Summer Plans

Aaaah, Summer - that word tends to bring up thoughts of swimming pools, beaches, watermelon, and road trips. For some however it also means school.

I am not saying that this is the case all of the time, but many people take courses over the summer to get ahead early, pad their GPA, or just for ... well, for fun!

At UTT summer is divided into two sections, Summer Section #1 and Summer Section #2. Summer #1 basically overs June and Summer #2 basically covers July. This summer I am excited because I will be taking  some courses that are new for me, mainly because I am a Graduate Student.

As we explore Summer together, have fun. Some of us will be having fun in class while some will be having fun outside in the wide world!

The Power of Using a UT Tyler Planner

It started in Elementary. They just smiled and handed me a "planner". They told me they would monitor my use of it. So I wrote in my horrible handwriting what was due and threw it into my backpack never to be looked at again. It was a horrible cycle. It continued to middle school without a thought. 

Then dark times came (the fire nation attacked) when I entered high school.

It took about three years before my cycle was finally crushed and squashed between the pinky toe of a small bald man. My previous teachers were sub par in seeing the past the facade of my  "planners"

I was too disorganized and failed to turn in projects, my mediocre grades dropping even lower with the Texas heat. Then the short bald man lectured into seeing the light of using such devices to make sure I did everything I needed to do. 

Strangely, this use of the planner worked to my utter shock. I was strong, I stayed on the path for a good two years THEN I graduated high school.

I went down an even more dangerous path my freshman year of not writing down any of my assignments or when tests were other than in the margins of my notebooks. I somehow managed to do pretty well in all my classes both semesters. 

Now today, the below picture is my Google Calender , my "planner".

It pops up reminders on my phone with such strange magic. 

I really developed and started using the schedule because my life became so full that if I didn't schedule time for things then I would procrastinate and fail to do something and would be found crying under my desk. Now I breathe with a little less weight on my shoulders.

The point of that long dramatic sarcastic soliloquy was that if you've given up using some sort of procedure to schedule class work or your life, try again. 

If using a old school paper planner works for you, do it! this is how Kat does her planning!

if you are an electronic person like me, use whatever  applications work for you.

If something else works for you, do it that way.

Now I bide you all adieu. So I can go study for my two tests this week. 

Crisis Averted

This pass Tuesday while in the business building I was taken aside by my adviser and told there was something important she needed to talk with me about. About two months ago I submitted my application for graduation and had been eagerly awaiting word from my department since. However, she had some bad news. She said I was 2 hours short of graduating this December.

My first reaction was to flip over all the tables in site whilst screaming at the top of my lungs, "POR QUE!!!!!!!!!!!!" I instead decided to go with my second reaction and asked if there is anything that could be done. She said she had already begun to set up an independent study course with her that would make up those hours. In less than 10 minutes one of the biggest crises of my college career had been brought to my attention and then averted. I went and filled out the proper paperwork and am now registered for an independent study of 19^th century presidents.

I couldn’t imagine another University where this could have occurred. At any larger school I would have been treated like another number and simply pushed to the side. At The University of Texas at Tyler you are treated like a person with the respect and dignity you deserve and the professors here truly want you to succeed as a student. It’s times like these I’m glad I chose a school like UT Tyler.

Life Cheat #83042: Everything changed after the fire nation attacked

Sidewalk Etiquette

When we're walking to class at UT Tyler, I notice that sometimes we notice each other, but don't say one thing.  Not even a little wave. How silly, right? As a senior, I've decided to share some tips with you on how to get to know and talk to people. :)

• Compliment them sincerely. If you like a girl's hair, she probably spent some time on it and would love a quick, "LOVE your hair!" Maybe I'm biased with my pink locks, but it feels good to have your hard work appreciated and admired. 
• Make eye contact and say "HI" when you pass people you know! Even if you don't remember their name, you totally met them at the MET or have Chuck's class with them. Don't pretend like you don't remember them. It makes you look rude, not cool. 
• Ask people you have interest in about themselves! Get to know what you two have in common. You may be surprised that the person next to you is just as close to their grandparents as you are to your own. They may not like watching movies either. You never know, unless you ask. People consistently surprise me. 

If people make you nervous, it is okay. Sometimes, if you find one friend, meeting more is easy! Tonight, Emmy went to a PV thing with her roommates! We have lots of get-togethers on campus all year long, so stay tuned!

Are You Excited About Any Classes?

For the first time in my collegiate career I am truly exited about a class I am about to take. Now don't get my wrong, I've had plenty of classes that I have found interesting but there has never been a class that has stuck out as truly extraordinary. Until now.

Tomorrow at 12:30 I will begin my 20th Century Presidential Leadership class with Dr. Linehan,. She only offers it during the fall semester of election years as the main focus of the class will be on the current election. Now I know a lot of you are thinking that this class will just be one non-stop headache of yelling and chair throwing but that won't be the case. It will be mostly screaming and desk throwing...

Tune in this semester as I will be talking about this class in great detail as it will become known as THE BEST CLASS EVER!!!!!

Life Cheat # 19404: If you park in a reserved spot on campus you're gonna have a bad time.

Are You Ready For This Semester?

Today is the last day of July which means in 20 days the 2012 Fall semester will begin at UT Tyler. You've probably been lounging about for the past 2 months (except for those taking summer courses) and have even forgotten what you signed up for. Well, here's a short check list to help you prepare for the coming semester.

Have you paid your tuition and/or other bills that may put holds on your account?

Be sure and check your myuttyler account prior to the start of classes to make sure you have no fees or fines that may impede you in any way. You can also pay any outstanding bills via the cashier's office.

Do you have all your school supplies in order?

Be sure to bring at least a pen/pencil and a few sheets of loose leaf paper as some of your professors may want you to take notes on the very first day. HOWEVER, it is best to wait until after your first class to get any books for your classes. Some of your professors will not make them required or will base the entire class off their lectures alone. The syllabus may say the book is part of the class but the professor may say something different.

Is your home clean?

Before any semester begins I like to thoroughly clean my entire apartment to make at least the first week or so of classes stress free. However, this will change as the semester goes on and all my time begins to be engulfed by school work.

Do you have a parking sticker/permit?

Parking stickers can be paid for at the cashier's office and then picked up at the University Police Station with your receipt. For more info you can check out my this post which talks about where to park on campus and this one which explains how to go about getting a parking sticker/permit for this upcoming semester.

With this general outline your preparations for the upcoming semester should be most enjoyable and be completed with the greatest of ease

Life Cheat #84710: water taste a little... not so good? Simply put a slice of cucumber in their to instantly give your water a fresher taste.

Speaking in Class

           No matter what college you go to, you know "that person". The person that answers not one, but all of the questions the professor poses. That person who corrects the teacher with articles they find on wikipedia. The one that makes snide remarks loud enough for the whole class to hear.

I've come to collect you.

           Here, at UT Tyler we allow everyone to have a say. If you are nervous about speaking out in class, you can use our Blackboard discussion board. :) The point is, our professors want us to interact. An exchange of understanding ideas, because this is the best way for us to learn.

Summer Classes

          My creative writing class starts on the 9th (Summer II), and I should really start concerning myself with writing some fiction. This is my first online class, so I'm getting nervous. :/ So, in order to quell my nerves in that special, obsessive way, I give you a list!

• Am I registered for it? Yes, for sure, and the time hasn't moved. 
• Have I paid for it? Sure thing, I paid for that class, because my account shows that I did with no remaining balance.
• Do I even know where it is? I mean, it's online. That's easy. 

Okay, okay. Since I am a senior, I basically have those types of things figured out, and I know the answers to these tough questions, but do you? 

The deadline to pay is July 6th, at 5pm! Don't let the 4th of July distract you, or you'll get dropped! I linked above to most of the places you'd need to visit to get your classes in line for Summer II.

I'm ready to get back to work. That brain break was nice, but I'm ready.

Nights in Israel

A beautiful sunset in Jerusalem

      Once we finished all of our meetings and events for the day we would usually eat dinner together. I know, food was really a theme on this trip. We would talk about the events of the day and what we thought of all of the different situations. Then we would all say goodnight. Well, kind of.

       Depending on where we were we would do one of two things. We would go to bed or we would go adventuring. Now the second sounds much more exciting I understand, but sometimes we really didn’t have a choice. When you are in the mountains of the Golan there is not much to do besides go to bed, but sometimes we would try to figure out something to do because 7:00 is just way too early to retire for the night! So we would walk around for a while, or possibly just congregate in our room and talk about anything and everything; from political issues to school work to future goals! On nights when were actually near bigger cities, we of course had to have this time for further exploration of local life. A few classmates and I would catch a cab and head into town for the night! We would walk the streets and hit up all the local shops and street venders, though we never did really buy anything. While wandering we would run into random people and get the chance to talk with them for a while. See, we REALLY looked and sounded like tourists most of the time. The usual group was me and two other girls who were also blonde and loud. So this would usually strike up a conversation asking why we were there and where we were from. Sometimes people would take an interest in what we had to say and even offer to let us interview them about our papers. Other times, which was much rarer because the Israeli people are incredibly nice, the conversation would end at a simple response of “Good luck with your class and enjoy Israel!” It was during this time that we got the opportunity to see the current Israel, and really get to know its people.

Using Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert to Learn Rhetoric

       Today, before class, I re-turned in my Contemporary Rhetoric class' take home test. It consisted of four essay questions and one speech to analyze. Our professor, he likes when we call him Chuck, was less than pleased with the grades we earned last week, and in the spirit of learning, he gave us suggestions and allowed us to make corrections on the tests. He allowed that test grade, and the new corrected test to be averaged to a better grade. THANK GOODNESS. Not that any of the ten of us made less than a C, he just knew we could do better. I like that he expects better from us.

        Many of the students in that class are Speech Communications majors, but a few of us are not and have never had an upper level speech class before. He makes the abstract ideas of language more easily accessible with tangible examples. Last week, we analyzed the starting points of arguments from television shows with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. I learn more from interacting with real life samples than I ever would reading from a textbook.

"We're talking to Jon Stewart, who was just lecturing us on our moral inferiority. Jon, you're bumming us out.”
-Tucker Carlson

Above is a quote from an episode of "Hardball" that we discussed to study the best and worst of rhetorical tools.

I Want to Talk to Everyone

I was in an independent study course last semester for French; I wanted to take a realllllyyy cool American novel class and they were in the same time slot. No big deal. Other students prefer class on their own, and I thought I would be no different.

I hated every moment of not being in an actual classroom setting.

It was a difficult way to figure out that I am an "auditory learner", which means listening and speaking are my most efficient methods of study. After being exposed to German in high school, I had two semesters of French in college. Through my various jobs, I have learned some Spanish.  I got a kick out of picking up all of the meanings of Aloha in Hawaii and I have dabbled in a West Ghanan language called Twi. With all of these languages, I had the opportunity to practice with native speakers and push myself. Studying alone is no fun and far less productive than having a speaking partner. I want to talk to everyone. That is why I love languages.

Now that we have that settled, the time I have back in class with my professor and peer interaction is fully utilized. The exchange in teaching was something I greatly missed, even though she and I had frequent meetings when I was studying  independently. 

I am back in class for my third semester of French this spring, and I am able to attend every class. I have a friend that is dedicated to learn French and German, so I am studying regularly. I would say my French is getting much mieux (better)!

If you are interested in learning a foreign language, think about this:
1) You learn more talking to a buddy… in that language!
2) Listen to and read things in the language you are focusing on. It helps to become accustomed to the general speech sounds and patterns.
3) Practice, practice, practice! You were not under the impression that I would leave the most difficult and important one out, did you? ;)

http://go2uttyler.blogspot.com/2012/01/face-to-face-interaction-or-computer.html Ashlea brings up many good points in this blog about different classroom settings.

Friday Classes on the Balcony

Friday, after a four hour marathon of classes, I was outside collecting myself. Another lady had some territory out there with me, at her own table by the wall. I could faintly hear the murmur of canned laughter coming from her laptop, but I was deep in my own head.

One of my professors from earlier in the day joined me out there on the balcony.
He said something cheesy, like "Hey, I remember you."
He asked how I liked the class.
He made me feel comfortable to answer honestly.
He asked me what he should change.
He read more of my creative work.
He constructively commented on it.

This scene happens frequently with all of them. 

I have been very fortunate to be at a medium sized school (6700 students) that enables one-on-one learning with any professor. Every professor has office hours and remains accessible all over campus.  They promptly and thoughtfully answer emails. Many of them give out their personal phone numbers to call or even text them.
Mostly, the thing that really moves me is that they expect me to learn it. That level of confidence they have in me is sometimes the push I need to keep learning, writing, and just doing. I need it. 

http://www2.uttyler.edu/litlang/
This is my department. :)

First day back and feeling good!

     Well, today was the first day back at the school and it felt pretty good to wake up with a purpose. Of course it was a little shaky getting up, I went from waking up around 11 to waking up at 8, so it was sort of like that scene where Bambi first learned to walk, I was stumbling around the apartment looking for cereal. I don't drink coffee or energy drinks, so I basically just have to make my own energy to pick me up and get me through the day.
      Found all my classes even though one of them was in a building I had never been in before. Two of my teachers I have had before and the new one seemed really nice. It's going to be a little rough having such a long block of classes so early on Tuesday and Thursday, but this is my second to last semester so I'll live.
       A lot of people kept recognizing me and it took me an awkward amount of time to recognize them, for the past few weeks the only people I've seen are my coworkers so I'll have to get used to seeing other people again. Speaking of Coworkers, I'm thrilled to see them all back in the office, they bring that energy to the workplace that you just can't substitute and it's great to have them back!

Back to the Books!!!!

         After a well-needed break, today officially marks the first day of school for the 2010 spring semester. The break was a refreshing one. Its always good to go home and spend some time with your loved ones (some more than others lol) and your friends.
        Today I only had one class, Tests and Measurements, that entitled the usual first day protocol of handing out the syllabus and going over it. The class ended early as most classes do on the first day, allowing me an ample amount of time to go around and hang out with some friends I have not seen since last semester before heading to work.
        Tomorrow I have three classes which should be an ultimate indicator on how my semester should go. I will check back in with you all tomorrow for further updates on the new semester and goals that I shall keep unlike last semester. TTYL!!!!