My Psychology grade just went from an A...to a C.
Wanna know why?
Ok, as I've said before, we're graded on a point system, which I call the gold sticker system. Kind of like preschool. There's a total of 400-something points for the semester, and we all start out with zero. Each quiz is worth 10 points, I think, and each paper is somewhere around 30. The other way to earn points is by our "Attendance&Participation" sheets. These are my favorite because we get grade OURSELVES. Yes, every four weeks our prof hands us papers with about ten questions on them. Stuff like,
"How many class periods have you missed?"
"How many class discussions have you participated in?"
"How many questions do you ask per lecture?"
And we get to grade ourselves. It's beautiful. Oh, and ridiculous.
So we turn in assignments, the points are credited to our account, and the percentage of the total possible points that we've racked up by the end of the semester is our final grade.
I'd been doing really well in this class for the entire semester. I have never scored below a 98 on anything I've turned in, and therefore, have had an A. In the course syllabus, one of our assignments is called "The Humanitarian Project." It's divided up into three segments, or 'missions'. Mission #1 was to write a one page paper about humanitarianism, basically talking about if we thought people were inherently good or inherently bad. Mission #2 was to volunteer 8 hours of our time at a humanitarian organization of our professor's choice. Mission #3 was to take what we'd learned from volunteering and rewrite our original paper. We then had to give a presentation to the class detailing what we'd learned about people's hearts and intentions. All of this was a total of 130 points.
Instead of talking about what I think about the assignments and the percentage of the overall grade attached to them (because you can probably guess what I think), I'll just tell you what happened. I wrote the first one page paper in probably 7 minutes and got an A or, 30 points. Great. On to mission 2. The organization I was assigned to was called "Any Baby Can". I'd never heard of it before that, but it sounded really cool and I thought it probably wouldn't be a miserable place to spend 8 hours. Before going, I called them to set up a date and times and generally ask for information about what I'd be doing. They told me I'd need a clear TB test before I started. So I went to the hospital, got my test, faxed them the forms, and set a date to go. A few days before I was scheduled to be there, I was looking over the syllabus for the class and happened to read some very fine print underneath the assignment description. It said, "Mission #2 must be completed in groups of 5 or more (from the class) and must be completed before April 16." Great. So I had to find five other people from class who had been assigned to the same place.
At the next class (this was the last week of March), I tried to find everyone who had been assigned to Any Baby Can and was very annoyed to learn that I was the only one of us who was even thinking about that assignment. People, we have 3 weeks to coordinate at least 5 people's schedules and spend 8 hours at this place, it's a third of our grade and you're not worried about getting this done??! So I got everyone's phone numbers, told every single one of them that they'd need a TB test before going, and wrote down everyone's available days. I called the place and I scheduled all 5 of us for a Saturday a week and a half away.
The Friday before we were supposed to go, I called everyone in my group to make sure they were coming. After all, I wouldn't get a grade if every single one of them didn't show up. What do I hear on the phone? "Oh, I like totally like forgot to get that like, um, whatever- you- call- it test done. Oh yeah, the TB test. Yeah, like totally forgot." I tried to take deep breaths and speak as graciously as I could, "Ok, would you please get that done on Monday so we can go next Saturday?" Everyone assured me they would have it done on Monday. I rescheduled us for the next Saturday.
Next Friday rolled around and I called everyone again to remind them of our plans the next day. (The deadline for completion was on that next Tuesday.) What do I get? "Oh my gosh, I was like, at my boyfriend's house like ALL week and oh my gosh! we, like, had such a good time! Oh yeah, and I like totally just totally forgot to get that test done. Do you like think that, like, I'll fail the class? I like already have like a D or something."
What's the result if you can't do the second part of the assignment? You can't do the third part. 100 points, gone.
Maybe I'm simple minded and living under a rock, but shouldn't I be responsible for my own work and not for the work (or lack thereof) of 18 year old highschool dropouts?
4/27/08
4/22/08
Oh, Doctors
So so so... My anesthesiology appointment today was normal. Here's the normal order of business as it happens on the Pain Clinic floor of the hospital.
--I show up about 15 minutes early, sign in, fill out symptom forms, sit down in waiting room. The waiting room is packed with 15-20 people. In front of me is a big sign that says something like, "Because of the large volume of patients in this clinic, your wait time may be an hour or more. Please excuse our delays!"
--2 minutes after I sit down, the nurse comes in and calls, "Warren, Cathryn!" I get up and my face has a questioning look as if to say, "All these people have been waiting longer than I have and their appointments were before mine...why am I getting called back?" She understands and says, "The doctors found out you were here and since you are the poster child of the floor, you get to go first."
--She takes my vitals which are usually quite vital and puts me in one of the offices to wait for the doctors.
--The door is shut, but I can hear what's going on in the hallway. I recognize the voices of several of my favorite doctors and probably some residents also. They are fighting over who gets to be in my room first. "You had her last time!" "Can I just come in and watch?" "I've never seen her before and I think I deserve at least one time!"
--My all-time favorite doctor (Dr. Edell) usually settles the argument by saying, "Um, no, none of you are going in. It's just me this time. Oh, just like last time! Have fun with your other patients!"
--Dr. Edell comes in my room, gives me a huge hug and asks me if I've grown any taller since last time.
--He is the only doctor now that has been with me since day 1. Knowing me all too well, before he does anything else he goes to the closet, pulls out a blanket and drapes it over me. "I know you're always cold, kiddo."
--We talk medicine for a few minutes, agree on any changes to meds or dosages. (My appointment slot is only ever scheduled to be 15 minutes long.) He then curses the names of most of my other doctors and tells me how badly he wants to bite their heads off.
--Even though we've already eaten through 30 minutes (double my allotted time), he continues to talk and wants to me to get him up to date on everything about school, job, family, home, church, dating, activities, plans, etc. By this time, we've been in there an hour.
--A nurse (the one who hates me) knocks on the door and with a deep frown, reminds Dr. Edell of his 19 other patients who have been waiting for 2 hours. He doesn't seem too concerned and tells the nurse he'll come out when he's ready.
--Then we talk about what's next on the agenda as far as my other doctors are concerned. He calls some of those doctors right there on the phone and tells them to get their act together. He makes notes to call the rest as soon as I leave.
--Now we've been going for almost an hour and a half and he refills my meds, schedules my next appointment, and says to please call him if I need anything. I walk out and try not to make eye contact with the mean nurse.
That's how it goes and that's how it went today. The next step is to see Dr. Alpers (the one we don't like) in neurology and see if he'll actually listen to me this time. Dr. Edell said that he will call Dr. Alpers the day of my appointment to make sure he does what he's supposed to and doesn't blow me off like that last few times. A few things should ideally happen at that appointment.
--Dr. Alpers needs to schedule my next MRI (which really shouldn't be a problem, I know he'll do that)
--He needs to send in a referral to Tricare to send me to a hospital that has those vertical MRI machines (this will probably be a big issue with him)
--He should make plans to get me a second opinion with some better neurologists and get a final word on where we go from here
We are praying hard that all of those things will happen, because quite truthfully, I'm running out of time with Dad's insurance. We would appreciate it so much if you all would pray with us that my doctors would work together to get these things accomplished quickly so we can move on to whatever the next step is.
--I show up about 15 minutes early, sign in, fill out symptom forms, sit down in waiting room. The waiting room is packed with 15-20 people. In front of me is a big sign that says something like, "Because of the large volume of patients in this clinic, your wait time may be an hour or more. Please excuse our delays!"
--2 minutes after I sit down, the nurse comes in and calls, "Warren, Cathryn!" I get up and my face has a questioning look as if to say, "All these people have been waiting longer than I have and their appointments were before mine...why am I getting called back?" She understands and says, "The doctors found out you were here and since you are the poster child of the floor, you get to go first."
--She takes my vitals which are usually quite vital and puts me in one of the offices to wait for the doctors.
--The door is shut, but I can hear what's going on in the hallway. I recognize the voices of several of my favorite doctors and probably some residents also. They are fighting over who gets to be in my room first. "You had her last time!" "Can I just come in and watch?" "I've never seen her before and I think I deserve at least one time!"
--My all-time favorite doctor (Dr. Edell) usually settles the argument by saying, "Um, no, none of you are going in. It's just me this time. Oh, just like last time! Have fun with your other patients!"
--Dr. Edell comes in my room, gives me a huge hug and asks me if I've grown any taller since last time.
--He is the only doctor now that has been with me since day 1. Knowing me all too well, before he does anything else he goes to the closet, pulls out a blanket and drapes it over me. "I know you're always cold, kiddo."
--We talk medicine for a few minutes, agree on any changes to meds or dosages. (My appointment slot is only ever scheduled to be 15 minutes long.) He then curses the names of most of my other doctors and tells me how badly he wants to bite their heads off.
--Even though we've already eaten through 30 minutes (double my allotted time), he continues to talk and wants to me to get him up to date on everything about school, job, family, home, church, dating, activities, plans, etc. By this time, we've been in there an hour.
--A nurse (the one who hates me) knocks on the door and with a deep frown, reminds Dr. Edell of his 19 other patients who have been waiting for 2 hours. He doesn't seem too concerned and tells the nurse he'll come out when he's ready.
--Then we talk about what's next on the agenda as far as my other doctors are concerned. He calls some of those doctors right there on the phone and tells them to get their act together. He makes notes to call the rest as soon as I leave.
--Now we've been going for almost an hour and a half and he refills my meds, schedules my next appointment, and says to please call him if I need anything. I walk out and try not to make eye contact with the mean nurse.
That's how it goes and that's how it went today. The next step is to see Dr. Alpers (the one we don't like) in neurology and see if he'll actually listen to me this time. Dr. Edell said that he will call Dr. Alpers the day of my appointment to make sure he does what he's supposed to and doesn't blow me off like that last few times. A few things should ideally happen at that appointment.
--Dr. Alpers needs to schedule my next MRI (which really shouldn't be a problem, I know he'll do that)
--He needs to send in a referral to Tricare to send me to a hospital that has those vertical MRI machines (this will probably be a big issue with him)
--He should make plans to get me a second opinion with some better neurologists and get a final word on where we go from here
We are praying hard that all of those things will happen, because quite truthfully, I'm running out of time with Dad's insurance. We would appreciate it so much if you all would pray with us that my doctors would work together to get these things accomplished quickly so we can move on to whatever the next step is.
4/21/08
little bit of everything
When I said that I'd be finished with school by Christmas, I guess I was being overly optimistic. I didn't really consider the fact that the school wouldn't LET me finish by Christmas. It seems as though the school does not want to expedite the transfer process, they want to prolong it instead. I tried to register for fall classes today and noticed that the school a) wasn't providing classes at appropriate times, b) won't let me register for classes requiring co-requisites, and c) probably hates me. So I scrapped my plans to take Maymester classes and a full summer schedule because if I'm not going to finish this year anyway, there's no point in cramming. I am now only taking 2 summer classes, a full-time fall schedule, and will have to take a full-time spring schedule as well. THEN, maybe I'll be able to transfer out to start clinicals.
My sisters and I, with Dirk's help, finally finished rewriting the script for the kids' musical. When we decided to revise the script and try to "reform" it, we didn't know it would be such a big job or that it would take 2 months to complete. What started as a plan to "change a few questionable lines," ended up being "changing every line." There were many steps involved and many differing opinions on what should be in the script. But eventually, we did finish it and all of the church kids finally received their copies on Sunday. We are hoping to get back on track now and have the kids ready to perform by mid-July.
Everything is pretty good around the house right now. I think we're all in wrap-up mode and everyone's getting restless and anxious for the school year to be over. Mom is starting to walk around more (without our permission, I will add), but we're hoping she'll go slowly to avoid another surgery. The weekend with Nathan, Annie, and Kristen here was a complete blast and we're still so upset that it's over. We had so much fun together and went to be each night with our faces hurting from smiling and laughing so much! We really are all meant to be together. Now we can count down the days till our big Tennessee family vacation!
Tomorrow starts my next round of doctors and tests. I am seeing my supercool anesthesiologists tomorrow and probably a neurologist or two. If you remember, I haven't seen anyone in neurology in awhile because the doctor I had up there wouldn't do anything except tell me I was crazy and stupid. One of my favorite doctors (in pain management) has since been trying to get me switched to a different neurologist, and I should know what's up with that tomorrow. We should be able to schedule another MRI now that my braces are off and maybe then we can come up with a new gameplan. The anesthesia guys are my favorites and I think they'll be on the neurologists tomorrow to make some decisions. At least that's how it usually works... I'll update on that when I know something!
My sisters and I, with Dirk's help, finally finished rewriting the script for the kids' musical. When we decided to revise the script and try to "reform" it, we didn't know it would be such a big job or that it would take 2 months to complete. What started as a plan to "change a few questionable lines," ended up being "changing every line." There were many steps involved and many differing opinions on what should be in the script. But eventually, we did finish it and all of the church kids finally received their copies on Sunday. We are hoping to get back on track now and have the kids ready to perform by mid-July.
Everything is pretty good around the house right now. I think we're all in wrap-up mode and everyone's getting restless and anxious for the school year to be over. Mom is starting to walk around more (without our permission, I will add), but we're hoping she'll go slowly to avoid another surgery. The weekend with Nathan, Annie, and Kristen here was a complete blast and we're still so upset that it's over. We had so much fun together and went to be each night with our faces hurting from smiling and laughing so much! We really are all meant to be together. Now we can count down the days till our big Tennessee family vacation!
Tomorrow starts my next round of doctors and tests. I am seeing my supercool anesthesiologists tomorrow and probably a neurologist or two. If you remember, I haven't seen anyone in neurology in awhile because the doctor I had up there wouldn't do anything except tell me I was crazy and stupid. One of my favorite doctors (in pain management) has since been trying to get me switched to a different neurologist, and I should know what's up with that tomorrow. We should be able to schedule another MRI now that my braces are off and maybe then we can come up with a new gameplan. The anesthesia guys are my favorites and I think they'll be on the neurologists tomorrow to make some decisions. At least that's how it usually works... I'll update on that when I know something!
4/19/08
psych-o
News from my Psych Professor! This will change your life!
(I'm posting this for Tiffany. I know she loves stuff like this. : )
----------------------------------------------
Your Personal Happiness Recipe--How to be Happy
Ingredients
Friends
Acquaintances
Marriage
Employment
Money
Seasonings
Extraversion
Optimism
Spirituality (of the Religious sort)
Physical Health
Combine ingredients. For every 1 part money, put 5 parts Friends and Acquaintances, and 2 parts Marriage and Employment.
Add Seasonings.
Place seasoned ingredients into a culture with a high degree of democratic freedom.
Note from Professor: For complete happiness, person must have all of the above ingredients and seasonings. For every ingredient/seasoning not present, happiness will decrease by at least 20%.
(I'm posting this for Tiffany. I know she loves stuff like this. : )
----------------------------------------------
Your Personal Happiness Recipe--How to be Happy
Ingredients
Friends
Acquaintances
Marriage
Employment
Money
Seasonings
Extraversion
Optimism
Spirituality (of the Religious sort)
Physical Health
Combine ingredients. For every 1 part money, put 5 parts Friends and Acquaintances, and 2 parts Marriage and Employment.
Add Seasonings.
Place seasoned ingredients into a culture with a high degree of democratic freedom.
Note from Professor: For complete happiness, person must have all of the above ingredients and seasonings. For every ingredient/seasoning not present, happiness will decrease by at least 20%.
4/14/08
4/12/08
4/11/08
Annie and Kristen are scheduled to land in SA in about an hour! Aubrey and I will go pick them and the babies up and bring them back to the house. Aubrey was evidently so excited and restless today that Dirk finally kicked her out of the house and sent her over here. He claims that she was making him nervous with all her pacing and he knew that she wanted to be with her sisters tonight. So, Dirk let Aubrey pack up and she's spending the night at our house! Dad's ultimate dream for all of his life has been to have all of his children sleeping under one roof. That has rarely happened due to us living states away from each other and the fact that three of the girls are married and have tons of kids.
But, tonight will be one for Dad (and the rest of us) to remember because we are all sleeping in the same house. Now Dad is the one pacing excitedly... :)
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