Pages

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Remember the Carrot!

I was just about to take a break from my assigned readings and go for a short walk when the rain started again. I could go out in it, but it's in the 50s and I'm not anxious for the chill. My goal of two walks per week has fallen by the wayside with all that I have to do for classes.

I've gotten through two articles and one chapter so far. I would feel better about it if I felt I was learning something. If I'm not careful I can find myself reading whole pages without ever really seeing a single word. And even if I do pay attention to what I'm reading, when I read too much it all just blurs together and loses its potency.

In case any of you are thinking taking classes would be fun, let me set you straight. It's not. It's hard work. It's frustrating to have no free time. If I'm awake I'm working, in class, doing classwork, or feeling guilty about not doing classwork. There's no more relaxing in front of Law & Order.

There is an ultimate goal though. Carrot, guide me!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

While growing up my parents allowed me to do homework in front of the telly. I guess that's because I was still pulling the grades. But I know how frustrating it can be when you spend so much time learning and it's like you have a memory like a sieve's. Learning can only be fun if you see the point to it. That's why alternative ways of learning should be made available to everyone. That's coming from a former university professor :D

joy
Your Love Coach

Electronic Goose said...

It sounds like you're crazy-busy. Just remember your carrot ... and you might want to remember not to eat it, too.

Overwhelmed! said...

I went back to school a couple of years ago to get my MCSE (Microsoft Certififed Systems Engineer) certification. It was an intense 1 year program with 10 tough exams and lots of reading/studying involved. It was very difficult to get through but I made it and it helped me launch more successfully into an IT career (my bachelors in Journalism just wasn't cutting it).

Best of luck to you with your studies. Just take it one test at a time. :)

BerryBird said...

That is the worst thing about being in school, never being able to relax. There is always more reading, another paper, another project. Teaching is a pretty big carrot though. Get through this and you'll never have to work a summer again. Not too shabby.

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

I a 100% agree that taking classes is definitely NOT (always) fun. I love learning new stuff, but I hate all the bullshit and the overkill of assignments.

I know all about reading and not seeing anything. Some part is gliding eyes over meaningless words while the other part is daydreaming about something more interesting.

I don't think it's having a memory like a seive, at least not for me. I remember important (to me) things, things that are INTERESTING--to ME (not to the professor).

School and work together is definitely overwhelming--I did it for several years getting my second masters, The best part of that was when I took a "sabbatical." But that's not always financially possible.