I was having a hard time last week getting focused on studying for my final Friday. On Thursday night, I babysat at a friends house until 6am. With the kids asleep and nothing else to do it was much easier putting in the extra study time. I only got a few hours of pieced together sleep but Angela brought me a big Frappuchino and I was wide awake. I started crashing just before the test so I downed a Dr. Pepper. The test took less than 10 minutes going slowly, but I was over-caffeinated so I had a skewed concept of time. I normally spend an extra five minutes rereading the entire test since I have nothing better to do. This time, however, I just wanted to get out of there so I finished and left. It turns out I was the first one done. That's always awkward but, like I said, I was over-caffeinated so I had chemically-induced confidence.
I'm a little sad that I have to erase all my points and start over. I also think I'm going to miss Mrs. Puckett. She's a little intimidating but she grew on me.
I may not write anything until the next semester so Merry Christmas to both of you who actually read this blog.
PS: 124 out of 120. I missed one of the bonus, I think it was about being near-sighted or something.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Finals Week
I can't believe the final is already here. About 50% of it will be new stuff and the rest comprehensive from all the other chapters I already dominated. I'm not worried about it at all, which is a bad sign. The last time I didn't worry about a test I missed a few. I'll try to stick with my routine but I'm feeling some apathy coming on. Last weeks lab practical was really easy and it put me over the A mark. I could not show up for the final and still get an A in the class. I think they may be giving out too many bonus points, not that I'm complaining.
So after my final next week, everything changes...well, not really. My next class, Anatomy 102, is just a continuation of 101. I have the same books and I think the teachers all use the same tests and study guides. I hope. My schedule is pretty much the same only an hour later. I'll have several of the same classmates. I'm not sure who my teacher will be. The schedule still says TBA. That seems odd to me that they wouldn't just schedule all the teachers for the fall and spring courses at the same time. I just know that my teacher next semester is different than this semester because Anatomy 101 next semester will be taught by my 101 teacher in those classrooms at the same time. I know my classroom will be a smaller room across the hall. Maybe that means fewer people will walk in 20 minutes into lecture. I also know that my lab is in a different part of the hallway. It looks like a regular classroom instead of a lab. I'm not sure what's going on there.
My mom is going to stay with Luke and Willow at my house this semester. Jenny has been great but I definitely don't want to overstay my welcome there. I'm going to need her a lot in the future. So my mom will come here when she is feeling well enough. If she doesn't feel well, I can take the kids to Jenny on my way to school. No problem. This is one huge advantage of living near family and I'm grateful.
I'll post the results of my final next week.
So after my final next week, everything changes...well, not really. My next class, Anatomy 102, is just a continuation of 101. I have the same books and I think the teachers all use the same tests and study guides. I hope. My schedule is pretty much the same only an hour later. I'll have several of the same classmates. I'm not sure who my teacher will be. The schedule still says TBA. That seems odd to me that they wouldn't just schedule all the teachers for the fall and spring courses at the same time. I just know that my teacher next semester is different than this semester because Anatomy 101 next semester will be taught by my 101 teacher in those classrooms at the same time. I know my classroom will be a smaller room across the hall. Maybe that means fewer people will walk in 20 minutes into lecture. I also know that my lab is in a different part of the hallway. It looks like a regular classroom instead of a lab. I'm not sure what's going on there.
My mom is going to stay with Luke and Willow at my house this semester. Jenny has been great but I definitely don't want to overstay my welcome there. I'm going to need her a lot in the future. So my mom will come here when she is feeling well enough. If she doesn't feel well, I can take the kids to Jenny on my way to school. No problem. This is one huge advantage of living near family and I'm grateful.
I'll post the results of my final next week.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
A Little Vacation
I just realized how long it has been since I last posted. Not much happened at my last class. We took our test the week before so we got that back and had some new lecture. "Laura 125" returned, at least that's what Jason calls me when I get 125 out of 120 on my lecture exams. I also got 8 out of 5 on the lab quiz somehow. I wasn't prepared for that one, she just asked the right questions.
In the lab we were working on the senses. In one experiment we had lab partners who at one point had to touch some pointy things to our calves which meant I had to pull up the leg of my jeans for him. Thank God I shaved the day before (because that doesn't always happen). That was almost as a big a relief as getting the A on the test. So that was my highlight of the otherwise bland day.
Even though I only have class on Friday, I felt like I had the whole week off for Thanksgiving because I didn't have to spend a minute studying or even thinking about the class. So for my week off I painted our hallway. It was the last piece to connect the painted entryway and the painted bedrooms. That part of the house feels much more complete to me now without all the ugly brown trim.
Thanksgiving was good, not much to write about.
This week I am back to my studying. I finished reading chapter 11 but I think I wasted my time, as I don't think it will be on the test other than the comprehensive part of the final. So I'm on to the last chapter of the semester and it is an interesting one about the senses. I learned about synesthesia where the nerves in some peoples brains send signals to the wrong places so they associate unusual things like numbers have colors and music has smells and such. I think that's cool.
So I have two more lectures and then the final on the 19th (half chapter 12, half comprehensive). I have one more lab and then the final lab practical on the 12th.
In the lab we were working on the senses. In one experiment we had lab partners who at one point had to touch some pointy things to our calves which meant I had to pull up the leg of my jeans for him. Thank God I shaved the day before (because that doesn't always happen). That was almost as a big a relief as getting the A on the test. So that was my highlight of the otherwise bland day.
Even though I only have class on Friday, I felt like I had the whole week off for Thanksgiving because I didn't have to spend a minute studying or even thinking about the class. So for my week off I painted our hallway. It was the last piece to connect the painted entryway and the painted bedrooms. That part of the house feels much more complete to me now without all the ugly brown trim. Thanksgiving was good, not much to write about.
This week I am back to my studying. I finished reading chapter 11 but I think I wasted my time, as I don't think it will be on the test other than the comprehensive part of the final. So I'm on to the last chapter of the semester and it is an interesting one about the senses. I learned about synesthesia where the nerves in some peoples brains send signals to the wrong places so they associate unusual things like numbers have colors and music has smells and such. I think that's cool.
So I have two more lectures and then the final on the 19th (half chapter 12, half comprehensive). I have one more lab and then the final lab practical on the 12th.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Why did I buy a book?
According to our syllabus, the test next Friday is over chapters 9 and 10. I spent the last two weeks reading and rereading those chapters. I went to class expecting to be ahead and she fooled me again. My teacher spent most of the lecture talking about chapter 11 and it went way over my head. I looked at the study guide for the exam and realized I didn't recognize half of it. I'm a little frustrated, not by the misguidance of the syllabus, but by the fact that this class doesn't use the textbook for anything more than the pretty pictures. All of lecture is taught based on the study guide and all of the test is written based on the study guide. It just occurred to me that most of the people in the class just read the study guide and get by on that. If I spent a quarter of the time memorizing the study guide that I do reading the text, I could still ace the test. I don't have to understand a thing, just memorize two pages of notes. Why did we buy the textbooks? Forget it. I'm going to keep reading the text because I care more about understanding this stuff than getting an A.
Jason couldn't bring me lunch Friday because he was with Abby. My plan was to memorize this worksheet on cranial nerves and eat in the food area/place (I don't remember what they call it). As we were walking out, my friend Terri asked me about Jason and when I explained it she asked if I wanted to go get something with her. We ended up across the street at Los Bravos. It was great. Casually going out to eat with a friend and no kids is a dream of many a stay-at-home mom. Unfortunately the service was slower than usual (food just as awesome as usual) and when we walked out it was 11:47. Lab begin at 12 with a lab quiz. So we had to hurry back, cross a busy 1st avenue, go to the far side of the parking lot and get our bags and then get back to the other side of the building and up three flights of stairs before 12. We hurried up the last few stairs and around the corner and found all of our class still sitting in the hallway. Funny.
That worksheet I needed to study ended up not being on the quiz anyway. I got 8 out of 5. (Jason questions the math at Ivy Tech.) We had the opportunity to dissect a sheep brain if we wanted to. Well, yeah. That's why I'm here. All we really had to do was a mid-sagittal cut (down the middle, front to back).
Somehow I screwed that up. I couldn't recognize much. It looked like I had cut it with a hammer. Fortunately, a girl at our table named Jenny had pretty brains and we studied hers (her sheep brains). Maybe I should reconsider my idea of doing surgery.
Jason couldn't bring me lunch Friday because he was with Abby. My plan was to memorize this worksheet on cranial nerves and eat in the food area/place (I don't remember what they call it). As we were walking out, my friend Terri asked me about Jason and when I explained it she asked if I wanted to go get something with her. We ended up across the street at Los Bravos. It was great. Casually going out to eat with a friend and no kids is a dream of many a stay-at-home mom. Unfortunately the service was slower than usual (food just as awesome as usual) and when we walked out it was 11:47. Lab begin at 12 with a lab quiz. So we had to hurry back, cross a busy 1st avenue, go to the far side of the parking lot and get our bags and then get back to the other side of the building and up three flights of stairs before 12. We hurried up the last few stairs and around the corner and found all of our class still sitting in the hallway. Funny.
That worksheet I needed to study ended up not being on the quiz anyway. I got 8 out of 5. (Jason questions the math at Ivy Tech.) We had the opportunity to dissect a sheep brain if we wanted to. Well, yeah. That's why I'm here. All we really had to do was a mid-sagittal cut (down the middle, front to back).
Somehow I screwed that up. I couldn't recognize much. It looked like I had cut it with a hammer. Fortunately, a girl at our table named Jenny had pretty brains and we studied hers (her sheep brains). Maybe I should reconsider my idea of doing surgery.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Bland week
There's not much going on this week since the test is not until next week. I've read and reread the chapter on the nervous system. It's a bit complicated, but reading it twice helped immensely. It's funny how grown-ups told us to do that when we were kids, but few actually did it (and nobody liked those kids). Now I see that it works. I also see that keeping up means I don't need to cram at the end. It all makes sense now. It's one of those "if I only knew back then what I know now" things.
Abigail gets out of school Friday at 11am. I have class that day so I was very tempted to just not send her to school at all, but what kind of message would I be sending her? It just felt wrong. Jason said he would work from home until she got there and then they would have some one-on-one time for lunch before he took her to my sister's house. So it all works out. We are gradually easing our way into the more complicated schedule to come when I am gone 4 days a week and Jason will be working from home more often. I'm anxious (in a good and bad way) to get to that point. I'm so thankful that Jason has that kind of good job with some flexibility or all of this would come to a dead end. I will go into more detail about that schedule when we get there. That will be January 2010. Wow, that sounds like a long way away.
Abigail gets out of school Friday at 11am. I have class that day so I was very tempted to just not send her to school at all, but what kind of message would I be sending her? It just felt wrong. Jason said he would work from home until she got there and then they would have some one-on-one time for lunch before he took her to my sister's house. So it all works out. We are gradually easing our way into the more complicated schedule to come when I am gone 4 days a week and Jason will be working from home more often. I'm anxious (in a good and bad way) to get to that point. I'm so thankful that Jason has that kind of good job with some flexibility or all of this would come to a dead end. I will go into more detail about that schedule when we get there. That will be January 2010. Wow, that sounds like a long way away.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
The self-rebuke worked
My last two days of studying have been much improved. I read all of chapter 9 and then reread all the parts I didn't understand until they made sense. It's hard and I'm still not interested, but I care again. So the wall I hit only lasted a day or so. That's good news, especially if it was just a mid-semester hump and won't come back.
Willow is still a major distraction. She yells at me until I put her in the seat next to me. Then I have to watch her to make sure she's not falling out of the seat. She used to just go play or read. I blame myself for picking her up so many weeks ago. She wants food and drink and up and help and down and on my lap and book and my book and on top of the table and down to get the food she dropped on the floor and back up and grab my nose and get mad and on and on. Is she too young for kindergarten?
Six classes left.
Willow is still a major distraction. She yells at me until I put her in the seat next to me. Then I have to watch her to make sure she's not falling out of the seat. She used to just go play or read. I blame myself for picking her up so many weeks ago. She wants food and drink and up and help and down and on my lap and book and my book and on top of the table and down to get the food she dropped on the floor and back up and grab my nose and get mad and on and on. Is she too young for kindergarten?
Six classes left.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Cocky
I took it easy last week and paid the price. I got over confident and spent a lot less time studying and lot more time being distracted. I had a big lab practical Friday with lots of labeling. Every time I looked through my books leading up to Friday I thought I had it so I quit studying. I didn't draw anything. I didn't write much down. I didn't even sit at the table quietly the entire week. I sat at the desk with one eye on the book and one eye on the computer. I thought that was plenty because I'm smart and this class is easy (blah blah blah). I promised myself in the beginning of the class that 12:30-2 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays is for this class and nothing else, not even restarting the dryer. I totally blew that promise this week.
Then I got to the lab and started to forget things. There was one muscle I completely missed in all my "studying" and it made it onto the practical. I just wasn't sure of my answers on several. I don't know what I missed yet, but according to the website I missed three. That may not sound terrible, but I could have done better and, if you read the first paragraph, you understand why I should be a little mad at myself.
So this week, I am back to the basics. I don't have a test until November 21st, but I have two big chapters to read and understand. So I am going to try to focus. The problem is that I hit a sort of wall yesterday. After being lazy and still getting a 99%, it's difficult to go back to the effort I was putting in before. And this chapter is tough. I'm back to that ATP crap and how muscles work. It's more in depth than anything I've learned about muscles before and it's boring to me. For the first time this semester I sat down and began whining, "I don't want to read. I don't want to have homework. I don't feel like learning anything right now." I lost my momentum and it's going to be tough to build it back up again. I've got to set some rules. I'm back at the table. I turn the computer off complete before I take Luke to school so I won't be tempted. I try to ignore Willow and not let her sit on my lap. No other work is to be done during that time. I will answer the questions in the text and try to understand it as I go, not just read it to get done.
I'll let you know how I do.
Then I got to the lab and started to forget things. There was one muscle I completely missed in all my "studying" and it made it onto the practical. I just wasn't sure of my answers on several. I don't know what I missed yet, but according to the website I missed three. That may not sound terrible, but I could have done better and, if you read the first paragraph, you understand why I should be a little mad at myself.
So this week, I am back to the basics. I don't have a test until November 21st, but I have two big chapters to read and understand. So I am going to try to focus. The problem is that I hit a sort of wall yesterday. After being lazy and still getting a 99%, it's difficult to go back to the effort I was putting in before. And this chapter is tough. I'm back to that ATP crap and how muscles work. It's more in depth than anything I've learned about muscles before and it's boring to me. For the first time this semester I sat down and began whining, "I don't want to read. I don't want to have homework. I don't feel like learning anything right now." I lost my momentum and it's going to be tough to build it back up again. I've got to set some rules. I'm back at the table. I turn the computer off complete before I take Luke to school so I won't be tempted. I try to ignore Willow and not let her sit on my lap. No other work is to be done during that time. I will answer the questions in the text and try to understand it as I go, not just read it to get done.
I'll let you know how I do.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
All things considered
I could barely hold my head up Friday morning before the test and I had to reread a lot of the questions before they made sense and it took me 10 minutes longer than the other tests. These things (lame excuses) considered, I think I did a pretty good job. I didn't get them all right and I'm going to try to not let that get to me too much. I missed two and got 121 out of 120 (with bonus). I then spent most of lunch time studying for my lab quiz. I managed to miss one of them as well and got 7 out of 5 (again, bonus). So Friday I missed more points than I had in all the previous days combined. Good times. I did start to feel a lot better after lunch. I drank some magical potion called Chick-fil-A sweet tea. It cures what ails you.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
I'm not good with...words.
With one class a week, perfect attendance is important. I was worried something would happen to the kids forcing me to stay home. I hadn't thought about me getting sick. But, here I am. I was really sick Wednesday which made studying for my test sort of difficult and I was terribly nervous about dragging my fever-riddled, puking time-bomb of a body to class Friday because I was not going to miss this test. Fortunately, what seemed like three days was only one. My puking was intense but short-lived and the fever left last night. I'm up today but very weak. The problem I face now is post-illness stupidity. I'm having trouble forming sentences, remembering things and spelling simple words. I've read through my study guides, answered the chapter questions and took a practice quiz but things aren't sticking as well as I would like. If by chance I am better able to think tomorrow, I'm afraid my studying with only half a brain will affect my results. It's a good thing I have a lot of extra credit built up. Um, bye.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Hard and not hard
I just realized it has been a week since I posted last. Not much new is happening, just another lecture exam this Friday. I don't mind that they are so close together. It means each one covers less material. My exam this Friday only covers two chapters, but they are big chapters. Chapter 7 is bones and chapter 8 is joints. Bones are hard...no pun intended, well maybe a little. Understanding their function isn't nearly as hard as memorizing them. I get the names of the bones. It's just that every nook and cranny and rough patch on the bone has its own name. The skull alone has at least 1000 bones, or maybe 20. The bones of the appendicular skeleton are riddled with things called condyles, epicondyles, tuberosities, trochanters, processes, fossas and so on. Joints have lots of different types and movements and ligaments with funky names and stuff. Fortunately, these tests are not hard. Our teacher makes every effort to let us know what's on the test. We have specific study guides given to us at the beginning of each section and we have lots of in class review. The labs are coordinated with the lecture to reinforce each other. Our textbooks have a website with flashcards, tests and games for each chapter. I also do the chapter review questions in the text. The test itself is mostly multiple choice, where 5 answers are paired with 5 questions so each answer gets used. A good guesser could pass. There's even 5 bonus questions. So I'm confused as to why the average score on the last exam was 78%. Best not to think about it too much.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Too Early for Spring?
Is it too early to be thinking about spring? Never. In fact, I've got mine all planned out. I just registered for my spring semester at Ivy Tech. I'm not even to the middle of Anatomy 101 but I'm pretty sure I will pass. The next logical step would be Anatomy 201. I love going to school on Fridays. If I didn't like school I would probably prefer a different day. But I love going to school so Fridays are the perfect day. I love getting out of the house, using my brain, communicating with grown-ups (at some point I'm going to have to call them adults) and having lunch with Jason. I love it. It's scary but I love it. It reminds me I'm alive. I love that Jenny takes care of the kids. I trust her and they love it there. I can completely stop thinking about them for a few hours and focus on school. Thanks a whole bunch, Jenny. Anyways, back to the point. I decided to stick with Fridays. So I have registered for Anatomy and Physiology 201 section 27L. So starting January 16, 2009 I will meet every Friday from 10-11:50 for lecture and 1-2:50 for lab. It's only one hour later than this semester. I think that will actually be better for everybody. It's perfect.
Now, does anybody know a good way for me to earn $350 dollars by January? We could pay for it, but I would really like to earn it myself. I worked for the money last semester and it felt really good to pay for my classes myself without taking any money from my family to do it. Ideas?
Now, does anybody know a good way for me to earn $350 dollars by January? We could pay for it, but I would really like to earn it myself. I worked for the money last semester and it felt really good to pay for my classes myself without taking any money from my family to do it. Ideas?
Saturday, October 11, 2008
I Have an Incurable, Dibilitating Disease
I had been having terrible stomach aches for quite sometime when I finally went to the doctor. I pooped in a cup for him only to be told it wasn't physical, it was mental. If I didn't stop worrying I was going to get an ulcer. I was seven years old.
After a few years the stomach aches tapered off and I forgot all about the doctor visit. I thought it was all bunk anyway because I didn't consider myself a worrier. I've thrown around the term perfectionist instead through the years but I wasn't sure if it fit me because I thought perfectionism was a good thing. It means I'm perfect, which I am definitely not and that fact makes me so angry and scared that I want to scream sometimes. Oh wait, maybe that's what perfectionism really means. It's not a good thing at all. I'm just starting to put this all together at the age of 31.
I had an Aha! moment this week. Maybe Aha! isn't the right term since the realization scared me. It was more like an Oh no! moment. I realized that going back to school is adding a lot of stress and work and fear to my life and it is completely unnecessary. I have put myself into a position for the potential to make a lot of mistakes and be a lot less than perfect and a lot of people will see it and/or be directly affected by it. Oh crap! I can't believe I not only volunteered to do this, but I am also paying to do this. Consider the contrast of what I could be doing instead. Thanks to Jason I could literally never have a job ever again. I could stay safely hidden away in my house and make as few mistakes as possible. No one would grade me. No one could fire me. I could get through these next few years being a minimalist mom and then take it easy for the rest of my life, retiring at the age of 46 or so with a nice, bland permanent record. (See footnote for explanation.)
Instead I have chosen sleepless nights and nauseating anxiety over every quiz and every exam and every sheet of homework. I feel waves of nervous chemicals every time I drive to school. I feel anxious every time I think about starting nursing classes. I feel nervous every time I think about arranging babysitting and paying the tuition and even posting to this blog. I want to vomit when I start to question if this is all one big mistake.
So why am I doing this? I'm hoping the reward is worth the risk. As a perfectionist my fear of making mistakes is almost debilitating at times. But the drive to challenge myself to see what I'm made of is overwhelming. There is a battle going on in me almost constantly between these two forces. When I get an idea in my head, I have blinders on to the rest of the world. I take that idea and I turn it over and over in my head looking at it from every angle and I won't stop until I've decided if it will work or not. If I think something will work, I know it will work and then I won't let anything stop me until I'm done, that includes my intense fear. Occasionally fear wins the battle, like when I'm socializing with women or trying to decide where to eat. Usually determination wins and then everybody needs to get out of the way.
I will be a nurse. (dramatic pause) Oh yes, I will be a nurse...unless this is all one big mistake. I think I'm going to throw up now.
PS: I got 125 out of 120 on my second lecture exam. I can live another day.
PPS: If you are offended that I am making light of actual diseases, remember that tooth decay and acne are considered diseases. I think being easily offended is a disease as well. Seek help.
Footnote: (I'm not suggesting stay-at-home moms take no risks and hide away doing nothing. I'm saying a stay-at-home mom could take that path if she so chooses, hence the name minimalist mom. You hard working moms out there know that as a mom you could take an easy route but you choose not to because you know you get out of it what you put into it. You work hard at being a good mom and take risks quite often. I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about me. Get your own blog.)
After a few years the stomach aches tapered off and I forgot all about the doctor visit. I thought it was all bunk anyway because I didn't consider myself a worrier. I've thrown around the term perfectionist instead through the years but I wasn't sure if it fit me because I thought perfectionism was a good thing. It means I'm perfect, which I am definitely not and that fact makes me so angry and scared that I want to scream sometimes. Oh wait, maybe that's what perfectionism really means. It's not a good thing at all. I'm just starting to put this all together at the age of 31.
I had an Aha! moment this week. Maybe Aha! isn't the right term since the realization scared me. It was more like an Oh no! moment. I realized that going back to school is adding a lot of stress and work and fear to my life and it is completely unnecessary. I have put myself into a position for the potential to make a lot of mistakes and be a lot less than perfect and a lot of people will see it and/or be directly affected by it. Oh crap! I can't believe I not only volunteered to do this, but I am also paying to do this. Consider the contrast of what I could be doing instead. Thanks to Jason I could literally never have a job ever again. I could stay safely hidden away in my house and make as few mistakes as possible. No one would grade me. No one could fire me. I could get through these next few years being a minimalist mom and then take it easy for the rest of my life, retiring at the age of 46 or so with a nice, bland permanent record. (See footnote for explanation.)
Instead I have chosen sleepless nights and nauseating anxiety over every quiz and every exam and every sheet of homework. I feel waves of nervous chemicals every time I drive to school. I feel anxious every time I think about starting nursing classes. I feel nervous every time I think about arranging babysitting and paying the tuition and even posting to this blog. I want to vomit when I start to question if this is all one big mistake.
So why am I doing this? I'm hoping the reward is worth the risk. As a perfectionist my fear of making mistakes is almost debilitating at times. But the drive to challenge myself to see what I'm made of is overwhelming. There is a battle going on in me almost constantly between these two forces. When I get an idea in my head, I have blinders on to the rest of the world. I take that idea and I turn it over and over in my head looking at it from every angle and I won't stop until I've decided if it will work or not. If I think something will work, I know it will work and then I won't let anything stop me until I'm done, that includes my intense fear. Occasionally fear wins the battle, like when I'm socializing with women or trying to decide where to eat. Usually determination wins and then everybody needs to get out of the way.
I will be a nurse. (dramatic pause) Oh yes, I will be a nurse...unless this is all one big mistake. I think I'm going to throw up now.
PS: I got 125 out of 120 on my second lecture exam. I can live another day.
PPS: If you are offended that I am making light of actual diseases, remember that tooth decay and acne are considered diseases. I think being easily offended is a disease as well. Seek help.
Footnote: (I'm not suggesting stay-at-home moms take no risks and hide away doing nothing. I'm saying a stay-at-home mom could take that path if she so chooses, hence the name minimalist mom. You hard working moms out there know that as a mom you could take an easy route but you choose not to because you know you get out of it what you put into it. You work hard at being a good mom and take risks quite often. I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about me. Get your own blog.)
Monday, October 6, 2008
Good news but tough week
You may have figured out by now that I hate chapter 4. I mentioned way back before my first exam that I hated chapter 4. According to our syllabus, our first exam was supposed to be over chapters 1 through 3. During our lecture and even on our study guide, chapter 4 kept popping up, forcing me to read that chapter too. I managed to learn enough of chapter 4 to get by on the exam but I feared what was left to come.
According to the syllabus, my next exam is over chapters 4 through 6. In order to do well on my lab practical, I needed to read chapters 5 and 6 before last Friday. I thought I was far enough ahead that I could spend extra time on chapter 4, hoping that our lecture would explain some of the more complicated parts.
Chapter 4 was mentioned during the lecture, briefly. We were told that chapter 4 would not be making an appearance on this exam. All we needed to know was already covered on our first exam. Are you kidding me? Wonderful! I wanted to kiss her, but I don't think she likes physical contact.
Now for the tough part. In lab we began learning the skeleton. I love the skeleton, at least I thought I did until lab. It turns out I love the appendicular skeleton, which is next week. This week we learned about the axial skeleton. That is the bones of the skull, vertebral column and ribs. I was floored by the number and names of the bones, sutures, bumps and grooves of the skull. I think we all were a little shell shocked. I've spent enough time with it since then that I think I've got most of them. But it is still tough to determine on a solid cream colored plastic skull.
So we have a lab quiz this Friday right after the lecture exam. I need to know all about the four tissues of the body, all about the integumentary system and enough to hold my own on the skull and vertebrae. This is all doable, but it won't be easy.
I love anatomy.
According to the syllabus, my next exam is over chapters 4 through 6. In order to do well on my lab practical, I needed to read chapters 5 and 6 before last Friday. I thought I was far enough ahead that I could spend extra time on chapter 4, hoping that our lecture would explain some of the more complicated parts.
Chapter 4 was mentioned during the lecture, briefly. We were told that chapter 4 would not be making an appearance on this exam. All we needed to know was already covered on our first exam. Are you kidding me? Wonderful! I wanted to kiss her, but I don't think she likes physical contact.
Now for the tough part. In lab we began learning the skeleton. I love the skeleton, at least I thought I did until lab. It turns out I love the appendicular skeleton, which is next week. This week we learned about the axial skeleton. That is the bones of the skull, vertebral column and ribs. I was floored by the number and names of the bones, sutures, bumps and grooves of the skull. I think we all were a little shell shocked. I've spent enough time with it since then that I think I've got most of them. But it is still tough to determine on a solid cream colored plastic skull. So we have a lab quiz this Friday right after the lecture exam. I need to know all about the four tissues of the body, all about the integumentary system and enough to hold my own on the skull and vertebrae. This is all doable, but it won't be easy.
I love anatomy.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Chapter 4: Humbling Laura
I hate chapter 4. I have loved every other chapter 1-6. Chapter 4 is killing me. It's all about cellular respiration. I hate glycolisis, the citric acid cycle and the electron transport chain. I hate mRNA, tRNA, codons, ACTG, ACUG, and all that complicated crap. I feel like a little kid. I want to jump up and down yelling, "I hate it, hate it, HATE IT!"
The next exam is October 10 over chapters 4-6. I guess I will be eating, sleeping and wiping my bottom-side with chapter 4 for the next week and half. My reward will be running 13 miles the following Sunday (12th). I need prayer...and a really good cheesecake.
The next exam is October 10 over chapters 4-6. I guess I will be eating, sleeping and wiping my bottom-side with chapter 4 for the next week and half. My reward will be running 13 miles the following Sunday (12th). I need prayer...and a really good cheesecake.
Monday, September 29, 2008
They really try to make it easy.
We spent the entire 2 hours of lecture just reviewing for our lab practical. None of the material is that complicated. It's mostly memorizing names, locations and functions of things. You can't learn it all of sudden just before the test. And based on some of the questions asked during the review, there were several people who hadn't learned it at all. I remember thinking, "I fear for our future patients." My point is that we're being coddled. The material is tough and in-depth. If each of us actually learned it all we'd be very effective nurses. The problem is that we aren't being challenged to learn it. Our tests are silly easy and we're practically given all of the questions and answers before hand. I'm getting a little frustrated. I'm working my tail off all week to understand all of this, then I go to class and they hold the hands of all the people who aren't studying much at all. The class averaged 80% on the lecture exam and the teacher said that it was good. Really? Picture yourself sick in a hospital bed and the nurse comes in and starts poking you with needles and pills and says, "Don't worry. I got an 80% on this stuff. I know what I'm doing." It's not comforting. At least this is not a nursing class. It's just a pre-requisite to get into the school of nursing. I imagine the stakes will go up considerably as will the intelligence and work ethic of my classmates. I hope so. I think there are a lot of people like me in there, but they are the quiet ones. It will take some time to find them.
I've got some new grades to report. I got 10 out of 10 on my lab manual, 15 out of 15 on a tissues worksheet and 103 out of 100 on the lab exam. I must have missed one. I'm not sure which one yet.
Our next exam is over chapters 4,5 and 6. I had to read chapters 5 and 6 to help me learn the stuff on our lab practical so I'm a bit ahead. I think I'll take an afternoon off and treat myself to some shopping at Lowe's.
I've got some new grades to report. I got 10 out of 10 on my lab manual, 15 out of 15 on a tissues worksheet and 103 out of 100 on the lab exam. I must have missed one. I'm not sure which one yet.
Our next exam is over chapters 4,5 and 6. I had to read chapters 5 and 6 to help me learn the stuff on our lab practical so I'm a bit ahead. I think I'll take an afternoon off and treat myself to some shopping at Lowe's.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
I apologize for my arrogance and deep thinking.
I apologize for my arrogance about my score on the lab exam. I really didn't expect it to be that easy so I was a bit exuberant, some would say, obnoxious.
This Friday I have my first lab practical which is basically a test over everything we have done and learned in lab. It's worth 100 points and I doubt it will be anywhere near as easy as the lecture exam. This is where all the labeling of parts and defining of functions will come in. This will be full of open ended questions and the answers will come strictly from my brains. And from what I hear, one cup of coffee runs out after 3 hours. That means I will be dumb by 10am like the guy in Flowers for Algernon. (High-five on the obscure reference...anyone?)
I'm good on the naming of organs, regions and cuts. I think I am also up to speed on cell parts and functions, including cell division. The trouble area that I have not prepared enough for is identifying tissues from the slides and identifying parts of the skin. I will spend the next few days working on that.
In lab last week, my friend Terry (the non-traditional student I've mentioned before) and I discussed mortgages and taking our kids to the zoo. Two young girls at my table mentioned randomly that they were wearing their boyfriends' shirts.
Really?
I have felt like a kid my whole life because I assumed that I have never really lived. I've often wished I could go and do things over again and fix those things I regret (different classes, different friends...). But in that moment, I realized that I never want to be a kid like that again. I don't know exactly how to describe it but I feel that the highs and lows, problems, joys and monotony of my life finally have some significance. (Did I mention monotony?) Maybe they did back then as well but I am just now seeing how the pieces fit together in the puzzle. Either way, my point is that those girls just had no clue about life and I am starting to see that I do and could never go back to that time and lose all those intangibles that I've gained in the last 10 years. I guess I just needed the contrast to see how I've changed. Thanks, college.
How will I see things differently when I'm 40? I'll look back and say, "Man, I was an idiot when I was 30." Then I'll go put on one of Jason's shirts.
This Friday I have my first lab practical which is basically a test over everything we have done and learned in lab. It's worth 100 points and I doubt it will be anywhere near as easy as the lecture exam. This is where all the labeling of parts and defining of functions will come in. This will be full of open ended questions and the answers will come strictly from my brains. And from what I hear, one cup of coffee runs out after 3 hours. That means I will be dumb by 10am like the guy in Flowers for Algernon. (High-five on the obscure reference...anyone?)
I'm good on the naming of organs, regions and cuts. I think I am also up to speed on cell parts and functions, including cell division. The trouble area that I have not prepared enough for is identifying tissues from the slides and identifying parts of the skin. I will spend the next few days working on that.
In lab last week, my friend Terry (the non-traditional student I've mentioned before) and I discussed mortgages and taking our kids to the zoo. Two young girls at my table mentioned randomly that they were wearing their boyfriends' shirts.
Really?
I have felt like a kid my whole life because I assumed that I have never really lived. I've often wished I could go and do things over again and fix those things I regret (different classes, different friends...). But in that moment, I realized that I never want to be a kid like that again. I don't know exactly how to describe it but I feel that the highs and lows, problems, joys and monotony of my life finally have some significance. (Did I mention monotony?) Maybe they did back then as well but I am just now seeing how the pieces fit together in the puzzle. Either way, my point is that those girls just had no clue about life and I am starting to see that I do and could never go back to that time and lose all those intangibles that I've gained in the last 10 years. I guess I just needed the contrast to see how I've changed. Thanks, college.How will I see things differently when I'm 40? I'll look back and say, "Man, I was an idiot when I was 30." Then I'll go put on one of Jason's shirts.
Friday, September 19, 2008
I don't believe in grades.
Anatomy makes Laura feel...happy.
The grades are in. Insert your own drum roll.
125 out of 120. (5 were extra credit)
I also found out that the 7 points on my lab quizzes are out of 5 with 2 extra credit. I feel a little babied but I'll hold my head high and take that extra credit. I may need it later.
Total so far: 144 out of 135.
The grades are in. Insert your own drum roll.
125 out of 120. (5 were extra credit)
I also found out that the 7 points on my lab quizzes are out of 5 with 2 extra credit. I feel a little babied but I'll hold my head high and take that extra credit. I may need it later.
Total so far: 144 out of 135.
Did Somebody Order Cake?
...cause that test was a piece of one.
Wow.
First, let me point out that I have a bit of a cold and feel yucky. Second, let me point out that it didn't matter. That Anatomy exam had 60 questions and 5 extra credit and it took me about 6 minutes to finish. I was less than 100% sure on 3 so I went back and checked them and, yeah, they were right. Then I went back over and did the entire test again to make sure everything was in the right spot because it would be arrogant to turn the test in so quickly. As I finished my second go around, a couple of students turned their exams in so I decided I could too.
I have no idea when I'll get the score back, but if I've missed any, this post will quickly be deleted.
Now I'm checking out the school library. Not bad.
Wow.
First, let me point out that I have a bit of a cold and feel yucky. Second, let me point out that it didn't matter. That Anatomy exam had 60 questions and 5 extra credit and it took me about 6 minutes to finish. I was less than 100% sure on 3 so I went back and checked them and, yeah, they were right. Then I went back over and did the entire test again to make sure everything was in the right spot because it would be arrogant to turn the test in so quickly. As I finished my second go around, a couple of students turned their exams in so I decided I could too.
I have no idea when I'll get the score back, but if I've missed any, this post will quickly be deleted.
Now I'm checking out the school library. Not bad.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Naughty
I am supposed to be studying for the exam as I type this. I just don't know what's left to study. I've read the same stuff over and over and I think I get it. I need some one to quiz me to point out my weak spots but I'm alone. I'm just plain tired of looking at it. The exam is all multiple choice. That leaves out all the fun parts of anatomy like labeling the perineum. I get the feeling it will be a lot of chemistry and cellular biology.
I think I will read Dr. No while I wait for Luke to get out of school. Check back tomorrow to see if I have a score posted. Since it is a scantron I may have it graded and returned before the afternoon lab.
I think I will read Dr. No while I wait for Luke to get out of school. Check back tomorrow to see if I have a score posted. Since it is a scantron I may have it graded and returned before the afternoon lab.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
First test Friday
I spent a long time looking for a good gadget/widget to add to my sidebar that would keep track of my grades this semester. I found nothing, which is odd since I have seen thermometer-type widgets that keep track of numerical goals for fundraising, but I couldn't find anything even close. I just made a list for now. See the sidebar. Notice I got another 7 out of 7 on my lab quiz Friday. Thanks. Thank you. This honesty thing is easy while the grades are good. This Friday I have my first lecture exam worth 120 points. Typing in anything less than around 110 will be embarrassing, but I'll let you know the score, good or bad.
If anyone knows of a good widget/gadget to use for this, let me know.
Here it is Tuesday and I haven't studied for this test. We had company Friday. Saturday I worked on finishing my lab homework. Sunday we had no electricity. Monday I cut up fallen trees from the hurricane then passed out watching Monday Night Football. I'll get around to studying today.
Last week's lab was crazy. There were 17 microscopes set up with slides of different tissues, like pseudostratified columnar epithilial tissue and hyaline cartilage. Almost all of them were pink and purple and the differences were subtle to say the least. My job was to draw them. Are you serious? I can't even draw stick figures very well. Now I have to draw all these crammed together cells in a way that highlights what makes them unique but I don't know what makes them unique yet because this is the first time I've ever heard of most of them. And I have just over an hour and I have to share with 25 other people. Most of the class whipped out their digital cameras and took pictures through the microscopes. I forgot to bring mine so I whipped out my box of colored pencils and got busy. I was one of the last in the room at the end of lab. It was just a bit stressful.
When I was finishing up the lab Saturday, I read about each of the tissues I had drawn. It turns out my drawings suck, as suspected. I have squiggles when I should have had cubes. My nuclei are rarely in the right spot. I have the wrong number of layers. I focused on the wrong section of cells. It was crap. Hopefully, drawing pictures won't be a job requirement as a nurse.
I know the names of 5 other students now, two of whom I like. That sounds bad doesn't it...the 5 part, not the 2 part. I'm just terrible at reaching out to meet people. I'll try to make more of an effort next week. No, I probably won't. (I said I'd be honest.)
If anyone knows of a good widget/gadget to use for this, let me know.
Here it is Tuesday and I haven't studied for this test. We had company Friday. Saturday I worked on finishing my lab homework. Sunday we had no electricity. Monday I cut up fallen trees from the hurricane then passed out watching Monday Night Football. I'll get around to studying today.
Last week's lab was crazy. There were 17 microscopes set up with slides of different tissues, like pseudostratified columnar epithilial tissue and hyaline cartilage. Almost all of them were pink and purple and the differences were subtle to say the least. My job was to draw them. Are you serious? I can't even draw stick figures very well. Now I have to draw all these crammed together cells in a way that highlights what makes them unique but I don't know what makes them unique yet because this is the first time I've ever heard of most of them. And I have just over an hour and I have to share with 25 other people. Most of the class whipped out their digital cameras and took pictures through the microscopes. I forgot to bring mine so I whipped out my box of colored pencils and got busy. I was one of the last in the room at the end of lab. It was just a bit stressful.When I was finishing up the lab Saturday, I read about each of the tissues I had drawn. It turns out my drawings suck, as suspected. I have squiggles when I should have had cubes. My nuclei are rarely in the right spot. I have the wrong number of layers. I focused on the wrong section of cells. It was crap. Hopefully, drawing pictures won't be a job requirement as a nurse.
I know the names of 5 other students now, two of whom I like. That sounds bad doesn't it...the 5 part, not the 2 part. I'm just terrible at reaching out to meet people. I'll try to make more of an effort next week. No, I probably won't. (I said I'd be honest.)
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Feeling good
I am feeling pretty good right now. This anatomy class is far more in-depth than I had anticipated. So why am I feeling good? I think it's because I am actually learning it. I remember bits and pieces from past science classes and that helps me file things away properly in my brain. Also, I actually care about the content this time. For example, I was reading about phagocytosis
today and actually stopped what I was doing and started monologuing to no one in particular the wonders of the human cell. I was so fascinated by these microscopic, living machines that form me. If one little thing of this complex ecosystem of sorts goes wrong, I get sick and possibly die. And yet, we never even give them a thought. How anything goes right is a miracle. I am in awe of the human body right now.
Anyway, back to my point. I am learning this time because when I come across a new concept (every other sentence) I read it and reread it and reread it again. I cross reference it with other notes and pictures. I explain it to myself out loud. I don't move on until I really get it. My memory isn't what it used to be thanks to having children, but I think I am smarter than ever. I can understand better than I can memorize. It also helps that I have only one class to focus on. This would be exponentially more difficult if I had a full load like most of the students. I love having one class to really digest (anatomy is punny).
I really worked my gluteal region off last week making sure I understood chapters 1 and 2. I may have mentioned this a few times. So this week, more specifically Saturday through Tuesday, I have pounded away at chapter 3. I wanted to save enough time to get to chapter 4 before the lecture. So I looked at the syllabus and found that my first exam is the 19th. That seemed reasonable. Then I noticed that the exam is only over chapters 1-3. Alright then. Exam one is in the bag. Thank you and good night.
today and actually stopped what I was doing and started monologuing to no one in particular the wonders of the human cell. I was so fascinated by these microscopic, living machines that form me. If one little thing of this complex ecosystem of sorts goes wrong, I get sick and possibly die. And yet, we never even give them a thought. How anything goes right is a miracle. I am in awe of the human body right now.
Anyway, back to my point. I am learning this time because when I come across a new concept (every other sentence) I read it and reread it and reread it again. I cross reference it with other notes and pictures. I explain it to myself out loud. I don't move on until I really get it. My memory isn't what it used to be thanks to having children, but I think I am smarter than ever. I can understand better than I can memorize. It also helps that I have only one class to focus on. This would be exponentially more difficult if I had a full load like most of the students. I love having one class to really digest (anatomy is punny).
I really worked my gluteal region off last week making sure I understood chapters 1 and 2. I may have mentioned this a few times. So this week, more specifically Saturday through Tuesday, I have pounded away at chapter 3. I wanted to save enough time to get to chapter 4 before the lecture. So I looked at the syllabus and found that my first exam is the 19th. That seemed reasonable. Then I noticed that the exam is only over chapters 1-3. Alright then. Exam one is in the bag. Thank you and good night.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Less nerves, more brain.
The title sums up day 2 of anatomy class. Pardon the lame pun. I was definitely less nervous Friday than the Friday before. I think that was mostly due to the lack of a math test. I was also far more prepared. I spent so many hours last week working on chapters 1 and 2 in the text and I memorized the lab work easily. I was a bit discouraged in the first few minutes of class, though, when I realized I had misunderstood what the teacher had said about the quiz. I thought there would be a 5 question quiz first thing in lecture. Apparently, it was a quiz first thing in lab. I knew the lab so I wasn't worried about that, but I was very bothered by the fact that I could misunderstand something like that. What if next time, I misunderstand something significant? Now I'm worried.
Also, how the teacher lectures is starting to concern me. I read chapter 2 twice because it was a bit complicated and I wanted to really understand it before lecture so I could follow her as she spoke. I felt I was ready since the syllabus clearly said she would be lecturing over chapter 2. But as she spoke, she was casually throwing in things that I knew were not in chapter 2 and it went right over my head. During the break I searched the text and found a lot of what she said was in chapters 3 and 4. She's mixing all of chapters 1-4 into her lecture at the same time and totally confusing me. You see, she doesn't teach so much as sum up. Her style makes me feel like what she is saying is something I should already be aware of rather than something she wants me to begin to understand. I try to take notes while she talks, but it's hard to know what to write when she throws out something new. I don't know what's important or how to classify or organize it in my notes. Fortunately, the text is moderately understandable...if I read it three times and explain it out loud to Jason while he pretends to care.
Speaking of Jason, he kindly brought me some Chick-fil-A for lunch in between lecture and lab. I showed him the student center and where my lecture hall and lab are and pointed out my teacher and some of the students. I felt like a kid showing my patronizing daddy around kindergarten. "This is my desk and this is where we go potty and I made this out of popsicle sticks in art..."
In lab, I turned in my simple worksheet "homework" and took the 7 (not 5) question quiz. Again, she was a little confusing with her orally-given questions, but I managed to get all 7 points and 5 of 5 points on the worksheet. For those of you keeping track, that is 12 of the 1000 points in the class. I need 910 points for an A. It's a start.
We learned about microscopes, cell parts and cell division in lab. All of the cell organelles are a bit overwhelming since I have no life experience with cell organelles from which to glean. The same is true for the steps in cell mitosis. It is vaguely familiar but also new at the same time. I really pushed my brain for two hours. When I finally stopped and walked out, my brain felt dull, almost numb and heavy, like knowledge has actual weight to it.
I spent at least an hour, maybe two, Saturday and an hour today reading chapter three and finishing up the lab. This is going to require a lot of time and energy, but I'm willing to do it. I have no doubt that if I keep this up, I will get an A. What I'm worried about is whether or not my conviction and drive will stay strong or if I will get burnt out a long the way.
Also, how the teacher lectures is starting to concern me. I read chapter 2 twice because it was a bit complicated and I wanted to really understand it before lecture so I could follow her as she spoke. I felt I was ready since the syllabus clearly said she would be lecturing over chapter 2. But as she spoke, she was casually throwing in things that I knew were not in chapter 2 and it went right over my head. During the break I searched the text and found a lot of what she said was in chapters 3 and 4. She's mixing all of chapters 1-4 into her lecture at the same time and totally confusing me. You see, she doesn't teach so much as sum up. Her style makes me feel like what she is saying is something I should already be aware of rather than something she wants me to begin to understand. I try to take notes while she talks, but it's hard to know what to write when she throws out something new. I don't know what's important or how to classify or organize it in my notes. Fortunately, the text is moderately understandable...if I read it three times and explain it out loud to Jason while he pretends to care.
Speaking of Jason, he kindly brought me some Chick-fil-A for lunch in between lecture and lab. I showed him the student center and where my lecture hall and lab are and pointed out my teacher and some of the students. I felt like a kid showing my patronizing daddy around kindergarten. "This is my desk and this is where we go potty and I made this out of popsicle sticks in art..."
In lab, I turned in my simple worksheet "homework" and took the 7 (not 5) question quiz. Again, she was a little confusing with her orally-given questions, but I managed to get all 7 points and 5 of 5 points on the worksheet. For those of you keeping track, that is 12 of the 1000 points in the class. I need 910 points for an A. It's a start.
We learned about microscopes, cell parts and cell division in lab. All of the cell organelles are a bit overwhelming since I have no life experience with cell organelles from which to glean. The same is true for the steps in cell mitosis. It is vaguely familiar but also new at the same time. I really pushed my brain for two hours. When I finally stopped and walked out, my brain felt dull, almost numb and heavy, like knowledge has actual weight to it.I spent at least an hour, maybe two, Saturday and an hour today reading chapter three and finishing up the lab. This is going to require a lot of time and energy, but I'm willing to do it. I have no doubt that if I keep this up, I will get an A. What I'm worried about is whether or not my conviction and drive will stay strong or if I will get burnt out a long the way.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
My first week of studying.
As it's Thursday, it's the end of the week, of sorts. I have my second class and lab tomorrow so everything needs to be completed today. I have dedicated Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 12:30-2:10 to school work. I can do nothing else but school work, as long as Willow cooperates. In those times (today too) and for an hour Monday night and an hour last night, I have read and reviewed the first and second chapters in my text book and completed a lab worksheet.
The first chapter was great. I learned the names of a lot of body regions and cross sections and I studied the organ systems and their functions. I love that stuff. The second chapter is chemistry. That stuff sucks, to put it mildly. I understand atomic numbers and weights and electron shells. But it gets a little fuzzy after that. I think I am getting ionic, covalent and hydrogen bonding. I have learned more about acids, bases and electrolytes than I remember ever getting before. I'm trying to figure out polarity and organic and inorganic elements now. Today I will be studying the molecular differences of carbs, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. This stuff is a bit over my head.
I have a quick quiz first thing tomorrow morning. Let's pray it's over chapter 1.
Did I mention the classroom and lab are both freezing cold? I can't think under those conditions.
The first chapter was great. I learned the names of a lot of body regions and cross sections and I studied the organ systems and their functions. I love that stuff. The second chapter is chemistry. That stuff sucks, to put it mildly. I understand atomic numbers and weights and electron shells. But it gets a little fuzzy after that. I think I am getting ionic, covalent and hydrogen bonding. I have learned more about acids, bases and electrolytes than I remember ever getting before. I'm trying to figure out polarity and organic and inorganic elements now. Today I will be studying the molecular differences of carbs, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. This stuff is a bit over my head.
I have a quick quiz first thing tomorrow morning. Let's pray it's over chapter 1.
Did I mention the classroom and lab are both freezing cold? I can't think under those conditions.
Friday, August 29, 2008
You're so curious...
I am here, late Friday night, to report on my first day of school. I knew my entire fan base would be anxiously awaiting some news. (Both of you.) So, have at it:
Yes, I was scared. Let's just get that out of the way early.
I arrived at school at 8:35am. I was a bit early but I didn't know where I was going. The parking lot was much fuller now so I parked in the back and entered an area with which I was completely unfamiliar. This is a relatively small building, yet I can't seem to get my bearings here. I headed to the library in the opposite corner of the school and had my student ID made. So, if nothing else, I had accomplished something. Then I went searching for my class.
Room 344, as it turns out, is a lecture hall seating around 80 or so students. At 8:45 there were already 20 people there. I found a seat in my normal place in any classroom, middle of the second row. The chairs were padded and swiveled out from the table like a McDonald's seat. If I put any pressure on it I fell back almost flat. Not good for note-taking.
Another non-traditional student sat next to me and introduced herself. I liked her immediately, though she is probably 15 years older than me. We talked until our teacher decided to get things going. Pam, the teacher, said to call her Pam. I'm not sure I can do that. I've never done that. I don't even call my kid's teacher by her first name. Anyway, Mrs. Pam is tall, skinny and professional. She seems sort of tough and cold but I like her. For some reason I find it easy to tune into her voice. She doesn't have notes to present as she lectures, which is hard for me to get used to. She did, however, give us a very detailed exam guide right away that follows the lecture precisely. She went over the syllabus and some rules. There is always some stuff about attendance being important and all that and I never cared because I knew I would always be there. This time, though, when we talked about the importance of attendance and punctuality, I became really nervous. I have kids and a life now. Things happen.
I have two chapters to read by next Friday. Cool. And an hour into class, I realized the back of my seat was adjustable.
On a side note, I checked my cheap textbook with the expensive one. Other than the cover, it is identical. Ha, system. I beat you.
Lunch time at 11am. I walked down the stairs with the crowd and somehow ended up outside. I turned back inside and found the bottom of the stairwell went nowhere but out. Is this one of those optical illusions? I went back up to the third floor and back down another way, feeling like a complete dork. I finally made my way to the student center to eat for the first and last time. It stunk of old people food. You know that smell. I decided a turkey sub would be a good, harmless decision. I paid $4.32 for a small turkey sandwich with a bunch of white lettuce, tomatoes, and two halves of a slice of american cheese on a white hoagie bun with a generic mayonnaise packet. No sides. No drink. No flavor. No more. I called Jason to complain. No wonder there were maybe 5 people there.
I used the bathroom and then found my lab, Room 304. This room is a little cramped. I picked a good spot though, since my teacher spent most of the time with the models right behind me. I had a good view, but couldn't take notes. Fortunately, everything is in the lab manual and on the sheets she gave us. We went over a ton of anatomy terms. I loved it. I knew about half of them and picked up most of the rest quickly. Then we spent the rest of the time filling in the blanks on our own. I finished up at 1:45 and walked out.
My first day of class was done but when I got out into the hallway, my nervousness doubled. Now I had to head to the other building and prove to the world that I, a former math teacher, did not need a math class despite my 9 year hiatus from thinking. The kid behind the desk gave me a lock and key and I put my stuff in a locker. She then led me to a computer with two #2 pencils, one sheet of paper, and calculator they got for free in a cereal box. It had about 5 buttons.
I almost failed the student background questions. It took me 5 minutes just to find "nursing" in the list. I almost panicked, twice. It then asked me how certain I was. I'm not sure anymore. I apprehensively filled out the rest of my personal info and made it to the actual test. The first question made no sense. It was basic math. I hate basic math. I need variables. I took what seemed like forever on the first several questions, going over them and over them, making sure I was thinking the right thing before I would commit to a click. Once answered, there was no going back. I hate commitment. Then the screen went blank and my heart skipped a beat. I must have missed enough for the test to end. Oh no...then a question with a variable popped up. Awesome, I moved up a level. I started to pick up speed. I liked these questions. Then the screen went blank and I held my breath...more algebra. Yeah! Bring it! I could do this all night. I was really working it. Then the screen went blank and my confidence wavered for a fraction of a second. Then I got it, some Trigonometry. That was my finish line, as far as I was concerned. I would just ride this wave home. I didn't practice any trig and I didn't care. I remembered "sohcahtoa" and that will get you through the first month of trig. (Know what I mean?) The first few were doable with just that little bit. Then I started seeing things I didn't know. But they kept coming. I wanted to go home. After guessing on two, the screen went blank and I prayed, no more. The computer agreed and let me leave. I picked up my sheet and the girl said, "You were in there for a long time. You did really good." It felt like days, and I did "well". No, I didn't say that. I innocently said, "I did?" She showed me the sheet. It made no sense. Pre-Algebra 97, Algebra 99, College Algebra 67, Trigonometry 52. Whatever, did I pass? She didn't know so I went back to Admissions to find out which score mattered in my situation. To my joy, she pointed at the 99. No more math!
Wow, that was a long story. Sorry about that.
Yes, I was scared. Let's just get that out of the way early.
I arrived at school at 8:35am. I was a bit early but I didn't know where I was going. The parking lot was much fuller now so I parked in the back and entered an area with which I was completely unfamiliar. This is a relatively small building, yet I can't seem to get my bearings here. I headed to the library in the opposite corner of the school and had my student ID made. So, if nothing else, I had accomplished something. Then I went searching for my class.
Room 344, as it turns out, is a lecture hall seating around 80 or so students. At 8:45 there were already 20 people there. I found a seat in my normal place in any classroom, middle of the second row. The chairs were padded and swiveled out from the table like a McDonald's seat. If I put any pressure on it I fell back almost flat. Not good for note-taking.
Another non-traditional student sat next to me and introduced herself. I liked her immediately, though she is probably 15 years older than me. We talked until our teacher decided to get things going. Pam, the teacher, said to call her Pam. I'm not sure I can do that. I've never done that. I don't even call my kid's teacher by her first name. Anyway, Mrs. Pam is tall, skinny and professional. She seems sort of tough and cold but I like her. For some reason I find it easy to tune into her voice. She doesn't have notes to present as she lectures, which is hard for me to get used to. She did, however, give us a very detailed exam guide right away that follows the lecture precisely. She went over the syllabus and some rules. There is always some stuff about attendance being important and all that and I never cared because I knew I would always be there. This time, though, when we talked about the importance of attendance and punctuality, I became really nervous. I have kids and a life now. Things happen.
I have two chapters to read by next Friday. Cool. And an hour into class, I realized the back of my seat was adjustable.
On a side note, I checked my cheap textbook with the expensive one. Other than the cover, it is identical. Ha, system. I beat you.
Lunch time at 11am. I walked down the stairs with the crowd and somehow ended up outside. I turned back inside and found the bottom of the stairwell went nowhere but out. Is this one of those optical illusions? I went back up to the third floor and back down another way, feeling like a complete dork. I finally made my way to the student center to eat for the first and last time. It stunk of old people food. You know that smell. I decided a turkey sub would be a good, harmless decision. I paid $4.32 for a small turkey sandwich with a bunch of white lettuce, tomatoes, and two halves of a slice of american cheese on a white hoagie bun with a generic mayonnaise packet. No sides. No drink. No flavor. No more. I called Jason to complain. No wonder there were maybe 5 people there.
I used the bathroom and then found my lab, Room 304. This room is a little cramped. I picked a good spot though, since my teacher spent most of the time with the models right behind me. I had a good view, but couldn't take notes. Fortunately, everything is in the lab manual and on the sheets she gave us. We went over a ton of anatomy terms. I loved it. I knew about half of them and picked up most of the rest quickly. Then we spent the rest of the time filling in the blanks on our own. I finished up at 1:45 and walked out.
My first day of class was done but when I got out into the hallway, my nervousness doubled. Now I had to head to the other building and prove to the world that I, a former math teacher, did not need a math class despite my 9 year hiatus from thinking. The kid behind the desk gave me a lock and key and I put my stuff in a locker. She then led me to a computer with two #2 pencils, one sheet of paper, and calculator they got for free in a cereal box. It had about 5 buttons.
I almost failed the student background questions. It took me 5 minutes just to find "nursing" in the list. I almost panicked, twice. It then asked me how certain I was. I'm not sure anymore. I apprehensively filled out the rest of my personal info and made it to the actual test. The first question made no sense. It was basic math. I hate basic math. I need variables. I took what seemed like forever on the first several questions, going over them and over them, making sure I was thinking the right thing before I would commit to a click. Once answered, there was no going back. I hate commitment. Then the screen went blank and my heart skipped a beat. I must have missed enough for the test to end. Oh no...then a question with a variable popped up. Awesome, I moved up a level. I started to pick up speed. I liked these questions. Then the screen went blank and I held my breath...more algebra. Yeah! Bring it! I could do this all night. I was really working it. Then the screen went blank and my confidence wavered for a fraction of a second. Then I got it, some Trigonometry. That was my finish line, as far as I was concerned. I would just ride this wave home. I didn't practice any trig and I didn't care. I remembered "sohcahtoa" and that will get you through the first month of trig. (Know what I mean?) The first few were doable with just that little bit. Then I started seeing things I didn't know. But they kept coming. I wanted to go home. After guessing on two, the screen went blank and I prayed, no more. The computer agreed and let me leave. I picked up my sheet and the girl said, "You were in there for a long time. You did really good." It felt like days, and I did "well". No, I didn't say that. I innocently said, "I did?" She showed me the sheet. It made no sense. Pre-Algebra 97, Algebra 99, College Algebra 67, Trigonometry 52. Whatever, did I pass? She didn't know so I went back to Admissions to find out which score mattered in my situation. To my joy, she pointed at the 99. No more math!
Wow, that was a long story. Sorry about that.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Math...just kidding
I have this recurring nightmare (no, seriously, I do) about being in high school again. I don't know my class schedule. I don't know where my classes are. I don't know my locker combination. And I didn't do my math homework. I have been having this dream regularly for 9 years. Now I get to live it this Friday. I start my first class, Anatomy and Physiology 101.04L. It's broken up into lab and lecture, one is from 9-10:50am and the other is from 12-1:50pm. I'm not sure which is which. I have my cheaper version books all packed up in my old backpack. It weighs a ton for only one class.
After class Friday I will head over to another section of the school to take the Compass Algebra test at 2pm. I have discovered that the system is designed to give you progressively more difficult questions from basic math to trigonometry. As long as I get them right I keep going. Let's hope for a long test. Remember, I need a 66. Remember, I have no idea what that means. But I'll be glad to get it over with so you will stop asking me for more math details. I'm getting tired of talking about it.
I have been reading a book called The Ultimate Guide to Getting Into Nursing School. I was cruising right along, soaking in all the glory that is nursing when I came to the sentence, "Make a list of what makes you unique, special, distinctive, impressive, or different from any other applicant?" I was completely stumped. I am the worst at this kind of stuff. Here are some of the questions that I am blanking on.
1) How would your friends describe you? I really don't know. My friends are too nice to be honest with me. Maybe that means I am intimidating and easily offended. Not the stuff of resumes.
2) What is unique about me? Uhh...I'm surrounded by married, christian, 30-something, stay-at-home mothers. I'm a dime a dozen.
3) What is impressive about me? That's pretty subjective and I don't really impress myself.
4) What can differentiate me from other applicants? Now I did answer this one. I think my bachelor's in education and being a math teacher is different. Either they will think I have intelligence and experience or they will think I am a quitter. A little of both, thanks.
5) What are my intellectual influences? Does Spongebob count? I haven't left the house in 8 years. I guess I gotta get me some of those.
6) How has high school prepared me for college? I don't really remember high school. Ask me how college prepared me for college. Or better yet, how has life prepared me for college? No, don't. I'm not sure how to answer any of that.
7) Have you had to overcome unusual hardships in your life? Pregnancy was pretty hard, but I overcame it by having a baby. Three times. Otherwise, my life has been pretty uneventful.
8) Can you tell a story to exemplify your skills? I can't even tell a joke. Skills...skillz...skeelz...um, drawing a blank.
How does one go about getting these answers? I'm doomed.
The hardest question for me to answer is why I want to be a nurse. I'm going to have to figure out how to put that into words for another post.
After class Friday I will head over to another section of the school to take the Compass Algebra test at 2pm. I have discovered that the system is designed to give you progressively more difficult questions from basic math to trigonometry. As long as I get them right I keep going. Let's hope for a long test. Remember, I need a 66. Remember, I have no idea what that means. But I'll be glad to get it over with so you will stop asking me for more math details. I'm getting tired of talking about it.
I have been reading a book called The Ultimate Guide to Getting Into Nursing School. I was cruising right along, soaking in all the glory that is nursing when I came to the sentence, "Make a list of what makes you unique, special, distinctive, impressive, or different from any other applicant?" I was completely stumped. I am the worst at this kind of stuff. Here are some of the questions that I am blanking on.
1) How would your friends describe you? I really don't know. My friends are too nice to be honest with me. Maybe that means I am intimidating and easily offended. Not the stuff of resumes.
2) What is unique about me? Uhh...I'm surrounded by married, christian, 30-something, stay-at-home mothers. I'm a dime a dozen.
3) What is impressive about me? That's pretty subjective and I don't really impress myself.
4) What can differentiate me from other applicants? Now I did answer this one. I think my bachelor's in education and being a math teacher is different. Either they will think I have intelligence and experience or they will think I am a quitter. A little of both, thanks.
5) What are my intellectual influences? Does Spongebob count? I haven't left the house in 8 years. I guess I gotta get me some of those.
6) How has high school prepared me for college? I don't really remember high school. Ask me how college prepared me for college. Or better yet, how has life prepared me for college? No, don't. I'm not sure how to answer any of that.
7) Have you had to overcome unusual hardships in your life? Pregnancy was pretty hard, but I overcame it by having a baby. Three times. Otherwise, my life has been pretty uneventful.
8) Can you tell a story to exemplify your skills? I can't even tell a joke. Skills...skillz...skeelz...um, drawing a blank.
How does one go about getting these answers? I'm doomed.
The hardest question for me to answer is why I want to be a nurse. I'm going to have to figure out how to put that into words for another post.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Race for the Cure
Please visit this post on my family blog about running in this year's Race for the Cure.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Just when I thought I was out...
I found one more CLEP practice test. I timed myself, finished in just over an hour and then went back and worked on the ones I marked. The bad news is that I still missed seven. The good news is that they were not stupid mistakes. No wait, that means I'm just stupid. Maybe that's bad news. Either way, the rust is gone and I am exposed for the math fraud that I am. I stink at probability questions. And there are a lot of probability questions on the CLEP. It's a good thing I am not taking the CLEP. So when do I pull the trigger on the real test? That is a good question.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Sick of math yet?
Do you know what's worse than doing a lot of math problems? Listening to someone else talk about doing a lot of math problems. So let's suffer together, shall we?
I just spent almost an hour reviewing math problems and taking notes over topics I didn't understand or remember. These were issues I had tripped over in the previous two CLEP math practice tests. I learned a lot of symbols that I can't type in, like elements, subsets, union, intersection, conjunction, disjunction, negation, "implies", biconditional, converse, inverse and contrapositive. These are not complicated concepts, fortunately. It was just a matter of review and memorizing the symbol. I also refreshed my memory on permutations and combinations, inverse functions, Cartesian products and converting from decimal to binary and back. Overkill? I really hope so.
I then took another practice test (my third CLEP practice). Again, it was 60 questions in 90 minutes. The good news is that I only took 54 minutes to finish. I also knew a whole lot more than I did during the first test. The bad news is that I'm still rusty and made a few mistakes. I missed 9. There were 6 rusty mistakes where I understood the concept but still screwed it up. I rarely make the same mistake twice so those were what I will call "cleaning out the rust". There were only 2 that I just didn't get. And there was one that I still think I got right but they said I was wrong. I'll let you be the judge of that one:
"If you roll a pair of fair dice, the sum of the numbers on the two dice can be any number from 2 to 12. Which is more likely, getting an odd sum or an even sum?
A) An odd sum
B) An even sum
C) They are equally likely
D) None of the above"
My thinking is that there are 11 possible outcomes, like they said, 2 through 12. Of those, 6 outcomes are even and 5 are odd. Therefore you are more likely to roll an even. They said C. Correct me if I'm wrong.
I just spent almost an hour reviewing math problems and taking notes over topics I didn't understand or remember. These were issues I had tripped over in the previous two CLEP math practice tests. I learned a lot of symbols that I can't type in, like elements, subsets, union, intersection, conjunction, disjunction, negation, "implies", biconditional, converse, inverse and contrapositive. These are not complicated concepts, fortunately. It was just a matter of review and memorizing the symbol. I also refreshed my memory on permutations and combinations, inverse functions, Cartesian products and converting from decimal to binary and back. Overkill? I really hope so.
I then took another practice test (my third CLEP practice). Again, it was 60 questions in 90 minutes. The good news is that I only took 54 minutes to finish. I also knew a whole lot more than I did during the first test. The bad news is that I'm still rusty and made a few mistakes. I missed 9. There were 6 rusty mistakes where I understood the concept but still screwed it up. I rarely make the same mistake twice so those were what I will call "cleaning out the rust". There were only 2 that I just didn't get. And there was one that I still think I got right but they said I was wrong. I'll let you be the judge of that one:
"If you roll a pair of fair dice, the sum of the numbers on the two dice can be any number from 2 to 12. Which is more likely, getting an odd sum or an even sum?
A) An odd sum
B) An even sum
C) They are equally likely
D) None of the above"
My thinking is that there are 11 possible outcomes, like they said, 2 through 12. Of those, 6 outcomes are even and 5 are odd. Therefore you are more likely to roll an even. They said C. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Mathing my brains out
The Art of Geometry sounds like a lot of fun, but I'd rather skip it. The same goes for Concepts in Mathematics. Hoping that I don't sound too braggy, I really think that either class would be a cake walk...a $400 cake walk that lasts all day, once a week for a whole semester. If I have the chance to test out of them, I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure that happens.
I have done over 250 math and algebra problems in the last two days. Jason brought me two CLEP test practice books. There are three practice tests with 60 questions to be done in 90 minutes. The first book had some review info that really helped. I timed myself taking that first one and only missed 6, but I barely finished. Most of those were careless mistakes. Last night I took a test from the second book. It was harder. I missed 10 and it took a lot longer than 90 minutes. There were things on that test that I didn't remember seeing before. Fortunately, there are a lot of things that are coming back to me, slowly. I'm still making careless mistakes, though. All of this practicing will hopefully reduce that. Even so, I don't think I will be taking the CLEP. It's kind of hard.
My other option is the free compass test administered directly by Ivy Tech. Jason found a website with lots of practice questions. I have done about half of them and they are ridiculously easy. This makes me nervous. I don't want to choose the compass only to find that the questions are a lot harder than the ones on the website and that I'm no where near prepared. Hopefully my CLEP practicing will help me with the compass.
Once I have done all the questions I can get my hands on, I will try to take the test immediately while they are still fresh in my mind. This may be overkill but I think it is worth it. The math section of my brain was filled with sludge and cobwebs. I'm doing some much needed brain cleaning. And if I don't pass, it must mean that I need to take the class. I would prefer to be a smart nurse a semester later than a dumb one a semester sooner.
Here are some examples (many examples have symbols I can't type on a normal keyboard):
3)If f(x)=x^2 - 3x, then f(x-1)-1=
8) Which of the following is a factor of 2x^3 - x^2 + 3x -4?
A) x+1
B) x+2
C) x-1
D) x-2
53) Josh is 5 years older than Sam. Three years ago, Josh was twice as old as Sam. How old is Sam now?
I'll be doing my math homework today if anyone needs me.
I have done over 250 math and algebra problems in the last two days. Jason brought me two CLEP test practice books. There are three practice tests with 60 questions to be done in 90 minutes. The first book had some review info that really helped. I timed myself taking that first one and only missed 6, but I barely finished. Most of those were careless mistakes. Last night I took a test from the second book. It was harder. I missed 10 and it took a lot longer than 90 minutes. There were things on that test that I didn't remember seeing before. Fortunately, there are a lot of things that are coming back to me, slowly. I'm still making careless mistakes, though. All of this practicing will hopefully reduce that. Even so, I don't think I will be taking the CLEP. It's kind of hard.
My other option is the free compass test administered directly by Ivy Tech. Jason found a website with lots of practice questions. I have done about half of them and they are ridiculously easy. This makes me nervous. I don't want to choose the compass only to find that the questions are a lot harder than the ones on the website and that I'm no where near prepared. Hopefully my CLEP practicing will help me with the compass.
Once I have done all the questions I can get my hands on, I will try to take the test immediately while they are still fresh in my mind. This may be overkill but I think it is worth it. The math section of my brain was filled with sludge and cobwebs. I'm doing some much needed brain cleaning. And if I don't pass, it must mean that I need to take the class. I would prefer to be a smart nurse a semester later than a dumb one a semester sooner.
Here are some examples (many examples have symbols I can't type on a normal keyboard):
3)If f(x)=x^2 - 3x, then f(x-1)-1=
8) Which of the following is a factor of 2x^3 - x^2 + 3x -4?
A) x+1
B) x+2
C) x-1
D) x-2
53) Josh is 5 years older than Sam. Three years ago, Josh was twice as old as Sam. How old is Sam now?
I'll be doing my math homework today if anyone needs me.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Good news, bad news and some other news...
"We only accept transfer credit on math and science classes if they are less than 10 years old." My heart sank but I tried to keep a pleasant face for Mrs. Dye. The chair of the nursing department at Ivy Tech had agreed to meet with me Thursday to help me make a long term plan. Before I can be assigned to an advisor I need to attend a nursing overview meeting. There is one scheduled each month. However, I waited too long to sign up. They are full until February. But I had questions now and needed some advice...from an advisor. So I went to the top. (It actually wasn't my doing. An assistant in the school took care of it for me.)
Mrs. Dye was incredibly helpful, even if some of her guidance was bad news for me. If you remember correctly, I was a math teacher. I have lots of math courses under my belt at USI...10 years ago. None of them mattered now. I would need to take a 3 hour math class. That is, unless I get a really good score on either the Algebra compass test or pass the CLEP math test. The compass test is free and administered by Ivy Tech. I would need a 66 to get out of math classes. I'm not sure yet what that means. I'm going to look into it. The CLEP test costs close to $70 but I only need to pass that. I skimmed through a CLEP prep book. I can definitely do that. (They recommend "plugging in" as opposed to actually solving the equation.) I'll need to do some more research there before I make up my mind. I'll keep you posted on this exciting debate.
As for the science, I have plenty of that at USI as well since I was pre-med. That was well over 10 years ago. I have no hope here. It appears I will be taking a 3 hour microbiology class and a 4 hour physics class. There is an option of a 3 hour chemisty class but I'll take the extra hour hit to avoid chemisty. (For more background on my USI math and science check out the August 8th post.) This will add at least one more semester to my plan. I'll talk more about "the plan" later...when I have one.
Some of Mrs. Dye's news was good. Ivy Tech requires all students to take a one hour life skills class. I could use some of those, but fortunately I can skip it because of the career planning class I took at USI. I found this little twist funny and ironic. All this time I thought it was a waste of a class. (Again, see August 8th for career planning reference.)
More good news - I would be required to take a sociology, multicultural studies or psychology class. That would be the case if I hadn't done some legwork. As an education major at USI, I took a Multicultural Education course. It appears as EDUC 302 on my transcripts. It was easy to skip over. I felt it should count but I didn't have a shred of proof. I had purged myself of all my education books and papers. I looked for my 302 teacher at USI only to find no evidence that he existed. I did manage to find a copy of a syllabus from another teacher's 302 class. I took a copy of it with me to show Mrs. Dye and she seemed to be impressed that I was proactive in the matter. She accepted it. It almost makes the science and math insult hurt less.
And more good news - We discussed at length each semester in the school of nursing. I was having a difficult time wrapping my head around what my life would look like when I got to that point. I knew it was very structured so I was nervous about abandoning my family for two years. I found that I would have a lot more flexibility and say in my time than I realized. Each semester, the staff reevaluates the situation based on changes in student numbers, staff availability, lab availability, and hospital and clinic schedules. They then build several structured plans from which the students can choose. Mrs. Dye was very pleased with the way this semester looks right now because there are 6 different plans and none of them have classes, labs or clinic on Fridays. She said they would love to keep Fridays open when possible from now on, though it might change if they had no choice. She printed off all six plans for first semester nursing students so I could look them over on my own, and I will.
I also signed up for the nursing overview meeting in March. Better late than never. Better late than never.
(Sorry for the dramatic repeated last line. Something about it struck a cord with me and I realized it meant a lot more than my original purpose for it.)
Mrs. Dye was incredibly helpful, even if some of her guidance was bad news for me. If you remember correctly, I was a math teacher. I have lots of math courses under my belt at USI...10 years ago. None of them mattered now. I would need to take a 3 hour math class. That is, unless I get a really good score on either the Algebra compass test or pass the CLEP math test. The compass test is free and administered by Ivy Tech. I would need a 66 to get out of math classes. I'm not sure yet what that means. I'm going to look into it. The CLEP test costs close to $70 but I only need to pass that. I skimmed through a CLEP prep book. I can definitely do that. (They recommend "plugging in" as opposed to actually solving the equation.) I'll need to do some more research there before I make up my mind. I'll keep you posted on this exciting debate.
As for the science, I have plenty of that at USI as well since I was pre-med. That was well over 10 years ago. I have no hope here. It appears I will be taking a 3 hour microbiology class and a 4 hour physics class. There is an option of a 3 hour chemisty class but I'll take the extra hour hit to avoid chemisty. (For more background on my USI math and science check out the August 8th post.) This will add at least one more semester to my plan. I'll talk more about "the plan" later...when I have one.
Some of Mrs. Dye's news was good. Ivy Tech requires all students to take a one hour life skills class. I could use some of those, but fortunately I can skip it because of the career planning class I took at USI. I found this little twist funny and ironic. All this time I thought it was a waste of a class. (Again, see August 8th for career planning reference.)
More good news - I would be required to take a sociology, multicultural studies or psychology class. That would be the case if I hadn't done some legwork. As an education major at USI, I took a Multicultural Education course. It appears as EDUC 302 on my transcripts. It was easy to skip over. I felt it should count but I didn't have a shred of proof. I had purged myself of all my education books and papers. I looked for my 302 teacher at USI only to find no evidence that he existed. I did manage to find a copy of a syllabus from another teacher's 302 class. I took a copy of it with me to show Mrs. Dye and she seemed to be impressed that I was proactive in the matter. She accepted it. It almost makes the science and math insult hurt less.
And more good news - We discussed at length each semester in the school of nursing. I was having a difficult time wrapping my head around what my life would look like when I got to that point. I knew it was very structured so I was nervous about abandoning my family for two years. I found that I would have a lot more flexibility and say in my time than I realized. Each semester, the staff reevaluates the situation based on changes in student numbers, staff availability, lab availability, and hospital and clinic schedules. They then build several structured plans from which the students can choose. Mrs. Dye was very pleased with the way this semester looks right now because there are 6 different plans and none of them have classes, labs or clinic on Fridays. She said they would love to keep Fridays open when possible from now on, though it might change if they had no choice. She printed off all six plans for first semester nursing students so I could look them over on my own, and I will.
I also signed up for the nursing overview meeting in March. Better late than never. Better late than never.
(Sorry for the dramatic repeated last line. Something about it struck a cord with me and I realized it meant a lot more than my original purpose for it.)
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Student
Try to not think about nursing. Try to not think about nursing. Nursing. This isn't working. Taking care of Willow should keep me distracted. Nursing. But she's just baby. I can't go back to school. Nursing. I'll plant some flowers. Nursing. I'll paint a room. Nursing. Willow won't be in kindergarten for another 4 years. But if I started school now...Okay, fine. I'll look into it.
I thought my desire to go back to school to become a nurse would cool off after having Willow. If anything, it intensified. I started doing the math, asking questions. If I became a nurse, it would be great to get started the same year that Willow started school. How many years would it take to get my degree? Where would I get it from? When should I start? Who would watch Willow? Is it okay to leave her to do something so selfish?
I know me, sort of. I wouldn't sleep until I had some answers.
I met with a friend in the nursing school at USI to ask her some questions. If I could, I would go there. Unfortunately, USI stopped awarding associate's degrees. I would have to get a bachelor's degree. Even with my education degree, that was a lot of classes and a lot of years. Also, USI is $167.30/credit hour. One class (not in the school of nursing) would cost about $850 (with fees and books). Once I started the school of nursing, a semester would cost about $4600. Wow. And USI is 19 miles away and it takes about 40 minutes to drive there. This wasn't looking good.
Later that same week, I was walking through Walmart. (I do that occasionally just to relax.) I saw a girl I remembered from high school but I doubted she new me. My plan was to do what I always do when I recognize someone. Hide. As I approached her and was prepared to avoid her, I felt this overwhelming urge to say hi. This was crazy. We weren't even friends in school. Say hi. She has no idea who I am. Talk to her. No. Do it now. She's almost gone. Noooo! "Hi, you're Amy, right?" I can't believe I did that. Now I'm in this awkward conversation. Don't be a loser. Try to act normal. Hey, she remembers me. She has a kid, I have...several kids. I stay at home, she's a...nurse at Deaconess Gateway. You're kidding me. That's where I want to work. She went to school at Ivy Tech. Wow, God, thanks.
Because of my conversation with Amy, I realized Ivy Tech could be a very good option for me to consider. She had an associate's degree and said most of the nurses she works with have associate's degrees. I would have to look into this.
While checking out their website, I saw information for a campus preview day and immediately signed up. They have a brand new building that is beautiful inside and out. Everyone I met was very helpful and happy to be there and happy I was there. I saw some of the classrooms and got a chance to sit down with several of the teachers in the nursing school who were very encouraging. They looked at my transcripts from USI and thought I only needed a couple of classes and then I could start the school of nursing, probably by next fall. But once I started the school I would have to take all of the classes required each semester for two years. No turning back. No stretching it out. Okay, this was a lot to take in. I would have to think about that later. But for now, at Ivy Tech one credit hour is $95/credit hour. One class would cost me about $500 with fees and books. A semester would be between $1500 and $2000. I don't have that kind of money but it was a lot less than USI, especially since I would have to take a lot fewer classes. I could be done in three years if I wanted to. It was also a bit closer at 15 miles (25 minutes) with my sister the baby-sitter living only a mile from campus. This was looking good.
I explored the rest of the campus and sat down in the commons area and filled out an application. That same week I sent off requests for transcripts from my high school and from USI. Over the next couple of months I:
My newest title: student. I am officially a student at Ivy Tech Community College. And we are officially caught up.
I thought my desire to go back to school to become a nurse would cool off after having Willow. If anything, it intensified. I started doing the math, asking questions. If I became a nurse, it would be great to get started the same year that Willow started school. How many years would it take to get my degree? Where would I get it from? When should I start? Who would watch Willow? Is it okay to leave her to do something so selfish?
I know me, sort of. I wouldn't sleep until I had some answers.
I met with a friend in the nursing school at USI to ask her some questions. If I could, I would go there. Unfortunately, USI stopped awarding associate's degrees. I would have to get a bachelor's degree. Even with my education degree, that was a lot of classes and a lot of years. Also, USI is $167.30/credit hour. One class (not in the school of nursing) would cost about $850 (with fees and books). Once I started the school of nursing, a semester would cost about $4600. Wow. And USI is 19 miles away and it takes about 40 minutes to drive there. This wasn't looking good.
Later that same week, I was walking through Walmart. (I do that occasionally just to relax.) I saw a girl I remembered from high school but I doubted she new me. My plan was to do what I always do when I recognize someone. Hide. As I approached her and was prepared to avoid her, I felt this overwhelming urge to say hi. This was crazy. We weren't even friends in school. Say hi. She has no idea who I am. Talk to her. No. Do it now. She's almost gone. Noooo! "Hi, you're Amy, right?" I can't believe I did that. Now I'm in this awkward conversation. Don't be a loser. Try to act normal. Hey, she remembers me. She has a kid, I have...several kids. I stay at home, she's a...nurse at Deaconess Gateway. You're kidding me. That's where I want to work. She went to school at Ivy Tech. Wow, God, thanks.
Because of my conversation with Amy, I realized Ivy Tech could be a very good option for me to consider. She had an associate's degree and said most of the nurses she works with have associate's degrees. I would have to look into this.
While checking out their website, I saw information for a campus preview day and immediately signed up. They have a brand new building that is beautiful inside and out. Everyone I met was very helpful and happy to be there and happy I was there. I saw some of the classrooms and got a chance to sit down with several of the teachers in the nursing school who were very encouraging. They looked at my transcripts from USI and thought I only needed a couple of classes and then I could start the school of nursing, probably by next fall. But once I started the school I would have to take all of the classes required each semester for two years. No turning back. No stretching it out. Okay, this was a lot to take in. I would have to think about that later. But for now, at Ivy Tech one credit hour is $95/credit hour. One class would cost me about $500 with fees and books. A semester would be between $1500 and $2000. I don't have that kind of money but it was a lot less than USI, especially since I would have to take a lot fewer classes. I could be done in three years if I wanted to. It was also a bit closer at 15 miles (25 minutes) with my sister the baby-sitter living only a mile from campus. This was looking good.
I explored the rest of the campus and sat down in the commons area and filled out an application. That same week I sent off requests for transcripts from my high school and from USI. Over the next couple of months I:
- was accepted
- made baby-sitting arrangements with my sister (thanks Jenny)
- signed up on campus connect (online area where I find everything I need to do and know)
- registered for my first class: Anatomy and Physiology 101 (I love that stuff!)
- paid my tuition (thanks to my friends who paid me to paint)
- went to the Ivy Tech bookstore and found the books I would need for my class. Only $264 for two books! What a bargain! I said no thank you and bought one on ebay for around $65 and the other on Amazon for $85.
- made an appointment to meet with the head of the nursing department (this Thursday)
My newest title: student. I am officially a student at Ivy Tech Community College. And we are officially caught up.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
A Fork in the Tunnel
I had finally figured it out. I had lots of interest but I needed one that I could commit to the rest of my life (more or less). I had considered real estate but I think the system is terribly flawed. I thought about flipping houses, but I have no start up money and not enough time without the kids to work on them. I used to want to be an architect but it seemed a bit late in the game for that sort of thing. I had once thought about nursing, but...well, there's...hmm. That actually sounded pretty good. In college I hadn't really thought about going from pre-med to nursing. My common sense and strong reasoning abilities had failed me. I should have majored in nursing. Oh, I could kick myself.
I wasn't about to jump in and make the same mistake twice. I wanted to consider this for a little bit. No hurry, really. Luke wasn't even in pre-school. I could finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. Then the tunnel forked. I suddenly had a new and irresistible urge. There was no logic or reasoning behind it. I just had to have it. School? What school? I need a baby now.
It's a good thing it happened immediately because a month later and I would have changed my mind. In fact, I did change my mind a few times and felt terribly guilty every time the thought of school got me a little depressed about being pregnant. It didn't take long, though, to fall in love with this girl. Willow was born August 3, 2007. She is the icing on the cake and completely different than the other two. I cannot imagine life without her.
School could wait. But could I?
I wasn't about to jump in and make the same mistake twice. I wanted to consider this for a little bit. No hurry, really. Luke wasn't even in pre-school. I could finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. Then the tunnel forked. I suddenly had a new and irresistible urge. There was no logic or reasoning behind it. I just had to have it. School? What school? I need a baby now.
It's a good thing it happened immediately because a month later and I would have changed my mind. In fact, I did change my mind a few times and felt terribly guilty every time the thought of school got me a little depressed about being pregnant. It didn't take long, though, to fall in love with this girl. Willow was born August 3, 2007. She is the icing on the cake and completely different than the other two. I cannot imagine life without her.School could wait. But could I?
Monday, August 11, 2008
Mom
We were already bored after only a year and half of marriage. We decided now was the time to shake things up a bit before we were anchored grown ups. After I left ECS, Jason got a job in St. Louis and I was eager to go and start over. We left around the beginning of August 2000. On my birthday, Friday, August 25th, Jason took me to my first ever Starbuck's after a huge Italian dinner. After I finished my giant cappuccino, I felt terrible. We went back to our apartment where I laid in bed moaning with agony. I thought I had food poisoning. The next morning I woke up with nausea and all I wanted to eat was fast food sandwiches. The same thing happened the next day. On Monday morning I had an idea of what this could possibly be. I took a pregnancy test and called Jason at work. He came home and we both panicked together.
I found out I was 6 weeks pregnant with Abigail. This was great news but terrible timing. We were slowly running out of money as I was unemployed. I tried to get a substitute teaching job but every morning I was sick and getting sicker. There was a terrible smell in the apartment. At first only I could smell it and 100% of the times I smelled it, I threw up. Eventually everyone could smell it. The apartment manager put some chemicals in our furnace but it didn't help. Everything we owned smelled. I just sat in the bedroom by a fan in the open window day after day. It was a prison. Jason, too was miserable. The company that hired him had nothing for him to do. We decided it was time to end this misery and come back home where things were safer. That was the end of our two month St. Louis experiment.
It also ended my teaching career. And for that I was grateful. When a woman has a degree there is a lot of pressure to have a career, or at least a job. I was asked on numerous occasions while pregnant if I had a job or was planning on getting one. What would be the point of getting job I was going to quit in a few months? My plan was to stay home and raise this kid. This was over seven years ago and I don't regret any of it. Abigail was born May 8, 2001. I am so glad I stayed with her. I had the best time of my life with Abby when she was a baby. She is an amazing girl.
He didn't change my title any, but I have to mention Luke. When Abby was almost two, I really wanted another baby. We both wanted a boy so badly. And I thank God he was. Luke was born December 5, 2003. He has been so much fun and I can't imagine not having experienced life with a daughter and a son. They are so different. It really spices up parenthood.
When Luke was around 3, I realized there was a longing in me to start a career. As much as I loved raising these two, I really wanted to get out of the house and do something that challenged my brain and body, something that I would be really good at, something that would make me feel like I was contributing in some way to society. I realize it sounds like I'm belittling staying at home to raise kids. That was the fear I had when I realized I wanted to do something else. I felt so torn, confused and embarrassed. I wanted to be with my kids so badly and yet, just as badly, I wanted to to do something else. I couldn't explain it then and I'm not sure how to explain it now. Being a mom does challenge the brain and body. And I think I'm pretty good at it. I'm good enough, though I pale in comparison to many of the moms I am friends with. And without moms there would be no society. So, please hear me when I say that being a stay-at-home mom is one of the best and most important jobs in the world.
So why did I still want more? I don't know. I'm flawed that way, I guess. The point is, Luke was going to be in school soon and I knew I wanted to have a job when they were both gone all day. The glaring problem: my degree. I did not want to be a teacher, but I didn't want to be a secretary or factory worker. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm getting myself into trouble the more I write. Let's end this by saying, I knew I wanted to go back to school soon. I had a good idea of what I wanted to get a degree in. I knew things were about to change, but I didn't expect to it play out the way it did.
I found out I was 6 weeks pregnant with Abigail. This was great news but terrible timing. We were slowly running out of money as I was unemployed. I tried to get a substitute teaching job but every morning I was sick and getting sicker. There was a terrible smell in the apartment. At first only I could smell it and 100% of the times I smelled it, I threw up. Eventually everyone could smell it. The apartment manager put some chemicals in our furnace but it didn't help. Everything we owned smelled. I just sat in the bedroom by a fan in the open window day after day. It was a prison. Jason, too was miserable. The company that hired him had nothing for him to do. We decided it was time to end this misery and come back home where things were safer. That was the end of our two month St. Louis experiment.
It also ended my teaching career. And for that I was grateful. When a woman has a degree there is a lot of pressure to have a career, or at least a job. I was asked on numerous occasions while pregnant if I had a job or was planning on getting one. What would be the point of getting job I was going to quit in a few months? My plan was to stay home and raise this kid. This was over seven years ago and I don't regret any of it. Abigail was born May 8, 2001. I am so glad I stayed with her. I had the best time of my life with Abby when she was a baby. She is an amazing girl.
He didn't change my title any, but I have to mention Luke. When Abby was almost two, I really wanted another baby. We both wanted a boy so badly. And I thank God he was. Luke was born December 5, 2003. He has been so much fun and I can't imagine not having experienced life with a daughter and a son. They are so different. It really spices up parenthood.When Luke was around 3, I realized there was a longing in me to start a career. As much as I loved raising these two, I really wanted to get out of the house and do something that challenged my brain and body, something that I would be really good at, something that would make me feel like I was contributing in some way to society. I realize it sounds like I'm belittling staying at home to raise kids. That was the fear I had when I realized I wanted to do something else. I felt so torn, confused and embarrassed. I wanted to be with my kids so badly and yet, just as badly, I wanted to to do something else. I couldn't explain it then and I'm not sure how to explain it now. Being a mom does challenge the brain and body. And I think I'm pretty good at it. I'm good enough, though I pale in comparison to many of the moms I am friends with. And without moms there would be no society. So, please hear me when I say that being a stay-at-home mom is one of the best and most important jobs in the world.
So why did I still want more? I don't know. I'm flawed that way, I guess. The point is, Luke was going to be in school soon and I knew I wanted to have a job when they were both gone all day. The glaring problem: my degree. I did not want to be a teacher, but I didn't want to be a secretary or factory worker. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm getting myself into trouble the more I write. Let's end this by saying, I knew I wanted to go back to school soon. I had a good idea of what I wanted to get a degree in. I knew things were about to change, but I didn't expect to it play out the way it did.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Wife
I can't really move forward in the story unless I go backwards a bit. The timing of my wedding will seem somewhat peculiar being January 2. I had just finished my last semester of education classes and student teaching began around January 10th. At that time I had a list of reasons why I wanted to get married then and not wait until summer...literally. I wrote them all down in case my parents said no. Now that I'm 30, I can't really explain any of it with the same conviction as when I was 20 so here is a reasonable summary.
His name is Jason and we met at Christian Fellowship Church when I was 15 and he was 19. We liked each other right away, then we hated each other, then we liked each other and so on for the next 4 or 5 years. Well, he says he always liked me, but we weren't very nice to each other sometimes. Never tell a guy you like him like a brother. They don't like it.
In the spring of 1998, a series of unexpected yeses to a series of casual invitations led us to spending a bit more time together. We were not madly in love, but I began to believe what Jason had known all along (as he claims), that we were supposed to be married. If that's the case then why wait around? When I've thought something through and it seems right, I don't stop until I've done it. That's my best explanation of why January 2nd. So...
Wedding. Student teaching. Elementary Education BS with a math minor and middle school endorsement. Summer job at a plastics factory (no need to elaborate). Teaching at ECS. Quitting ECS.
I think we are caught up now. Let's move forward. In fact, let's move to St. Louis where our story takes an interesting turn, or more specifically, a U-turn.
His name is Jason and we met at Christian Fellowship Church when I was 15 and he was 19. We liked each other right away, then we hated each other, then we liked each other and so on for the next 4 or 5 years. Well, he says he always liked me, but we weren't very nice to each other sometimes. Never tell a guy you like him like a brother. They don't like it.
In the spring of 1998, a series of unexpected yeses to a series of casual invitations led us to spending a bit more time together. We were not madly in love, but I began to believe what Jason had known all along (as he claims), that we were supposed to be married. If that's the case then why wait around? When I've thought something through and it seems right, I don't stop until I've done it. That's my best explanation of why January 2nd. So...
Wedding. Student teaching. Elementary Education BS with a math minor and middle school endorsement. Summer job at a plastics factory (no need to elaborate). Teaching at ECS. Quitting ECS.
I think we are caught up now. Let's move forward. In fact, let's move to St. Louis where our story takes an interesting turn, or more specifically, a U-turn.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
The Degree
I knew it was wrong to be there. I could feel it in each class, but I pressed on towards my goal. Determination turned to blind stubbornness. I wanted a degree and this teaching stuff was ridiculously easy. Every A and every compliment made it easier and easier to ignore that sense of dread. I was dreading actually becoming a teacher. But I'd deal with that after getting my bachelor's degree.
For someone so smart I can be awfully stupid.
(This is where the story gets slightly out of order. I actually took the title of wife the semester before I graduated. For consistency, though, let's skip that part and return to it later.)
I had never substitute taught a day in my life and I knew very few people in the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation. And like so many careers, this one is highly political. It's all about who you know. My application was in but there was no interest. I applied at Evansville Christian School who hired me immediately because very few are willing to teach for almost free. A week after accepting the job, I was offered half a semester at Tekoppel Elementary. Oh how my life would have been different.
I was absolutely miserable at ECS. It's a great school, if you are a student. But when a parent pays that much for their child's education, they feel they are your direct boss. I had a homeroom of around 20 sixth graders, but also taught math to roughly 20 more sixth graders, around 40 something 5th graders and 5 eighth graders. That's well over 100 parents, or as I like to put it, over 100 bosses. I was bullied and intentionally intimidated by several of them. They were awful enough to ruin it for the ones who were incredibly kind to me. And what could the principal do? She had thousands of bosses. The stress level for me was through the roof. I was terrified of these children and their parents. I was terrified by all the rules and rigidity of the school. I was terrified by my boss and several of the teachers. I was miserable. The one bright spot was a teacher there named Shelly Main. She wanted me to stay but after that year, I bolted.
I never wanted to teach again. That year made me really afraid of large groups of kids and even more so of their parents. I guess teaching was out. What a waste of a degree! What was I going to do now?
For someone so smart I can be awfully stupid.
(This is where the story gets slightly out of order. I actually took the title of wife the semester before I graduated. For consistency, though, let's skip that part and return to it later.)
I had never substitute taught a day in my life and I knew very few people in the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation. And like so many careers, this one is highly political. It's all about who you know. My application was in but there was no interest. I applied at Evansville Christian School who hired me immediately because very few are willing to teach for almost free. A week after accepting the job, I was offered half a semester at Tekoppel Elementary. Oh how my life would have been different.
I was absolutely miserable at ECS. It's a great school, if you are a student. But when a parent pays that much for their child's education, they feel they are your direct boss. I had a homeroom of around 20 sixth graders, but also taught math to roughly 20 more sixth graders, around 40 something 5th graders and 5 eighth graders. That's well over 100 parents, or as I like to put it, over 100 bosses. I was bullied and intentionally intimidated by several of them. They were awful enough to ruin it for the ones who were incredibly kind to me. And what could the principal do? She had thousands of bosses. The stress level for me was through the roof. I was terrified of these children and their parents. I was terrified by all the rules and rigidity of the school. I was terrified by my boss and several of the teachers. I was miserable. The one bright spot was a teacher there named Shelly Main. She wanted me to stay but after that year, I bolted.
I never wanted to teach again. That year made me really afraid of large groups of kids and even more so of their parents. I guess teaching was out. What a waste of a degree! What was I going to do now?
Friday, August 8, 2008
Where do I begin?
My name is Laura and I am about to begin a new chapter in my life. More precisely, I have already begun this new chapter. It may be arrogant of me, but I've decided to journal and share my experiences as they happen over the next few years. First, though, I have the daunting task of summarizing everything relevant leading up to this point. Bear with me as I get the story going.
If you don't already know me, you can guess a few things about me by the title of the blog. I am a wife and a mom and a student, in that order. I had a few titles before that, though. So let's start there for this first post.
When my title was kid, I graduated from high school. I wasn't sure what I wanted to be when I grew up but I knew I liked dissecting things. I loved biology, anatomy and health. But I liked a lot of things so it was difficult to focus. Because of this lack of focus, I decided not to waste a lot of money on a big school like IU. The University of Southern Indiana was right here and good enough for someone like me. I had very good grades in school but no idea for a major.
I thought being a surgeon would be fun. That right there should have been my first red flag. Becoming a doctor is not "fun". I would find that out soon enough as I chose pre-medicine as my major. I had never had to work much in high school so I was overwhelmed with this new schedule, especially chemistry. I freaked out and realized I didn't have the drive necessary to see this doctor thing through to the end.
I decided to drop chemistry my second semester and take a career planning class. I took all kinds of personality and interest inventory tests. Each one gave me completely different and contrary advice. I think I was told I should be a parks and rec director or a police officer among other things.
I finished the semester behind on hours and panicked. I still had no idea what to do. I couldn't just keep taking random classes. I needed a goal, a major. In my state of panic, I decided to join the military. I even took the ASFAB test at a local recruiter's. My dad, a Vietnam veteran, put his foot down and, since he was paying for most of my schooling, I obeyed.
I didn't know anything about any careers, really. I knew I liked school. I had plenty of experience in school since I was a kid, K though 12. I knew teachers. I knew classrooms. That settled it. I'd getting a teaching degree. That was not nearly as scary and new as pre-med. So I transfered to the school of education.
If you don't already know me, you can guess a few things about me by the title of the blog. I am a wife and a mom and a student, in that order. I had a few titles before that, though. So let's start there for this first post.
When my title was kid, I graduated from high school. I wasn't sure what I wanted to be when I grew up but I knew I liked dissecting things. I loved biology, anatomy and health. But I liked a lot of things so it was difficult to focus. Because of this lack of focus, I decided not to waste a lot of money on a big school like IU. The University of Southern Indiana was right here and good enough for someone like me. I had very good grades in school but no idea for a major.
I thought being a surgeon would be fun. That right there should have been my first red flag. Becoming a doctor is not "fun". I would find that out soon enough as I chose pre-medicine as my major. I had never had to work much in high school so I was overwhelmed with this new schedule, especially chemistry. I freaked out and realized I didn't have the drive necessary to see this doctor thing through to the end.
I decided to drop chemistry my second semester and take a career planning class. I took all kinds of personality and interest inventory tests. Each one gave me completely different and contrary advice. I think I was told I should be a parks and rec director or a police officer among other things.
I finished the semester behind on hours and panicked. I still had no idea what to do. I couldn't just keep taking random classes. I needed a goal, a major. In my state of panic, I decided to join the military. I even took the ASFAB test at a local recruiter's. My dad, a Vietnam veteran, put his foot down and, since he was paying for most of my schooling, I obeyed.
I didn't know anything about any careers, really. I knew I liked school. I had plenty of experience in school since I was a kid, K though 12. I knew teachers. I knew classrooms. That settled it. I'd getting a teaching degree. That was not nearly as scary and new as pre-med. So I transfered to the school of education.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)