Has it really been that long?

I didn't realize how long it had been since I posted. That should tell you a little about how the past week has gone for me. The good new is that I'm finding more and more people in my field and talking about class work makes it easier to understand. The bad news is that my work schedule isn't letting up and it's been a little tough to finish my reading for the week, but I think I'll make it.

I'm not seeing much of my husband, but he's just as busy as I am. We're back to making dates to go out and get a bite to eat or go to a movie. But it's a balancing act to be sure. How do you make time to see him and spend quality time with the kids?

Right now, I'm making dinner for them, but I have class at 7 PM. He did a late dinner last night because I had a project to complete. I can't wait for Thursday at 6:30 PM. That means my second class has ended for the evening and I can take a little breather. For the first time I really understand the saying 'TGIF'!

It's Making a Little More Sense....

This is our third week of classes and with every class I feel a little better and a little worse. Better because I'm understanding what is needed to make this work; worse, because I'm understanding what is needed to make this work! I am so tired, I can't believe it. The fear of not understanding what the teachers want is abating, but when I think of what the future will bring when I'm taking three classes a week, with papers, massive readings and tests, I need a bag to breath into. In addition, my house is a mess. I know I shouldn't be anal about this, and I can't be if I'm to survive, but I hate a dirty house.

Through discussions in class, I'm getting to know my classmates a little better and we have a lot in common. Many of us are moms with children ranging from grade school to college. Many of us are in transition from the home to work, or from one profession to another. When I hear the stories of how some of these women came to the decision to go back to school, I certainly feel that my situation is not quite as desperate. After all, we're all shooting for a better financial and professional future. It takes a lot of guts to jump back into the fray, when many of us would feel more comfortable with what we were doing before.

TGIF

And I mean that! Second week of school, first week of work, whew!!! I get tired just thinking about it. I've never been so glad to see a three-day weekend in my life. How far away is Thanksgiving vacation?

If I don't make a date with my husband, I'll never see him again. I know it sounds silly, but we've drifted into a relationship of polite strangers living in the same house. The schedules have been so nuts lately, we're literally passing each other in the night. I think we'll try to have a kid-free dinner this weekend, and I'll do a big family lunch on Sunday. I'd like the kids to be able to sit down with us and talk.

Finding my sea legs....

Okay, I was one of only three geeks who completed all the reading for my Thursday night class. The professor then asked who got through about 80% of the reading and only four people raised their hands. I must be stuck in some time warp continuum from fourth grade, because I didn't know I had the option of not reading all five chapters I was assigned this past week.

Week two has been a little more enjoyable, if for no other reason that week one is over and I survived. This week was a little more easygoing, and having discussions with other class members makes it easier to relate to this material.

On the family front, it's been an exhausting week for us all. This year, my youngest is in the first grade and actually has homework which is being graded. She takes a spelling test each Friday, and she's done well, so far. In New Orleans, the children can take their report cards to Krispy Kreme and get free doughnuts for every 'A' or 'B'. That is her constant motivation. My older girls are doing well. The college girl started this week, but she'll have to decide if she really wants to take 19 hours! And unfortunately, the 16-year-old got one of those teachers who piles on the work just because she can. I never understand this kind of teacher. I wish they'd deal with their personal demons before they get to school. I don't need to know how tough this woman is, I just need her to teach my daughter a subject in school without driving us all crazy.

Settling In

Week two of classes has begun and the sheer hysteria and panic I felt has ebbed to managed sheer hysteria and panic. After reading five long chapters, outlining, reading and ordering books for the suggested reading, each day I wonder if I've taken on too much. I'll let you know after I've actually gotten a grade for something.

I started my second year with Americorps this week, as well. I'm working at a family literacy center. The primary lesson being taught to these mothers is that they are their children's' first teachers, and literacy should begin right after that trip down the birth canal. It's very inspiring to watch these young mothers struggling with adult education, some of them learning a new language. The children are on one side of the center with child care workers while their mothers are in class. Mid morning, they have what is called "PACT" time, parent and child time, where they sing and read. Now today this was mostly accomplished while two or three children were screaming so loudly they could have wakened dead vampires from almost any crypt in New Orleans. But somehow, I think they appreciated the reading of "Brown Bear, Brown Bear".

I'm reading, and reading, and reading......

I didn't know what to expect of course, but I knew the reading would be extensive and I was right. For the past year or so, my brother, who just retired from the Marines, has been pursuing a Masters in Business Management. His constant lament is about the amount of reading he has to do. Those first couple of days I was completely overwhelmed, asking myself what I had gotten myself into and how could I manage these courses, maintain at least a 'B' average, work and occasionally pay some attention to my family. Oh, did I forget to mention that my brother and I have been working in my bathroom this entire week? Once the bathroom is complete, that will be a big load off my mind and my work schedule. Maybe I've got a little OCD about a perfect surrounding before I can accomplish something else. I'm sure to find this out if I make it past the first semester.

The Second Day

I barely made it to my 4:30 class because I had to pick up my daughter at 3:45. I basically dropped her off, watched her walk into the house and drove off. (Of course I called her when I got to class to make sure she was all right.) Once again, our class was a little too large and was split into two.

This class is about cultural diversity in counseling and our professor warned us it would be a 'button pusher', as did the writers of the textbook. Amusingly, he observed that white men usually taught these courses and he couldn't figure out why. His syllabus was very interesting and gave us a variety of ways to earn points towards our grade, including blogging about movies and restaurants of other cultures.

The number of assignments does not particularly worry me, but the amount of reading and additional reading does. I'm going to have to schedule my time carefully to make sure I get it all done. At present, I have five chapters to read by next week's classes. Since I'm a visual and kinesthetic learner, this will probably mean meticulously outlining each chapter so that I get the most out of the reading, but I've read that listening to music while studying helps.