I finished my third course recently. I started two courses this semester, but half way through I realized I had to drop one of them. The teacher of my Creating a Positive Classroom Environment was inventing her own ways to take marks off my assignments and it was probably partly to do with the fact that the course was all about selling what I call crowd control in a lot of different, but similar, packages. It's all hogwash. Kids should not be at school even the 7 hours a day they go for in N. America let alone the 10-14-hour days they put in over here in Asia. All the professionally titled, philosophically explained theories on classroom management, each with their own lists, acronyms or other mnemonic devices won't get you more quality, high-value time in the Zone of Proximal Development than a reasonable school day. But that's a simple solution we're not supposed to talk about or the industrial powers that control education might get upset. Expressing this as I did, may have belittled her class and most likely her opinions no matter how true it was. So I was glad to be rid of her and that class. I have signed up to take it next semester in hopes it will be taught by a different teacher. If not, I'll drop it again.
At any rate, the bigger reason for dropping the course was that I started a 40-day adventure we've been calling KD Camp. KD is for Kelly and Dave and we've spent every waking hour together for the past 38 days. We're almost done and I think it will be a welcome break for both of us. Like every kid camp I do, it starts out with high spirits and positivity and ends with overfamiliarity and exhaustion. We're both burnt out. The longest camp I've done previous to this was 3 weeks too so we're really spent. We've been exercising every day walking the dogs or riding the stationary bike, but Kelly told me today he's done with that. I didn't argue. I like walking the dogs, but it's a battle every time. I won't miss it.
You may wonder how I did on my other class - the one I didn't drop. Well, I could not have done much better. I got 99.33%. That's a perfect CGPA for the semester. I'll be on the Dean's list. So now I've finished 3/12 of my courses (and half finished one other) and my grades are 90, 94, and 99. Not too shabby.
As I said, I've signed up for two more. I may end up just taking the one. I am hoping to get some online work for the next little while. Once I can establish that, I will probably make a move to either a country that is much cheaper like Thailand, Philippines, or the like, or if I can find a way to pay the bills in Canada, I might go home. It sure would be nice to end my days in my home country teaching online. I'd even teach in person if I could find the right place.
Eventually, I'm hoping that my M. Ed. will get me a position in education that might pay better, like maybe in administration or curriculum development, but we'll see what happens. Gotta get the thing first. I am now 1/4 finished the courses and already have a clear idea and plenty of resources and writing for my thesis. That'll be a snap.
Well Kelly is stirring up the dogs making them bark, howl, cry, hoot, and holler. Just one of the pleasures of KD Camp. I better go. Just wanted to brag a little about my grades.
No comments:
Post a Comment