... i am a total nerd! Last night was my first class in my 3 year quest to get my MSW. As they said at orientation, "3 years will pass anyway, and you can either be 3 years old with an MSW or without one"
Last night when I sat down in the classroom I felt back "at home". After 17 years of formal continuous education, the last 3 1/2 months have felt kind of odd. Admittedly, I have enjoyed not cramming for tests or writing papers at 2 in the morning or doing reading 5 minutes before a class that I should have done the previous night, but it felt so good to be back in a classroom.
My cohort (everyone who will graduate in 2011) is made up of approximately 40 students, and I am most likely the youngest! Probably 75% of the people are over age 40 and are working in a human services agency, others are not working in the field. Most of them have been out of school for longer then I've been alive, so it is a total different classroom environment than your typical Whitworth undergrad class.
I already have my first paper due next week, which is kind of thrilling and terrifying at the same time. They basically told us at orientation: "if you aren't a good writer you are either going to fail out, drop out, or need to get tons of help." I wasn't too worried because I consider myself a pretty good writer. Then last night our professor said, "if you are a great writer you need to get even better and if you are a mediocre writer you [basically need to either get lots of help or leave]". Now those weren't his exact words but they are pretty close. So now I am a little nervous, because my entire grade for this course is based on 2 papers and a presentation. Most of you know I have this sick love of writing papers and editing them, I just hope my skills are up to par with what they are hoping for.
In other news, my job with NLF is going, (how do I put it tactfully?), UUGH. My program still isn't started, so I've been doing random things like baby-sitting my coworkers kids during the day, being the "coffee girl", working on the big fundraising event we’re doing in November… So I’ve been doing lots of little things, but nothing at all related to the job I was hired for. I am a little frustrated. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been great seeing how NLF works, meeting lots of people, getting comfortable around the office, but I feel like I am doing just cushy stupid stuff that makes no difference. I am anxious to get started with what I was hired to do— help facilitate change!
I do have two cases I am helping case manage, so I have been on some home visits and to court to be there for my clients, but other than that I haven’t really had any client contact. I am trying to be patient, but by nature I am not a patient person, so it’s getting more challenging by the day.
I’m glad it’s Friday! I hope you are reading and enjoying my blog, and I miss all of you Spokane people SO MUCH!
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3 comments:
I miss you too!!! My sister is coming to visit next weekend for the Art building opening, so I am glad I will have at least one friend for 2 days. So lonely! Good luck with your class, it sounds intense....Just what all those years of Core have been preparing you for!
paoHey Jess, wow it sounds like your first day of grad school was pretty intense. I'm glad that you feel at home in the class room again:) It sounds like you are doing great, staying busy! I miss you! love ya!
congrats on starting you masters program! i´m really excited for you! i´m glad that you are happy to begin class, because i just started my new round of classes today, but i am definitely NOT super thrilled about it! who wants to study when you´re in SPAIN!?! anyways, i hope things get ironed out with your job too. it sucks feeling like you aren´t contributing, though i´m sure they appreciate your help :)
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