Beneath the Wraps

          A year in April I had started a class called Sociology of Ageism.   A class that seemed more to do with life than with career choice. It was during this class that I was able to meet one of my favorite instructors that I had during my three years online.   She was really quite animated and did her entire lecture with the camera on.             I had seen other instructors use the camera before the lecture started, but not for the entire lecture.   I don’t know how many students watched the video.   I was the only one present for her live lectures.   I had become familiar with Zoom during those three years at school.   I did not realize that this year it would be an essential for so many.           I’ve had several instructors who cared about their students as well as the subject they were teaching.   I didn’t have many w...

          People pick careers for different reasons.   Some people seem to focus more on their paychecks than the occupation.   Others pick their jobs in hopes to create a better world.   Take education, for example.   I don’t know any one teacher that picked his/her career in hopes of seeking financial wealth.   I don’t think teachers get paid near enough.   Many of them make huge sacrifices.   They sacrifice time as well as money out of their own pockets.   I don’t think the majority of students appreciate that – or may even be aware.           I know of two music instructors in the school district   that I work for.   One of the instructors spends three months at three different schools working with elementary children.   In addition she teaches before or after school band at Canyonville.        ...

          February 14 was the deadline for the short essay contest through the University.   The topic to write about one of the following: Most memorable class or instructor, most valuable lesson or how the university changed my life .   I guess I could have gone for the third one and stayed with the 150 word maximum limit .   But I was certain that I would have well more than 150 words for the others. Recently I have gone back to revisit some of the discussions that were posted.   I notice that I got a late start on the discussions in my first two classes.   I had wondered why as I have always been among the first to post to a discussion but then remembered that unlike most of my classmates who had actually started on Monday, I was not given the opportunity to do so until Wednesday.   (That definitely feels like a run-on sentence) There had been a miscommunication on the parts of administration an...

            Modern Technology in some aspects has made our lives easier, but at the same time has seemed to create more challenges - particularly when there is a glitch or breakage.  Last week I had both my laptop and pc on my desk.  I could seem to receive the internet on my pc so long as my laptop was near - like an insecure child unwilling to go through with it on its own.  Oh, brother.              I've been using Internet Explorer on the PC as chrome seems to provide a tremendous amount of pop-ups (even though the blocker is set to BLOCK)  which is extremely annoying when taking an exam.  But lately I've been having issues with explorer as well.  I don't know why, but I have never liked Firefox.  And I can't open Yahoo in the PC at all.               I've be...

                I am now taking two accounting classes.   The language is foreign to me.   I do okay in accounting 108 but I seem to be reading (and hearing) binary code for the other.   I have seen the names of only two other classmates who are currently taking both classes.   What is up with that?   Just because I don't see their names doesn't mean all my other classmates are taking the same two classes but with different instructors.   I personally would rather have just one at a time - or at least one on Monday morning and not have to wait for a walk through for both classes on Tuesday evening . . . and still replay the recordings over and over in hopes that I'll understand.                 I like my 108 instructor.   He's not boring.   He is easy to follow.   I understand wha...

          Eight months after I started this blog, I created this post. Roland actually works for an online school and had taken advantage of furthering his education at a deal.   He would spend HOURS on the computer - and that was BEFORE he started working at home.   That was a LOT of time.           Sometimes he would be frustrated - perhaps for different reasons than I had imagined.   I like having someone hold my hand and walk me through a task - rather than just hand me the instructions. And don't explain things to me on a college level.   I want you to dummy it down like I'm five (I would have gone for a higher number, but Jenna seems to absorb things better than I and has always learned things at an earlier age than I)           Some people have asked why I have gone into accounting as I really don't have ...

          If I can’t get interested in a movie in the first twenty minutes or a novel within the first ten pages, I usually don’t continue.  That may not seem like I am giving a fair chance – maybe so.  But it’s something I have decided not to gamble on – usually.  `        There have been too many movies and even more books read where I have sat through its entirety and am quite upset with myself for having wasted my time.  That is why I usually don’t go beyond twenty minutes or ten pages.  But sometimes I do.           “that’s what I am” was actually kind of a slow movie – one I watched in parts because of several interruptions.  I don’t know if I would have continued otherwise – though I was somewhat intrigued by the narration by Greg Kinnear – it reminded me of Jean Shepherd’s “The Christmas Story” or “Ollie Hopnoodle’...

         Jenna LOVES to sing, and dance, draw, learn, explore . . . I have wanted so badly to enroll her in dance lessons, or music lessons, art classes , etc.  I have even considered sports when she has shown interest – but it was always out of reach financially - even on those rare times when it looked like the class itself might be in reach, I knew that the costumes (or uniforms) would get out of hand.           Last summer I had the opportunity of enrolling her in a peewee theatre class taught by a gal who had instructed children’s theatre in New York.  Jenna would have an opportunity – not only to act, but to sing, to dance and perform and hopefully make new friends.           The play is never done in its entirety.  The instructor has been given only six to eight weeks to rehearse before putting on the show.     ...