OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!

I’m already headed places, thank goodness, now that I’ve graduated with my master’s degree. I am looking forward to it all. For graduation, my parents bought me two gifts, one practical and one sentimental and I love them both.

The first was a new television. Funny story. Whenever my mother and wife send Dad and I out to buy something … well, there’s really no telling what we will come back with. That day my wife was at work and my mother was visiting friends in the hospital. So, she sent Dad and I out to pick out a new TV for our kitchen/dining room area. (I love to watch the news while I make breakfast for the girls.)

When we got to the store, Dad pointed out the silliness in buying a new LDC television for the kitchen when I have an old school TV in the one room we watch the most boob tube. I love his way of thinking. So we started looking at slightly larger sets down the big boy aisle, and we came home with a 47-inch widescreen big dog. Boy howdy can you watch movies and game on this puppy. There’s no longer glare on my TV. None. Zip. I can have every light on the house on and have no glare. It is a thing of beauty and we love every minute of it. Skinny Kitty is especially enamored with watching with insane hugeness her favorite jewelry craftsman, Jay King, on HSN.

The other gift, which came first, is equally worthy of blog space. My mother, with her artistic eye and infinite creative juices bought a slipcovered version of Dr. Seuss’ gradation book, Oh the Places You’ll Go! Inside, she scrap-booked on the pages using old greeting cards, thank you notes and other memorabilia. The result is a handmade book that I absolutely adore.

One particular page is very sentimental. My parents ran my high school Sunday School class. Two things I remember from the years they took on that endeavor: the biscuits and gravy and her mantra. Every story, every lesson, every unique teaching moment my mother impressed upon us teens this bit of ideology: God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things or a version thereof.

The point, of course, is that one person can make a difference and that regular old folks can be heroes and influential in the world around them. I like that message. I like the idea that heroes are really just ordinary people who have endured a journey in which they emerge from the other side as someone great.

Much obliged, parents, for the gifts and the lessons and most of all the love and support. (They have done a lot to help put me through school.) It definitely took a village to raise this child.

TO MY VILLAGE

In 1994 a friend of mine spent a semester overseas. He went to Scotland and, knowing I was a fan of scotch, brought me back a beautiful bottle of single malt, which in today’s market sells for approximately $62.

Cadenhead’s
Authentic Collection
Cask Strength
Single Malt
Aged 19 Years
Distilled March 1975
Bottled June 1994
Ardbeg Distillery

This whiskey has been bottled from a selected individual cask in its natural state and shows the character of that cask. It has not been diluted with water. It has not been treated to change its colour and is free from all additives. It has not been subjected to any filtration that might remove natural constituents and spoil its flavour. It is the authentic product of its distillery.

Notice the scotch is cask strength. It is unavailable in the US (and it cannot be ordered online) because there is no proof listed. What comes out of the cask is not watered down. This is the real deal.

I mention all of this because I have hung onto this bottle for years. I just didn’t know when to open it. I debated cracking it at my daughter’s birth, and that would have been a perfect time. But somehow celebrating her birth with scotch didn’t seem right. Her birth was not my accomplishment; it was my blessing. We were busy and excited and nervous. I got to work raising my daughter and didn’t open it.

This weekend I will graduate with a Masters of Science in Education (MSEd) degree from Missouri State University. This time, my daughter is a part of my celebration. She has spent time decorating my gift and being excited.

With this accomplishment things are different. This journey has taken my entire village of family and friends to get us through it. I say “us” because while the schoolwork was my accomplishment, it took sacrifice and patience, late nights and dedication on the part of my wife, daughter, and other family members to get us through this experience.

My wife has often felt like a single parent. Our parents and my grandmother have helped us out financially, and everyone has helped watch our daughter when my wife and I were detained or otherwise unable. It has been hard on everyone and it is an accomplishment that is shared by so many.

This weekend seems the perfect time to open this bottle and share with my family and friends. It is my way of thanking them for their love and support.

I tip my glass to all who have offered a hand, and I sip my scotch in your name. Some of you will share in that drink and to you:

I thank you most of all.

To my wife, I say to you that you are no longer a single mother. Although they do say that first year of teaching is pretty rough – long hours spent grading papers and preparing lesson. We’ll drink that bottle of scotch when we come to it.

Cheers!

FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!

I was lamenting my luck the other day, posting a bit on the unfortunate breakdown on my dryer. It's back online and working fine, thanks to the handy services of the appliance guy who had a replacement element in his truck. 

Last night, during my last final for the week, the sole of my shoe explodes. The heel disintegrated, leaving behind bits of black rubber shrapnel all over the floor. Of course, it didn't happen to just any pair of shoes. Oh no, it was my only pair of snow boots. Actually, they are Red Head hunting boots: water proof, tall, and thinsulated. 

Crap almighty. Christmas and taxes have depleted the savings and we are trying hard to save every penny. There used to be a shoe repair shop in the mall, but I don't think it's there anymore. I've got to find one, and quick. Have those expensive boots re-soled before the next storm. I'm hoping that doesn't cost too much. 

[sigh]

The good news is that finals are over. I'm a graduate student and that means I have plenty of homework to work on over break. The majority involves my seminar paper (thesis). Today … well today I am taking a day off. No homework. Just a rest. I'm not feeling all that great anyway – sinus crud. 

I'm hoping nothing else goes wrong until after Christmas. 

IT'S FINALS WEEK; DON'T BOTHER ME!

Actually, it's not all that bad. Most of my work are projects and not test-based. Two major things I am working on (my classroom website and my master's thesis) are still in progress. I was hoping to have both done this semester. So was my graduate advisor and technology instructor. Unfortunately, it does not always work that way. Not my fault and not theirs either. Paperwork takes time and anyone that has worked with the government bodies knows that all too well. New projects have kinks. It's just that both problems have hit me this semester. I'm trying hard to stay positive about it all and not freak.

I just don't want to have to finish both projects while I am student teaching next semester. That would just stink. Stink, I tell you. I am taking some down time to work on the classroom web page and blog. It's been fun.

Living Day-to-Day

Politics, religion, local government goings-on – it’s all of little interest to me this day/week/month. Summer school is all about graduate work, 600-level classes that meet for 8 or even 5 weeks as opposed to the typical 16-week regiment. I’m busting my hump trying to keep up with it all. Research, reading, tests – it’s all a bit much. Couple that with the recent and painful death of my loveable grandmother, and the world just seems too cruel.

Boy, that was a bummer of a paragraph, wasn’t it?

When I reflect, however, I find that I am enjoying the experience – parts of the school work, I mean. I find that I enjoy reading and thinking about educational philosophy. Why we do what we do, teach the way we teach, how we approach children and engage them in the process of learning is fascinating to me. Is that weird? I think that it is. I’ve lived all of my life on this side of the weirdo spectrum to some degree, so I’m pretty comfortable with that. I don’t go all goo-goo-eyed over the Mayor of Weirdtown like some geeky blogboys (with whom I am friends), but I am firmly on the side of unconformity. At least I am not one of those crazy … Libertarians [shudder].

Today I am on EbscoHost and WilsonWeb, searching professional journals and dissertations for a literature review which will eventually lead to a research study and thesis. The dog is curled up comfortably on a pillow, which is lying on the futon next to my workstation. Those big old ears of his sticking straight up, and his eyes slammed shut.

Later this afternoon I will sit and read through the nearly 30-plus pieces of literature I have printed here at home. That is fun in short bursts, but becomes tedious over the course of an entire day. Thank goodness I enjoy the subject. Such is the life of the poor graduate student. I quit searching about 30 minutes ago and the printer is still printing. Not a slow printer, but a huge queue. Crazy days.

If We Can See Your Crack …

Starting next week I am placed in an elementary school somewhere in the Ozarks, where I will work two full days a week for eight weeks. I am so excited to work with kids and learn from a teacher. I love my experiences in the schools.

Today, our professors were preparing us for our practicum, going over rules and procedures and expectations. The instructors give us guidance on professional demeanor and dress. One of the instructors tells us to think about our dress before we head into the classrooms. Check. We cannot wear jeans. Check. Girls can wear denim skirts, but no one can wear denim pants. Check. A little strange, but check. We should, in their opinion, bend over while at home. If our underwear or, god forbid, our crack shows, then we are to change clothes. Girls are to bend over and check their chests. Fifth grade boys love to sneak peaks, don’t you know.

I pipe up and ask if my leather hot pants are appropriate for the classroom.. I stumped the professor. Caught her off guard. She laughed, they laughed. I suspect my point was not lost on the instructors. What a sad state of affairs it is when near graduate, soon-to-be professionals in their field, have to be told not to let their crack or boobs show at school. I don’t fault the teachers. They have undoubtedly ran into problems with this before. So now they tell us and now we know. Why didn’t the students know that before hand? Tit bibs and ass cracks do not qualify as appropriate for professional dress. Yes, and the sun is a big, hot object.

An Angel, of Course

The 7-year-old did a great job in college today. My math instructor even let her participate in a classroom activity with geoboards. I think we counted seven people on campus who had their children with them. Two of those were faculty. It’s just a part of life I guess.

I suppose the professors do not have to agree. They can refuse to allow us to bring our children to class. Fortunately, my instructors were happy to oblige and my daughter repaid their kindness by being very well mannered.

For the Love of All that is Holy and Good, Use Complete Sentences!

I don’t know if they all just happened to brain fart or if there is some kind of collective stupidity going round the college campus, but today I was in a class of 60-70 people. Teachers, they will all be, just in case you were curious.

The instructor was helping us develop overarching themes for a unit plan – the Big Picture if you will – and requested that we use complete sentences, which she was recording. One after another, these preservice teachers gave her statements void of either a subject or predicate. Every time.

I laughed my big old butt off.

Nice as she was, the instructor would stop and remind everyone that she was looking for complete sentences. She would say things like: “Could you restate that as a complete sentence?” Yet, the idiocy crept along with phrases popping out of their dumb mouths. One girl, empty-headed little thing, kept rearranging her phrase, shifting words, adding words, but she never made a sentence.

Finally the instructor stopped, obviously frustrated at the ignorance of the student body, and stated that a complete sentence has both a subject and a verb. Oh, good grief. I laughed. I was on the front row and the instructor saw me busting at the seams. She smiled back, ever so slightly, and finally someone helped the student dingbat create a subject.

And these, my dear readers, will be teaching your children some day. I think a bit more schooling is due. My guess is that the poor wretch is a teacher because she can play house and pretend to be a mommy, that is until she pops one out herself.

Sometimes I think we are doomed, civilization I mean. How can we expect to educate Americas youngsters when we can’t string four words together. God save us all from the stupid people of the world and there are a lot of them.

I asked my 7-year-old about complete sentences. “A verb is the opposite of a person, place or thing. It tells what the thing in the sentence or story is doing.” [big sign of relief].

Helicopter Moms & Taking Responsibility

Go figure. The Sigma Sigma Sigma national greek organization and MSU find that a sorority on campus is consistently disregarding warnings and violating rules. Who is at fault? The girls blame the university and Tri Sig nationals. They are just being too unfair.

My daughter can tell you my response to that: A fair is where pigs compete for ribbons.

The Moms of the new initiates are all up in arms that their poor angel babies are going to miss out on the greek experience. As if the only experience that counts in college is a greek one. The excuse, of course, is that everyone is doing it. I expect that kind of response from a teenager. For a Mother to proclaim the same (about underage drinking and other infractions) is stupendiously ridiculous. Who are these people?

I'll tell you who they are. They are the same moms, called Helicopter Moms, who run to their angel baby's rescue when a school teacher tries to actually correct that student. Afterall, their little girly-girls would never do anything to anyone. They would never stir up trouble or do inferior school work. Not that school work is the issue.

Obviously school work – an education – is not the top priority of any of these ladies or their parents. Sure, there is a lot of underage drinking in college. It is typical, but that does not mean that the university looks the other way. When you get caught, I assure you that the university brings down sanctions.

Just ask the several fraternities that have been kicked off campus over the years. These moms have been defending their sweeties since elementary school and now we see the ramifications. Sometimes kids need to be allowed to fail – and most importantly – to learn from that failure.

Read this story, and this one, and this one from the News-Leader.

Just A Small Freak Out; No Big Deal

I have been in school for a total of two days and I am freaking out. Yep. That about sums it up. It sucks to feel overwhelmed so early in the semester. I carry 14 hours, one of which is a night class, and an 8-week student teaching practicum. I have a papers to write, tests to take, a portfolio to design, lesson plans to write, unit plans to write, projects and the list just keeps on going.

This semester is all about due dates and plenty of them. Details and little due dates are not my strong point. Today, the instructors (there were five of them in one class) told us not to read certain chapters of our manual because the amount of requirements will freak us out. No kidding? Just hearing that freaks me out. I need a drink.

[breathe]

[breathe]

[blue]

[breathing again]

Really, I should get used to it. Good teachers put in 45-60 hours (or more) per week and I plan on being one of those good teachers.

As for blog posts, you should probably expect to see a shortage, a decline, but I am not going away. Blogging is my healthy outlet so I will still do it in order to maintain sanity. That's the plan anyway. If Homer go crazy, well then, I can't really say what will happen.

Where Am I?

Writing 25-page paper. Reading an inspiring novel on teaching, by a real teacher.

Cannot … move
Cannot … type
Cannot … think
Cannot … write
Must … breathe … air

[collapse]

All is likely to be silent for a few days.

Just an Elementary Teacher?

I was in class today and a future elementary teacher made a comment about our ability to influence children. She made some comment that elementary children do not really have their own opinions.

The guy sitting next to me laughed because he had just finished teasing me about us future elementary teachers not being real teachers. He got a real kick out of this young ladies’ comment. I laughingly acknowledged his point. The teacher caught this and jumped right on it.

He pleaded me to make my case. I refused. I did not want to get into a discussion that involved a classmate. Nothing would do my instructor but that I should talk about it. It is a Socratic-styled classroom and that is what we are supposed to do.

So I told her that I found the comment offensive. She retorted that she didn’t mean anything by it and that she just meant: “I am only an elementary teacher. That’s all.” The teacher jumped in and I did not get to really make my case. That’s fine. I didn’t want to drag it out anyway.

I assure you, dear readers, that elementary children do have their own ideas and opinions. Without a doubt, many of those thoughts are highly influenced by their caregivers’ opinions and values. If you have children, or have been around a diverse group of children, you will find that young ones can have conflicting views with adults.

I have been around all kinds of children in many different capacities. I also surround myself with adults who are involved with children.

1. A Social Worker once told me a story about a young boy he worked with: The boy went so far as to insert a roll-on style deodorant bottle in his own rectum due to his previous sexual abuse and his now obsessive desire to sexual contact.
2. I was with a group of volunteers that worked in a mental health recovery school. One of the volunteers was told not to hold the hand of a 5-yar-old boy. He would take that as a sign and would grab her behind and breasts. We were shocked. His previous sexual abuse had created fuzzy boundaries for him.
3. A Social Worker I know once worked with a child who had tried to cut off his own penis with a power saw. The elementary-aged boy was a victim-turned-predator and had then raped a very young elementary child. He attempted to cut off that which plagued him.
4. I had a foster child (through a church program and not FSD) in my home once. He was upset that his father had abandoned he and his siblings (all of whom lived with me). His opinion about his father at 10-years-old translated to a college student who has nothing to do with his father.
5. I had a friend in school who watched his mother get bashed routinely by her boyfriend.
6. I had another school chum who started head banging in elementary school and carved symbols into his skin in middle and high school.


All of these people formed opinions in their elementary years. The reason this girl, and many others I suspect, think that elementary children do not have their own opinions is because kids keep their mouths shut. They have a hard time processing pain, but that does not mean that the pain does not form the basis of their worldview later on. Oh not. It comes out in their teens or perhaps adulthood.

Not only did my fellow student’s comment show her lack of experience, but it is a condition of people who choose elementary school because they children are “cute” or possibly because they do not know what else to do and they get to play house. Young people have opinions and ideas. They can think for themselves, especially when given the opportunity to do so without retribution.

I can tell you that my fifth grade experience was a powerful one that influenced me for the rest of my life. I hated school so much that year that it has affected my outlook on learning and my study habits. I have had to work hard to shake those poor habits. Eventually it was experience and maturity that lead me to value education in a profound way.

The majority of teachers – the state is usually 60-70 percent – quit teaching within five years. I would suspect that my schoolmate may be one of those if her perspective does not change. Teachers are the foundation of society. For one to make a statement that her students do not have their own opinions saddens me. For her to say that she is JUST an elementary teacher enrages me. It is another way to say that we are glorified baby sitters. Had my teacher given me the opportunity, I would have said as much. Then again, it is probably good he did not. It would probably only serve to hurt my classmate’s feelings and teacher her little. As it is, she did not learn anything anyway.

Then again, I understand where they misconception comes from. I was a substitute in a school yesterday. The boys bathroom was sponge painted in mint pastel and had a pink, blue and green border featuring some girly, god-awful flowers or some nonsense. It is no wonder this future teacher does not take herself seriously. Elementary teachers bring on this misconception themselves what with all their cutsie handcrafted holiday vests and baby decorations.

Mr. Fat Jack takes his job seriously. I am going into elementary education because that is the place where we set the foundation for life-long learning. Young children need strong male role models from which to form their worldview. I am teaching elementary because I know that I can do more than baby sit cute little kids and get summers off. I can do many other jobs, and have the education to do so, but I choose elementary education. I wonder how many teachers can really say the same? I wonder if my classmate can really say the same? I sure as heck am not decorating my room in cutsie colors and fluffy cartoons.

Happy Halloween Ya Freaks!

This is my Halloween outfit for school.
I love Halloween.

I thought about dressing up for classes today, but choose instead to just wear my Rob Zombie skull cover, skull earrings and skull shoes. Is that one bad boy of a bandana or what? I have some latex appliances somewhere, but I must have moved them to the attic. Too bad. I have a bloody screw that I usually put in my head. You know. Then I can go as a typical American who is getting screwed by the Bush administration. Oh, come on. That’s funny.

I suppose many would consider us liberal Christians as we are attending our church's Halloween party. It is really nothing more than a dress up party for kids and adults alike. I think it's great, harmless fun, but you are free to disagree (and post as much) if you like. The House of Jack chooses to just have fun with it all.

After church we are headed to the in-laws’ home to doll out candy and comics to the younglings. I’ll let you know how the comics go over. I hear tell that the in-laws have all kinds of yard stuff, including a fog machine or dry ice or some kind smoke making device.

The girly is going as Morticia Addams and the wife will be some serving wench from medieval times. Sounds like fun to me.

Oh, Oh, Oh, O'Rgasm!

The student Psychology Club at MSU hosted a lecture on sexuality recently, but got more than they bargained for when O’Reilly Auto Parts threatened legal action because of the club’s fliers. No kidding.

The student organization, in what was a typical college flier, used the O’Reilly Auto Parts logo as a basis for their flier logo. O’Rgasm. It’s funny. It’s college students. Why would O’Reilly work themselves up in a lather over a college club and threaten legal action?

People get their panties in a bind for the dumbest things.

Read the article printed in the student paper, The Standard here.
Download the pdf of the letters and logos here.

Understanding the Role of Religion in Public Schools

The Academy for Educational Studies at Missouri State University wants to know the role religion plays in today’s public school system. So would I for that matter. So the group is hosting a conference to address that very issue on October 3-5. This will include many national speakers and educational philosophers as well as the ACLU and the Alliance Defense Fund.

Should prove to be a good time as the ACLU and the Alliance Defense Fund will be part of a final panel discussion on Friday, Oct. 5, 1:15 - 3 pm at the Plaster Student Union Ballroom on the MSU campus. There will also be a religious panel discussion consisting of local clergy on Oct. 3 at 10 am.

I cannot post all of the information, but here is a list of the seminar titles:

• Educational Vouchers and School Choice
• Federal Policies and the Public Schools
• Religious Talk and School Counseling
• Religion and School: What Students Say
• Getting Students to Think Critically about Religion
• Religion Class and Religious Literacy
• Religion and Public Schools: A Comparison of the Law in the US
• School Prayer and the Law
• Using Expressive Techniques to Explore Spirituality
• Religion and the Schools: Implications for Educators/Administrators
• The Public Religion of the Public Schools
• The Role of Spirituality in Higher Education
• Religion and Literature
• Listening to the Philosophers
• The Effusion of Religion and Spirituality in the Classroom
• Student and Parent Voices
• Religion and the Teaching of Science
• International Perspectives
• Understanding Unbelief as part of Religious Education
• The View from a Faith-based Liberal Arts College
• The Intersection of Religion and Democratic Community
• Dogma, Privilege, and Lifestyle Issues
• Religion, Schools and the Law
• The Religious Voice (panel discussion of area ministers)
• Technology, War and the Internet
• Panel Discussion: What Role Should Religion Play in the 21st Century Public School?

I’m hoping that some of my education teachers will cancel class on Wednesday so that I may attend the event. It is a conference hosted by the Academy, which is part of the College of Education. I’m off on Thursdays and Fridays so I will be able to go on those days.

Click here for more information.

I'm Feeling Better Now

Things were much better today. One instructor actually gave us valuable information. It wasn't presented in the best way, but I got what I needed and that is the most important thing. I am excited to learn how to do a lesson plan. A real lesson plan, that is. Not this nasty little Madeline Hunter direct instruction nonsense that so many love to use, but a real lesson plan that is student-centered by allowing the student to construct his or her own knowledge and gain a life-long understanding.

We even [gasp] think about other learners, those who are gifted or those with disabilties, and how this lesson plan can be useful for them, for everyone. You see, teachers tend to make classrooms that are convenient for teachers and not centered around the learning of the student. For shame, says I. The classroom should be all about the student and what can be done to help that student want to learn and retain that knowledge. Grades, rewards and punishments should never be the center of any classroom.

There may be some hope for the classes this semester yet.

Teachers Who Teach Teachers …

… can be some of the worst teachers. They really can; it is amazing. There is a pervasive belief among teachers who teach teaching that they need only lecture us about best practices rather than implementing those best practices into their own classrooms. Lecture, we know, is one of the poorest forms of teaching, and yet….

So I am rather irritated today. Yesterday I was plumb pissered off. My instructors seem to be more interested in due dates and paperwork rather than concepts and knowledge. This is not always true, of course. I’ve had a teacher a few semesters ago, a math teacher, who was concerned with knowledge and understanding rather than memorization of algorithms. He was amazing and I learned a lot. I wish more of my teachers were like him. He questioned our approach to teaching and challenged us to think about the art of teaching and why we do things the way we do.

This semester seems like a muddled mass of chaotic worksheets and busywork. I keep getting the feeling that I missed the last class period. We jump from idea to idea, page to page, without any congruency. We all have our bad days, but when the entire class is confused about the goals, then there is an obvious disconnect between teacher and student. Simply plugging ahead is not the best path. Good teachers care more about conceptual learning that they do the assignments and that master teacher will stop and re-evaluate to ensure that learning is taking place.

For example I had a resource book due yesterday. It is a three-ring binder filled with state requirements, teaching strategies, resources, and the like. A handy book without a doubt and I am thankful to have it. Yesterday we brought it to class and each section was checked off to ensure completion. Points were deducted for anything that was missing.

What’s the problem you ask? Philosophy. We are being taught about inquiry-based learning and how to make a child’s education meaningful and long lasting. A good teacher should always ask why he or she has required an assignment and what goal should be accomplished. Is the goal in this college classroom to get points for a binder? Yes, indeed it was the goal, but it should not have been the goal. The goal is the information and the learning involved. The notebook is a tool to be used not the end goal. The due date should not be the end goal. Rather, the content should be what we care about. Teachers are entirely too concerned with points and due dates rather than conceptual learning and understanding. Had it been me, I would have considered something more along the lines of having the notebook finished sometime this week or so. Anything out of place would need to be inserted. If I just had to assign points to it (which is up for debate) then it would be all or nothing. As soon as a student got all the required pieces in place then the points are given in full. It may seem an insignificant detail to non-teachers, but it is all about philosophy and how you teach overall, and it is very significant.

I am not happy about the state of teacher education today. Maybe tomorrow will be different. Lesson Learned: If the entire class has the blank look, then your lesson plan is not working. A different approach is necessary. Do something else. Try something new. Fine a new path. Slow down. Explain. Draw some connections. Define the end goal. Give examples.

Give examples! Teachers who teach teachers are notorious for not wanting to offer examples of what they expect. They give vague descriptions and esoteric responses to questions then count off when the final product does not meet expectations. It is maddening and I suspect it has more to do with control than anything else. Teachers tend to be a controlling lot.

Another Semester Down

I’ve put another semester behind me. This one was quick but intense as I had 16 weeks of graduate classes compressed into 4 weeks. The upside is that I have the rest of the summer off. I am pulling my daughter out of summer camp and we are going to have fun doing all kinds of things. Some work, some play, but all good stuff.

It feels great. I can’t wait to hang out with her.

[panting] and not from sex

Typical Semester: 16 weeks
Summer Session: 8 weeks
Summer Block: 4 weeks

[pant]

Four (or five) awful freaking weeks of ceaseless studying! It’s balls to the walls around here folks, 9 am to 8 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and even Sundays. It’s graduate school and it is a ton of work. Can’t wait for this short session to be done because my daughter and I are going to party it up.

Expect short blog posts. Enjoy what you get and consider yourself lucky.

The Next Month

The next four weeks will consist of light blogging. Thank goodness I spent time writing my comic book reviews for my other blog over break. Both of my summer classes are short and intense, lasting only 4-5 weeks rather than the traditional 16 weeks. My college owns my behind for the next month. So don’t be surprised to see a lack of blogging.