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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.)

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.

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.

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.