This is the mantra I have on repeat in my brain... Whistle while I work. This week looks to be one of my busiest this semester with three papers and one presentation, there will be no limit to my excitement! Amazingly, I find that I am still in a relatively upbeat mood. Strange, but I find that I "make" my own mood. Instead of clumping all the tasks together, I am trying to look at them individually. If I take them on one at a time, they really aren't that bad! Plus, fitting in some much needed time for fun stuff is imperative. For example, I managed to increase my winning percentage on Minesweeper and Solitaire. Talk about quite the feat. Either way, it is important to not get overwhelmed by what my seem like a never-ending to-do list. If you let that happen, you won't get anything done. Everything will stress you, and you will churn out less quality work.

Labels: semester, working

So to start: WOW! THE SEMESTER IS ALMOST OVER! Okay, now that I have moved past the initial five seconds of excitement: OH MAN! THE SEMESTER IS ALMOST OVER! (If you could not tell, that was the voice of a panicked student with lots of big deadlines. Just thought I'd clarify!) Yes, we have again reached that point in the semester when everything is due. Except that I think it came earlier this year. Maybe?! Either way, it has arrived. Which really is not a big deal. Usually, no matter how much I may complain, I secretly enjoy the pressure (see previous blogs, I have admitted how crazy that sounds). That is, I enjoy it when all the proper pieces of technology work! When you're without reliable Internet or phone (text messaging classmates is crucial at this point in the semester), things get dicey. Therefore, after all of that rambling into nonsense, my advice is start early. Way early. And save often. (That might be more important than start early...)

Labels: "end of semester", semester, Technologies

The spring semester is the one semester where you really feel that halfway point, the peak of the mountain before everything starts to roll "downhill" so to speak. That halfway point is the much needed "Spring Break." Today, while waiting for my Technologies class to start, I realized we only have two more meetings until spring break. Whoa! Once we get back from spring break, the papers and the end-of-the-semester scramble begin. Oh geez. However, I have been keeping up with my planner (miracle right there), and I generally understand what is going on. (With a few exceptions...) This could be the semester I am in control! Ha. My biggest thing is the big Huckleberry Finn unit. Definitely a challenge. I find that I am really starting to appreciate all educators; they have a big job in planning activities for every class period. Man, I will definitely have to rethink all of the complaining I did in high school! But seriously things are getting crazy so it's just time to really start honing my time management skills and getting down to business! We'll see how I am doing next week...

Labels: "end of semester", "halfway point", "Huckleberry Finn", "Spring Break", "time management", activities, educators, papers, semester, spring, Technologies

This past Friday was our first senior day for the spring semester, and I was impressed with the attendance. Campus visits are very important to the selection process for any student's desire for higher learning. Take it from someone with experience, or inexperience you could say. I never took a campus visit. Bad idea. These visits allow you to compare every school you are looking at; this is the time when each university is allowed to "strut their stuff." Instead, I found out where all of my friends were planning to go and said, "Okay, that sounds good enough for me!" For my freshman year, I attended Wichita State University. Wichita State is an excellent school with plenty of opportunities for any student. However, if I would have done my research, I would have discovered that while WSU is a great school, it wasn't the school for me.

My graduating class (from high school) was made up of about 138 students. I grew up with 3/4 of those students, attending grades K-12 together. My college experience would need to be a little more personal because that is the kind of person I am. Upon arriving at Newman, I knew it was the right "fit" for me. The class sizes vary depending how far into your degree you are, and the professors have the ability (and the desire) to get to know their students. If I had used my campus visits wisely, I may have discovered this from the beginning. So my advice to high school seniors (and juniors) is do your research. Finding the right college is an important part of your learning experience. Some need a bigger school with crazy class listings while others are more interested in a smaller, more personal experience. Whatever your preference be, I encourage you to take the time to find which suits you best!

Labels: "class sizes", "high school", "Senior Day", campus, personal, semester, spring, visits

It really is hard to believe that we are already in our third week of school! (And I'm still motivated!) I have to be honest, by this point in the semester I usually have to force myself to attend class. It really is a shameful thing. However, this semester has been really refreshing, and I find that I am even more motivated. My reasoning is that I am actually in the Teacher Education Program. This means that a large majority of my classes are Education classes. Don't get me wrong, I love English/Literature, but Education is what I feel like I am really here for. The classes are great; the professors are all-new to me. While the program requires a lot of work, it is work I feel is really going to apply to my future career. One thing I am really looking forward to is my "Unit" I am planning. I am planning a Unit on Huckleberry Finn. These are the kinds of things I will be able to save and use for the future. Even one of my English classes is helping apply assignments now to the future. My "final" project for World Literature consists of teaching a novel to the class.

Mainly it is just nice to know that people aren't kidding you when they say, "Just wait until you get into your major. Then you'll really enjoy your classes." This is really what it is all about. So seriously, just wait until you get into what you really are passionate about... It makes a difference in coming to class. Granted, I wouldn't mind sleeping in a few extra hours, but I don't think that has anything to do with not wanting to go to class! Good luck and enjoy your semester! Until next time!

Labels: "Huckleberry Finn", "Teacher Education Program", career, education, English, literature, motivated, refreashing, semester

Now that finals week are well over and break is in full swing, I find that myself looking back on what I have completed. This semester was definitely a challenge; I wish I would have listened when I was warned about taking so many upper-division courses at one time! However, now that it is all said and done, I find that I enjoyed this semester and the challenges it presented. As an education student, I am required to spend so many hours observing in the classroom. This semester I had my first observation class, Field Experience 1. Going into the class, I did not have any formal experience observing in a classroom. As a high school senior, I had taught a substance abuse course at the local middle school, but that was all I had other than just being a student for 13 years. The class really reinforced all of my decisions to become a teacher. I know that is where I am supposed to be. I learned a lot about what it means to be the head of the classroom and different ways to approach the position. This is what it mean to really "get into your major." I was also challenged by my English courses this semester. At the time, I am stressed and worried, but I put everything into the course because I know I need to understand it in order for me to teach it. Definitely one of those things that takes a lot of patience!

Now that I have finished the courses, I am anxiously awaiting my grades. If you have ever waited on all of your final grades to be reported, you know how nerve-wracking that can sometimes be. I like to think of waiting on your grades as waiting on all of the precincts to report during an election. You can't call the race until all of the information has been presented. Yea, I know, this may not have been the greatest analogy, but I felt it got the point across well enough. Anyways, it has been a great ride so far. Now, I get to enjoy my month-long break and prepare for the whole cycle to start again!

Labels: break, education, English, finals, grades, semester