Even though I am now an alumnus of my fine local community college, when it came ’round to registration time, I was still schlepping around to every building and standing in every line on campus on one of our 115-degree days.
i was hot. sizzling like bacon really.
and the color of a lobster.
hot.
Due to no one’s fault but mine, somehow or another I read something wrong and missed FOUR classes that I have to have before I transfer to finish my second 25 years 2 years of college. How I missed that I needed a Geology, a Geography and TWO Fundamental Math classes is beyond me, but I did. To be honest, I wasn’t that concerned. I’ll take the Geos online and do that fun fun math class where you learn to teach the children MATH FUN MATH MANIPULABLE GROUP WORK etc.
For that math class, the one where we would do group work with blocks and chips and colored wedges, I stopped biting my nails. For the first time in my adult life I have healthy, STRONG nails that I couldn’t wait to use to pick up chips and wedges without cringing.
And on the first day of class she told us we wouldn’t be doing any of that. NOOOO. This semester we’re going to do it a new way…
which apparently means the way where she doesn’t really teach us anything about teaching math and instead has us do these homework problems about two sand timers and how to steam vegetables with them…
rather than teach, what she is doing is just meandering about the book pages, randomly going back and forth, mentioning what could be on a test and what we might see again…and oh yes, Polya’s problem solving. Know that.
I’m really disappointed…and not because i won’t be getting to use my fingernails to pick up flat things off of a flat surface, but because this semester is sucking the life out of me, and I love school. I miss it when I’m not in it.
Sort of.
As it turns out, i also am hating the geology and geography. all of it. maybe i am tired. maybe all the medical stuff just used up all my mojo. maybe i am terrified that for the first time in my loooooooong academic career I won’t do well. I certainly haven’t started off very well. in fact, i think i turned in a paper yesterday that is going to be the worst paper I’ve ever written…in 600 words or less.
And this horrible semester is making me think I will be just fine with an associates degree and teaching sunday school.
i have given myself an out if i choose to take it…in the hopes that knowing that it is there, if I choose to take it, will make me feel less like I’m drowning and more like i’m having such a good time floundering around, splashing wildly in the water…with the floaty things right there if I need them.
Bing is taking a night class in law because she is toying with the idea of going into law after she retires from teaching.
I just stood there flabbergasted when she told me of her plan. I spent from age 5 to age 27 in school and I am DONE. My bff wants us to take a sign language class together “just for fun.”
This doesn’t sound like fun to me. This sounds like memorization and getting humiliated in front of the class when I have to stand up in front of everyone and try to say, “People like ducks” and then really say something like, “People like dicks.”
It’s just my way.
But, I admire you. Seriously.