I think all college students heading into finals should be required to listen to this one, mostly for the refrain. It is so easy to get swept up into the stress and exhaustion of the exams.
I've had an interesting few days, mostly because last night at dinner was the first real meal I've been able to eat in 3 days. I know my parents read this sometimes, so I don't want to worry them and I don't have an eating disorder, I promise, but I've eaten very little in the last three days, mostly liquids and small snacks. As my Basic Acting II final wound down yesterday, I realized that I had been far more nervous for it than I originally thought. I know I felt prepared for most of it (I still hate Actions and Objectives) and I knew my partner and I would be fine, but I was still incredibly nervous for it; it went really well. As soon as I relaxed, my stomach did not stop growling for a full hour. Food fail for sure.
I'm down to 3 finals: 2 in class and 1 paper. I'm hoping to knock the paper out today, leaving my Lit I and Stagecraft finals. I'm more than happy to work on Stagecraft, but I don't want to study for Lit. That class has been...interesting, to say the least. I was thrilled to be in a class where the assignments were all stories, some of which I was familiar with, but many of the readings wound up being dull and dry. I'm a personal fan of lectures with class participation in the form of questions where I can take real notes on what the teacher is looking for. I have no real notes from this class. Tons of doodles in my notebook, but no real notes. It is very frustrating.
I know it seems like I'm complaining (and I am), but I am very opinionated when it comes to teaching and to teaching styles. I'm heading into my first Field Experiences in January and I've taken 2 Education classes already at school. I even wrote my first lesson plan this semester and taught 15 minutes of my second lesson plan to the class. The more I learn about teaching, the more I look for the teachers that inspire me and the more I try to figure out why they are so amazing. My Acting Professor, my high school English/Latin teacher, my Honors Algebra II/BC Calculus teacher, my middle school French teacher, my high school choir director, my current choir director/boss, my Honors US I teacher, my music theory teacher, my 8th grade English teacher. They have all made a difference in my school career and have driven me to emulate their profession.
I love learning. I want learning to be fun and accessible and understandable for everyone, so when I am stuck in a class where I have no motivation and am not passionate, school becomes a chore. I'm not paying thousands of dollars to do chores. The point of college is to learn what you can in order to prepare for life. I shouldn't be something we do because we have to. That's what k-12 is for. College is optional and really freaking expensive, so the least we can do is have fun while learning.
"And breathe. Just breathe."
