Photo Friday: Another Door Closes

December 7, 2012December 7, 2012 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / 2 Comments

Today is my last day student teaching 6th grade. I have so many mixed emotions. I am going to miss my students. I am going to miss the mentor teachers and staff at the school. I am going to miss seeing those “Ah Ha!” moments from the students. What I won’t miss are the long hours in the car, grading papers, saying, “I’ll wait,” and the morning staff meetings. 6th grade is such an awesome and awkward time in a young person’s life. I am so blessed that I got to be a part of it for my students. I will never forget them. They will always be my students.

I had such a great experience with these students and mentor teachers. They have taught me SO much! I cannot thank them enough. They have influenced my teaching philosophy and have helped me become more open-minded. Because of them I know what kind of educator I am meant to be.

So another chapter of my life is coming to a close. Next semester I will be student teaching 1st grade. Oh what an experience that will be! I am nervous excited about this new opportunity, but am confident and know that I am prepared for it.

Next thing I know that experience will be over and it will be time for me to graduate in May!! Some days I think that day can’t come soon enough, while other days I don’t want it to come. I don’t want to have to venture out into “The Real World” yet, but I know that when that day comes I will be ready. I’ll be ready to walk through that new door.

Words I Need Today

November 25, 2012December 24, 2012 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / 10 Comments

Always a Farmer’s Daughter

by Sarah Thomas

There once was a Farmer who had a daughter. A Farmer that knew how to plant and raise crops and his own stock. That Farmer’s daughter admired and loved the Farmer.

But the time came for the Farmer to answer the call because the Man upstairs needed the Farmer to tend to his stock from up above.

Although the time of Thanksgiving is the most difficult time of all, the Farmer’s daughter was thankful for him. Thankful for the time she had with the Farmer. Thankful for the memories made and the stories to share. Thankful for the example of a life well lived.

The Farmer left a legacy for his daughter to share with you. A story that shaped the daughter’s life. The story of the Farmer told by the Farmer’s daughter. And always a Farmer’s daughter I’ll be.

The Farmer and the Farmer’s daughter

Today marks the third anniversary of my Dad’s passing. It feels like he has been gone for 30 years, not three. It is hard loving and hating all the things that remind me of him the most. All the things that make me the most like him.

I love and hate black coffee. I hate that I need it to get me through the day, but love it because he drank his black too. I love John Wayne and western movies so much that I wish my life was like a western. I hate that I can’t sit and watch a whole one because it was our thing.

I love that I have come to appreciate the work of the American farmer more. They say you learn to appreciate things more once they are gone. I always appreciated my Dad and his hard work. Now that he is not here, I try to show other farmers that I appreciate them and all the work they do for me. I hate hearing the phrase “the farmer’s daughter” because my farmer is no longer on this earth but love the fact that it will forever link me to farmers.

I love that he instilled in me a love for the land. That has not changed. I could never hate the land. I love it more because it is what’s left of him on this earth. There is a sign that hangs in my house, “Heaven is under our feet as well over our heads.” That saying has never been more true for me now. I would give anything to be in heaven with him, but I know he helped create a heaven here on this land for me. And I won’t disappoint him. I will try to live every day on this heavenly land as a farmer’s daughter because I know that I will always be one.

What I Am Thankful For

November 21, 2012November 21, 2012 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / 1 Comment

I am thankful for:
my family and friends
my home
my education
my faith
farmers and ranchers

I will use my family and friends in times of need. I will use what precious time I have with them to enjoy my relationships with them. Life is short. Show your love ones how much you love them.

I will use my home as a shelter and a place to appreciate who I am and how I was raised. For if ever I leave I know there will always be a place to call home.

I am extremely blessed that I grew up in a home that values education. I plan to continue pursuing my degree to become an educator. I hope to teach my future students the value of being educated.

I will use my faith to believe in the man upstairs and to have faith in His plan for me. I will continue to thank him for my blessings every day.

Last and certainly not least, I will continue to support farmers and ranchers in the agriculture industry. I will be an advocate for agriculture and thank them for all they do every chance I get.

I hope that you all have a blessed Thanksgiving and that you plan to SHOW your blessings how thankful you are.

Thank you for your support and stopping by my blog. I am thankful for you.

Experience

October 31, 2012October 31, 2012 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / 1 Comment

“Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn.”

— C. S. Lewis

I am in the middle of my first semester of student teaching, and boy is it an experience!! An experience that is stressful, fun, exciting, overwhelming, long, and educational. An experience that I am so greatful to have at a great school and with students that I truly enjoy. I am learning how I want to set up my own classroom, what kind of classroom management I like best, strategies for teaching and much more. I will definitely be walking into my future career with experience.

Sure I have some rough, long days. I believe everyone has those days. Experiences can be good and bad. They are never perfect. If they were then you wouldn’t be challenged, you wouldn’t learn anything. You wouldn’t gain experience to help you down the road. I’m not hoping for a perfect student teaching experience. I just hope for one that I can learn from.

Photo Friday: My First Field Trip

October 26, 2012October 28, 2012 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / 1 Comment

Yesterday I went on a field trip to Kelsay Farms in Whiteland, Indiana. Now, it really was not my first field trip, but it was the first field trip that I have ever planned and been responsible for. My first week of student teaching I asked my mentor teacher if I could take my students on a field trip to a farm. He said, “sure but you have to plan it.” So, I planned it and we went and from the photos you can see how much the students enjoyed it. Marion County Farm Bureau sponsored 87 students from my school to attend. When we returned to the school the students wrote thank you notes to Marion County Farm Bureau and included something they learned from the tour and something they liked on the farm. I’ve read all of the notes and the students learned how many times the cows are milked each day, how the cows are milked, how a heifer becomes a cow, how much a cow can eat and drink in one day. They enjoyed all the fall activities: climbing on hay bale mountain, the corn maze, petting the calves, playing in the corn crib and being outside on a beautiful fall day. I also had a good time watching the students react to the smells of the farm and on how the cows were acting. It was quite entertaining for me! It is important to me that my students know where their food comes from. As their teacher, it’s my responsibility to teach them with the help of the awesome people in the agriculture industry. Help from people like the Kelsays. I would like to thank Marion County Farm Bureau for sponsoring and making this trip possible for the students. And a huge thank you to Amy Kelsay, all the Kelsay family and Kelsay Farms staff for taking the time to teach students about ag and inviting them to the farm. All in all I think my first field trip as an educator was a success!

Photo courtesy of Melissa TaylorPhoto courtesy of Melissa TaylorPhoto courtesy of Melissa Taylor

We Come and We Go

October 23, 2012October 25, 2012 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / Leave a comment

“We come and we go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it – for a little while.”

— Willa Cather, O Pioneers!

Today’s “words to live by” that I would like to share with you come from one of my favorite authors, Willa Cather. The woman I worked for this summer, Sarah Aubrey introduced me to Willa Cather’s books and I absolutely love them!! O Pioneers! is the story of a woman who has a passionate love for the land. While reading it, I kept making connections to this character and her love of the land. People do come and go, but the land is constant and beautiful. The land is the only thing worth working, fighting, and dying for because it is the only that lasts. For those of us that have this love of the land we have the opportunity to call it our own. It is a beautiful legacy that we leave behind when it’s our time to go.

Photo Friday: Boiler Up!

October 19, 2012October 19, 2012 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / 1 Comment

Last Friday I made my way up to Boilermaker country to join in Purdue’s homecoming festivities. I was very excited to see my Dad’s roommates from when he was at Purdue. One is from New Jersey, one is from San Diego, and another one is from the Chicago area. I was also looking forward to spending time with my sister and family friends. I had a fantastic weekend with everyone even though it rained most of the day on Saturday and everyone got soaked. Bill, my Dad’s roommate from San Diego brought his daughter, Allison with him this time. In all the years our Dads have known each other this was this first time for she and I to meet. We’re the same age and I had a great time getting to know her and how different her life is from mine in this flyover state. I see an adventure opportunity out west for a visit in my future!

Me and my sister, Katie at Harry’s Friday night.

At the game on Saturday before it started to rain!

My new friend, Allison and I at Harry’s Saturday night.

Cheers to the future!

October 17, 2012October 25, 2012 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / 1 Comment

Two weekends ago I had a lovely afternoon at a local winery with two of my best friends catching up on our crazy, busy lives. We laughed a lot, cried a little, gave advice, shared funny dreams, discussed our futures and reminisced. I felt so much better after that visit. Of course I still thought about all the things I need to do and all the things I wish I could change. Those thoughts were no longer my own because I had shared it all with them. A few days later, one of the girls sent me a text with this verse along with some words of encouragement. It instantly made my day. It reminded me that I can accomplish my goals and continue to keep my cool even on the toughest of days. It also reminded me that my future is going to be awesome because I will continue to reach for it. To sum it up, again I have amazing friends and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for me and for all of them!

Liz, me and Emily at Oliver Winery

Photo Friday: Young Farmers

October 11, 2012October 12, 2012 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / 1 Comment

Photo courtesy of Tiffany Obrecht

What is one thing all of these people have in common? A passion for agriculture! Wednesday night Marion County Farm Bureau Young Farmers held a social at Stoneycreek Farm in Noblesville, Indiana. We roasted hot dogs, made s’mores, went on a hay ride and enjoyed each other’s company on a perfect fall night. We also got to meet Loren Schmierer, the owner of Stonycreek Farm. Mr. Schmierer grew up on a farm in California. He worked for Elanco until 1978 when he decided he wanted to farm full time, “I wanted to come back to my roots and was tired of standing on my feet at cocktail parties because I am flat footed.” I loved listening to him tell his story and love for agriculture. It’s important for younger generations to hear these inspiring stories. Mr. Schmierer answered our questions about agritourism and how to connect to consumers. As a group of young professionals in the ag industry or with an interest in ag it was great to hear about Stonycreek Farm’s success.

If you would like to visit or learn more about Stonycreek Farm visit their website here.

Follow Marion County Farm Bureau on Facebook and Twitter!

Advice From a Tree

October 2, 2012October 19, 2012 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / 2 Comments

The Advice from a Tree image and words previously posted were an infringement of the copyrights of Ilan Shamir and Your True Nature and has been shared around the internet. We are reposting the correct version of this and encourage you to visit the Advice from Nature website at http://www.yourtruenature.com for Advice from a Tree and over 100 other advice bookmarks, posters, journals, tshirts and other eco products. copyright 1993-2012 YTN

Who knew you could learn so much from a tree??

Actually I have heard much of this advice from many people in my life but this is a great reminder. You should always stand proud and tall on your beliefs even if you have to go out on a limb to do it. ALWAYS remember where you come from! I would not be the person I am today if I did not appreciate my roots. My mom has always told me to drink plenty of water and my skin always thanks me for it. Being content and accepting of my natural beauty is a struggle at times but I do like the person I am, so that’s a start. I try to take in and enjoy life’s scenery.

Speaking of tress, they are so beautiful this time of the year. I have definitely been enjoying the view of the fall season.

Thank you kindly for stopping by and enjoying the view!!

Sarah Sums It Up

Keeping it simple and summing it up one post at a time.