The new schedule for spring classes came out this week, and I think I have my classes picked out. I'm trying to decide if I should take two classes or three. I go through this almost every semester, and usually someone has to remind me that three classes and full time work is probably not the best way to spend 16 weeks. So, I will pick my two and have the third as a back-up in case I don't get one of my other two. In the hierarchy of registration at UWM, juniors get to register fourth. Even the freshmen get to register before the juniors, but at least we are not sophomores who are last. And they would be fifth to register. And, of course, we need to let the student athletes register first because we wouldn't want THEM missing out on their classes, now would we??? They are right up there with the Honors College students. Yeah, that's a good comparison. But, after the spring semester, I will be a senior and will get to register, second. Always nice to know where you stand in the college world.
I also hope that this will be my last semester that's ever taught by a graduate student. My math stats class is taught by a very nice person, but English is not her first language (Chinese is), and she is not going to be a teacher, but has to teach this class for some reason for her graduate work. So, I have no doubt she is brilliant in the world of mathematics, but she really needs a lesson on how to teach. And, maybe work a bit on her English. Teaching (and learning) math is a difficult process for most of us, and it really helps if you can understand the person teaching it. Like I said, she is very nice and I have no doubt she is brilliant, but I can't translate and understand stats in the same thought. I am not brilliant, so doing those two things at once leaves me several beats behind what she is teaching. Or missing a critical point to a formula. The book is better, and I've been able to figure it out so far, but I resent having to pay my full tuition and getting a graduate student teacher. I realize and understand that this is how large Universities work, and how future teachers get trained, but why don't I get a discount then? If I go see a nurse practitioner or a medical assistant instead of my regular MD doctor, the office charge is different and usually less. And, because I feel that I am teaching myself a large portion of this class, it makes handing over the money even more irritating. I am doing well in the class, after figuring out how the semester was going to unfold, so I'm not so upset as to actually do anything about it. Besides, what would it gain? There is no way this practice is going to change. I would just make myself even more angry and irritated at a system that has evolved into an untouchable topic and would be labeled trouble-maker in the process. I think it would be worse if I had more freshman/sophomore classes to take, but as of the spring semester, I only need my major classes and I believe those will be taught by full professors. At least my grammar class is.
However, I came to the realization that I really miss Sheboygan. Had I taken this math stats class there, I would have been taught by a professor and not a graduate student. But, that goes back to getting the bad advice from the UWM adviser and needing to take two semesters of Spanish. I would have made different choices had I been given the advice I should have been given. But, Scott tells me I have to stop obsessing about this and move on. He's right, but when the consequences of an action come to fruition, it is very hard not to be a bit obsessed about the results. What happens if I fail math stats? I will need to repeat the class, but I would never be able to shake the thought that had I taken it at Sheboygan, I wouldn't have failed it because the PROFESSOR teaching it would be an actual teacher and not some grad student teaching because they need to fulfill a requirement. Because the professor would have chosen the teaching path, and after several years of experience, would know exactly what works and what doesn't. Unlike my current grad student who gives six point "quizzes" at the end of a chapter that have the weight of a full test that's worth 100 points. Yeah, there's a whole new level of test anxiety to deal with. And when explaining a difficult concept (that's easy for her, though) tells us to "just come to my office hours if you have questions" and moves on to the next topic whether or not we have questions. Her office hours are Friday 9 to 12 and if you work Fridays from oh, say, 7:30am to 5:00pm, it's a bit difficult to go to her office hours.
The school has an unfriendly feel to it too. Now, keep in mind that I've worked in this area for over 20 years before Columbia merged and moved and my office moved to the River Woods campus in Glendale. I've been on UWM's campus at various times over the years, and I've never really felt this before. I'm not sure what it is, and I can't quite put my finger on it, but the school has a much different feel to it. I'm also a graduate of the Downtown MATC campus, and that wasn't nearly as off-putting as UWM. I think it may have more to do with my age than anything else, but in both my stats class and my grammar class, there is at least one other student who is older than I am, so I don't think that's the whole explanation. I don't see nearly as many "non-traditional" students as I did at Sheboygan, but then again the student population is so much greater than at Sheboygan too. I am hoping that I will feel differently in a few semesters, but I actually thought about transferring yesterday. I'm not sure where I would go, and how that would fit into my work schedule, or even how much it would cost, but the thought was there, plain and simple.
There is one interesting thing I would like to pursue at UWM though. They have a student run organization in the Union that is the Arts and Crafts Center. It is a workshop area that has tools and supplies for many different areas of interest. It is one of the last open to the public darkrooms for traditional film photography, and they also run classes from beginning sewing to advanced metal smithing. When I went in there for my orientation tour, I had on my favorite silver and gold dragonscale bracelet. When the two students who were giving the tours saw it, they wanted to know if I would be interested in teaching chain maille classes. They don't have a chain maille teacher, and knew that at least the SCA group would probably be interested in learning techniques to make their own maille. I think if I can get involved in something, that might make a difference in the "feel" of the University. It is out of the question this semester because my schedule and effort put into math stats won't allow it, but next semester I might be able to swing it. The two academic classes I'm looking at would be once weekly classes and I'd be able to go back to my four, 9-hour day work week with a day off during the week. I believe it would give me time for both study and to teach a beginner maille class. They also have metal smithing classes that I'd be interested in taking, as that area of study has great appeal to me. I'd love to learn how to solder and to make metal pieces that are not chain maille. I could take actual classes, but I would need prereqs and have to pay huge amounts of tuition for the same knowledge I could learn though a non-credit class. For A LOT less. Hmmm, maybe that's my plan for next semester.
So, those are my student life issues at the beginning of week 10. I'm doing well, and am happy with my mid term grades, so I'm gaining some confidence that I might just pass stats on the first swing through. I know I should have more confidence in myself than what that last sentence implies, but I really don't. Not when it comes to math. Although I do feel more confident in math than I do in Spanish, so I guess there's always a bigger fish. One of my favorite experiences at Sheboygan was after graduation. Prof Walkenhorst saw my friends and family in the parking lot and came up to introduce himself and to congratulate me. When I introduced my group, he, in all sincerity, tried to convince my husband and my best friend to convince me to go into math as a major. He taught both my Algebra 105 and 110 classes, and I got A's for both. His style of teaching is very precise and methodical, as a math course should be. I understood him completely after a class, except for logarithms and no one wants to discuss those. Logarithms are the verbs of the math world. In any case, it was incredibly heady to hear that someone thought I should major in math, and I cling to that whenever I feel overwhelmed in stats. To this day, my friend Jill tries to convince me to be an actuary. Yeah, four semesters of calculus and untold other math classes I can't even pronounce their names. Maybe if I was 20 years younger, but this brain of mine isn't going to learn yet another language.
So, with that, it is time to study for my grammar test on Monday. I like this class. My professor makes a very dry and boring topic funny and interesting. She is also a story-teller and I really like that. My friend from work is taking this class with me, so it's fun to have that together. She is going to be a teacher, and is taking this class as her upper level English requirement. I am too, despite the Chair of the English dept questioning why I would want to take a grammar class. Given that I will (hopefully) be writing on a professional level for a company sometime in the future, I think it is probably important to know the difference between I am good and I am well. Now there's a new habit I have to break.
