What a difference a year makes

I was sorting through my blog posts and found this unfinished draft:

"Procrastination central

As a grad student, I've found that there are lots of ways to deal with the stress of writing term papers, developing presentations, and the stress of grad school in general. Some people drink (yay for bars), some people engage in risky relationships of all sorts, and some people experiment with various illegal substances. I, however, have developed my own world of stress reduction. I procrastinate.
Now you may be thinking to yourself that procrastination doesn't seem like a very good tool for dealing with impending deadlines. However, I'd have to say that based on extensive experience, procrastination is indeed a fine method of dealing with the deluge of work that grad school brings."

I've said before how much teaching has changed me. This old post is a classic example. I cannot even fathom procrastinating to the degree that I used to; teaching just doesn't allow it. But that's one of the amazing things about teaching: it's not just about you anymore.
For example, if I am unprepared for class, I'm not the only one that suffers. Certainly, I run the risk of looking like a complete buffoon in front of my class. More importantly, though, my students suffer because I am not prepared to communicate material to them appropriately. Knowing what I know now about the teaching and learning process, I can hardly believe the way I used to slide through school without truly preparing myself for class.
I can only hope that I have the dedication to continue along the path of academic righteousness.

What a difference a year makes

I was sorting through my blog posts and found this unfinished draft:

"Procrastination central

As a grad student, I've found that there are lots of ways to deal with the stress of writing term papers, developing presentations, and the stress of grad school in general. Some people drink (yay for bars), some people engage in risky relationships of all sorts, and some people experiment with various illegal substances. I, however, have developed my own world of stress reduction. I procrastinate.
Now you may be thinking to yourself that procrastination doesn't seem like a very good tool for dealing with impending deadlines. However, I'd have to say that based on extensive experience, procrastination is indeed a fine method of dealing with the deluge of work that grad school brings."

I've said before how much teaching has changed me. This old post is a classic example. I cannot even fathom procrastinating to the degree that I used to; teaching just doesn't allow it. But that's one of the amazing things about teaching: it's not just about you anymore.
For example, if I am unprepared for class, I'm not the only one that suffers. Certainly, I run the risk of looking like a complete buffoon in front of my class. More importantly, though, my students suffer because I am not prepared to communicate material to them appropriately. Knowing what I know now about the teaching and learning process, I can hardly believe the way I used to slide through school without truly preparing myself for class. I can only hope that I continue on the path of academic righteousness. It won't be an easy one.

From the perfect day to ick, all in one week

Have you ever had one of those days that's just amazing and perfect and you don't ever want it to end? Well, I was lucky enough to have THREE of them last weekend. And let me tell you, crashing back down to reality has NOT been fun.
Spring break was well-deserved for me, an oasis in the midst of a grad-school desert. The last three days of spring break were AMAZING. I got to attend an art exhibit with my wonderful friend, Meghan, play two hours of Trivial Pursuit circa 1981 with James and Katie, go to Avila beach and take pictures with Katie, watch "Blades of Glory" with Laura, sing karaoke, attend church at Five Cities Vineyard, and spend a wonderful day at Santa Margarita Lake with the Tierney family. *sigh* And then, I had to come back to Sacramento. Some part of me right now is rebelling at the thought of being in school. I don't want to read, don't want to grade, don't want to be responsible or do my laundry. I just want to go back to those three days of paradise I had before the real world so harshly re-introduced itself to me.
So I have to wonder, what's wrong with me??? I usually love school. I love to write, love to read, love to explore new ideas. But right now, all I want to do is pull the covers over my head and sleep until the semester is over. This is not good. It's crunch time. I should be writing papers, reading journal articles, filling out paperwork, etc, etc, etc. So why is it that at the most crucial point of the semester I just can't seem to pull things together?
For some unknown reason, something inside of me has just decided to quit. For example, yesterday I slept in until 2 p.m.!!! I don't think I've EVER slept that much in my life! Today was almost as bad. I didn't wake up until 11 a.m., and even then all I did was watch a movie. It's now 4 p.m. and this blog is the only semi-productive thing I've done all day. Granted, I did get up, get dressed and all that jazz, but the work that is waiting to be done is the LAST thing I want to spend time on.
Ick. That's the word of the day. Ick. It's how I feel. Ick. It's what I want to escape. Blech. I hate feeling ick.
Easter is tomorrow, though. It's a day of renewal and hope. I'll be praying for Jesus to overcome the ick so that I can be successful for the rest of the semester. Right now, I can use all the prayers I can get.