Arbeitsschmerz - labor pains
i feel like i just had a kid - and his name is Piaget. he requires an inordinate amount of time and attention, i take him with me everywhere i go, and he costs me sleep. okay - there's no poop, but there is crying. but that's from me.
school is going well. i am making friends, learning to maneuver a giant campus, and getting a great butt workout since the campus is one giant hill. i was expecting to have to work hard, it is grad school after all, but i recently heard that we have as much if not more work every week than first year law students. let's be clear - i actively chose a career with set hours and summers off - do i sound like a person who wants to work as hard as a law student?
most of our reading is for my favorite class: cognition and language development in elementary aged children. most of our reading for this class is by or about the grand-daddy of cognitive development: Piaget. the ideas are really interesting and i can't wait to start conducting tasks and interviewing the (english speaking) children in my student teaching placement. but the 1940's english translation of the original swiss french scientific writing is, well, not easy to read. perhaps i haven't progressed to the correct cognitive stage to understand it. but at almost 10 years older than some of my classmates, i would bet that they haven't reached the right stage either. i'm not sure why it's comforting to know that everyone is struggling, but it is. Piaget probably has a stilted, dry, 100-page long explanation of that too.
the work wouldn't be so bad if i didn't have a 15 hour a week job - commuting. and an 8 hour a week student teaching placement, and 6 other classes, and a life. but i have it easy compared to the people in my program who have part time jobs on top of everything else. one guy (yes! guy! we have two!) is a waiter as well as a student. he comes to class pale and drawn having worked until 11pm and then started his reading for our 9am class.
overall, i am enjoying the program. it's extremely interesting to learn about the problems and successes of public education. i know i'll be a better teacher because of this program and i am looking forward to putting everything to use in my placement and future employment.
just don't expect to hear from me at all in november - i have five major projects due within a two week span. is it too early to plan my summer vacation?
school is going well. i am making friends, learning to maneuver a giant campus, and getting a great butt workout since the campus is one giant hill. i was expecting to have to work hard, it is grad school after all, but i recently heard that we have as much if not more work every week than first year law students. let's be clear - i actively chose a career with set hours and summers off - do i sound like a person who wants to work as hard as a law student?
most of our reading is for my favorite class: cognition and language development in elementary aged children. most of our reading for this class is by or about the grand-daddy of cognitive development: Piaget. the ideas are really interesting and i can't wait to start conducting tasks and interviewing the (english speaking) children in my student teaching placement. but the 1940's english translation of the original swiss french scientific writing is, well, not easy to read. perhaps i haven't progressed to the correct cognitive stage to understand it. but at almost 10 years older than some of my classmates, i would bet that they haven't reached the right stage either. i'm not sure why it's comforting to know that everyone is struggling, but it is. Piaget probably has a stilted, dry, 100-page long explanation of that too.
the work wouldn't be so bad if i didn't have a 15 hour a week job - commuting. and an 8 hour a week student teaching placement, and 6 other classes, and a life. but i have it easy compared to the people in my program who have part time jobs on top of everything else. one guy (yes! guy! we have two!) is a waiter as well as a student. he comes to class pale and drawn having worked until 11pm and then started his reading for our 9am class.
overall, i am enjoying the program. it's extremely interesting to learn about the problems and successes of public education. i know i'll be a better teacher because of this program and i am looking forward to putting everything to use in my placement and future employment.
just don't expect to hear from me at all in november - i have five major projects due within a two week span. is it too early to plan my summer vacation?
posted by jordan at
6:53 PM
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