Ok so if I had written this on Monday, when I originally planned to, I would have had a despicable confession to make... but since it is Friday I have some really proud accomplishments to speak about. Firstly I have almost completed my paper! This unfortunately the pinnacle of my progress report because I still need to include my sources appropriately throughout my paper. So my work, in a way, could be viewed as not even being close to finished because this could potentially make or break the paper because it is a research paper. And like everyone else in class, I do not want to screw this paper up. I am sure many of us were flipping out because when we were first assigned this paper we thought we could research the materials and begin drafting our papers in no time. God, how I wish life was conscientious to the fact that this paper has the weight to potentially crush our hard work throughout this semester. Aside from the fact that all my other classes have dramatically increased my workload either due to lack a of planning/ forethought on the progress of some students or some unforeseen circumstances beyond anyone's control this semester has thrown everything but the kitchen sink at me. Now to some this would seem like mindless cliche banter, but in all honesty, that shit just happened. In my Stats class my teacher was involved in a car crash that totaled her car and she was healing from her injuries for a week and a half. This was difficult to rebound back from, we are still a little behind but it is not by much so we should be fine. In my Spanish class our instructor has made lessons that should only last about twenty minutes last almost an hour and a half. Yet on difficult lessons that should take almost an hour to learn, practice, and execute properly she spends ten minutes and expects us to have it down to a science. Now I respect my instructor and I have learned much in this Spanish class than I had in classes I previously had in high school but we are so behind that over this last week and next week we will have to cover two chapters that, so far, appear to be more complicated than what we have had. But all this is neither here nor there, the work needs to be done, the material needs to be learned, I just hope my brain doesn't explode before June third.
But getting back to the topic at hand, my paper, I feel as though this semester has forced me to have a love-hate relationship with all my classes but more specifically with English. I love the material we have learned so far, yet I hate the amount of work we have had to do to learn this wonderful material. I feel as though in this English class I have learned more in one semester than all my other semesters or years in English. But this knowledge has come with a price, I do not have the energy to do anything but my coursework. Going out with friends makes me feel bad, watching television makes me feel like a waste, even spending time with my family consumes me with guilt, my conscience is stretched to the breaking point, along with the rest of my being. Did I procrastinate? Yes I did. I pushed things off until the last possible opportunity whether by conscious choice or plain necessity, it happened. And now that I am here at this moment in time, I have a job to do. So I will get back to it, like I am sure many of you will and hopefully finish it correctly so that way my guilt can be rectified, and my body can finally stop being so strung up from all this tension.
I really appreciated your blog and I can definitely relate. Towards the end of your second paragraph you stated: “God, how I wish life was conscientious to the fact that this paper has the weight to potentially crush our hard work throughout this semester. Aside from the fact that all my other classes have dramatically increased my workload either due to lack a of planning/ forethought on the progress of some students or some unforeseen circumstances beyond anyone's control this semester has thrown everything but the kitchen sink at me.”
ReplyDeleteI too am overwhelmed by the course-load for this class. I have never had a class with so many assignments. I feel like I have no time outside of this class, but the problem with that is, I still have to make time outside of this class; both for my other classes and work. It’s terribly stressful and I’m so excited to be in the final stretch.
The other thing that bothers me terribly is as you said, the potential this research paper has to crush my grade. I was doing splendidly until the last essay which single-handedly dropped me one letter grade. I would hate to do poorly over a couple of papers after working so hard all semester.
Good luck to you with your paper!
Procrastinator! Yes, guilt as well! I have mostly been putting other things first. This is not good most nights I get home so late. A few weeks ago I was writing my papers and fell asleep sitting up on the couch. When I woke it was 5:30 am had to take my son to bus stop since we live outside of town. I am just surprised I did not roll over and dropped my laptop. Needless to say my lower back was killing me all day long. It does seem that this spring semester all my classes had an increase of work and no matter how much I tried, I am still behind. I will surely be glad once this semester is done! Until then I pray not to fall asleep again on the couch. Well at least a few good things has come from all this, I lost 17lbs and finally my migraines have subsided this past week.
ReplyDelete“Love/hate for English” yes me too. Congratulations on finishing your paper! I am not close but almost there, unfortunately I am typing all my notes into my computer at this time. I have been secretly been writing out my argument at work and underlining my argument.
Good luck in Spanish!
Quite seriously now, I’m actually looking forward to reading your paper. You may be a procrastinator, but some people work fantastically under the pressure. I’m surely not one of them because I start freaking out about everything and then I scream at people who just want to be my friends and then…well, I sound like a crazy female, but there it is. I can’t wait until the last minute, but some people do and some people can. And, if you’re one of those people, then more power to you. I know that my brother can’t do the work when it’s assigned like I normally do, but instead waits until the last moment to get things done and it really works brilliantly for him. The fact that the paper is weighted so heavily has me borderline freaked out, even though I had the thing finished on Friday. I plan on stalking Jenn this week to make sure I’ve got what I need to for the paper to be at least a B. But, yeah. I’ll read your paper tomorrow, God willing. But, in advance, great job?
ReplyDeleteEh, whatever. I’m tired and should be heading to bed because I’ve got an exam in the morning. I’ll use that as my excuse for rambling and whatnot even though I’m fairly certain you’re used to it by now. Oh, look. I just did it again.