When I was in 5th grade,  I was enrolled in a two day a week history and science course that ran from 9:00 to 2:00.  One of our regular homework assignments consisted looking up words in Webster's 1828 monstrosity of a dictionary which we occasionally had to drag to class.  Other uses of the dictionary: flower press and booster seat.   We would look up the definition of the word, write it down, and choose three words from the definition to look up and write down those definitions.  I received horrible grades on the first couple definition assignments. 

Why?

Because I was trying to paraphrase the definitions. 

My teacher wanted the exact definitions from that version.  I knew about plagiarism.  I was not going to copy someone's work.  My mom went in and explained the situation.  I'm still not sure why the teacher didn't ask me or why copying definitions from the dictionary was such an important skill to learn.  Then again, this is the class where the teacher lectured and wrote notes on the board that we were supposed to copy word for word.  Looking back on the class as a future teacher, wow...  Anyways, I was told that it was fine to copy word for word out of the dictionary because the teacher knew what the source was.  

Now at the university, I spend a lot of time citing my sources and checking my reference page to make sure everything is in the correct style.  I just got back from some final senior presentations and for some reason this story came to mind and it made me laugh because I've been so grade oriented for most of my life.  I just finished a human development final so I want to make a comparison between dopamine levels in the brain and a possible grade addiction but that makes my head hurt.  That 5th grade class assignment... I was pretty upset about it!  I got a B in history and I totally frustrated because I couldn't figure out what I did wrong. :) This semester, I really had to give up on grades and just do my best.  I worked more than I had in the past.  I had a weird schedule that didn't allow for quality study time.  I just did what I could and I'm ok with that.  It's kind of a nice feeling.  Hopefully, the feeling lasts when grades are posted.

P.S.  I have garden pictures galore so they will be posted soon.

Week in review

Freedom. It's a wonderful feeling. I was tied to my computer for about a week trying desperately to finish my papers in time. I saw way too many 1 am mornings for my liking. The historical literature review was due on Friday. The public policy outline was due Tuesday morning. Both made it in on time and pretty much complete. The outline was ~ 19 pages without the reference pages before I double spaced it. I think it was the longest document I've completed but I still have to put it into paragraph form and present my policy to the class. I'm taking eighteen units, all upper division. I didn't think that 18 units would be that much different than 17 units last semester but I was wrong. I was so panicky last Tuesday and Wednesday trying to get started on the papers. I honestly don't know how it all was finished. It was a definite God thing. I appreciated the prayers of family and friends; thank you.

My history class last night was let out early with instructions to spend a half hour outside. I took my reading for the week and sat out behind the library. There's an odd dichotomy behind the library of nature and progress. We don't have a lot of manicured lawn here because of burrowing creatures. The main quad, the campus center and behind the library are the few places with lawn. I sat on the edge of the manicured landscape looking out into the meadow and realized there is a beautiful view. Clouds rolled overhead, yet I could see sunlight in the distance behind them.

Sometimes being on campus is a bit like the Wild America tapes we used to watch when I was little. Spotting a coyote hunting behind the greenhouses, watching hawks hunt, finding a frog during an Easter egg hunt, cottontail rabbits hopping across your path. I never know what to expect.