Spread The Word To End The Word: March 6th, 2013

Huh? What's that mean?

Allow me to explain. Better yet, I'll just tell you exactly what their website says because I think it explains it perfectly.

"Our campaign asks people to pledge to stop saying the R-word as a starting point toward creating more accepting attitudes and communities for all people.  Language affects attitudes and attitudes affect actions.  Pledge today to use respectful, people-first language." Taken from this site

Personally I have a strong disliking for the "R-word". I think it's highly offensive. What people don't realize is that even though they maybe aren't talking about a person with a mental disability, it can still hurt people. They don't understand how much damage a word can do. It's the same as calling something or someone "gay". While the terms mean two completely different things, they both can hold a lot of negative power. I wish people would understand how much damage their words can do.

Here's a video with the very famous Johnny Knoxville:
I love how he talked about making "The Ringer" changed his life. Eddie makes great points too. There are so many more videos out there and I could post them all day. But the part that really matters is raising awareness for the cause. Pledge to stop using the R-word, get your friends and families involved and make a difference. I love being a part of Best Buddies, it has gotten me to be more comfortable with people with disabilities and taught me that they just want someone to be their friend or "buddy". They don't care about your grades, the clothes you wear or the car you drive. They just want someone to go shopping with or go grab a pizza. My buddy loves both!

This is only my first year in Best Buddies and I have met some many great people! I don't always run around saying "guys I met these awesome people". I truly mean the people I have met are super awesome.  We are even planning to do a mud/foam run this summer! Combing two of my favorite things: friends and running.

My other "buddy" as I call him is a my super sweet 12 year old cousin. Sorry ladies, he has a girlfriend. I know, he is such a stud.

He is just a bundle of energy and can bring a smile to anyone's face. I was lucky enough to live by this guy for about a year and it was awesome. He gives great hugs and makes us all appreciate how lucky we really are.

This posted turned kinda long, but if you can't tell, it's something I'm really passionate about. If you could, please take the few minutes to pledge to end the word. Today is the annual day of awareness, but this shouldn't be limited to a one day event. I encourage you to take the pledge and get other involved.

I hope everyone had a great day and thank you for taking the time to read all of this!

Ashlyn

Playin' in the Snow

I would usually have a Listen Up! post for you today, but I'm gonna skip it for now. 


Today I had two more observations: one at the high school and one in the elementary school. The high school one was pretty painless since all they did was watch a movie so I couldn't even see to even take notes. Which is totally okay, high school is not an age I am interested in. For me, I'm all about the little ones. So I loved every minute of my time I spent in the preschool room today. The teacher was the sweetest. She had come to speak at a meeting I went to and talked to us on how she was using iPads in her classroom. I really liked how she ran her classroom and was so patient and gentle with all the kids.She had a special treat for them today: take a trip outside in the snow! After everyone got bundled up, we headed out to check out the flakes. It was so fun watching them make observations about the snow, patterns our shoes were making and how slippery it was. On the way back inside, one of the girls was having a hard time walking. Her boots were extra slippery so she grabbed my hand and walked hanging on to me all the way to the classroom. That was pretty cool, here I was a complete stranger but she wasn't afraid to reach out and ask for a hand. Punny punny. 

Snow!!

 I could go on and on for hours about this, but it was one of those moments when I was so thankful for the school I'm at and working towards a degree in something I love. Do I doubt my choice sometimes? Yes. Do I wanna quit and just give up? Well yea, don't we all? Do I regret really going after what I want? Never. There will be many more hours of observations involved, more papers to write and more tests to pass. I know this is something I want to do and I know it won't come easy. It's gonna be work, but I'm ready. I just have to remember when I am having a rough day, think about in a few years what I will be able to do. All my years in school have taught me everything I know, with a few life lessons thrown in. My favorite one my grandpa tells us, "Don't take any wooden nickels". 

I found this image on Pinterest. You didn't think I could go a whole post without talking about Pinterest did you? 

Source

I kinda really like this message here. Bottom line, I may not know exactly what my future holds, but I'm ready. Bring it on.

I was all over the place there, but thank you for sticking with me.

Ashlyn