Little Blessings

Usually, January is a slow, cold month: we're just getting back into the routine of school, winter has slowed down the hustle and bustle of life...but this month has been an extraordinarily stressful time for me. First, I took a winter intercession class right after Christmas. It required me traveling to campus (4 hours away) and staying in a hotel for a few nights. That was actually not so bad: I got to visit with friends that I made during summer school, talk to my professor "in the flesh," clear up some questions, etc. However, we did not get many assignments done while we were there. "No biggie," I thought, "I have a month to get them done." In the meantime, I started back to school (both university and work), I found out that the lesson I was co-teaching was starting early (which meant that I literally had to lock myself in the school library one weekend and work my tail off trying to get a WebQuest written and designed), my daughter's basketball team was playing numerous games, we had a plethora of activities (school, church, personal) that we were involved in, so on and so forth. Not surprisingly, the month flew by much quicker than usual.

I am stressed. I am cranky because I am stressed. I am eating junk because I am stressed. I am not getting enough exercise because there don't seem to be enough hours in a day...and that makes me stressed.

All of my assignments are due at the beginning of next week. I also have my teacher certification test for library-media this weekend. Our college has 100% pass rate (no pressure). STRESS!!!!

What could possibly give this girl a break? A gracious God.

Snow! We have snow!! Snow = snow days = no work = being holed up indoors with nothing pressing to do other than finish homework assignments!!!

All day yesterday, I lounged around in pajamas working on homework for probably ten hours. I wish I could say I got more accomplished, but at least I feel like I'm making progress! I haven't begun studying for my big test nor have I completed two major projects that are due Monday, but I have big plans for today.

I'm just so grateful for little blessings like snow days. What a difference they can make!!

I passed!

Today I was able to access my "unofficial" teacher certification test scores online...and I passed! I'm breathing a big sigh of relief because I would have been totally embarrassed had I not passed!

I'm a little uncertain of what I have to do next and I can't find out until I call the state's department of education on Monday. If I understand it correctly, it will happen like this:

1. I must be reviewed by a panel for licensure (Teacher Competency Review Panel or TCRP). I understand that it's not in-depth, but an approximately 15-minute interview.
2. TCRP forwards recommendation to state department of education, I pay any required fees and I am given an initial teaching license. I think that means I might be able to teach this fall, but I'm not certain.
3. I must complete a certain amount of professional education. In my case, I must complete six hours. The amount of hours varies from person-to-person based on their working/professional experience within the field they will be teaching. (In other words, I couldn't be a florist and just walk in and get a teaching certificate.) I can complete this after licensure. I think I will be completed with this portion of the requirements by December having taken one class in my master's studies this summer that should meet half of the requirements and the other class to be taken in the fall.
4. I must take the OPTE (Oklahoma Professional Teaching Exam) which assesses a person's knowledge about skills needed by educators in order to teach successfully. I can not take this test until after I receive my initial license, but I must complete it in order to receive a five-year teaching certificate. I plan to complete this test this fall.
5. Like all first-year teachers in the state of Oklahoma, I must be assigned a "mentor" during my first year who will regulate my progress and (I assume) be available for guidance.
6. When I complete my graduate studies, I will also have to take the certification test for Library Media Specialists. Additionally, I plan to take the English certification test since I was an English Ed major as a "traditional" student.

I'm pretty excited and much relieved. I will be calling the TCRP as soon as possible so I can get my interview set up (hopefully this summer) and send my resume to our local school administrators. I feel like I'm finally making progress!

OGET and OSAT

It's been a couple of weeks, but I thought I would post about my experience withe OGET and OSAT as promised.

As I've mentioned before, on that Saturday I got up bright and early (5:30 a.m.) after only four and a half hours of sleep to take two of the three required teacher certification tests in my state. I was a little nervous (okay, a lot nervous) even though I usually test well. Mostly, I just didn't know what to expect.

I was more than a little frustrated when I showed up at 7:15 (as my admission ticket said to) when I had to sit and wait for almost an hour before I could start the test. Lesson learned: next time I will not show up until 20 minutes before the test begins.

I started the morning with the OGET which is the Oklahoma General Education Test. This test covers all major subject areas and cover the basic competencies that high school graduates are expected to know. I was not at all worried about the Reading and Comprehension portion of the test. I wasn't even concerned about Science (because those questions usually rely on reading comprehension and answer elimination). I was, however, nervous about the Math portion of the test, particularly Algebra and Geometry because I haven't used them in such a long time! I was also kind of concerned about my History competencies. I spent extra time studying both of these subject areas. I was greatly relieved when I heard (through an online chat board) that the Math symbols and equations were given in the test. Whew! One less thing to cram into my brain! Still, I had to figure out how to use the equations, so I kept practicing. Also, on a recommendation from a friend, I brushed up on all the major wars in history--who was involved, where they took place, how it began/ended, etc. This test surprised me in several ways:

1. There were few Science questions
2. There weren't very many History questions (at least, not as many as I expected)
3. I don't think there were any questions about wars at all and it was mostly American History
4. The Math was tolerable
5. The essay question at the end was not difficult, especially since they pretty much gave you both sides of the argument and you only had to pick one
6. Still, the essay took more time for me than I expected (maybe because I had to hand write rather than type?)

I completed the test in about three hours, then left for lunch and a short break before test #2: OSAT.

The OSAT is the Oklahoma Subject Area Test, which means it is the test covering the subject area that you are planning to teach. I took the Journalism test this time, though I later hope to take the Language Arts/English test. I really felt like I would be better prepared for this test having just come out of Journalism school in the fall. Still, I did some extra studying just to be prepared, but I was still surprised by the test:

1. Several questions had answers that were just slightly different. If I wasn't totally confident, I just had to pick one. I did this more often than I thought I would have to.
2. Having been a portrait photographer for almost five years, I didn't anticipate having any problems with photography questions. I was told that there would be many photography questions, but they weren't at all like I expected. There were no technical questions over f-stops or ISOs or shutter speeds. Instead, there were questions about whether or not you have to identify subjects in a specific photo or questions about how a particular photo was framed.
3. Many questions regarding technical journalism issues (like laying out pages, developing photographs) seemed quite dated. There was one question about how to develop an image in the darkroom. Nobody does this anymore in the real world--almost everything is digital and it certainly would be for a public school. We didn't even have a darkroom at my college! So, I had to rely on the information left in my brain from the time I spent in a tiny closet developing pictures for my high school yearbook many years ago. Hope my brain didn't fail me!
4. This was the biggest shocker of all: I actually felt more confident in my Math answers than many of my journalism answers! I didn't expect that at all!

I'm anxious to get my scores, but that won't happen until at least June 25. Until then, I've got to start preparing for the Language Arts subject area test and the final test requirement: the professional standards test.

Now I Remember Why I Hated Math

It's a lazy Sunday afternoon here. I am thankful for a nice morning at church, beautiful weather, a lovely lunch and a wonderful nap, but now it's time to hit the books. It's a little difficult to muster up the desire to study when you're not in school; it feels a bit uncalled for. Yet, the reality is that my OGET and OSAT tests--the general test and subject area test for teacher certification in the state of Oklahoma--are looming and I haven't really put much effort into studying for them. But study I must...it would be awfully embarrassing to fail a test that is supposed to encompass the basic skills that any teenager in the state should have in order to graduate from high school!

I downloaded the study guide and have been tediously making my way through it. Language Arts generally come easy for me, and I don't usually have a tremendous amount of difficulty with Science, either (so long as you're not asking me to become a endocrinologist or something), but Math....Math is my Achilles heel. I distinctly remember coming home in fourth grade with giant tears rolling down my face because I had a "C" on my progress report in Math. Fractions were killing my straight A average and my hopes of perfection (lol)! From that point on, I struggled in Math, though I usually found a way to keep my grades up to an acceptable level that wouldn't induce serious crying fits. I actually thought, for a moment, that I might enjoy Geometry, but eventually, I would run into some sort of equation that I simply could not wrap my mind around and would, once again, have to come to terms with my shortcomings in Math.

Math was always the subject area with the lowest score on any standardized test that I ever took. In fact, I never attempted taking the SAT because, although I probably would have benefited from a test that was largely based in Language Arts, I knew that the other half (being pure Math) would kill my score.

All this to say, here I am at thirty-two years old trying, for the life of me, to remember how to do linear equations and line graphs. It's very frustrating, to say the least, but it's also kind of a nice challenge. I've noticed that a great many things that I could not fully understand as a teenager or younger adult have actually become a little less difficult over time. For example, I find it easier to understand some foreign languages or at least understand how they are conjugated, though it once was my most difficult class as a freshman in college. So, as I study these equations that once made me sweat and worry and find that I can actually solve them after all (even though I have not found reason to use those skills in the 14 years since I have been out of high school), it makes a girl feel pretty good.

That's not to say that I'm finally figuring all this Math stuff out. It's still giving me headaches, I'm still thankful that it's a multiple choice test and I still hate Math...but I'm allowing myself a little bit of hope: maybe I'll pass the Math portion after all.

Going to Grad School: The Backstory

I decided to go to grad school last Thursday. Classes began on Monday. How'd I manage that??

First of all, I had been encouraged by good friend (who is also a librarian) to consider Library-Media studies more seriously. She and I had discussed it in the past, though I had never really spent much time researching which universities offered Library-Media graduate studies. I began looking at our state schools just to see what was available. I also looked at one program--entirely online--that was out-of-state because I had a friend who was enrolled in it.

What really propelled me to start this semester instead of later was free tuition! I found out that one university had received a special grant to extend their library-media studies to the western part of our state (a.k.a "the boondocks"). The grant covers nine hours of graduate tuition! Awesome! The catch: students must come stay on-campus for three weeks during the summer term to take those 9 hours. On the upside, that's nine hours completed in three weeks...nine FREE hours I might add. Also, room, board and transportation are taken care of through the grant. Sweet! The downside, of course, is that I will have to be away from my family for three weeks. I will come home on the weekends, but I will be missing a lot of their summer activities and put extra strain on the husband who will have to juggle work and kids all on his own. Also, the campus is quite a drive--3 to 4 hours away--so there will be no quick trips home mid-week for anything. I keep telling myself that three weeks away from the family is a small price to pay in order to be on my kids' school schedules for the next 12 years of their lives.

When I actually started thinking, "I should do this....like, right now!" I had two pretty big hurdles: deadlines for enrollment were looming & I hadn't taken the GRE. Actually, the university that I am now enrolled in had started classes the day I called to talk to someone about the program. Talk about last-minute!

So, I quickly made the decision to give this a shot. I'm actually glad that there was a small window of opportunity to make that decision, otherwise I might have agonized over it for days. I started typing up applications, faxing unofficial transcripts, requesting official transcripts, e-mailing a trillion people for information, etc. Though I had once been an undergrad student at this particular university, it had been so long that I actually had to reapply for admission. That ended up holding things up a bit, but we finally got everything completed....yesterday (four school days after starting the process). I wasn't actually enrolled when I attended my first class. In fact, I paced the floor all day waiting impatiently to hear word whether or not I should drive to my ITV (interactive television) class. I had to leave by 3:30 to get there in time, and I finally heard back from the university somewhere around 2:30.

Luckily--VERY luckily--for me, this particular program didn't require the GRE for admission. God bless 'em.

I put out the admissions and enrollment fires, now I'm tending to the teacher certification fires! I'm getting a lot of different answers about whether or not I have to be certified before or after I complete the program and how I will go about certification. So now, I'm making tons of phone calls and e-mails to that end.

Maybe I should just be a firefighter instead!

You think COLLEGE is hard....

This came from a e-mail that is frequently forwarded on the internet. I checked out it's authenticity and it is real. One of the educators from back-in-the-day that helped write this test mentioned his students' inability to pass the it. He described how many of them were blushing and had elementary-like answers for many of the questions. Make me feel better; we're just as "dumb" now as we were back then!


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This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina, Kansas, USA . It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, and reprinted by the Salina Journal.

8th Grade Final Exam: Salina, KS - 1895
Grammar (Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.
2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications.
3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of "lie," "play," and "run."
5. Define case; illustrate each case.
6. What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.
7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.


Arithmetic (Time,1 hour 15 minutes)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?3. If a load of wheat weighs 3,942 lbs., what is it worth at50 cts/bushel, deducting 1,050 lbs. for tare?
4. District No 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find the cost of 6,720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20per metre?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.



U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn,and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800,1849, 1865.


Orthography (Time, one hour) [<>
1. What is meant by the following: alphabet, phonetic, orthography,etymology, syllabication
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u.
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi,dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell,rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane , vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.


Geography (Time, one hour)
1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas ?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America.
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

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Man, this makes me feel much better about those comprehensive finals that I have coming up!!!

Seperation Anxiety (From My Index Cards)

I had an index card emergency the other day. Yes, you heard right: an index card emergency.

I was preparing to study for a test and realized that I was completely out of index cards. This posed a huge problem for me. How would I study?? I always use index cards to study. I can't just read notes. I can't write out questions and answers on a piece of paper. Know why? I'm weak. I would cheat! I would look at the answer while trying to answer...to myself. Pathetic. The only way I can curtail my wandering eyes is to put the answer on the back of an index card.

So, I begin my search. I started with the husband's office. No luck. He suggested the lumber yard, the grocery store or the drug store....as if there were many more businesses to choose from in our tiny town (Have I mentioned that our town is only 12 blocks wide? That should give you some perspective...). The lumber yard was already closed and I had luck at the grocery the last time I was in dire need of index cards. Unfortunately, I think I bought the last pack of cards there six months ago and they hadn't been replaced (guess they aren't a high-demand item around here). I make my final stop at the drug store hoping that in our local pharmacist can save the day for me because the other alternatives are: a) drive 34 miles to get a 70 cent package of cut card stock b) do without.

I nervously approach the counter: "Do you happen to have any index cards?" I ask. The pharmacist calls from behind, "Do you want five by seven, three and a half by two, hinged...." He makes his way over to the eye drop and nasal spray section and retrieves a handful of various index cards. Why didn't I think to look there instead of the school supply section? Silly me.

I was able to continue my test preparation in peace, thank goodness. Thanks to those little index cards, I think I did pretty fair in the end, but who knows how this saga would have ended without them?

(And how in the world do people study without index cards anyway??)

Testing Out of Class: Part One

Today I began my quest to a) get out of taking a snoozer of a class and b) saving some moolah (the test costs $10 as opposed to almost $300 for a few credit hours). I took part one of four of the test for my general education Computer Science requirement. The test covers four different windows based software programs and today's section was over Access.

I have never, ever used Access before.

Needless to say, I was quite nervous about this test. I'm pretty computer savvy, but I had no idea how the test would operate or if the training software would be adequate preparation. OR if my brain would function properly (that's always questionable).

I had to pass with a 70% and you can only take each section of the test twice (and you can't move on to another area until the first is passed). Scary!

The test was almost game-like. First of all, it was timed (50 minutes). Second of all, if you made three wrong moves, you were out (well, you missed the question). So, when I actually answered correctly, I had to restrain myself from doing fist-pumps in the air....probably because I seemed to be missing so many! There were SO many times when I was just on the brink of getting it right, but I had used up my three wrong moves. OUCH! There were other times when I had one wrong move left, and I managed to pull out a winner. WAHOO! Oh, and don't even think about trying to use the "Help" function if you are stuck...that would be a definite "strike!"

Wanna know my score? 70%. Exactly 70%! You should have heard the major sigh of relief coming from my cubicle.

What have I learned from this fiasco? Actually use the training software; it really does help (even if it is somewhat annoying to go through). Also, schedule your test for later in the afternoon so you can go through your training software one last time before the test. This totally saved the day for me.

I kept thinking, "If I have only missed one more...." Instead, I switched gears and treated myself to some Mexican food. :)

Twas the Night Before Finals

It is the night before finals and I am staying up late studying. But I'm interrupting my regularly scheduled studying to bring you a poem I found in my filing cabinet that I had saved from my freshman year way-back-when. It's aptly titled "The Night Before Finals" (author unknown).

'Twas the night before finals,
And all through the college,
The students were praying,
For last minute knowledge.

Most were quite sleepy,
But none touched their beds,
While visions of essays
Danced in their heads.

Out of the taverns
A few were still drinking,
And hoping that liquor
Would loosen their thinking.

In my apartment,
I had been pacing,
And dreading exams,
I soon would be facing.

My roommate was speechless
Her nose in the books
And my comments to her
Drew unfriendly looks.

I drained all the coffee
And brewed a new pot,
No longer caring
That my nerves were shot.

I started at my notes,
But my thoughts were muddy,
My eyes were ablur,
I just couldn't study.

"Some pizza might help,"
I said with a shiver.
But each place I called
Refused to deliver.

I'd nearly concluded
That life was too cruel,
With futures depending
On grades had in school.

When all of the sudden,
Our door opened wide,
And Patron Saint Put It Off
Ambled inside.

His spirit was careless,
His manner was mellow,
A grin on his face as
He started to bellow:

"What kind of student
Would make such a fuss,
To toss back at teachers
What they tossed at us?"

"On Cliff Notes! On Crib Notes!
On Last Year's Exams!
On Wingit and Slingit,
And Last Minute Crams!"

His message delivered,
He vanished from sight,
But we heard him laughing
Outside in the night.

"Your teachers have pegged you,
So just do your best.
Happy Finals to all,
And to all, a good test."

It's the Little Things

At the beginning of the semester, my History instructor mentioned that we could earn 5 extra points by answering the questions at the back of each chapter in our books.

"Why would I want to do that?" I thought. It was almost as absurd as suggesting we actually READ the book! "All that hassle for 5 measly points? No way, Jose!"

Then came the first test and I discovered she was a teacher that required you to memorize every detail of our lecture notes. I still had made a B, but you know me....a perfectionist never settles for a B. I started thinking that maybe those 5 measly points might be worth the trouble after all.

Know what? They were.

Turns out that 5 little points can turn a B into an A. 5 little points can turn a 95 into a 100. Even if I wasn't so hung up on perfection, it would still be worth the time to get the 5 little points because it takes the stress off of you during a test, knowing that you have some room for error.

And the kicker? The questions at the end of each chapter have the answers listed in the back of the book. So yes, I was just that lazy...but I have since reformed! :)

The moral of the story is to take care of the little things b/c the little things have a greater impact than you think! (Oh man , I could get all philosophical with that one...)

It Still Feels Good

I can't help it: I'm a perfectionist. So, when I get an "A"--particularly a 100 on a paper or test--I'm jubilant! It only lasts a second before I start worrying about what my next grade will be or start averaging out what my final grade will be if only I make an "A" on the rest of my assignments, but for one glorious second, it feels good!!

I just got an A on my theatre review. Here's to hoping I will have more cause for celebration this week when I get my history and communications tests back. (Ugh--they were both on given on the same day only an hour apart. No fun!)

The End Is In Sight....

Well it's not the end end, but it is the end of the semester! YAY!



November was a killer month for me. One of my professors promised in advance that he would give us heck in November, and I must admit that he kept his end of the bargain! I really was totally stressed out. My school work load was at its highest, my daughter was sick with two different illnesses during two weeks (interpret: I had to miss some classes), my grandmother passed away topped off with Thanksgiving holiday travels. I was on stress overload. I'm sure I've been equally or more stressed out at various times in my life, but nothing really comes to mind. I do know that, looking back, the things that really made me want to huddle in a corner and rock back & forth as a 19 year old freshmen are totally wimpy compared with grown-up stuff I must juggle now. I guess the difference is a little more maturity. Although, I must admit that maturity adds its own set of stresses. I used to be perfectly content to settle for a "B" and even the occasional "C" when I was younger, but it pains me to get less than an "A" now that I'm all grown up. In fact, there are many projects that I know I could get by with doing less on, but I can't force myself to turn in something that is lower than my expectations.

The wonderful, wonderful news is that I only have 3 more class days and one day of finals. HOORAY! I'm still pretty stressed out, but this time, it's due to the holiday crunch more than school work. At last, I feel like I can breathe a little easier because the end is in sight.

Good News/Bad News Kind of Week

Good News: Our professor said that if we completed our book by Monday at midnight, he would only require 42 pages instead of 60. I spent the weekend typing endlessly and managed to e-mail slightly over 42 pages at 10:30 p.m. Monday despite a pounding headache and eyes that felt like they were going to pop out of my head if I had to look at the computer screen for another minute.

Bad News: I cut out two chapters that I had written when the project first began & they contained several sentence formats that were required for the book. It will probably affect my grade....but I'm too exhausted to care too much.

Good News: I got my conference paper back (the 10-pager that has consumed my every thought for a month) and I got a B+. Even though I got nearly two full pages of commentary from the prof, including how it didn't really fit what he required in a conference paper, he did slip in one tiny sentence at the bottom of the page that said, "You are a good writer." There is hope yet!

Bad News: The 10-pager now has to be turned into a 15-pager...before next week.

Good News: Our school library is now carring books on CD, so I can listen to something interesting during my commute. I checked out "Emma" by Jane Austen.

Bad News: I got to listen to chapters one through four, and then my CD player held the CD hostage. It won't spit it out or play it. I have to have my radio removed and shipped to a plant in Dallas to have it fixed. I'm sure the CD will be ruined, which means I'll have to shell out cash for it. UGH!

Good News: I just realized that Thanksgiving break is next week.

Bad News: I just realized that Thanksgiving break is next week!!! I have to get Christmas gifts for extended family that I only see once a year, bake homemade goodies for a Thanksgiving Bake Sale, whip up something for our all-church Thanksgiving luncheon, on top of the baking I must do for the town celebration of our state centennial this weekend! AND, it's my husband's birthday next week. AND we have to make a one-way 8-hour drive for the holidays.....AND our DVD players got stolen out of our vehicle this week, so I have no idea how we will entertain children that long!!!


Good News: Since we will be gone for Thanksgiving break, there will be no student newspaper production next week, so we didn't have any article assignments this week.

Bad News: Actually, it's all good news on that one! Yay!

Bad News: My daughter got strep this week.

Good News: I had to stay home and miss a couple of classes on Tuesday morning, which allowed me to catch up on some much-neglected housework!

Good News: I had three photo sessions booked this week.

Bad News: I had three photo sessions booked this week....and it's hard catching up on all my editing! But the good news is, these are my final sessions for the year. I'm looking forward to resting for a while (or maybe taking pictures of my own family!)

Good News: I caught up on all the writing assignments which were dragging me down.

Bad News: I put off doing my Biology studies for almost 2 weeks, so tomorrow, I must spend ALL DAY in front of the computer listening to lectures, doing labs & taking quizzes. I think I have 5 labs and 3 quizzes to do by midnight or my grade will drop a full letter. YIKES!

Good News: Tonight is "TV night" in our household which means I get to watch a few of my favorite sitcoms. A good laugh and a soft pillow....there's no bad news there!!

Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming....

I've gotta say....the past week or two has really been tough. Are schedules have been jam-packed with things and I have been on stress overload with my school work. Like Dory in Finding Nemo, I have to keep reminding myself to 'just keep swimming" and I will make it through.

I've been totally wiped out at the end of every day. Finally, I think I've managed to get to a place where I can breathe a little again. Another test is down, I think I've gotten a handle on my conference paper after spending some time with my professor, I can churn out newspaper articles fairly quickly (if I can get ahold of my sources) and I've managed to figure out a method to the madness with my online biology class.

I would LOVE a day when I don't have to think about any homework whatsoever and just sit around in sweats, watch movies and chill out, but that day has yet to arrive.

Yay, Monday!

"Who cheers for Monday?" you say? I do! I do beacause it means I survived the past week and weekend.

The following is a list of the great number of very time consuming things I had on my plate last week:

*Host 5 friends who stayed to lead our...
*Nightly church activities (revival meetings) from 6-8
*Scrub house from top to bottom for guests
*Finish writing a 10 page rough draft conference paper...or at least 5 pages...
*Spend at least an hour in the school library doing research for said paper
*Write a story on the upcoming Halloween activities on-campus (having to track down several sources)
*2 homework assignments, 2 labs, 3 quizzes and a test for my online biology class AFTER watching 3-4 sections of macromedia lectures on the computer (rinse and repeat: I have to do this every week)
*Read a journal article for a quiz--whoops! I managed to miss this one. Got a big fat "zero" on that quiz.
*Try to figure out why my youngest daughter suddenly hates school and cries everyday. Consoled daughter while reinforcing the idea that she cannot be a pre-K drop-out.
*Gently remind oldest daughter to do her reading and practice her violin
*Wash laundry
*Gather necessary booths, decorations, supplies and manpower for church's Family Fun Festival
*Finish making daughter's ruby slippers for her Dorothy Halloween costume
*Mail client portrait orders
*Order new client portrait orders
*Order winter coats for children
*Try to find dresses for children--with no success
*Decorate church for Fun Fest; monitor children
*Wash more laundry
*Try to monitor my calorie intake as I have been doing a lot of "stress eating" (wonder why?)
*Research & post a topic about "pseudoscience" on my biology class bulletin board for credit
*Have I mentioned laundry?
*Attend eldest daughter's basketball games--2 day tournament
*Try to work out a plan for Thanksgiving with cousin in Arkansas
.....and I'm sure I'm forgetting much more.....

Sadly, I have to repeat much of the activities again this week!!!!

A Special Thanks....

...to all my friends who decided to do as badly as I on our midterm!

When I got my test back with a red "79" written at the top, I felt like tearing up a bit. It's been a long time since I've felt the sting of a C!

Yes, I know that C is "average" & really nothing to be whining about....unless, you're a perfectionist like me! (I swear, school has really brought it out in me. I allow myself one or two incorrect answers as acceptable, but beat myself up for anything more than that.)

Anyway....thanks to all my pals who sensed that I may not be up for the test task and decided to bomb along with me. For your generous actions, I was able to bump that 79 up to a 99!!! Whoo-hoo!! God bless the curve!

Midterm

It's {kinda} hard to believe that it's midterm already. Luckily, I only had one actual midterm test and it wasn't too painful (just time intensive).

Fall Break officially begins for me tomorrow, but I'm really kind of aggravated because I can't afford to just kick back and enjoy the break. In my one very challenging class, I am already supposed to have a rough draft of a conference paper started.

I don't.

I spent a good part of the weekend doing online web searches and scrounging through tons of academic journal papers to find reinforcements for my thesis to no avail. So, I imagine I will also spend a great deal of Fall Break researching.

I just hope I'm not expected to work over Thanksgiving Break. That's a deal-breaker for me.

First Test

Thursday was my first test. Retraining myself to study and to think about testing as a whole was a little strange. When the teacher said, "You won't need a scantron," I thought to myself, "I haven't thought about a scantron in years!" And when I sat down to study my review questions, I became increasingly aware of my inability to focus on one thing for a long period of time.

Though I had studied some at home (meaning, the best that I could even though a 5 year old was asking me a million questions as I looked up definitions), I was lucky enough not to have to be in class before the test, so I checked out the library for more study time.

While there, I discovered another wonderful thing I had forgotten about: study rooms. If you've never seen a study room, they are like little closets with one tiny window & a door so you can lock yourself in and study without interruption. Only problem was that these study rooms had open tops, thus not being particularly sound proof. Oh well...I got to study quietly nonetheless.

My test was multiple chioce (I LOVE multiple choice tests!) and the best part was that it only took me 15 minutes to finish! I love it when I have spare time between classes! I rewarded myself with a sandwich, tater tots & a drink from a local drive-in. Hope I don't take too many tests this semester....the calorie count will kill me!

I Don't Like To Be Wrong

Okay, so this isn't actually news for me. My nickname was "I Know" as a kid because whenever someone would start to explain something to me, I would interrupt with "I know...I know...." I'm a know-it-all smartie pants. I acknowledge this fault and embrace it. :)

Today, I was reminded just how much I hate to be wrong. I had three quizzes today. I actually prepared for two of them (except the second half of one which was unannounced and covering random current events). I failed to make 100% on any of these quizzes...and it bothers me to no end.

It doesn't matter that they were only worth a mere 10 points or so. It doesn't matter that no one made 100% in one of those classes. It doesn't matter that I was unaware of a reading assignment (as was half of my class) and went in completely unprepared. All that matters is that I didn't make 100%! I literally cringed each time I realized that I had missed a question. Likewise, I felt like jumping out of my seat & pumping my arms in celebration each time I answered correctly.

Why am I such a perfectionist? I swear, it's going to kill me someday. Man, it's tough being a know-it-all smartie pants.