will also be our shortest trip yet but we are grateful for the time we will have and are looking forward to it!  I can't wait to introduce him to PA friends, show him where I grew up and where I used to live (several places), as well as take him to the church and reception venue where the wedding will take place and probably most importantly, to complete our Engaged Encounter weekend for the Harrisburg Diocese next weekend.  

Yeah, had you told me last fall when I returned from an exciting Nashville trip that one year later I would be on a different trip preparing for marriage in my former diocese in PA, I would have laughed and laughed. I'm SO glad God is writing this story rather than I...it is turning out so much better than I could even fathom or create in my own mind.  Hmm, I wonder where we will be or what we will be doing on October 15, 2015!?

2 by 2

Two years ago today it all changed for me.   Even though I had/have an amazing network of supportive family and friends, two years ago, it was just Dusty and me against the world...again with the support of loved ones.  Dusty and I were on the cusp of my finishing my time in NC and not sure what was coming next or where I was going upon graduation.  Two years ago from this very date, I was teaching a class and drafting my final two chapters of my dissertation along with other research I was involved with at the time.  In fact, I was working on a 3MT (three minute speech) in which I discussed points from my dissertation in 3 minutes or less for a competition.  I was beginning to think about needing to start packing up my things from my brother's house bit by bit in NC and putting job applications together to send out far and wide all over the United States with one particular school in Ohio that happened to be very close to the PA border being at the top of that stack of papers and having already been sent to Human Resources via snail mail.  I had also just returned from a fabulous trip to Nashville, TN where I had met up with my little brother for our first time there.  The leaves were just beginning to change in NC (fall happens later there than at home) and change was all around me in the air on 10/21/13.  Then, it happened.  Around lunchtime, after a morning of playing catch up from the days away in Nashville, I checked my email and hopped onto my CatholicMatch profile to see that I had been matched up with someone who had a neat outdoors photo featured on his page.

Looking back at our first introduction, three little words started it all:

Meg:  Beautiful scenery photos!
Adam:  Thanks.  That's a nice vertical leap you've got in yours.  ;)

He was replying to this photo (ironically from California which is where he lived at the time).

From the point of initial contact on that late October day, it wasn't long before we became a team of two talking about anything and everything that was happening in our lives.   So much so that we made the decision for me to come to Ohio five months later when I got the call that they wanted to hire me while standing in the parking lot of a restaurant in CA all the way to the time he got a call in a parking lot this past summer as we crossed from Indiana back into Ohio and stopped for a meal at another restaurant and he said yes to a job promotion.  From helping each other with everyday tasks to laughing uncontrollably to moving, planning a wedding, and now expecting a new little one, I'm so glad that our little team of two grew to four (with the two loveable pups) to now five come St. Patrick's Day!

It's amazing what can happen in two short years!  As I watched the sun come up over the trees this morning, I couldn't help but reflect over all that has happened and all that is to come.  What an amazing author our God is at this story of life we're all living!!! On Monday, at work, a colleague responded with surprise when I mentioned that Wednesday would be two years since Adam and I met online and he exclaimed, "Only two years and you're already hitched?!"  Hehe...what can I say, when God has a plan all we can do is get out of the way and let Him do the work!

I look forward to what tomorrow will bring but also relish today (and yesterday).  In fact, yesterday when I came home from work, I was surprised to see these beautiful autumn flowers from Adam in a most unique vase!  How thoughtful!!  The pups, baby, and I are so blessed and lucky to have such a wonderful man in our lives!

These are the first gifts for the baby:  cute Froggie slippers from Adam's sister and family in CA and a CatholicMatch baby onesie from CM...how fun!

 

Aunt Maureen mailed us this terrific book from Boston, MA.  Can't wait to read it to the little one!

For those who may have missed our exciting announcement, here is how we spread the news earlier this week!  :)

Just like the Energizer Bunny, the 3MT just keeps on giving and giving and giving...!

Thank goodness it is Friday.  What a looooong week this was!  I feel as if I've hit a wall; surely it's much too early in the semester to feel this way!  The novelty of the new semester has worn off already, we've completed the first exam in half of the classes, and I'm enjoying being back in a regular routine.  On the one hand, the days are going by quickly with not being able to get everything done within each 24 hour segment yet on the other hand, the weeks seem to be draaaaggggiiiinnnngggg on forever...which brings me back to my first sentence.  I'm SO happy it is Friday again.  I've no place to be until Sunday morning when I head to church which means I can slow down a bit, get caught up on things around the house, try to tackle my to-do list that is a mile long and even squeeze in a bit of blogging.  I kind of want to go out to the kitchen and open a bottle of wine but will refrain.  I have a feeling if I sipped some of that yummy goodness, I might end up relaxing so much that I would fall asleep!

So, instead, I opted to read my students' responses to the three minute video I showed them in class this afternoon.  The other day, at the end of class, a student asked me what I had done my dissertation research on...this question came one day after I discovered the news that the research will be published very soon!  So, I decided to share with them the video from last fall's 3 minutes speech competition.  If you don't remember that task, click here to learn more about it.  This video was instrumental in Adam's & my initial conversations by the way!!  :)

Before showing the video during class today I instructed my students to write down a takeaway point for their future teaching (of Science and Social Studies) and have listed them below so I can always remember this snapshot in time of these young soon to be teachers and their ideas of what their futures will look like.  At the conclusion of the video, half of the class applauded!  I certainly wasn't expecting that to happen.  To think that nearly a year ago I was working long hours on creating this speech...I would never have imagined that I would use it the following year in one of my classes.  How blessed am I to have a job in which I can carry out my teaching, research, AND faith in this way!!  Some of the written student responses were really sweet and others made me think of things I hadn't before considered.  I'm so incredibly fortunate to be working at this fine institution with students who so obviously care and have a passion for our faith as well as making a difference as a teacher.  Somebody pinch me please!

• People's environments (community, family, home, friends) influence the way they respond to different types of atmospheres.  Therefore, I can expect my future students to be more/less responsive depending on how they react in different situations.
• I thought it was really interesting that how someone identified themselves has a lot to do with the setting they are in.  This makes me want to assure my students are in a setting in which they can be the best versions of themselves.
• From Dr. K's presentation I found that my takeaway point was on the communication.  With children having different types of disabilities it can be difficult to communicate and be social with peers and teachers.  I find it to be a mission for me to have all my students be able to understand no matter what it takes.
• Applying this to science instruction I could use interviews to conduct a study.  I will need to understand how students with disabilities may view themselves and how their identity can be influenced.  I will want to try to foster an environment that will lead to a positive self-identity.
• As a teacher someday, I want to give my students equal attention.  So many times during my early experience I have noticed teachers who favor one student over another.  By using the approach that causes a person to love before they teach, they can treat not only their students equally but everyone they encounter equally.  That will be important throughout one's whole life.
• Interactions with others, setting/context, and life experiences all play a role in the identity of students, and how they view themselves is very important.  It is good to take their perceptions of themselves into consideration instead of just "judging the book by its cover" from the start.  This is so important for all teachers to know because every student is a unique individual with his/her own story, and they all deserve to be given the opportunity to learn and grow into the most full versions of themselves.  Also, being open-minded in your perceptions of students allows them to be more open to learning!
• Identity is fluid.  Student may choose a different identity according to a certain setting.  A teacher should not assume that a child is well off and has an easy time socializing and making friends simply because they do well in the classroom.
• Identity changes according to settings, life experiences, and people's perceptions, etc.  I think this is something teachers should be wary of in their classrooms.  Each student has a different background that should be respected and the learning environment should be conducive to all students' learning.
• Identity changes with environment and social interactions.  Students need to feel comfortable with who they are and not feel as if they are out of place.  If the teacher understands better where the student is they can better be facilitators of knowledge.
• As a teacher, you must always be aware that a student's identity is largely formed in the classroom.  Be careful in how you judge/shape your students.
• I think it is important to realize that people may view themselves one way, but their caregiver may have a different view.  It is important to realize that students may see themselves differently, either positively or negatively.  Do not judge a book by its cover.
• The way we define both ourselves, our students, and the way our students define themselves greatly affects their ability to learn.  We should not judge a book by its cover and we should not let students' disabilities define them.
• The point about judging a book by its cover is so applicable, especially when teaching.  It's important in social studies classrooms to look past social and cultural stereotypes and norms and go deeper.  This goes for perception of students as well as instruction of backgrounds.
• A student's interactions, life experiences, and settings have a lot to do with how a student will perform academically.  This can tie into their life even further when they have any kind of physical or mental disability.
• It is important that as a future teacher, I should realize that children have their own personal identities.  With this fact in mind, it is important to foster their individuality and creativeness so that they know they are special and one of a kind.
• Using a multicultural book-I would have students make assumptions "judging a book by its cover" and then have the students read and reflect on what changed now that they have read the story.
• Identity can change depending on the setting.  We must be aware of how we perceive students because they may view themselves differently.

Thankful ~ Week 4

Day 22:  We had our first snowfall yesterday!  Today, though, I was grateful that there was no snow/ice facing the drive to work.

We had just enough snow that left a sprinkling on our pine bushes.  This is my kind of snow....the kind that doesn't mess with travel or cause one to fall!  However, the dip in temps caused me to pack up my lighter jackets and dig out my winter coats/scarves/hats/gloves.  Brr!

Day 23:  On my busiest day of the week, I am reminded of how grateful I am for my job!

Day 24:  Today was a day of traveling home to my parents' house and one of feeling thankful for my family (both the human and furry members!).

 

The pups got in some extra cuddling time with each other during the five hour drive home.

Day 25:  I had my first blizzard (peanut butter cup) from Dairy Queen in years.  YUM!  One of my favorite foods is ice cream so silly as it sounds, I'm thankful for this sweet indulgence.

Day 26:  With this day being Thanksgiving, I'm most thankful for my favorite holiday finally getting here, and for the people I got to see today (Mark, Liz, Thomas, Benjamin, Joe-a neighbor from my childhood, Nick-an old friend from 7th grade on up, Mom, Dad, Adam, Aunt Maureen, Laura, Brian, Alisha, Mason, Clark, Braden, Nick, and the pups!).  I hope everyone was able to spend time with loved ones or at least connect with them long distance if not in person today.

Day 27:  With this being Black Friday, I was thankful for deals at Kohl's on maternity clothes as Mom and I searched for some school clothes for me to wear using coupons/discounts.  I was thankful for the surprisingly not so crowded shopping as we checked out Kohl's and Hallmark so I could pick up my last and final ornament of the Noelville series.  I am going to miss these ornaments next year as they are ending the series after 10 years.  I've collected this particular ornament since it started due to the fact that I was working part time at Hallmark at the time as I put myself through my Master's program while also teaching full time.  With the ornament series ending, it almost feels like the end of an era!  Here is this year's ornament:  a clock shop.


How fitting...as time will keep on marching on as we seek to make the best of each minute we're given!  How will you make a difference for someone during the minutes you're given?  This question has me thinking and wondering how I can get back into volunteering in 2016.  I hope to not lose the resolve to get back into working with charity in some way as the new year approaches.  I have missed the volunteering activities I participated in down in NC and in York and need to stop letting life get so busy that I forget to try to help others through volunteer work in some way or form.  I guess this day is a two for one as I'm also thankful for second chances to try to make a difference for others.

Day 28:  We enjoyed a family outing to Koziar's Christmas Village tonight.  Aunt Maureen, Laura, Susie, Mom, Dad, Adam, and the 4 NC kiddos joined me as we braved the cold (and the long lines) to take in the music, sights, and sounds of Christmas!  This village is about 45 minutes to an hour from Mom and Dad's house and all seemed to enjoy themselves in spite of the huge crowd that had gathered there.  I'm thankful for holiday memories such as these and to experience events like these through the eyes of my niece and nephews when I can.  I'm also thankful for the clever ornament that Susie bought me that reminds me of the many Christmas Cookie Exchanges (CCEs) over the years and the pizelle cookies Susie made for our wedding reception!

Day 29:  Our return to Ohio took seven hours when it should have taken five hours due to the crazy amount of traffic on the turnpike, a couple accidents, and lots of stop and go driving.  I'm thankful we made it back safely and to be back in our cozy house tonight and can't wait to sleep in our bed!  In addition to that, I'm extra thankful Dad lent us his car due to mine losing its brakes Saturday night!  Hopefully the mechanic will be able to fix it without any problems tomorrow and we'll be able to swap cars at an upcoming holiday party in a couple weeks.  It's always something I tell ya!

Day 30:  We're 28 minutes shy of the last day of this challenge but I'll go ahead and state what I'm most thankful for regarding tomorrow.....it's the LAST Marathon Monday of the semester.  Goodbye 4 classes a day until Monday, January 18th!  It's also the lasssssst day of the dreaded exercise challenge I've been doing for the month of squats, pushups, planks, and crunches.  Granted, I've been doing reverse crunches as of the second week of November or so due to baby's growing so much this past month and have also been doing modified pushups but of all the challenges I've completed, this one is my least favorite.  I will be tremendously grateful to be done with the 250 squats, 50 pushups, 5 minute plank, and 150 crunches tomorrow night!!!


In closing out this 30 Days of Thanks challenge, I also hope to not forget to be thankful each and every day for at least one thing as we move forward into the Advent season in preparing for Christmas.  This photo popped up in my newsfeed from two years ago today with the following caption:

Day 29: Thankful for a relaxing Thanksgiving Day with family at home especially with my niece in our not planned matching outfits.  :)  I wonder if Mason Noelle will continue being the only girl (like me) or if her new cousin from Uncle Mark and Aunt Liz in March will be a girl?!



Well, that new cousin ended up being a beautiful little boy, Benjamin Mark, and now reading this caption makes me wonder if Mason will continue being the only girl or if she will finally have a girl cousin on our side of the family come March!?  Also, I had to giggle as I was reminded of my sister-in-law's comment on my outfit on Thanksgiving night when she said, "Your outfit reminds me of the outfit Mason is going to wear tomorrow".  I guess some things don't change although I'm not sure if it's a good thing I dress like a soon to be eight year old.  ; )  Hehe!

Also, looking back on this picture, I clearly recall how excited I was that night after the kids had gone to bed, the last plate was washed and put away, and I was downstairs in the family room talking to a boy in California on Skype late into the night upon his return to his house after enjoying his own Thanksgiving meal with his family.  It was at this time that he purchased his plane ticket to come see me in NC that January!  Once we hung up, I ran upstairs to finally share with my Mom the news about "this boy in California who helped me with my 3MT speech".  That Thanksgiving night symbolized a change in Adam's and my relationship in realizing that we were actually going to meet in person in a couple of months!  I remember so well the feelings of excitement and hope that were growing up until then with each conversation, each book or article read, each story from our past told, each question that was answered, each smile or joke that was shared but with the purchase of the plane ticket on this night two years ago, I dared to allow myself to think beyond the growing friendship to, "what if", and was overjoyed to think of being able to spend time with this California charmer in person rather than via Skype.  How fun now to reflect on this period of waiting....and hoping.....as at the moment we are waiting and hoping in a different way and also on tonight as this is the first Sunday of Advent which, as a whole, is viewed as a season of tenderness and hope. Let's not forget the reason for the season and try to treat everyone we cross paths just a little bit kinder in the upcoming month.  Season's Greetings to all!