Back to School for GrownUps

Yesterday’s post mentioned that I had had a bit of good news.

Minor, in the overall scope of things, really - but for me, it is very positive, anyway.

I talked to the prof of one of my courses about the options for the final assignments - and I do not have to write a big long research paper for it.

I will have to write a paper - but if I prefer, can publish something - anything - on the web - and then write a paper about my use of the Internet and how it compares to publishing something in a book, i.e. what are the advantages gained by using the web.

That is well within my capabilities (computer programmer analyst and taught web development, even) ….

so - I thought what I would do, since he is not particular about WHAT I publish - is to put up a webpage about the musical I am working on for Textual Transmissions …. which should earn some credit over in that course, and also provide the basis for this one.

So now I am down to only 2 major research papers (and a website, a million small ones and trillions of pages of academic readings yet to wade through) all due before December 6.

I know it doesn’t seem like much … but it felt like a load off none-the-less.

There is a glimmer of hope that I might be able to get through everything… just a glimmer (psych paper is stalled again) … but it is there.

Wanna do me a favour? My friend Jax’ dog Maggie is in a Hallowe’en contest over on Gather.com. Views much appreciated! (All you have to do is click)

I am home again.

That makes me happy.

The fact that there is no TA meeting tomorrow makes me even more happy!

By the time I got home today, I was so tired and cranky and worn out - I accomplished not much of anything.

I laid on my bed and watched hubby wash windows. We have a LOT of windows in our bedroom. And he washed them all - inside and outside - not once but twice, before they were cleaned enough to suit him.

Or perhaps it was that he was enjoying himself that made him so gosh darned particular.

We talked about all of my classes, assignments, etc…..and where I (we) should go for PhD and so on.

Every time I got up to go check our stock purchases or whatever, he wanted to know where I was going and if/when I was coming back.

SO much work I have GOT to get done - BUT spending time with him has got to count for something too

I’ll do schoolwork tomorrow

And tell you about my very good news too.

I really do want to return my Entrecard drops!

But for days now I have been encountering WAY too many file not found errors. I thought maybe it was just my not so great Internet here at the motel - but was on from elsewhere where I did have a good connection and got just as many! It was a bit better when I was home this past weekend - but still quite a few errors.

I have plenty of things to do without worrying about it…but it IRKS me … I used to be able to just go through and open tons of pages and click through when I was taking a thinking break - there’s a reason they call me flit But it’s just not working for me this week and it is irritating me beyond belief!

I added a Page to this blog today - it’s my to do list, but updatable … so that I can go back in and mark things off as I get them done. (Posts can’t be edited once they’re checked by Today.com, so couldn’t just do it there)

I did get bunches done today, but most of it was stuff I hadn’t added to the list to begin with … oops!

Way past bedtime - I have an early class tomorrow … but still need to get an essay assignment written up for my seminars… or not… perhaps I will wait and discuss essay topics with them tomorow in seminar, and then write that up. That sounds like a good idea, don’t you think? I think

As you’ve seen if you’ve read my last post, I have rather a lot of things to manage over the next 6 weeks or so.

Now that it is all written out in one big (UGLY) list though, I am finding that I am a bit calmer about it.

I have decided that rather than allowing myself to panic and get overwhelmed by it all, I need to focus on ONE THING AT A TIME.

I have decided, also, that with the exception of the psych paper - which i might well be able to finish today if things go according to plan, I am going to knock off as many of the small things as I possibly can over the course of this week.

The 6 papers for Law & Moral Regulation, for example. They are supposed to be done weekly - but if I take good notes as I read (so that I won’t have to reread the week of class) there is no reason why I couldn’t try to get them done early. Each one requires more than 100 pages of academic reading that makes my head hurt - so I won’t try to get them ALL done at once - but one a day sounds doable.

The short paper for Public Texts is due next week, so that has to be done - I’ve already read everything for that once - just need to sit down and write it; that’s my goal for today between classes. And the exercise for that one is almost finished - hopefully can get that done this morning after my discussion class and before my afternoon class.

And then the short paper and seminar prep for Fiction/nonFiction, and a proposal I need to write re: presenting a conference paper. Oh, and I need to print off one of my short stories for submission to the CBC Literary contest - that has to be postmarked by November 1. I won’t win - but what the hell - I’ll kick myself if I don’t even try.

Most of the novels that I need to read, I’ve read already - there are some chapters of one of my texts that I need to read yet, but I have gone through and marked all of those now, and put it in the washroom They’ll get read eventually.

If I can knock off one small thing at a time consistantly over the next few days, I can at least make the list LOOK more managable.

One thing at a time. That is all I need to work on. Just one.

I can do this. I think.

Well, Reading Week is over and I didn’t accomplish anywhere NEAR enough of what I needed to get done … but I did what I could.

Hopefully the fact that I had a week off to get some rest and spend some time with Ross and just breathe will help me to get through the next few weeks without having a total meltdown.

I honestly have NO idea how I’m going to manage it all - most of the novels I needed to read are out of the way, thank goodness… but still, the weekly reading and papers are so time consuming and so intense that there just isn’t enough time to even think about how I’m going to get all the major papers done too.

Plus there will be 2 more rounds of marking for the class I’m TAing - yikes! 2 and half actually - on their first essay, they had the opportunity to rewrite, so some of them will do that… plus then there’s another essay to assign them and mark, and then there will be their exams to grade as well. *sigh*

I really need to come up with a way to be functional without sleep, I think!

Remaining papers

Public Texts

• Seminar November 4 - 4/5 page paper based on TONS of academic reading (one week’s worth)
• 20 page paper on topic relating to Public Texts
• one small assignment

Law & Moral Regulation in Neo-Liberal Times

• weekly papers (6)

major paper (15 pages)

• oral exam

Textual Transmission

• Discussion to lead this week - no idea re: topic!!!!
• musical (and notes, explanations about musical)

fiction/nonfiction

• one more seminar to give (Nov. 17)
• short paper re: seminar topics
• major paper re: credibility in fiction for adolescents and emerging adults

Research

• annotated bibliography due this Tuesday
• draft proposal

Psychology (before end of November)

• finish 20 page paper re: the use of fiction in residential treatment centres
• book and write final exam

And of course keep up with the weekly readings, make progress on my research project(s) and write proposals re: various events and opportunities.

I love grad school!

Seems like saying NO is one of the hardest things about going back to school.

Sometimes you just have to do it though. There just isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done!

I just had to turn down yet another job offer for this coming semester. It hurts!

I am very well paid when I teach 3 or more courses …. and I really do enjoy the teaching.

But I just can’t do everything.

I’ve agreed to 3 sections of one course - scheduled so that I won’t have to do extra driving - home for the weekend anyway - teach 2 on Monday, 1 Tuesday morning, then go to Peterborough. That works.

But now that I’ve made my decision, told them what I wanted … now I keep getting offered more.

If there were 2 sections of English that could fit into my Thursday (which is still a free day), might be worth it to drive a second time each week. But they have me pegged in computers. I don’t want to drive again for computers; I really don’t.

So - I said no thanks.

Where were all these offers when I needed & wanted them?!

Anyway - tis an awful lot of $$ I’ve turned down already …but on the other hand, how much is my sanity worth?

And if I am going to go on and do a PhD, really not much point to running myself into the ground to get up to speed in microcomputer apps right now, right? Right!

Still hurts though!

Isn’t it great when the work you’ve been struggling with finally starts to flow/make sense?

I have SO been struggling with a paper I need to write. Today, it finally worked. I sat down, started writing, and lo and behold the words just kept coming.

Wrote the abstract and 2 sections … still a long way to go, but now that it feels doable, I was able to give myself some time ~off~ and hubby & I went to Toronto to see the Art of the Book show.

I had rather debated about going - it’s related to my course, and I can use it as one of the exercises I need to do for one of my courses - but since there are lots of pictures online, I wasn’t sure it would be worth the time.

It was very worth going to - the pictures just don’t do it justice. And I was able to take a whole lot of my own pictures, too, since the camera Kodak sent me to replace my broken one came shortly before we left.

More pictures tomorrow.

I’m having trouble focussing on anything today - I need to get stuff DONE and it’s just not happening.

Am all over the place for some reason - done my Entrecard drops, wrote a new post on my ‘About Me’ blog (that doesn’t have Entrecard cuz it’s not allowed so hardly anyone knows it is there), and signed up for Technorati - all wunnerful stuff but none of it moving me any closer to where I need to be re: school work!

My main goal for today is the psych paper - neoliberalism and its impact on Canadian youth - focussing on the psychology side of things, of course - later, I’ll write a similar paper focussing on the neoliberalism side for Law & Moral Regulation in Neoliberal times, at least that’s the plan. Plus I am hoping to get through the rest of my readings and write the paper for next week’s Law & Moral class… and also need to do one for Public Texts - that one isn’t due until November 4, but it would be good to get it done and out of the way.

Heard from the college yesterday; did some negotiating around the scheduling of my courses (teaching) for next semester. Might come to regret it, but for now, I declined one of the courses I was offered. Teaching three sections of relational database; turned down one of microcomputer apps. Makes scheduling MUCH lighter - asked for 2 on Monday and the 3rd Tuesday from 8 - 11. That means no additional driving - I come home every weekend anyway, so just leave from Barrie to get to my own class in Peterborough at 2 on Tuesdays. Plus it will be a lot more manageable in terms of prep and marking - I’ve taught both of these courses for years - but this year the college has upgraded from Office 2003 to 2007 - so it is all new textbooks, assignments, etc. Having only one course to prep for - that only uses one software program - will be a lot easier than having 2 - especially when the microcomputer apps involves 4 programs and 4 textbooks.

Grad school is a heck of a lot of work. I expect next semester to be a BIT lighter, as I’m doing 3 electives now and only 1 next semester - but will have to be working a whole lot more on my research paper then, also - and it will be time to be doing the applying for Phd programs, also. AND, of course, the weather will be a lot nastier for driving. So keeping things as managable as possible makes sense. Less money - but I can live with that.

Well duh… of course they do!

How much depends on how neurotic you are though - and on what your long term goals are.

There tends to be a huge difference in how kids just out of high school and mature students perceive grades.

Among many of the young ‘uns I’ve talked to, they’re pretty happy with anything that is a pass. Yikes!

Me, I’m high on the neurotic scale - and my long term goals include convincing other people to pay for me to keep going to school, so that works for me. In order to even apply for most of the government scholarships for grad school here, you need to have an overall average of 80% or better.

You can be damn sure that I make sure that my overall average never gets below that cutoff.

Which is not to say that every single one of my marks will be an A. Much as I might prefer that, in some cases, it just isn’t possible.

Some profs just don’t give high marks, for starters. I’ve had some that considered 85% to be the highest possible marks. I do not like that much!

Some subjects just are not my strong suit. I was thrilled when, in my first semester of Computer Programmer Analyst, I managed a 66% in Algebra - I worked harder for that 66% than I’ve ever worked for any of my As in English. I SUCK at math! Well, not so much at the basics… but Algebra is so not my thing.

How important are your marks to you?

Well, today has been a productive day. Not.

I did manage to finish up marking my students’ essays - most of them, I had gone through and commented at least - but no-one had been assigned an actual mark.

Overall, not impressive. Only gave one A. Lots of Bs though.

So …I did manage to finish those, and send them all out by email.

Other than that though, I did very little beyond sleeping. I slept most of the day away, in fact.

But d’you know what? I can’t even be bothered to feel guilty about it. I needed it.

The rest of my work will still be there waiting for me to get to it tomorrow. And I will.

It is Reading Week already!

That means that I have a week to recoup and regroup. NOT a week off - a week to write papers; read many, many articles and books; finish grading and email out my students’ essays, and…. maybe, if I can manage it - get a short story submission done and sent off to the literary contest that I wanted to enter.

And I get to sleep in my own bed for 10 whole sleeps! And spend time with hubby and my dog, and hopefully even manage a couple of coffee dates with friends I haven’t seen since the semester started.

Oh yeah, and get healthy again. With a bit of luck, soon enough that I can make arrangements to go cuddle a couple o’ grandbabies that are growing up WAY too fast!

I do have to do the drive to Peterborough once - although I opted out of 2 days of workshops because of having lost so much time to being sick this week, I am still planning to attend the last TA training sessions on Wednesday. They aren’t actually all THAT relevant/interesting to me… but I need the hours to get the certificate to add to my resume, so…..

One of the things that can make all the difference in managing the whole back to school for grown ups thing is having strong family support.

I am sick and cranky and had a miserable no-sticker-for-me day … but calling home and talking to hubby helped bunches.

My mom and my brother and sister are also supportive… and bunches of my online friends… right now, Jax is putting up with me…but Steph and Lee and Lynn and Sue and … well, a whole bunch of others… would all be just as willing. They all of them believe in me, especially when it matters, i.e. when I do not believe in me.

I am fortunate that I have a number of profs that also believe in me - mostly at my old university, rather than where I am now.. but they are only an email away.

It is all so very important, and I’m fully aware that every time I succeed, it is not just me. I couldn’t do it without them.

Some days you deserve one just for getting through!

I prefer glow in the dark stickers… hint, hint… and I deserve at least one.

Today was such a long day …. bought fishing licenses, voted (in Midland), then dropped kids off(in Oshawa), then motel, class, meeting, motel, class, motel (in Peterborough). Too much driving, too much aggravation - construction, trains, coughing…. BLAH!

None of it was fun today - was about ready to chuck the whole back to school thing… but of course, I wouldn’t.

And our evening colloquium was actually really interesting - our speaker was from Library & Archives Canada, and I was able to relate a lot of what she spoke about to my work with Margaret Laurence’s letters. I want to go there - we talked about the possibility of a class trip - but even if that doesn’t happen, I think I shall go at some point.

It would be very cool to actually get to see the material they have re: Laurence …and others.

Ottawa isn’t THAT far from Peterborough… it’s a long way from home - but not so far from here.

The only problem is that so far everything I’ve clicked on re: ML that I would like to see says

Descriptive record is in process. These materials may not yet be available for consultation.

THAT would frustrate me!

DO NOT GET SICK!

It just messes everything up!

Too bad I have not taken my own advice

I have SO much to do in the next couple of weeks - and right now it is all I can do to stay upright.

Inhaled a sunflower seed a week or so ago - coughed while I was driving and couldn’t cough it back out much as I tried. Apparently it is trying to grow or something …whatever, my lungs are SO not happy with me. I don’t seem to have a cold or anything …but my lungs are SO full of crap as to be functioning at a very low level. I have issues anyway (people with asthma shouldn’t smoke) …so just dying with this.

Considered going to emerg this morning … but got company coming for Thanksgiving dinner and had to get the bird in the oven and my kids are here and…

There is a clinic at the University - will try to get in there tomorrow …although not sure how/when as I need to go vote, drive kids back to Oshawa, then continue on to Peterborough - class at 2, then a ~thing~ at a prof’s house, then something else after that … poor planning!

DO NOT GET SICK!

Not this coming week, but the week after, is our Reading Week. You know…the week off when you get to get your damn psychology paper finished and your reading caught up and start on other papers, and hang out with friends and sleep in your own bed and….

Or not.

In order to get in enough hours to be given a certificate in Teaching & Training Adults (Being a TA 101) …I need to attend a workshop on the Wednesday.

And just now got an email re: yet another workshop - this one is 2 days - Monday & Tuesday. Attendance is not required - but it is highly recommended. The topic of the workshop is accessing research funds, which is a very good thing for anyone in academia.

Oh well - at least I will only have to drive once that week, not twice as in normal weeks. And no 12 hour days - can get the reading and papers done in the evenings, and hang out with friends and sleep in my own bed from Wednesday on.

Still pouting.

But it will be useful. Someday. I hope.

So …they’re here.

The first batch of essays I need to mark have been trickling in all day. The students in my TA seminars’ first assignments were due by 4 p.m. this aft… still a few to come, but the majority have submitted theirs.

Should make for an interesting weekend.

Marking English papers is SO very different from marking for computer courses. English is SO much more subjective.

When I set up computer exams or tutorial assignments, I know what the ‘right’ answer is supposed to look like. Tis not at all the same thing.

So marking computer stuff is way easier - but English is ever so much more interesting.

I am amazed at how many different takes they came up with for the same poem(s).

So far am seeing some mechanical issues - but have not yet come across a good candidate for the worst of the best & worst I’m to take to my meeting on Tuesday.

Woo hoo!

Definitely cause to celebrate!

My morning class tomorrow has been cancelled…and not only that, but we get a week off from reading/writing a commentary…which, since we get a week off the week after next, means I have more than 2 weeks before the next one is due.

I shall, however, keep doing them …. at least one, if not two …. and then I’ll be ahead and not have to worry about them. That works for me.

Also knowing that I don’t have to get up early and manage a 12 hour school day (plus 2.5 hour drive home) …makes me very happy

Can’t wait for Reading Week …. got TONS of stuff I want to get accomplished that week… which will hopefully make the rest of the semester go much easier.

Have got topics sorted for all but one of my classes’ major papers… I need to come up with a plan for that one too ….and then get going on all of them. They are all due the first week of December. But if I leave them all until then, it will be WAY too much stress…and none of them will get done well enough.

Planning ahead… it makes a huge difference!

For some unknown reason, my Internet here at the motel where I stay during the school week is sooooooo slow tonight… it is trying my patience… and then some.

Not that I have a lot of that to begin with… patience, that is!

Fortunately, I managed to get most everything done that I needed to get done already for this week’s classes, so I am tolerating it a little better than I would otherwise be inclined to (although it is irking me that I have not been able to return my Entrecard drops. I have been trying, honest!!!) Do want to spend a bit of time coming up with something different to do re: my seminars for the course I TA this week. We’ve been doing poetry every week so far …. and this is our second week on Yeats… discussing the poems we read is wearing thin, especially since a lot of my students are just not that into poetry.

Plus, their first essay is due this week, and because of that, I did not require that they write a journal entry about this week’s poems … which means that some of them will not even have read them, I’m guessing. An activity would be good

A couple more weeks and then we will move onto novels and short stories. I’m looking forward to it …and I am sure that they are too.

Anyway … I haven’t yet figured out exactly WHAT I can do that is different for this week… but will come up with something.

So - once you’ve found a reputable online school - in my case, Athabasca University - the next challenge is to succeed in your studies.

I have enjoyed my online courses, although I do miss the actual classroom experience. There is so much to learn from classroom interactions … online courses, in my experience, are pretty boring by comparison. Reading, reading, and more reading….and my experience with the profs/tutors of my online courses has been pretty limited overall.

One of the biggest challenges for me with Athabasca U courses is that they do not set any deadlines for you - at least not in the courses I’ve taken so far (2 Shakespeare and now Adolescent Psychology). You can take up to 6 months to complete all of the course requirements - and if you need longer, you can cough up more $$ and have another 2 months.

So you have to be self-motivated, in other words, or it just doesn’t get done…. or at least not well.

There are, however, other formats. I have also done a couple of online courses through Laurentian University’s online option, which is called Envision. Those ones follow a regular semester and came complete with due dates for all assignments.

For some people that can work a lot better.

Trick is to know your self. Do you need due dates? If so, look for an option that will provide that structure. Or set your own, and commit to following through (good idea; not one I’ve succeeded with though!).

The best advice I could give anyone considering doing an online degree?

Don’t sign on to do a whole program, degree, whatever…. try ONE course first… THEN go from there.

Would love to hear about your experiences of online courses!

For those who don’t have the option of attending a college or university in their own immediate area, online courses can be a viable option.

It is, important, however, to do your research first. While there are reputable schools that offer online options, there are also some that are less than reputable … and a whole lot of companies that are out there to make a buck, not to actually help you.

An online friend of mine once got taken by a company that promised training for medical transcription services… she’d do the course and then they’d ~help~ her to find jobs. Uh huh…the ~help~ was a printout of all the medical services in her area - doctor’s offices, hospitals, etc… nothing she couldn’t have found in the phone book. Oh, and a tip sheet re: how to go about approaching them to offer her services.

She would have been a lot better off to approach one or two of them before she shelled out money for the course … might have discovered that they weren’t interested.

Which is not to say that every such company is a rip off …but …..!

If employers you would like to work for would not consider a certificate or degree from the institution you are considering signing up with as valid - you will want to know that sooner, rather than later, right?

Find out!