Tag Archives: homework

Too Much Homework!

Posted on
by

Does anyone else feel the same way? The semester is nearing an end, so everything is beginning to come an end, and it’s pretty overwhelming. There is simply too much to do as you look at your semester agenda and realize that April and May both mean that a lot is due, and no matter how hard you try to stay on top and get it all done as soon as you possibly can, you find yourself frustrated because the amount is simply too high to successfully accomplish that. You get something done with ten other assignments still ahead of you. That’s how I feel, anyway.

I am doing a relatively good job, mind you. I got a great deal of work done over Spring Break, work that wasn’t due until April, but to help exemplify my point, I still did next to nothing this past weekend except a lot of homework. I worked most of my day yesterday (Saturday) and all of today so far, and I’m still not done. There are so many papers and so many reading assignments. It just gets so tiring.

On a good note, April is almost here, and while that does serve as foreboding for me in a sense (since it means summer is approaching, and I don’t want to not be here), it means that warm weather is on its way. I was expecting weather in the 50s and 60s already, since it’s near the end of March, but instead, the weather has been really cold, which has been kind of ridiculous. Ray and I still really have not explored the town on foot, and that’s something that we really want to do. I can’t wait to walk into town, just take a day to explore the town and visit shops, go see a movie, and so forth; that’s why I can’t wait until April. Also, April 13th will mark two years that we have been together.

Right now, I’m just trying to get through as much of this work as I possibly can while still enjoying myself. I can’t really say that it’s a challenge, because I do love being here, and I love this campus, but I am definitely ready for Spring. I do know of some crazies who love Winter, but I am not one of them (I am here, to make a long and repeated story short, because I didn’t have much of a choice, but don’t get me wrong – I love Oswego). I find Winter to be so exhausting and numbing, and I’m sick of it. Luckily, calendar-wise, it’s gone. I will be writing again soon.

Wow, Almost Over!

Posted on
by

As my religious readers know, I always write about my Practicum experience every week, but this past week, Syracuse City Schools had a half-day, so I was told that I didn’t need to go. This past weekend, I had so much fun. I watched a lot of NCIS with Ray and Saw VII with him on Saturday, which I absolutely loved. I felt that it tied everything up, and as an avid Saw fan ever since the first film was released during my freshman year of high school, I was very emotionally satisfied.

Anyway, though, moving on to more important matters, who can believe that the semester is actually very close to being over? We have about three weeks left until Thanksgiving Break, and then, when we get back to school from that, it will only be another three or so until Winter Break. Good news? Most definitely, but it has its downsides, too.

For example, I have a major Final Project to worry about for my English 360 class, one that I have not even had the chance to start thinking about yet, let alone actually start, and I believe that it is 25% of my grade. Am I worried? Definitely. On top of that, I have a Teacher Work Sample to complete for ADO 310, English Methods, which involves a unit’s worth of lesson plans, as well as five additional parts (one of which is complete, thanks to EDU 380).

It is just so difficult to believe how close to the end we are. This semester has (thankfully) flew by. It has been very rough on me, with a ridiculous amount of work that needs to be completed on a daily basis, and I have very little time to myself. I am so looking forward to Winter Break, which will be a much needed break. Friday, I will be going to Practicum, and (I believe) next week, I have to teach a lesson to the students, so I met with the other Practicum Students who have the same Host Teacher that I do and will be meeting with them again on Thursday night. I will be writing again soon.

Crazy Week, but All Will Be Good

Posted on
by

So, the first week of the semester has been pretty crazy, to say the least. Although I don’t want to get into it on here for multiple reasons, my roommate did something on Monday night that made me incredibly uncomfortable, and it was, in fact, so bad that I gave three different reports, one to an R.A., one to the Waterbury Hall Director, and one to a pair of UP Officers, and I moved out of Waterbury. It was very sad, because I loved Waterbury, and I will miss it very, very much. It was a comfortable home for me for my entire sophomore year, a place where I shared a great deal of good times with friends, and I hated having to leave it. I can’t, however, live where he is going to be, so I am living in Mackin now.

So far, I really like Mackin now. My new roommate is really nice, and I like him. I definitely think that this year is going to be pretty good, and I’m looking forward to it, more or less, despite the fact that I am clearly going to be bombarded with work. There is, as always, so much reading, so much writing that has to be done this semester, and looking at all of my syllabi makes me feel so overwhelmed. However, I know that I can do it, and I’m going to do it with flying colors. Last semester, I managed a very good GPA, and I want to do even better this semester. I benefit greatly from taking all Education and English courses, though, because I feel very motivated. I will definitely be writing frequently throughout the semester, updating everyone on how the semester is going.

Upcoming Visit from a Friend

Posted on
by

I know as a fact that I have said this before, but sometimes, college really does drive me crazy. There really is no such thing as a break. Over Spring Break, I did almost nothing but homework, because I had so much that it took me just about the whole week to do it, and on weekends, that’s what I’m doing: homework, so there really isn’t any end to it. This past weekend, I did almost nothing but work all of Saturday and Sunday, and I still didn’t even get everything done. I have some work left to do.

The reason that I am now suddenly complaining about it is because for once in my entire college career, all I want is a relaxing week. I have a really good friend in California (he is, in fact, one of my best friends), and he is coming to visit me this Thursday. He will be staying a total of eleven days, and I am so excited. We have been friends for almost two years now but have yet to meet in person, and now, we finally will be.

Some may wonder why I didn’t plan this for the summer so that we really could enjoy ourselves and have a good time without me having to worry about school work, but the reason that we didn’t plan for the summer is simple. We tried to do that last year, and my mother wouldn’t allow it. She said that she didn’t know Fady (that’s his name) so she couldn’t allow him to be in her house, especially since she had two kids to worry about.

So, we therefore had to plan it for a time that I would be in college. This was the only time to do that. I thought that I had more than just Good Friday off for Easter; I could have sworn that I had a bit of a mini-break, but no, I only have Good Friday off, so we planned it for April. We couldn’t plan for Christmas Break or Spring Break, because you have to go home, and he can’t go home with me.

I even tried again this time. Obviously, this weekend is Easter, so my mom kept asking me if I was coming home for Easter, and every time that I said no, probably not, she would ask me why, so just recently, I decided to tell her about my plans, and to make a long story short, she said that she would talk to my dad about letting Fady come home with me for Easter. What ended up happening, though, is that my dad said that since Fady is a minor, he and my mom could get into trouble for keeping him at the house since he is not supposed to leave home, and he warned me that I, too, could get into trouble for keeping him here.

Now, whenever I tell someone this, they feel the need to tell me that my father is wrong because of A, B and C, and you don’t need to tell me, because I know. My parents have this implicit philosophy that kids don’t have any rights, that they are not allowed to stand up for themselves when they truly are being treated unfairly, because it is the duty of the child to bow down to his or her parents’ commands, now matter how ridiculous. Needless to say, it is not a philosophy that we share.

With that being said, anyway, it would be expected that they would say this. Fady is a seventeen, so they don’t think that he has any right to leave home. Obviously, he is not leaving home permanently; he is merely visiting a friend. Also, he is not leaving without parental permission. His mother knows that he is going, and she knows where he is going. In fact, she is giving him $300 and is even driving him to the airport to see him off. I tried explaining this to my dad last night, but he wouldn’t listen to me. He told me that none of that matters, because it isn’t going to fly if his mother tries to claim that he ran away from home.

Of course, she bought the plane ticket, so it’s in her name, but my dad simply isn’t going to listen to logic. Both of my parents are like that. Once their minds are set on something, it doesn’t matter how hard you work to debunk it with logic, they’re simply not going to listen. Additionally, my mother is very racist; she always has been, for as long as I can remember, so when I told her what Fady’s name is, she asked me what his ethnicity is (although she didn’t say it like that; that’s too big of a word for my mother), and when I told her that he is Middle-Eastern, she didn’t say anything explicitly, but I could tell by her “uh-huh” that she was passing judgment.

As a perfect example, I remember once, quite a few years ago, when my brother had a friend over, and his friend was white, but he had an adopted little brother that was black. My brother was much younger at the time, so his friend (whose name was Paul) stayed for a couple of hours with his mother and with his little brother, and my mother wasn’t home at the time. During the visit, the little boy (who couldn’t have been any older than three) was thirsty and wanted a drink, so we gave him something, and when my mother found out, she said (forgive the bluntness), “You let a little nigger baby drink out of our cups?!” She was appalled that we would do such a thing. Like I said, she’s very racist.
Anyway, though, the point is that most likely, Fady will be staying with me here at Oz even through Easter, and I just hope that he will be able to do that. I haven’t talked with anyone at the front desk of Waterbury yet to find out if there is a limit to how long a guest can stay. Fady will be staying for a ten days, from the first of April to the eleventh, and we can’t rearrange that; it’s too late, so I’m a little nervous. However, my roommate is a Desk Attendant, so he can probably give me the answers that I need. I just don’t know what to do if he can’t stay here, because he has nowhere else to go.

Plus, I am a little worried about money. I’m not 100% sure, but I think that it costs, like, $7.00 to get into the Dining Hall if you’re not a student, and he’s only bringing $300. That is about $14 a day (assuming that we only eat two meals a day) over a ten-day period, which means that at the very minimum, $140 will go to meals, which leaves $160 for trips to the movies, shopping, etc., which may seem like a lot, but if you think about it, it really isn’t. Plus, like I said, that $140 is assuming that we only eat two meals a day; no breakfast or late-night. I’m sure that we’ll work something out, though. I am really excited about this. Like I said, we have been friends for almost two years now, and we still have not had the chance to meet in person, so this will be great. I’ll let everyone know how it turns out.

Good Semester

Posted on
by

So, the disc came today, for which I am really thankful. Basically, if you didn’t read my last entry, I talked about how I have been experiencing problem after problem with my computer but how luckily, my mom sent me a Windows Vista Installation Disc yesterday. It thankfully arrived today, so for now, my computer is fixed. It makes me happy, because it has been stressing me down for well over a week now. Anyway, as promised, I would like to discuss how my classes are going so far.
I really feel like I am having a great semester. As I’ve said before, I feel like I am finally taking classes that I am interested in, that I want to be taking, and my mind is therefore a lot more engaged than it has ever been. I absolutely love my Lit class, and I love my EDU class, both of which are classes that I need to teach. With those classes, I am required to be placed into a Practicum, but I still have not been placed. Luckily, I am not the only one, since a lot of other students have not been placed, either.
I do have my worries. I don’t have a car, and I don‘t foresee myself having a car any time soon, either. I simply don’t have the money, and my parents won’t help. My placement will most likely either be right in Syracuse or in the Syracuse area, which is a good forty-five minutes away, so I have to worry about a ride. My EDU 301 professor said that I don’t need to worry, because when I do get placed, I am to tell her so she can share with my class as well as her other classes what day and time I have so that she can try to find me a ride. “No one should go without a ride,” she said, with which I agree.
My EDU class is an hour and twenty minutes long, but I find that the time goes by rather quickly. It’s a discussion class, and it’s actually a lot of fun. I like the way that the class is situated. It doesn’t resemble a lecture class in any way, shape or form. Desks are not lined up in columns facing the teacher, and I’m sure that you’ve had classes like that; I know that I have. Instead, we are all seated circularly, so that speaking to one another and making eye contact while doing so is easy. I feel very safe and comfortable in that class to express my opinions and say what I want to say, and the professor is a lot of fun.
My English class isn’t too bad, either. As I said before, I am reading Moll Flanders, which, to say the least, is tedious, as I have also said before. Next is Clotel, which probably isn’t going to be much better. Who knows, though? In eleventh grade, I read 1984, and although it was slow, I initially didn’t think that I was going to like it very much. Now, that is one of my favorite books of all time, so I shouldn’t pass any judgment just yet, I suppose.
Then, there’s my Creative Writing class. I really like the class, but there seem to be so many rules. I don’t understand how there can be so many rules to writing creatively, because the key word is “creatively.” Different people write differently, and I don’t think that there should be any rules to how you open a short story, for example, but apparently, there are, and what it has effectively done is make me feel like everything that I have ever written up until now is amateur, which I guess it is. I mean, I am not a professional writer, but take S.E. Hinton, for instance. She couldn’t have taken any college courses on how to write, since The Outsiders (a classic) was published when she was a teenager. Some people are just good writers innately. However, as I said, for the most part, I really feel like I am enjoying this semester, despite the heavy workload.

Stressful Week

Posted on
by

So, I have some good news. I am officially an employee of the Office of Learning Services. I will be tutoring for English 271, which is really good. I could really use the extra money, even though I already have one job. Last semester, I took English 271, and it wasn’t long before I realized that I’d really like to tutor for the class. English grammar is something that comes naturally to me, and the class was an easy A. I’m really glad, however, that I took it, because I’m really happy to now be able to tutor for it. My plan is to contact Michael Murphy, the professor who teaches the class, but if you’re reading this and you take English 271, then go to http://www.oswego.edu/ols if you think that you might need a tutor. There, I believe that you can fill out an application to be appointed a tutor.

Anyway, there was a minor incident today that has unfortunately kind of ruined my weekend, one that I don’t really want to get into. I am trying to make the best of it, though. It’s not anything really serious; I mean, it’s not like anyone died or anything like that. I just feel “stabbed in the back” by someone who is supposed to be my friend, and the worst part is that when I mentioned it to him, attempting to talk about it, he said something that kind of made it look like I was the one who was being ridiculous. I’m not going to get into it with any more detail, though, primarily because it is unimportant. This entire past week has been incredibly stressful.

For starters, my computer broke, and for quite a while, whether or not I would have a computer between now and March (when I’m going home for Spring Break) when I could have it fixed was up in the air. This happened on Monday, and what ended up happening is that today (as in Friday), my mom came up to Oswego to bring me the laptop from home and take mine so that she could take it somewhere to get it fixed. They apparently told her that it’s going to take a couple of days and is going to cost $150, which is ridiculous. There’s no way that it costs $150 worth of labor or equipment to get rid of a virus from a computer, but all the same, I am really thankful for my mother doing what she did. I don’t know how I’d survive without my computer, and I haven’t. Anyway, I am sure that all of the stress built up this past week had a great deal to do with how I reacted to what happened to me today, and I am hoping that the issue can be resolved, but for now, I am thinking that this is about all that I wanted to write about this time around. I am sure that I’ll be writing again soon.

Some Random Thoughts

Posted on
by

Sometimes, I wonder if maybe I post entries that are somewhat too personal. I mean, my understanding is that the purpose is to share college-related experiences that will maybe help high school students considering SUNY Oswego understand what life here is like, and sometimes, I share very personal stories, and maybe that isn’t appropriate; I don’t know. I do the best that I can to connect everything to my life here at Oswego, so hopefully, I am doing that successfully. I do, however, remember one blogger last semester suggesting that we do branch out a bit and talk about life experiences and such, so hopefully, I am still staying in the realm of what is appropriate.

Anyway, life has been pretty good lately. My friend David, who did live in Scales after transferring here just this semester, is now living in Waterbury with me. He moved in today, as in Tuesday. Additionally, I am really beginning to warm up to my EDU class. Today, we initiated our first discussion, and it was really interesting to discuss what we can do to make a difference in the school setting. Friday, I have to go to Sheldon at 11:30 to have a day and time set up for my Practicum, and I am feeling pretty bittersweet about that.

I am very happy to finally be taking part in courses pertaining to my major, courses that I actually want to be taking, but at the same time, it is so much work, and it is not that I am not disciplined. It could very well be that I am just taking too much work on myself. I will have that lengthy Practicum once a week, I have a Workstudy job, and additionally, I am hoping to tutor for English 271 this semester. Needless to say, it’s a packed semester with not a lot of time to myself, and that is my point. I am disciplined, and I do like staying busy, but also, I like having time to relax, and it seems like I don’t get very much time to relax; I don’t even get a little.

If you are indeed a high school student reading this and you’re considering SUNY Oswego as a possibility, please don’t let anything that I am saying to you dissuade you. I love college; I really do. No matter where you go to school, you’re going to get a lot of work, especially when you start getting heavy into your major. It’s simply part of the college experience, and it’s your job to find ways to balance that. For example, I have no issue balancing the life of a college student with a social life. I often do homework with friends and such. It’s really not that difficult. At the same time, however, you need to refrain from having too much fun if the amount of school work doesn’t allow it. Your education needs to be your top priority, and that kind of attitude is the only kind of attitude that is going to bring you success as a college student. If you don’t take it seriously, then your grades are going to reflect that, and that’s really all grades are; they are a reflection of how much you care.

For the past couple of days, I have been writing a lot. I like to write poetry. It really isn’t anything spectacular in my opinion, but it is something that I enjoy doing. It first allows me to unleash emotions and therefore feel them to the greatest extent and then allows me to free them. It’s incredible, and within the past couple of days, I think that I have written about five poems. Some are really short while others are a bit longer. It all depends on how much that I have to say. I bought a small-sized notebook at the campus store yesterday so that I would have something to write in if something spontaneous ever pops up, which does sometimes happen. I can, in fact, recall one called “Jet Engine” that I wrote while I was in a History class. Sometimes, I just get a spontaneous urge to write.

I feel like I am starting to get sick, but that isn’t really any surprise. With this spontaneous, unpredictable weather, it would be hard not to get sick. It seems like a good majority of my residence hall is sick. Anyway, as fellow LOST fans will know, the season premiere was on tonight, and this is an epic time for LOST fans, since this is the final season. The journey is almost over, and that is definitely sad. It’s too bad that the show has to be ending, but at the same time, every good story must come to an end. My two favorite shows on television right now are LOST and Fringe, and I can’t wait until Thursday. The final episode of Fringe before the spring hiatus will air, and I cannot wait for this episode. It looks like finally, the story is returning to the Cortexiphan arc of the mythology, and fellow Fringe fans will know what I am talking about. Anyway, I am sure that I will be writing again soon, but in the meantime, talk to you soon.

Off to a Great Start

Posted on
by

So far, this semester couldn’t be any better. As some of you may know due to my entries written during Winter Break and even before, my friend David is here, and that has been a lot of fun. He is just an all-around fun person to be with. In addition, I think that my classes are going pretty well. This semester, I am taking Lit 396, EDU 301, EDU 303, CWR 206 and English 265. It feels so good to finally be taking courses that I actually want to be taking, courses in which I am engaged.

My EDU 301 course is going to involve a lot of work. I have so much reading to do and response papers to write. Plus, I haven’t even been assigned to Practicum yet. When that happens, I am going to have even less time, and at this point, I have no ride, because I have no car. However, my EDU 301 professor says that no one is going to go without a ride, so she will gladly assist in finding transportation for those who need it.

This is the way that I look at it, though. Sure, this semester is not going to be easy; it is, in fact, going to be difficult, but I still think that my grades are going to be halfway decent. This semester will challenge me. In fact, it already is challenging me, but this is the kind of challenge for which I am up. Again, my mind is engaged in what I am reading and what I am doing. I would rather have a difficult semester due to a work overload than have one due to classes with which I am struggling to comprehend, such as math and science.

All I can do is thank heaven that I am not taking any math or science. I am all done with math, but I still need to take a level 300 Science course, which I don’t think that I can do until at least next semester, anyway. I guess that my senior year will be the only year during which I will only be taking courses that I want to be taking. Really, the only thing that I am doing this semester in which my mind isn’t really engaged is a novel that I am reading for English 265 called Moll Flanders, a novel that I believe was first published in 1722. It’s very slow so far and rather event-less, not to mention the fact that the language is very difficult.

Friday, I have my meeting to be signed up for a day and time for my Practicum, and so, I’ll keep everyone updated on how that goes. I think that it’s ridiculous that students are responsible for finding their own transportation. I think that some sort of busing should be available. Not everyone has cars here. In fact, a very small ratio of people that I know here have cars here. Anyway, it is getting late, and I am rather exhausted, so I am on my way to bed. I’ll write again soon.

The End

Posted on
by

It’s so difficult for me to believe that the semester is so close to the end. I am not, by any means, complaining, because, trust me, I really need this upcoming break, as I’m sure that a lot of us do. If you recall, I was complaining a lot not too long ago about having so much homework and, primarily, about not doing very well in my Biology class. I still don’t think that I am going to pass Biology with flying colors, not by any means (I’d be excessively lucky if I get a C), but I am at least hopeful now that I will pass. Obviously, I really need to pass it, and I don’t want to have to take any more science than I already have to.

Again, however, the semester is so unbelievably close to the end, and I can’t believe it. This is the last full week of classes, then next week is finals, and then, we go home for winter break. This semester has gone by so quickly, and I know that it always feels that way, but this semester seems as if it went by extraordinarily quickly. I’m not sure why, but I can say that for the most part, apart from my dreadful Biology class, this semester has gone very well, and so, maybe that’s why it has gone by so quickly. Last semester (as in spring ’09) did not go very well, and that seems as if it went by a lot slower than this one.

This semester, I have taken English 304, English 271, Psychology 100, History 102 and Biology 203. Some of you may be wondering why it is that I would have chosen to take a 200 level Biology class when I am clearly not a good science student, but the reason is because when I looked at the course description, it looked as if it would have been an incredibly easy course. Not only that, but the 100 level course involves a lab, which is obviously something that didn’t interest me in the slightest. Anyway, apart from Biology, I would say that my classes have gone fairly well, and again, apart from Biology, I am certain that I am going to do very well this semester.

I am looking forward to an A or a B in my English 304 class. I am definitely going to get an A in my English 271 class, because my lowest grade thus far has been a 95, and there’s only one exam remaining. History is relatively easy. I have not seen any of my grades yet save the paper that I wrote (which I got an 89 on) to be honest, but again, I remain confident. Psychology is course that I might not get a B in. It would be nice, but I think that I am looking at a grade that is closer to a C or a C+. I fully understand the material, so don’t get me wrong, but the tests are very difficult. I think that I have been working very hard, however, and like I said, besides Biology (which I am hopeful that I will pass), this has been a fairly decent semester.

Happy Halloween!

Posted on
by

Well, I’m finally starting to feel a little bit better, and needless to say, this past week has not been easy. All of a sudden, all of the work that I need to do is going to hit me like a ton of bricks right in the face, and that will be a wonderful feeling, and I also have to worry about whether or not my professors are going to be merciful in excusing my absences. As I said before, though, there was no way I could have made it to class if I wanted to. I could barely think let alone even walk, and I certainly couldn’t talk. I’m still not all the way there yet, but I sure do feel a lot better than I did last night. I’m not sure what caused the sudden transformation; I guess that I’m just thankfully starting to get over it, thankfully.

On a much happier note, however, today is Halloween, which is always exciting. Of course, it would be a lot more exciting if the weather wasn’t so lousy. I don’t mind it being cloudy, because that helps set the mood, but it’s raining, and it’s also rather chilly, both being reasons why I’m hesitant to go anywhere tonight. I have a group of friends that want me to go trick-or-treating, which sounds like fun, but first of all, as I said, I really don’t want to go out in the cold, and second of all, what would I do with all of that candy? I’m certainly not going to eat all of it. I have a couple of other friends who are going to a friend’s comedy show at the campus center, and I kind of want to go to that, because something tells me that on Halloween night, they’re going to be starving for an audience, so that might end up being what I do, but half of me is tempted to dress up for it, because otherwise, my Lady Gaga costume is going to kind of go to waste.

I’m kind of randomly ranting from one topic to another, but I guess right now, more than anything, I am nervous about my professors. One of them sent me an email and seemed very understanding, telling me not to come back until I felt better (I plan fully on returning to classes on Monday since I foresee myself making a full recovery by then), but I have one who didn’t answer me at all, and he’s the one that I’m kind of worried about. I did receive a message from someone, though, that if I go to the Point, they might be able to help me out, so I may just have to do that. It seems to me like if you’re so sick that you don’t even want to eat, then you shouldn’t be expected to attend classes, especially since that just increases your chances of spreading it and also especially since if you can’t even think, you’re not going to be learning anything anyway. More than anything, all I did, all I wanted to do, was sleep.

Returning to the trick-or-treating idea, however, I was told today that cops will be clearing the streets at 9 p.m., which is another reason why I don’t think it would be all that much fun, anyway, even if I was feeling okay. I’m sorry, but that’s so ridiculous. I understand the fact that they don’t want kids out late at night, drunk and likely to hurt either someone else or themselves and that they don’t want kids out wreaking havoc, but 9 p.m. seems a little strict to me. At least make it 11 p.m. I mean, essentially, I say “kids,” but we really aren’t; as college students, we are adults, and ultimately, we have the right to be out. Something tells me, however, that they’re just going to be sending people home who look like they’re either drunk or up to no good, because what if it’s just a group of people going to the movies or going to the store to pick up something? What if whoever they see isn’t even a college student? How would you go about making that determination? Like I said, it just seems ridiculous to me. I guess that’s about it, though. I hope that everyone has a fun but safe Halloween!