sight or site

I have a lot of pet peeves: plastic bathtubs, hair (not attached to the head), bath rugs (disgusting to think of bath rug hair and lint all over clean feet), immaturity (though I admit, I can be pretty immature myself at times, and immaturity in general can be subjective), backstabbers, whiny children...the list is long. Anyway, the sight/site spelling error is fast becoming a big problem for me. I can't count the times that I've seen professional organizations and newspaper reporters use the word "sight" (as in "It was a sight to behold", or "Her sight was almost gone") and and spell it "site" or vice versa. I don't get it. Really, some of the only times "site" should be used is in reference to a website ("the article appears at the following site...") or a location ("Construction is almost finished at the building site."). The sight/site problem is on par to become another "affect/effect" problem and I've noticed it getting worse over time as people see the word "site" on the internet and just assume that is the only way to spell it. I will admit, my spelling and grammar (especially my grammar-see the post below this for some fine examples) are FAR from perfect, but there are a few things that really bug me when I see them. This is one of those things.

-Me

P.S. A third spelling of the word is "cite" as in: "The police officer cited her for reckless endangerment." or "Don't forget to cite your sources." I have seen writers use "site" in place of "cite" but this error is made far less than the other.

student teaching: what i'm learning

I do realize it's been more than two months since I've posted...and I apologize if anyone still reads my blog (not that anyone ever did). I guess I've just been plagued with a lack of inspiration...spending a good deal of time writing each day will do that after a while...and none of my writing has had anything to do with what I wanted to write about. That's the worst kind of writing.

The last two months have passed quickly, in part because I've been keeping busy with student teaching. I received my assignment at the end of July and am in a class with 10th graders all day. "Our" kids are really great kids and I've been enjoying getting to know them, but getting used to being back in high school full-time has been difficult and a little weird now that I'm on the "teacher" side of things. My observations and practicums over the last two years have done a lot to prepare me, but there were still things that really shocked me during the first few weeks of school...for one, the meetings. I don't understand the need for so many committees and teams...I realize a lot of it has to do with all the standards: district standards, state standards, and national standards, but these meetings usually consist of one person orating for a long period of time about nothing in particular...well, sometimes the news is important and in which case the speaker usually takes full advantage of the opportunity to speak, and what could take 10 minutes usually lasts about 1.5 hours. So anyway, the number of meetings teachers attend when you add standards meetings to IEP meetings, and parent conferences, and data team meetings, and department meetings, and staff meetings-it's a little overwhelming.

Another surprising facet of teaching has been the grading. I realize that as an English teacher, I will have more grading than probably most, if not all, other subjects, and by the nature of what I will be teaching, the grading is going to take longer (research papers, essays, etc.), but when each assignment given yields 130 papers to grade, one can see how grading takes up and immense amount of time. One night, I graded 350 papers and over 3,500 individual sentences (I was grading grammar assignments.)!

Needless to say, I've learned a lot about teaching and just how demanding it actually is. I won't lie, the thought of leaving teaching before I've even begun has crossed my mind, but after realizing the need for good, committed teachers, I've promised myself that I'm going to stick it out and do something with everything I've learned...after all, what good is anything I've been through if I don't use it to help someone else? I'm learning what teachers mean when they say that you have to be "called" to the profession...it is not for the weak. I'm learning too, that teachers (in general, and specifically high school teachers) are some of the most cynical and jaded people you will meet-not that that is a bad thing. What teachers see and deal with every day is enough to make a lot of people run, so developing a perservation tool like cynicism is only natural. Because my nature is more disposed to sarcasm and cynicism, I'm realizing that one of my biggest battles within myself will be fighting the urge to categorize people and events, and focus on the negative. I owe it to those I will be teaching to have a positive attitude and I will have to spend considerable time resisting the urge to take part in "negativity" sessions with other teachers.

On a lighter note, some of things kids say and do are hilarious, and make me wonder if they think at all about what's coming out of their mouths...but then again, that's what makes teenagers so unique....they can understand and process "adult" concepts, but a lot of kids are lacking any kind of "thought filter" that keeps what they are thinking from coming out of their mouths. In any case, it is highly entertaining and I'm quickly amassing a collection of interesting stories!

what the heck, why not

I had to log in to leave a comment on another blog and figured, why not write one myself. Not that much has happened in like the 5 days since I've written, but that's ok. I will be on to my next adventure in about 48 hours. The time has come for me to travel back to school, which, honestly, I'm dreading. I've mentioned before that each time I've had to return to school over the last two or so years, has been harder than the time before. *Fingers cossed that this will be my last year* and hopefully there will be just a few more goodbyes until, as my b.f. puts it, "No more good-byes, it's only hello." I've been so blessed to be able to attend college away from home and haven't really dealt with as much homesickness as I could have, or seen others go through, but being away from those you love and who love you, is difficult to say the least, especially having gone to college knowing no one at my school or in the area. All of my relationships at school and in that part of the country have been built from nothing, and no one I know at home knows the people at school and vice versa...I guess it's kind of like living two lives in a way. Not so much that I'm two people as I'm just this one person living two lives half-a-continent apart and trying to integrate myself in to both of them. I guess it's helped me grow up, but sometimes it still feels like I'm living two separate lives-I mean, I have two beds, two sets of clothing, two desks, two planners, two cars (my Honda at school, the old family car that I drive when I'm home)...it's just a little weird is what I'm trying to say, and I'm glad that this dual existence is limited to just another year or so. :)

-Me.

provided for

It never ceases to amaze me how God provides in times of need. From past experience, I should know to never doubt his provision: time and again, He has provided something I needed at exactly the right time...but over the passing of days and months, I tend to forget such things until the next time I'm in need. Selfish, huh? Anyway, a friend recommended a house-sitting job to me a few days ago, and I went and met the homeowner today to get approval for the job, and also, to learn what needed to be taken care of during my stay. Not only did I get the house-sitting job, but the homeowner also said that she would put me in contact with someone else for another job. I am so thankful for the house-sitting job and some new options for work this summer. I may not be working steadily, but my needs are being provided for. Thanks God.

gumpiness doesn't translate over the phone

Summer has begun! And it feels unreal that it's actually here. I'm home and enjoying the peace for now...no tests, professors, or full parking lots. I can sleep. I eat real food. However, I do need a job and they are scarce in my area. I am worried about my impending "cashlessness"-not that I had much in the first place, but I do need to find something. I have been given a few small opportunities to earn a little cash and will be doing some of those things in the next few weeks, but after that, I will be left to my own devices.

My b.f. surprised me the other night by coming down for a few hours, mostly to be with his family for Mother's Day, but he managed to swing by around 11 on Saturday night and I kept him out late, but boy, it was good to see him. We hadn't been together since Spring Break, which was only about a month and a half ago, but felt like forever. I don't know how I'm going to do another year at school, I hate the distance...sometimes it seems unbearable. I know we have cell phones and the mail, but there's something about being with someone...seeing their expressions when they talk, just being together...it only happens in person. The other night was a prime example:

I was in a bad mood, for various reasons, and I didn't particuarly want to talk...I just wanted to be...but not alone (typical complicated female emotions). J. called and I answered. I wanted to be close, but I discovered quickly that I didn't want to talk at all, and try as I might, my words seemed grumpy and flat...pretty soon his usual long-standing patience had been tested to the limit, and he was on the verge of grumpiness too. The rest of the conversation just went downhill. After we hung up, I felt so terrible. Here I was in a bad mood, but worse, I had just dragged him in to it. In the end, I had to explain to him that I had just wanted to be with him...not saying anything, but just being. You can't just "be" on the phone, you can't lean on a strong shoulder, or cry on a warm neck, or share a smile about a private joke. You can't reach over and grab a trusted hand, or look into each others eyes..it just doesn't work when you're not there in person and that's hard. I miss my guy so much. But I guess it does make me treasure the time we have together so much more, and he's done so well with the distance thing-especially now that we're both long distance. I truly couldn't ask for a more understanding guy, so thanks J., you're the best. :)

g.k. chesterton quote

One of my favorite bloggers posted this quote from G.K. Chesterton today and I just love it.

“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”

The quote reminds me of an episode of the Twilight Zone where a bunch of old people in a nursing home break out at night and become kids again. I like to imagine that God is somehow both younger and older than us at once, it's a beautiful picture.

almost there

I know I've been "saying" it for a while now, but really, I'm almost there...the end of the school year has finally arrived and there are just a few more hours until summer begins. It's going to be hard to say goodbye to my roommate for the last time. We've lived together for nearly 2 years and she's by far, the best roommate I've had. Ashley and I are very similar and just kind of walk to our own beat. We think alike, were into the same stuff as kids, had some of the same experiences as teenagers, are both only girls in large families of boys, and we were born just four days apart-she's basically the twin I didn't have. Losing her to the wide, wide world will be though, but she will go out and make something of herself. :)

As sad as I am to be bidding farewell to friends, I am also very much looking forward to home. I've said it before, but for me, being away from home has gotten harder rather than easier each time I've had to come back to school. This year has been the most trying. Maybe it's because I've not only had to be away from my family, but J. as well, or maybe I just crave the privacy and comfort of home, whatever it is, it will be nice to get back.

Anyway, the following is a verse that I like to keep in mind when things are stressful or trying...kind of fitting for these last few hours of stress before the summer,

"Fear not for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I wil be with you; and when you pass through the rivers they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior...Do not be afraid, for I am with you."-Isaiah 43:1b-3, and 5A.

papers, papers, papers

Pages written in the last week: 22
Papers finished: 3
Papers left to write: 5
Level of drive or desire to finish papers: 0

I need some lasting inspiration in a hurry.

sleepless, but not in seattle (or the pnw)

The semester is so close to being done that I feel it (you know, that lazy, "I have no reason to do this assignment" feeling)...but just far enough away that I can't give up yet. My roommate who is graduating this year (as I should be-changing majors will do that to a person), is dreading graduation. According to Ash, these are the last weeks of her youth and she is worried about the future and the increasing adult responsibilities. I get what she's feeling, but maybe because my graduation's a whole year away, I have this idea that graduating would be a huge weight gone off my back. Come to think of it, I've been in school every year since kindergarten, so I don't know anything else. No more school sounds fantastically freeing, but who knows, maybe I'll be feeling apprehensive at this time next year too. Unfortunately for me, even graduating won't get me away from academia. My degree in education will help ensure that I remain school-bound for a very long time...kind of humorous in a way.

Anyway, life has been business as usual with plenty of research, writing, and work happening. I wrote a 13 page paper in just a few hours the other night which was amazing for me because I'm about the slowest writer on the face of the planet. I so envy those people who can whip out a two-pager in a half hour. It can take me up to an hour a page (double spaced) to write something, which is incredibly frustrating. I like to blame my turtle-ish writing habits on perfectionist tendencies, but I don't really think that's truthful, I think I'm just a slow writer.

Changing the subject, along with a trip home coming into sight in the near future, I am now planning on taking a trip to Ohio to see relatives later in the summer. My family has been planning the trip for about a year, but I decided I was going to stay home and work, however, with the job market as it is at home (a 12.5 percent jobless rate and growing everyday due to several major store closings) and knowing how hard it was to find work last summer (50 applications, 2 call-backs and subsequently canceled interviews-I gardened for friends to stay afloat), I decided last week that I am going to go on the trip-job or no. I have never met my family in Ohio and this kind of seems like the last opportunity to meet them before I'm out of my parent's house. Also, my grandparents are celebrating their 50th anniversary back there, and I'm not too keen on missing that. Buckeyes here I come. Ash (my roommate) is coincidentally from Ohio, so there's a chance that I will be able to visit her while I'm there as well.

Well, it is now 4:45 am and I'm not getting a whole lot done sitting here on blogger, so I'm going to go try to do something productive (besides sleep-there is no time).

Goodmorning-

Me.

spring photos

It's been a long time since I've felt inspired enough to take my camera out and track down some nature shots, so today was a nice change of pace. The sun came out this afternoon and the temperature was just warm enough to walk around without a sweater. I had an enjoyable time trying to capture some unique shots of very ordinary subjects.

-Me.

not for me

My last two posts have had to do with the weather...today, I just want to express my dislike for "Fool's Day". Does anyone else dread this day as much as I do?

a day like today

I was journaling (my real journal) earlier and thought I'd share. Looking at today's 70 degree weather, it's hard to believe that it was snowing just a few days ago.

P.S. Sorry for all the adjectives-I'm chalking it up to nostalgia.

I was reminded today what it is that I love about the south. I was driving east on a back road and the sun was shining. The road I was driving was a bit hilly-just enough rolling to make it interesting. The sky was bright, perfect blue and there were scattered thunder clouds off in the distance. The purple-budded trees swayed a little in the wind, and to the left, at the edge of town, the water tower reminded me of every small, southern town I've ever been in. A warm wind was blowing in thorugh the sun roof and at that moment, I was sixteen again: walking through Wichita Falls, Texas at 6 am, watching the sun rise, smelling the heat starting to penetrate the sidewalk and the damp grass. I was reminded of of the wind-hot and humid-rushing over my skin-a day with all the promise of summer: laziness, a barbecue, swimming, good friends, dust, a drive in a hot truck, country music, and thick accents. I love the p.n.w., and it will always be my home, but it was nice to be reminded exactly why I spent so much time as a kid dreaming about life in the south. You can't get a day like today anywhere else.

some weather

The weekend weather here started off wonderfully...and I am being facetious...we woke yesterday morning to find several inches of snow! It snowed all day and finally quit around 9 pm last night. I'm guessing we had over 6 inches. Stupid me wasn't thinking when I packed up all my winter shoes and took them home two weeks ago. I should have remembered that it always snows here the last week of March or the first week of April...alas, I was not thinking and so yesterday had to alternate between my running shoes, and my only other pair of shoes, which became soaked each time I left the building. However, for all of yesterday's crappy weather, today was beautiful. The sky was clear and blue, the trees covered in purple buds, the sun warming the world and white snow everywhere. The colors were so bright it was like being inside the most vivid photograph. I couldn't help but notice the signs of spring everywhere, and so, this evening, my roommate and I went for a drive and enjoyed the scenery. Here's to spring. :)

getting by

Spring break has come and gone, and there are just a handful of weeks left in the school year...thankgoodness! :)

Break went very well and it was so, so nice to go home and be with family and close friends. I even got to spend two evenings with J., who drove 6 hours to be home for 2 days. What a lucky girl I am to have a guy who will do that. Anyway, my flights went well too, and by chance, I was seated next to a retired English teacher on one of them. It was very neat to be able to ask her questions about her teaching experiences and to be able to converse in "teacher lingo" with someone who had so much experience in the field-definitely an education! ;)

This week, I am starting a very difficult assignment at work and though I am happy to be back to finish the year, I am dreading this project that my reputation as a potential educator rides on. I am hoping for the best, but the time constraints and the lack of drive of my charge are going to be difficult to overcome. Oh well.

A bright spot: I went to the city library today to do some homework and it happened to be discarded book day. I was able to purchase two books for $1.00-awesome!

technologically un-savvy

Saturday...it's got to be the best day of the week. There's just something about a lazy Saturday afternoon that can't be beat. I have a truck load of homework to be sure, but today, I'm going to take a break.

My roommate and most of my friends are going to see a symphony tonight, and I'll admit, I'm kind of jealous, but the time alone is nice too. Actually, my friends got free tickets from the promoter, but had to consent to "twitter" about the experience while they there...so I'm kind of glad that I'm not going. I have mixed feelings about all the new social networking tools. Sites like Myspace and Facebook are cool, but why does someone need both? I actually had both for quite a while. I signed up for my Facebook account in the fall of 2005, and Myspace in November 2005 (before that, I had Xanga). I did the dual account thing unti l January of this year, when I decided that I'd had enough of Facebook and going back and forth between the two. For some reason, being constantly in-the-know about what my second cousin was having for dinner was tiring and took some of the mystery and joy away from being friends. I was tired of knowing about people, while knowing less and less of them.

So anyway, that little tangent brings me back to Twitter and how ridiculous I think it is. I have no desire to be so connected to acquaintances that I get text messages every time they want to tell the world that they have to use the restroom. I think everyone has a desire to be known, but there has to be some privacy too. I do see the upside of such technology, but it's become so over-used and sometimes I feel that everyone has tuned into the tech world so much that they fail to appreciate the little wonders in the physical world.

Ok, so I'm trying to find a way to tie all of that back to the fact that it's Saturday and gorgeous outside but nothing's coming to mind.

Enjoy the weekend.

-Me.

march(ing) onward

I can't believe it's March already. Crazy stuff. Time is flying by, and yet, sometimes the daily stuff just seems SO slow! Spring break's coming up fast, and I'm definitely excited to go home. As break approaches, sleep is becoming more and more of a commodity...it's the same feeling you get after running for a while-every step burns and your lungs feel like they can't take it anymore-at this point, my eyes burn and my brain feels like it's about to explode. Thank goodness for the occasional nap. Supposedly this whole college thing will be worth it in the end...I'm almost there. ;)

There's not a whole lot on the agenda for break, just mostly hanging with the family, but it will be nice to be away from school and kind of split the semester up. Also, one of my good friends from home got engaged a couple weekends ago, so it'll be really good to catch up on all her news over lunch at some point.

Anyway, that's about all that's going down on this end. Later,

-Me.

a rant on education

Another Monday afternoon and I'm in the process of putting off writing a paper that is due in 2 hours. I've written three papers supporting my philosophy of education now, and the fourth one just seems superfluous. I will get it done...at least I keep telling myself that.

Is it bad that I am one year away from being a licensed educator and still procrastinate like a fifteen year old boy? Ok, so I'm not even going to bother answering that question.

I guess I just have a lot of issues with the way we are taught to teach. I'm discovering so many problems with the current model of "good" education. There's so much focus on "being a team player" and "giving everyone have equal opportunities to learn"...but many don't realize that creating "equal" opportunities to learn also penalizes some and gives others unfair advantages...there will never be a completely fair way to educate all children in a single setting because of the variety of learning styles and developmental differences.

I also take issue with the whole "let's group the kids and have them work together as a team for every project" approach. For one, not everything in life is a "team" effort and two, not everyone appreciates being thrown in with a new group every time something comes up. Maybe I just had bad experiences or maybe I'm just abnormal, but as one of the "good" kids throughout my educational experience (meaning, I generally got good grades, showed up for class, did my homework, etc...), I always resented when a teacher would pair me with a "bad" kid in an attempt to have me model "good" behavior for the bad kid. I learned very quickly that if I wanted a good grade out of the pairing, I'd have to do everything myself...and hey, Badkid certainly didn't care and the teacher felt good, because she had one less bad grade to give Badkid and one less bad grade for Badkid's parents to complain about. It was highly irritating. For instance, I remember preparing an entire presentation on George Washington (visual aid, 10 page paper, speech) by myself because my partner wanted to ditch school to be with her boyfriend. She showed up on presentation day just in time for me to hand her her part of the speech, which she read...we both got As.

I'm not saying that educators should abandon the group approach...there is a time and place for it in the classroom and it can be a useful way of getting everyone involved and creating a peer-driven learning environment (I have employed group learning projects in the classroom myself), but to lean on the group approach because it "prepares students for the 'real world'" is a bunch of bull. You learn to interact with peers in a number of ways both in and outside of the classroom. If you haven't learned how to interact with those around you and pull your share of the load by the time you get a job, you're pretty much out of luck and it's not because you didn't have enough peer-to-peer interaction time in school. It's sheer immaturity.

And I won't even bother getting into the lazy parent or standardized test issues...

The problem is, in order to get a job in education, you have to be pro-group learning, pro-equal opportunity learning, pro-this, pro-that and honestly, all of the issues end up contradicting each other.

For example, if I pull the group learning card out all the time, there are going to be some kids in my class screwing off while all the others do their share of the work. Is that equal opportunity learning? Heck, no. For one, Mr. Screwoff is not only going to distract himself, he's going to do everything in his power to make sure that he's not the only one screwing off so when I confront him about his actions, he can point to Sammy Smith sitting across from him and say, "He's doing it too." In this scenario, Mr. Screwoff and Sammy Smith are clearly not learning, and when I confront Mr. Screwoff, and he decides to make a scene, no one in the group is doing any learning.

It's all just a big, nasty circle. I guess what I'm trying to say is that there has to be balance to everything done in the classroom. I can't be an authoritative teacher all the time (Not many modern kids are going to do much learning with a militaristic approach in the classroom.), and I can't be a Perennialist teacher all the time (Who wants to sit through Aristotle and Latin for 9 months?). But there is a combination of all the types of teaching that must be achieved and with it, a certain amout of flexibility and willingness to work with the students one's been given. It's a balancing act that requires frequent reflection and adjustment of teaching practices. The goal of education should be "so that all may learn" not "that all will learn"...I guarantee that not everyone who graduates high school will have achieved the school's intended learning outcomes (they may have passed a couple tests, but no real learning has taken place, and those kids are just fine with the choices they've made), but if I give everyone an opportunity to learn, if I've done my part to make sure that every kid in my classroom was given an opportunity to learn and be taught, and if I create a nurturing learning environment that allows for sincere questioning and discussion, then I will have done my part to reach those who would be educated.

And I guess, that pretty much sums up my philosophy on education. Do you think my professor would accept this blog in lieu of my paper? (Just kidding! LOL!)

nosy professors

I don't know if anyone else has ever experienced this double standard from a teacher or professor, but thought I'd throw it out there...

I've always been a pretty good student-not a brain, but I've generally been good about keeping my grades in the A-B+ range. Until recently, I've also been very good about attending class. I don't take joy from skipping and always feel like a failure when I do, but the past two semesters have been though as the work load (with practicums, full-time classes, and a job) has been extremely tiring and I occasionally skip class to sleep. On most every occasion that I skip I have completed any homework and am missing only the lecture portion of the class. That being said, I've never missed a MWF class more than 5-6 times in a semester. However, there are people in some of my classes that show up maybe once every 5-6 class sessions. I can think of several students in particular who so seldom show up for class that you forget they're even supposed to be there. The fact that these kids don't show up doesn't bother me...to each his own. However, I have noticed an inconsistency that really bugs me. I have several professors who ask each time I've skipped a class, "Where were you last class?" "Are you feeling alright?" "We had homework due on Friday."-the list goes on. While I appreciate their concern for my well-being, I don't feel that they have any particular need to know where I was. And the thing that really bugs me more than anything, is that these same professors don't say anything to the students who rarely show, on the occasion that they do come to class. Some may argue, "It just shows that they care about the students who actually care about the class." And yes, maybe that is the case, but I just don't see why they need to know where I was when I don't come. I don't ask them where they were the session after a canceled class, or remind them that they were supposed to lecture on Renassaince art, and I don't feel that I have any right to do so. It's none of my business. The same applies to them.

Last Thursday night, for example, I stayed up until 4 am doing homework (I had worked that night and then J. called and we talked for a while, so homework got the shaft), the next morning, I didn't hear my alarm and ended up sleeping through my 8 am. My fault, and not really any excuse, but it happened. Monday morning, I went to class and sure enough, the prof. looked up when I walked in and made the comment, "Are you doing ok? You weren't here on Friday, you know we watched that video that was mentioned in the syllabus, it's important that you're here for every class." I threw out a lame attempt at a light-hearted reply, and he said, "Well, next time just be sure to e-mail me...."

I appreciated that he cared, but seriously...this morning, half the class was gone and I guarantee he's not going to ask each of them next Monday what happened.

I have another prof. who does the same thing, only when someone isn't in class, she takes it upon herself to ask the rest of the students if they've seen Little Miss MIA, and if they know if MIA is coming to class, and if not, where she is. If another student in the class says that MIA has something going on and forgot to let this prof. know ahead of time, she usually makes a statement like, "Well, she didn't tell that to me" or "I didn't get an e-mail". Seriously, who cares.

In high school, this would all be a different story. Students are required to attend high school. They are minors. College is optional and many students (most all by junior/senior year) are adults and have adult responsibilities outside of school that are occasionally more important than attending class (not that my over-sleeping is an adult responsibility, I'm just saying).

Anyway, I could go on about this all night, but I think I've made my point. I've also made a list of things that professors should NOT try to make their business:

-What their students are wearing (as long as they're not excessively naked or wearing pjs every day-I hate seeing that too). I have had more than one prof. require students to grade their dress selections and turn in a statement at the end of the class. I also have been criticized publicly by a professor for wearing shorts to a class. My excuse: I had a sports class immediately afterward and no time to change.

-How often their students show up for class (As long as a student is not failing the class, why does it matter? Maybe the student has had a similar class and just needs this one to graduate...who knows?)

-Where students are when they don't show up for a class (And they really shouldn't ask others if they know where a student is...that's no one's business.)

-What a students thinks about the prof. or his ideas (A professor of mine gave a hwk assignment this week in which we were supposed to write a paragraph explaining why we thought "so and so poet" was his favorite.)

I know, there are a lot more pressing problems in the world than my odd professors, but an annoyance I thought I'd share just the same.

-Me.

an observation

Let me start this post off by saying that I am pro-life (and no, this has nothing to do with the woman in CA with 14 kids-a whole 'nother story)...that being said, I saw something tonight that caused me to think (lol). I was driving back to campus and at a red light, ended up behind a vehicle with five or six anti-abortion stickers on the back. Fine and dandy. I read the stickers and then noticed what kind of a car they were on...a brand-new suburban. Not really sure why I was thinking so hard about this, it's not normal for me, but it frustrated me a bit that here was a person/family advertising for no more abortions who obviously had the means to care for a large family. Yes, I realize that unwanted pregnancies are almost solely to blame on the parents and their extracuriccular activiteis (with the exception of non-consensual sex), but what about the family that's barely scraping by...a couple kids, hard times...and then they find out they're expecting another. I don't agree with abortion and there are funded alternatives for a family that finds themselves in a situation like that, but why does it always seem to be the "rich" who go about making such statements? Does anyone ever see a beat up junker car with several kids in the back with anti-abortion stickers plastered on the bumper? Maybe it's good that the wealthy are choosing to make their statements, I mean, they obviously have the means to support their views, but I guess I'm just saying that it's awful easy to make cut-and-dried judgments when you have a way to support those views and it's another story to hold to those same beliefs when you are caught in the crossfire.
-Me.

unscholarly

Once again, the lovely institution I call "college" has decided to tighten up its internet "dirt filters". Good, right? Um, no. You see, this particular filter has a tendency to be prejudiced and hypocritical...as much as a digital creation can be anyway. About three months ago, said filter decided that it didn't like Myspace and placed a FORBIDDEN "Mature Adult Content" screen where there should have been a sign-in screen. Did it do the same for Facebook? No. What about Blogger? Nope. Live Journal, Wordpress, Twitter? Negative. Just Myspace. Yesterday, I logged into my other blogger account to find that all of my pictures had been blocked and now, I have no way to see what they look like after I put them in a post. Why? Apparently they are FORBIDDEN "Pornography"...the so-called pornography is actually pictures from a trip to the park...only two of the photos contain people and all of the people in those two photos are quite modestly dressed-I guess sweaters and jeans are just too revealing. The photo host site I used to post the pics. was Photobucket, so I paid a visit to make sure the entire site wasn't being blocked. Nope. Just my account. Lovely.

So, why don't I do anything about it?

I have. When I found out that Myspace was blocked, I e-mailed computer services and reminded them that Myspace has never been blocked, and in case computer services suddenly deemed it necessary to block Myspace, other sites needed to be blocked as well. The following day, I received a reply to my message in the form of a generated e-mail assuring me that Myspace had been unblocked and my "help ticket" had been successfully handled. Not so. Myspace was and continues to be blocked, despite my attempts to convince anyone that this school's internet filter is a diabolical menace. I made sure that my Facebook status reflected my feelings about the internet situation and then moved on to the matter of my school. For one, someone has to be controling the internet filter settings, and two, this person is also controling the help tickets and what has been done to solve problems. This is the same person who gets to determine when I am "mature" and "adult". I don't like that idea very much, but there's not much that I can do. I am resigning myself to the fact that slowly, but surely, my university will find some way to destroy all web-based activities that are not scholastic in nature. And know what? I am paying for this internet with my "private-university" priced tuition. Awesome.
-Me.

an ice storm and new background

Hello again!

Well, a nice, icy mid-western storm found me this week and in a way I'm very thankful for this cold front because we have been out of school for the past two and a half days due to people not being able to commute to campus. For those of us living on campus, these days are just bonus hang-out days and greatly appreciated because it's like a second weekend. I have a feeling that classes will be back in session tomorrow.

Exciting news from the weekend-I was talking to my mom and trying to decide what to do about spring break (campus is closed and all students have to leave). I've done various things for spring break during my years in college...mostly the various activities have included spending time with lots of strangers that are related to, or are friends of a friend or roommate.This year, mom suggested that I try flying to visit an aunt and uncle up north. I thought about the idea and it sounded nice, but tickets between my college city's small airport, and my aunt and uncle's small city airport are much more expensive than even flying home (a distance about 4 times greater). So I did some research and interestingly enough, found a ticket home for over $100 less than making the trip up north. Needless to say, I will be going home for a week and a half in March. So EXCITING! This will be the first time I've ever gone home during the school year (with the exception of Christmas break), and the first time I've been at home during the month of March since I was in high school...4 years ago. Crazy stuff. :P

And of course, school is going well. We are just getting to the point in the new semester when all the first tests are coming up and presentations are starting to come due, so stress levels are rising, but I am still optimistic enought to keep trying to remain on top of things. :)

-Me

P.S. I'm not really sure why the font in this post won't stay Arial and keeps changing back to Verdana when I publish...odd.

updating-a short one

It's a new year and a new semester. I am back at school for the second day and am already swamped with homework. It's going to be a long 16 weeks, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that it won't be as bad as the last! :p I am hoping also, to be a little more dedicated to my studies this time around, as last semester I got lax about half way through and never did fully catch up to where I needed to be. I miss J. quite a lot (of course), but I am so thankful for the time we had together over break. Anyway, just a short update for now. Later.
-Me.