Registered for Spring

I woke up at 2:30 this morning wondering if I should get out of my warm bed to log online and register for my classes…I didn’t. Kayleigh is great about sharing everything, including her colds, and I started feeling yucky Wednesday evening. Needless to say, I just didn’t feel well enough to get out of bed; and consequently, I couldn’t fall back to sleep. I kept thinking about the classes I wanted and was worried I wouldn’t get the ones that are on a rotation. When I finally got up and logged on just before 6am, the system was having problems and I couldn’t get in to register. I made dozens of attempts without any success. However, I could monitor the class availability and noticed the one class on spring rotations was no longer open. The combination of not feeling well and not getting to register before the class filled pushed me over the edge and I finally broke down and cried. By the time the system was fixed and I got in, it was 4 pm. Thankfully, I had already worked out a tentative class schedule for the duration of my time at the University. This allowed me to swap the classes on spring rotations. So, I switched one class for the spring of ’08 with the one class I wanted for this next spring. It’ll probably all work out to be in my best interest. I have to look at this incident as a reminder that I can’t always be in control. I have to place my trust in the fact that God is the one in control of my life, and then I must trust Him to work everything for good.

The spring semester will be busier than I am accustomed to since I will be taking 15 hours. On Monday’s, I will be in classes from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m., and I am not looking forward to having such a long day. The Monday evening class only meets once a week and my Friday class only meets eight times during the semester. I’ll have a sewing and a cooking with a lab class that should be easy for me to breeze through. I do have three reading-intensive classes, but with my other classes, I should find a balance. With all of my classes on M-W-F, I will have Tuesday and Thursday each week to focus on homework assignments. I hope that I will be able to have the weekend’s to recuperate before I hit the door running every Monday.

Despite the frustration of registering today, I did manage to get some baking done for Thanksgiving. I made orange-cranberry sauce, an apple pie, cranberry-date bars, and doubled eggs (Justin renamed deviled eggs when he was 3), but the dressing will have to wait until tomorrow morning. While I am in school, I have happily relinquished hosting Thanksgiving dinner to who ever volunteers. Since Justin and Michelle bought a bigger house with two eating areas, they are hosting Thanksgiving this year. :-)

I am thankful for so much: God has blessed me with many abilities and I am thankful for family and friends who continue to support my academic endeavors.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Registering for Spring Semester

I tried to register for the spring semester, but the online system reminded me that I am a sophomore (lacking 5 hrs to be a junior), and I will have to wait until next week to register. This left me feeling frustrated after I spent time mentally preparing myself to sign up for fifteen hours.

My advisor helped me with my degree plan a few weeks ago. However, after I looked at the number of hours she had me taking on a couple of semesters, I decided to rearrange and add one more semester so that I will not have to take more than 15 hours. This means I will do my student teaching during the spring semester in 2009, graduate in May, and be ready to interview for a position to teach in the fall.

This semester is beginning to wind down, and my last final is on December 14th. I graduate on the 15th from community college, and then I have a whole month off. I’m looking forward to having some time for me. Maybe, I’ll even have time to read for pleasure, not just for school assignments. This might be a good time to tackle a new home improvement project. Mike and I want to give the kitchen a little face-lift. We both like the Venetian finish I did in our master bathroom and want to do the same in the kitchen/breakfast room. The wallpaper isn’t out of date, but I’m tired of looking at it for the past 18 years. We’re also thinking about sanding and refinishing the cabinets. We like the antique white with an umber glaze look, but I’m not totally sold on the idea. I think I will wait until I strip the wallpaper and finish the texture and paint to see how the cabinets look. The biggest expense for this project will be the counter-tops. My ceramic tile is a mid-toned blue and I want to replace the counters with the same color granite look. I’m not making any decisions right now, at least not until this semester is over and I see how I feel about committing to working on this project.

My homework is finished, the house is cleaned and I want to take advantage of some down time and get some shopping done.

A Major Change: Making it Official

Well, it’s official, I have changed my major…again. Had I known about Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) when I first started college, I would have pursued it from the beginning. I hadn’t heard anyone talk about this major and I wouldn’t have known that it was Home Economics of my era, not with the name change. No matter, I looked into the plan and realized that it was custom made for me. I’ll be able to bring a lifetime of experience into this area and teach practical life-skills to students in 6th-12th grade. I’m really excited about starting the course work next semester, but I’m not too excited about taking 15 hours each semester. I am going to hold onto what I already know will be easily applied toward each class, making the workload not so overwhelming.

A couple of people aren’t as excited about my change in major. Part of their reasoning is concern for future job availability. I have looked into this, called 8 school districts, and talked to the advisor for the program. The information I have collected support job security inside the school system and outside of the school system. For those who know me well, they completely support my decision acknowledging the same conclusion I stated; a degree in FCS is a perfect match for my gifts and talents.

As for my 18 hours of English classes, they will be my second minor. The English advisor will sign the required documentations at the end of this semester. It feels good to have taken so much literature and earn recognition for what I have learned. I won’t close the door on taking more literature courses, but I’ll have to get through the 80 hours of FCS first.

Other changes that took place this past week:
My honor cords, tassel, and sash for Phi Theta Kappa came in. On Thursday, I purchased my cap and gown from NCTC and will graduate December 15 with an AA. One degree down, and one more to finish…I’m almost there.

Z is for a Zebra at the Zoo

The change in our temperatures brought out the animal is all of us; so, the family decided it would be a good day to go to the Fort Worth Zoo. This is Kayleigh and William’s first trip to the zoo. William was oblivious to the sights, sounds, and scents around him. He pretty much slept through the visit. Kayleigh on the other hand wanted to “see more animals.” With her two-year-old attention span in charge, we didn’t linger for long at any one exhibit. Consequently, we got through most of the zoo in just a few hours. Kayleigh’s memory is like an elephant. Next time you see her, ask what she saw at the zoo…alligators, bears, condors, dragon (komodo), elephants and down the alphabetical list, she’ll go.

Here are the women in the family: Ame with Kayleigh, Aunt Samantha with William (he's not a woman of course!), Michelle, and Granny.

And here are the men of the family: Abba, Justin with William, and Papa.

Booster-shot of Encouragement

After getting past my first two weeks confidence crisis, I dug in and found my niche at University. I found myself dealing with some of the worse case scenarios these past two weeks. The first was having my in-class, hand-written, and timed essay read aloud and graded in front of the whole class. Let me first say that I truly dislike writing in class. I prefer writing at home and on the computer. However, having my paper read and analyzed by the professor and by my classmates wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I was even surprised by a couple of positive student comments. They said they would be happy with the B I received. Fortunately, the professor doesn’t record this grade. We have until the end of the semester to rewrite the paper for a better grade.

The next event took place in my Education course. Last week we walked into class and had to sign up in groups of four. This impromptu assignment required each group to create a lesson in 30 minutes. The lesson had to include visual, auditory, and kinesthetic aides. Each member of the group had to participate and we had 8 minutes to present the lesson to the class. My group came together quickly when I signed up without hesitation for the Era of Education. One student even said she wanted to be in my group because she liked me and thought I was smart. The other two agreed and I was voted as the leader for our group. I don’t normally like group projects because someone always seems to be a dead weight and I, being the way I am about everything, end up doing that person’s work as well as my own. This situation wasn’t the case for my group. I discovered just how far I have come with delegating work and cracking a whip. Our group finished creating our history lesson by using every letter in the alphabet with a two-stanza rhyme that covered education during the Colonial Period. We had so much fun creating the lesson and the result of our corroboration set the precedent for the rest of the class. This experience gave me another example of how far I have come and grown in the area of confidence.

Topping off both events ended with this morning’s Leadership Conference at the community college I attended for my first two years. I submitted a paper titled, “Conforming to Individuality.” On Thursday of this week, the moderator notified me to let me know my paper was one of the top two winners. Mike and my brother went with me this morning to participate in the conference until I received the recognition and cash award. I did not think I would receive first place, my goal was to have my paper published. However, I did receive first place and it feels great to be acknowledged for my ability to write. I mention this about writing, because this is the initial reason that triggered my confidence crises a few weeks ago.

The lessons learned from all of these examples: Stand fast and don’t be moved, surround yourself with supporters who can offer encouragement when you need it the most, and believe in yourself especially when you are being tested.

Glamour Girl

Justin and Michelle asked if I would give Kayleigh her first real haircut, not just her bi-monthly bang trimming. I hesitated to cut her hair for fear that it would cut off her naturally wavy loose curls. After bathing her Friday night, I sat her on the counter in front of the big mirror to comb her hair and see what needed trimming. Justin thinks her hair looked like a mullet, but I couldn’t see what he was basing that on. I used a clip to hold the back of her hair before trimming her bangs. I decided to give her more bangs to help keep them out of her face when her hair isn’t pulled into pony-tails. Trimming bangs is routine and Kayleigh sat still as usual. However, as I combed the back of her hair and made the first cut, Kayleigh reacted with, “Ow.” I tried to explain, to a two year old, that cutting hair doesn’t hurt. She seemed unconvinced every time I made another cut. I finished the hair cut with a blow-dry, and added a few curling iron touch-ups. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she smiled and hugged herself as she proclaimed, “Kayleigh’s a princess.” Yes, Kayleigh is a little princess and she's all for allowing photo-opts.

Here she is after her “make-over” as she relaxes on the window seat in the study. Abba is at the other end as Kayleigh is reading to him about "Old McDonald." The pursed lips are the results of getting to the part about a cow, "with a moo-moo here and a moo-moo there."

Our Friday evening and Saturday's are so much fun. Mike and I love spending time contributing to the lives of our grandchildren.

I Can See Clearly Now...

I know, this line comes from a song, but it expresses how I feel about this semester -- now.

On Wed. I gave my power point presentation for my Shakespeare class. It was about pogonology (study of beards). I gave my introduction saying, "I love beards, but let me be specific. I like well groomed, short beards, not ZZ Top kind of beards." Everyone laughed and my professor asked me how I felt about "that Oak Ridge boy with that long beard." I don't think I went over my four minutes and that is always a good thing for me once I do start talking. Before I could get to my seat, several students gave me words of praise for my presentation. This experience is so different than being at the community college. There aren't many students at college who are willing or able to give words of encouragement. The sense of community at the University is strong and everyone goes out of their way to encourage and help one another.

My frustration with grammar terminology isn't so bad now. I visited with one of the college professors for 2.5 hours on Fri. while she went over the basics with me. It helped-a lot! I even came home with homework she assigned. :-) I hope to incorporate the same energy and passion for English grammar into my own teaching as Ms. Varner has for it.

Not a lot to report about my education course, it's fun, it's easy, and it's what keeps me from feeling overwhelmed.

I'm finally able to work ahead on my classes. Plus, I can enjoy time with my grandchildren and work in my yard. My focus this year is to stay balanced between school and family.

Hitting a Wall

These past three weeks have been a challenge to say the least. As I have mentioned before, I don’t like change and sometimes change comes slowly. I thought the longer drive to University would cause more stress, but surprisingly, I have adjusted a lot quicker than I thought I would. Parking is no longer an issue after dropping my Spanish course. Finding my way around campus isn’t a problem either. So, you’d think that everything was going perfectly. Well, if you thought that, you’d be wrong.

Let me give you an update:

My first week of classes was stressful, but I knew I would eventually adjust. However, as I sat in my Shakespeare class I realized that I might have taken on more than I should. This is a senior course and technically, I am five hours shy of being a junior. The professor asked everyone how much Shakespeare we knew, and it seemed to me that ¾ raised their hands, and half of those students have played parts in his plays. We then went over the syllabus and the additional handouts that listed the various projects we will have during the semester. I felt out of place and overwhelmed by the increased workload expected at this level. I began to think that I couldn’t keep up and should quit college altogether. As an optimist, I decided to give college a full week before making a decision. I’m glad I did, the professor is wonderful and by the second day, I knew that I would love her as a teacher. I decided to stay the course and hope for the best. I am enjoying this class and have connected with other students, which really helps to get over feeling like an outsider.

My second day of classes originally included Spanish, advanced grammar and comp., and my first course of education preparation. My day started at 10 am and I wasn’t expected to get home until 8:30pm. My last post explained how this day ended with me leaving my last class to get to the hospital for William’s birth. What I need to explain is the unexpected effect my Spanish class had on me. I have a lot of tolerance, but my Spanish teacher was going to challenge my tolerance level and I wasn’t sure if her style was going to be worth it to me. Let me begin with calling her eccentric. She dances, sings, and experiments with falsetto voices all while she is talking to us in Spanish. Now, add to this mixture a large portion of the class from her first semester of Spanish. Their lack of self-control, feeling comfortable with the teacher and enthusiasm to talk non-stop throughout her lecture contributed to noise pollution. By the second day of this class, and within 15 minutes, I thought my head would explode. I came home that day in tears knowing that I was going to drop the class but also knowing that it would affect my scholarship requirements. Mike assured me that the scholarship wasn’t worth what I was experiencing and released me to drop the class on Friday. The whole procedure led me to my Chair and that in turn meant that it would go to the Dean. Thankfully, my Chair is taking care of the whole situation and I won’t have to confront the professor.

Okay, now for the part about the scholarship: They took half of the money away for this semester as a one-time deal. I will have to take 12 hours for the remaining semesters if I want to keep the money. After much prayer and agonizing over this, I have decided to give up the remaining scholarship. This will allow me to take the rest of my Spanish courses at the college where I took my first class. It will also allow me to take the hours I feel more comfortable with.

Thus far, I have worked through everything I encountered…until I went to advanced grammar and comp. I kept looking at the syllabus to make sure that I was in the right class and not in a class for Greek or Hebrew or any other language I have no clue to understanding. I had no idea what the professor was talking about when he started going through the seven sentence patterns. This is where my wall appeared; I don’t know the technical terms for grammar. The result of this awareness caused me to suffer a confidence crisis. I stopped by the college to ask my Director to remove me from the tutoring schedule. When she asked me what was going on, I had to explain that if I didn’t know grammar, I didn't feel I should tutor students in English. She said that she has her English degree and taught developmental English and yet she couldn’t diagram a sentence using all of the technical terms. Her words of encouragement helped as have the others who talked to me about this issue.

I am thankful for having professors, friends, and family who have stepped up to provide me encouragement and to help me create a strategy by which to tackle this challenge. The results: for the first two weeks of this class, I could get two out of ten sentences correctly diagrammed. On Thursday, I correctly diagrammed eight out ten sentences. My new motto for this semester is, “success breeds confidence.” When I can’t get over, around, through or under the wall, I have a support system who can help me get to the other side.

With God, all things are possible.

Grandbaby #4 is Finally Here!

For the past two weeks, everyone in the family participated in a variety of activities to get Michelle to go into labor before school started. However, William decided to hang around until the Doctor had to induce him to come out.

School started for me on Monday with no sign of William’s arrival. Justin’s classes started on Tuesday, that is my long day of classes beginning at 11:00, and ending at 8 pm. Tuesday wasn't any one's choice day for Michelle to be induced, but the rest of the week was full.

I went to school that morning with my phone on low-ring and checked it between classes. When it finally rang, it was just minutes before my last class started. Justin calmly asked, “What are you doing?” I let him know that I was on my way to my last class. He countered with, “Michelle is 9.5 cm dilated, pick up your syllabus and get here.” If you know me, I hate to miss my classes but I did not want to miss this birth. Before I hung up with Justin, I told him to pass on a message to William, “he may have taken his time getting here, but now he needed to wait for me to get there.” I quickly stopped by my class, introduced myself to the professor, and filled her in on the situation. The class cheered at the news and she waved me out.

I arrived in the delivery room just as Michelle started pushing. Thirty minutes later, William James Russell made his appearance at 5:54pm. He is a big healthy baby at 9lbs, 6.5 oz and 21.5” long. Everything about him matches his daddy’s stats, except for the color of his hair, which is much darker than Justin’s is.

Justin called a little while ago and said they were all home. For those of you who aren’t able to drop by to visit, here is a picture I took of William when he was only about 15 minutes old.

William James Russell

Transfer for the fall

Classes begin on Monday, part of me is excited about going to University, and the other part of me isn’t looking forward to the change. I don’t particularly like change of any kind, I adapt fairly quickly, but the initial change can take its toll on me. I’m a routine, give me a schedule, step-by-step, kind of person. Transferring means a new driving route, different traffic to deal with, a different city, new people and teachers and all with their own variables that I don’t have control over. I don’t like being late to anything and that causes more dread when I consider the traffic and the limited parking spaces at the University. I know that I will adjust within two weeks and so I try not to think too much about the details involved with this change.

Mike reminds that I felt like this before I began college. I may have, but I only had a 15-minute drive over the lake and the campus is much smaller than the University. I have grown since my first day of college and I feel better prepared this time around. I think my apprehensions are just part of my personality. So, my take charge personality mapped out the parking spaces I’ll be allowed to park in and color coded them with the classes I take each day. I’ll have a couple of parking lot options for each class, just in case the first lot is full. I plan on taking a dry run tomorrow after church to locate the parking lots and make note of what street I need to turn on to get to them. Several are one-way streets and I don’t know my way around the area. A little bit of planning helps to give me a feeling of some control, which reduces my anxieties.

While some anxiety is normal, I may be feeling a bit more than usual because I have been going to school year round for two and a half years with very little time off between semesters. I’m tired. These past two weeks have flown by quickly and I didn’t even have a chance to get bored, well-- not physically bored. Normally, I begin to feel completely bored, and have lots of energy to tackle several projects, after the first week of break. However, when I first started college I created a list of projects that needed to be finished and tackled them during every break I had between semesters. I have finally reached that place where I don’t have any major projects to work on. In fact, the majority of little projects are finished. I’ll always have school papers to organize, but that doesn’t really count. There is also the ongoing scrap-booking project I started a few years back and will continue to work on as long as I take photos. But that too doesn’t really count, they are just part of on-going life.

After rereading this and reflecting on the past 2.5 years, maybe I have a right to feel tired and in need of a little more time off before this next semester begins. I’m going to need lots of prayer covering just to get started for this semester.

Core Complete!

Finally, I finished my last science course and am now core complete and am considered to be a junior in college. However, I don't really think it makes much difference except that I get to take whatever classes I need to finish my major.

I sat down and looked over my degree plan and realized that I forgot to figure into the expected graduation date with my student teaching. If I feel comfortable with taking 15-18 hours per semester, I could still graduate in the Spring of '08. Part of me says there is no way I can do more than 12-13 hrs per semester, but then there is another part that says I could do more. I should know how comfortable I am with 12 hours after I complete my first semester at University. In the meantime, I'm taking the pressure off and will plan for graduation in the fall of '08.

My two weeks between semesters are already filled.

• I'll be helping Michelle finish with the little details of getting their house in order after their move. One of the ways to help is to keep Kayleigh for a few more days so that Michelle can rest in preparations for the birth of William. We'll also get a few more meals prepared and into the freezer.
• I decided to tutor again in the fall and this means that I have to complete 6.5 more hours of online training. I have until the end of next spring, but if you know me, I'd rather do it earlier rather than drag it out.
• I have my books for the fall semester and that means I'll be getting as much reading as I can before classes begin. Better to be prepared than feeling overwhelmed by the reading load I will have.

Two weeks off isn't much time, but I did get out today to do some shopping. During a semester I shop like a guy with my list in hand, in and out and then back to my books. Today was leasurely, I enjoyed myself and got some really great bargains. I plan on making a visit to Victoria's Secret tomorrow before I go to Michelle's.

I almost forgot to mention my grade, I received another A. I just hope I can keep my track record up after I transfer. The goal of Summa Cum Laude is calling my name and I like the challenge.

Today is Jason’s 28th birthday

It is so hard to believe that I have a 28-year-old son especially when I can remember every labor pain and the delivery in detail as if it happened today. However, it was all worth it to bring into this world a very talented son. Happy birthday, Jason!

A Few Statistics:

When I was 28, our sons were 9 and 10.
When Mike was 28, they were 1 and 2.
Jason at 28 has sons that are 3 and 5.
My Professor for Environmental biology is 28, and only five months older than Jason is. Kind of weird when I think about that, but Mike has always said that after High school, age is all relative.
Our youth pastor at church turned 28 this summer.

As you can see, much can be accomplished by the age of 28. I’ve taught a lesson on the different decades in ones life. The 20’s are a time for life and academic learning. After learning how to be an adult during the 20's, in the 30's decade you get to practice what you learned and really get to enjoy being an adult. Only two more years before you turn 30, enjoy this time and keep learning.

Atley's 3 Today

Today is Atley's birthday and we are planning to drive to Tyler as the half-way point to celebrate his birthday tomorrow. Since tomorrow is Grandpa's 91st birthday, and we have Kayleigh until Monday while her parents move into their new house, we will all go and spend a couple hours together. We're meeting at McDonald's and while it isn't my favorite place to eat at, it's too hot to do anything else and they have an indoor playground where the three cousins can play together for a while.

See you tomorrow Atley!

"It's a Birthday Party"!

Kayleigh turned two on wednesday, the 5th of July. The family party was on Sat. She is a very blessed little girl to be surrounded by so many family members who love her unconditionally. Her Granny (maternal grandmother) and I (paternal grandmother) talked about how unusual it is in this day and age to have both sets of grandparents, a great-grandfather, aunts and uncles all living within a few minutes of her. Kayleigh won't be getting away with very much when so many of us are out and about town, she'll never know who she might run into. Who knows, but she might be one of my students when she gets to 8th grade or any of the high-school grades I might be teaching. Anyway, she is covered by many prayers and surrounded by love.

Kayleigh is extremely intelligent, she picks up new concepts very quickly and I could go on and on about all of her brilliant achievements, but I'll just say that everyone (not just proud grandparents) think she is gifted.

We'll keep Kayleigh during this weekend while her parents move into their new home. Hopefully, the next few weeks will go smoothly as Justin and Michelle get their house unpacked in time for William's arrival. I'll try to help them as much as I can after I finish with my class and homework.

Kayleigh isn't the only one who is blessed, Mike (Abba) and I (Ame) feel very blessed to have a wonderful relationship with our granddaughter, her parents and the extended family members who live nearby.

One Science Course Finished, One to Go

Finals were yesterday and the grades should be posted sometime today. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for an A, but after yesterday's test...I might receive a B if I make less than a 73. I'm not sure what the Professor was attempting with this test, the way she worded a lot of the questions made it very difficult for everyone. I just took my time and eliminated the wrong answers and when it came to those questions I would call a "trick question", I just read carefully and then, if all else failed, quessed. I hate to just quess at a question, but it's better to take a chance than to leave one blank.

I'll check my grade later this afternoon, but in the meantime, I have a birthday cake to make for my granddaughter. She turned two on Wed. but the family party is on Sat.

Time to get my four mile walk in before I start baking and cleaning the house.

And the Grade is...

an A! Okay, I couldn't wait until this afternoon to check on my grade. Now I can finish my chores and cake decorating.

4th of July and Four Days Off

The original schedule for this semester included going to class today and then having tomorrow off for the 4th. However, my professor decided that we would have the day off to allow everyone, including her own family, a four day weekend. We'll make up for the time on Wed. and Thur. by having two full days instead of the half days that were scheduled. No one complained about the change of plans. I am taking advantage of the extra time off by getting lots of chores finished at a leisurely pace.

We have our lab test on Wed. and our lecture finals on Thur. The professor is planning on covering two chapters on Wed. so they will be added to the test. I have read both chapters and started studying the material I have with high hopes that I will make an A in this class. I didn't think there was any way for me to get an A with the two B's and two A's I have so far. I don't usually add up my scores to see what kind of grade I will get, but I did for this class. When I added up everything I have made so far and then allowing for a low A on the rest of my test scores, I actually have a possibility to make an A. I'm not stressing over any of this, especially when I reflect on the fact that this is an accelerated class with a lab... but, I still want an A.

I have a goal of getting my associates degree with a summa cum laude recognition; however, magna cum laude or cum laude are all recognized as outstanding accomplishments and I will be satisfied with any one of them. I understand the drive behind this goal, part of it is for my own satisfaction and part of it is to be a contradictory witness to the negative input my parents impressed upon us as kids. It took the first year of college to erase all of the old messages they put into my head (not good enough, not smart enough, not worth enough, etc.) and the next year to rebuild positive, validated messages. I have finally come to embrace the fact that God has equipped me with so much more than I ever thought possible and I want to use what He has given to me to bring glory to His name. So, while I work hard at my studies and in my service to Him, it really is all for Him. Christ is my fortress, my foundation, my strength, my peace, my countenence, and my everything. Without Him in my life, I would be lost.

Each step along this journey takes me further from the abuses I was subjected to as a child, with many of the effects carrying over into my adulthood. I thank God often for my husband who has supported me through these growing years, who supports me through my college trials and who continues to allow me to grow and heal at the pace I need.

The destination is my goal, but the journey is where I am learning and enjoying the life God has created for me.

THEA Scores

Just a quick posting to let you all know that I passed all three areas on the THEA testing. I will now be able to jump right in and take all of the classes required for my teaching degree. By the way, I hate math word problems, but I made 100’s on all of the areas that included word problems. I’m happy with the test results, especially my math scores, but they will not influence me to change my degree plan to include more math.

I took my second test in biology today, covering five chapters. At this point in the semester, I can say that I’m not having fun in the course. There is too much information and not enough time to get it all in, at least not in a way to be able to enjoy the learning process. Right now, I’m just trying to retain enough information to pass the course. On a positive note for this class, I finished writing my research paper that is due next week. Just two more weeks and then I’ll have three days off before Environmental biology begins for another five week science course. Remind me not to take a science class during a summer semester…oh wait; these are the only science classes I have to take. What was I thinking of when I started my college career as a biology major?

Testing

When it comes to taking a test, I do not experience anxiety, not even with finals. However, what I have come to realize about particular tests, the THEA for example, is the fear of failure. I have all kinds of what-ifs going through my mind, what if I fail, especially now after two years of college? I am not sure what exactly is going on inside my head, but when I sat down to take the test, the fear simply went away. Besides, if I did fail any or even all of the test, I would have the rest of this year to retake it as many times necessary.

I guess the biggest reason I was not looking forward to taking the THEA, was knowing that the scores will go into my school records. It does not seem logical to care about this, not with a 4.0 GPA, but for some reason I just did not want to take this test. I did have to talk myself into going and not excuse myself to wait until my scheduled appointment on the 23rd. I got there early and signed in for stand-by status, which was not necessary, as there were at least six people who did not show up. The test started at 9am and it took me the allotted five hours.

Now I am wondering what all the fuss was about (talking about myself), it was not difficult. The math portion surprised me; there were only 3 problems I wasn’t sure about. I ended up plugging in the possible answers and working them out to come up with what I hope is the correct answer. I worked through every problem (almost 200) before I started writing my essay. Let me say first off, I am used to writing on a computer. I had even asked if I would be able to write the essay with a pen, but no, the whole test had to be completed with a #2 pencil. I managed to get two full single-spaced pages finished, but not to my satisfaction. I could have used another 30 minutes to get it finished. However, I am not going to stress over this part of the test, I know I can write good essays.

I did find out that it does not take three weeks for the results; it should only take 10 days. It will be interesting to see what the results are, especially in comparison to my scores from two years ago. I took the COMPASS test, which is taken on a computer with immediate test scores. If I were to compare the two tests, I would conclude that the COMPASS is more difficult than the THEA. The first test allows you to miss only a few problems before it concludes that portion of the test. You might know how to work all of the geometry section, but if you missed the allotted number in the algebra section before you got to geometry, you do not have a chance to earn those points. The THEA provides approximately 66 questions/problems per section. Answering all of them increases the opportunity to earn a higher score, especially considering only 35 randomly selected questions/problems are counted.

My typical weekend chores are completed and I started reading in my Biology book to get ahead start for the first day of the first five week summer semester. This will be a course with lots of reading and memorization, but I really enjoy my science courses…after I separate my beliefs from what the books say about evolution. I may not be able to post much during these five weeks, but I will let you know if I passed the THEA with the scores I need to get into the teaching program.

Have a great summer! Hasta luego.

Last Week Before I Return to School

This is my last week of freedom before I start summer classes. I have been starting my day with a four-mile walk and before I return home I watch the sun come up. This is my favorite time to meditate on the Lord, thanking Him for a beautiful day before I bring my prayer request to Him.

Projects Finished:
I finished sewing several outfits for my granddaughter and DIL last week. Over the weekend, I put in a flagstone path in the back yard in preparations for the next stage of my big-picture landscaping plans. This area in the yard will include a larger pond and a potting shed. The area is shaded except for the path where the flagstones went in. Grass would not grow there, too much sun for the fescue and not enough for the Bermuda. My only other choice was to put in St. Augustine, but that would have to be removed later on as part of my plan. So, I decided to go ahead and put in the flagstone to take care of the bare strip that turns into a muddy mess when it rains. With my plans drawn up and the first step laid, I wanted to start digging up the pond. However, the calendar flashed in my mind’s eye reminding me that I only have this week left before I return to classes, I restrained myself and will wait for another long break before I attempt putting in a pond. As for the potting shed, I have the plans drawn for it, but this is a honey-do project. I can help, but I don’t have the knowledge to build a shed especially one with running water and electricity.

Last Chance to Study:
I have been reviewing my math with great hope and lots of prayer that I will do well on the THEA test (a specific score is required for the teaching program). I go up to the College tomorrow to put my name on the waiting list, maybe I’ll get to take it then. This is my preference since I’ll be in the midst of my Biology class later in the month. My back up plan is a scheduled appointment to take the test on June 23. I have taken 9 semester hours of developmental algebra plus 3 hrs of college algebra, earning an A for all these hours of math. Mixed in with the hours of algebra, I tutored other students for two semesters. However, I still do not feel comfortable with math and really do not feel ready to take this test. I have said that I like algebra…that was until yesterday when I started working on word problems. I hate word problems, I know they will not go away, but I still hate them! I’m definitely not going to add math to my degree plan, not when I get a headache and feel irritable after I have worked on it for a few hours.

Addendum: I wrote the above message yesterday, but the computer rebooted before I saved it and I thought I lost the whole message. Anyway, I was able to recover the message and will post it all with today's addendum.

Studying too Much!
You know you have been studying too much when you lose track of time…even days. I went to bed last night thinking it was Thursday. I woke up this morning and prayed about my upcoming test, which I thought was today, and then I got ready and left home at 8 am. I got to school and went to sign in, but the assistant seemed confused before she realized the test is on Friday. I responded with, “This is Friday, isn’t it?” I must have sounded convincing, she asked another woman what day this was. The positive side to this is that I have had all day today to study some more, adding to the "too much."

I’ve been at it since 9:00 am, took a one-hour lunch and nap break before I hit the books again. I decided to take another break after noticing the numbers all running together, an indication that my eyes are getting tired from looking at my books and all of those numbers. The good news: I’m getting it today and even enjoy working on the math section. It has helped to remember the advice I gave to the students I tutored, “it is all about the attitude.” Okay, so maybe I should try to be friends with math. Or, maybe I’ll just keep the positive attitude and settle for being acquainted with math, friends after all, would mean spending more time working problems and I just don’t want that kind of relationship.

Please keep me in your prayers for tomorrow's test, all five hours worth while sitting in refrigerator like temperatures. It takes about three weeks for the test results and I'll be sure to post whether or not I passed with the scores I need.

Galvanized tubs make a great wadding pool

This is what Kayleigh did to keep herself entertained while I worked in the yard today. We didn't have her bathing suit and super absorbent diapers soak up several inches of water making it very difficult to walk. We're in the back yard and none of the neighbors are home during the day, so off went the clothes. She played hard and when it came time for her nap, it didn't take long before she was asleep. As much as I love being in school, I love days like this when I can spend it outside with my granddaughter as we enjoy the beauty of nature.