I am considering blogging about being an online learner. I realized today why on the first day the instructor clearly goes over the syllabus. I went in to take my first proctored exam, and did not even think twice about using my notes. This is even after the proctor asked “are you sure you can use your notes?” Because we were given one hour and twenty minutes for 40 questions and 6 essays after our weekly quizzes were 30 mins for 10 questions and 2 essays and were open notes I thought absolutely open notes. I am actually thinking the proctor should have stopped me. She never made it clear I could not use them. This was so out of character for me, I was totally embarrassed.

Read your syllabus entirely on the first day of class!

Gah! Seriously? Impossible! Yet another discouraging week, I can hardly believe it. Meetings popping up at work, kids getting sick, one car working… blah, blah, blah! And yet, I need to remind myself to just take a breath and try to get one thing done. Get one more thing done, and then another, and then another. It would be nice to have many more ‘anothers’ crossed off my list by now (!), but I am where I am and can only move forward. I am reminded that, even though my personal situation is stressful enough for me, it could be challenging in other ways:

My friend’s daughter is in London, going to school and planning to stay there permanently. However, she recently came upon certain enlightenments that could cause her to lose her student visa, set her back in school, and ultimately curb her chances of successfully getting back into the field she already has a foot in when she returned. Within 2 days, she had to meet with school officials, gather information, come up with a business plan to submit, and sit and wait… She finds out this week if it will work out, or if she is back in the states next month. She has built a life there while going to school as she has always known she wanted to be where she is, and she has been successful in her studies. I am even waiting impatiently because my friend is SO ANXIOUS to hear what is going to happen!

So, reminder for me is that I could be feeling much more dire than simply frustrated, and that I need to keep trying solutions until I find something that works. It will happen, even in week 5 and beyond 🙂

…an epic fail! Not only was I unable to meet my goal of getting on a particular subject early, but I was unable to even keep the same pace I have been the past 3 weeks! I am utterly behind in every class this week, plus my computer was being snarky and I was unable to get onto the blog site (until now, on another computer). I realize about myself that it is important to be flexible with goals because I tend to over-focus and become obsessed with meeting them and then some, but this is ridiculous. Could be a good thing, except that if I get tripped up somehow, it all comes crashing to a halt. Regardless, I’m really not sure what happened this week. I mean, life got in the way, there is a lot going on of course, but usually I am only behind in the one class I set the goal for! Oh well, movin’ on through and will try again next week!

This class has been interesting as I try to catch up because I started at the end of week two. Trying to balance the elements of a good study ritual while rushing to complete projects as soon as I can has been interesting;  knowing the classes will only be getting more difficult.  working three days a week, being a dad, while taking four classes can be taxing. As I run though the projects of each of my classes I try to keep what I am learning in this class in mind. Setting up adequate times for each of my classes is what has been most difficult. I am doing Trigonometry and blogging while my daughter watches Winnie the Pooh.

As hard as I try, it is inevitable that something I write will be misinterpreted. That is one downside to all of the online communication. And I have always been a re-reader of everything (even texts) because I want it to come across as accurately as possible. I recently posted a thread in one of my classes that was dripping with sarcasm (towards an article, not directed at anyone in the class) and also had what was supposed to be my disclaimer paragraph that stated outright what I was really saying. Nope. I was actually surprised that I was taken to be so uneducated and negative towards the topic, considering how much dialogue I’ve had in previous threads.

Lesson to be learned: Try not to be so sarcastic!

OK, so I haven’t lost my enthusiasm completely, but I am having a really, really hard time with my math class! Aaargh! I’m hoping this week’s goal-setting will help me look at it less overwhelmingly. Math and I have just not ever been tight. It’s like West Side Story without the love. My childhood desk had dents in its top from me stabbing it with a pencil out of frustration. This is just review review and it shouldn’t be this hard! I completely feel like my brain shuts down and like I’m in high school again (although I actually don’t recall it being this difficult the first time around…). So, trying to utilize resources and not start what-if-ing my way into frustration. (Tremendous exhale) Happy thoughts and thanks for listening!

Folks, this is my first blog entry ever.  Things have been crazy these past 2 weeks. For now,  I would just like to say that, as difficult as the past 2 weeks have been in terms of time-management and juggling of the many hats and responsibilities, I’m still thrilled to be here. I have to admit that I did overestimate myself in choosing to jump right into the first term with a full credit load after a 10-year hiatus – 2 classes, rather than 4, would definitely have been a better place to start. But I’m entirely committed at this point and refuse to turn back now.

The learning styles inventories and assesments of the last week have definitely been insightful, and have really helped me to focus on developing  some strategies for effectively and efficiently using my time.  I look forward to developing those tools further.