Yesterday was a school day. I'm taking two classes, one from 9am to 11:45am and then one from 1:30pm to 4:15pm. Frazzled from doing morning chores, I left a little late and had to park FAR AWAY in the back parking lot. Oh well, that's part of my exercise program, right?
Class was uneventful, Sociology 101, but he did let us go early, so I left to go to my next class at another campus.
Along the way, I stopped at the oil change place I'd visited over the weekend. You see, my little Hyundai was leaking oil all over my driveway! My oldest son, Ross, checked it for me and said they hadn't tightened the bolt underneath when I got the oil changed. Ooops! Anyway, they checked it out and said they would give me a free oil change. I said "why? I just had one!" The guy told me that they had placed the wrong gasket and to replace it they had to empty out the oil. Gasket? I didn't even know there was one involved in oil changes?? So, I got my 3 1/2 quarts of oil changed. That's not much, is it? My other car uses 5 or 6 quarts. It's a good thing I went back and got it checked out.
Then I drove over to school. Along the way, I stopped at a Circle K convenience store and got a free fountain Coke with my filled punch card. :) It tasted really good with my homemade PB & J sandwich.
Parking is precious at this campus just like the other campus, but sometimes you just get lucky! I got a space right by my class! So I studied some more for my History test. The test was hard, 2 long essay questions and 3 short essay questions along with a matching section and a multiple choice section. He allowed us 1 hour and 15 minutes for the test and then we could go home. I finished in about 45 minutes even though I am not a fast test taker. I like to take my time, check my answers. So, I know I passed because I felt pretty good about most of my answers.
After class, I stopped at the library and found a book for my book report that is due in a few weeks. The list of books he gave us to choose from are the most depressing, longwinded books you'll ever read. I originally chose Since Yesterday; The 1930's in America by Frederick Lewis Allen. It's interesting, but it is very fine print and slow reading. I spent one night reading and only got through 16 pages. Sooo, I decided to look for something a bit faster since I have other, better things to do (ride! blog!). I had to read The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, for this class. I also read Southern Horrors by Ida B. Wells, all about the lynching of southern blacks, and A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo, all about Viet Nam. Fun stuff, right? Anyway, I found Far From Home by Lillian Schlissel, Byrd Gibbens, and Elizabeth Hampsten. I started reading it and got 50 pages down already (1/5th). It's about 3 different families and their moves to the west. One family moved to Oregon territory, another moved to mining towns of Colorado and New Mexico (yes!!) and the third went to farm the "coyote land" in North Dakota. Although it is depressing, it reads fast and I am finding it interesting. I also checked out the book The Spell of New Mexico edited by Tony Hillerman, which is a collection of essays by famous authors including Conrad Richter, Mary Austin, D H Lawrence, C G Jung, and many others. It's fun to read what others say about places you've been. Now why couldn't that be on my reading list??
While I was at the library, I picked up some music cds: Pink Floyd, Relics; Rush, Grace Under Pressure; Santogold, Santogold; and A Perfect Circle, Thirteenth Step.
Then I stopped to pay my propane bill. I'd had my 500 gallon tank filled last month and owed almost $900. If I had paid it on October 31st, I would have gotten a 10% discount (about 40 dollars). However, I was out having fun letterboxing (!!) and didn't get there. Such is life. So, I went to pay it yesterday. I had the check already written for the discounted amount and I told the lady I needed to pay the difference. She said never mind, that I could still have the discount! YAY!!! That so made my day!
Then, when I got home, my daughter was there. I got to visit with her a while before she went out again. I don't get to see her very much these days. She spends most of her time in town with friends. She's twenty and doesn't want to be "home" if she can help it. I can't wait for the day when she grows up a bit and becomes 'friends' with me.
My youngest son, Trevor, was also home. He showed me a progress report from yesterday. Term grades had come out a few weeks ago and he had D's in almost EVERYTHING! But on this progress report he had 4 A's, a C, a D, and an unknown grade. SO MUCH BETTER!! He has such a hard time at school. He is the underachiever of the year. I really hate getting the teacher's reports that say "a pleasure to have in class" when he is scoring 20's and 30's for grades. I know he's not stupid; I just don't understand how he can fail everything! I blame the counselors for letting him just slide along. He has never had a behavor problem (sometimes I wished he would have- then he'd get help) so he just gets ignored. I also blame myself. But, I don't know what to do to motivate him. I believe that only he can truly achieve for himself. He has already been reclassified as a Junior this year and I pray and hope that he will realize that to graduate he must play by their rules. Just "do as the teacher asks, turn in homework, study for tests, and you will pass." I keep thinking that my children would learn by my example, I've been going to classes for years and studying at night. But it just doesn't seem to make a difference. I have often wished that my life had been different. If I could have been a stay-at-home mother and taught my children myself, would they have become better students? Would they have learned more? A big part of school is socialization, but I wonder what happened to the learning part?
And if you ever have to go to school
Remember how they messed up this old fool...
And if the homework brings you down
Then we'll throw it on the fire
And take the car downtown
And if you ever have to go to school - song: Kooks, artist: David Bowie, album: Hunky Dory
This semester has been crazy! I've done huge projects and tons of studying for my classes.
