Saturday, April 10, 2010
I'm Drowning...maybe
I had no idea the good, the bad, and the ugly I would encounter being selected for this excellent learning opportunity. First, there was the 'not so simple' problem of becoming a member of this blogging community. Now that I am finally alive (blogging), I am wondering if I am the only "frustrated" member of this family. I have always enjoyed swimming and learning. Now, I'm feeling like I've dived into a pool and can't reach the surface of the water with my "learning" for this Foundations class. While I am still very excited with content and purpose, I am concerned about not being able to reach the surface of the requirements. As a Language Arts teacher, I am constantly researching material and new ways to teach to different learning styles. On top of that, of course, there are papers to correct regularly and grades to post. For those of you with younger families, especially, I am wondering how you are succeeding. Just when I think I might yet reach the expectations, I hear of yet another assignment that will need to be completed before the trip. I read whenever I can, I research late into the night, and I write on the weekends. Now if my L.A. students, my private music students, my grandchildren, and my community obligations would quietly disappear, I just might succeed. What are the chances...
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I feel your pain and hope that we aren't the only two who do. I told Judy that this was certainly a lot of work and I was worried about the depth of my responses. Not a lot of time in the day.
ReplyDeleteI have been working on some aspect of the assignments since we met in Feb. and I feel like I am getting no where fast. I can't wait until we are finally finished and reap the rewards of our efforts.
Well, there are more than two of you who are feeling the pain. I'm working hard on the reading and logs, but I just don't have enough time. I'm learning, for which I'm grateful, but I'm also really worried that I'll come up short in the end. I guess I now better understand my speed in reading is important.
ReplyDeleteMy eyes slow me way down. Guess I'll just keep plodding along.
You are not the only one. I have struggled to find the time to get all the work done as well. I try to do some reading everyday, and I am not even close to being finished. I haven't even thought about the paper on the historical figure. I have learned a lot, and I am excited to see man of the places I have been reading about, but I can definitely agree that I can't wait until I am finished and reap the rewards of my efforts.
ReplyDeleteLadies you are not alone. I am experiencing the same feeling and emotions that you are. I read every day and have only completed one of my lesson plans and posted it. At times I wonder if I need to withdraw from the program but then remind myself that it is for my students that I am doing this and that helps a little.
ReplyDeleteOk Terry, tell me where you posted your lesson plan. I am so unsure about all the requirements. I hope everyone is looking forward to packing around 45 research papers and 45 lesson plans ;-)
ReplyDeleteMy husband told me I would never get John Adams done because I have to read every word....(I'm afraid I will miss something)but I did it, and I know you all can too, just keep reading and we'll keep blogging.
So far John Adams has been the best read of this entire course.
SIS, core tests, grading, and oh yes teaching! Not complaining but feeling the pinch of the end of the year as I dive into this reading each night and oops gotta respond in my logs. Did a fun lesson with Sleepy Hollow now to write it up and publish, who cooked dinner? I really wanna go to Boston...so I'm gonna love what I get done!
ReplyDeleteSomeone please clarify for me. I thought we just posted our lesson plan on this blog. We don't have to make copies for everyone do we? I know we have to copy the research paper, but I thought that was all.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually glad for all of the pressure. I never would have read something like John Adams on my own. I was also surprised how relaxed and even pleasurable it was. I’m mostly a “strictly fiction” kinda gal myself. I'm also excited to visually place in my mind so many of the events Mr. McCullough so fastidiously describes.
ReplyDeleteWow, I am glad so many of you feel the same way I do and I also have had blogging problems. I never got the invite and had to wait a long time to get it sent again. Finally I am able to blog but am behind in blogging even though I have have been reading tons and writing learing logs and like all of you teaching every day and doing all of the crazy things we teachers have to do. I am realy enjoying all of the reading and learning but do feel the pressure of time.
ReplyDeleteThis is an 11th hour comment, that I truly wanted to make right after I read Ms. Stark's original plea. Obviously, I am not alone. I didn't respond earlier because I didn't have time because of the work, (ha ha) which I am grateful for now, but I was sweating too. I have a little reading left to do. Finished my paper last night on Thomas Jefferson and feel satisfied with the product. Hope I can be the novice "expert" I am told in the syllabus and emails I will need to be. We're probably all in the same boat anyway and it will be fun for us to lighten up and share. Actually can't wait until I get copies of everyone's papers and get to stick them in my binder for future reference. In addition to what was given to me at the beginning in way of books, I have purchased some more "stuff" -- the $100 was a terrific gesture and helpful, but has not even begun to cover what I have purchased and yet plan to purchase. I guess I got excited about the information, and my own enlightenment through reading and logging. I don't know if anyone else had the experience I did. The more I read and logged my thoughts, the more deeply I comprehended and appreciated the material we were given. It has changed my outlook, perception on reading/logging/learning. I want to incorporate these techniques, which, by the way, I also discovered were in the Marzano "bible".
ReplyDeleteI Agree, I just spent my whole Memorial Weekend up in Island Park, ID reading. I also have two sons getting marrieds this summer!!
ReplyDelete