This morning I woke to a sky full of thunder and lightning at 4 AM, and for the first time since last school started this Summer, I felt calm.

Summer school this year was, for me, a continuous adrenaline run with very little reprieve. I prepared myself for a tough semester, biting the bullet because I want to transfer and I needed this class to transfer. Doing a Math class was already something I wasn't looking forward to, but compressing a semester's worth into the period of 2 months was another challenge I was heaping upon myself.

This alert and I became fast frenemies over the Summer!

The semester started with me feeling unprepared for the pace of the class. The professor moved at a speed I wasn't used to in order to fit an entire semester's worth of material into 2 months. And then there was the ConnectMath website we used to enter our homework and on test, which provided me with hours of frustration. I went into the first test - with a test every 2 weeks - feeling somewhat prepared but good enough. I left feeling I could have done better, and that I was not as prepared as I needed to be. I got an 88% on that test, but made a lot of mistakes because anxiety got to me. I decided then that I was going to prepare better for the next test.

During this time, my Uncle Gilbert began to show that chemo was no longer working for him. He had been battling Stage IV cancer for over a year by then, and for the most part never "looked sick." He was tired all the time, and sometimes would leave family events to nap, but when Summer hit, he lost a lot of weight and stopped responding to treatment.

Also during this time, my parents decided to put the family house up for sale and move. This required us, as a family, to go through near 20 years of accumulated "stuff" to help them downsize, and then actually helping them move from one house to another. Trying to budget time between school and family obligations became a struggle.

I did much better on the 2nd test than the 1st, despite staying up all night to finish it.

The next test was a take-home test, however, the circumstances of it being a take-home test did not make it easier. I had underestimated how much homework was due and pulled an all-nighter in order to get all the homework - and take home test - done before the next day. I did much better on this test, even though pushing past my limits to get everything done had me paying for it the next day.

After those two tests, we moved into conic sections, logarithms, sequences and series, which was rather easy for me as I remembered it much better from Math 425. This homework and the subsequent test were no issue for me, and I basically solidified my A for the class...not counting the Final, of course.

The week before the Final, my Uncle died of Stage IV cancer and we held the funeral. I ended up taking two days off from school - ouch - but the math was easier for me, so I didn't have a hard time catching up (Pascal's Triangle & Binomial Expansions). At this point my parents were all moved out, but we had three rooms, a garage, shed, and attic's worth of stuff left over that we had to organize and sell.

All homework was done the Sunday before Finals, and I spent Monday and Tuesday reviewing. I took Wednesday - the day of Finals - off in order to study. I realized how much work I had missed since I went back to school in 2015, and thus, how much money I have lost. This may be a reality for many non-traditional students, which is something many school counselors don't mention.

The Final came, and I was...completely and utterly prepared. I finished every question, and knew what to do. I found myself...having fun during the Final! Now that the obstacle of frustration was gone, it was like 20 puzzles waiting for me to solve them! I mean, they were worth 10 points each, but hey...what's a little fun when you're fighting for that A?

I left Finals and went on home...and promptly fell asleep. But rest wasn't in me, not yet. We still had two rooms of solid walnut furniture to move downstairs (by we, I mean just my dad and I). The next two days had us clearing way too many books (I need a Kindle, y'all) from shelves, organizing random stuff, and hauling the heaviest furniture ever down a flight of stairs (protip: place furniture on it's flattest side and control slide down). Then, Saturday morning, we were up at 4 AM to greet the many, many people who had camped outside our house for a yard sale.

We sold everything but my childhood desk. Everything.

Sunday didn't bring much reprieve, and neither did Monday really. I was waiting for grades. I am that type of person who checks for grades every day after a Final, even if I know what I am going to get because I keep track of my grades. There's something about seeing them posted that gets me excited. I don't have anxiety about it. I just was waiting with anticipation.



I checked the website to see that I had a 65% in the class, with the Final coming in at 0%. A part of me felt a little fear, but I knew I had done well, so I emailed the professor about the mistake. She adjusted the website and my real grade of a 99% in the class, an A+, appeared.

I feel a sense of relief, not in that the grade was posted but in that Math for me is done unless I want to take more advanced Math. I might, maybe one day, but for now my goal is to transfer and move onto the next step in my college path. Statistics for Social Science is the last math related class I have to take for my major, but with Math 25 done, I can transfer.

All in all, I think this class - and the goings-on of my life during this class period - brought me to the edge of my boundaries for self-care. I pushed myself a little too hard on this one, and not because I know I deserve that A and the investment this class gives to my future self. The pace and the online system created more elements to schedule and process than I think was necessary for me. I will do Summer classes if I have to in the future, but I will be restricting this experience to classes that I know don't already hold a challenge for me, as Math 25 did.

How was your Summer class experience? What did you learn from it? What would you do differently in the future?

One thing I forgot about when I enrolled in college again (well, there's more than one thing, but this is one big one) was the cost of textbooks and materials. I feel that, unlike forgetting about how to write essays and having to adhere to almost high school like rules, the shock of having to buy textbooks is bigger because this time the cost is not rolled into a student loan and thus I am paying out of pocket for them every semester.

Since I have the Board of Governor's fee waiver here in California (seriously, without this I would not be able to afford school), there's no need for student loans. I've had to come up with creative ways to obtain the cheapest price for textbooks:

First check to see if you actually even need the textbook.

Sometimes a teacher will list a textbook but you don't even really need it. I had two classes like this, a Philosophy class and then a Nutrition class. In the philosophy class, the teacher never even used the book, and in nutrition, there was no need for the book since the teacher's Powerpoints spelled everything out! 

Luckily, my college website shows textbooks with "Required", "Suggested", and "Recommended" labels next to the books. It would suck to pay for a book and never even use it. Unless the book is hard to find, wait until the start of the semester and ask the professor how much you really need that book. If you don't use it at all, don't worry about it. If you only need a part of it, ask someone if you can borrow it, or check it out of the school library (they will often have reference copies of certain textbooks that you can check out for a day or hour). Then you can photocopy those pages. If for some reason the professor says you do need it but you end up not using it, send it back for a refund.

Never order from the campus bookstore if you can avoid it (excepting special circumstances).

Usually, the campus/school bookstore will be very expensive. The reason for this is that there's added cost that goes to a student scholarship fund, or something similar (or they're just trying to gain a profit, in some private school's cases). I avoid buying books from there unless:

• The books can only be purchased at the campus bookstore (teacher specific materials, class workbooks, laminated cards, etc.)
• The book happens to (miraculously) be cheaper there. This hasn't happened yet for me but it might!

Check Facebook for a textbook swap or used book sales group.

Some students at my school set this up, and students post there regularly with used books to sell or trade. Usually you can get a good bargain, but if your class requires online access codes, it may not be the best option, as those are usually one use only. I keep an eye on mine because when people transfer they usually want to dump a whole cache of books and are willing to haggle.

After that, start with Amazon.

Note that most places do not guarantee access codes. If I did buy this book used, I'd probably have to buy the access code separately for another $25.

Amazon seems to have fair prices for book rentals, and for buying used books. I've found some textbooks for $0.01. But for the most part the prices for rentals are a lot cheaper than other websites. That being said, be sure to return the rentals on time. If not, you will get charged one extension, and then when that expires, they will automatically charge you for the full cost of the book (which I learned the hard way once when $300 was suddenly missing from my account).

When Amazon fails you or turns up nothing (for an old book), try a textbook search service.

Chegg.com is one people regularly turn to, but there are others that provide some of the same services. You type the ISBN number (usually the 10 or 13 digit code your teacher provides on the syllabus) into the search bar and the website will search the net for you and come back with where to find the book, usually with the cheaper prices listed first:

• www.textbookrentals.com
• bookrenter.com
• half.com
• campusbookrentals.com

Sometimes it will be cheaper to buy the book used, but sometimes it will be cheaper to rent. Keep in mind these prices may not include shipping, and may include books that don't come with access codes. You'll have to decide who is best to go through, but there are a few places I don't trust...

Be wise on who you spend money with.

If a website looks sketchy, go with your gut. On the search I ran (above), the first link is an ebay link. The link doesn't show the book...it shows a study guide for the book. Be sure to read everything about the listing and cross compare the product offered with the same product offered on other sites. Some ebay listings will be sneaky and stick the word "study guide" or "cover only" in the product description or fine print, and you'll receive a box or print-out instead of a book! Check the reviews of customer service for the site, and I feel any legit site will also be listed on the Amazon.com "Other Sellers" tab.

That being said, you can find some textbooks for free!

There's these little Life Hacks memes floating around with websites that offer free books. I personally have not used these apps, but if you want, go ahead and check some of them out. You may be able to score a free textbook!

And lastly, don't be afraid to use an older version of a book if it is cheaper.

Sometimes a professor will require you to use Such and Such Book, Vol. 10. But there may not be much of a difference between Vol. 10 and Vol. 9. And those books may be cheaper because now students want to buy Vol. 10 and people need to unload Vol. 9! I've nabbed a textbook from the 1980s that was $0.01, where the only difference between that version and the new version was the title had changed to be more politically correct. While I do agree with the change, I also agree with paying a penny for the book.

Ask on the first day of class if the old version of the book will be OK for the class. So far, every time someone has asked, the professor has said that yes, it is OK to use an older version of a book as long as it was an immediate predecessor. That means if Vol. 10 is on the syllabus, don't use Vol. 4. The info may be way too outdated. But always be prepared for the professor to say that you must get the updated version.


What creative ways have you used to find textbooks? What's the cheapest textbook you've found?

Sometimes, despite our best efforts of scheduling and planning ahead, projects, papers, and assignments can get away from us. This usually happens if we procrastinate, but also if we underestimate the time required to complete a project. It happens to all students, and some students, especially younger ones, may actually thrive on all-nighters. They're the ones who have drawers full of No-Doz and probably have coffee IV drips.

I am not one of those people. I love hours and hours of uninterrupted sleep, and I do not love the anxiety that comes with a runaway project, paper, or assignment. I am also in my 30s, and my body and brain don't react the same as they would have in my 20s. I try to take care of myself, and that includes avoiding cramming and all-nighters.

But...sometimes it happens. This past Sunday, I found myself struggling with ConnectMath from 11AM to 11:30PM (with breaks scheduled in...I'm not masochistic). This came from thinking I only had 4 homework assignments to do...but the reality was I had 8. And I also had a take home test due the next Monday, which I would not have had time to do that Monday. So I was up until 3AM finishing the take home test.

I went to bed at 3 and woke up at 5:30 for work, then had school from 6 to 8 PM. But I didn't need to wait until then for the effects of an all-nighter to hit me: I woke up the next morning dead tired, and feeling like I had a hangover. My brain was sapped, and my body hurt from sitting all day and night. I was sluggish at work, and since I don't drink caffeine due to my Hashimoto's...I was SOL.

Exam #2 was bumped to a 100% after a night of wrestling with a system that didn't want to recognize the correct answers...

I made it through, then went home and went to bed. This experience was drastically different to the all-nighters I pulled at FIDM in the early 2000s. Then, I was able to stay up all night and drive to school with a project I did just hours before, perfect and polished, and feel just fine. This time...I don't know if my performance was effected aside from one question on the take home test, where I was so tired I typed in the wrong format of question without checking. I gave the instructor my scratch paper as proof that I did the question right, and hopefully I can recoup some points. Otherwise I scored an 87% (as of time of publishing, the instructor reviewed my test and scratch paper and bumped the score up to 100%).

What is the point of this drivvel, Jen?
The point is, you may find yourself pulling an all-nighter on top of your full work and full school schedules, plus kids and all the trappings of an adult life. I feel if you resign yourself to experiencing this once, the burden of frustration when it hits will be less. It's a normal part of college. It doesn't mean you are a failure, or you somehow just suck at being a college student. It is just something you need to roll with. So...

Here's a guide on how to deal:

• Keep in mind this motto: "Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today...or before you sleep." When you hit the late hours of 11 or 12 PM on an assignment due tomorrow, don't think you can somehow squeeze it into tomorrow's busy schedule. This is what I was faced with when it came to the take home test. I thought...would I have time after work to do this test? Work ended at 4. It was due by 5. No, there was no way. There was no way to sneak it in at lunch or anything. So I resigned myself to the fate of working on it that night. Even if you think you can pull it off, reality has a way of biting you in the butt. You can't predict tomorrow...but you know what's on your plate today.

Two eggs and a banana makes a pancake that is much better than heavy wheat based batter.

•  Don't be tempted to load up on sugary or carby food or drinks, including high doses of caffeine. The best bet? Go for a breakfast meal. Eggs and bananas. Or, egg and banana pancakes. It's like you're eating crappy Bisquik carbs, but there's energy in there. I top those off with Earth Balance Soy Free spread, which has stuff like Omega-3s and energizing avocado oils. Also try some nuts, and sip some water and Powerade. You may be feeling sorry for yourself and want to ease the pain of a night full of work by getting some candy or a Starbucks, but you'll pay for it later. If you have to reach for some caffeine, nosh on a chocolate square or sip some Diet Coke for a hint of pep. One of my favorite tricks is to take a bite of candied ginger. It's got some sugar, but it packs a punch and wakes you up! Just avoid things like rice, potatoes, wheat products, and corn because those will give you carb comas.
• Take breaks. You may want to just power through it, but in reality this will make you more tired. Take 10 and 15 minute breaks to rest your eyes now and then. Get up and stretch. While working on that homework and take home test (which had a 4 hour time limit), I got up and walked downstairs to get water, then stretched and did a few yoga poses. Keep the blood pumping! But also, give your brain a break. 
• Keep track of your progress. When I was working on all that homework, I kept track of time. I made a small plan of when I wanted to get each assignment done. I gave myself 1.5 hours per assignment. If I had extra time, I took a longer break or got started on the next one. If I saw I was running long on a time limit, I worked a bit faster. On one assignment I kept getting a question wrong, so I skipped it and moved on. I then went back to it when all the other assignments were done. This way, I wasn't trapped in frustration. The problem was much easier to solve after that! 

And lastly...

• Learn from the experience. How did this assignment get away from you? For me, I had checked earlier in the week and thought I had 4 assignments due. My mistake was I planned stuff with my cousins (I am tutoring them) on Saturday and didn't check again. Hardly a huge mistake, but I shouldn't have allowed myself to procrastinate. This week I am doing the assignments the day of. And I planned tutoring for later in the day for Saturday, and I am capping it at 2 hours (we spent 5 hours tutoring on Saturday!). But I also realized that math tests take longer for me. I spent 3 hours on that test. I was hoping I could do that test in 1 hour. Now that I know that I need time, if we do have another take home test, I am going to schedule that time appropriately.   

This week I managed to avoid another all-nighter. I did start my assignments early and made sure to double check the ConnectMath website in case more assignments popped up. I rewarded my progress with dips in the pool...I completed an assignment, and then allowed myself some time swimming, then got back out and worked on the next assignment! I got a full night's sleep...which is its own reward!

Have you had an all-nighter as a non-traditional or returning student? How did you cope? How did you feel the next day? Do you think it effected your grades at all?

I am almost halfway through the Math 25 College Algebra Summer Fast Track class here at Chaffey. I don't mind it, and so far I've been able to keep up with it. It turns out it's a hybrid class, with some of the class being online (mostly the homework system of ConnectMath with a digital textbook), and class meetings being held in person.

I've taken one online class before, Intro to Philosophy, and while it was easy to navigate (we used Moodle, which is similar to Blackboard) and I never saw the instructor, I was a little put off in that there was no face-to-face interaction (with Philosophy classes I like the debate and discussion aspect of the class). I didn't feel like I was actually going to school. But that's a different problem than what I am facing with ConnectMath.

Usually I do my homework on the weekends, and with math I do take a little more time than others might. I give myself time to process the material, and this class is no exception. However, I find myself frustrated as I do the problems, enter them into the "palette" on ConnectMath's website, and it gets marked wrong, despite me being right.

Seeing this when I know the answer is right is very frustrating.

Aside from questions that ask for set builder or interval notation, most of the time no format required is given, so when I get a problem wrong just based on the format, it makes me not want to do my homework. I've spent hours, unnecessarily, on a set of 15 problems, mostly because if you get it "wrong" more than two or three times, it resets the problem for you and you have to start all over again. Then I get frustrated because if I could turn in homework traditionally (a fat stack of paper), I'd be done and out sitting by the pool.

In class yesterday, the instructor tried to show us some examples by projecting the "palette" on the screen, and she came up with the same issues. In frustration, she said, "Is this what you guys have to deal with?" and received a unanimous, "Yes!"

These videos are nice to watch to review the material on my spare time.

But that is just a review of the "palette" tool of the ConnectMath website. Other than that, the website does have tutorial videos I watch on my lunch breaks, practice questions for review, and a link to the textbook, which is always handy. Most problems even have examples to learn from. And if you do get it wrong, not just from formatting issues but you legit got the answer wrong, you can do guided solutions and ask the computer to solve the problem.

So far I seem to be doing OK in the class. It's hard to tell when you're frustrated, because that can actually hinder your ability to learn. I got an 88/100 on the first test, which is a lot better than I thought I would get (I thought I got a low C). I am doing my best to study all the time and not just before the test. It's a little hard to do so when the class is so compressed and we have a test every other week. In a normal schedule, I would have more time to study and that period of 2 weeks would be a given for cramming anyway (at least, what I call cramming).

One thing I am doing is re-writing my notes. In class I have a notebook that I scribble everything into, then I got a second notebook to re-write in a neater and more comprehensive manner when I get home. I'm not going to be going into study aesthetics, however. There's just no time, and if you know me, you know my handwriting is an impatient, loopy catastrophe (that only I seem to be able to read which is fine by me).

This week is our second test which seems to be a take-home test or online test. I hope it is take-home, only because I fear what would happen if I don't put the answer in the right format for the "palette." I'll be quick with my screengrabs, then.

If  you are taking summer classes, how are they going? What are some challenges you are facing?

When I first selected my Math 425 professor in Fall 2016, I didn't do any research on him. I took the class because it was available Friday nights, and I wanted to have my Saturdays open, but that should have been my secondary concern. Things did not go well, and I, along with most of a student population of 30, dropped the class. Unfortunately, I dropped after the midterm, and got stuck with a W on my record (a grade of W does not count towards my GPA, but it shows when I transfer that I waited until half the class was over to drop).

After I left, I made an appointment with counseling because now I had to postpone taking Math 425 to the next semester, and thus postpone Statistics to Fall 2017. I told my counselor about how the teacher did not collect homework, do reviews, or teach like the book, and how most of us were very confused. Everyone failed the midterm in that class. The counselor said to me, "Didn't you check ratemyprofessors.com?"

I didn't, seeing as I didn't know that was a thing at the time. After the counseling session I immediately went home and checked the professor's score on the website.

Red up and down. Ouch. If I had seen that before I had registered for classes, I wouldn't have taken his class!

If I had seen this before I had attempted Math 425 the first time, I would not have taken this professor. All the things that make for a teacher-student incompatibility were there! Disorganized, didn't collect homework, didn't teach effectively, didn't let people know what was on the tests...come to find out that he would require a certain format of answers on the test that were not taught in the book! Some students may be able to work with this environment but you don't need the added anxiety of trying extra hard to cover what your professor should be doing.

Well, I was sure to reference Ratemyprofessors.com from then on out and the results have been great. I've made sure I got classes with teachers that not only have good ratings but also teach in ways that correspond to my learning style. I selected my new Math 425 professor based on his rating, and not only was I able to follow along and get feedback on my homework, I did so well that I got an A in the class!

But going to Ratemyprofessors.com doesn't just mean look for people with all green ratings and blindly taking their classes. There are other factors to consider! Follow my guide when planning to register for classes below:

First, consider your learning style.
I have had the pleasure of taking class 3 times with an amazing professor. He has the room arranged with chairs in a big circle, and lecture is discussion based. The whole group gets in on the learning and no one really has the chance to get distracted with their phones. I found this learning experience to be very helpful because it helped me to remember everything just in how novel the setting was. We related the textbook material to real life stories, and learned from each other. For the most part, he has great reviews on Ratemyprofessors.com

But there's one bad review. They complained about what they considered was an inappropriate college class setting, and that the homework didn't seem to help them relate to the class content.

Obviously my experience and their experience was very different despite the fact that this professor runs all his classes in a similar way. This student did not mesh well with the teaching style, which doesn't necessarily denote a failure on the part of the professor or student. It just means it was a bad match. The student probably should have dropped the class and taken it with a professor who was more orthodox.

And while I am OK with formal learning environments with the class sitting forward and the teacher reading from Powerpoints, as they don't necessarily hinder me in any way and I've walked away with an A in those classes, it's just not as memorable an experience for me. So far I've had two professors (one Child Development and one Philosophy) who has conducted class in the circle format, and not every professor will even consider it.

But there are other factors to how I learn. I love to write, so a teacher who assigns a lot of essays will be a good fit for me. I enjoy professors who give feedback, answer questions, and call on me during class. The one class where even though I did well I would have given the professor a bad rating if I did not understand that we just didn't mesh was a class where the teacher read off Powerpoints through the whole class and didn't accept questions or call on people.

For some students, this class method would really work for them. For some, it wouldn't. I sat next to someone in that class who had a hard time concentrating on the 3 hours of non-stop lecture. She told me she was ADHD and I could tell that she was spending as much time fighting to concentrate as she was learning. Obviously that class was not a good fit for her.

Why say all this? Because when you go on Ratemyprofessors.com and you see what everyone is praising or complaining about, you need to give these ratings context but also consider how they fit in your learning style. I've noted before that if a bunch of students complain that a professor gives out a lot of essay assignments it won't necessarily be a bad thing for me because I love to write essays. To each their own!

Then look at the professor's ratings.
If you look on a professor's page on Ratemyprofessors.com, you'll notice a little section with a rating number and certain categories that students select about the professor. 


This section provides a snapshot of the professor and some details that students may not put in their rating paragraphs because they only have so many words they can post. 

• First is the Overall Quality number. This number is a rating average of all the individual ratings given. Great professors are going to have a rating of 4.0 or above, but I generally pick people with a 4.5 or above. 
• Would take again. This isn't a dealbreaker for me because for many professors, students don't need to take a class with them again unless they are majoring in the subject. It's nice to see something there but if you don't, it should be ok.
• Level of difficulty. This number sort of breaks down how well a teacher instructs so students can "get it." It doesn't necessarily mean a teacher is "dumbing it down." I would look at this number if you are taking a course that you consider hard. For example, say math isn't your strong suit. If you are looking at a professor for a required math class and the difficulty rating is 4, then it probably isn't the class for you. That 2.1 rating may be more your style. The same subject and material will be covered, but students are reporting that this teacher makes it easier to understand.
• Hotness. I never fill this out because I don't really care how hot a teacher is, but some students might. It's not a deciding factor for me when selecting an instructor, because they could be Chris Hemsworth for all we know but a bad teacher.
•  Top 20 tags. I pay attention to this instead. This may be the most crucial part of a professor's rating header, alongside Overall Quality and Level of Difficulty. It gives you a better idea of what to expect from the instructor and weeds out complaints from a bigger picture of what the professor is like. For example, the image above shows that this professor gives lots of homework, as rated by 6 people. I think it's a safe bet to expect a lot of homework from the professor! Many people may not like that, but for me that's not a dealbreaker. On the flipside, only one person said this professor is a tough grader. This may show you that this professor is only a tough grader from that person's perspective. The professor may not be a tough grader at all! The student may have been expecting to get away with doing the bare minimum, or may not be used to college grading. Who knows? Try not to take lesser ratings like this sway your decision too much.

That being said, there are some things you should not accept from a professor or "take with a grain of salt."
Now we move into the individual ratings or paragraphs under the rating header. You're going to get individual insight from each person that expands on the rating header. For the most part, you're going to see some great ratings like this:

This teacher seems very respectable and a good teacher to boot!

But you may run into a page full of these:

You do not have to put up with a teacher who belittles you in class.

Teachers are people too, and they have their quirks and make mistakes like the rest of us. But being a professor requires some level of professionalism that students depend on. We're here to learn, and learning is already a process as it is. Plus, we are paying for these classes and deserve to get our money's worth!

As a non-traditional student, we're working hard not only at school but at home and at work too. Some of us have kids. And even if we didn't have any of that stacked against us, if we have to do extra work because a professor isn't carrying their weight, that's a bad thing. Here's a few things to look out for in reviews that will tell you to steer clear of a professor:

• They talk about themselves or topics that have nothing to do with the subject matter. Ok, I had one of these. Business was the first class I enrolled in when I decided to go back to school. The professor was...interesting to say the least. She made inappropriate and flirtatious remarks to the young male students in the class on the first day in front of everyone. She talked about how great she was and all about her family. I spent the whole class there that day - the first and last day I attended her class - and she spent maybe 20 minutes on the class subject out of 3 hours. I didn't use Ratemyprofessors.com back then, but looking at it now, for her, most of the students complain about the same stuff that I had a problem with. She spends most of the semester talking about stuff that has nothing to do with the class, leaving students to fill in the gaps and learn on their own. Why take a class if you have to do that? But, I suppose I should thank her. I dropped that class and turned my back on business once and for all, and have been able to dedicate myself to Child Development whole-heartedly.
• Bad organizational skills. If students complain about a teacher who is always flustered and doesn't seem to have their stuff together, pass them on by. If they can forget to do their job right, how do you know they've graded you right? Remembered you turned something in? Didn't lose your papers? And no one wants to waste time during lecture meetings to wait for a teacher to get their material going.

• Doesn't collect homework on time or at all. I find this very annoying. I am busting my butt to go to college and get my As and you are going to treat my hard work in such a disrespectful manner that you aren't even going to collect or grade it? Pass.
• Not only do they not give constructive feedback, they are rude, angry, or belittling. You do not need to put up with this. I had an art teacher the first time I went to college who treated me this way. I was in a class of mostly guys, and the teacher liked to put the girls work up front and pick it apart. His tone was not constructive, and was very belittling. He had nothing but praise for the work the guys did. One time he pulled my art in front of the class and asked, "What were you thinking?" in such a condescending way that I decided I had had enough and left. At the time I had been told that I should have stayed with the class and not drop it, but I respected myself too much for that. You don't go to college to get abused.
• They don't show up most of the class, show up really late, or leave really early. There's a rule at school where if the professor doesn't show up in the first 15 minutes of class, its cancelled, even if they don't email you or put up a sign in sheet. I've heard of some people having professors who did this on a regular basis! I understand things come up, but if a professor can't be arsed to show up most of the time, it's just disrespectful. I get myself going and manage my time, and I expect someone with the title Professor to do the same, especially if I am paying out of pocket for my education. 
• Students complain that they get graded for stuff they weren't aware of. I once had a teacher who marked anyone who looked at their cell phone at all with an F for the day (back before the age of smart phones and most people treated their little Nokias like watches). I was surprised to see my grade lowered by all these mystery Fs! Some other students complained as well, and she revealed her unspoken rule. I've also had professors knock points off stuff like writing an essay in MLA when they had wanted us to write in APA but had not stated this requirement (we automatically refer to MLA unless requirements ask for it). This may not be a deal breaker, and it wasn't for me, but it may be more of a hassle than you want to deal with. I asked for my points back because these rules weren't made known to me and I got them back, but I noticed a lot of other students were too intimidated to do so. No matter what the case, stand up for your needs. This isn't high school, and you can get those points back!
• They are inappropriate and lack a teacher/student boundary. Like the example of the business professor, class time is not your professor's personal Match.com session. What a professor or student does on their private time is none of my business and I don't care (and also, people meet in real life situations like that, and at work, and rules to keep it from happening are archaic at best), but if that kind of behavior happens in the classroom, that's not a classroom you need to be in. Even though I stayed the entire class session that first day with the business professor, other students walked out in the middle. You're at school to learn. You shouldn't have to put up with a professor who clearly lacks maturity, tact, and boundaries.

Oh boy. This is a new and interesting experience for sure.

The first day had me trying to find a parking pass, like always, since the parking passes never seem to arrive on time. That's okay though, because school gives out temp ones on the first day. I did take my own advice and get to school early - a half hour early - to get the parking pass and find class, which was in the Vocational Services building. It was a large classroom, the largest one I've been in, and even though only half the seats were taken, it was still a large amount of people.

My teacher comes from Cal Poly Pomona, and it can be typical for professors who teach during the Summer to come from different colleges. Last Summer I had Jon Russell (from Cold War Kids, for reals), who isn't a classroom professor during the regular school year. The Math 25 professor's teaching style thus far seems to be different from the teachers I've had before at Chaffey, and she's decided to use an online book and grading system for the class.

The online system for Math 25 that also comes with the ebook.

I brought my laptop with me just for this purpose, but the class is so condensed that trying to follow along with the textbook is can be tricky. Instead, I correspond my notes from Math 425 with the notes I take for this class, since it seems Math 25 just expands on what I learned in Math 425.

First, we need to do an assessment so that the online system can tailor our learning experience to what we need to learn, i.e. what are our strengths and weaknesses are. It took me a while to do this assessment, and I was surprised at how much I had forgotten (mostly the later chapters of Match 425) in the last two weeks. I am glad I am taking this class now, because I don't want to lose all the hard work I did in Spring!

I didn't quite understand the report, but if I am not mistaken, I am a bit shaky on the last few chapters of 425 that will also be a part of 25 and are considered College Algebra (hence the need to take this class). These chapters were condensed into a month in 425 so I am not too worried about the results of this assessment.

The teacher moves rather fast through the material, but it isn't hard to understand. She doesn't sacrifice comprehensive teaching for speed, which is great. There were a few things I was iffy on, but I wrote notes in the margins of my notebooks about where the lesson corresponded to the book so that I could review later during study time. That way I am not floundering to correspond the lecture with homework.

The only real con I can see to this experience is the amount of time I spend sitting. I work full time so I mostly sit for 8 hours, then for four days a week I sit 2 more hours. By the end of the second day, my legs and butt ached! By the end of the fourth, my ankles were swelling like I had been sitting on a 15 hour flight to China in coach (protip: spring for the business class, trust me)! In fact, sitting here typing this, I feel like I need to get up and jog.


This weekend I will be tackling the homework, which I hope doesn't take up all of my weekend. It is a condensed, high credit class, so that may just be wishful thinking. There are due dates and all the homework is submitted online, so I don't have to worry about not getting credit or feedback like my first Math 425 professor.


How was your first week of Summer classes? Where did you excel, and where did you struggle? How do you plan to adapt?

I hate being bored. I'm one of those people who likes to be doing something constructive. Plus, as a non-traditional student who is returning to school, I work, so I don't have time for epic adventures but I also know how to, and want to, make the best use of my time.

Summer excitement!

That being said, there are things I want to do this summer, most of it being prep for next semester and the June 5th start date of summer classes. Here's my plan for the Summer:

Take a summer class. 
I've already talked about why this is important to do, but I feel like I need to make sure I am utilizing my time to the best of my ability. Sitting around the house or just going to work isn't fulfilling that purpose for me. Since school has ended, I've watched all of Sherlock...all of Call the Midwife..all of Riverdale...all of Anne with an E...you get the point. I could easily waste my summer on Netflix, but that time can also be used to get me ahead for next semester. Sure, Math 25 isn't what I'd call the most exciting plan for summer (although I am excited), but the time is going to pass anyway. Why not pass it doing something useful?

Earl Nightingale has the right idea.

Check out and fill out as many scholarships as I can.
I am on the Board of Governor's Fee Waiver, but I still incur costs for school. I spend money on books, fees, parking passes, and I also lose money when I take days off from work to do school related stuff. Plus, when I transfer, I will not be under the BOG. I am going to fill out as many scholarships as I can, because anything can help with the cost of college.
 
Plan to start a Non-Traditional Students Club/Union at my school.
I've already emailed the Associated Students Union at my school about wanting to start this up at my college. There is currently no club or union for non-traditional students there, and most, if not all, clubs there meet during the day, so non-traditional students cannot participate if they work full time. 

I hope that if I do get this started, that we are able to meet after 5 PM on weekdays, and that it can be a place where non-traditional students can get involved in school, work on being well-rounded students, and can be supported in the unique challenges they face as non-traditional students in a system built for Fresh Ex-High Schoolers.
 
Get involved. 
I definitely want to get more involved in the community and start preparing to be a teacher. I've applied to be a tutor in quite a few places, but I also volunteer with Helping Hands Pantry. I want to do more, and visit more often. I did tutor my cousin during the semester (2nd grade) and enjoyed being able to work one-on-one with a kid. I was able to get her to focus, and she was able to do a really good job on her project. She got an A, and delivered a great Powerpoint on Queen Elizabeth II (with works cited, I'm so proud). She learned quite a bit about integrity in school, how to be a good person, and how respect works. She picked the Queen because she liked that, "everyone does what she says." At the end, she said she learned that being respected like the Queen comes with respecting others, and serving others tirelessly and selflessly. I'm sure there's more to being Queen, but for a 2nd grader, it was a good learning experience.

I know there are plenty of kids out there who don't get the chance to work one-on-one with a tutor. Many parents don't get tutors for their kids because they believe they are expensive, and that a teacher should be able to do everything themselves anyway. That couldn't be further from the truth! In today's crowded classrooms, every kid - even the "gifted" ones - can get overlooked and left behind. I also know there's more to a child's success than aptitude for test-taking and following directions alone. It can be an emotional experience...and a child who believes they can't do something won't do something. It's up to the people around them to tap into the power of "yet."

I can't do that...yet.
I don't know that...yet.
...etc. 

A growth mindset not only benefits children in the classroom but us as college students!

Have some fun
There are a lot of people I've met who probably think that I don't know "how to have fun." The truth is, I find school and learning very fun. I love writing papers, studying, research, and challenging my brain. It's just who I am. Unfortunately a lot of these things are made synonymous with being a stick in the mud, perfectionism, and generally not being a fun person. I think that's sad, because a lot of people do really find this stuff enjoyable and that's ok.

That being said, I understand that too much of a good thing can really hurt. Brain farts, burnout, and of course, dealing with an autoimmune disease plus real life means you have to pull your head into reality every once in a while. Sometimes, you really do need some mindless fun to relax your big, beautiful brain. So I've made a list of all the things I want to do this summer, as modest as it may be:

• Go to the beach, maybe train it to San Diego
• Throw a Goodbye House Party (we're moving!)
• Hang out with my nephews more (we went to the zoo and had a party last weekend, but I also want to visit the Discovery Cube too, and see Cars 3)
• Squeeze in a visit or two to the Griffith Observatory and The Getty, as I haven't been in yeeaaars
•  Mani, pedi, hair, all that biz

 How are you spending the summer? What are you doing during the summer that is preparing you for what comes next in your college journey?