Grad School Decisions

Something that I’ve wanted to do for a while now is get my Masters’ degree. Although getting a pay bump is a huge plus, the main reason I want to get it is because it’s something that I want to do for me. I had always thought that I’d get it in English, then later pursue a Doctorate degree, but since I’m not in education anymore, I don’t really know how much that would benefit me. Now I think I’ve really decided on what I want to do.

I want to get my MLIS (Masters of Library and Information Science).

I think this is going to be a really fun program, with lots of benefits:

I get to be around books all the time.

Sounds like every bookworm’s dream, right? I can look at books all day long! I can check out all the books I want and fulfill my book cravings.

I can help people.

I love that I can help people find their new favorite book. I can also help them with getting their passport, completing a research project, and pretty much everything else they would need.

I can have more time with my son.

This is the big one for me. I’d like to get the dual certification as a media specialist so I can work in a school setting. I would basically have the same schedule as my son, so I can spoil him rotten and spend as much time as possible with him.

I think the one thing that is really holding me back right now is money. If I just get the MLIS without the media specialist certification, I would save myself about $4000. But at the same time…I don’t know if I’d make it back to school again in order to get my certificate. Plus, I’m trying to go back to school with no additional student loans. I’m still paying off my Bachelors’ degree, and I graduated in 2012! I’ve started a little nest egg for school, so slowly I’ll be able to afford it.

Any suggestions on what path I should take and how to afford it? Leave me some comments!

The Kingdom of Oceana

Five centuries ago, on the island now called Hawaii, there was a kingdom filled with adventure, beauty, and magic. 

When 16-year-old Prince Ailani and his brother Nahoa trespass on a forbidden burial ground and uncover an ancient tiki mask, they unleash a thousand-year-old curse that threatens to descroy their tropical paradise.

As warring factions collide for control of Oceana, it sparks an age-old conflict between rival sorcerors that threatns to erupt – just like Mauna Kea, the towering volcano.

With the help of his ancestral spirit animals, his shape shifting sidekick, and a beautiful princess, Prince Ailani must overcome his own insecurities, a lifetime of sibling rivalry, and a plague of cursed sea creatures brought forth by the tiki’s spell.

Can peace be restored to the kingdom? Can Prince Ailani claim his rightful place as the future king of Oceana?

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a huge Disney fan. I try to go see every Disney movie that comes out in theaters. When I heard that the newest one was Moana, I knew I wanted to see it. Typical me, though…I haven’t. However, when I saw this book, I knew it would fill the Moana void. I don’t want you to think that this is a straight-out Moana story. The Kingdom of Oceana is a totally great story. Right after I finished the first chapter, I knew I needed to read this as fast as possible; I needed to know what happened to everyone!

The Kingdom of Oceana is a sibling story at its core. I like reading about siblings because I like to imagine what’s it like to have them. I feel like Mitchell Charles did a great job creating that relationship. Ailani is always trying to measure up to his older brother Nahoa, and Nahoa likes to remind Ailani that he is the little brother. I really enjoyed the character development throughout the story. I feel that Ailani grew up not only because of necessity, but because he was starting to see his potential.

As a new mom, I feel like I pay more attention to parent-child relationships in stories. As I was reading, I found that I most wanted to be like Father and definitely not like Mother. Father tries to do right by his family and his people, even if that means making decisions that he might not think are great. He always tries to teach boys lessons, not just about how to become the next leaders of their people, but also about being good people in general. I hated how Mother played favorites. If I ever have more than one child, I want to be able to love them equally.

When I was in college, I took a Mythology course. When I first signed up for it, I thought it would be only about Greco-Roman mythology. Boy, was I wrong! I was learning about Celtic, Chinese, Native American…and Hawaiian. As I was reading, I was recognizing some of the terms used throughout the book (just in case, Charles includes footnotes, which I think is an added bonus to the story). I was trying to think of why things sounded familiar, and I remembered back to my Mythology class. If anyone wants to check out my textbook, I highly recommend it!

Speaking of class, since The Kingdom of Oceana is geared toward younger readers (think middle school age), there are educational materials that go along with it! As a former ELA teacher and new mom, I think it’s awesome that there are pre-made materials that enhance the reading experience. I can’t wait ’til my son is a little older and I can teach him about this book. There is a glossary of Hawaiian words and two study guides focused on earth science and humanities. If there are any ELA teachers out there who read my blog, contact me and I might be able to hook you up!

The Kingdom of Oceana is a fast-paced, fun read that gets you interested right from the beginning. I’m really hoping Charles is working on a sequel, because I need to know what happens next!

Go Google Yourself!

Have you ever done an internet search and thought, “I wonder what would happen if I typed my own name into the search bar? What would I find?” If not, it might be time to do that, and not just for curiosity’s sake.

Let me tell you a story…

In high school, I had this friend, and she went through a breakup. Her ex showed interest in me, and I in him. I went to my friend and told her what was happening, and she gave her blessing for us to date. Years went by, and I had learned in college that searching yourself online might be beneficial because potential employers might look for your online profiles. I typed my name, and I was scrolling through the search results I found my name in someone’s Xanga post (yes, I’m dating myself here). Turns out it was this girl talking trash about me and calling me names. I was horrified. First off, because I thought she was my friend and didn’t think she would say those things about me. Second, because that information is out there on the Internet, and what happens online stays online.

Nowadays, people’s online identity is so important. You hear on the news all the time about people losing their jobs because they posted something that was deemed inappropriate by their employer. At my current job, someone lost their job because they took a selfie at work and posted it to Facebook…unaware that the picture included private client information. In a 2012 study, 92% of US companies look for new employees through social media.

When I was sending out job applications after graduation, I was also cleaning up my social media accounts. I made sure I didn’t have any pictures of myself in compromising positions. I deleted some potentially inappropriate posts and status updates. I tried to present myself as best as I could. Now, as a more regular blogger and mom, I want to make sure that my readers and my son will see the best (and more honest) side of me.

I know all of this might be scary, but there are some things you can do to help your online self.

• Check your search results periodically. Make sure you search all names you’re known by. For example, if I were to search myself right now, I’d check my legal birth name, my married name, and both last names with my nickname. That’s 4 separate searches!
• Don’t just use Google. There are other search engines, like Yahoo and Bing, that might have different results.
• Check your social media accounts. Look at old posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and see if you posted any embarrassing or inappropriate. If you wouldn’t show your mom, you might want to take it down.
• Look at how many results are about you. Just because you might only have a couple hits doesn’t always mean a good thing. Some people might think you have something to hide…plus something unsavory might creep up to the front of the results page.
• Ask a friend. Have someone you trust take a look at your online persona. They will more than likely tell it to you like it is and be honest about those Spring Break pictures.

Online Reputation Management, a company that caters toward protecting your online identity, created this handy-dandy cheat sheet to help you search for yourself correctly. Take a look!

Remember: if a problem ever goes viral or a situation arises that’s too much to handle on your own, there are crisis management services that can help!

Tell me: did you Google yourself already? What did you find?

300 Writing Prompts 2

It’s time for another edition of 300 Writing Prompts!

This week’s topic:

What do you think is the most important thing for today’s kids to learn in school?

I’ll admit I’m biased on this one. As a former English teacher, my answer has to include reading and writing. Students need to be exposed to other viewpoints and stories, and literature is the perfect tool for that. Also, students need to harness their writing skills so that they can be better thinkers and communicators. 

But there’s more to school than academics. Some of the biggest lessons I learned in school weren’t academic at all.

I learned that teachers are people you can trust and go to with more than just school problems.

I learned that even though you’re thrown in group situations, the only person’s work you can control is yours.

I learned that some people can be lifelong friends, while others can stab you in the back.

I learned that the problems in school are nothing compared to the problems in the outside world.

I learned that no matter what, you should be kind to people.

I think that all lessons are important. They just might not all be in the classroom.