Sally: Oooh, I LOVE my local library, but sadly I've not been there in a very long time since DH got me my Kindle and I can borrow books on it... not to mention, there are many many books available for free!! (I've gotten numerous classics for free, it's wonderful!). I will definitely check out my library, thank you!! (I don't know why I didn't think of that!) Oh, and yes Ma'am, my curriculum of choice will require many maths credits. There are also quite a few Bio's and sciences involved as well.
Happy, I've got the Amazon Prime account, so maybe I could even get them shipped free! I'll check there too, thank you a ton! =)
Gita, ... heh heh, all those things you mentioned, and so many more, are all the reasons why I love English so very much, and why I love Language in general so much. I started taking Spanish in school in 6th grade, and continued on with it all the way through graduating High School, then added French in 10th grade as well, continuing with it through graduation. Spanish and French, for the most part, are both very phonetic languages, and the conjugating was very easy.... at least to me it was. Where I work we have many Spanish-speaking people, both employees and customers. I keep my English/Spanish dictionary handy at all times and use my Spanish skills as often as possible. It's nice to know I'm better at it than I sometimes think I am. ;)
SCHOOL, A New Adventure
Heeeyyyy, that's a good idea, those "for dummies" books are really helpful, I've read/used a few of them! EXCELLENT!!!!
Speedie--
Just wondering--Since you have extended education of Spanish and French--can you, actually, speak them now?
Like--enough to have a conversation?
I took French in HS. I only had 3 choices. French--Spanish--or German. I chose French....because......
I had just emigrated to the US--and before that, I lived in Germany as a refugee/displaced person (DP) for 7 yrs.
We, of course, played with other German children--picking up enough of the language to become a bit familiar.
We also studied German as a language in schools there--along with English and Latin.
There, in 5th grade, everyone already had 3 foreign languages on their curriculum--plus out native one--Latvian.
SO! When I started HS here--I thought it would not be fair for me to take German--as i already had some knowledge of it.
See how long ago I already had a conscience???? I do not remember anything from the French.
I SOOOOOO wish I had taken Spanish, because I have lived next door to a Spanish-speaking family (from Spain)
for 42 years now. Our kids grew up together--and all I ever heard my neighbor, Olga, (the one that has all the Fig trees)
speak was Spanish to HER kids and her Grand-kids and her husband and her sister and so on.
I would just wait, patiently, till they were done--and then continue whatever i was talking about.
I NEVER, NEVER took offense at this--it is just the way it is for us multi-linguals. We take it for granted that
elders will speak their native language to each other and their children so they can learn it.
Eventually--I could, almost, tell what they were talking about.
How i wish I had taken Spanish in HS!!! I could then ad that language to my knowledge base.
I already speak 2 languages fluently--mine--Latvian--and English. I also have basic knowledge of German and Estonian.
You know why knowing another language enriches your life? You learn to see and think and understand life on different levels.
Their cultures, their traditions, their songs, their recipes...and all that. Also--what is meant when they say something
that is particular to their language. Like what i was talking about earlier--those "idioms".....Of course here--we speak in idioms.....
Here is a "window on this world" of ours......(ahem--that was also an idiom)....
OK! Pretty soon I will have to "hit the sack" (an idiom)---and get some "ZZZZZZZZZZZ's"--(another idiom).
I want to be "bright-eyed and bushy tailed" (an idiom) when I get up. I will have to "hit the road" (a idiom)
and make my way to the "ball and chain" (an idiom) by 8AM.
When I get home from work--i will have to "fix some grub" (an idiom) and "chow down" (an idiom) whatever I have.
Will need to "hit the sack" (an idiom) for a "couple of winks" (an idiom) so i can go and "hang out" (an idiom) with my Pals
for a bit.
The drive home will "be a nightmare" (an idiom) as I will have had one too many.
Just hope I don't get "pulled over" (an idiom) and get "taken to the clink" (an idiom).
My Dad will "have a cow" (an idiom) if i do.
DO YOU GET THE IDEA HOW CRAZY ENGLISH HERE IS????? I enjoyed this demo.
Gita
Speedie -- Amazon Prime doesn't cover most used books.
Gita; That was a really good illustration of idiomatic English!
Yes, I agree, that was a really fun illustration of how funnily we Americans speak! :)
(oh PHOOOEY Happy, you're right about amazon Prime and shipping ... forgot about that)
To answer your question Gita, Yes, and No. I can hold a relatively steady conversation in Spanish, but not at all in French; it's been too long since French class and I never really get a chance to exercise it. The fun part is, we get so many TYPES of Latino customers, from many different areas, and while one of our employees is from Puerto Rico, one is from Mexico, so the word "bucket" will be different depending on whom I'm speaking with... just an example.
It's a lot of fun and I learn a lot!
GALLETAS ANYONE!?!? < =D
After looking it up for the translation I will say, yes, please!
English is a very difficult language. There are so many exceptions to rules.
Bump! =)
Just a teeny little update; I'm into my last days of "cramming" as I will be taking that entrance exam the beginning of next week... I'm thinking Tuesday, to allow for one last cramming-session day.
I've re-taken the mock-up test they offer online and did MUCH better than the first time, so apparently the rust is falling off, YIPPEEE!!! Gosh, there's a lot of stuff I need to know!
Anyway, will give a new update after I take that dratted placement test. =)
Speedie -- that's great news -- and don't be upset if you don't pass on the first go-round, even with all that studying. I'm sure you can take it again.
Yippee!! I keep thinking, better you than me. I did make it through organic chemistry, though. Also, I am glad calculus was not required for me.
Happy, oh yeah, I can take it again if I don't like how I score the first time around, but it's not so much a matter of "passing" or "failing", it's more a matter of "let's see how smart/stupid I really am". ;P The better I score in each area, the higher the placement in actual classes once I start.
I worked like a fiend for about 6.5-7 hours this morning, then I just HAD to take a break. Got some brunch, did a little housework, now I'm gonna take a shower and get dressed (FINALLY!), then get back to work. Yeah, I started, literally, the MINUTE DH went out the door for work, a little after 4:30 this morning.
Anyway, goof-off time is over. Shower time, then back to work I go! =)
Speedie: I am really impressed with your tenacity!
You GO, girl!
You've got a good cheering section, and I'm in it too! Re. tutors being expensive... check with the dean's office, as you might be surprised at the help that's available. I was stunned to learn how much free tutoring was available at our community college -- even for me, as a part time non degree student who was only taking a few credits (intro ASL & fingerspelling). I was even more stunned that almost nobody took advantage of the tutoring... in my class, I think I was the only one, and I wasn't really struggling. I know you're going to get the maximum out of your courses and from the entire experience, and I totally applaud your gutsy attitude!
Speedie, I've used the Kahn Academy for some quick and good math review.
https://www.khanacademy.org/
Judy, that looks like a wonderful link, thank you, I've saved it in my favourites.
I will be SURE to check into tutoring when I start classes, I'm sure I'll need it and I'm certainly not shy. ;) Errrmmm... what is "fingerspelling"?? < =/
Speedie: Critter is so right -- I had forgotten about the resources that are available at colleges for free. My daughter is at a state college in Maryland, and was struggling with Biology. It turns out they offered free tutoring sessions 3 times a week and NO ONE went! Including my daughter (sigh).
I will be sure to keep that at the TOP of my "things to remember" list.
Meanwhile, I am now finished with the giant pile of "homework" that DH had printed out for me, so I'm taking a small break before I push on to (taking some Excedrin and) getting online to see what other pages I can find to review what I need to review. =) I'm finding that there are actually some math areas that are FUN! Who'da thunk it, eh!?
< =D
Speedie -- you are so going to be ready for this test. I'm really impressed by your commitment.
Speedie, you're amazing. And there are lots of fun things in math, even for "not a math person" people like me. The trick is to shut down that gibbering voice inside that says "I can't do math I can't do math I can't do math I can't do math I can't do math." LOL
Another thing to take advantage of once you start classes: office hours. Unless things have changed dramatically, professors all have office hours, when they are available to their students. As with tutoring sessions, almost nobody goes... and it's a really valuable chance for some one on one time with your prof. Teaching assistants often have office hours also, and that's in addition to any study/review sessions offered.
Things have changed then, cuz when I tutored in college, my sessions were busy. It was mostly the nursing students coming for help in anatomy.
It may simply vary from class to class... anatomy is intense enough that everybody figures they need all the help they can get! :-)
Heehee. I hear you. Fortunately I loved that!
I remember anatomy waaayyy back when... all I can say is "Ugh!".
And UGH, I'm all mathed out for the day! About 8 or so (8.5?) hours darn near non-stop (except for potty breaks and brushing my teeth after lunch)... I am fat-i-gued. (3 syllables).
A quote for you Susan
"Math is like love---a simple idea but it can get complicated"
http://www.pleacher.com/mp/mquotes/mquotes.html
Judy, that's a really cool site, I think I'll have to save it for future reference. For now, I think I'll live by this quote:
"But in the new (math) approach, the important thing is to
understand what you're doing, rather than to get the right answer."
-- Tom Lehrer
God speed on your placement tests tomorrow!
And, as far as 'placement' goes...I'm hearing the song "Tis a Gift to be Simple"
'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we are in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, to turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.
Wishing you all the best -- may everything you know and everything you've learned and reviewed come popping up to the top just when you need it tomorrow! Hope you're getting some good rest tonight.
We're in your corner!
Today is The Big Day, and I am ready! Thank you guys, for being in my corner, and thank you Judy for that oh-so-beautiful song. I had never heard it before, so of course I went straight to you tube to check out out... a few times. OK, more than a few. ;)
I did get a good night's rest, thank you, and now I am ready. I did a bit more 'reviewing' of some word problems yesterday that I had been stuck on and then I just couldn't take it anymore, hahahahaaa!! (3 hours' worth was enough). So, I spent the evening relaxing in the kitchen for a little creative outlet... figuring out how to make a chicken breast, some shrimp, spices, and some fettuccine turn into something edible. By adding broccoli and learning a new way to make a 'white' sauce without adding cream, it was fan-shmabulous!!! Nothing like getting creative in the kitchen to relax the soul...well, other than going out and playing in the dirt, that is... but it was time for dinner. ;)
I am now ready to "Place". I have been telling myself this over and over, and DH came home from work and confirmed it to me yesterday. "Remember, you're not going to take this test to 'pass' or 'fail', you're just going to go 'place', so no matter how it comes out, I'M PROUD OF YOU. You will go find out where the place is you belong, and then you'll make the most of that place, I have faith in you".
He also reminded me of the #1 rule of test-taking: If you look at a question and you KNOW that you don't know it, SKIP IT... you can always come back to it later. (no, the test is not "timed").
Deeeeeeep breath..... GO! < =D
Good Luck Speedie, Remember it doesn't matter where you start it just matters where you go.
Woohoo!!! Can I say that I love your husband?!!!! He seems like a great soulmate for you! Love his encouraging words. He is spot on!
When you are finished, treat yourself!!
Standing with you!!
speedie--
Your husband sounds like a Gem!!! He gave you great advice. I like what he said re:
If you do not know the answer---SKIP IT and come back,. A few questions later--it will pop in your head.
It is like trying to remember someone's name....you rack your brain--and then, as you are doing
something else--BAM! it pops right into your mind....
Good luck--relax and open your mind---and the right things will come dribbling out...
I know you will pass this with honors!!! Gita
I'm rooting for you too!
Pheewwwww what a day! < =D Turns out the testing center doesn't open until 10:00 AM, so I had more time this morning to panic and wait... ran a few errands on the way there, then took the years-long test. Good Heavens to Betsy, taking the "real" test, looking at those math problems, they didn't look ANYTHING like what was on the mock-up test!! Aaaack!! Low scores in pre-algebra and algebra, but that's ok, it was pretty expected, at least I know the truth, and will be properly placed accordingly. The interesting thing was... I knew I'd do pretty well in Writing and Reading comprehension, but I had no idea I'd do as well as I did. I place in the Honors Writing/Rhetoric class, and I placed too high to even need any Reading classes, WOW!! Guess that's a good thing, considering I'll be making up for it with more math classes. ;)
So, the next thing to decide is, will I start with one class at a time or 2? The math course is 2 days/week, so I should probably start with 1, is my guess. 3, or 4 days/week would end up getting to be too much when I start back to work the end of February. I'm thinking I need to get my feet wet first, so to speak, and get the feel of all this school stuff again before I dive in with all four feet.
PHEEWWW, I am sooooooo glad this part is over with!! < =D
Thank you, y'all, for your thoughts and prayers, and cheers!!
Woot, woot!!!!! Now, for a nice relaxing evening.
Yay Suze! Congrats on a great first step!
speedie--
Is there a possibility that the 2 classes would be on the same day? That way you would still just
be at school 2 days a week. If there are a couple of hours in-between--you could do your homework.
I know you will love being in the higher ed, atmosphere. I loved it! At the ripe age of 60.
It was so stimulating--and being with all kinds of old and young people was so great.
Cruising around the campus....
I did hate all the work--as i am a slow reader and that is one thing you have to do a lot of.
I was at my local (very good!) CC and was working towards an AA degree in Mental Health/Human Services.
Graduated in 1990 with a GPA of 3.8. YEAHHH! Never got a job in this field. Need a BS or a Masters.
So I went back to working in greenhouses and with plants..
But--you know what???? it made me a better person inside. So many new insights--and I have always loved
psychology anyways. Now I just know better and more....
I betcha--you will be amazed to see how many older folks go to school nowadays!
You go, Girl!!!! Gita
Heeheeheee, I had as relaxed an evening as I could, while still "living life" and dealing with all the other little fun things that it entails. ;) Popping the left-over lasagna back into the oven for dinner sure helped! =)
Gita, yes Ma'am, if what is shown online is correct, there is a possiblity of taking 2 classes on the same days, (both on Tues and Thurs), however, they are only 10 minutes apart. < =/ One ends at 11:20, and the next starts at 11:30. UGH. OR, I can opt for being at class 4 days a week, OR, I could travel to 2 different campuses 30+ miles apart on those 2 days/week.
With the semester going into the end of June, the BUSY time at work, I don't see me living through that sort of load, while still doing as well in school as I INSIST upon doing.
My math skills (or lack thereof) need all the help/attention they can get, so that will be a LOT of time concentrated on that alone... then, here's the description for my English/Composition class:
"Students in this course complete their first semester college-level composition course. Students focus on planning, organizing, and developing a variety of argumentative compositions. Students practice the conventions of written Standard American English, gain information literacy skills, and learn research and documentation techniques including conducting online and print research and documenting sources. By the end of the semester, students demonstrate their abiity to write a unified and coherent argument-based essay of about one thousand words that incorporates research and is nearly free of grammatical, mechanical, and structural errors. Students should refer to the schedule of classes for sections of this course taught in a computer lab. Students must pay an additional lab fee when taking this course in a computer-assisted classroom. Students may earn credit for this course through CLEP or Advanced Placement Examination".
That looks like, not only a LOT of work, but a LOT of time/access needed to my computer at home. I **think** I could get my schedule at work whittled down to 3 days a week, but then that cuts into 'family time'.... I've got a few pros/cons to weigh against each other, lots to pray about. QUICKLY. Thank God I've got DH's support no matter what I choose, 1000%.
EDIT: Oooops! Here's the proper description to the English/Comp class that was recommended for me:
ENG-1010H - Composition & Rhetoric-Honors (3)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prerequisite: Consult with the Languages and Literature Chair for eligibility requirements;
English 1010H, designed for honors students, focuses on the advanced literacy of college reading and writing. The course will focus on how and what we read and how and what we write, and the close relationship between reading and writing. Students will gain an understanding of how diverse disciplines use a variety of strategies and conventions to organize and present information and will explore the influence the divergent strategies and conventions have over how we think, how we learn, and how we write. The course will be reading, writing, and discussion intensive.
This message was edited Jan 9, 2013 7:04 AM
That is an interesting dilemma, whether to take one or two classes. There is something to be said for biting the bullet and doing two, just to keep yourself moving through the program. Sometimes if the pace is too slow it is easy to lose focus. I don't think it is bad that classes are 10 minutes apart. It just turns on your drive (of which you have a ton) and your other responsibilities. If it were me, I'd jump at two. But then I was in night school for 3 years, so I'm used to it.... I'm guessing these classes won't feel that difficult.
I have an idea: Maybe get a copy of the syllabus for each class, and go to the book store and look at the books. That will give you an idea of how tough they will be and how much homework there will be. I bet after all the studying you've done, that the math class will feel like review. And the English class should feel like fun!
If you take the Tu/Th classes, you can do the homework that is due Tuesday over the weekend. So the issue is whether you'll have time for the homework that is due Thursday. I think my daughter's school said to expect to study between classes three times the length of the class. If that carries over to your school, then if the classes are an hour long, you'd need 6 free hours -- 3 hours Tuesday night and 3 hours Wednesday night. So you can figure out whether you have that kind of time available.
Heh heh, yessirreee Bob, there is something to be said for biting the bullet and going for it. But I think there's also something to be said for facing your own reality, and after prayer and consideration, I think my own reality is telling me to start with just one class to get a feel for it, then take it from there.
Following what your daughter was told: If each class takes 1 1/2 hours, then I can expect 5 1/2 TOTAL time per course (class-time + study/homework time)... TWICE a week... = 11 hours/week, per course... = 22 hours/week for 2 courses, including class-time and homework/study time. And, that is IF I fall into those specific guidelines and don't need any extra help or anything. Then we factor in work, and considering I work in retail, and would need Tues and Thurs off for school, you can be assured I'd have to work weekends. Most of them. That's just reality. Yes, BossLady will work with me on my schedule, but she can only do so to a certain degree, that's just business.
Also, no matter how much DH has said he would pick up the slack and be understanding, he doesn't cook. That's just another reality. I don't expect him to suddenly do something that he doesn't. (I shouldn't suddenly be expected to do electrical work, why should he suddenly be expected to cook?) That is a fact that I readily accept. It also means that is something else to use up valuable time to make sure I've got meals prepped for him to just pop into the oven/microwave for when I'm busy (studying) or not here.
... I know, all this sounds like I'm being a nay-sayer and argumentative and all that, but really I'm just trying to work within the perameters of my life and give myself the best chances of real success, and if I overload myself, then I know how I'll respond; by REBELLING. "Nooooo, I can't do itttt!!". That would be unacceptable.
I'll start with one (Math) class this semester. If I find, after this semester, that it was easier than I expected, then I'll just take 2 classes next semester. =) But I really think I just need to test the waters first.
On the plus side (is there one?)... I dunno if I mentioned this or not, but, with my high scores on Eng and Reading, I just might qualify for a Scholar's Program, so I'll be asking my advisor about that today. I'm not sure precisely what that is, or means, if it could have any effect on finances, but I'm pretty sure it could have a positive effect on my transcripts! =) I'll see what she tells me today.
Speedie -- that makes complete sense. When you said you could take off time from work, I thought you meant you were going to reduce your work schedule, not that you were just rearranging it. You have a ton on your plate -- it would make no sense to tip that plate over!
Totally agree with you because that is your reality. Behind you every step of the way knowing that He will guide you. Maybe crockpot will be in use more frequently, or a big cook up one day for several days of meals. I'd cook and deliver, but that's a little too far. Heehee