I’ve been told that I need to write something before this blog gets as dusty as the one on Xanga was, so here goes. I’m back in school now, but I don’t know for how long. I’m only enrolled in one course, so it shouldn’t be a big deal, right? The course is Young Adult Literature, which is obviously useful if you’re going to be teaching English/language arts to young adults. But because this is a lit course which would normally be taught in a 16-week semester being crunched into half the time– 8 weeks– we have to read 13 books. Thirteen books in eight weeks. You do the math. By the way, I also have to work 25-30 hours a week, and help take care of four kids who are now home ALL the time, since school’s out for summer.

The thing is, I’m not exactly sure if I HAVE to take this class. It’s a rather complicated story, but all the rules and procedures of the MSCD teacher education department are rather complicated. See, this is the one class that I didn’t have an equivalent for in my undergraduate degree. I’m only at Metro to get my teaching license– I’m only taking the courses required for me to gain licensure to teach in the state of Colorado. I’m not here to get a degree; I already have one. But Young Adult Literature is currently a “hole” in my program plan. If it remains so, I’d still get to student-teach in fall, but Metro would not be able to recommend me to the state to receive my license– and then I can’t get a job. That is a problem.

The one other solution is if I can have the professor who signed off on my overall program plan sign that line on the sheet. I would have to write in another course to substitute– and I don’t really have one– I’d have to use the methods of teaching literature course that I took here, which is already listed elsewhere on the sheet. I wrote him to ask if he’d do it, and I’m waiting for his reply. I’ll have to drop the class by tomorrow to get my money back. I had to pay $417 in tuition and fees for this one course, and out of pocket, because I  couldn’t get a loan for the summer; you have to enroll in at least six hours and I think I’d used all my loan eligibility for the academic year anyhow. Given the fact that I have to survive for 16 weeks in the fall without income, I’d be much better off working and saving money this summer than completing a course I may not have to.

Yes, folks, it’s not easy becoming a teacher. If you thought it was, I can tell you many more stories to change your mind!