One last hurdle!

Approach--Panic--Regroup--Begin--Stumble--Get up--Retry--Cross your fingers! This is my typical pattern once I get overwhelmed or flustered. So foolishly I thought completing the last LIS 2600 assignment would be a piece of cake. After all--a possible 5 points for the grade. I thought that I had plenty of time to do this, one last assignment. Then I made the mistake of opening up some of the completed projects from the Discussion Board. OMG!
I usually don't curse, I usually do not take the name of the deity in vain....What an eye opener this was for me. I can honestly say that I normally do not think of myself or see myself as one who is stupid. During this entire 12 weeks, I have done both--climbed to new highs and decidedly sunk to new lows. As I looked at shining examples of great work, this dark stormy cloud of self-doubt and pity began expanding over my head. I have no idea what my portfolio page will look like, further more I wonder how I will be able pull this one off. Stay tuned.....when I finish....I plan to tell you!

A New Attitude

It's the last week of July! Summer is flying by and, better yet, summer school is just about finished.
Tomorrow, I present my demo for the National Writing Project at a local school district teachers'
summer academy. I'm one of three, and our topic is student research. We are presenting this demo at the national convention for NCATE in November. This means that I get to leave the cold, northeast and travel with a wild, fun-loving group to sunny Orlando, Florida. Feels good to think about travel! I've not had the opportunity to do much of that this summer.
Back to school for me will be August 17! A rapidly approaching iceberg! New job, new boss, new students, new school, new start. But thankfully, after this summer and these classes, I have new thoughts about all of this. I will probably only work for about another 10 years. School libraries will probably look very different by the end of my career. Thankfully, I will be working for an upbeat, dynamic woman who has completely dedicated herself to education. I expect the school climate to be positive, nurturing, and collaborative. It's just the kind of place where I plan to thrive!

Don't go crying the blues....

Well, after my last post, things went down hill pretty fast. I got the grade for my second paper, and it was pretty bad. I don't think I have ever scored so low on a paper for school. Not even in high school, did I ever earn such a low grade. It just about made me physically sick because if I were not able to revise it, I would have flunked 2000. Ugggggggggh..... So, thinking about starting a 2,500 word paper all over again was not a happy thought. I did not enjoy sitting at the computer and mentally belting out yet one more paper about copyright. But stop this negativity!
On the bright side, I was done with a new and much better paper within 2 days, which I mistakenly sent to an entire group on the blackboard e-mail list. Thank you all very much, those of you who were kind enough to tell me that no, you were not Dr. Alman. And the learning goes on. Thank you, Dr. Tomer, for not being too harsh a critic on the second exam for 2600. Sometimes I'm surprised about how much I'm still learning. I can't believe how much I've learned about Black Board this term. I'm also surprised about what I can now do on this computer. Big lesson---don't go crying the blues. Things can always get worse and sometimes they just do. Funny thing is that I've really enjoyed writing this blog. I think it could become contagious. Anyone else out there discover she or he is really a blogger at heart?

Am I the only one?

Who is tired of sitting at the computer?
Who is waiting desperately for the end of this semester?
Who wants to spend an entire day doing nothing academic?
Who is majorly struggling to complete the 2600 web page assignment?
Who feels sorry for herself?
Who wants to eat chocolate?
Who wants a real vacation NOW?
Who is whining??? :-(

Yes, Paper submitted

I can admit that I did the "mental" happy dance when I sent off the last essay for LIS 2000. I say mental, because I'm still hobbling around with a sprained ankle. Overall, I am pleased with my paper. It was a challenge for several reasons. First, the size! Writing 2,500 words about any thing is a little daunting. Second, the topic! I have never possessed any interest in copyright issues. I do now realize that as a librarian it is something that I really do need to know about. I will be joyful when these classes are over; I can honestly say that I have never had to push myself academically as I have for the past months. These classes and this program are more challenging than any course work I have ever experienced. Even compared to my most horrific undergrad experience--the summer of Intro to Statistics. At least that course only lasted for 6 weeks. Well, I hope that I can successfully complete the web pages for LIS 2600. So far, that is not working for me. There is a light at the end of the tunnel--August is getting closer every day.

Monday morning musings

It certainly feels good to have completed that first Fast Track weekend. My greatest challenge was driving to and through Pittsburgh. I only got lost twice, not too shabby for a country girl. Foolishly, I missed the hotel shuttle bus on the first day of class. With a mere 50 minutes to go .5 miles to campus, armed with a plan for parking, and some basic directions, I confidently set off. Within less than five minutes, I had missed the final right hand turn to place me in the right direction; so, I ventured further into the city of Pittsburgh than I really ever wanted to go. Shock! Panic! More than a little frustration, I found my way back to Oakland and strolled into the classroom at about 9:03! Considering that start time was between 9:00 and 9:30, things weren't a total loss. That awful feeling of dread in the very pit of my stomach is what this experience has cost me on more than one occasion. I'm starting to get used to it. Could it be the start of an ulcer, or am I just learning how to persevere?

Approaching FastTrack Weekend

Excited, nervous, fearful...These are some of the emotions going through me today. I'm excited about my big, new adventure--traveling to Pittsburgh and becoming a "real" Pitt student! I'm excited about meeting other members of Cohort 10. Some names are already glued in my head because of the general discussion boards and also our smaller discussion groups. I'm nervous about safely, successfully navigating through Pittsburgh. We don't have the navigation system on our current car, so I'm borrowing (we've termed her--the Lady) a GPS to help me find my way. I'm also a little fearful about taking a test. Actually, the last part is the one thing I should be most relaxed about since it is the thing I've done most often in my academic/ professional life. Sojourning to a big city, finding my way, and participating on a large university campus are soon to become reality for me, and I hope it will be a great summer experience.