A Radical Sabbatical

Why aren’t there rules for how many questions make up a quiz?  How can three pages of questions, fill ins and diagrams be considered a “quiz?”   I can’t wait to see what the midterm in two weeks will look like?  and why do we have to get a midterm?  If the first quiz was on everything we learned up to that point and the second quiz is from the first quiz up to the second quiz, why bother with a midterm when we’ve already answered questions on everything we’ve learned?

There outta be rules!  There outta be laws banning a three page test being called a quiz. I can tell u one thing, after everyone handed in their papers there was about three minutes of silence.  No one said a word.  You could have heard a dead flea dropped on the floor (except for me of course).  Every student in that class had a look on their face of having sunk deep into the floor of the ocean.

I mean come on Professors, its bad enough we students have to deal with bad cafeteria food, smelly bathrooms that need toilet paper and rooms without a/c.    I knew today was going to be a bad day when I realized I put my underwear on inside out.  I mean that was like putting a “kineahora” on me (aka: jinx).   I think I’m about ready to graduate college!

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What a day!  My brain could not handle anymore studying….two tests tomorrow, one midterm and one “regular” test.  Well, I so happened to be on campus today because my dad finally decided to get hearing aids and I was taking him to the people I trust most. After two and a half hours of personal attention, my father agreed to purchase two oticon go hearing aids.   In anycase, I ran into my Professor who is having a proctor give us the midterm tomorrow nite.  Due to the Jewish Holidays, the Professor will not be there.  Anyway, she asked me if I was prepared for the midterm and I told her that my brains were trying to hold onto information for two tests tomorrow and why can’t the professors coordinate tests on different days?   She laughed. Ten minutes later, she approached me and offered me to take the midterm with the religious students on Sunday the  14th of October.  My response was, “but I’m not religious and I don’t feel right doing that.”    She shrugged her shoulders and said okay.   The minute she walked away, it was like a light bulb went off in my head………….PEARL, THE PROF OFFERED YOU AN OUT SO YOU CAN FOCUS ON SPANISH HONEY! WAKE UP AND SMELL THE “A”. So I ran after her and asked if I could still take her up on the offer and she said sure.  I thanked her …….profusely! and maybe a bit too much…..but I was grateful for her kindness.   When I walked back to my father he said to me in yiddish, is that one of the students?  I said, that’s my Professor.  With which he responded, zee is zayear shain a bissel yink. ze can zain aiyer tuchtour.

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IT SUCKS!

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I whole heartedly feel sad for college and high school kids these days.  They are so stressed to the max on trying to figure out what it is they want to do with their life?  In reality, there is no one career that we are made for.  We can certainly find that we are interested in two if not three or four career paths in our life.

The problem is, we don’t necessarily discover these options until we are several years down the road into our “chosen” path.   I mean, come on, does a 15 year old really know exactly what it is they want to be for the rest of there life or even a 20 year old?  And is it realistic for them to have blinders on during their four years in college focusing only on one path?

Years ago, high school supposedly prepared us for something, not sure what but some line of work.  Not everyone who graduated high school went onto college, but it was always a wise choice to make and still is.

The last decade has seen major stresses put on high school kids to not only perform academically but to have a good idea of their path for college.  Kids are uploading their schedules with volunteer work (to show the college admissions office that you have a good heart), A.P. classes (to show you have the smarts), SAT scores in the 1550-1600 range (to show that you were majorly tutored),  and spent your summers during high school in college prep programs or in Africa or China (to show the college admissions office that you have money).  I mean, could u imagine if no one ever had tutoring or extracurricular activities or attended summer programs? Maybe for once we would see how students fair.  But god forbid parents allowed that to happen….lol

Than you go to college and spend four to five years of your life in what you think you want to do because everyone has told you thats what you should do.  Everyone from your teachers, advisors, family and your career tests.

I’m 54 years old now and I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.  But what I have finally discovered is that I am good at and very interested in more than just social work.

When I attended high school, you couldn’t get me to stay in a classroom.  There was nothing more that I hated than sitting through algebra (just show me how to balance a check book and use a credit card), science (disecting the frog didn’t teach me to tolerate being in the kitchen well), english (not language arts, not communication art but good ole english), workshops (sewing class, cooking class and woodworking) and gym.  Oh man how I hated gym.  Those blue uniforms and the teachers telling us to jump the horse and walk the beam.  I was never coordinated enough to do those things in high school.

College however, was a different story.  I never knew what I wanted to be in my first three years of college other than to major in socializing and hanging out in the student government office.   I did not have many choices but to either graduate with a liberal arts degree, drop out or major in something that would give me a masters as well.  I wanted something that would get me out of school fast with the least amount of time spent in school, and because I was good at all the volunteer work I did at that time, I chose Social Work. 

Looking back now, there would not have been too many choices for me.  But at this point in my life, the here and now, I am envious of all the choices college students have at their fingertips.   That doesn’t mean to say that they will know who or what they want to be but career paths are different now then 30 years ago.  The choices are at an abundance.

Over the past two to three years I’ve discovered that I have a real knack for many new and exciting fields out there.  Career paths that would just thrill me and give me less agita than I have at my current workplace.  Deep down in my heart though, I know that I am good at working with the families I work with. I have what it takes for being resourceful and discovered that I can be resourceful not just in social work but in many other areas of life.  I’ve also discovered that I am interested in other things besides work and soap operas.  I am  learning to swim and get over my fear of water.  I am writting blogs, learning more about the mechanics of computers from Adams’ educational programs at www.thefattytalks.com/technology-education/  and reading more.

Life is certainly full of surprises and discovering that I actually like anatomy at this point in my life has just blown me away. I feel blessed to have options and I can only hope that others feel the same way.  I guess this is exactly the reason why (can you hear the violins playing) thousands of people will risk their lives crossing deserts in extreme heat or swim oceans to come to the U.S.   We have something they want and its not just the money, its the options we take for granted that others would die for. 

I’ve never felt I have more options than I do at this point in life. I have good friends that I’ve chosen very carefully to be involved with, great family (who I haven’t exactly chosen..lol), a husband I love and care for endlessly, children (who are now young adults) and who I adore and would die for, and I surround myself with people who love me and I love.  What more can you ask for?  College should be viewed as a special part of your life.  A time for socializing and learning.  A time for independence and yearnings.  A time to pick and choose and focus on something that will take u to the next level in your life, until you’re ready to move on again.

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My brain is on lock down right now and can’t hold any more info.  I have two exams this week and one of them is a midterm.  How do they expect our brains to hold all this information?  and why don’t these professors coordinate their test schedules?

There should be a rule, no more than one test a day allowed.  I’m running into a real problem with spanish.  One part of the exam will be listening comprehension.  DUH! how is a deaf/hearing impaired person suppose to respond to this?

I discussed it with the professor and her response was (in a very heavy latin american accent….i think), “Pearl, I will repeat many times for you…okay?”   NO PROF, no okay, no bien, comprendo pero yo no HEAR bien. 

So how many times is it okay to tell her to repeat? five times? ten times or when we hit twenty do I shrug my shoulders and say, forget it?   Its not as though I can lipread her because I just can’t.  I’m a lousy lipreader and was never good at it even in english, my home language. 

I’m much better at reading body language.  But since I am not proficient in spanish, it would be hard for me to read the professor.  Okay, I probably should tell her that I cannot take a comprehension exam, its just not possible.  I’ll discuss it with her tomorrow.  Maybe she’ll offer to give it to me in writing but that defeats the purpose of that part of the exam.  So, does that mean that deaf/hard of hearing students should not be allowed to learn a new language?  pffffffffffftt

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Imagine me, after all these years learning how to swim?  Well, tonite was my first swimming lesson and I have to say, move over Esther Williams.  

At first I was terrified to put my head under water without holding my nostrils shut.  So the instructor told me I would have to go into the kiddy pool and practice while the others moved ahead with the lessons.  I looked around the pool and saw the 12 and 13 year olds on the swim team and imagined what a sight I would be in the kiddie pool.   I immediately stuck my head under the water and we proceeded from there.

I cannot believe that I not only put my head under water but I didn’t have nose plugs on.  I actually felt so much freedom being able to put my whole head under water and breathe through my mouth.  WOW, what exhillaration I felt and no water in my lungs and thank goodness for that one because I learned exactly what can go wrong in Anatomy.

The lifeguards at the pool know me from my daytime walks in the water so tonite, they were all sort of cheering me on everytime I stuck my head down…lol   In fact, everytime one of the students did the swim properly, the swim team on the side cheered us on as well.

I swam across the pool with a small boogie board and flippers on.  We learned to keep our head down, breathe and kick.  We also practiced our strokes outside of the water.  Two of the women went down when they let go of their boards in ten feet of water.  The lifeguards threw them a tire to catch onto.  Now if the teacher had jumped in to help save the person going down, I would have let go of my boogie board and joined them.

I cannot begin to express how proud I am of myself tonite.  The feeling of even this minor achievement has me so giddy.  I always wanted to learn how to swim but was terrified of putting my head under water and going into the deep end of the pool. 

I’m one of those people who will swim across the pool as long as I’m on the side where I can grab the wall and/or keeping my head above water and swimming across gauging to make sure I can make it and not stop.

I think this is going to be one hell of a radical sabbatical year! Making waves has always been my forte but never expected to make them in a pool.  Life is just full of surprises!

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I have to admit, returning to college is not as easy as I may have thought initially.  The work is hard but now, the work appears even harder.   Maybe its that the honeymoon phase is over and the fun has turned to working more hours on the lessons?  or maybe its that when I don’t pay close attention or I find that I’m not hearing the discussion, I lose track and fall behind?  Whatever it is, the lessons are becoming more and more complicated.

I can’t help but take it all seriously.  I want to learn all thats presented to me and do well and although I don’t give a hoot how others are doing, you can’t help but feel the competitiveness.  All in all, whether you’re 21 or 51, the professors don’t discriminate.  They’re tough on everyone. 

So, getting back to my wanting to start a Sabbatical Sisters Sorority.  I just cannot find the time to make a committment to organizing a club.  My life has been filled to the rim.  Suddenly, I have time to help people with rides, appointments, shopping for them, etc.  Suddenly, what started out as as being a whole lot of time for “me,” turns out to be a whole lot of time for others.  I’m sure it will get better but for now, I am running out of time for the most important person, myself.  If its not studying, its shopping for my parents, if its not that, its going to the library to study, if not that, its taking a parent for a doctors appointment.

Okay, so I’m rambling here but I need to vent that although its been fun up to this point, it still has it’s stress factor.  Most people seem to think I sit around doing nothing all day when I’m not in school.  I still haven’t found the time to get new tires for my car or take Scooter to get his nails and wings clipped.   I gave in a half ass job on a homework assignment Monday and approached the professor today, to ask if I can do it over.  Her response was, I don’t grade the homeworks but Pearl, if you did a half ass job, then you lose out on the information you need to know. 

Boy, did she hit me between the eyes!  She’s absolutely right.  I did it carelessly and haphazardly.  But so is life.   There are those who will do things meticulously to impress others.  There are those who will do things meticulously to impress themselves.  Then there are those who just don’t do for anyone.  There’s a moral here but I don’t know what it is.

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