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I'm nearing the end of another semester (just about a month) and nearing the end of library school (maybe another semester, maybe two, no more than three - that's counting the summer session, so no more than a year). I had originally planned on adding an information management certification to my degree, but now I'm thinking about dropping it. If I finish the certification, it'll be another year before I'm finished. That's yet another student loan, plus I'll have to pay two graduation fees. (Yes, really.) If I don't finish the certification, I'd be done no later than August, possibly by May. I won't be able to add "Certification in Information Management" to my resume, but I can still list plenty of tech classes. I'm leaning toward dropping it, mostly for financial reasons. As a friend of mine, who dropped the certification (also for financial reasons) pointed out, I can tell people what I know and what I can do, and it's the MLIS that libraries are looking for.
So I'm taking a class right now that's required for the certification but not for graduation. I hate it. I've hated every minute of it. Saturday is the last day to drop the class and I'm so tempted, even though I realize it would be a stupid waste of money (can't get that tuition back at this stage). The thing is, if I stick with it, I'll only need two more classes to graduate and will be done in May. If I don't, I'll need to take a class in the summer session and finish in August. I can pull the summer session tuition out of next semester's loan if I'm careful, so that part would be ok. At this point, I'm leaning toward sticking with it (even though that'll mean working my butt off next week - I'm on vacation - since I've spent this week pretty much ignoring the huge paper I need to turn in on December 2). Is it really horrible that the biggest reason I have for sticking it out is because if I do, I get to evaluate the instructor and I want to rip her to shreds?
I always find something good to say about my instructors when I fill out the student evaluation, even if I find that I don't like them (it's not their fault our personalities don't mesh well) or think they aren't great teachers (it's not their fault if I don't particularly like their teaching style). But I literally can't think of one positive thing to say about this instructor. Honestly, if I thought they'd do it, I'd ask for my money back. We've been teaching ourselves. She's done no lectures at all, not one, and uses no text. She's basically unresponsive to e-mails and posts to our class bulletin board. We've turned in 15 assignments since the beginning of the semester (August 31) and she's graded 7. She graded the first 5 on September 27 and graded 2 more 2 weeks ago. Nothing since then. We had two assignments due tomorrow night but she never posted them, so now we don't. Yesterday she e-mailed everyone to let us know that the 1st one was canceled and we're all getting full credit for it and that she'd finally posted the second one, which can now be due any time we choose before December 3. I'm not entirely sure I understand the topic, though I think I do, and I have no idea what grade I'm getting. Based upon the 7 exercises she's graded (all worth a point apiece), I'm getting an A - but she hasn't graded our first paper or the midterm exam yet. We have to maintain a 3.0 GPA to graduate (not a problem) and a C grade for a class in unacceptable (not that I know what kind of grade I'm looking at here). And I have to decide before Saturday whether or not to drop the class!
The thing is, I suspect she has some major health issue or family problem or something and if she'd just say something, I wouldn't be so mad. I don't mean details - I don't think we have the right to know details about her personal life - I just mean something! You know, "I'm really sorry that I haven't been able to devote the attention to this class that I should; there are issues you're not aware of and I'm trying to work with them. I hope you'll be patient with me." That'd go a long way with me. But the way things are - ugh.
I wouldn't want to be a kid again - I much prefer adulthood - but I have to admit, sometimes it's not all bad when someone else tells you what to do.
So I'm taking a class right now that's required for the certification but not for graduation. I hate it. I've hated every minute of it. Saturday is the last day to drop the class and I'm so tempted, even though I realize it would be a stupid waste of money (can't get that tuition back at this stage). The thing is, if I stick with it, I'll only need two more classes to graduate and will be done in May. If I don't, I'll need to take a class in the summer session and finish in August. I can pull the summer session tuition out of next semester's loan if I'm careful, so that part would be ok. At this point, I'm leaning toward sticking with it (even though that'll mean working my butt off next week - I'm on vacation - since I've spent this week pretty much ignoring the huge paper I need to turn in on December 2). Is it really horrible that the biggest reason I have for sticking it out is because if I do, I get to evaluate the instructor and I want to rip her to shreds?
I always find something good to say about my instructors when I fill out the student evaluation, even if I find that I don't like them (it's not their fault our personalities don't mesh well) or think they aren't great teachers (it's not their fault if I don't particularly like their teaching style). But I literally can't think of one positive thing to say about this instructor. Honestly, if I thought they'd do it, I'd ask for my money back. We've been teaching ourselves. She's done no lectures at all, not one, and uses no text. She's basically unresponsive to e-mails and posts to our class bulletin board. We've turned in 15 assignments since the beginning of the semester (August 31) and she's graded 7. She graded the first 5 on September 27 and graded 2 more 2 weeks ago. Nothing since then. We had two assignments due tomorrow night but she never posted them, so now we don't. Yesterday she e-mailed everyone to let us know that the 1st one was canceled and we're all getting full credit for it and that she'd finally posted the second one, which can now be due any time we choose before December 3. I'm not entirely sure I understand the topic, though I think I do, and I have no idea what grade I'm getting. Based upon the 7 exercises she's graded (all worth a point apiece), I'm getting an A - but she hasn't graded our first paper or the midterm exam yet. We have to maintain a 3.0 GPA to graduate (not a problem) and a C grade for a class in unacceptable (not that I know what kind of grade I'm looking at here). And I have to decide before Saturday whether or not to drop the class!
The thing is, I suspect she has some major health issue or family problem or something and if she'd just say something, I wouldn't be so mad. I don't mean details - I don't think we have the right to know details about her personal life - I just mean something! You know, "I'm really sorry that I haven't been able to devote the attention to this class that I should; there are issues you're not aware of and I'm trying to work with them. I hope you'll be patient with me." That'd go a long way with me. But the way things are - ugh.
I wouldn't want to be a kid again - I much prefer adulthood - but I have to admit, sometimes it's not all bad when someone else tells you what to do.
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