An update! Finally!

This could be lengthy...

First of all, I hate spending money. I had to buy MORE school related things this morning. For those interested, I bought BOOKS. FIVE books. And none were used so I payed full price. *whines* The only compensation is that Kait might buy some of them off me. And anyone else who wants to buy the books from me when I'm done with them, the titles are:

Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume
Discourse on Method, Third Edition by Rene Descartes
The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russel (New Introduction by John Perry)
The Five Dialogues, Second Edition by Plato
The Myth of Sisyphus (and other essays) by Camus (AND I JUST DISCOVERED I COULD HAVE SAVED SOME BY GETTING IT ON HALF.COM!!! NOOOO!!!)

Also I bought a very cool Math manipulatives kit. I am very excited about it. There are overhead cuisinaire things for geometric shapes, cuisinaire rods, and LOTS of other stuff. I can't wait to use it.

Alright, about school:

My first class (Integrated Language Arts) Monday night was canceled because the grad students didn't show up. It's a mixed grad/undergrad class. So Dr A canceled it, which means we have to teach our lesson during finals week.

I have Children's Literature this semester. I LOVE IT. I like Mrs Minto too. I got way too excited reading the textbook because it mentioned all the books I love. I realized I haven't let go yet -- I still read almost only children's books when I want to read a good book. Hehe. We had to list our top 10 favorites and people were struggling to come up with 5. I had 17. Hehe. I'm very sad because all my wonderful books are back home. Anyway, we have a lot to do in that class, but it looks really fun. One project we have year round is very interesting but I'm not going to tell you about it because it might involve you and that would ruin the fun.

I have physical fitness for half a semester. Mrs Hui is funny. I forgot she had such a good memory and knew exactly who I was. She called on me in the middle of class and I was just staring at her for a while trying to think of what to say. With a school this small, the professors get to know and remember the upperclassmen. (The only reason Mrs Hui knows me is because I went to the Asian Sisters meetings... or at least one of them.) The first class, we watched a video on osteoperosis and were all inspired to drink milk. The next class, we ran or walked around the gym 13 times (to equal a mile) to the music of praise and worship and then veggie tales. Very interesting... We were supposed to walk briskly -- so I walked my usual pace. Haha!!! Then when I had to calculate the Vo2 or whatever it was, I was way off the chart. Sooo either I did something really wrong in my calculations, or I'm just amazingly in shape (which is probably not true). Mrs Hui didn't believe Karen and I walked one mile in 13 minutes. (I can walk uphill from Essex County College in 12, so....) Whatever.

I went to Lit and Arts 1 on Tuesday, and right after class, I dropped it. Tsk, tsk. It reminded me sooo much of my English Comp class. The professor who was teaching it was not the most amazing professor ever. She even started to say, "I'm running out of things to say..." She's an easy A, but I'd rather learn something and be interested than get an easy A. Well, before the long story, I must back up. Because Integrated Language Arts is a 2 credit course, it should not go for 3 hours. However, because it is a mixed grad/undergrad section, it is down in the computer system as a 3 credit course. Dr A said she'd let the undergrads out earlier than the grads. That meant I could take the night Lit and Arts class with Dr (Dr???) Mellon who is apparently very interesting. (Her sister is a freshman in my dorm -- their MKs from France.) BUT, Steve Schlenker wouldnt allow us to take it because the computer system shows an overlap. (STUPID STUPID COMPUTERS!!!) Dr A went in and tried to fight it, but Dr Schlenker couldn't do it. SO, fast forward to Tuesday. After the class that was positively awful, (Ben, who was in that well-remembered English class with me, said English was worse, but this was still pretty close... but then called me chicken for dropping it) I went to find Dr A who had just come out of her Teaching Math in the Elementary School class. I told her that Dr Schlenker didn't allow me to add the Lit and Arts night class and asked her if there was any other option. She told me about how she tried to fight for it and it didn't work. One option was to stay enrolled in her night Integrated Lang Arts class but go to her morning one, which would get around the computer system. However, I have a class at that time. So... that was not an option. The other option was to stay in the Lit and Arts class and go to the night class. However, it is usually not a problem if it's the professor, but this time it's two different professors. (Did I lose you yet?) Anyway, to make a long story short, Dr A suggested I drop Lit and Arts, take it next semester and try to get into a different class, and in place, take Teaching Math in the Elementary School. So, then I had to buy another book. I bid for it on Ebay and got it for cheaper than 100 so that was good. At least with my education books, although very pricey, they sometimes go for two classes, and they also are books I'd want to hang out to all throughout teaching. The math book is very interesting and Dr A's classes are always so fun.

So about this math class. We're learning how to teach reform math which is different than the traditional math. It's a lot of why math works and has to do with much hands-on and discovery. If I had been taught this way, I would know sooo much more and I would actually understand it! And it's actually kinda fun. That is why I liked Math Concepts -- it wasn't until college that I realized why I was doing what I was doing. Dr A of course makes the class extremely fun. We had to use slates in class last time. Yaaay! Slates! Her first class involved gold fish and everyone got to eat them in the end. (Unfortunately I was sitting in the Lit and Arts class at that time.) I was actually wait-listed for this math course, but when Dr A rescued me, she forced me into her class above the other wait-listed ones. When I went to the registrar's office to add it, the person doing it didn't want to because I was waitlisted, but Dr Schlenker came in and told her that Dr A is the head of something and "if Dianne said force her in, force her in!"

Ok, so that is why I have a very cool manipulatives kit. I'm very excited to teach... and after day care, I can imagine my day care kids into everything, rather than guessing. I think I'll probably be doing some lesson experimenting on them this semester... =) Too bad the kindergarteners and up go to Wilson during the day. I'll have to perform my experiments on 4-year-olds. =(

I have Church History too. It looks interesting, but it might kill my GPA. I don't test well. He has only 3 exams in the class, and they are worth 75% of the grade. There are only 50 questions on them. Then there is a 2-page reflection paper on Acts which is worth 25% of the grade. AND he is grading that on pass/fail. *dies*

And of course I must not forget my philosophy class. There is a new professor who had been teaching at Widener for several years. He's an alumni of PBU and is looking forward to teaching philosophy from a Biblical perspective and be able to be much freer about it than he had been at Widener. He's pretty young and I think it might be interesting, although I'm not much of a great thinker and three hours of it "bites" (to use Stef's words). I spent about 4 hours reading 3 chapters in a very short book called Uses and Abuses of Arguments. My head was swimming. Much as I hate to think, PBU has taught me how to think. I'm just freaking out about the quiz. What makes it hard is that the book is on reserve, so I have to stay in the library for 2 hour periods to read it. (It can't leave the library and it has to be back at the desk in 2 hours.) So that class should be interesting... even if the books put me to sleep.

I have seen people around here and there. We're all scattered around now, so there are lots of people I haven't seen yet. I visited Miss Mac in the office and delivered her her mango chips... which today she was passing around the School of Ed office. (She said they were having "merienda." =D) I also said goodbye to Katie Gregg who is soon not going to be Gregg anymore. Ariel visted me in my room yesterday and we had a really good talk. I love that girl and I don't see much of her.

The cafeteria has improved very slightly. It looks better at least. I do like the unlimited part... I get to go to meals at very odd hours and then the cafeteria is empty. Yay!!! I met Rachel for dinner so we could talk about MuKappa... and then Andy and his strange gottee joined us.

We had a dorm meeting last night and it was pretty boring because we had to listen to all the same things we had to listen to last year. I can't believe Christy is one of my RA's... She did a pretty good job with Kara leading the meeting. There are a lot of girls in the dorm that I still don't know their names. The icebreaker and get-to-know-you stuff was done during WOW, so all of us sophomores were not introduced. Room check has changed a bit. Freshman still have it twice a week. Upperclassmen have it once a week and if there are no room violations for 4 weeks, it moves to every other week. And beds do not have to be made. (Which, in my opinion, is very stupid!!!) I still make my bed... and I'm on the top bunk. I make it before I even get down... because I discovered a very simple method of doing it. Also, white slips have changed. The first room violation results in a $5 fee and a talk with the RA's. Last year, the first white slip was a warning. Pooooor freshmen. There were a few other rules that changed slightly, but I don't remember them. Oh yes, you are allowed to have toasters in your room this year. Amazing isn't it. But I don't need a toaster. So anyway.

I called Chick-fil-A yesterday. Jon answered and said "Did Beth call you?" So they had already been looking for me. I feel so loved. HAHA!!! But anyway, he's supposed to call me about my work schedule next week and he said he'll try to make it very consistent so that I know exactly how to use my study time. I also get all Saturdays in October off except the first because my parents are coming to visit. I also got a call from the Orchard School. I was afraid they needed me to come in early or something! All Tracie needed was information on money parents had given for lunches. (I also kept track of that.)

After Chick-fil-A informs me what night I have to work, I will then pick my ministry. I'm not doing inner-city this year. I'm either going to do AWANA or a ministry at the Presby church down the street. All it is is keeping preschoolers-3rd graders busy with crafts and stuff while the parents are in prayer meeting.. or something.

I do have pictures of my room, but it's basically the same as last year, except I didn't really decorate other than pictures on the bulletin board. Too much hassle to decorate. I am bringing back a giant Superman poster for my wall though -- for the sake of Kait. I think I'll put it up, take a picture, and then take it down... hehe. But actually, it's pretty funny, so I might leave it up.

You know what's weird? Seeing so many people that I don't know!!!

Last night I went to bed around 1ish. I made the mistake of drinking coffee and then I was wide awake... and I started talking to someone online for a while too.

Ok, this is long enough. Have fun. Bye.