I ended up getting really burned out this semester. It was pretty bad. I didn't care to submit any homework, study, or anything else. I had to count down the assignments to help me get to the end. It was torture. But it's all over now.
History was painful. We had double the workload this semester compared to the previous history class. But there were only 2 exams. That is really tough trying to remember specific details covering 7 chapters of a world history textbook, website links, and lectures. I worked my butt off though and hopefully I fared pretty well in there.
Spanish II was scary towards the end. We were moving at such a fast pace that I felt I wasn't putting as much into long-term memory. I feel like I need a nice break from Spanish before attempting to learn more in there.
Chemistry class had a major turn-around right after the last day to drop the class. We started with 32 students and after the last day to drop the class we had only 8 students remaining. I had a solid A average in there. It was very tough to maintain that grade but I knew the final would be dreadful and I needed a high grade going into the final. Then the instructor opened up all quizzes and offered us to retake them to improve our grades and to prepare for the final exam. I only tried two quizzes though and they only raised my grade by a point total. It was good practice for the final exam though! The lab final exam was awful and I barely studied for it. I paid for it with a 76 but I could have skipped it altogether and still managed a B in there.
I still have my work cut out for me this summer. I need to pass the Praxis asap. I need to get accepted into the Teacher Education Program this fall. I took a seminar last month and there were some in attendance who had taken parts of the Praxis 4 and 5 times. Oh dear.
This fall I will be busy finishing up the last 2-3 classes at GTCC and taking my first 1-2 classes at WSSU. So far I am signed up for 2 classes but the third class is full unless someone decides not to pay for it.
I'm off to study and take a break from the daily grind until Fall!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Step 2 Praxis
Apparantly, there are certain steps to this process that must be taken in order to reach the final goal. Therefore, my next step is the Praxis. Since I am so late in realizing this, I really need to get it passed by this summer. I have been advised to drop any summer classes and concentrate solely on passing the Praxis.
In the meantime, before I realized this process, I have been accepted into WSSU starting this fall. I have 2-3 classes I could take this fall at GTCC and then I can take 1-2 additional classes at WSSU. I say 2-3 classes because I am enrolled in two classes but the third class is closed unless someone else drops it or forgets to pay. It is a Speech course so I am not overly anxious to get in there anyway.
I spent Tuesday on campus at WSSU and, after gathering the materials I needed, I felt like I hit a wall. I am already behind schedule in the regular program. Ugh. I am also still reconsidering which major to stick with. I think the elementary education would be much easier overall and less demanding once I secure a job but my passion has always been Math. I think I decided to act on this a litte too late though and I wonder how effective a 60 year old Math teacher would be. I know I would thrive through the 50s but beyond that I just cannot visual it.
Then I have the added dilemma of figuring out all the logistics involved with taking seated classes on campus. I could put Bailey in a preschool but that is only from 9-12 each day and it only gives me time to take 1 class. I'm still a four months away from that problem so hopefully by then we will know more details about Steve's position at work and whether my dad or his wife can help in any way.
In the meantime, before I realized this process, I have been accepted into WSSU starting this fall. I have 2-3 classes I could take this fall at GTCC and then I can take 1-2 additional classes at WSSU. I say 2-3 classes because I am enrolled in two classes but the third class is closed unless someone else drops it or forgets to pay. It is a Speech course so I am not overly anxious to get in there anyway.
I spent Tuesday on campus at WSSU and, after gathering the materials I needed, I felt like I hit a wall. I am already behind schedule in the regular program. Ugh. I am also still reconsidering which major to stick with. I think the elementary education would be much easier overall and less demanding once I secure a job but my passion has always been Math. I think I decided to act on this a litte too late though and I wonder how effective a 60 year old Math teacher would be. I know I would thrive through the 50s but beyond that I just cannot visual it.
Then I have the added dilemma of figuring out all the logistics involved with taking seated classes on campus. I could put Bailey in a preschool but that is only from 9-12 each day and it only gives me time to take 1 class. I'm still a four months away from that problem so hopefully by then we will know more details about Steve's position at work and whether my dad or his wife can help in any way.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Plagiarizing
Why is it that a handful of students can negatively stereotype a population so easily? Students have a honor code, even online students must abide by the honor code or face the consequences. We just had a major world history midterm exam and apparantly some students took it upon themselves to copy and paste essays responses from the internet onto their EXAM. First of all, I didn't even realize we could copy/paste. Second, the instructor has already explained that this is a closed book, no notes exam. Apparantly, we have some bold students in our class.
I'm concerned because there were several students that were caught plagiarizing. Several. Wow, that is shocking. It is also completely unfair to the rest of us. I studied my heart out and could only manage a solid 90. I'm frustrated. That exam was very hard, covered seven chapters of material, and took a full three hours to complete. But most importantly, I don't want the actions of those students to reflect on the rest of the class. I went straight to the Distance Education Coordinator.
I'm concerned because there were several students that were caught plagiarizing. Several. Wow, that is shocking. It is also completely unfair to the rest of us. I studied my heart out and could only manage a solid 90. I'm frustrated. That exam was very hard, covered seven chapters of material, and took a full three hours to complete. But most importantly, I don't want the actions of those students to reflect on the rest of the class. I went straight to the Distance Education Coordinator.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Gearing up for a new semester
Well, I stopped journaling last semester because I was just too frustrated with the bad batch of instructors we were assigned to. I'm slowly getting over it but not without complaining about it. I feel really bad for my fellow students who didn't fare as well as I did due to their instructor's lack of guidance. I already know we will have a repeat instructor for next semester so I just need to keep my tail between my legs until May. I should never see the other again though and that really is a good thing.
We were not given a fall break or a Thanksgiving break like the seated students. When there is inclement weather that closes or delay classes, we attend regardless. If school is lengthened, we attend those days as well. I only hope that as this online program comes to fruitation over the next few semesters, these kinks will be ironed out eventually.
I applied for the Faculty Academic Scholarship and won. That was a huge accomplishment. I have never qualified to apply to anything yet and I not only qualified but I also won this one. It really helped give me an incentive to keep working hard. There are too many days when I wonder if a 4.0 is any better than a 3.75. Well, I do still wonder but I have a feeling the 4.0 definitely helped me gain an edge with this scholarship.
Next semester is the second part of Spanish, second part of History, and Chemistry. I scaled down because fall was not fair to Bailey at all. I hate to see her tugging and pulling at me when I am running behind with my deadlines and cannot give her the attention she deserves. I also want to work with her more to prepare her for K and I have duties at the school that will require more of my time this second half of the school year.
We were not given a fall break or a Thanksgiving break like the seated students. When there is inclement weather that closes or delay classes, we attend regardless. If school is lengthened, we attend those days as well. I only hope that as this online program comes to fruitation over the next few semesters, these kinks will be ironed out eventually.
I applied for the Faculty Academic Scholarship and won. That was a huge accomplishment. I have never qualified to apply to anything yet and I not only qualified but I also won this one. It really helped give me an incentive to keep working hard. There are too many days when I wonder if a 4.0 is any better than a 3.75. Well, I do still wonder but I have a feeling the 4.0 definitely helped me gain an edge with this scholarship.
Next semester is the second part of Spanish, second part of History, and Chemistry. I scaled down because fall was not fair to Bailey at all. I hate to see her tugging and pulling at me when I am running behind with my deadlines and cannot give her the attention she deserves. I also want to work with her more to prepare her for K and I have duties at the school that will require more of my time this second half of the school year.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
So Upset and Very Disappointed
Yes, it is true. It has been a most difficult week. Hubby has been home sick. The boys were home for 2 days on Fall Break. I was already behind from the previous week with sick boys, lots of work at the elementary school, and two days of Fall Break. I hope this is crunch time at the school because it always seems like when it rains, it pours. This week didn't seem hard but the assignments were huge and count a large chunk of our final grade. Friday night after working almost all day on assignments and studying, I realized Bailey was sleeping at 9pm. I had let an entire day slip by without really seeing my baby girl. I was heartbroken and broke down and cried. I know I said that I would not continue to let my studies interfere but with such big assignments with large GPA percentages, I just could not let it go. If I turn it in late, I get a zero. Thankfully she did awaken at 11:30 and we played briefly before I let her have some TV time which she always enjoys late at night.
Which this now leads me to situation which I am not proud of. So we have an instructor who is not so helpful. I have been at odds with her since before the semester started and I have written about her once before. Remember, I had to drive back to the bookstore on a Saturday after the first week of class is over to find a textbook. It is the same instructor. Well, recently she had included questions on the test that are not covered in the book, she doesn't answer my questions when I email her, and most recently she docked me 20 points for a set of 4 essays (10 pages) because I essay was not written about the topic she intended us to write about. It took me three emails to figure out what the topic should have been. I cannot imagine how badly she will be tearing up my research paper that is due tomorrow.
I feel sick when I think about it. I dread doing homework. I dread having to email her. I hate Psychology now. I save it for last. It is these thoughts that make me realize that it is time to contact the department chair. I know of 3 other students complaining about her and others that I talk with are not satisfied but are afraid to say anything. It is not fair. Now, it is too late to drop the class. I'll have to finish this semester out and hope I can at least maintain a decent grade in the class. I need to work on contacting the department chair first thing Monday morning to get things in motion before I get another bad grade. It makes me sick to think about it.
Which this now leads me to situation which I am not proud of. So we have an instructor who is not so helpful. I have been at odds with her since before the semester started and I have written about her once before. Remember, I had to drive back to the bookstore on a Saturday after the first week of class is over to find a textbook. It is the same instructor. Well, recently she had included questions on the test that are not covered in the book, she doesn't answer my questions when I email her, and most recently she docked me 20 points for a set of 4 essays (10 pages) because I essay was not written about the topic she intended us to write about. It took me three emails to figure out what the topic should have been. I cannot imagine how badly she will be tearing up my research paper that is due tomorrow.
I feel sick when I think about it. I dread doing homework. I dread having to email her. I hate Psychology now. I save it for last. It is these thoughts that make me realize that it is time to contact the department chair. I know of 3 other students complaining about her and others that I talk with are not satisfied but are afraid to say anything. It is not fair. Now, it is too late to drop the class. I'll have to finish this semester out and hope I can at least maintain a decent grade in the class. I need to work on contacting the department chair first thing Monday morning to get things in motion before I get another bad grade. It makes me sick to think about it.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Mid Point
It's okay to celebrate a little early, isn't it? I feel as these semesters drag by that each one seems longer and I feel the burn much sooner than the previous one. These classes should seem fun, interesting, thought-provoking, and most importantly helpful. I already have come across many situations in which my education this time around has helped me with the boys and their homework. Perhaps this is more true of Patrick since I feel like I'm strugling to keep up with him. I realize they do not go as in-depth into these subjects as I do but nevertheless it completely blows my mind sometimes.
Anyway, the end of this week marks the official half-way point in this semester. It has been very difficult. I am hoping to finish with all body parts still intack. Only time will tell if that holds up. I keep holding onto the fact that after this semester, I only have one more big semester to go. I have already decided to take only three courses and I absolutely will not allow myself to take on another full load like this until I am in a seated class. It is just too much to handle for the long-term while raising three children and three animals.
In Spanish, we are spending some time this week reflecting on how the semester is going. We do a lot of reflecting in this class and that is okay. I wish more classes did that. While raising the three kittens a couple of weeks ago, I got very behind in my studies. With all 100s I figured it would okay to save the lives of three little ones. They are all safely with a foster parent right now and we know they are in good hands. But I am left with some bad marks in every class but one (knock on wood, please don't let this class get ruined also). Thankfully I still have my As but I am struggling getting back into the swing of things. With so much else going on around me it is hard staying focused while weighing which is more important right now. Do I let Bailey continue to watch extra TV or do I skip a lesson this week and take another bad mark? Perhaps I should clarify that a bad mark for me is considered in the 80s which technically is considered average.
One other remark before I close. In looking ahead I see that we have a lot of homework to complete Thanksgiving week. It is a typical week for online students. It is not fair for online students to have a full workload Thanksgiving week while seated students do not. We always travel out of town to visit with family and I am really tired of doing homework the whole time. I hope they will have mercy on us as that time approaches.
With that being said, it's time to close. I'm falling asleep on the keyboard and need to start the new week.
Anyway, the end of this week marks the official half-way point in this semester. It has been very difficult. I am hoping to finish with all body parts still intack. Only time will tell if that holds up. I keep holding onto the fact that after this semester, I only have one more big semester to go. I have already decided to take only three courses and I absolutely will not allow myself to take on another full load like this until I am in a seated class. It is just too much to handle for the long-term while raising three children and three animals.
In Spanish, we are spending some time this week reflecting on how the semester is going. We do a lot of reflecting in this class and that is okay. I wish more classes did that. While raising the three kittens a couple of weeks ago, I got very behind in my studies. With all 100s I figured it would okay to save the lives of three little ones. They are all safely with a foster parent right now and we know they are in good hands. But I am left with some bad marks in every class but one (knock on wood, please don't let this class get ruined also). Thankfully I still have my As but I am struggling getting back into the swing of things. With so much else going on around me it is hard staying focused while weighing which is more important right now. Do I let Bailey continue to watch extra TV or do I skip a lesson this week and take another bad mark? Perhaps I should clarify that a bad mark for me is considered in the 80s which technically is considered average.
One other remark before I close. In looking ahead I see that we have a lot of homework to complete Thanksgiving week. It is a typical week for online students. It is not fair for online students to have a full workload Thanksgiving week while seated students do not. We always travel out of town to visit with family and I am really tired of doing homework the whole time. I hope they will have mercy on us as that time approaches.
With that being said, it's time to close. I'm falling asleep on the keyboard and need to start the new week.
Monday, September 15, 2008
One month done, 3 to go
It does help to know that I have made it through the first quarter. Week 5 starts today and it is the first week I haven't felt completely overwhelmed on a Monday. I began plotting my game plan for the week last night so that helps me keep all this in perspective. This is an interesting load of classes and each has its own set of challenges. I believe I will be sick of tests by the end of this semester. We have between 2-4 tests each week along with reading, lectures, assignments, lab, and discussions. It is keeping me very busy but I expected this. I continue to look forward to Dec. 15th when this semester will be behind me and I'll have a lighter load until next spring.
Geology has been interesting. We do a weekly lab along with a lesson or GeoTour, quiz, and our assignments. It seems like a lot of work but if you have a photographic memory, it is probably quite easy.
History has been interesting as well but the class got off to a rough start. Our first chapter addressed evolution and we had a few too many students in there who had to share their opinions on religious beliefs. Personally, I would have kicked a few out of the classroom but the instructor continues to correct those students instead.
Psychology is going well. I took this class about 20 years ago so it isn't too foreign to me. I feel like much of it is a refresher and I am still learning new theories and ideas that have developed since my last class.
Spanish appears to be going quite well but I am hesitant. We have our first test this week and it worries me a bit. I did quite well on the pretest and studied more last week so I should be on track. I am curious to see how many people are able to finish this class. Lisa, one of my favorite classmates, feels that this might be the one she needs to drop since she is trying to handle 5 classes.
That is it in a nut shell. Everyting seems to be going well. Bailey is still left alone most of the day but I keep telling myself just 3 more months. We joined the Y so she does get some play time and Audrey comes over occassionally to play with her some as well. Her evaluation is tomorrow and we will find out then whether she needs speech before school starts or if it can wait. In a way I would feel better to go ahead and get her in there now to at least get her caught up. I do not like these kids starting school behind as what happened with Patrick and Bradley. It took Patrick 5 years to catch up and Bradley is still working through it. That's all for now folks.
Geology has been interesting. We do a weekly lab along with a lesson or GeoTour, quiz, and our assignments. It seems like a lot of work but if you have a photographic memory, it is probably quite easy.
History has been interesting as well but the class got off to a rough start. Our first chapter addressed evolution and we had a few too many students in there who had to share their opinions on religious beliefs. Personally, I would have kicked a few out of the classroom but the instructor continues to correct those students instead.
Psychology is going well. I took this class about 20 years ago so it isn't too foreign to me. I feel like much of it is a refresher and I am still learning new theories and ideas that have developed since my last class.
Spanish appears to be going quite well but I am hesitant. We have our first test this week and it worries me a bit. I did quite well on the pretest and studied more last week so I should be on track. I am curious to see how many people are able to finish this class. Lisa, one of my favorite classmates, feels that this might be the one she needs to drop since she is trying to handle 5 classes.
That is it in a nut shell. Everyting seems to be going well. Bailey is still left alone most of the day but I keep telling myself just 3 more months. We joined the Y so she does get some play time and Audrey comes over occassionally to play with her some as well. Her evaluation is tomorrow and we will find out then whether she needs speech before school starts or if it can wait. In a way I would feel better to go ahead and get her in there now to at least get her caught up. I do not like these kids starting school behind as what happened with Patrick and Bradley. It took Patrick 5 years to catch up and Bradley is still working through it. That's all for now folks.
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