Looking for the proverbial silver lining...

I hate when things don't go as I plan.  Joel says I am a control freak and I have recently realized that this is an accurate assessment.  As I noted earlier, I was supposed to start working on a second master's degree to be paid for by a graduate assistantship. I would concomitantly be working as an adjunct professor at VSU teaching HIST 2112.

Well VSU decided after I had already worked at the GA for nearly a week that I was not allowed to work two jobs on campus and I had to choose one to keep.  Since I had committed to the teaching job a loooooong time ago, my students had already met me, it would be hard to find a replacement for me, and I had already prepared ALL of my lectures, I decided that I had to keep that job.  Keeping the GA would have been better because it paid the same salary AND took care of my tuition.  Control freak that I am, I had ironed out every little detail for this semester and had planned out how every decision I made would affect my family.  Then BAM.  I'm only working 9 hours a week now.  Ha!  I guess the good news is I have A LOT of time on my hands.  So does my free babysitter (grandpa!) which makes him happy.

Maybe this little professor thing will give me some much needed experience and hopefully a full time job will fall into my lap real soon.  Fingers crossed.

Happy Birthday to me.

I turned 28 two days ago and it kind of saddens me to watch myself grow up.  I realize that growing older is better than the alternative, but I feel like I should still be 20.

I wish I was in the midst of a career, living the good life, going on vacations all over the country...but I'm not.  I'm still in (back in rather) college, still only working part time.  It kind of sucks.

I haven't had time to blog lately because I have been bogged down writing lectures for my classes this fall.  I have to get them done so that I can focus on the FOUR grad classes I am taking and the three kids and husband that need me to feed, clothe, and clean for them.

Much ado about nothing...

Will Work for Tuition

Hip! Hip! Hooray!

I got a graduate assistantship today for Fall and Spring!  I will be back in Distance Learning again but this time I will receive a stipend that is over twice what I received in either of my last GAs.  I worked in Distance Learning for a year in 09-10 and I am so glad that they were willing to take me back for another year.

This master's that I am doing now is different than my last one because it is all online.  As such, the tuition is much higher but the fees are much lower.  The GA will pay ALL of my tuition except $38.  I will still have to pay the fees.  With my MA, the fees were ridiculous and I had to pay them AND earn a much lower stipend.

Working in Distance Learning will marry well with my new degree in Instructional Technology.  It will give me a chance to put into practice what I learned and should be mutually beneficial.  I'm excited!

It looks like I have everything figured out.  I will work at my GA and teach two history sections while I take classes.  The only thing I have left to figure out is how many classes to take.  I really want to finish quickly but I don't want my grades to suffer.  Right now, I'm thinking that I should register for several classes and if I can't handle it, withdraw from them.  I still have a little while to think about it...

Just a quick post to express my joy and concomitant anxiety.

College in Perpetuity

I really think I am addicted to college.  Maybe it has something to do with me quitting high school.  Maybe I am here to prove that being a teen mom (times two) wouldn't stop me.  Maybe I want my kids to have a mom they can be proud of.  Maybe I want to make sure that I can afford to travel the world in my RV when I'm older.  (I have A LOT of places on my bucket list.)

Regarless of the reason, I have decided to pursue a SECOND Master's degree.  The first go 'round, I decided to get what I consider a real Master's...you know, the kind with a thesis and 25 page papers in every class.  Where paying tuition and showing up everyday doesn't guarantee you a Master's degree in a couple years. 

Since I went for the rigor on the first one, this time I am doing one that is a little more laid back...I hope.  I found out two days ago that I was accepted into VSU's Master of Education in Instructional Technology (Technology Applications) program.  Whew.  That's a long one!

I really would rather be starting a higher degree (a doctorate!) but I missed the deadline.  Additionally, I haven't decided which doctorate I want yet...whether it's the [easy] route with an Ed.D. or a [real] one - the Ph.D.  So I am giving myself until near to the application deadline to make that decision.  I will start that adventure in Fall 2012.

So here's to my new pursuit - a second Master's degree that will be completely unlike the last one - a sprint instead of a marathon.  I'm kind of hoping that I can knock it out in a year, which is completely and utterly crazy, but I can't stay out of school for a whole year.  I would go insane.  Then again, I will go insane trying to do this degree in a year... Okay I'm rambling.

Male Dominated Field? Scoff.

So during my last semester of graduate school, I was presented with an opportunity to attend a conference with Phi Alpha Theta (an honor society) where I could share my research with the world (and by world I mean the ten or fifteen people in the room with me when I presented).

Four of my fellow students from Valdosta State University presented at the conference as well, which was held at Mercer University in Macon, GA.  Here are three of us...and a bear.  Yes, that is me on the right dressed less like an historian and more like a stripper.  Several months later and my feet STILL have not forgiven me for wearing those boots.

I chose to talk about my favorite episode from my Master's thesis (this will be the subject of another blog I'm sure) which was a boycott that stemmed from the Southwest Georgia Project, which stemmed from the Albany Movement, which stemmed from the Civil Rights Movement.  Anyway, I won't bore you with the details...

I mean really, where would we be without Brown v. Board??

Mercer is a private university.  Beautiful campus, fancy accoutrements, entitled children...  The demographic of this conference looked like something straight out of the antebellum era.  Every one of the 100ish people at this event was white and the entire wait staff who served us lunch was black.  Here is a snapshot of me, a classmate, and a Mercer employee that reminds me of how small I felt when I realized all us fancy white folks were being waited on by a black domestic staff.

Here is the whole VSU contingency.  Notice, I am the only member of the female persuasion.  Story of my life.

So, the moral of the story is (all digression aside), that even though I was outnumbered easily 5:1, the girl came out on top.  I won the award for best presentation at the conference based on originality, depth of research in primary sources, and delivery of presentation.

My handsome reward was a book that fit my interests (in hardback!).