One Step Closer to Free Time Fridays

When I’m in school my free time is significantly shorter. If I’m not doing school work, I’m usually feeling guilty because I NEED to be doing school work. Now I’m in the last class required for my graduate degree and it’s going to be.... a total test in tollerence. More on that in a few.

Yesterday I had the 4-hour comprehensive exam that is a requirement for graduation. It’s a test comprised of 3 questions, so obviously they expect several pages of response per question. Before you feel sorry for me (thank you, by the way), you should know that they allow you to bring any books or notes you want to for the test. You should also know that you get to select which questions you want to answer. They give you 8 options and you pick three. One of the questions you answer HAS to be about how the college has helped you be a better Christian. I would say that’s kind of a given- you know, anyone should be able to get through that question. So that leaves two that might be ‘tough’. But they really aren’t tough- they ask you how you’ve used what you’ve learned in the program in your real world. So, also kind of sort of easy?

Unfortunately, we had some criers in the test. Yep. What bothers me so much is that the degree I’m getting is a degree in education. So these women are teachers. I don’t know, but I’ve always thought that if anyone should be able to manage test stress, it should be a teacher! I mean, they’re in a testing environment ALL the time. They should be somewhat immune. Also, the test didn’t force you to recall facts- it asked you what you’ve done in your job. I would think that anyone with a lick of sense could BS their way through it if they had to. Another thing is that if you don’t pass the test, you retake it. And you can bring your notes and stuff in for the retest too. What’s the big deal?

After the test we were invited to stop by room 205 where the KDA teaching sorority had prepared snacks. It was noon, so I stopped by to pick up a sandwich before going to Hobby Lobby. It was a membership drive. Damn it. I hate when I don’t think about their angle! There were 5 women in the room- and that’s the sorority. There was the dean, and then 4 other women who were all in their 40s. I was the first one to finish the test so I was the only victim in the room. I was accosted by one of the sorority alumni who was, I think, crazy. She talked about all the times she has cried because of school and how she cried the day of comps. I looked around and thought, “I’ll bet these people do scrapbooks” and suddenly felt insecure about my Cricut purchase.

The class I’m in now is taught by an adjunct professor. OH MY GOD. Talk about ill prepared. She said things in class like, “I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to do next” and “Your text books were $95? Well, I guess I’ll try to make sure we at least use them some.” She’s not being funny. It’s like they hired her THAT afternoon to teach the class. She made us listen to HER life story for around an hour and a half and then we watched on of the worst videos EVER for another hour. The main piece of this class is compiling a notebook, which she will grade more on thickness than on content. Seriously. She said it has to be 3, but preferably 4, inches thick.

The few times people tried to talk about things of substance, she cut them off (me included). She would go back to talking about herself. It’s like it’s too heavy for her or something. She wants to have informal, meaningless chit chat for 4 hours every Tuesday night, but then we’re going to have a test that will be 25% of our grade. What will the test be? She doesn’t know because she’s using one already developed by the college. Which means it’s not going to be easy!! Remember- I’m paying $1,200 for this class, and $100 for the book!!!

I know my angle. If she likes me, I’ll pass with flying colors. She’s that kind of teacher. If she doesn’t like me, I’m fucked. I’m not good at sucking up and I’m already off to a rocky start. I left class twice before she gave an official break. Man, I had to smoke and then I had to pee. I think she doesn’t like that, but it’s hard to sit still for 2 solid hours when you’re listening to someone talk about their kid and their educational background! These other people can do it- but I don’t know how.

So this is it. I have one final notebook I have to put together as part of my exit work- which I’ll work on next week- and I have this awful class and the awful class requirements. Then, I am finished. May. May. May. I’d trade the next 3 months of my life if I could just wake up and all of this be over!

Comments(10) Posted by liz on 03/09 at 08:25 AM
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You should dazzle your new teacher with a 4” notebook full of cricket crap.

By othurme on 2008 03 09
I am proud of you for thinking this way. I’m going to play with my Cricut this afternoon after I get the house clean. And no, that’s not dirty.

I am totally going to start on this bullshit notebook. I love the idea!

By Liz on 2008 03 09
You should use some heavy weight paper for your notebook. That should add an inch by itself.

Keep asking lots of questions about her...people who love to talk about themselves love to be asked questions about themselves. You could be her personal segue into all the topics regarding herself.

AND, dazzle them all with your cricut abilities.

By Killer on 2008 03 09
Killer, I appreciate your idea too, but you know I have a passion for paper. The thought of wasting high-quality, heavy weight paper on a bull shit notebook kills me!

So, is it worth the wrath from my other 6 classmates to ENCOURAGE this woman to prattle on about herself? Hum..... I’m going to think on that. I’m just hoping she’ll let us out each week by 8:30 instead of 9:30.

By Liz on 2008 03 09
I had to do the thing where you pick a question for my first English final. There were ten or fifteen questions, and I thought I wasn’t going to find anything that I could write about. Seemed like about half of them were gender-biased. Not really, but there were about cars and football and such. (There was not anything going the other way like about cooking or shopping or anything.) There were a few that everyone except me could have answered. One was about going on a first date. I hadn’t officially been on a date yet. Finally, the last question was about the experience of signing up for college classes. At least I had done that, even if I didn’t have anything interesting to say about it. I made this one mistake, but since I repeated that same thing on the paper several times I only got a C on the test. But I still somehow ended up with an A in the class, so the making friends with the teacher thing does help at times.

Is it possible that this woman was a last minute replacement for someone who died or was fired for sexual harassment? It seems a really bad idea, but sometimes there are situations where they have to hire or assign someone to a class on short notice.

Maybe it’s just the first day? Maybe she’ll get better at it?

That test that someone else wrote probably comes straight from the book, so it might not be anything you need to hear from her anyway.

Maybe you can put stuff in the notebook that somehow relates to the school she went to or her kid or something.

So how often do you get an official break in a four hour class?

You need to somehow bring in a sample of the Cricut stuff to school before you have to do serious work on the notebook. She might really hate the stuff, and you’d want to know that before you spend any money on it.

At least it is only Tuesdays.

Good luck.

By laughingattheslut on 2008 03 09
i had the same comment as killer...ask her questions about her experiences. she’ll love you. even though you will desire to slit your wrists during the answers. good luck.

although i must admit to being surprised that you are in a christian college. they really ask you how they helped you be better? day-mn!

p.s. good news! well, sorta good news. jester got me a blog up and running. now i just need to figure out what the hell to write on it. because i think i would prefer to just comment over here after you guys did all the work.

By hellohahanarf on 2008 03 09
I can’t condone the coddle the teacher for the good grade route. I’d have to go with the hidden video camera in the purse route, record the class and go to the dean bitching about how incompetent the teacher is.

You paid good money for the class you should be getting value for the money. If you can’t cut up and old purse and jury rig a camcorder that you already have, if you live in a major metropolitan area there are “spy shops” that will rent you a setup for a day at a reasonable price.

Screw capitulating to the incompetent it is time for them to take it in the neck for their stupidity. Intelligent people of the world unite! Dyslexics of the world untie! It’s time to band together and put down situations like this forever.

SPARTA!!!!!!

By dave on 2008 03 10
Three months? You can do it for three months just to be all the done, don’t you think? I’m sure it will seem longer if your teacher is that much of a doofus.

By churlita on 2008 03 10
hello has a blog finaly!! where? ~somebody~ send me the link!

and hello, don’t stress over what to write, write anything. post your grocery list for all we care. if my site is any indication, quality just doesn’t matter.

at least that’s what i keep telling myself. lol

By heather on 2008 03 10
heather...i appreciate the advice and how excited you are over my little spot in the blogosphere, but no one wants to read my grocery list! jester did a great job on the site. although i only have three or four posts up (wahoo, 3 or 4 posts!), i am enjoying it. still not the same as reading all the awesome things others have to say, but i’ll get used to it.
http://www.midnightcliff.com

so, back to this post, what did liz decide to do??!?!

By hellohahanarf on 2008 03 10

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