I spent the entire day Monday working on my Chemistry 203 class, trying to catch up. At the end of the day, I was still not caught up. I was two lab write-ups behind, and had tanked 2 of the 3 first quizzes. I came to the realization that it would be better to drop the class and retake it next semester when I was better prepared for it. I ate the money I paid for the class-- since its a city college, it's not as much as a lot of other schools would be, but its not insignificant. Still, the class served as a great brush-up for the trigonometry, calculus, quadratic equations, etc. that I'll need for the next go-around of this class.
In the meantime, I still have my English 101 class, which I'm enjoying a lot. It'll also let me get ahead financially-- I'd had to take a lot of days off trying to get caught up with the class. It'll allow me to get caught up with some stuff around the house. And mostly it'll help me get caught up mentally and emotionally. It's been a busy, and sometimes emotional last few years. I need a breather.
13 comments:
If anybody deserves to sit back and catch their breath, it is you JY.
Don't do what I do, and replace one stress with another. Take time for yourself.
Believe me when I tell you that I totally understand. Better to take a little more time and maintain your sanity.
Yeah, you do need a breather. Give me a call some time and we'll have a drink. I shit-canned my grad school plans a couple weeks ago and I've never felt better.
I don't blame you on this one. Back in the day, I fell behind in Calc III because I was sick on day one - I had no choice. I had to drop because I couldn't get caught up.
I get it, JY. Hang in there, and take some time for you. (sound familiar? :-) )
sometimes knowing when to take a breather and taking it is the best remedy for stress.
What the heck is quadratic equation anyway?
I feel the same way about the breather — and I'm not working on bettering my brain like you do. When does the breather come in — when Bush and McCain finally bring our country crashing down and we're living in Hooverville again?
Good call, JY.
To everything there is a season. My grandpa always said "you pay for your education one way or another."
reminds me of WC Fields: "there comes a time in every man's life when he must grab the bull by the tail and assess the situation!"
he also said, "if at first you don't succeed, GIVE UP! No sense in being a damned fool about it."
Seriously, I can dig it, having gone to skool P.T. and worked and even carried on a series of relationships while student teaching. No sense in taking a class you might flunk and have that on your transcripts if it's best, in th' long run, to just cut yer losses and shuck it all. I shoulda done that a few times meself.
It's good that you recognized your need for some breathing room now, before it got way too stressful. You owe it to yourself.
I just don't get Chemistry. I remember once looking at the board and the prof pointed to some long-ass molecule, and he said something like "I bet you're all wondering what that extra carbon is doing on the end there." And I remember thinking "Huh? What extra - what?" Meanwhile the rest of the class was nodding and murmuring "Thank you, I WAS wondering about that extra carbon," and I got right up and went to the registrar and changed my class status as pass/fail only. It was embarrassing, but I wasn't going to let chemistry drag down my GPA.
Skyler's Dad-
Thanks! I'm taking advantage of it to tackle the last leg of my massive basement project, but am otherwise going to get caught up in rest and reading.
TenS-
I remember when you took a break for a semester at school. I understand now. I felt a little overwhelmed and that my relationships with family were suffering.
Bubs-
I'll call this weekend!
Mathman-
The class moved so damned fast-- even the people who'd recently had the math classes struggled to keep up. I think next semester will be better.
I made it through Calc III somehow, nearly 30 years ago. Wish I remembered more of it.
Bubbles-
Yes, I seem to remember someone give that advice to someone recently! ; )
Cheer34-
I think you're right there!
Quadratic equations are a method to use an arithmetic formula to approximate the solution to complex algebraic and calculus formulas that would be virtually impossible to solve otherwise.
Beth-
Hopefully it'll be Bush and McCain crashing down. Obama seems to be slowly creeping upward in the polls and McCain down.
Some Guy-
Thanks!
Mnmom-
Wise guys, those grandfathers were. My favorite quote from my own grandfather was "Everybody's entitled to his own stupid opinion." I quote him on that one a lot.
Cap'n-
I too learned that one the hard way. I recently got my transcripts to sent to the school I intend to transfer to. I was reminded that there were two "F's" on that transcript because I was too stubborn to drop two classes I had gotten too far behind in to recover. They were core classes for my major, so I ended up having to take them again the next year. I got A's the next time, and when I was a grad asst, I had to teach them. Life's funny.
Barbara-
Yesterday, I was relaxed for the first time in ages, and I realized I had made the right decision. I also realized that it wasn't just the class. I'd dealt with a lot-- my father's near-death from cancer, the murder of one of my closest friends, change in career.
Vikki-
Good call on your part.
The scary part was that I was beginning to remember the math and understand the arcane stuff, just not soon enough or in enough quantity, I felt, to catch up by the end of the semester. Next time you and your sister are in Chicago, we can chat about molecular kinetics. Then again, maybe not.
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